Checkmate
by pearl84
Summary: Vlad forces Danny to leave everything behind in order to save Jazz. But just when the billionaire believes to have won his chess game against his young rival, Danny makes a single unexpected move. Now, it's anyone's game. But is it about winning anymore?
1. Prologue

**Edited: April 17, 2011. Yes, I finally got around to editing, as I said I would. Then again, I have been editing little by little for **_**several**_** months now. But, at last, I am done editing the prologue. It is still the same. I just cleaned up grammar and sentence flow, because every time I read this chapter, I cringed at how horribly it was written—I know what you loyal readers want to say, but I am allowed to be hard on myself because I'm the author! Heh-heh. Anyways, expect editing for chapter 1 and 2—eventually—for those who like to re-read stuff. And hopefully for those who are just getting on board, this will be more pleasant to read. Ta for now!**

* * *

**Edited Summary**:

Chess is one of the most entrancing and complex games that exist. A great chess player is patient; they don't rush to defeat or win a step ahead of their opponent. They wait till the moment is right.

A great chess player also strategizes. They watch their opponent's moves and exploits them to his advantage, while in turn, making his own moves accordingly. It takes years of practice and intelligence to master such crafts, but in the end, the player obtains what they want: victory over their opponent.

With two words the wiser player marks his hold on his rival; a hold that can't be broken by any move, because in truth, the captive has none left, except to give in to defeat.

Checkmate. The word that defines the whole game; a word that only the better player is honored to say…..

Danny's fifteenth birthday is coming up, so his friends and family plan a surprise party for him. However, his fun, ghost-free birthday comes to a halt when Jazz mysteriously collapses during his party. Now Danny has to cope with his sister's sickness, while dealing with the stress of a starnge increase in ghost attacks. But Danny is faced with an even greater problem when Vlad comes to vist. What will Danny do when his sister's life depends on one choice from him? And what will happen when his choice leads to something completely unexpected?

* * *

**Author's Notes**: Hello everyone! This is my first DP story and the first story I write in about nine years. I have always enjoyed writing but school has cut that pass time. I got this idea as I watched "Secret weapons" and "Kindred Spirits." This story plot has been nagging at me for a while and until now I decided to listen to it. I'm not sure how long this will be but I got most of the plot figured out, so I know were its going for the most part. The story won't have any pairings and will not contain any OCs. There might be some hinting on pairs but nothing that the show doesn't show. Spoilers for the show will be mentioned every so often in the story. I'm hoping to finish this story in about a month which is what I have before I get back to school. Since this is my finals week I'm probably not going to update until next week. With that said, I welcome any kind of comments and advice. Please let me know what you think; you know, likes, dislikes, and most importantly if the characters are "in character" Like I said I am really rusty at writing so it might not be all that great, but if I didn't get this story plot out of my head I was going to go Crazy! Thanks for Reading

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom; Butch Hartman is the sole owner of the show and therefore of all its characters.

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**Checkmate**

**Prologue:**

* * *

The sun began to set over the town of Amity Park. So, for the citizens, that meant the end of a busy day and the time to unwind from the day's activities.

But for Danny Fenton, the day's activities were far from over.

The fourteen-year old freshman was no ordinary student of Casper High School. An accident a year ago had taken away all normality from his life. Well... perhaps not all his normality. Like all boys his age, he was going through puberty. And although, he was going through the whole 'voice changing' and 'raging hormones', his body wasn't exactly developed or muscular. Quite the opposite, really. In fact, to many, he looked a lot younger than fourteen. And his baggy blue jeans and white-and-red T-shirt made him seem even slimmer.

But what Danny lacked in body, he made up in face. One look at his large, ice-blue eyes and one couldn't help but be mesmerized by their depths. His wavy jet-black hair that every-so-often fell against his face only made those eyes the more alluring. Overall, the young teenager portrayed an air of innocence and boyish charm.

Too bad that his looks did very little to help his status in high school.

Being that he was a shy and clumsy teenager, Danny was considered an outcast—or in his peers' words, 'a loser'. His only friends were Tucker Foley and Samantha Manson—though she was better known as Sam Manson. But they were the most loyal and supporting friends anyone could ever wish for. And Danny was not the exception. He was quite happy with having his two friends.

But it was in the presence of Sam and Tucker that Danny's life had changed forever. It had happened about a month after his fourteenth birthday...

Being professional ghost hunters, Danny's parents made it their life's work to capture and study ghostly organisms. Their 'career' actually dated back to their college days. But over the years, they had built weapons and other technological equipment for the sole purpose of ghost hunting.

However, none of their inventions compared to one: the ghost portal.

Its purpose was to provide a door into the ghost realm. But still unknown to his parents, it was with the birth of the ghost portal that Danny's many hardship and trials began.

At first, Maddie and Jack had been unable to make the ghost portal work. And Danny's parents had been so disappointed that they had considered giving up on the idea all together.

But it had been later on that same day that Danny and his friends decided to investigate the strange contraption that his parents had spent years making. And with a little encouragement from Sam, Danny's curiosity was instantly peaked.

Deciding to take a closer look, Danny had geared up and walked into the portal. It was then that the teen's clumsiness had proven to be his worst enemy.

As Danny had walked into the portal on that fateful day, he unknowingly had placed his hand on a button inside the portal. And also unknown to him, the portal had been left plugged into the electrical outlet...

Everything had happened so fast that to this day Danny still couldn't remember everything that happened next. But he did vividly recall how he had been instantly bombarded with ectoplasmic energy. And most of all, he still recalled the indescribable pain and then... the darkness.

Although his accident, miracoulsy, had not proven fatal, it had changed him permanently. The barrage of so much ghostly energy restructured every molecule in his body. From then on, Danny had stopped being an ordinary teenager.

Danny had become a human-ghost hybrid. It was on that day that he gained every power a ghost possessed. But he had also developed a ghostly side, which he could turn on and off at will and in a matter of seconds.

So, while his human side appeared unchanged, the moment he transformed to his ghost half, his changes were obvious. As a ghost, his hair was as white as fresh snow and his eyes became Fluorescent green. The suit he had put on for protection when he had first stepped into the portal had become permanently attached to his ghost side. And while his ghost body had forever developed a chilling white aura, an eerie echo was also forever eched into his voice.

After his accident, the portal became operational, allowing ghosts to cross over to the human plane. As time passed, Danny learned how to control and use his powers—though, still not completely. But even so, the boy had made a decision—one that changed his life as much as his accident had:

He had chosen to use his powers for the greater good. He chose to protect his town against evil ghosts.

And it was with that decision that Danny began to face many powerful adversaries and untold danger. But none of it impacted him more than the day he discovered he was not the only ghost-hybrid. And nothing had been harder than learning that the only one like him would be his most dangerous foe—his arch-enemy

But even with a much more powerful ghost hybrid out to destroy him and his family, Danny kept his ghost identity a secret from his parents and sister. Only his two friends knew of the weight Danny carried. But as the true friends they were, Sam and Tucker were also always there to help their half-ghost friend through his battles and troubles the best they could.

However, one of his more recent and fiercest battles, Danny had been forced to face on his own. His fight with an evil, future version of himself had forever been engraved in his mind, and had affected the teen more than his friends knew—or ever would know.

But it was that confrontation with his evil self that had left Danny with another helping hand in the form of his only sibling;

Sixteen-year-old Jasmine Fenton.

And it was with his older sister finally in on his secret that the boy's life became even more different...

And more dangerous...

Danny Phantom was just starting his evening patrol over the skies of Amity Park. And as he kept an eye out for any ghost trying to cause trouble, he also couldn't help but admire the breathtaking view around him.

The orange-red sun was barely visible on the horizon as it said 'good-bye' to Amity Park. And yet, the sun's last rays were just strong enough to give Danny's ghostly aura and his snow-white hair a yellow tinge. Their beaming warmth, however, couldn't overcome the ghost boy's natural cool body temperature.

The quarter moon was also visible as it waited for its turn to own the darkening sky. But for Danny's glowing, ghostly green eyes, the approching night-time was hardly of any hinderance.

The teen briefly turned his gaze to the sparkling lake below him as he flew over it. The water's gleam and depth almost seemed to reflect the boy's soul that burned with a strong fire through those same piercing green orbs.

_"Danny, how are you holding up? Any sign of activity yet?"_

Danny's attention quickly went to the Fenton Phone in his ear upon hearing Sam's voice from it.

He pressed on the 'talk' button as he answered, "In order: I'm doing just fine. And, no. It's still real quiet out here." He paused at the fact before adding in a mixture of sarcasm and amusement, "I don't know if I should panic or jump for joy at how quiet it is tonight..."

_"I''ve been debating that myself. I'm currently searching the park, but there's not even a 'beware' from the Box Ghost,"_ Sam said dryly.

Danny chuckled and replied, "Maybe we _should_ be worried, then."

_"Or maybe, since tomorrow's your birthday, we should take it as a good thing..." _She answered with mirth.

Danny's eyebrows heightened in surprise. Wait. Tomorrow was his birthday? ...How could he have forgotten that?

"_Wow, I forgot my own birthday... That can't be right,"_ he thought to himself.

Well, the truth was he had not forgotten his birthday _exactly_... just what day it was today... And perhaps the month, too.

_"I guess that's what happens when you have a town to protect," _Danny added wryly.

_Have you heard from Tucker yet?"_ his friend suddenly asked.

Danny blinked at the sudden sound of Sam's voice, but remembering he had been talking to her, he pushed his own musings away and answered, "No, he hasn't called me yet. But now that you mention it, let me see if I can get him on. Hold on."

Danny pressed the talk button again, and once he was sure he had linked to Tucker's PDA, while keeping Sam connected, too, he called to his other friend.

"Hey, Tuck? Can you hear me?"

_"Yeah. What's up, dude?"_ Danny soon heard Tucker reply.

"Where you at?" the half-ghost questioned. "So far, me and Sam have come up empty."

_"Yeah, I just finished checking the pier and there isn't even a blip on the ghost radar out here... I say we call it a night." _

_"I agree with him, Danny. I think it's time to head home,"_ Danny heard Sam add over the Fenton Phone.

"Yeah... I guess we should," Danny mumbled, turning over in mid air and putting his hands behind his head. He thoughtlyfully stared at the vast darkness above him. But then he closed his eyes and sighed blissfully. It was so peaceful up here... Shame he had a curfew to keep…

_"Hey, man, you still there?"_

"Yeah, Tuck," he answered, opening his eyes.

_"Wanna meet at the park, then?"_ Tucker asked before adding to his other friend, _"Sam, you're still there, right?"_

_"Yes, Tucker. I'll wait for you two here,"_ Sam replied.

"I'm on my way, then," Danny said, turning back around and picking up speed.

But as the young half-ghost headed towards his friends, Sam spoke up again,_"Hey, Danny? Do you know if your parents are doing anything special tomorrow?" _

"Uh…I don't know, Sam. They haven't said anything and I haven't noticed anything," Danny replied, though he did slow down a bit and thoughtfully tap his lip.

But right then, Tucker added via his PDA, _"Sam, you should know better than to ask Danny something like that. You know he doesn't notice things unless you wave them in front of him!"_

"Hey!" Danny yelled as he heard Tucker laugh through the Fenton Phone. "I so notice stuff!"

_"Sure you do, dude!"_ Tucker continued to tease.

Finally arriving at the park's vacinity, Danny scowled at his friend even though he couldn't see him.

But Sam quickly jumped to his rescue.

_"Stop it, Tucker. At least he bothers to try." _

"Thanks, Sam. That makes me feel so much better," Danny said sarcastically. But right then, the hybrid spotted his female friend below and flew down, landing right in front of her.

Sam smirked at him and lightly shrugged as she answered, "What are friends for, Danny?"

But before Danny could reply, Tucker ran up to them from behind, soon getting his friends' attention. "You know, Sam, if you don't stop sticking up for Danny like that, people will never stop calling you guys lovebirds," he teased.

"Tucker!" Danny and Sam simultaneously yelled, a blush working up their faces.

"Okay, okay," Tucker replied, raising his hands up in pasifying gesture and backing up a few steps. And fearing his embaressed friends were going to strangle him, Tucker quickly changed subjects. "So, what do you wanna do tomorrow, dude?" he asked his half-ghost friend.

Danny rolled his eyes at his friend's not-so-subtle actions. But then he lightly shrugged at his question.

Tucker frowned. But before he could further question the other boy, Sam raised an eyebrow and said, "Well, someone doesn't seem too happy that it's his birthday tomorrow..."

"What? ...No…. It's just that..." Danny trailed off. But then stuffing his hands in his pockets, he sighed and began to walk through the park towards his home.

Danny's friends looked at each other before following after him.

As they fell in step with him, the hybrid explained helplessly, "It's just that whatever we plan will most likely be interrupted by ghosts," He shrugged again and added indifferently, "So, why bother? Besides, it's not that big a deal."

"Not a big deal? Dude, you're turning fifteen!" Tucker quickly said. "Not to mention, it will be a month short of you becoming Danny Phantom. _And_ it's Saturday! Do you know how lucky you are to have your birthday fall on a weekend? You're gonna have the whole day to celebrate! What's not to love?"

"Tucker's right, Danny," Sam spoke up. "You're being pessimistic. And that's _my_ job. Plus, we've never let ghosts stop us from hanging out before. So tomorrow shouldn't be any different, okay?"

A smile returned to Danny's face with the looks of encouragement on Sam and Tucker's faces.

"You're right, guys!" he said with his own sudden excitement. "I just have to make the most of what little free time I get and not worry about the 'what ifs' for once." Danny grinned wider and quickly turned into Phantom as he brightly added, "You know what? I'm gonna give the town a one last final quick sweep before heading home. That way, there is less of a chance of running into any ghost tomorrow!"

"Do you want us to come with you?" Sam asked as she looked up to her now floating friend, smiling herself with how happier her friend was.

Before Danny could answer, Tucker quickly turned to face Sam with a significant smirk. "Sam, you gotta pick up that poetry book you left at my house, _remember_?"

Sam briefly looked confused, but then she caught on and quickly replied, "Oh! Uh, right! I have to return it tonight by... ten?" She squeaked out, only to slightly cringe at the sound of her voice and how lame her cover was.

"So, uh… Do you mind, Danny...?" she asked with a convincing smile.

Danny looked at them as if they had just duplicated as 'well' as he could.

"_O….Kay... What's up with them? And…_ _I thought the library closed at seven?"_ he thought, confused. But then he shrugged it off and replied, "It's no big deal, guys. I was going to say that I would be fine on my own, anyways. It's pretty quiet; so, it shouldn't take me long."

"Thanks, Danny. Give us a call if anything comes up, okay?" Sam replied.

"Yeah, man. And be careful," Tucker added a bit more seriously.

"Don't worry. I'll be fine," he assured them. And then with a parting wave, he added, "See you guys tomorrow!"

"Bye!" Tucker and Sam replied as they watched their friend fly off in the direction of the clock tower.

Sam was quiet for a moment, a worried frown clearly on her face. "Hey, Tucker?" she suddenly called. And getting his attention, she continued, "Maybe we should have first helped Danny before making sure everything is set for tomorrow."

"Come on, Sam. Danny can hold his own," Tucker replied with a small smile. "Plus, this is probably the best chance we're gonna get to go to Danny's house without him being there. Otherwise, how else are we gonna help Danny's family throw him a surprise birthday party? So, come on. We're wasting time," Tucker said with an encouraging pat on his female friend's shoulder.

Sam sighed warily; but then with a small smile she nodded and said, "You're right, Tucker. Let's get going."

The two teens quickly picked up their pace; and as they headed in the direction of Fenton Works, they conversed about their plans tomorrow for Danny and about the things they needed to do to give their half-ghost friend the best birthday ever.

* * *

Danny flew by the clock tower just as it began to chime. In response, he briefly paused to look at the time.

"It's nine," he said, glad that it was Friday, which meant his curfew was extended for an extra hour. But then glancing around his quiet surroundings, he added in thought,_ "And if I'm lucky, tomorrow will be as dead as it is tonight and I can spend that extra hour tomorrow night with my friends..."_

But then Danny blinked and replayed his thought before suddenly rolling his eyes at himself and drlyly saying, "Great, now I'm saying puns in my head. I really need a vaca..."

A fine blue mist unexpecedly escaped out of his mouth, cutting off his musing.

"I guess tonight isn't as _dead_ as I thought," Danny muttered, annoyed.

Focusing on the matter at hand, he took off through the sky, following his ghost sense. But it soon led him to a very unexpected place...

"Axion Lab?" he questioned.

The vast building's perimeter was illuminated by spotlights, yet by how dark it was inside, it was obvious everyone was long gone.

Danny flew down for closer inspection, though still remained wary of possibly triggering the place's ghost security system.

_"After all the break-ins this place has had in the past, I __**know**__ there's some form of ghost alarm installed,"_ he thought.

Danny landed in front of the building and eyed every corner of the place as if something was going to jump out and attack him—which wasn't all that unlikely.

It was then that a faint buzzing caught his attention.

_"What was that?"_ Danny thought, only to startle more when he heard the noise again, only louder. But as a result, he realized that the buzzing was coming from _inside_ Axion.

Deciding to chance the ghost security, Danny phased into the building. But when nothing tried to blast his head off, he sighed in relief.

"I_ guess they forgot to turn it on," _Danny concluded.

What he didn't know was that someone had already disabled it...

However, his attention went immedietly to the odd buzzing noise, which was even louder now that he was inside.

As he flew towards the sound, he soon found out that it was coming from behind a thick metal door. Suddenly, he gasped when the chilling sensation of his ghost sense filled his every fiber once more.

Danny narrowed his eyes, and all trace of wariness was scorched by the sudden fire of determination in his green gaze, which only intensified under the evident threat. He phased invisibly through the metal doors, and his breath fogged again. But it wasn't his ghost sense, this time. It was the fact that he had entered a giant fridge.

This cooler, however, didn't contain anything edible. In fact, most of the things around him had warning signs, like 'poison' or 'corrosive'.

Still, the teen was sure his ghost sense had been pointing him in this direction, so continued forward. He briefly noticed the many glass cases that protected different liquid vials suspended in what looked like green jelly. But what really got his attention was how these glass protecting-domes had strange green and red pulsating shields covering them...

He definitely would be staying away from them.

He was almost to the other side of the fridge when he spotted who his ghost sense had detected...

"Skulker," he growled quietly and quickly turned invisible before he then further ducked behind a metal cabinet.

He noticed the huge robotic ghost was typing at a key pad in front of one of the glass cases, which had a red barrier protecting it. But inside was a small vile with a purplish metallic liquid and it was frozen inside light blue ice.

What was it?

And better yet, what did Skulker want with it...?

"Ugh! Do I look like Technus to him?" Skulker suddenly grumbled.

_"Password and eye-scan do not match. Please enter matching password and eye-scan to deactivate alarm and sheild,"_ the computer said in a feminine voice.

"Agghh! That's it! I'm going to blast this thing to dust!" the hunter shouted.

_"I don't get it,"_ Danny thought. "_What is Skulker doing here? And why is he trying to steal whatever is inside that glass case? It doesn't seem like something Skulker would use... Unless... Is Plasmius up to something again?" _

Danny frowned with the very likely possibility. But then he shook his head and added, _"Whatever. I better just stop him before he gets away with what he's doing."_

He quickly charged an ecto-blast in his hand; but just before he could make his move, a sudden voice coming from the hunter's communicator on his arm, froze the boy in place.

_"Blasted, Skulker! CALM DOWN!"_ the older hybrid exclaimed at the hunter.

_"So Plasmius __**is**__ behind this!" _Danny thought as a low growl resonated from his throat.

Danny could faintly hear Plasmius yelling instructions at Skulker, but it was no longer loud enough to be discernible. Still, it seemed to help Skulker do what he came to do when the machine suddenly annouced, _"Password accepted. Please confirm identity with eye-scan."_

Skulker removed a blue metallic orb from one of his compartments and placed it in front of the eye scanner.

_"Entry confirmed. Welcome, Mr. Dalv. Security and ghost shield shut-down for component NBN 3501 completed. Defrosting Initiated. Please wait..."_

Danny had heard enough. Turning visible, he flew at his enemy at a heart-stopping speed. And before Skulker could even blink, he delivered a powerful blow to the ghost's chin.

Skulker went flying back, only managing a gasp of alarm as his metallic body screeched across the floor before finally slamming into a cabinet a couple of feet away with a loud bang.

Danny cringed at the previous noise before quipping with a smirk, "I can't really say that was music to my ears, but that punch was sure therapeutic," he added as he lightly rubbed his sore knuckles.

Skulker slowly pulled himself back to his feet and glared at the boy. But instead of addressing him, the hunter brought up his arm and said with annoyance into his communicator, "I will call you back. We have trouble—though nothing I can't handle..."

Danny just raised an eyebrow and asked in challenge, "You sure 'bout that, Skulker?"

The hunter quickly lowered his arm and pulled out a gun before growling a response. "I've been giving you some time off, whelp. I suggest you leave and continue to enjoy it while it lasts."

"Oh, how considerate of you. But I don't recall making you my time manager," Danny answered sarcastically and then shot an ecto-blast.

But Skulker was ready and quickly went intangible. As a result, the attack went harmlessly through him and slammed into the already damaged cabinet behind the hunter, effectively destroying what was left of it.

Skulker's metallic suit quickly opened at the shoulders to reveal two large silver guns, and he fired both simulantesly and followed it by a third blast from a weapon in his hand.

Not having expected Skulker to retaliate with such force, Danny barely dodged the first two attacks. But the third hit him dead on and it hurled him backwards into one of the many glass cases... protected by ghost shields...

"Ahhh!" Danny screamed as hot pain coursed through his body. He didn't know what was worse: the blast from Skulker's gun drilling into his chest; or, the electricity that tore at his back the instant he hit the case's ghost shield.

Stunned, the ghost boy slid down and hit the ground with a thud. And for a moment, all he could do was clench his teeth, while he desperately tried to blink away the black spots dancing in his vision. But when his swimming head finally cleared enough for him to remember what was going on, the teen suddenly gasped and jumped to his feet.

His eyes readily widened when he noticed the room was now flashing with red light and a loud alarm was also going off throughout the facility.

_**"Ghost intruder alert! Ghost intruder alert!" **_the intercoms then abruptly blared around him. _**"Ghost defense initiating in ten, nine, eight..."**_

**Darn it!"** Danny exclaimed angrily. And when he quickly looked around and realized Skulker was nowhere to be seen, he added, "I am so not sticking around to find out what improvements they made to their ghost defense system here!"

With a frustrated growl, Danny turned intangible and shot through the roof just as several weapons appeared in the freezer and fired at him.

Luckily, he made it out without problem; but as he now hovered above Axion, he scanned the dark sky for any sign of Skulker. But all the boy spotted and heard was the police cars making their way towards Axion, thanks to the alarms.

"Just great!" Danny grumbled. "Skulker got away, and with what he came for nonetheless."

He sighed. But knowing he needed to get out of here before he got anymore bad rep, the teen quickly turned invisible and sped away, hoping that he wouldn't have the further bad luck of running into Valerie. That would not bode well at all.

Luckily, he made it home without further problem...

* * *

"Bye, kids!" Maddie and Jack yelled from the living room.

"See you tomorrow!" Sam and Tucker called back as Jazz walked them to the door.

"Where's Danny?" Jazz asked with a worried frown once she and her brother's friends were alone outside. And scanning the sky in hopes of seeing Danny, she added, "It's past ten and he's still not home; I've called his cell several times, but he won't answer it."

"I'm sure he'll be home soon, Jazz," Sam reassured the older girl. "He said he was going to give the town one last quick check."

"Yeah," Tucker added. "And he told us he would call if he ran into trouble anyways. I doubt he found anything since it was quiet while we were out there with him…"

Jazz gave him an incredulous look. They all knew that Danny was the type of person that would try to take on the world single handedly. He would never hesitate to jump in the line of fire for any of his fellow humans, even when said people hated or humiliated him. And his hero streak tended to make him avoid his friends and sister's help, unless he absolutely needed it, in fear of their getting hurt…

"Look Jazz, we worry about him too, but you know how hard-headed he is," Sam said.

Jazz smiled knowingly at the younger girl and gave her a look that said, _'tell me about it.'_

"Let's give him fifteen more minutes I'll call you if I see him and you do the same, okay?" Sam suggested.

"Okay, but if he's not back by then I'm going to go look for him," Jazz decided with a small frown.

"If he's not back by then, then _both of us_ will be out there with you." Sam replied with a small, comforting smile.

Tucker nodded his head in agreement, an assuring look on his back, too.

Jazz smiled back at them, while thinking to herself,_ "I'm glad Danny has such great friends—even if it's just two."_ But out loud, she replied, "Okay, you two, I'll see both of you tomorrow, and don't forget: be here early!"

"Of course, we wouldn't miss Danny's big day for the world!" Tucker replied with a grin before he and Sam waved their goodbyes and headed off to their homes.

* * *

Several minutes later, Danny landed in an ally close to his house and transformed back into his human form. He picked up his scooter, which he had hid in the bushes earlier and sped off to his house.

"Skulker might have gotten away but at least I'll be home before curfew," he said with a small smile.

Upon arriving home, Danny dropped his scooter to the side and went up the stairs. Before he could twist the knob to open the door, the door quickly opened for him. He was surprised when his sister just as suddenly stepped out and ran right into him.

"Oof!" the two grunted, though only Danny fell down on his butt from the impact.

But when Jazz saw who she ran into, she gasped and exclaimed in relief, "Danny! There you are! I was about to go look for you; I've been calling you and you haven't picked up!"

Danny blinked by the array of emotions that passed through his sister's face in the seconds it had taken her to say all that. She had gone from surprised, to happy and relieved at seeing him home, and finally, to irritated from keeping her worried.

But as he got to his feet again and rubbed his sore bottom, he thought with his own annoyance, "_Gee thanks, Jazz. Now I have another bruise to add to my collection."_ But knowing she was just worried, he sighed away his irritation and said with an apologetic look, "Sorry, Jazz. I must have forgotten to turn my phone back on."

Jazz smiled, too happy to stay upset with him. After all, she knew how forgetful her brother could be sometimes. Then again, he did have more things on his mind than any normal teenager his age should have.

She suddenly ruffled his hair and said with a wider smile, "It's okay, little brother. Now, come on. I saved some of Mom's cookies for you before Dad could eat them all. Go clean up while I give your friends a quick call to tell them you're home."

"Thanks, Jazz" Danny replied as he went in.

Jazz watched as he stretched his sore muscles as he made his way up to his room…

After a quick shower Danny came down stairs in his pajamas. He sat down at the table where a glass of milk and two large, warm chocolate chip cookies were waiting for him. Danny smiled to himself at Jazz's attention. "_She's annoying and overprotective; but she's great …..Of course I would never admit that to her," _he added with a secretive smirk to himself before taking a bite of one of his cookies.

"Son! You're home!"

Danny turned slightly in his chair and found his father grinning down at him from behind. However, his dad's happy expression melded into a pleading look when he noticed what his son was eating.

Danny smiled and sighed before grabbing his second cookie and giving it to his father.

Jack lit up like a kid at Christmas as he accepted the treat and took a hearty bite. But he readily ruffled his son's hair, mumbling a 'thank you' as he then moved past him to get some milk from the fridge.

Having stepped into the kitchen themselves, Maddie and Jazz saw Jack's actions, and they both rolled his eyes at him; though the large man remained oblivious to it as he poured himself a glass of milk.

"Hi, Mom," Danny greeted her when he finally noticed his mother's presence.

"Hi, sweetie!" she beamed; and moving over to him, he hugged him from behind as she cooed, "Oh, my little boy is going to be one year older tomorrow!"

Danny just smiled shyly back at her as he secretly enjoyed his mother's affection.

"Yeah, Son! You're growing quicker than ghost weed!" Jack exclaimed as he turned to face his son, just as Maddie released him. But then the man paused and added more thoughtfully, "You know... we've had a lot of father-son talks over the years, but... I think it's time we had our first man-to-man talk."

Danny, who had just taken a sip of milk, choked on his drink upon hearing his father's last comment, and began to cough in both mortification and from the milk having gone down his windpipe.

"Well, look at the time! I better get ready for bed!" Jazz nervously said. "Good night!" she quickly added as she none-too-subtly retreated out of the kitchen.

"You boys enjoy your chat!" Maddie then said, deciding it was time for her to leave herself. She gave her husband a quick kiss; and before Danny could even protest against her retreat, she kissed him as well and bid him good night.

Danny dropped his head on the table with a loud thump, barely missing the plate on his right. "Where's a ghost when you need it?" he mumbled quietly, already grimacing with the impending 'talk' with his father.

Being Jack, he totally missed Danny's annoyance and discomfort of what was going to happen next. And the man didn't hesitate in the least as he began quite forwardly, "Well, Son; there comes a time in a every man's life where he begins to…"

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Danny shut the door to his room with an exasperated sigh. His father's explanation about the 'ghost birds and the ghost bees' and 'why finding the right person is important', still made him shudder.

"I think it's safe to say I can officially explain how Lunchbox came to be." Danny shuddered again, his insides giving a jolt at the mental images his father's chat had given him.

However, with a deep sigh, the teen's mind drifted to his recent battle with Skulker….

"_What could Vlad possibly be up to now?" _Danny thought worriedly as he turned off his light and walked over to his bed._ "After the whole cloning thing, I'm gonna have to be extra careful… It's hard to forget how ticked off the guy was with me for destroying his 'perfect clone'—not that I'm sorry for it. Sick fruit loop…But… I am worried. If Vlad was capable of all that, there's no telling what else he might be capable of… Whatever it is, it's never anything good…" _

Danny got into bed and rested his head back on his hands as he stared at the glowing stars decorating his ceiling. For several moments, he just turned over what had just happened at Axion in an attempt to figure out what his arch-enemy was planning. If only he had any idea what it was Skulker had stolen for Vlad. All the teen knew was that it was called, 'NBN 3501'. But… he had no clue what it could be.

Danny finally sighed in defeat as he thought reluctantly, "_I guess I shouldn't worry about it now. It's not like I can do anything about it when I have no idea what Vlad is planning…And besides…" _The teen smiled._ "Like Sam and Tucker said, tomorrow's my birthday and I want to spend it with my friends and family—not worrying about that crazy fruit loop who need a cat… I just hope Vlad and all my other enemies leave me alone tomorrow, so can I have a normal birthday as regular Danny Fenton..."_

With that thought and a hopeful smile, Danny drifted off into a blissful sleep.

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Deep in an uninhabited area of Wisconsin, stood a lone castle. The castle was so immense that it would take at least an hour to circle its perimeter. The castle's size, however, was nothing compared to its height, for the castle stood so tall that it stole the pale moon's view of the world below. The white walls and decor were accented with a green and gold color scheme. But like most castles, this one also gave off that air of elegance and wonder. But… _unlike_ most, this one caressed the senses with an ominous feeing.

And yet, inside this castle made for at least a hundred people, lived only one man.

Vlad Masters was one of the most revered men of his time. The mid-forties aged billionaire had a thick air of superiority and finesse. To the world, the bachelor was untainted—perfect. Men envied him and wished for even half of his good fortune, while women desired him and dreamed of gaining his prized last name.

Yes, Vlad knew who he was. But… none of it mattered to him when he didn't have what he truly wanted in his life. To him, Jack Fenton had taken away everything that was rightfully his. Maddie Fenton would have been Maddie Masters and he would have been the father of her children if Jack hadn't betrayed him and destroyed his life.

An accident in Vlad's college days, caused by Jack with a prototype ghost portal, had left him disfigured and in a hospital for years, fighting death itself. And yet, that same accident also made him who he was today.

Only a handful of people knew that Vlad Masters was also Vlad Plasmius—the first ghost hybrid to ever exist.

It had now been over twenty years since that tragic event both blessed and cursed him with his ghost half. Like Danny his powers had come with a price. And while the younger hybrid willingly traded his carefree days for his powers, Vlad had been forced to trade the most important years of his life for his own. In the billionaire's eyes that wouldn't have meant too much of a sacrifice if he had not lost the love of his life as well.

Since then, he had vowed to take revenge on his once-best-friend and obtain the love of Maddie, which was rightfully his.

But one sole person stood in his way…..

"Daniel, you are going to regret crossing my path," Vlad said darkly as flashbacks of his destroyed clone—_his perfect son_—passed through his mind. "You have taken away from me what I want for the last time," he vowed, his eyes flashing red.

The tall, slim-yet-muscular man was in his usual black suit as he walked over to his private study's fireplace. He then leaned towards the fireplace with one hand against the mantle as support, while in his other hand moved up to grab the framed picture of the Fenton Family that adorned the top of the beautifully crafted chimney mantle.

As he silently studied the picture, the man's dull, ice blue eyes showed sadness and longing for the older woman in the picture. But next, his eyes fell upon the man next to her, and his eyes changed so radically that one would think that it wasn't the same man staring at the picture. Vlad's eyes glowed a blood red and his once small pupils were lost to the infinite red sea. But the infinite depth of his eyes could not compete with the infinite hatred they expressed as he stared at the picture of his former best friend.

Finally, his eyes drifted towards the two children in front of the couple. His eyes regained their natural blue hue as a mixture of sadness and happiness melded into his expression. But as he focused his gaze specifically on the young boy, his eyes abruptly flooded with an unreadable array of emotions. Both hate and love were evident in his gaze, but which one dominated?

Even Vlad didn't know the answer to that.

_"Of course you wouldn't understand. You have everything you could possibly hope for, dear boy,"_ he thought bitterly. The older hybrid's eyes further filled with pain as he thought about how Daniel should have been _his_ son.

But the emotion just as quickly left him as he remembered all the brat had done to him in the past year—_especially_ very recently.

However, before Vlad could dwell on his young nemesis, a familiar warming sensation washed through him, like burst of liquid fire. The feeling would have certainly been overwhelming if he had not learned to tame and control it in all his years with ghost powers. That, and…. he was very use to his hot core's internal ghost sense alerting him of a ghostly presence by now

"Did he find anything out?" Vlad asked calmly without facing the entity now in the room with him.

"The whelp probably suspects you are planning something; but I doubt he knows what exactly," Skulker replied.

Vlad finally turned around just as his ally pulled out the stolen Axion vial filled with a purplish liquid from a compartment in his arm.

"Excellent," Vlad replied with a small smirk as he accepted the mystery vial Skulker had retrieved for him. Still, it was hard to tell if his comment and smug look was because he now had the final piece of his plan or because Daniel was still completely oblivious to it.

It was probably both.

However, the man suddenly turned back around and morphed into Plasmius as he commanded in his usual smooth and confident voice, "Come. This must be put into cold storage. Not to mention… there is still much to be done."

Without even a glance this time at the picture-frame still in his hand, Plasmius placed it back in its rightful place before he then placed his gloved hand on one of the two golden footballs that decorated his fireplace. The moment he tilted it towards him, the elegant fireplace split apart, revealing a long dim flight of stairs leading down into a vast laboratory.

But even then, a green hue could be seen coming from somewhere deep inside the lab. And as Vlad and Skulker floated down those long stairs, it became clear that the source of the ghostly light was a ghost portal located at the far end of the room.

However, Vlad moved to the opposite side towards a large storage fridge. He then silently opened it, further revealing the fridge contained several small vault-like storage areas on the top right side. He quickly spun a memorized combination on the lock and opened its small door with a hiss of cold air.

He carefully set the vial with the purplish-liquid on a test tube holder inside before closing and locking the small cold storage vault. As Skulker waited for his next orders, Vlad glanced at a large mainframe near him… He couldn't help the wicked little smirk that quirked his lips as one thought rant through his evil mind.

_"If I cannot have love, Daniel, neither will you." _

* * *

**Edit complete:**

**Vlad muse grins wickedly. Heh. And Pearl thought she would be done with this story in a mere month... Silly child... **


	2. Chapter 1:Spiraling Emotions

Queen S of Randomness 016: I appreciate you taking the time to review, Thanks. Last Chapter was meant to keep you in the dark, but this one will reveal some things…

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**A Few Important Notes ahead: **Just in case anyone noticed I modified the Prologue a little, it's nothing major I just found a couple of miss spelled words and chopped sentences here and there, so I fixed them; but it isn't necessary to reread. I also change the summary a little, the plot is the same I just thought the beginning sounded to corny so I modified it, like I said it isn't anything major, so if you are not new to this story then don't worry about rereading, it's still the same but I just wanted to bring it up.

Ok, here's Chapter one. I'm going to apologize ahead of time, because this first part is mostly more plot building, but it was really necessary to get a good transition into what will happen next, in other words there's a reason this chapter is called, _Spiraling Emotions._ Please bear with me until the end. I think you'll like the ending. My next apology is for not having this up sooner; my internet crashed so I wasn't able to update until now

I also wanted to explain why I divided this chapter, originally it was going to be chapter 1 and 2, but I realized it would do better as one chapter, but then I realize it was really long, so I divided it into two parts. I really didn't want to and I still don't but it would have took me longer to update and did I mention it would have been really long.. Anyways Please be ready to spent some time reading, this is pretty long! The Prologue was 19 pages and this one is 3**2**. I strongly suggest reading it in one sitting, because…. Well let's just say the beginning and end of this chapter, umm never mind just go ahead and read, you'll find out soon enough.

**Edit: I combined both parts of chapter one into one. So, for those reading this for the first time, this chapter is 82 pages long; because it's two parts in one. But, don't worry. You will not find anymore chapters as long as this one. Although, my chapters are all naturally long--just not this long.**

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom

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**Chapter 1 - Spiraling Emotions: **

Danny began to wake as the sun's morning rays gently hit his face and eyes, making him squeeze his eyes harder together in hopes of remaining in blissful darkness. The warmth and comfort his bed and covers provided, motivated his fight against consciousness.

His mind however had other plans as he slowly became more aware of the world that was waiting for him to join it. His senses were also against him as they slowly overwhelmed him. His nostrils took up the aroma of something sweet; while the chilling morning air nipped his cheeks making him impulsively cling tighter to his covers. The sound of birds happily chirping outside his window reached his ears; their song a constant reminder that it was time for him to get up.

Groaning at all the annoyances, Danny rolled on his back, grabbing his pillow currently under his head and placing it on top of his face. Just when he realized that his action banished said annoyances, a louder noise tore through any hope of sleeping in.

"Go away" he stated, not realizing that to anyone hearing, his words sounded more like an "omm" noise from the pillow muffling his words. The noise to his dismay was his sister's laughter.

"You know Danny, I never thought watching you sleep could be so amusing." she teased.

"Ha-Ha; very funny Jazz, now would you leave? I'm trying to sleep." he countered, annoyance clearly in his tone.

Jazz not understanding a word he had just said, but catching his sarcastic and annoyed tone, chuckled once more before deciding to do what she came for. "Come on little bother, its time to wake up." Danny groaned in response, clinging tighter to the pillow on his head.

Seeing she wasn't going to be able to coax him verbally to wake up, she decided to take a more direct approach. With one quick tug she snatched his sheets away from him. "Jazz!" exclaimed Danny while instinctively curling his body, in a vain attempt to hold on to his remaining body heat.

Knowing he was outnumbered by his sister and the world, he let out an irritated sigh before opening his eyes. Suddenly his irritation melted away and a devilish smile appeared on his lips; unfortunately for Jazz, it remained concealed by the pillow still resting on his face. Danny took hold of the pillow on his head with his right hand and quickly sat up. Before Jazz could comprehend his quick actions and the evil smile on his lips, he flung the pillow towards Jazz's head.

"eep!" was her only remark before the pillow perfectly hit its target, making her step back in surprise. "Hey, Jazz I'm awake" Danny taunted with a smug smile projected towards his scowling sister.

"As much as I would like to get you back for that; it'll have to wait till later. You're friends are waiting down stairs, so hurry down." She said as she tossed her brother's bed sheets and pillow back to him.

"Ok, ok I'll be down soon." He said, standing up and stretching.

"Oh and Danny?"

"hmm?" he replied in between a yawn

"Happy Birthday" she said as she ruffled his messy hair and gave him a kiss on the top of his head.

"Jaaaaaaaazz" he whined as he tried to hide the smile playing at the corner of his mouth.

"I love you too, little brother" she said, shooting him a warm smile before closing the door behind her and stepping out

"_Sisters are gross"_ he thought shaking his head and smiling. _"Now, where did my mom put my clean clothes.."_

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As Danny walked down the stairs, he realized that the sweet smell that filled his room earlier became stronger as he descended the stairs. The scent, which reminded him of cinnamon rolls, was mixed with another more dominating aroma. The smell of coffee was overwhelming to his senses, and even though he didn't drink it he immediately felt more awake as he breathed in its penetrating aroma.

"Jack, I'm not giving you anymore, you already have had eight slices." Maddie scolded

"Aww but Maddie, I'm still hungry and I love your homemade French toast! ….well not as much as I love those butterscotch flavored snicker doodle cookies you make, but you get the point. Jack replied, his facial expression changing from a pout to a bright smile as his thoughts went from being hungry to remembering the mouth watering delights.

"Here Mr. Fenton you can have one of mine, I can never eat more then one." Sam intervened, giving her second piece of French toast to a happy looking Jack."

"Morning" Danny greeted as he walked into the kitchen, plopping himself on an available seat between Tucker and Sam.

His reply was various greetings of "Good Morning and "Happy Birthday" while receiving hugs from his friends and family, and an extra kiss from his mom. Jazz already having said her greetings to her brother earlier, went to the fridge to serve a cup of orange juice for him.

Once everyone settled down they went back to eating their breakfast. Danny happily accepted his own plate of French toast from his mom allowing him to join in with everyone else. Seeing that everyone was fed Maddie grabbed her own plate and joined the five other people as she sat down in between Jack and Jazz

"Yuuuck!" Jack cried, standing up and rushing to the kitchen sink. Everyone stared at him as he stuck his head under the sink's water facet, running water into his mouth.

"Jack, are you okay?" Maddie inquired with a curious look

"Maddie, what did you do to Sam's toast?" he asked, rinsing his mouth over and over again in hopes of getting rid of the terrible taste.

Maddie chuckled lightly, "Jack, you know Sam's a vegetarian. I made her toast with soy milk and eggs."

"Yeah and it taste just fine." Sam scowled, rolling her eyes at the man's reaction.

"Aww, I just lost my appetite." Jack dejected, crossing his arms and sitting back down in his seat with a huff. Everyone chuckled at the expression on Jack's face; how a mid forty year old man could pull off a kid's pouting look so perfectly was beyond them.

Their breakfast time went by quickly, as various types of conversations spread across the six members. They happily laughed and enjoyed their time together as they finished eating.

"Jack, could you bring those dishes over to the sink so that I can wash them." Maddie asked as she stood up and made her way to the kitchen sink.

"Sure thing Maddie" Jack replied as he gathered the plates on the table.

"I'll help you wash them mom." Jazz offered, walking up to her mom.

"Thanks hon." Maddie replied warmly.

"Hey mom, did you want me to clean the table?" Danny asked, standing up and placing the syrup back in the fridge.

"No, that's alright; you're father can do that. I believe your friends want to take you somewhere." Maddie informed him, ignoring the "aww" her husband made as he heard his wife mention he was doing the table. "Oh, and make sure to be back soon so you can open your presents." She added

"Thanks mom, I will" Danny said, happily pushing his friends out of the kitchen.

"Thanks for breakfast Mrs. Fenton" said Tucker as he was dragged out of the kitchen.

"Yeah, Thanks Mrs. Fenton." Sam added, she too experiencing the tugging force of her blue eyed friend.

"You're welcome kids; have fun."

"We will" yelled all three teens in unison as they closed the door behind them.

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"So where are we going?" Danny asked curiously. "Oh, you'll see when we get there; I had to use some of my dad's connections but I think you'll agree with me soon, that it was worth it" Sam said, pulling out her cell phone and dialing a number. "Are you almost here?……Great! We're right up front.………okay, bye"

"Who were you calling Sam?" Danny questioned, his curiosity increasing.

"Oh, some much needed transportation" replied Sam with a devilish smile.

Before he could inquire further, a black jeep pulled up in front of them.

"Sorry for being late Ms. Manson, but your mother insisted I take a limo instead; she said a Jeep is not a suited vehicle for a young lady to be seen in, so I was forced to wait until she left with your father a meeting they have today before coming to pick you up. I just hope she does not get too mad at me for disobeying her orders." Said the driver, stepping out of the Jeep.

"Don't worry about it Jeffry, you're my chauffeur remember; so my orders come before theirs. Sam said as she winked at him mischievously, "and if they find out, I'll just tell them I threatened you with some cruel and unusual punishment."

"Thanks Miss; I'll be sure to tell them I've been scarred for life." Jeffry dramatically voiced as he smiled and opened the door for the three teens.

Sam laughed at his comment while Tucker and Danny exchanged knowing looks, both thinking the same thing. _"That's Sam for you."_

"Ok, Jeffrey we're ready, you know where to go."

"Sure thing Miss."

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Danny couldn't believe his eyes. "No way" He said to himself.

"Yes way" Sam replied, sharing a smile with Tucker at the baffled look on Danny's Face. "Welcome to Amity's private Astronautic Facility." Sam said as she folded her arms over her chest and smiled smugly at him.

To Danny the building in front of him was one of the most wonderful sights he had ever seen. The building was divided into different size and shape buildings, but all of them were connected in some way or another. The tallest part of the building, which was directly in the center, was a huge glass dome that had to be at least 100 stories high. He could see acres and acres of land around the building, some occupied by runways or various tent structures that seemed to house either people or some form of equipment by the way they were labeled. His blue eyes sparkled even more as they fell on one more sight. In one of the runways his future dream projected itself in a physical form. Standing grandly was one of the coolest space shuttles he ever laid eyes on. Just its size was breath taking.

"Come on Danny, I didn't bring you here to just stare at the building all day." Sam joked, placing her hand on his shoulder to get his attention.

"I-I don't know what to say." Danny stuttered, still not able to take his eyes off the space shuttle.

"As long as you don't say _you didn't have to_ I'll be happy." She replied, matter-of-factly, with smile

Finally being able to tear his gaze from the shuttle he turned towards his friend with a bright smile on his face. He flung himself at her and grabbed her into a backbreaking hug, "Thanks Sam, this is awesome! You're awesome!" he said still not releasing his death grip on her.

"You're wel- wel-come... nowcouldyouletmebreath!" she exclaimed trying to take in air without succeeding.

"Oh... heh-heh; sorry Sam, I guess I got a little carried away." Danny meekly smiled; releasing her, his cheeks taking on a pink hue and his right hand going up to the back of his head in embarrassment.

"That's…..Ok." she said as she bent over and placed her hands on her knees, in an attempt to take in oxygen quicker

"Ha! If you like Sam's present wait till you get mine!" Tucker said excitedly, gleaming a smile at his male friend. "So let's hurry this up; we still have to pass by my house." Tucker added as he gave his friends a small push.

After getting past the security guards, who were expecting their visit, the trio of friends headed further inside the massive structure. Tucker and Sam literally had to drag their friend through the facility, in an attempt to keep him moving since he would stop every 5 seconds to look at something that would catch his attention.

"Come on Danny!" they exclaimed trying to budge him from his current spot

"But did you guys see that! Oooo what's that?" Danny's friends gave a sigh as their friend escaped their grips and ran over to study a display.

"He's lost Sam; I don't know how we're going to get him out of here now." Tucker announced, shaking his head

"Don't worry Tuck, I have an idea." She said as she walked towards Danny, a wicked smile forming on her lips.

"Hey, Danny?" Sam asked, in a casual voice.

"Sam! Look at this model, did you know it was used to build one of the first space shuttles!"

"Oh, that's great Danny. Listen, Tucker and I are going to head into the training room; the main person in charge of this facility said he would let us try out the space stimulator." She said, off handedly. Danny being stuck in "kid at a candy store mode," didn't register any of her words until she said "Space stimulator."

"Really?! then what are we waiting for?!" Danny grabbed her hand and dragged her towards Tucker, doing the same to him when he reached him. "Come on!" Danny happily stated

"Danny!" Sam yelped, "You're going the wrong way!"

"Oh, okay." He added, his happiness never decreasing. Being use to making last minute moves he perfectly twirled himself around and dragged his friends the other way, forcing his friends to walk backwards before they were able to fumble in the correct position. This time it was Sam's and Tucker's turn to have the same thought. _"Wow, Danny's more like his father then he'll ever know."_

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"BS-NB 3501 located; locking import to mainframe now."

"Excellent!" Vlad Plasmius proclaimed wickedly, watching the computer main frame in front of him; complete the most crucial step to his plan.

"Import locked and ready for command. Please state desired status." The machine informed in a voice that perfectly matched Maddie Fenton's.

Vlad tapped his chin, pondering his next step "Terminate dormancy state by Twenty percent." He commanded.

"Activating BS-NB 3501 by 20 percent………… Activation complete. Downloading host's bio-status now."

With a smile that would cower the bravest men, he walked out of his lab "Happy Birthday, Daniel" he said in a mocking tone, before his evil laugh vibrated through his mansion

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"Good day Samantha; I'm glad you and your friends made it" said a man in a brown suit as he saw his friend's daughter walk into the room. _

"Hi Mr. Rompik; these are my friends Danny and Tucker." She said, pointing to the boys behind her. Mr. Rompik walked up to the boys to shake their hands.

"Hello Tucker; Hello Danny, it's a privilege to meet both of you."

Danny and Tucker returned the man's greeting, with a "likewise" from Danny and a "Thank you" from Tucker.

"Thanks again for doing this for us I really appreciate it Mr. Rompik."

"Don't even mention it Samantha; you know you're like family to me. Now, which one of your friends is the guest of honor hmm?"

Sam and Tucker both pointed at Danny whi smiled shyly at the man's comment.

"Come with me Danny, I want to show you some things that I think you'll find very interesting. He said as he escorted Danny into another room. His friends followed behind them, silently hearing the conversation between the two.

"So I hear you want to be an astronaut…."

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"I really don't know how to thank you Mr. Rompik; this has been one of the best experiences I've had." Danny said, shaking the man's hand and smiling appreciatively

"You're quite welcome young man, I'm glad you enjoyed it." Mr. Rompik smiled warmly.

"Are you kidding, I loved it!" Danny responded, giving the man a full hearted smile.

The man chuckled kindly at Danny's happiness, patting the boy in the back

"You kids take care of yourselves, alright? Oh and Samantha?"

"Yeah?" she questioned with a smile.

"Give your mother and father my greeting, alright?" Mr. Rompik requested, patting Sam on the head and smiling down at her

"Of course Mr. Rompik and Thanks again!" Sam happily replied, not realizing how peppy she sounded at the moment.

"My pleasure" he said, smiling back at her. "Oh, I almost forgot!" he exclaimed, breaking away from the conversation and towards what looked like a storage room. "Danny before you go I wanted to give you something."

He pulled out a black box that was the size of about three shoe boxes. "Danny, I believe you're familiar with one of the newest shuttles NASA has acquired, correct?"

"Explorer Hartman?"

"Yes that very one; I was one of the shuttles designer; did you know the shuttle's design was made right here in Amity Park?"

"No, I didn't." Danny said, admiration and interest in his voice

"Well, after years of planning and designing we created the final blueprints for it right in this facility. Two physical models were made. One was sent to NASA for approval, while we kept the second one here as a back up. After NASA approved it a larger model was made and the model they had is now residing at Huston's National Museum. The second model was given to me, since I was the head designer of Explorer Hartman." Mr. Rompik informed, handing the black box to Danny.

Danny noticed the box was pretty heavy and well packaged. "The box in your hand contains that second model. As I'm sure you know it is a priceless possession and I want you to have it." He said as he smiled down at the now shocked teen, staring up at him with wide eyes.

Danny was at a loss for words, he could barely process what the man in front of him had just told him. He was honored, but he couldn't accept this; the model was worth millions! "Sir, I- I really appreciate this, but I ca-can't accept it; this is y-yours an-and-"

"Well now it's yours Danny" Mr. Rompik kindly stated, cutting the boy off from his stammering. "I'm giving it to you because I know you will value it and take great care of it. I know it is going to good hands." He said, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder and giving him a confident smile.

Danny smiled back and nodded his head appreciatively "Thank you; I will take very good care of it, I promise."

"I know you will." He agreed with the same confident smile.

"Well, I won't hold you kids up anymore; I know you have a lot to do today. I'll call up security to let them know you're on your way."

"Ok, thanks again for everything." Danny said, his friends also saying their thanks to the kind man in front of them.

Mr. Rompik nodded his head and smiled at them. He walked the teens to the door were they had first met, "Danny, here's my card; give me a call or email me if you ever need anything; I really do wish you the best of luck in becoming an astronaut. Be sure to let me know when you apply, I'll put in a good word for you." the man stated, adding a wink to his last sentence.

"Oh you bet I will, Thanks a lot sir!" Danny said, happily accepting the small card from the man.

The teens waved good-bye as they said their last "thanks" to the man waving back at them from the doorway.

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"Man! That was so cool! I'm not into all the astronaut stuff, but that was better then a theme park!"

"Yeah, it was" Danny agreed "Just the tour of the inside of the shuttle made my day, not to mention the training equipment we got to test out, talk about intense!" he exclaimed

"Ugh, I still feel like my heart and my stomach switched places on that deep space stimulator." Sam added, beginning to feel sick again just by remembering said experience.

"That's what's great about it!" Tucker beamed "Oh and that rocket you got; man! I can't believe he gave you that, that thing is worth millions!"

"I know I couldn't believe it myself; you didn't have anything to do with this, did you Sam?' Danny asked, giving his friend a questioning look.

"No, I didn't, I was just as shocked as you guys; you sure know how to make an impression on people Danny."

"You got that right Sam, but most of the time he makes the wrong one." Tucker teased, slapping Danny on the back while laughing at his own joke.

"I hope you realize I'm going to have to get you back for that Tuck." Danny stated, arching his eyebrow at his friend, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.

Tucker chuckled and nervously fixed his hat. "Why don't we head to my house now" Tucker added, quickly jumping into the backseat of the jeep.

Danny smiled smugly at his friend's retreating form "Yep, works every time" Danny smugly smiled at Sam as she gave him an amused grin in return.

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It was a little over noon when the trio arrived at Tucker's house. "Mom? Dad? Are you guys home?" Tucker called out, stepping into his house, his friends following behind him. "I guess they haven't returned from work." Tucker concluded, stepping into the kitchen and pulling out soda cans from his fridge.

"So what do guys want to do, after this?" inquired Danny as he accepted the canned drink from his male friend and sat down at the kitchen table.

"I say we head to your house Danny; your parents did say they wanted you home early." Sam Suggested, following her friend's action.

"Yeah, we can play that new video game you have, Complete Annihilation!" Tucker exclaimed, lifting his arms in the air, an excited smile overwhelming his face.

Sam rolled her eyes in response, not understanding how anyone could get so hyped over a video game "Alright" Danny nodded with a smile, amused at his friend's perkiness. "My mom should have lunch ready by now, we can eat over there."

"Sounds good." Sam said, getting up to put her can in the trash. Tucker was interrupted from responding when they heard shuffled movements and scratching coming from upstairs.

"What was that?" Danny asked, giving the stairs a confused look.

"I don't know" Sam said, faking confusion and smiling at Tucker behind Danny's back.

"You should check it out Danny; maybe it's a ghost." Tucker suggested while trying to sound serious, but barely managing it. Tucker and Sam's expression quickly hid any look of amusement as Danny turned his head to look at them.

"Tuck if it was a ghost, don't you think my ghost sense would have gone off?" Danny said, arching an eyebrow at his friend questionably. "Are you sure no ones home?" he added with the same expression playing on his face.

A loud thud from up stairs made all three teens switch their attention back to the stairs. "I'm sure" Tucker stated, cringing at the noise. _"Oh man, that can't be good." _He thought inwardly; as the same statement crossed through Sam's mind.

"Let's just go see what it is." Sam said as she pushed both boys toward the stairs. Climbing up the stairs the trio heard the scratching intensify as they got closer to the source. When they got upstairs they realized the noise was coming from Tucker's room.

_"Oh no it got out of its cage!"_ Tucker thought warily, muffled growling now accompanying the scratching. "Go see what it is Danny" Tucker said as he gave his friend an encouraging push towards his bedroom door. "We'll be right behind you." He added with a smile. Danny turned to glare at him, before complying with his friend's command. Danny slowly turned the knob and pushed the door inward to reveal a full view of Tucker's bedroom. "Ah! My Room!" screamed Tucker, while the trio took in the sight before them.

The room was completely trashed; paper and what looked like pieces of metal littered the floor. His desk chair lay fallen on its side with Tucker's comforter wrapped around it. His pillows had been replaced by hundreds of feathers that had taken residence on his desk, bed, floor, fan, and even walls. The trio was brought out of their stupor from the now all too familiar scratching coming from under Tucker's bed. Danny slowly approached, while he noticed that Tucker's bed sheet were being slowly dragged under by the culprit of this mess.

"Ahhh!" came Danny startled scream as said bed sheet sprang out from under the bed, with a small lump hidden under them. Danny quickly grabbed the fabric and ripped it away revealing the lump to be a small brown eyed Dalmatian puppy. The dog happily yapped at the new distractions as it ran from one form to another before deciding Danny was the best choice, since he held his white cotton toy. "Um Tucker? There's a dog in your room." Danny slowly stated, looking at the puppy with a baffled expression.

"Happy Birthday?" Tucker meekly said as he surveyed his destroyed room. Danny's head spun so quickly to look at his male friend that any quicker and he would have had whiplash.

"What?" Danny questioned with wide eyes; wanting to make sure he heard right.

"Well…you said you've always wanted a dog….so I got you one." Tucker said, crossing his arms in front of his chest and shooting Danny a triumphant smile.

Danny blinked at his friend still not completely registering what he had just said. "Tucker" Danny stated, trying to comprehend what his friend had been thinking. "I know I've wanted a dog, but I think you forgot why I've never got one" Danny said in a serious tone, rubbing his forehead with his hand, attempting to retain his calm demeanor. "Tuck, my parents aren't going to let me keep her!" Danny exclaimed not able to hold in his frustration any longer

"Actually, it's a boy" Sam piped in, smiling confidently with her arms crossed in front of her chest.

Danny stared at them like they had lost their minds. "Tuck, I really appreciate you going out of your way to do this, but there is no way my parents will accept a dog, believe me I've tried for years." Danny stated sadly, crouching down to pet the excited puppy.

"You know Danny, sometimes you don't give me enough credit." Tucker added smugly as he looked down at his friend. Danny stared back at him in confusion. "Do you really think I would have spent so much effort in getting you this dog, without making sure you could keep it?" Tucker warmly smiled, shaking his head.

"You….asked them?" Danny stated in disbelief as he rose to his full height.

"Well Duh!" Tucker exclaimed as he rolled his eyes. "And so that we can get you pass your _brain freeze_, they said you could keep him."

"but what about.." Danny began to ask but was cut off by Tucker

"Already taken care of. Jazz said she would help you take care of him when you are out ghost hunting, so stop worrying so much and just pick out a name for him." Tucker stated in a light but strict tone as he made his way to the dog. "Here" Tucker said as he picked up the dog and handed it to the stunned hybrid.

Sam quietly watched the two boy's interaction, smirking at the stunned look on Danny's face. _"Wow, he really wasn't expecting this." _Sam thought with amusement as she walked over to the two boys.

Before she could say something to bring Danny back to reality, he came back on his own. "Hey Sam? Could you hold him for a Sec?" Sam agreed by taking the dog from Danny as Tucker and her gave him a bewildered look.

"Hey Tucker?" Danny called in a serious tone

"Yeah?" Tucker replied in a curious and baffled tone, wondering what had gotten into his friend. The next thing Tucker knew he was constricted in the same back-breaking hug he had given to Sam earlier. Danny happily said "Thank you" over and over again with a childish smile gleaming from his face. Sam laughed at Tucker's pain expression, while Danny hugged and playfully punched Tucker over and over, saying his gratitude in any way possible.

"Dude.. ok, you're welcome already." Tucker smiled as he docked another playful punch from Danny.

"I hate to break up such a lovely moment, but its getting late." Sam mockingly informed them, an amused smile showing on her face.

"heh… right" Danny added with an embarrassed smile as he realized how childish he must have looked. Sam smirked at Danny before handing the dog back to him, which he happily accepted.

Danny turned around and began to head for the door "look at you; you're so cute! Yes you are!" Danny cooed all the way down the stairs, while the dog in his arms happily yapped in agreement as he was swung from side to side in front of his new master's face.

Hearing and seeing Danny's actions, the two teens laughed warmly at each other as they followed behind the cooing teen. "Hey Tuck." Danny said without looking back "That was really cool of you to let the dog trash your room just to surprise me like that." Danny stated as he positioned the dog on his side to allow himself to open the door.

Tucker's face paled at Danny's word. "Ah!" He yelled as he ran up the stairs. "I forgot about my room!" Tucker's reaction caused a stun look to fall on the two remaining teens as they watched their friend's frantic retreating form. Their gaze fell on each other with an expression that said "What got into him?" before shrugging in a "no clue" way.

_

* * *

_

After helping Tucker salvage what remained of his room, the trio plus one, went off to Danny's house. Upon arriving Tucker grabbed Danny's model from the backseat since Danny's arms were occupied at the moment. "Jeffery you can go back home now, I'll be staying here the rest of the evening." Sam said

"Sure thing Miss, enjoy the rest of your day." He said, waving goodbye to the three teens.

"Hey Guys? Thanks again for doing all this for me; this really has been the best birthday ever." Danny smiled sincerely at his two friends.

"You don't have to thank us, we're your friends Danny, but I'm glad to hear you say that." Sam said with a warm smile.

"Yeah, what Sam said." Tucker agreed, smiling as he gave his male friend a playful punch on the shoulder.

Closing the door behind him Danny placed the Dalmatian on the floor were it happily ran around in circles. "Well this is weird." Danny stated in a confused tone "My house is never this quiet."

"**SURPRISE!"**

Danny jumped backwards from the sudden outburst, arching himself in a fight stance, his hand instinctively rising in front of him, palm up. "Happy Birthday Sweety!" Danny's mom said as she approached him, passing off his actions as a simple result of being alarmed.

**"Danny!"** Sam said urgently under her breath as she placed her hand on Danny's extended arm. Quickly he let it fall to his side, relaxing his body as he smiled and hugged his mom.

Looking over his mom's shoulder Danny realized that their were other people besides his parents and Jazz standing in the room. He quickly noticed that most of his out of state family members were there. His eyes locked in surprise to a specific person also in the room. _"Valerie?"_ he thought with surprise as he received hugs from the rest of the people in the room. Catching his gaze she waved and smiled at him as she approached, but there was something in her previous look that he couldn't make out or it just made him too nervous to acknowledge it.

Danny was right of course; Valerie noticed his little stunt, being in battle often herself, she knew a fighting stance when she saw one. _"What the heck got into him?"_ she thought curiously. _"Wait…did his eyes just change colors?"_ Before she could ponder on this, she realized Danny was starring at her. Shaking it off as a trick of the light she waved and approached him with a gentle smile.

"Happy Birthday Dann", she said as she hugged him and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek.

Sam seethed at the other girl's actions. "Sam!" Tucker squeaked in a pained tone "You're breaking my arm!" he whispered harshly. Sam sighed, releasing her grip on the boys arm "Sorry, Tucker" she apologized with a smile.

After bone crushing hugs, slobbery kisses, and "Oh, look how big you've gotten!" remarks, Danny was able to escape from his relatives. He spent most of his time relaxing and happily talking and joking with his three friends, out in the patio.

For the most part both girls forgot their differences and soon found themselves engaged in a conversation with the other two boys. _"This really is one of the best days of my life" _Danny thought happily, watching his closer friends relate to Valerie about what they did earlier. _"And the best thing about it, no ghosts around." _

After eating Jazz joined her little brother and his friends, deciding that it was more exciting then hearing some old fossils talk about what they did when they were younger. "So Danny what are you going to name your dog?" Jazz asked as she petted the puppy's head, currently sleeping on Danny's lap.

"I don't know Jazz, I've been thinking about it but I haven't thought of a name that suits him.

"Why don't you name him, Spot." Tucker suggested

"Spot?" Danny inquired with a weird look on his face. "Tucker, do you realized how lame that sounds…"

"Yeah, not to mention how totally unoriginal the name is." Sam added in an annoyed tone.

"Well I don't see you coming up with anything!" Tucker huffed as he sat back in his chair and crossed his arms.

"What about "Matches"?" Jazz suggested

"hmm, it could work… It just doesn't seem to suit him…" Danny pondered, stroking the dog's fur.

"You know, it's just a dog Danny; you could name him Tucker and he won't know any better." Valerie added with a smirk.

"Hey!" Tucker protested.

"You know Val, you've got a point; Tucker did give him to me." Danny said, his face furrowing in a thinking expression as he smiled at the thought.

"What? No way man! You are not going to name your dog after me!"

Danny chuckled at his steaming friend. "Oh come one Tuck; you should be happy, your name is going to be passed on."

"Not to a Dog!" Tucker exclaimed.

All four teens laughed at Tucker's sour expression. Sam was laughing so hard her stomach was burning, "Could you imagine Danny yelling, _Tucker stop peeing in my mom's roses!"_ Sam mocked, laughing harder. Everyone broke into a fit of laughter at her comment; even Tucker began to chuckle lightly at the mental picture.

The teen's laughter died down as they tried to regain their normal breathing. "Are you really going to name him Tucker?" Valerie asked a smile still planted on her face.

"Naw, I was getting Tucker back for a few that he owed me" Danny smiled as he placed the awaken pup on the ground.

"Well it doesn't have to be Tucker, you could name him TJ or something." Jazz said with a suggested smile

"TJ?" Danny asked with an inquiring expression.

"Yeah, it's short for Tucker Jr." His sister added brightly.

"Hmm.. "Danny replied as he thought about it. "TJ huh? It's not bad" Danny said "What do you guys think?" he asked his friends in front of him.

"Seriously it isn't that bad, just as long as you don't tell people that it's short for Tucker Jr." Sam smirked as she crossed her hands in front of her. Valerie and even Tucker also gave him a "why not" expression.

"Ok! TJ it is! Oh, and don't worry Tuck, his name's TJ not Tucker Jr, so you don't have to worry about me yelling "Tucker" out in the streets." Danny smiled. Tucker just rolled his eyes at Danny's mocking.

"Ow!" exclaimed Jazz as she grabbed her forehead.

"Jazz are you ok?" Danny asked, curious at her sister's strange out burst. Jazz nodded as she slowly opened her eyes and unclenched her teeth.

"I'm fine Danny; I've been having headaches all day." She said, her face expression returning to normal, but still continuing to rub her temple with her fingers. "It's probably from arguing with dad so much; his ghost obsession really drives me up the wall sometimes." She sighed, shaking her head in annoyance. "I'm going to go get some aspirins" she decided, standing up from her chair. "Make sure you come in soon Danny; it's almost time for you to open your gifts." She called back as she walked away.

Danny worriedly looked at his sister's retreating form. "Danny?" came Valerie's soft voice.

"It's fine Val, she just has a headache." Danny said, turning his head back to address his friend with what he hoped was a convincing smile. She seemed to fall for it, as her worried expression fell. His other friends however could read him like a book, but they also relaxed since Danny was right. It was just a headache.

_

* * *

_

"Thanks for the games Jazz." Danny smiled appreciatively at his sister who sat across the room.

"you're welcome little brother." She smiled back sweetly

"Ok, Son you can open mine next!" exclaimed Jack as he shoved a big wrapped box at his son.

"Thanks Dad" Danny said with a goofy smile on his face.

Opening it he realized it was several gifts wrapped together. Danny swallowed the lump in his throat as he stared at the items in the box. "T-Thanks Dad" Danny said nervously as he tried to quickly move to the next present he saw closest to him.

"Wait son, let me explain what each does. This gadget here is called the Fenton spectral eater." Jack beamed as he waved the miniature blaster in front of his son's perspiring face. "One blast from this baby and all a spook's spectral energy is sucked right out of it, leaving just an outer shell to study!" he exclaimed proudly

"Heh, that's great dad." Danny said meekly as he swayed around trying to avoid having the weapon aimed at his face.

"That is great! Mr. Fenton" Valerie added excitedly as she took the weapon from Jack's hands, intensely examining it.

Danny's face became as pale as …well a ghost. _"Ok, my dad holding it is bad, but Valerie holding it is reeeaaally bad."_ He thought as he saw the evil look in the girl's eye as she continued to inspected the weapon

"This one here is The Fenton Ghost knock out", Jack continued, removing one of the three hand-size metal ball from the gift box. "All you do is throw it at a ghost and it releases shock waves that will knock any spook unconscious no matter how powerful! Now This one here.."

Jazz eyed her brother with a worried look, she plainly could see how scared and uncomfortable he was at the moment.

"Jazz?"

Jazz was brought out of her concerned thoughts as she heard her mother call her. "Yes, mom?" She asked, masking her expression into a happy one.

"Honey, can you go get the cake; we're going to be here forever if we don't find a way to get your father away from his inventions." She smiled with an amused look.

"Sure thing mom" Jazz said, getting up, mentally thanking her mom for giving her the distraction she needed to save her brother. Jazz quickly left to retrieve her brother's cake; looking for the paper plates, forks, etc.. ,she placed it all on top of the boxed in cake and hurried back to aid her brother. "Mom!" she said as she walked out with the things. "I think it's time to cut Danny's cake." She said, smiling at her mom.

"Jack dear, you can finish that later; we need Danny to cut the cake" Maddie said, smiling gently at her husband. Danny quickly jumped away from the two ghost hunters; giving Jazz a thankful look, his sister always knew how to help him out off tight situations.

Jazz smiled at him in return, but her smile vanished as she felt a bolt of pain explode within her brain. She gasped at the pain, the cake accidentally falling from her hands as she gripped her head. Leaning forward she scrunched her face and tightly shut her eyes trying anything to stop the pain threatening to split her head. She could barely hear the worried voices around her trying to ask her what was wrong as agonizing waves pounded her brain with increasing frequency and magnitude.

The torture became too great; she opened her mouth to scream but she couldn't hear anything coming out; her vision began to darken into a red hue, the blurry world around her slowly fading. When she thought her suffering couldn't get any worse she felt her lungs painfully constrict. Jazz grasped at her chest and throat desperately trying to force life giving oxygen down into her lungs, but her paralyzed lungs refused to take it in. The pain and fear she felt suddenly seem to stop as her body and brain became numb then in a flash she felt her strength leave her and she knew no more.

Danny couldn't comprehend what was happening, one minute Jazz was smiling at him then the next she doubled over in pain. "Jazz? Jazz!" he called, running to his sister's side.

"Princess, what's wrong?"

"Honey, answer us" Danny's parents pleaded as they rubbed their daughter's back, trying desperately to comfort her. For the Fenton Family what happened next felt like it went on for hours when in reality it occurred in a few minutes.

Jazz's pained voice echoed through the house. **"Jazz!"** Everyone screamed

**"Jack call the ambulance their's something really wrong!** Maddie screamed her voice thick with fear. "Danny Help me lay her down" his mom ordered. Danny's family members and friends watched in fear and eagerness, no one daring to move both from shock and because they knew they would just get in the way.

Danny rushed to grab Jazz's arms, but he couldn't get her to straiten her body from its hunched position. Jazz's screams stopped as she clawed desperately at her throat. **"Mom! Mom! She can't breath!"** Danny yelled as panic began to swell within him. One of Danny's uncles stepped in to help Maddie, but before they could lift her up, Jazz collapsed in Danny's and Maddie's arms.

**"Jazz!"** Maddie and Danny screamed as they saw her eyes roll back, her head following motion.

"**Jack! Jack!"** Came Maddie's frantic screams.

"Their on their way Maddie!" Jack exclaimed as he ran into the room only to halt in his tracks at finding his wife's trembling form on the floor, with an unconscious Jazz in her arms. "Princess?" he whispered in disbelief before regaining movement and ripping his way into the crowd of people worriedly gathered around the fallen form of Jazz. "Maddie? Maddie! What happened! **Maddie! Answer me!** Maddie turned to look at him fear overwhelming her every fiber. Seeing his wife's shock state he turned his attention back to Jazz "Jazz wake up, come on princess!" Jack's voice urged, trying to desperately hold in the panic that threaten to overwhelm him.

"D-Dad?" came Danny's barely audible voice "Dad? Is s-she going to be alright? J-Jazz is o-okay, Right?" Danny whispered desperately wishing that his father gave him the comfort he needed.

Not wanting his son to see his sister like this any longer, he decided to make him leave, for his son's sake and for his… "Danny go wait outside for the ambulance." Jack said in a serious tone as he saw Maddie snap out of her despair, deciding to check Jazz's pulse.

"…but.." Danny weakly said.

"Please son! Just…. Do this for us okay?" He said with a pleading look before returning his attention back to his daughter. "Maddie, she's not breathing." Jack nervously said to his wife.

"Give me some room; I'll do CPR." Maddie informed him.

"Danny!" his dad exclaimed in an angrier tone seeing that his son was still there.

"Come on Danny, we'll go wait with you." Sam intervened in a nervous yet comforting voice. She gave Danny's hand a squeeze, Tucker doing the same to his shoulder as he walked up to assist his female friend. Danny allowed his friends to lead him towards the door;

"J-Jazz" came Danny's soft voice as he looked back at his sister's stilled form disappearing from view.

"She'll be okay Danny" Valerie said with a confident tone.

Danny said nothing, his face wiped of any emotion. His vision glassed over as his eyes threatened to express his fear and worry physically. Looking up he could see and hear the loud sirens approaching his house but they barely registered in his mind, for it was consumed by a fear he had only felt once before… _"Please be alright Jazz…" _He mentally pleaded over and over again.

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 1- Spiraling Emotions: Part 2**

Maddie rode the ambulance to the hospital, wanting to stay with her only daughter as long as possible. Jack quickly thanked everyone for coming, receiving support and comforting words them, asking him to keep them informed of Jazz's state. Valerie also left because of how late it was getting, but she promised Danny she would stop by tomorrow as early as possible. Danny told his friends to go home as well but they refused to leave his side no matter how late it was and in Tucker's case no matter how afraid of hospitals he was. After informing their parents about what happened, the two teens left to the hospital with the two remaining members of the Fenton Family.

* * *

Maddie was drowned in her own thoughts as she saw the door open in the waiting room.

She felt depressed upon seeing it wasn't the doctor, but relieved to see her family walk in instead.

"Any news yet?" Jack asked his wife as he sat down beside her, rubbing her back in a comforting way.

"No" she answered, shaking her head and placing it on Jack's shoulder; he embraced his wife with one arm in return, trying to comfort her at such a difficult time.

Danny leaned on an available wall, refusing to sit down. He remained quiet as he focused his gaze on his feet, hands stuffed in his pocket. Sam and Tucker remained seated on the closest seats to Danny. Hours seem to pass once again, no one saying a word.

"Mrs. Fenton?" asked the doctor, stepping into the room.

Maddie and Jack were at his side in a flash. Danny's gaze quickly shifted to the man standing in the doorway, but remained in the same spot.

"How's our daughter?" Maddie asked, fear resurfacing again.

"Mrs. Fenton, it seems your daughter suffered a large drop in blood pressure. Her blood cell count was very low, fortunately she didn't suffer a heart attack or stroke, but we haven't been able to determine why her blood cells started dying so quickly, if we had not already ruled it out I would think she was suffering from internal bleeding or a serious injury, but like I said all test show it is not the case. Danny held his breath, trying with all his might to remain calm. Maddie trembled under Jack's supporting embrace. "Fortunately" the doctor quickly continued, "She didn't lose enough blood cells to require a blood transfusion, instead we have her on medication that will speed up her blood cell production. If everything goes as planned she will be able to go home in about a week, Sunday most likely" The doctor informed as everyone visibly relaxed at the news.

"Is she going to be alright?" Jack asked, hope filling his voice.

"As long as her body response to the medication and her body recovers from its lost then she should be okay, She might have a mild case of Anemia for a little while, but that can be remedied by a higher iron and vitamin intake, like I said we have not been able to determined what caused her sudden state, but we will continue to run test. Her blood pressure is slowly returning to normal, so I'm confident she will make a full recovery." The doctor finished with a hopeful smile.

"There is something I need to ask you." Maddie told the doctor, taking a breath before continuing. "Before my daughter lost consciousness she was in pain and I don't understand why. She kept gripping her head tightly, and then her throat like she couldn't breath; she stopped breathing!" Maddie exclaimed, not being able to hold in her distress as she recalled her daughter's earlier state. Jack squeezed her hand silently telling her to calm down.

"Those were also results of her rapid drop in blood cells. Our blood cells are in charge of circulating the oxygen they get from the lungs. A decrease in blood cells means a decrease in oxygen for the body, thus explaining her headaches. The lack of oxygen to her brain triggered a pain response, sort of a "call for help" from her brain if you will. Your daughter stopped breathing because her body was causing too much stress for her lungs, I'm sure before she collapsed she was feeling short of breath; her body kept forcing her lungs to take in more oxygen, because it kept thinking it wasn't getting enough. The stress and the lack of blood to her lungs caused them to constrict, in turn her body shut down since it was no longer getting its vital oxygen supply. Thankfully she was treated quickly avoiding any long term damage to her body.

We will keep monitoring her closely to make sure her body recovers from this ordeal. Unfortunately we still need to keep her in the emergency ward for observation, so only one of you may see her for a few minutes. Once her blood pressure rises to its normal rate, we'll transfer her to a patient room tomorrow. Now do you have anymore more questions for me?" The doctor asked kindly.

"No we don't; thank you so much for taking care of my daughter." Jack stated his face so serious, that the goofy and clumsy Jack could in no way be traced.

"It's my pleasure and don't worry she will be just fine." The doctor informed them, smiling at the two adults in front of him. "Now, who is coming with me to see her?" the doctor questioned

"You go Maddie, and give her a kiss for me." Jack smiled warmly. Maddie nodded, returning her husband's warm smile, as she walked out of the room with the doctor.

Throughout the doctor's speech Danny's gaze stayed glued on the man, his eyes barely blinking. The breath he was holding, gradually released from his lungs as he heard the doctor say Jazz was going to be okay. He suddenly felt very tired and decided to finally sit down, his friends splitting away to allow him to seat in the middle, so they both could comfort him. His eyes became heavy as all his repressed emotions turned into exhaustion, he refused to sleep however, not daring to close his eyes in fear of missing anything related to his sister, he was going to stay there until he could see her, nothing was going to remove him from that hospital.

Minutes later Maddie came back, her face a little brighter then before, but like Danny her exhaustion was evident. "Jack, why don't you take the kids home, their parents must be worried sick, and poor Danny is barely awake." Maddie asked, with a more relaxed smile.

"But Maddie, I can't leave you here alone." Jack responded, visibly worried.

"Honey, the kids really need to go home, I'll be fine by myself for a few minutes." She assured.

"Ok." Jack nodded, turning his gaze from Maddie to his son. "Danny, let's get you and your friends to bed, ok?" Jack asked in an encouraging voice. Danny just shook his head "No", his elbows and arms resting on his legs, while his hands dangled in between his knees. His expression and eyes were directed towards the floor, becoming masked behind his long messy hair.

"Honey" Maddie said sweetly, in a voice only a mother could pull off, walking over to her son. "You need to get some rest, Jazz is okay now, and you will get to see her tomorrow; please go with your father." She asked, stroking his black hair away from his face. Danny kept his gaze frozen to the floor, his expression blank, as if he wasn't even there.

"I'm staying." He announced loud enough for everyone to hear him. Maddie shot a worried look at her husband, silently asking him what to do.

Seeing that Danny's stubbornness was not going to be easily removed, his friends decided to pitch in some help. "Danny, there isn't anything you can do right now, you really need to get some rest plus TJ is by himself remember." Tucker reasoned calmly, rising from his seat. Danny said nothing but was considering his friend's words. "Tucker's right Danny, you don't want your room to end up like Tucker's do you?" Sam playfully added in hopes of lifting his spirit as she took hold of one of his hands to coax him to stand up. Finally looking up Danny gave them both a warm smile and gave Sam's hand a comforting squeeze before removing his hand from her hold.

"Listen guys, I know what you're trying to do, but I really need to be here, so please stop insisting." He said with pleading look "Tucker, please check up on TJ for me, ok?" Tucker gave him a sad smile, nodding his head. Sam let out a troubled sigh, knowing that they were not going to convince him this time.

"Ok, kids let's get you two home." Jack told them, giving his son a worried look before heading out the door.

"Danny.." His mom began, in a pleading tone.

"I'm staying" he said in a strict tone, leaving no room for argument. Maddie sighed and waved good-bye to the two teens and her husband. Tucker and Sam gave their friend one last worried look before exiting. Hearing the door close Danny resumed his slumped position, both son and mother remained quiet as they sat on opposite ends of the small room, not a sound could be heard besides the noises coming from outside the room. Maddie finally got up to sit next to her son, taking hold of his hand. Danny raised his dull eyes towards his mom's. Not needing words to express what both desperately needed, they embraced each other in a hug. "Jazz will be just fine Danny." She whispered softly to the shaking boy. He nodded his head, giving her a warm smile as they released each other. Maddie felt calmer as she saw Danny visibly relax, but his exhaustion was too great to hide; coaxing him a little she was able to get him to lay his head on her lap. Danny gladly accepted the comfort of his mom softly stroking his hair with her fingers, telling his self he wasn't going to fall asleep. Maddie quietly played with her son's hair, knowing that she would use the same tool when he was little to put him to sleep. She smiled to herself, as she saw her son fall asleep within a few minutes, happily thinking. _"Oh Danny, you haven't changed one bit." _

* * *

"Check" Vlad declared, moving his "Bishop" diagonally across the board to his left, threatening the rival "king" piece across. Skulker growled in his throat, clearly annoyed at the smug smile the man across from him was sending his way.

"Why do I even play this stupid game with you, you always win." Skulker bitterly replied, moving his "king" one square forward to remove it from the path of Vlad's "Bishop". Vlad chuckled at Skulker's words, still giving him a smug look and smile. "Hmm, I do, don't I?" he replied conceitedly. "The game, however, is not stupid, but the player who can not play it." He replied mockingly with a grin, raising his eyebrow in a challenging manner. Skulker rolled his eyes; the man's arrogance could be such a pain sometimes, but he was clearly too great of an ally to lose.

"I'm going to ignore that." Skulker stated, eyeing his pieces as he waited for Vlad's next move. Vlad chuckled once more, knowing perfectly well that the ghost would not dare challenge him, not that he would want him to, they both provided each other with benefits that neither would give up quite easily.

"Did you find what I need?" Vlad inquired, moving his left "Knight" in an "L" shape to his right, the piece falling on the same vertical line that his untouched "queen" continued to occupy.

"Yes I did and they will be coming right out of my personal collection." He replied, evilly smiling at the hybrid, before moving his furthest pawn to his left, forward one square.

"Alright, just have them ready by tomorrow; I'm sure Daniel will enjoy some company." Vlad stated, smiling evilly at his last comment while observing the Chess board in front of him.

"You know Masters, I really don't understand why you play this game with the brat, why don't you just waste him already; I'll gladly accept the whelp's leftovers." Skulker declared, his expression going from a questioning look to a predatory one. Vlad sighed, shaking his head at the ghost's one track mind.

"If I wanted to kill the boy, I would have done it a long time ago." He stated, matter-of-factly. "This "game" as you call it, is necessary to get him were I want him, Oh, and that's "Check" by the way" Vlad informed him, moving the same knight forward in an "L" shape to threaten Skulker's king once again.

"And were do you want him?" He inquired, moving his king diagonally to his left, one square.

"Really Skulker, do you expect me to divulge what I'm planning?" Vlad inquired smugly with a smile.

"Well after all the random jobs you have been sending me on, I can't help but ask." Skulker replied, shrugging his shoulders. Vlad laughed once again, nodding his head in agreement.

"Ok, I will tell you." Vlad replied, his face becoming serious, except for a small smile playing on his lips. "I want him here." Vlad said picking up his untouched queen and moving it diagonally to his left across to the furthest square possible. Skulker looked down at the board, realizing Vlad's queen was threatening his king, but to his dismay Vlad had caught off all his escape routes, not even his remaining pieces could save his king. "You see" Vlad continued "These little "jobs" I have been asking you to do are just my way of manipulating his moves, until I have him where I want him and once that's complete I'll have Daniel as trapped as your king." Vlad smiled evilly, knocking Skulker's king down. Skulker blinked at the chess board a couple of times before looking up at the man across from him.

"You know" he slowly began. "I think you have been playing this game too much." He declared, looking at the hybrid like he was crazy.

"And I think it's time for you to leave!" Vlad spat out venomously, glaring at the ghost across from him.

"Yes… well… I have some things to do" Skulker replied, getting up, and passing a hand through his fiery green hair. "I'll come back later tomorrow to let you know how everything went." He added quickly, before turning and flying through the wall. Vlad continued to glare daggers at the metallic ghost's retreating form as he left his living room through the wall that connected to his bottom stairs lab. Vlad looked down at the fallen king piece, chuckling softly at thoughts he only knew of, before standing up and exiting the room himself.

* * *

Danny ran to his sister as she collapsed to the ground unconscious. "Jazz!" he screamed as she fell to the floor. "Jazz? Jazz! Answer me!" Danny yelled, shaking his sister's body slightly, but getting no response. "Mom! Dad!" Danny yelled, looking around for them, but they were not there. "Help!" He screamed frantically to the empty room. Danny gasped as he turned his attention back to his sister, realizing Jazz was no longer there. "Jazz!" he yelled looking around frantically for her, but she was nowhere to be found, no one was there, he was all alone. "No" he said as he dropped to the floor shaking. _"Danny"_ whispered a voice. He looked up from his fallen position, trying to locate the voice. _"Danny" _it whispered again.

"Honey, wake up" Danny snapped his eyes open, quickly sitting up, and staring around in confusion. "Danny, take it easy; we're at the hospital remember?" Maddie said, seeing the confusion in her son's face. Danny looked at his mom as yesterday's events came crashing back into his sleepy mind.

"How's Jazz?" he asked, looking at his mother expressionless.

"That's why I woke you up; the doctor came in and said Jazz's blood pressure is slowly returning to normal and she appears to be reacting well to the medication, they said they were going to transfer her to a room around noon." His mom explained, happily smiling at her son.

"I'm glad" he stated with a small smile. "Where's dad?" he asked

"Oh, he went to get some coffee" she responded, standing up and stretching.

"How long have I been asleep?" he asked with a slight frown, realizing that he had fallen asleep.

"Well, it's about 5:30 in the morning right now, so about five hours." she declared, smiling sweetly at him.

"Maddie, I got you vanilla flavored coffee." Jack said pushing the door open with his foot, as he came in with a cup holder containing three cups in one hand and a bag in the other. "Danny! You're awake" he announced almost sounding like his old self again. Danny nodded smiling softly at his father. "Here son I got you a donut and an Orange Juice" Jack said, handing said items to his son.

"Thanks dad, but I'm not hungry." he announced, smiling appreciatively at his father and setting the items on a small table in front of him. Maddie and Jack frowned at their son. "Now Danny, you need to eat something, we don't want you to get sick sweetie." Maddie said, worry evident in her tone. Danny's eyes visibly saddened at her last statement, quickly lowering his gaze to hide the emotion from his parents. Maddie and Jack, however, did notice his change in demeanor. Maddie sighed, quickly looking at Jack, before turning her attention to Danny.

"Danny, at least drink the juice… for me?" she pleaded sadly. Danny looked up at his mom, giving her a warm smile, before taking the juice from the table to drink it.

After a quick breakfast, the Fenton family remained quiet for the most part, except for a few comments between Jack and Maddie. Maddie looked at the clock then looked at her son. She really wanted to get him out of the hospital, but he kept refusing. She decided to try again, maybe with the recent news that she had given him on Jazz, he would be calm enough to go home for a little while. "Jack, we won't be able to see Jazz until noon; why don't you and Danny go freshen up; to pass some time?" Maddie suggested. Danny sighed, did he really have to go through this with his parents again. He wasn't leaving, not until Jazz left with him. He couldn't leave her, what if something happened in his absence, what if she needed him, what if…. No, he couldn't leave.

"Why don't both of you go, I'll stay." Danny suggested a sure smile on his face.

"Danny" Maddie began, becoming exasperated with her son's tenacity. "You won't be able to see Jazz until noon, what is the point of you staying here?" she asked, frustration edging in her voice. Danny said nothing, becoming frustrated himself with his mom's persistence. Maddie wasn't going to relinquish so easily, but before she could say something Jack placed his hand on hers, silently telling her to let him handle this.

"Son, you really don't want Jazz to see us like this do you?" he asked, pointing to his messy hair and wrinkled clothes. Danny looked down at himself, realizing that his dad was right, but it wasn't his untidy appearance that bothered him, but his physical appearance. Danny felt exhausted and stressed. He knew his sister would pick up on it and worry. _"I can't let Jazz see me like this; I don't want to add anymore stress on her."_ He resolved in his mind.

"Alright" he declared with a small smile. Maddie and Jack blinked at their son, neither expecting such a quick turn around.

"_Wow, it worked?"_ Jack asked himself. _"Hmm, Jazz's psychology blather isn't as worthless as I thought." _He thought proudly, as he smiled at his son. "Alright Maddie we'll be back soon" Jack announced kissing his wife's cheek.

"Jack, see to it that Danny get's some sleep before coming back, ok?" Maddie whispered, so that only her husband could hear her. Jack nodded before leaving the room, Danny following behind after giving his mom a small smile.

* * *

Danny walked into his room, looking at the clock _"6:15" _he thought, sitting down on his bed with a sigh. TJ happily barked at his master, wanting attention. Danny smiled sadly down at him before picking him up and putting him on the bed, rubbing his belly. Maybe after a quick nap and a cold shower, he wouldn't feel so drained. He felt so tired, physically and mentally. He decided to shower first, since sleeping wasn't too appealing to him at the moment, especially with the images of Jazz playing in his mind so vividly over and over again every time he held his eyes closed for more then a second. Danny stood up heading for his closet, his mind felt heavy from so many thoughts and emotions that he could not separate.

Danny made his way to the bathroom, directed only by his subconscious, since he was too wrapped up in his thoughts to focus on anything else. He closed the door, placing his clean clothes on the counter. He looked at himself in the mirror as if searching for something. "Why am I so afraid?" He whispered to himself, while looking at the mirror in hopes of receiving an answer. From all of his jumbled feelings fear was the only one he could make out. He was afraid, afraid that something could happen to his sister. The doctor told them she would be fine, but for some reason he couldn't believe that, maybe it was because he hadn't seen her yet, maybe after seeing her he would feel better, but why couldn't he believe that? He sighed sadly, turning away from the mirror and turning on the shower. _How could this have happened? _His mind questioned. Yesterday had been one of the happiest care-free days he had ever had since he got his ghost powers, but after what happened with Jazz, it turned into one of the worst.

He closed his eyes as the warm, moist droplets splashed his face. They felt so healing to his body and mind as they covered his entire form. His mind slowly began to unravel from all its mixed thoughts and emotions, they flooded his essence as the water did to his body and he slowly began to comprehend what he was repressing from even himself.

He glared down at his hands as the droplets spilled in between his fingers and gathered at his palms. "Why am I thinking about this now" he said in a reprimanding voice. He told himself he wouldn't let this mess with his head any longer after the constant nightmares and doubts that plagued him for so long after that horrible fight. He had buried all of this. But what happened to Jazz yesterday broke through the mental wall he had made. "Why?" he asked himself softly _"because you haven't learned to survive without them." _replied a small voice in his mind. Survive without them? After everything he had been through he still couldn't imagine a life without them, could he survive? Danny took in a trembling breath, as he stepped out of the shower. No he couldn't, He couldn't bare the thought of losing even one of them. That's when he realized what the fear he felt was.

It was fear of losing them, a fear that he had buried after witnessing it happen in his future, and almost happen in his present… Jazz's state resurfaced his worries.

Although he still had a thorn of fear in his mind of becoming evil, it was nothing compared to his fear of losing them. He was nothing without them; they were his sanity, his strength, His light, his….weakness.

"I can't lose them." He whispered to the empty room. "I won't lose them." He said in a louder voice filled with resolve. He would always be there to save them from danger, from anything that could harm them, but how could he fight sickness, nature? He couldn't and he felt so helpless, because the truth was he could lose them, he could lose Jazz and there was nothing he could do about it. Danny made his way back to his room, his expression troubled, he sighed and shook his head. "No" he told himself, closing his door behind him. "I'm not doing this again; Jazz is fine; …. I'm fine." He told himself sternly, his hands clenching on his side as his eyes matched his voice. He felt a wave of cold swell inside of him, becoming visible as it escaped his mouth. Danny gasped at the sensation; his mind forgetting its inner battle to take on the coming one outside.

"Is it so much ask to have some peace once in a while" He growled, before calling forth his powers deep within him.

"Danny?" came his dad's voice as he knocked softly before entering; Danny's mind panicked at seeing his dad entering his room, out of pure reflex he did the only thing he could, he disappeared. Jack walked into the room, frowning at not seeing his son. Jack walked further into the room as he looked around

"Son? Where did you go?" he said to what he thought was an empty room. His frown increased as he noticed that TJ was hiding under Danny's bed, whimpering. Danny held his breath, terrified that his dad would hear him; he quickly pushed back his nervousness to get out of the room before his dad thought he wasn't in the house. He flew through his floor before curving his flight, placing him at the bottom of the stairs. He quickly changed back and ran up the stairs.

"Dad, I'm right here" he called as he finished climbing the stairs. His dad stepped out of his room, an expression of relief on his face.

"Danny, what are you doing up, you need to get some rest before we leave." Jack gently asserted, placing his hand on Danny's shoulder. Danny nodded as his ghost sense went off again.

"I was getting a drink, but I'm going to bed now, ok?" Danny quickly stated, suppressing the shivers his ghost sense sent through his body.

"Ok, we will be leaving in about an hour." Jack smiled, removing his hand from his son's shoulder and heading to his room. "Oh, and check on your dog, he seems to be scared of something" His dad called back before closing the door to his room.

Danny hurried back into his room, closing the door behind him. He looked under the bed to find his dog huddled on the far corner. "I'm sorry buddy; you're going to have to get use to that." He chuckled as he patted the dog on the head to comfort him. Standing up, he picked up his extra pillow and stuffed it under the covers before turning off the light, leaving his room in complete darkness, since the sun hadn't come up yet. _"Can never be too careful"_ he thought, as his room was momentarily engulfed in a bright light, before leaving behind the soft glow of his ghost form. He was going to fly through his window, before he remembered he needed the Fenton Thermos; he walked up to his dresser, turning his arm intangible, he reach through one of his drawers, before pulling his hand back out with the Thermos, he quickly strapped it to his back and flew off.

* * *

Danny flew around looking for the ghost that had dragged him outside at 6:30 in the morning, "that's stra-"

"EE-EE-EE!" came high pitch shrieks. Danny covered his ears; the sound reminding him of a shortened version of his ghostly wail, but only four octaves higher. The waves came at him, but to his surprise they didn't hurt, suddenly his body felt stiff, and he found himself falling from the sky, landing in a near by bush.

"Ow" Danny said as he hit the hard and thorny bush. The shrieking stopped; the ghost bat suddenly opened his mouth releasing a bright red blast right out of his mouth, towards the ghost boy.

Danny mentally screamed at his body to move from its spot, but it felt numb _"What kind of attack is this?"_ he asked himself. Before he could think about it further the bat opened its mouth releasing a red, hot ecto-blast instead of the shrieks. Danny knew this one was meant to hurt him, he screamed at his body to move but it wouldn't _"Move!" "Move!" _he thought the blast getting closer **"Move!"** he screamed out loud, his body finally responding, but a little too late to escape the blast completely. The shock wave from the blast knocked him back into a near by car, causing a dent on the side door.

"That was too close for comfort." He said to his self getting up to blast the spectral bat. The bat gave out a shriek again in another direction. "What the heck is it doing?" he wondered. Then Danny noticed the bat was hovering in the air, shrieking around itself. "Bats use eco location to see" Danny remembered from his biology class. "It can't see me unless it touches me with those waves" He concluded from the bat's strange behavior. "Huh, who knew ghost bats used it too." He added as an after "thought", flying out of the way as the bat shrieked in his direction, the waves barely nipping his left foot. He felt his foot slump lifelessly for a few seconds. "I doubt a normal bat can do this though." He said frowning, trying to move his numb foot. Danny charged into the sky, blasting the bat from behind with an ectoplasmic energy blast. The bat tumbled through the sky from the blast. Danny used this to his advantage as he flew at the slightly dazed bat, thermos in hand "I think you'll find the thermos, just like home" Danny stated as he unscrewed the thermos and sucked the ghost in. "Well, that wasn't too bad" he said out loud as he wiggled his once numb foot.

"EE-EE-EE-EE!" Danny covered his ears, hearing the same shrieks again; he turned around and gasped in horror. Ten more of those ghost bats were heading his way. "Ok, now it's bad." He declared turning intangible and flying underground to avoid the various waves approaching him. He resurfaced, flying towards the park. He needed cover and trees would work perfectly. The bats followed by picking up the disturbances in the wind from his high speed flight. He forced himself to fly faster at seeing the park close, turning intangible at seeing the bats closing in. To his dismay, he could still feel it in his body that the bats were getting closer to him. _"Great! Their freaky attack affects me even when I'm intangible"_ He thought angrily, flying down towards the trees, suddenly he felt his spectral tail numb over quickly spreading into the rest of his body.

"Ahhh!" he screamed falling like a rock towards the ground. He fell in between several trees getting slapped and pricked by various limbs before hitting the ground. He couldn't move, his body wouldn't respond. His arms and head seem to be the only thing the waves didn't touch. He could hear the bats shrill screams intensify around him. "There are too many of them." He said with a grunt as he dragged his body closer to the trees for cover. He kept hearing the ghostly bats' call, which was giving him a headache. He sighed in relief that they couldn't locate him in between the trees.

He felt his body movements slowly come back, until he was able to hover to his feet. "Ok, I've had enough of this" he said, as he flew in between the trees. He looked up and noticed the bats were flying near each other. Danny grunted; there was no way he was going to get rid of them if they didn't separate. He needed cover, but it wasn't like he could hold a tree over his head as he flew at them. "But I could definitely hold a shield." He told himself, a clever smile forming on his lips. Danny created a circular shield around himself hoping it would work.

The bats shrieks came in his direction hitting the shield; he happily realized he wasn't affected by them, but now they knew were he was. Danny drew the shield closer to him as he curled his body inside of it turning the shield into condensed spectral energy before releasing it back out in every direction. The blast pushed all the bats in several directions giving him the window he needed. He fired a blast at each of the three bats that were the closest to his location, sending them hurling to the ground with thud. He quickly dove towards them as he opened the thermos a wave of white energy sucking them in as Danny neared the injured ghosts. He flew through the trees to avoid getting hit with the paralyzing waves as he heard other bats approaching. Danny reemerged from his cover catching two unsuspecting bats from behind with the thermos. "5 down 5 to go" he stated proudly as he flew back down towards the trees, resurfacing again to blast the unsuspecting bats. He kept this up as he flew up and down, never stopping his movements so that he could not be detected. He managed to catch two more through this strategy, before his luck ran out. The last three remaining bats opted to take the offense. Instead of trying to locate the pest that was attacking them, the bats began to blast red energy from their mouths in every direction.

"Whoa!"

"Yipe!"

Danny cried as the hot blast nearly collided with him. Danny flew up into the sky blasting two of the bats away with his own blast, but he wasn't quick enough to fire on the third. "Ahhh!" Danny screamed as the red ecto-blast hit him full force in the chest making him fall from the sky and then through several trees. Danny grunted in pain as he stood up, only to drop to his knees at the pain in his chest. Danny hissed in pain as he brought a hand up to his chest, holding it there to ease the pain. After a few seconds he slowly and painfully got to his feet.

"Wow, big things do come in small packages" He declared in a painful voice. Pushing down the hot throbbing feeling in his chest as he flew upwards, straight through the trees, blasting the first bat he saw sending it tumbling through the sky. Danny made another shield in front of him stopping blasts from the two remaining bats in front of him. He quickly lowered the shield pushing as much energy into his two hands before firing twin green energy blast towards the two bats. In one quick motion he grabbed the thermos sending the two bats to join their friends. Danny gasped, hearing the last bat's shrieks behind him. Spinning around he instinctively brought up a shield to block the assault. Danny gritted his teeth as the waves hit the shield. He had already wasted a lot of energy from his constant movements and attacks; he didn't know how long he could keep this up.

At finding his opponent, the bat changed its assault to red blast. Danny grunted feeling the shield giving in to the bats constant bombardment. "Alright bat but you're going with me." Danny hissed feeling this shield shatter. Danny immediately fired a blast of his own pushing as much energy into it as he could into it; simultaneously getting hit with the bats attack. Both opponents hurled towards the ground. Danny felt his powers escape him reverting him back to his human mode as the ground got closer by the second. This time their wasn't any painful tree branches to break his fall and even if there were he was too high up for that to help him. Danny closed his eyes, frantically trying to make his body respond before he collided with the earth below. He dug into his mind forcing it to bring his powers to life. Danny mustered all his remaining energy as the twin halos engulfed his body saving him from gravity's deadly pull. He was able to slow down his descend but not enough to avoid the ground completely. He hit the ground with a roll as he slid to a stop. _"That was painful"_ he thought lying on the ground, before remembering the last bat was still loose. He gasped as he rolled over, to lift himself to his feet. He let out a relieved sigh at seeing the unconscious form of the spectral bat. He slowly and painfully walked towards it, before trapping it in the thermos. Danny sat down with a small thud to rest for a few seconds, feeling lucky he was still conscious from so much us of his energy. He looked up at the foggy sky, the morning sun…

_Wait…Sun?_

"Oh no!" he stated out loud, "I've been gone for more then an hour!" he said as he pushed back his exhaustion and pushed himself skyward, flying as quickly as he could to his house. His flight was nothing close to graceful, losing altitude every so often, his body swaying in the air clearly showing his exhaustion. He flew invisibly through his window and to his relief no one was in the room. He sighed turning visible only to be startled by a loud yelp.

"TJ! Relax it's just me!" he whispered harshly, reverting back to his human form. The dog curiously looked at his master as he threw himself on his bed. Danny closed his eyes feeling more exhausted then ever. He did not even realize TJ was licking his fingers on his left hand that was hanging off the bed. He stayed in this spot for a few minutes, feeling sore all over from his injuries. It didn't worry him too much since his ghost powers helped him heal quicker then an average person. Suddenly he heard a knock on his door.

"Danny? Are you awake?"

Danny snapped his eyes open, sitting quickly upright. He ignored his body's protest at the rough movement as he leapt over his bed, to prevent his dad from entering. "

Dad! Don't come in! Yes I'm awake but I'm changing, soo.."

"No problem son" Jack interrupted, "Just hurry down." He said as he moved away from the door.

"Ok" Danny said, sighing as he leaned his head against the closed door. Danny picked up his phone from his dresser, catching his refection in the mirror "Yikes" he said, turning intangible as he headed out of his room, leaving behind a small pile of leaves, twigs, and dirt on the floor as he let his dog out and closed his door behind him.

* * *

"Danny!" Sam said as she entered the waiting room, dragging a frightened Tucker behind her.

"Guys? Wow you're here early" Danny said with a smile, surprise in his expression.

"Duh dude we said we would be back early today remember?" Tucker responded as the trio took a seat.

"Your mom told me Jazz is doing better." Sam said, as she smiled softly at Danny. Danny smiled back nodding his head. "Yea, but we won't be able to see her until noon." Danny said sadly.

"Don't worry dude, Jazz will be back to herself in no time, your mom was allowed in a little while ago and she said Jazz looks a lot better." Tucker added, giving him a comforting smile. Danny nodded at them with a smile.

"Thanks gu-"

Danny was interrupted by his icy ghost sense releasing from his mouth. "No" he stated his eyes going wide.

"A ghost here?" Tucker whispered.

"Guys I didn't bring the thermos" Danny whispered as he looked around.

"Come on" Sam whispered. "Mrs. Fenton, we are going to head to the cafeteria Danny is going to get something to eat." Sam said sweetly.

"Of Course dear, I'm glad to hear that." Maddie said happily. Danny nodded in agreement before leaving the room with Sam and Tucker behind him.

"I don't see anything" Tucker stated. Danny's ghost sense went off again. "There's a storage closet, we'll cover you." Tucker said pointing at the small room. Danny ran in and changed into his ghost form, becoming intangible and invisible before leaving the room.

Danny flew back to his friends, "Hang on, I think it's below us." he said as he grabbed Tucker and Sam by an arm and phased them through the floor. Making sure no one was in sight he set them down, making them visible again. "Come on guys, I think it's over here." Danny said as he flew in front of them. Danny and his friends made their way towards the end of the hall, turning the corner they found what they were looking for. Floating in the middle of the next hall was a circular spiky ghost with no real form. "What the heck is that suppose to be?" Danny quietly told his friends.

"More importantly why is it just floating there?" Tucker responded.

"I don't know, but this would have been a lot easier if I had the thermos." Danny stated with a sigh. "I need to get it out of here before someone sees it. Meet me outside." He said, before flying straight towards the ghost. Danny turned intangible and invisible, doing the same to the ghost by grabbing hold of it and flying straight up and out of the hospital. The ghost blob growled at the hybrid for removing it from its hiding space. It freed itself from Danny's grip, taking off into the sky. "Well this is new." Danny said, at seeing the ghost fleeing instead of attacking him. Danny chased after it more out of curiosity then anything else. He sped up as he got closer to the ghost. "Wait" Danny called after the ghost who seemed to be terrified of him as if he was going to eat him or something. Danny finally got close enough to grab hold of the ghost.

"Gahhh!" Danny screamed as he quickly let go of the ghost. He looked down at his hands, gasping as he saw large, thin, green quills penetrating his hands, and every part of this body that came in contact with the ghost. The ghost quickly expanded like a puffer fish, releasing more sharp quills in Danny's direction.

"Whoa!" Danny yelled as he raised his arms in front of his face, becoming intangible. Danny sighed in relief as the quills passed right through him, but to his dismay the quills that had penetrated his skin from tackling the ghost when he was tangible, where still attached. Danny looked around but he didn't see the spiky ghost anywhere. He sighed as he descended back down, were he saw his friends waiting.

"Danny! What happened?" Sam called as she ran to his side, with Tucker on her heel. Danny winced as he removed another quill from his body.

"It-"

"Ouch-"

"got-"

"gasp-"

"away"

Tucker and Sam winced at seeing Danny covered with green sharp quills.

"Geez Danny, are you sure it wasn't a cactus." She commented, wincing as Danny removed another quill.

"You're not helping Sam" Danny hissed as he removed one from his leg.

"Why don't you just go intangible?" Tucker suggested

"Tuck, don't you think I already tried, they won't come off!" Danny replied in a frustrated and pained voice. "You know, you guys could help at anytime." Danny continued in the same tone of voice at seeing his friends just staring at him.

"Ok, calm down" Sam said, as she made her way over to him and began to pull out the quills. Tucker hesitated, but complied when he saw the glares his friends were sending him.

"Ouch!"

"Take it easy!"

"Ah!"

"Would you hold still!"

"Yipe! Tucker!"

"Opps!"

* * *

Danny sat in a chair, as he hissed inwardly _"Stupid ghost!"_ he thought madly.

"Danny, maybe we should get you some medication for that rash." His mom suggested, looking at her son's pink, swollen arms and legs.

"I'm fine mom; I just ate something that I'm apparently allergic to." Danny reassured, holding back a pained groan. _"So much for not making Jazz worried"_ he thought annoyed with himself for being so careless. Three teens and two adults sat in the waiting room having various conversations here and there. Valerie stopped by like she promised to see how Jazz was doing, but wasn't able to stay too long because she had to work.

It was eleven when the doctor came in and interrupted the small chattering.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Fenton, I came to inform you that Jazz has reacted quicker to the medication then we anticipated. Her blood pressure is back to normal and she is doing a lot better. Her recent blood test, worry me however." the doctor said with a concerned look. Everyone's heart began to beat a little faster at the doctor's words. "She still is showing an abnormal number of blood cell deaths. Her body has been able to balance out the lost by producing more of them, but it just isn't normal and we have no idea what is causing it." The doctor stated with a frown. "It isn't life threatening as long as this abnormality doesn't increase further, but I wanted to make you aware of the situation. I'm hopeful her illness is just temporary and her body returns to normal." The doctor told them. "Because of her fast recovery, I allowed her to be transferred to a patient room earlier. The room is on the eleventh floor, room 1126; she should be there by the time you arrive." The doctor smiled before leaving the room.

"Oh honey, we can go see our baby!" Maddie exclaimed as Jack hugged her with the same excitement. Danny smiled at their exchange, his eyes regaining some of their natural glow at the news.

* * *

"Mom!" Jazz exclaimed as she saw her family enter the room with various get well gifts.

Jazz had seen her mom for short periods of time, but she was too drowsy to acknowledge her.

"Honey, you're awake!" her mom exclaimed as she made her way over to her daughter, giving her a gentle hug.

"Jazzy-pants! I'm so glad to see you're alright." His dad happily said as he went up to her daughter and gave her a hug so carefully that it was hard to believe the man hugging her was really Jack Fenton

"I'm glad to see you, Daddy." Jazz replied as she embraced her dad. Jazz looked over at her brother who was staring at her with a warm smile. Jazz returned the smile as she looked back at him, quickly wondering why he was all pink except for his face.

"Well, aren't you going to say hi to me too Danny?" she asked a playful pout playing on her face. Danny nodded as he walked over to her sister; he looked down at her with a sad smile before leaning down and embracing her strongly, yet delicately. Jazz frowned at feeling her brother tremble in her arms, "Danny I'm fine" she whispered, so only he could hear her. Danny nodded on her shoulder not wanting to let go. He felt so light headed from forcing down so many emotions that wanted to explode within him, upon hearing her words. Too soon, they let go, giving each other warm smiles as their parents smiled at each other at seeing how strong their kid's bond was. Tucker and Sam greeted Jazz as well, before she laid back down from her sitting position. She still felt weak and a little out of breath, but it was nothing compared too yesterday.

Her family and Danny's friends sat down at various chairs in the room. They all encouraged her to sleep, which she gladly accepted. Everyone felt like a huge weight had been lifted off their shoulders at seeing Jazz was okay. Although she was really pale and weak, she looked so much better. Danny watched his sister's sleeping form, with a warm smile on his face. Jazz was going to be fine, which meant he was too.

* * *

"Dude, you look horrible" Tucker commented, as the trio made their way to the Hospital's cafeteria.

"Well considering I have been getting barely four hours of sleep and these stupid ghosts keep stalking me, what do you expect!" Danny responded, as he glared at Tucker. "Danny relax, you know he didn't mean anything by it." Sam calmly intervened.

Danny gave a sigh, "I know" he replied as he looked down at his feet and then back at Tucker. "I'm sorry Tuck, it's just everywhere I go lately, there is always some weird ghost popping up and it's wiping me out!" Danny said with frustration edging his voice. "Yea, they have been pretty strange." Sam agreed, thinking back on the ghost Danny had been fighting lately.

"Well, look on the bright side; at least Jazz is finally leaving the hospital today so it will be less for you to worry about and I don't have to come here anymore!" Tucker said happily, as he served himself steak and mash potatoes.

"Yea" Danny nodded with a happy smile on his face getting the same food as Tucker. Tucker and Danny went to pay for their food while Sam finished getting her salad.

The trio sat down as they talked about school. Danny had missed the first two days since Jazz got sick so he was a little behind. "I'm so glad this week is over" Danny said with a relieved sigh, knowing that after today some of this nightmare would be over. "Unfortunately tomorrow is Monday and I didn't have time to study for Lancer's stupid test!" he said becoming frustrated once again.

"I know this week has been hectic for you Danny, but I'm sure it will get better." Sam said reassuringly.

"Yea dude; things couldn't get any worse." Tucker added with a smile. Danny glared at him.

"Tucker don't say that." He scolded, resuming playing with his food instead of eating it. Tucker gave him an apologizing look, as he smiled nervously. Sam quickly changed the topic at feeling the tension Danny was giving off.

"So how's TJ?" she asked with a smile

* * *

After lunch, the trio made their way back to Jazz's room, not wanting to leave her alone for so long since Maddie and Jack had gone home to rest and get everything ready for Jazz before it was time for her to come home. When Danny and his friends entered the room she was receiving her lunch from a hospital volunteer.

"Hey Jazz, we're back." Danny said as he took a seat next to Jazz's bed.

"Hey Danny, did you eat?" Jazz asked her brother as she sat up to eat herself. Danny nodded at her, standing up to help her move the small table with her food in front of her. Jazz gave Sam and Tucker a questioning look, as Danny moved the table. The two friends knowing what she was asking mouthed "Just a little."

Jazz sighed, knowing her brother wasn't eating right lately. "Danny, are you, okay?" Jazz asked as she opened her Apple Juice.

"I'm fine, why do you ask?" He replied, tilting his head slightly and giving her a confident smile.

"Hmm, I don't know, maybe it's because you look like you haven't slept in days and you are barely eating." She said, matter-of-factly.

"Really Jazz, I'm fine. Ghost activity has just been a little high." He assured her, making it sound like it wasn't a big deal. Jazz was about to respond, but was cut off by Danny gasping as his ghost sense went off.

"Just a little?" Jazz questioned, folding her arms in front of her and frowning at her brother.

Danny smiled nervously, "Yea, not a big deal; I'll be right back." He said as he transformed and flew out her window. Jazz sighed, looking at her brother leave the room. She turned around and glared at the two teens left. "Ok you two, talk." She commanded crossing her arms in front of her once more. The two teens cringed at her tone, knowing quite well that they were not going to get out of this one.

* * *

Danny looked around not finding any ghost in sight. "Uh! Can't these stupid ghosts leave me alone for two minutes!" he yelled angrily, his frustration flaring once again.

"A little edgy, aren't we Daniel?" Danny gasped knowing the voice all too well. He spun around, finding none other then Vlad Plasmius, giving him his usually smug look as he floated with his arms folded across his chest.

"Plasmius." Danny spat out venomously, his eyes glowing a little more then normal as his hands took on the same green glow. Vlad chuckled at the boy's reaction to his presence, the young hybrid was really good at masking his fear into aggression, but he could see right through it.

"Oh come now Daniel, I just want to have a nice chat with you." Vlad replied.

"Talk? I doubt it" Danny said, firing two ecto-blast at Plasmius before the man could gain any advantage over him. Vlad arched an eyebrow at the attack, becoming intangible at the last second; the twin blast passing through him harmlessly.

"That was pathetic Daniel, were you even trying to hit me?' he taunted. Danny growled as he lunged at Plasmius, realizing too late that he wasn't planning on moving,

"_Wait, something's wrong?"_ he thought before he felt a blast hit him in the back,

"Ahh!" he yelled as he fell from the sky, trying with all his might to regain flight but couldn't, suddenly Danny felt something grab him by the collar of his jumpsuit stopping his fall abruptly.

"Hello ghost child" came a haunting voice. Danny looked up his vision spinning slightly. "Skulker?" he questioned clearly surprised, coughing at the abuse his throat had just received. He mentally berated himself for not realizing another ghost had to be around since Plasmius never sets off his ghost sense. Danny growled ready to attack the ghost holding him, but quickly realized he could barely move. He gasped as he looked down, seeing glowing green bonds strapped around his hands and feet.

"Let me go!" he yelled struggling against the bonds.

"Don't waste your energy my boy; Skulker made those especially for you." Plasmius responded as he flew down to where Skulker and Danny were floating.

"That I did whelp; but you already had the privilege of wearing them before." Skulker said; his grin nothing short of predatory.

Danny glared back at Plasmius, knowing at the moment he was the greater threat. "I'm not in the mood for your games Plasmius!" he yelled, wishing he could blast the smirk out of his face.

"Yes, I'm sure having your dear sister ill, has you a little unstable hmm?" Vlad smirked, carefully taking in the boy's reaction to his words. Danny's eyes widen at his comment, a bad feeling forming in the pit of his stomach. He knew that the older hybrid never brought things up without a reason behind it.

"How do you know about Jazz?" he asked warily, his heart rate increasing slightly at what the answer could be.

"Don't tell me you haven't figured it out yet? Vlad replied in a condescending voice, his eyebrow arching. "Oh that's right, I forgot; your small teen mind can not comprehend anything without it slapping you in the face first" he ended, mockingly. Danny's fear and irritation exploded, completely ignoring the older man's insults.

"Just tell me!" Danny yelled aggressively, trying to summon an ecto-blast, forgetting the bonds canceled out his powers.

Vlad chuckled, a sinister expression on his face. "Why don't I show you instead?' he replied, before gesturing to Skulker to follow. Vlad willed himself invisible as he flew up approaching the large hospital in front of him, Skulker followed suit, masking himself and Danny invisible as well.

"Wha-" Danny began, realizing they were right in front of Jazz's room window.

"Hush Daniel, you might want to pay close attention to this." Vlad remarked, his attention going to the people inside the window.

"Activate BS-NB-3501 by 50 percent" Vlad commanded into a device strapped to his wrist. Danny looked at the older hybrid warily, he didn't like where this was heading. He vaguely remembered hearing that name at Axion labs in his recent fight with Skulker. Danny's attention returned to the window, his heart rate faster then normal.

* * *

"So, he hasn't told you guys anything." Jazz questioned warily as she sat on her bed.

"No, he hasn't, he has been very distant lately." Sam replied with the same worried tone.

"Yea, He barely even acknowledged Dash yesterday when he threw him in his locker." Tucker added. The four teens became silent, each thinking their own thoughts about Danny

"I think he's just tired from all the ghost activity lately, I mean he has to be when the box ghost caught him off guard at the park yesterday!" Tucker exclaimed, ending the silence

"I don't know what's going on lately" Sam continued with the same concerned tone. "We have been helping as often as we can but we can only do so much; plus with you falling sick… well it just adds more things for him to deal with. Sam said sympathetically

"I know it has, but-"

Jazz abruptly stopped, forgetting what she was going to say, suddenly feeling lightheaded and out of breath.

"Jazz?" Sam and Tucker asked fearfully, standing up slowly at seeing the color in her face disappear.

"I-"

She began, but couldn't say anymore as she was overwhelmed by a familiar pain; she fell back on her bed hyperventilating.

"**Tucker! Get someone in here!"** Sam yelled running over to Jazz who was doubled over on the bed. Tucker wasted no time, running out the door.

"Hold on Jazz." Sam said nervously, pushing the assistance button on the bed not knowing what else to do.

* * *

Danny noticed that Jazz and his friends looked worried. _"They're probably talking about me_._"_ He thought dryly. His sister would never waste an opportunity to talk about him to his friends, she always pictured things worse then they really were when it came to him. Danny's mental thoughts were brought to a hold as he observed his friends and sister curiously; it seemed that they were alarmed by something; could they see him?

No, that wasn't it Sam and Tucker were looking at Jazz. Danny felt like his heart stopped, suddenly seeing his sister double over on the bed, and Tucker run out the room.

"**Jazz!"** Danny screamed, fighting desperately against the bonds to get to her but they didn't even move an inch. Skulker's grip got tighter as he pulled the struggling ghost boy away from the window, becoming visible once again. **"Let go!" "Let me Go!"** he yelled over and over, his paranoia increasing by the second.

"My, those bloodstream nanobots work quickly." Vlad commented becoming visible himself as he moved away from the window, smiling sinisterly at the struggling boy. Danny stopped his struggle, his eyes going wide at Vlad's statement.

"Nanobots? But how-"

"Don't tell me you forgot the nanobots I inserted in Jasmine the day I made her use the ecto-suit against you?" Vlad questioned, his eyebrow raised.

Danny's mouth gaped open, clearly shocked at what Vlad had said. His shock however quickly changed into anger

"The remote was destroyed! Those things were destroyed!" he yelled back, not wanting to believe what the man was saying. Vlad laughed at Danny's absurd comeback.

"Oh dear boy that inconvenience is remedied with a few thousand dollars and as for the nanobots…Well as you can see that was not the case" He replied his laugh falling into a self-satisfied smile.

"You should have kept her out of this Daniel, now she has become another asset I can use against you." He stated, his smile disappearing into a dangerous expression. Danny glared at the older hybrid, his breathing becoming as fast as if he was running. Danny knew that there was more to this then he was telling him, but at the moment all he could think about was getting to Jazz.

Danny growled, his emotions once again threatening to overwhelm him as he struggled against the bonds **"Let me go Plasmius!; let me go!** He yelled; furry overwhelming his entire body.

"We haven't finished Daniel" Vlad replied calmly, ignoring the young teen's demand.

"**I don't care what you have to say!"** He spat out, struggling so hard against his restraints that Skulker was having trouble holding on to the young ghost.

"**Let go! Plasmius!"** ...Jazz sh-"

Danny's demand died down as his voice constricted, his breathing was quick and ragged. He could feel his anger dissipating, revealing fear and desperation, his body trembling from the emotions.

Skulker laughed feeling the teen shake in his grip. "What's a matter whelp, can't you escape?" he taunted mockingly.

"Please…, let me go." Danny whispered without meeting the Vlad's gaze; not caring that he sounded pathetic at the moment. Vlad raised an eyebrow at Danny's slump form and his pleading voice, reminding him of nothing more then a frightened child. For a nanosecond Vlad felt something tug at his heart, but quickly pushed it back.

"Very well, we will continue this chat at another time" He said, gesturing at Skulker to release the boy. Skulker growled at having to let go of his quarry, but did so without hesitation. Danny didn't give neither villain a second glance as he flew down and found a place to change back, running towards the hospital entrance. Danny felt a chilling presence approach him that made him shiver even more.

"Daniel? Let's keep this to ourselves, hmm.." came a voice in his ear before he felt the chilling presence leave him.

* * *

Danny ran into the hospital building like there was a fire, startling people on his way to his sister's room. When he got there he saw several staff members frantically moving around, he could hear the doctor giving orders.

"Jazz!" he screamed, holding down the increasing temptation to turn intangible to get to her.

"Danny!" he heard his friends' voices come over all the noise in the building. Danny ran in their direction on the opposite side of his sister's room, Tucker and Sam doing the same.

"How is she Tucker! Tell me she's okay!" Danny yelled, grabbing Tucker by the front of his shirt, shaking him slightly.

"Danny calm down!" Sam pleaded, Tucker too shock by his friend's action to do anything but stare at him.

Danny sighed letting go of Tucker, "How is she?" he whispered, his eyes pleading at his friends.

"H-How did you-" Tucker began to ask,

"It doesn't matter!" he screamed in frustration.

"w-we don't know." Sam continued her tone unsure for once. "They just said they were going to move her into ICU; but they are still in there and-"

Sam didn't finished, seeing her worried friend run towards Jazz's room. Danny began to push his way around people before he was stopped by his sister's unconscious form lying on her bed, being strolled out of the room. Danny felt something shatter within him, as he looked at his sister's pale and fragile form wearing an oxygen mask which a nurse was pumping slowly. Jazz looked-

He closed his eyes, feeling very dizzy and sick.

"Young man, you need to get out of the way." came a lady's voice. Danny opened his eyes, as he was moved out of the way by a blond nurse.

"s-she's my s-sister." Danny replied, softly.

"Stephanie he's a relative, explain to him what's happening while I get her to ICU" Jazz's doctor called back, continuing his rushed exit, other staff following him.

"Come with me dear, you need to sit down." The nurse gently said at seeing how pale the boy was, Danny allowed her to lead him to a near by seat, too distraught to do anything else. Sam and Tucker ran to his side, explaining to the nurse that they were close friends of his.

"Listen honey, your sister suffered a relapse; do you know where your parents are?" she asked gently. Danny didn't say anything, his mind haunting him with his sister's unconscious pale face. "I ask you this because your sister needs a blood transfusion and because she is a minor we can not proceed until we get an approval" she continued more urgently. Danny's breathing became heavier, feeing even more sick and dizzy. The nurse gestured something to another nurse, who nodded and quickly went into a room.

"His parent's went home for a little while; they said they would be back soon." Sam answered for him

"We already called, but no one is answering." She replied with a sad frown. The second nurse came back with an orange juice.

"Here sweetie, drink this." She said handing it to Danny. They were interrupted by another voice approaching them.

"Danny what's going on?" his mom asked warily at seeing so many people huddled around him. The second he saw his parents Danny felt panic rise inside of him. His mind could no longer hide from the truth to protect itself, Jazz was dying. His breathing became even more rapid, almost hyperventilating.

"No" came Danny's broken voice as he brought his hands to his face, embracing his desperation. The nurse known as Stephanie went to address the older Fentons', relating to them the distressing news and what needed to be done. Danny heard his mom's shouts, before they broke into sobs, his father's soon following. Danny had never heard them cry like this, especially not his dad, and he knew who was responsible. Danny's mind shattered as he sobbed quietly into his hands, his breathing hyperventilated.

"Danny? Please calm down." Sam's broken voice pleaded, squatting down to his level, trying to fight the tears welling up in her eyes from seeing her friend in so much pain. Tucker was also at his side giving his shoulder a comforting squeeze, his voice thick at seeing his strong friend breaking down in front of them for the first time in his life. Danny felt very lightheaded as his mind began to spin; his vision was blurry from the tears pouring out of his eyes, his breathing rapid.

"Mrs. Fenton, I really think you should come look at Danny" Tucker stated warily at seeing his friend's pale face hidden behind his pale hands. Before either friend could react, Danny's body limped, falling on Sam who was kneeling in front of him.

"Danny!" Sam and Tucker screamed at his friend's unconscious form. The older Fenton's rushed over upon hearing the teen's shout.

"Danny!" his parents screamed, Maddie falling to the floor next to her son's body. "**Danny!"** she screamed shaking him a little.

"Stacy, call Doctor Roberts he's in shock." Maddie heard the nurses say behind her. Jack picked up his son, placing him on the bed the nurses had just rolled in. Jack was in so much grief at the moment that all he could do was stare after his son as he was taken away. Maddie hugged her husband, something was wrong with both of her kids and all she could do was wait. Sam and Tucker were in a similar position, as they both hugged each other for comfort. A week that had started out so wonderful had now become nothing short of tragic.

* * *

Danny slowly opened his eyes, his vision blurry. Blinking a couple times, the hospital room slowly came into focus; Danny looked down noticing he had an IV on his left arm. "Danny?" he heard his mom's voice say. Danny looked up noticing both his parents were looking down at him. "How are you feeling?" she asked softly.

Still feeling dizzy, it took him a little time to comprehend her question. "I'm fine." He said looking away from them out the window.

"Honey, the doctor said your body is stressed from the lack of sleep and nourishment. What's going on Danny?" his mom questioned with a frown.

Danny sighed angrily to himself. _"What's going on! Maybe my life is a complete disaster because of your stupid obsession with ghosts!"_ his mind screamed in response, making him feel even guiltier for blaming this on his parents. It wasn't their fault; it was his for allowing his loved ones to become involved in his fights, but it was also Vlad's.

Danny closed his eyes, feeling them burn green at just thinking the man's name. "Nothing is going on; I have just been stressed because of Jazz." He answered half truthfully. "How is she?" Danny asked looking back at his parents.

"We don't know Danny." His dad answered sadly. "They said they were going to give her a transfusion because she has lost too many blood cells; they said they would inform us how it went after they were done." He ended.

Danny sat up ignoring the dizziness he felt at doing so. "Where's Sam and Tucker?" he asked noticing they were not in the room.

"They had to go home sweetie, it was getting late and they have school tomorrow." Maddie answered, gesturing to her son to look at the darken sky.

"They insisted on staying until you woke up, but seeing you were not going to anytime soon they had to leave." Jack added.

Right then a nurse walked in, "Oh good, you're awake." She stated happily, "How are you feeling?" she asked taking his blood pressure and temperature.

"Better" he mumbled in between the thermometer in his mouth.

"Well you look a lot better." the nurse replied warmly. "What do you say we get this IV off?" she added, looking at the instrument, and stopping the clear liquid from dripping into Danny's vein. "Now, make sure you eat more, ok?" she scolded gently. Danny nodded as the nurse finished bandaging up the area where he had the IV in. She gave him a nice smile before turning around to address his parents.

"He'll be fine, just try to avoid anymore stress on him, I know it's going to be hard considering your daughter's condition." She said sadly. "He is free to leave when he's ready, but I recommend for you to keep him here until you receive news about your daughter." She added before walking out the door.

* * *

Time once again slowed down; Danny stood in front of the window as he quietly gazed out at the twinkling stars. His once matching eyes, no longer held that twinkle. Danny was wrapped in his own thoughts, coming to him in never-ending waves.

What was he going to do? If only he knew what he could do to stop all this, he would do it. He would do anything for his loved ones, he would give his life for them and right now he would gladly trade places with Jazz. _"Why did he come after her, why not me like he always does?"_ he questioned himself. _No wonder the doctors couldn't find what was wrong with her, knowing Plasmius like I do, he covers his tracks a little too well._ Danny thought angrily.

Sighing his mind went to another thought _"Am I keeping something that could save Jazz? Maybe I should tell them?"_ he asked himself as he looked back at his parent's sad faces. _"Maybe I should tell them everything?"_ he told himself, angrily gazing out the window. _"What would they say? Would it be the end of me? Of Danny Phantom?"_ His mind fearfully questioned._ "It doesn't matter, Jazz's life is more important then all that."_ He resolved sadly in his mind. Danny turned around, taking a shaky breath.

"Mom? Dad?" he called. Danny's parents looked up at their son curiously, seeing a strange look in his eyes. "There is… I need to tell you something." He said, his voice resolved on what he was about to do.

Whatever Danny was going to say, was interrupted by a knock on the door. Danny's eyes widened, his heart beating so loud and fast he thought it was going to come out. "No" he stated softly at seeing the last person he wanted to see at the moment.

"Maddie! Jack!" Vlad smiled softly at the two. "I was on my way over to your house, when I heard the news; I am so sorry." He said sadly giving Maddie a hug.

"Thanks for coming, V-man." Jack replied with a sad smile as Vlad gave him a supporting hug.

"How could I not? Your family means the world to me Jack." Vlad said in what sounded like a noble voice. Jack smiled appreciatively, not realizing his "friend's" comment didn't include him. "How is dear Jasmine?" Vlad continued.

"We don't know yet, this has been awful for all of us, poor Danny has been taking this really hard." Maddie commented sadly

"Really? How so?" he asked mocking concern.

"Well he has been really stressed and with his sister's relapse he went into shock" Maddie finished softly so her son couldn't hear.

"Tsk Tsk. That's a shame." Vlad responded with a sad look.

"Danny, come say hi to Vlad, he came to give us his support" His dad informed him

Danny stared at his parents as they talked to Vlad, not caring at the moment what they were saying, his body was filling with so much rage his vision went black for a split second.

"Danny, come say hi to Vlad, he came to give us his support" Danny heard his dad say. Danny's rage flared at hearing the man's name and "support" in the same sentence. Danny began to breathe wildly, his hands balling into tight fist.

"**YOU! HOW DARE YOU SHOW YOUR FACE HERE! YOU TWO-FACE LYING SNAKE!"** before his parents could react to even his words, Danny lunged at Vlad; both falling on the ground from the force of Danny's attack. **"YOU STAY AWAY FROM HER! YOU STAY FROM MY FAMILY!** Danny yelled hysterically, trying to swing punches at the man below him, while Vlad grabbed Danny's wrist to keep him from doing so. Vlad's face was nothing short of shocked, as Danny glared at him with bright, almost yellow eyes, trying desperately to attack him with everything he had.

"**Danny!"** his parents yelled, shocked at seeing their son attack Vlad. Jack quickly grabbed hold of his son, pulling his flaring son away from the man below him.

"**Danny! What has gotten into you!"** his dad scolded. Danny ignored his dad as he continued to glare at the man, who was standing up and composing himself; he would give almost anything to remove the man from his sight.

"Sweetie." His mom continued. "I know you're upset, but it isn't Vlad's fault. He's a friend of the family who is just trying to help." His mom gently coaxed. Danny felt sick at the irony in her words, he stopped struggling against his dad, but his anger was still burning so strongly it made him tremble, holding his fist so tight they were turning white. "I'm sorry Vlad." Maddie stated, putting her hand on his shoulder to apologize. "As you can see Danny's really confused at the moment." She continued.

Vlad ripped his gaze from the teen to address what the women was saying. "Don't worry about it my dear; I know Daniel is going through some difficult times." Vlad replied, his demeanor back to its usual poise.

Maddie smiled appreciatively at him before turning to Jack. "Jack why don't you take Danny home to get some rest; there is no point in all of us being here." Maddie asserted. "Excellent idea Maddie, I will stay with you until Jack gets back." Vlad offered, smiling kindly.

"**What! NO!" **Danny yelled, his rage exploding again. Jack grabbed hold of Danny, as he flung himself once more at his friend.

"**Danny! Stop this!"** Jack yelled, his son flaring wildly in his arms.

"**Let me go! You don't understand!" **he screamed back, struggling with all his might against his father's grip. There was no way he was leaving that monster anywhere near his sister. Danny's eyes once again flamed a bright yellow-green, not caring if his mom saw them, **"I WON'T LET YOU HURT HER! DO YO HEAR ME! I WON'T LET YOU!" **Danny screamed at the top of his lungs, his screams surely would have been coming out as his ghostly wail if he was in ghost mode.

Jack screamed at his son to stop, while Maddie cried, her strong character shattering at seeing her son's instability. Danny kept screaming and fighting against his father's grip. Vlad was beginning to feel a little tense, knowing Danny had lost it and if this kept up he was going to expose both of them. Jack couldn't believe how much strength his son had, he weighed almost three times his son's weight, and he didn't know how much longer he could keep him off Vlad.

"**Danny Please Stop!"** he yelled pleadingly, but Danny was deaf and blind to everything around him, all he saw was that monster and all he could think about was making him disappear.

"**I WON'T LET YOU! I'LL TELL EVERYONE PLASMIUS! I SWEAR!"** Danny raged on.

"**What's Going On In Here!"** Stephanie exclaimed, three security guards around her. Apparently Danny's screams could be heard through the entire floor, attracting the attention of the staffs' and patients'. The head nurse had decided to call security seeing how nervous the patients were becoming and the staff as well.

"I'm sorry!" Maddie said in between sobs. "He is really upset because of his sister's state!" Maddie informed them, before sobbing even louder.

The nurse frowned sadly at the broken women, "Try to calm him down, I'll go get him a sedative!" she said loudly trying to be heard over the boy's screaming. Danny continued to fight against his father's hold, slowly winning the battle, his screams had become hysteric, his vision spinning on and off. Vlad took a few steps back at seeing Jack slowly lose his grip on his son.

"**Danny!" **Jack grunted before he lost his grip. Jack gasped, seeing his son was going straight for Vlad again. Danny was stopped from his assault as two of the security guards grabbed him inches away from his enemy.

"**LET ME GO! NONE OF YOU UNDERSTAND! YOU DON'T KNOW! LET ME GO!"** he screamed angrily.

The nurse quickly went to the guards' side, as they held Danny down on the floor, the third guard having to step in to hold him still enough for the nurse to inject the sedative. Immediately Danny felt a wave of weakness flood his vein, slowly doing the same to his entire body. Without any strength to fight anymore Danny limped, his heart rate and breathing slowly returning to normal. Jack picked up his son cradling him in both his arms like when he was younger.

"Dad… please… don't let him… he…Jazz…" Danny whispered, desperately wanting to tell his dad what the man was doing, but he quickly lost the energy to talk.

Maddie was too lost in her angst to think straight, but Jack wasn't. Jack knew he was not the most observant person, but his son's reaction to Vlad was not normal, something was happening that he wasn't aware of. "_Why did he call him Plasmius? Was that a name or an insult? …Don't let him what?"_ Jack questioned in his mind frowning at his barely conscious son. He was brought out of his thoughts by Vlad himself.

"Jack why don't you stay with Maddie instead, I will gladly take Daniel home for you; I'm sure he will be at peace knowing his parents are with his sister." Vlad offered.

"I-I don't know V-man, Danny seems very nervous around you." Jack replied, not taking his eyes off his son.

"Nonsense Jack." Vlad dismissed "Daniel is just under a lot of stress; he will be fine with the sedative they gave him." Vlad said, in an assuring tone.

"I appreciate the offer, but-"

"If it will make you feel better, I will give you a call when we get there hmm…" Vlad interrupted, ending his words by giving Jack a comforting squeeze on his shoulder. "Alright I'll help you put him in the car." Jack replied, surrendering to his friend's offer. "Of course Jack; my limousine is right up front." Vlad informed him.

"Maddie, will you be okay by yourself while I take Danny to Vlad's car?"

Maddie nodded sadly, giving Danny a kiss on his forehead and one to her husband. Vlad felt his eyes burn red, but quickly composed himself as Maddie addressed him.

"Thank you Vlad for your support and I'm sorry about all this." Maddie said with a warm smile, before giving him a light hug.

"That is all in the past now my dear and you do not have to thank me, like I said before, you and your family are very important to me." He replied, giving her a warm smile, patting her hand gently. Maddie smiled appreciatively, before looking back at her son's barely conscious figure. She sighed sadly, caressing his face before he was carried away by her husband, Vlad walking beside them.

Danny could barely move his body, his mind desperately pleading for him to embrace the much needed darkness, but his dad's conversation with Vlad had him wishing he could disappear or fly far away from his soon to come, alone time with Vlad. His only consolation being that his sister would be safe from the evil hybrid. He wanted to plead to his dad not to leave him alone with the man, but it was either him or Jazz, and his sister was all he cared about at the moment.

* * *

"Thanks V-man, you really are a great friend." Jack replied truthfully, climbing out of the back of the limousine as he finished laying Danny down on the seat.

"Don't mention it Jack." He replied, patting the man on his shoulder, before boarding the car himself next to Danny. "I will bring him back tomorrow as early as possible." Vlad stated with a small smile. Jack nodded and closed the door, waving goodbye to the departing limousine.

As soon he heard his father close the door, Danny wanted to shrink away from sight, his body was barely responding to his commands anymore, his vision spinning in front of him as the sedative began to shut down his nervous system. Danny's heart sped up, feeling the car engine start and take off.

Seconds later Danny felt a strong grip lift him from the seat; faster then his groggy mind could process, Vlad swung him to the other side of the limo, his body hitting the chair roughly before his body slumped to the floor face first. Danny groaned on the floor, his vision only getting worse; he wasn't even strong enough to move his body from its uncomfortable position. Vlad quickly grabbed him and flipped him over, his face inches from Danny's. Danny felt a cold wave of fear wash over him as he looked at the man's red eyes glaring at him. **"You listen closely to me you little rat! If you ever pull a stunt like that again, I will end your miserable existence faster then you can say "Going ghost"!** he mocked threateningly**. I told you to keep your mouth shut and I suggest you follow that order for your sister's sake! Do I make myself clear! ANWER ME DANIEL!** Danny could only nod, his body paralyzed by fear and the sedative circulating his body. The last thing Danny saw before his exhaustion and the sedative took their full affect were those blood red eyes piercing his soul.

Vlad's eyes return to their normal hue as he looked at Danny's unconscious form. Vlad continued to look at him, his expression changing into sadness before closing his eyes and sighing angrily. Vlad shook his head at thoughts he only knew of before opening his eyes once again. He angrily picked up Danny by his shirt collar and threw him on top of the seat before taking a seat at the opposite side of the car. Vlad angrily crossed his arms in front of him, glaring at the young boy's slumped form for a few minutes before turning his glare towards the window.

* * *

Danny opened his hazy eyes, feeling someone gently tucking him into his bed. Danny looked up at Vlad, the man's eyes meeting the teens with a glare. The older hybrid turned off the light coming from the lamp on Danny's night stand, leaving them both in complete darkness, except for a small tint of light from the hall way, sneaking into the barely opened door. Danny heard Vlad move towards the door to leave. Using every ounce of strength left within him, he addressed the older half ghost. "Vlad" Danny whispered, making the man stop in his tracks and look over at the boy. "I won't let you do this to her" He whispered with assurance. Vlad raised an eyebrow at the boy's tone. The boy was stronger then he gave him credit for sometimes. Vlad shook his head in amusement before turning back around to leave. "Sweet Dreams Daniel." He responded coldly before exiting.

* * *

**The dog….I really debated on it. Originally the rocket was going to be Tucker's present, but I realized Tucker couldn't pull it off without a little financial help from Sam and I wanted him to do his own thing and I wanted it to be as good as Sam's gift. It's really was hard to pick the "perfect" presents for Danny since we haven't been given a lot on Danny's inner views and he doesn't exactly have a label; You know, Tuck's a techno geek therefore anything with tech. would make him happy, and Sam with the whole goth thing, anyways I decided on a dog since it has been his childhood dream to have one, and yes I know he mentioned it to Sam but I'm sure he would have mentioned it to Tucker after all "they share everything" (from WYW). Why I picked a Dalmatian? Well I'll give you three guesses and the last two don't count. Oh, and don't worry the dog is just a background thing. He-He…TJ…. does anyone notice I like to mess with Tucker?**

**Long huh? Ok this will be the longest section, from now on most chapters will be 10-15 pgs. the reason I did this is because this really isn't the center focus of the story. This fic will be centered on Danny and Vlad which you will understand in the next chapter... I basically wanted to tell the side story in one chapter before going to the real focus.**

**I want to clear something up before heading further into the story.  
BS-NB 3501 is short for blood stream nanobots (and the number b/c most things like this have numbers) if you haven't notice**

**There is also BS-NBN 3501: this isn't an error and it will come to play later...**

**One more thing: this was the hardest chapter to write, because of Vlad (which he is harder to write then I thought, It was really hard to get him to reveal the truth without making it sound lame or making him OC) and because of Danny, I know I drew him out as unstable by his reactions, but keep in mind that his sister is dying, he is getting bombarded by ghost (Know Why?) and he just found out his arch-enemy is responsible for his sister's state. What I'm trying to get to is that I really want to know if you think the character's are OC, it really means alot to me to keep them in character, so let me know how they came out especially Vlad and Danny.**

**Ok, Thanks again for taking the time to read and I look forward to your reviews!**


	3. Chapter 2: Ultimatum

**Replies: Yes I reply to everyone individually because I think if you guys are nice enough to take the time to review then the least I can do is reply to your wonderful comments**

**Queen S of Randomness 016** He-He, yes Vlad is behind it. I know it's low but after Kindred Spirits I find it believable, which is one of the three episodes that gave me this idea. Thank you for review and I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

**horseluver101: **Thank you for your comments, I'm really happy to hear you are enjoying this story. Yes it is Danny and Vlad centered, I know it didn't seem like it at first but that was because I didn't want to give anything away too soon. Thank you again for reviewing and I hope you like this next Chapter

**enigmatic penguin: **Wow I'm really touched by your reviews. I don't't even know where to begin… let's start with your advice.

You're right Checkmate is one word; I don't know why I thought it was two, Opps! But I fixed it, so thanks for pointing it out. The scene separations: Yea, I actually didn't realize that the breaks are not uploaded and that you have to add them directly before posting, so like you said I figured out how to do that in the second part of chapter 2. He-He! The run on sentences: thanks for telling me. I actually took more care of avoiding them in this next chapter as well as proof reading more carefully. I found it's easier to proof read a ten page chapter then a 50 pg so let me know if you think this one looks better and if not feel free to give me more of your awesome advice.

I haven't read any of your stories, but I will be sure to. I think it's neat to know that we have similar writing styles, but even if it isn't the best in the world what's important is that we try to fix it and learn from mistakes.

I'm really glad you noticed that Danny's reactions are similar from Masters of all time! I mentioned on my first post, that I got this idea from SW, MoaT and KS. It's funny how I kept getting small ideas from watching these episodes and by the end of KS those small ideas became a whole story!

I'm really glad you think everyone is in character, that's really important to me and I'm glad you noticed the range of emotions that's what I was aiming for, hence spiraling emotions!

Thanks again for your kind words. I hope this one please you as much as the others.

**soccergurl1990:** Thank you for your review, I'm glad you are enjoying this story so much. It really makes me happy. I hope you like the next part!

**Authors Notes ahead:**

Ok, here is chapter 2 and the most important chapter in the story which you will understand at the end.

I was going to wait to post this, because I'm also posting this story at another website and I wanted to post at the same time and to post I have get it screened so I'm waiting for it to come back, but I decided it couldn't hurt to post at different times, plus I want to hear what you guys think!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom**

_**-Thoughts in Italics **_

**Chapter 2: Ultimatum**

Danny sat on his bed with his feet dangling on the edge, staring blankly at the floor. His body felt so sore from all the rough treatment it had lately, but the soreness compared nothing to the massive headache he continued to experience since waking up around 8:00 am. The troubled teen looked up at the clock that read 11:02 am. Leaning forward Danny placed his elbows on his knees as his hands came up to cover his face. Danny desperately wanted to know about Jazz, but he knew Vlad currently resided down stairs, and the young half-ghost didn't even want to look at the man. Danny vaguely recalled what happened with Vlad in the hospital, he mostly remembered feeling rage and fear overwhelm him and everything just went black afterwards. One thing he did remember with excruciating detail, despite the fact that he was barely conscious was the scene in the older hybrid's car. Very little scared Danny more then Plasmius, but yesterday ….the man petrified him; his expression; his words … the fear it caused within him felt similar to the one he experienced when he faced his evil future self.

"_I need to know how Jazz is" _he thought, getting up to look out the window. _"I could call my parents… but I'm sure they already called Plasmius… they would wonder why he didn't tell me…" _Danny sighed. _"Maybe I could head to the hospital by myself? ...but they are expecting Vlad to bring me, how do I explain why I didn't come with him? …humph… I doubt that jerk would back up any excuse I came up with."_ Danny thought angrily as he began to pace in front of his bed. _"I can't let him get away with this… but what do I do! …What if I destroy the remote again, is it still on his wrist? …Will that get rid of the nanobots? …It didn't the first time!"_ Danny stared at his dresser mirror. "What do I do?" he whispered at the mirror his expression desperate._ "What is he getting out of this anyway? …besides making me miserable! …but I doubt he would go through all this just for that purpose, Right? …What does he want?"_ he questioned, sitting back down on his bed and sighing _"I have no choice, I'm going to have to face him sooner or later, and as much as I wish it could be later I need to know how Jazz is …and get to the bottom of this."_ He resolved as he got up and headed to his door. Taking a shaky breath he opened it and walked out.

"Daniel! Good to see you're awake." Vlad greeted in his usual poise, lowering the newspaper in his hands. Danny just shot him a glare as he went into the kitchen, he didn't want to direct a single word to the older half ghost, _"but I need to know about Jazz!"_ he thought, not realizing he was just standing in front of the fridge, with the door opened, staring blankly into "space"

"Daniel, are you planning on standing there all day?" Vlad looked at the teen with amusement.

Danny whirled around glowering once again at Vlad; "What do you want?" he spat out.

"A lot of things, but since I told your mother I would make sure you eat something, then at the moment I wanted to inform you that your lunch is in the oven." Vlad said off handedly, as he leaned against the wall that separated the kitchen from the living room.

"I don't want anyth- ...wait you cook?" Danny couldn't help but ask despite the current situation, surprised the man was capable of such a thing.

Vlad chuckled at the boy's expression, "Rarely, but yes I do, in fact when I was in college, Maddie wou-

"What did my parents say about Jazz?' Danny cut off purposely, resuming a detest-filled expression.

"What do you mean?" Vlad said smugly, inspecting his hands to show little importance to Danny's question.

"You know what I mean Plasmius!" Danny spat out, irritated at the man's mind games.

"How is she! because even if my parents didn't say anything I know you Know!" Danny's hands balled into fist on his side as his eyes flashed from blue to green for a second before returning back to blue.

Vlad chuckled once again, "Oh, you want to know if she is still alive, hmm?" he replied, with a wicked smile.

Danny's glare fell at his words; he turned around and leaned on the kitchen counter with his hands. The teenager closed his eyes, trying to control all the emotions overflowing his body. The man was messing with him, but Danny couldn't help but be paralyzed by his words. _"Jazz has to be okay … he's messing with me"_ he mentally told himself as his hands on the counter balled into fist once again.

"I suggest you quit playing your stupid games with me Plasmius, because this time there is no one here to stop me from blasting you off the face of the Earth." Danny said in a low, dangerous voice, his back still facing Vlad.

Vlad broke out into a full fledge laugh. "Daniel! You really do give me chills when you get so dramatic!" he said still laughing full heartedly. "I think you forgot that _this_ time there is no one here to stop me from blasting _you_ off the face of the Earth." He mocked his laughter dying down into a smug smile.

"Fine" Danny said in a menacing tone, as he spun around and blasted Vlad against the wall. Danny quickly transformed. Noticing the small watch like remote strapped on Vlad's wrist Danny fired at the device hitting his mark perfectly causing the device to spark with electricity at the abuse.

Vlad hissed in pain before transforming into Plasmius. His expression changed into amusement as he laughed at the boy's actions. "Do you really think that will work this time? Once activated those nanobots can not be shut down, regardless of whether you destroy this device." Vlad lifted his wrist to show the device as he mentioned it. Danny growled at the information shooting a strong charge of ectoplasmic energy by clapping his hands together. Before the blast hit, Vlad turned intangible causing the powerful attack to hit the wall. Vlad quickly flew at Danny grabbing both his arms behind his back.

"Tell me Daniel, how are you going to explain _that_ to your mother?" he asked smugly, as Danny struggled and growled against his grip. Danny knew that by _that_ he meant the huge hole on the wall from his ecto-energy. Danny winced inwardly, but didn't show it.

"What do you want Plasmius!" he growled out instead still struggling against the older man's grasp.

"Bravo my boy! I see you figured out that there is more to this then I have told you." Vlad replied with a chuckle, letting go of the struggling boy as he transformed back to his human form. Danny stared at the man as he walked away from him and to the fridge. Danny ignored the side of him that wanted to blast the man through the fridge and transformed back himself; he needed answers and unfortunately the older hybrid was the only one who could provide them for him

"Jasmine is doing fine." Vlad pulled out a gallon of Orange Juice from the fridge, his back turned on the young hybrid. "You do not have to worry; the nanobots are not activated high enough to be fatal …yet." He added shooting a wicked grin at Danny before turning back around to pour Orange Juice into a glass. Danny frowned angrily at his words but said nothing. Despite the way the man informed him about Jazz, he felt relieved to know she was okay for the most part.

"You didn't answer my question." Danny said, studying the man's movements.

"I thought I just did." he said smugly, placing the glass of Orange Juice on the table and walking to the oven.

Danny growled in frustration, the man really got some sick pleasure from messing with him. "I meant the other one." He said through clenched teeth.

Vlad chuckled as he served a piece of what looked like pie on a plate. "There will be plenty of time for that later; right now you need to eat." He said placing the plate on the table.

"I'm not hungry." Danny stated defiantly, glaring at the man, mentally adding _"Plus you probably poisoned it."_

"Oh, come now Daniel, your mother will be very unhappy if you do not eat. You really shouldn't give her anymore worries and do not fret I did not poison it." Vlad mocked, as he set down utensils on the table.

"It's your fault she is worried in the first place." Danny argued back, ignoring Vlad's last comment. The young hybrid stayed glued to the same spot, refusing to do anything the man said.

Vlad leaned his back against the counter, his hands crossed in front of him. "Yes, and I really do hate to see her going through so much turmoil, but you have given me no choice, especially after your little stunt with Danielle.". The older half ghost's expression showed sadness before it changed into a frown at remembering his months of work go up in smoke thanks to the young hybrid and "that mistake".

Danny continued to stare fiercely at the older hybrid, before staring at the food on the table and giving it a disgusted look. "What the heck is that, anyway?" he asked, his tone expressing the same disgust as his face.

"That is Tuna Quiche; you'll like it, so hurry up because we will be leaving soon." Vlad said off handedly as he moved to leave the kitchen.

Danny watched the man leave, before turning around and sighing. _"Humph, he's crazy if he thinks I'm going to eat this"_ he picked up the plate to go throw it in the trash.

"Daniel, I promised your mother you would eat before heading to the hospital, so I strongly recommend you eat that food willingly, because I will stuff it down your throat if you do not." Danny heard Vlad say in a matter-of-factly tone from the living room. Danny snarled as he roughly placed the plate back down on the table and sat down. He glared at the wall that separated him from Vlad before turning his glare to the plate on the table as he picked up the fork.

* * *

Danny sat in the limo staring out the window, feeling tenser by the second. He could feel the older hybrid's eyes on him and it was creeping him out. The hospital wasn't that far, about fifteen minutes from his house, but every second he sat there with Vlad felt like an hour. _"What the heck is he staring at?"_ he asked himself, shooting a quick glare at the man across from him as the man smirked in return. Danny focused his attention out the window, once again resisting the urge to blast him in the face.

"Are you always this hostile, Daniel?" Vlad asked chuckling a little. The boy could be so amusing sometimes; the teenager couldn't even sit in a car with him without becoming apprehensive; of course Vlad enjoyed that fact.

Danny chuckled bitterly at the man's statement before scowling at the half ghost across from him. "Only when I'm talking to a lonely and bitter old man who is trying to waste my sister." He stated before turning his attention back to the window.

"You hurt my feelings Daniel" Vlad replied, in a mocking hurt tone as Danny thought "_What feelings?"_

"I really meant what I said Daniel; you left me no choice. I never wanted to hurt dear Jasmine, but I realized she was the perfect asset to get what I want. …Tell me dear boy, what would you say if I told you that you hold Jasmine's salvation hmm?" Vlad smiled wickedly at the younger hybrid.

Danny turned his attention to Vlad at the question, giving the man a bewildered look."I would say I don't understand what you are talking about." Danny replied warily.

"Jasmine may be Maddie's daughter, but we both know she is not who I'm after." Vlad's eyebrow raised as a small smile played on his lips.

Danny's apprehension grew at the half ghost's words; just by the look Vlad sent him Danny knew Vlad was referring to him. "What do you want from me?" Danny asked, his heart beating a little faster.

"_From_ you not a thing, it is you who I want Daniel; the moment I met you I knew you were meant to be _my_ son. You and I are kindred spirits, maybe not by blood, thanks to your idiot father, but we are tied by fate, by whom and what we are. We are the only true hybrids in existence Daniel and you my boy belong at my side." Vlad declared with a completely serious expression.

Danny looked at the man across from him with a disturbed expression; he never thought someone could be so sick, so obsessive. "You're _sick_ Plasmius! I don't belong anywhere _near_ you and we are _nothing_ alike and _never_ will be!" Danny assured, his expression going from disturbed to angry as his hands emphasized certain words.

"I'm not sick Daniel, your sister is and every day that passes her health will continue to decrease until it has completely vanished, and when that happens we both know what it will mean for her. I told you Daniel, you and your mother _will_ eventually join me, but if _You_ will not do so willingly, then I will force you to and I will make sure that the rest of your life is so miserable, you _will_ regret not taking my offer from the beginning." Vlad replied in a low, dangerous tone, his eyes mimicking that tone.

Danny glared at the man not knowing what else to do at what he had just said to him.

"I won't join you." Danny growled out defiantly

"You will if you want your sister to continue living!" Vlad spat out, ignited by the boy's rebellious attitude.

Danny's eyes widen at his words, finally understanding exactly what the man wanted. Danny's heart thumped at maximum speed, fear exploding within him, "Y-You can't ask me to abandon my life! My Family! **Who _I_ am!"** Danny yelled, paranoia filling his every fiber.

"I'm not asking you anymore dear boy, I'm making you. You like playing the hero Daniel, well here is your chance: Your_ "life"_, for your sister's" Vlad's voice was nothing short of menacing.

Danny looked at him with frightened eyes, not believing how far the man was willing to go to get what he wanted. Danny lowered his gaze towards the floor, his eyes darting from side to side like a trapped animal as his fingernails clutched the leather seating underneath him. Danny was so lost in the panic within himself he didn't notice the limousine stop, followed by his ghost sense and a voice saying they had arrived.

"I see you need some time to process this so I'm giving you until Friday. I am heading back to Wisconsin today for some business, but that does not mean I will not be watching you. Now listen closely Daniel because I will only tell you this once. On Friday at midnight you will find a helicopter on the outskirts of Amity Park, it will take you to my castle. I will know your decision depending on whether you show or not; although I strongly suggest showing for your sister's sake." Vlad said before stepping out of the limo. "I can assure you my boy that at my side you will finally become who you really are. Think about Daniel. …I'll see you inside." Vlad said coldly before closing the door. A triumphant smile appeared on his face as he entered the hospital.

Danny kept his eyes on the ground, hearing Vlad's every word. The young boy didn't need to look at him to know he was enjoying every second of this; the older hybrid's words were thick with the feeling. As soon as Danny heard the door close his breathing accelerated into quick pants before he screamed in desperation. He placed his hands on his face as a chocked sob escaped him, but quickly pushed it back. "This can not be happening" Danny whispered into his hands while Vlad's words played them selves in his mind like a never ending torture.

"_You like playing the hero Daniel, well here is your chance: Your "life", for your sister's"_

"No…" he said softly, the single word expressing every ounce of sorrow within him.

* * *

Now you know why it's the most important chapter in the story! Surprised? Disappointed? Please Let me know!

I really want to write this story the best I can so I'm currently looking for a Beta reader, to check my writing and such. If you would like to volunteer please let me know! I would be very grateful!

Just to make you guys happy I would like to let you know the next chapter is done and it is called: Hope.

I really want to clear something up but I'm afraid of giving something away… um let's just say there is more to this story then this chapter makes you think…

Ok thanks for reading and reviewing, see you soon!


	4. Chapter 3: Hope

**Replies:**

**horseluver101:**

My favorite character interaction in the show is Vlad and Danny. I honestly think that they have the best villain and hero interaction I have every seen on a "hero show/movie" which I'm including Marvel productions (my opinion of course). It's just awesome how Vlad will always have the upper hand because he can get as close to Danny as he wants without Danny being able to do a thing about it, yet Danny always manages to find a way out. (…but will he this time?") Anyways my second favorite is Danny and Jazz, that bond they have is just so believable and unique. They argue but care for each other greatly and IMO no other cartoon has been able to bring out such a wonderful bond, so you bet I'll have some sibling moments although they will vary in amounts as the story progresses. Anyways thanks for your comments I'm enjoying them very much!

**Queen S of Randomness 016:**

I'm so glad you like it. I'll try to update faster, but school makes it kinda hard. Thanks for reading and your encouraging comments!

**soccergurl1990:**

I'll try to update sooner, but I'm glad you like the story. I hope you like this next chapter too! Thanks for reading and for reviewing!

**enigmatic penguin:**

I personally like angsty stories, but no I'm not depressed or anything either. I just love emotional stories, it helps you feel what you are reading and it just reels you in, which is why I also love suspense storied as well.

I was laughing over your orange juice comment! Yea it'll clear up later, much later. As for Vlad, The man is just brilliant, his personality and cunning it gives me chills so I'm glad to hear I'm capturing his personality! As for the Random insanity, I look forward to it!

**Deleila:**

Ha! An award, gee thanks that's really nice of you, I'm really glad you are enjoying the story as much as I'm enjoying writing it! Yea, the first chapter took me a long time to write, but I didn't want to split it into different chapters since it was just plot building. The next chapters I'm trying to make from 10 to 15 pages long that way I can update faster and it is easier to catch mistakes. Thanks for reading and thanks for your review! I hope you enjoy this next part!

**Chapter 3: Hope**

"Honey, are you okay? You seem upset." Maddie frowned at her son, who was sitting next to her in the waiting room.

"I'm fine, Mom. I just…have a lot on my mind," Danny replied, shooting a glare at Vlad, who currently sat across from him. Vlad gave the young half ghost a small smile in return. Maddie nodded, stroking her son's hair lovingly as she pushed it away from his face, completely oblivious to the silent interaction between the hybrids.

"Ah, cheer up son, Jazz will be alright. She's a Fenton, and us Fentons are fighters to the very end!" Jack assured enthusiastically to raise his son's spirit. Jack also sat next to his son, on the opposite side, so like Maddie he didn't see the detest-filled look his son sent the man in front of him, or the look of disgust Vlad expressed at hearing Jack's comment.

"So, V-Man, you said you're leaving today?" Jack asked, turning his attention from Danny to his old "friend".

"That's right, Jack. Unfortunately, I have some very important business to attend to. You could even say it's a matter of life and death." Vlad feigned sadness before shooting Danny a masked smirk at his last statement.

Danny gritted his teeth at Vlad's well-known and despised egotistical look. The man kept messing with his head, and as much as he tried to fight it, he couldn't help but fall right into it. He needed to leave before he did something he would regret.

"I'm going to get some air." Danny informed his parents through clenched teeth as he walked out of the room without waiting for a response.

* * *

Danny sat on top of one of the many picnic tables the hospital had. For being close to a busy cafeteria, it was very peaceful. No noise could be heard except for birds happily chirping, and not a single person was in sight. Tall trees around the picnic tables provided perfect shade, allowing only a few of the sun's rays to penetrate their branches, as a result keeping the ghost boy comfortable. The wind seemed to flow stronger in this secluded area, playing with the young teen's hair and gently caressing his face. Squirrels frolicked with one another as they ran from tree to tree, while blue jays flew between trees and branches before perching on twigs and singing joyously to each other. The surrounding landscape was covered with luscious green grass, and in some places covered with beautiful purple and white flowers. These flora attracted butterflies in various shades that would fly every so often near the young teen, sometimes landing in his hair for a few seconds before regaining flight. Danny, however, didn't notice any of it. He merely stared at the clear blue sky peaking in between the treetops.

The young boy sighed emptily to himself; he felt so lost, so helpless, so…alone. Who could he turn to for help? For advice? He couldn't run to his family or friends, knowing quite well the consequences of doing so. Danny fell back on the picnic table, his hair falling away from his face and bunching up on the table's surface beneath his head. He closed his eyes, finally noticing the cool feel of the wind's touch. He hadn't really been feeling like himself since all this started; he wasn't the type of person to give in to despair or his problems easily. He would normally fight his way through it, gaining strength from knowing who he was and from the people that cared for him. So why was he forgetting this lately? Why was he forgetting how to fight back?

Danny opened his eyes as something tickled his nose. He gave a small smile to the fluorescent green butterfly currently standing on it. Carefully, he lifted his finger and coaxed the little bug to climb on it. Danny observed it intently, taking in the delicate creature's beauty before it took to the sky. Danny watched its graceful form leave, slowly rising higher and higher into the sky and giving him the urge to fly himself.

Danny's eyes regained some of their twinkle, but his face took on a serious look. "_Come on, Fenton, think!" _he told himself_ "There has to be a way around this; you can't just give up!"_

But where should he start? He knew nothing about nanobots, and if the doctors couldn't even detect them, how was a C-average teenager such as himself going to be of any help? Who could help him? He sighed once more, closing his eyes.

Seconds later, a smile played on his lips, before his eyes opened, revealing hope and determination in the sapphire orbs. His smile broadened as he whispered one name.

"Clockwork."

Danny chided himself for not thinking of the time ghost before. He was sure that the wise ghost would at least point him in the right direction. Right now he needed help, and Clockwork was not just his only choice but his best one. Clockwork was his friend and guardian. Danny had great respect and admiration for the Time Master, and, although he knew little about him, this was one ghost around which he felt safe. The young half ghost's trust mostly came from everything this mysterious ghost had done for him, and although Clockwork would often scold him for certain actions or ideas, Danny trusted his judgment. After all, the Time Ghost knew everything.

"_Plasmius is crazier than I thought if he thinks I'm just going to sit here and let him win,"_ he thought, with a new fire of determination. He closed his eyes, enjoying the placid surroundings. Danny smiled, feeling much of his despair blow away with the wind as the warmth of hope filled his essence. _"This place really is relaxing,"_ he thought peacefully, feeling he could almost fall asleep in that spot.

"You are quite predictable, Daniel."

Danny's eyes snapped open and he gasped, startled at hearing Vlad's voice. The teen sat up, accidentally falling off the table in the process, first hitting the bench and then the ground.

"Ow," he muttered quietly, before getting up to scowl fiercely at the older hybrid, who was chuckling softly at Danny's misfortune. "Would you stop stalking me? If you haven't noticed, I'm trying to stay away from you!" Danny yelled, before stomping angrily pass Vlad.

Vlad arched an eyebrow at Danny's sudden change in attitude, watching the teen walk away from him with a questioning expression.

Danny marched on, heading out of the picnic area grumbling angrily to himself.

"Ah!" Danny cried out in surprise as Plasmius suddenly materialized in front of him, causing the teen to fall on his bottom with a quiet thud.

"Oh, Daniel, stalking is such a negative word. I'm simply concerned." Plasmius frowned, before smiling down at the teen. "Besides, I could not leave without saying goodbye to you, little badger. Not that it will be for long, of course," Vlad added with a wicked grin.

Danny got up and dusted himself off. "I'm truly touched you remembered me," Danny replied, sarcasm dripping from every word as his arms crossed in front of him while glaring at the ghost. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go see my sister," Danny said off-handedly as he walked around Plasmius. Before he could move any further, though, he felt a strong grip on his arm holding him back.

"Let go of me, you fruit loop!" Danny growled, fighting against the man's hold. Vlad, however, did the opposite as he increased his hold on Danny's arm, causing the boy to wince at the pressure.

"I suggest you dismiss whatever you are planning, Daniel, because you can't even imagine what would await you if I find out that you are trying to trick me," Vlad said menacingly.

Danny glared defiantly at the man, forcing the pain he felt from Vlad's grip from his mind. "And _I_ suggest you forget about trying to get me to join you, because I never will!" Danny spat out, before hissing in pain as Vlad's grip grew stronger. Danny willed himself to ignore the aching pressure long enough to turn intangible so he could escape the man's hold.

"Oh, no you don't!" Vlad snarled, twisting Danny's arm behind him to interrupt the boy's concentration. "I'm not finished with you yet, Daniel."

Danny gasped painfully, clenching his eyes shut at Vlad's action.

"Daniel, why do you make this so hard on yourself? All you have to do is be a good boy and follow a few simple rules."

"I'm not your dog, you idiot!" Danny growled in response.

"**You are pushing my patience, you little brat! **If you know what's good for you, you'll drop this insubordinate attitude of yours, because I will not hesitate to beat it out of you if I must!" Vlad snarled, enraged by the boy's insults.

"Not before I beat out the ugly from your face first!" Danny snarled back, trying to transform, but once again Vlad forced away his concentration.

"You forget whose life I hold in my hands, you little urchin!" Vlad threatened, spinning Danny around and exchanging his grasp on the boy's arm for his neck. He wrenched the teen from the ground, lifting him up to his eye level with a menacing glare.

Danny instinctively grasped onto Plasmius' gloved hand around his neck, trying to pry the man's hand away so he could breathe. Despite his dangerous position, Danny refused to yield to the man's threats.

"If something happens to her, I swear I'll make you regret it!" Danny grunted, his eyes igniting in a bright green hue, before he had to shut them as Vlad's hold completely cut off his air supply.

"You have until Friday, Daniel. If you are not on that helicopter by then, you will **never** see your sister alive again!" Vlad furiously declared, before throwing Danny roughly to the ground. Vlad transformed back to his human form, shooting Danny another glare before walking away angrily.

Danny's blurry eyes glowered at Vlad's retreating form. He coughed violently from lack of oxygen, holding his abused throat with one hand.

* * *

Vlad stepped into the black limousine, fuming. He had almost succeeded in breaking the brat's rebellious spirit!

"_What happened?"_ he thought furiously.

He was certain Danny was not going to be able to escape from his grasp this time, but his sudden change in attitude had Vlad on the edge, and it was making him fume even more. He decided not to take any chances.

"Skulker!" Vlad yelled into his communicator, the screen crackling statically every so often from Danny firing at it earlier.

"What do you need, Plasmius?" came Skulker's voice after a few seconds.

"I need you to keep a close eye on Daniel, but make sure to keep enough distance so he cannot sense you. Keep me informed of his every move."

"What! You want me to baby-sit the whelp?" Skulker yelled, outraged at being used for such a degrading purpose.

"JUST DO IT!" Vlad snarled, already cross from his recent encounter with Danny.

"Fine," Skulker grumbled before cutting off their communication.

Vlad opened a compartment in his limousine, revealing a small black velvet box. Vlad opened it, studying its contents, before picking up a black car phone.

"Carl?"

"Yes, sir?" came his ghostly chauffeur's voice.

"I need to make a quick stop at the Fenton residence," Vlad informed his driver, as he continued to study the delicate contents of the box.

"Yes, sir," Vlad heard his driver respond, before placing the phone back on its holder.

"You are not getting away this time, Daniel. I'll make sure of it," Vlad said to himself, closing the small box and placing it in his coat's inner pocket, a wicked smile playing on his lips.

* * *

Danny smiled sadly at his sister's sleeping form.

"_I'm so sorry, Jazz,"_ Danny thought, taking his sister's hand in his. _"I won't let anything happen to you. I promise I'll end this. One way or another." _Danny closed his eyes at his last thought.

"_Clockwork has to help me." _Danny thought worriedly, opening his eyes and releasing his sister's hand.

"Mom?" Danny said, turning around to address her.

"Yes, sweetie?" his mom asked lovingly.

"Can I go home for a little while?"

"Of course. But I thought you didn't want to leave."

"I don't," Danny sighed, "but there is something I really need to do," he told her honestly.

"Of course, son, I'll take you," his dad offered.

"No! I- I mean, I can take a cab. You guys need to stay with Jazz," Danny quickly said, covering his outburst.

"All right, honey, but be careful, okay?" his mom said sweetly.

"I will, Mom," Danny replied with a smile, heading for the door.

"I'll walk you out," his dad said, standing up to follow his son.

* * *

"Er, Danny?" his dad asked as they waited for the elevator to open.

"Hmm?" Danny replied, his mind mostly focused on his own thoughts.

"There's something I wanted to ask you," his dad began warily, causing the teen to give him a questioning look.

"Well… It's about last night, when you attacked Vlad," his dad said slowly.

Danny looked away from his father, pushing the first-floor button on the elevator, glaring in that direction. "What about it?" he asked coldly.

"Well," Jack sighed not knowing how to put what he wanted to say. "Son, you know Vlad means a lot to me, we go back a long way… But, you're my son, Danny, and you will always come first. Your _word_ will always come first," Jack said in a fatherly tone, his words expressing nothing but honesty and love.

Jack heard Danny take a shaky breath before suddenly feeling a strong grip around his waist as Danny hugged him tightly, his face buried in his jumpsuit. Jack returned the embrace.

Danny felt such a bittersweet emotion at his dad's words. They were so healing, yet painful. He wanted to pour out everything right were he stood, his fears, his doubts, his secrets…but he couldn't, especially now.

"Thanks so much, Dad," Danny whispered in a trembling voice as he continued to embrace his father. "You can't imagine how much that means to me."

"Danny," Jack made the teen look up at him by gently lifting his chin, "you don't have to thank me. I love you, son, and I don't see why you would ever think otherwise." He said with a worried frown. "Danny, I'm your father, and you can talk to me about anything. I'll believe anything you tell me, son," Jack continued as he placed his hand comfortingly on Danny's shoulder, hoping his son would understand what he was asking him in between the lines.

Danny smiled sadly at him before moving away from him as the elevator came to a stop. "I know. And I think I know what you're asking me," Danny said softly, once again pushing back the urge to tell him everything. "There's nothing going on. I was just confused, and I'm sorry," he said softly, turning to leave the elevator.

"Are you sure?" his dad urged, stopping his son from exiting the elevator by placing his hand on his shoulder once again.

Danny's face turned into a pained frown at his words, but his dad didn't see it since Danny had his back to him.

"I'm sure," Danny forced himself to say as he walked out of the elevator. Danny turned around to give his dad a loving smile before the elevator doors closed between them.

Danny's smile faded, his face taking on a somber expression of determination. He walked out of the hospital and towards a dark alley. Seconds later, Danny Phantom flew in the sky, his flight confident, knowing exactly where he needed to go.

* * *

Skulker sat on top of a tall building, a good distance from the hospital. He lazily polished his armor, shooting the occasional glance at the hospital across the way. He sighed angrily at having to watch his prey without the exhilaration of hunting it down. If he were hunting the whelp he would not have minded sitting here all day, but just _watching_ the ghost child's moves without being able to at least shoot him once in a while was really frustrating.

"Plasmius owes me big for this," he growled as he inspected one of his weapons. Skulker shot the hospital another quick glance, only to do a double take as he saw his quarry exit the building. Skulker called forth his binoculars, watching Danny run towards an empty ally. Seconds later Skulker saw a black and white blur take to the sky, flying speedily to some unknown destination. Skulker watched the boy's retreating form curiously. Being a hunter, he knew what hesitation looked like, and the boy showed none.

"Where are you going, ghost child?" he asked himself, taking towards the sky after the boy's speeding form.

* * *

So, what did you think? Personally this has been the funest chapter I have written so far. After such "angsty" chapters it was nice to write a little lighter chapter, plus could you imagine Danny with a butterfly on his nose? Too cute!

Anyways next chapter is called: A cry for Help. I'm sure most of you can guess who will be making an appearance.

Before I leave you all, I would like to give a round of applause to enigmatic penguin for helping me make this story even better! Thank you!


	5. Chapter 4: A Cry for Help

**REPLIES:**

**Queen S of Randomness 016: **Thank you for your review!

**Asilla: **I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you for your review and I hope you like this next Chapter!

**ur1crazedupfruitloop: **I'm so glad that you are reading my story. Thank your friend for me. Thanks for your kind words!

**horseluver101: **Ha! So many questions and only I know the answer (looks around evilly) I'm kidding, but there are a lot of unanswered questions and they will be answered. Trust me!

**Impish Delight: **Thanks for your review and for your complement!

**4400fan: **The best? Really? Aw, you're making me blush. Thank you I really appreciate such nice words.

**Kalaia: **Not very quick of an update, but it's finally here. Thanks for your review, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**soccergurl1990:** I'm glad you liked the father/son part, I was afraid Jack would be OC but considering the circumstances I think it's believable. To answer your question, yes I did see RT and I agree it was really good, but I thought RS and TUE where a lot better. Thanks for your review!

**sammyphantom: (**Smacks head) your right, you can't leave the hospital with a sedative… oh well. It really wasn't too important and I needed Vlad and Danny alone (smiles evilly).

As for the Danny x Sam… I will be keeping the story like it is portrayed on the show, but since DxS is a part of the show that Mr. Hartman has been making more and more obvious, then I really can't ignore it. I'm not really a shipper but I can't say I could see Danny with anyone else that wasn't Sam _because _of all the hinting Mr. Hartman has done. In other words there will some reference here and there, but nothing the show has not shown yet.Thanks for your review and your kind words! I hope you enjoy the next chapter!

**

* * *

Chapter 4: A Cry for Help**

Danny flew deeper into the Ghost Zone, knowing exactly were he needed to go. The time ghost resided in a far and secluded area where few ventured. The location was often referred to as the "Forbidden Region." According to anecdotes, some of the most powerful and malevolent ghosts in existence owned the territory. Danny kept a cautious eye around his surroundings as he zoomed by, knowing full well that enemies lived in this cold, lifeless place. His mind, however, stayed mostly focused on getting to his destination, and he pitied the ghost who would keep him from doing so.

* * *

After observing his quarry go into the Ghost Zone, Skulker grew even more intrigued by the ghost boy's actions. Fortunately for him, he could follow his prey at a closer range now. This was because Danny kept disregarding his ghost sense, which would go off constantly as a result of his current location. 

"What is Daniel doing in the Ghost Zone?" Vlad's baffled voice inquired through a device on Skulker's arm.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Skulker replied.

"I was not aware that the boy had ghostly associates," Vlad concluded, not seeing any other reason for the younger half ghost to fly into the lion's den.

"A ghost associating with the whelp? I doubt it," Skulker dismissed. "No ghost in their right mind would be friends with ghost kind's greatest enemy."

"Well-"

"Hold on, Plasmius; the whelp is definitely up to something," Skulker interrupted, watching the half-ghost go into the Forbidden Region of the Ghost Zone.

"Plasmius, have you ever been into the Forbidden Region of the Ghost Zone?" Skulker inquired warily.

"Yes, but not often, considering how far away it is," Vlad answered casually. "Why?"

"Well, I haven't. But the place is believed to be the domain of some formidable spirits," Skulker continued, the wary tone never parting from his voice.

"Stop being foolish, Skulker. I have never seen anything of the sort. In fact, the place is mostly empty space," Vlad replied.

"It can't be all that empty if the whelp is going in there. And he seems to know exactly where he's going, too," Skulker informed him, internally debating whether or not he should follow.

"Follow him, Skulker. I want to know what he is doing in there."

Skulker swallowed nervously before flying after the young hybrid.

* * *

Danny knew that Clockwork's domain existed outside of time, and that unless a person (or ghost) knew how to find it, they never would. Danny glimpsed around at what appeared to be vacant space. Somewhere in this area there was an exact spot where time stopped. This timeless mark was actually a sort of door that permitted him to enter the time ghost's realm. Danny looked around, recalling the directions on his computer he had studied before coming here. Even so, it took him a bit of time to find for what he had been searching; he didn't come here often, and there was a big difference in reading directions from a computer screen and actually conducting them yourself. After a bit of wandering around, Danny happened to glance down at his watch, and smiled as he realized that it had stopped working. 

He'd found the place.

Danny floated a step forward and stood there for a few seconds, before suddenly vanishing from the spot.

* * *

Skulker watched Danny fly slowly around a particularly deserted area of the Forbidden Region. Except for a few small, floating patches of abandoned land, the place was completely deserted. Skulker gave the boy a bewildered stare, contemplating the teen as he flew in circles around the area'. 

"Uh, Plasmius… I think you drove the whelp crazy," Skulker said into his communicator, not taking his bewildered look off the ghost boy.

"What the blazes are you talking about, Skulker?"

"He's just flying around in circles!"

Vlad's reply was silence. He had no idea of what to make of the ghost's words.

Skulker's eyes widened as Danny vanished before him—and not in invisibility, either. "What in the Ghost Zone?" Skulker pondered, activating his binoculars into their invisibility-detecting radar.

"What's going on, Skulker?"

"The ghost child just vanished," Skulker answered slowly, not seeing anything through his binoculars.

"Did it ever occur to you that he's half ghost?" Vlad yelled at Skulker's idiotic response.

Skulker rolled his eyes at the statement. "Yes, I'm aware of that. I _mean_ that he "vanished" vanished," Skulker replied, not knowing how else to put it. "One second he was floating there, and the next he was gone."

"Are you sure? Maybe he went through a door. Check!"

"Plasmius, there's nothing out here," Skulker said, exasperated, but stepped forward anyway.

The armored ghost flew slowly towards the spot were the hybrid had last been. "I don't like this one bit," the metallic ghost murmured to himself. The place gave him really bad vibes, and as a hunter he knew better than to ignore instinct. He continued to look around, but not even his invisibility-detecting radar picked anything up.

Vlad fumed in response at hearing that Skulker had lost track of Danny. If Skulker could have seen his employer, he would have observed the older half-ghost pacing around his private study, clearly worried at this latest report.

"Return to Daniel's house, and do not move from that spot until he comes back!"

* * *

Danny flew into the large clock tower, landing in front of the door. 

"Clockwork?" he called, after knocking.

"Danny, come on in," Young Clockwork said, adjusting his time staff.

"Clockwork, I need your help. Plas-"

"I already know why you are here, Danny," Clockwork interrupted, turning his attention from his staff to the young boy. "I thought that, given your previous experience, you would have understood that the problems you face must be taken care of by you and you alone. I cannot interfere," Clockwork scolded, shifting to his elderly form.

"I'm not asking you to interfere; I just need you to tell me what to do," Danny stated, his expression showing desperation. "Clockwork, I'm cornered into a wall!" The young hybrid began to pace around the room. "How am I supposed to save Jazz? I don't even know where to begin, and my only other option right now is out of the question!" Danny cried, his expression shifting from desperation to anger.

"Danny," Adult Clockwork called, stopping the boy from his pacing by his tone of voice. "I cannot tell you what to do _because_ that is interfering. There are some things that must occur in order to keep the time stream as it should be. If I influence your decision, it could be catastrophic," Clockwork explained with a serious tone, his form changing once again to that of an elderly man.

"Clockwork, Vladwantsmeto _join_ him" The teen yelled his hands coming up to express his anxiety. "Don't you realize what that means?" Danny's breathing became frantic in remembrance of what had happened in the alternate time line when he went to Vlad. "I'm terrified," he admitted softly.

Clockwork frowned at the fear in the boy's voice. "I know exactly what it means, Danny, but I cannot help you this time. Everything occurs for a reason, and I cannot stop those events from happening without a more powerful reason to do so."

Danny's spirits fell at the time ghost's words. His breathing became shaky.

"Clockwork, they mean everything to me; they make me who I am! I don't want to lose Jazz… I don't want to lose any of them," the hybrid pleaded.

Child Clockwork sighed, as he moved away from the teen and towards a blue orb on the other side of the room. "Danny, allow me to ask you something," Adult Clockwork requested with a wave of his time staff. "After your battle with your alternate self, I stepped in to prevent your loved ones from suffering a fate that would have left you all alone. Do you remember what you promised them?" Clockwork asked, as he showed Danny the scene in which his family was tied to the Nasty Sauce vat.

"Of course I remember," The half-ghost said sadly, turning away from the image. "But that's not what I came here to-"

"I want you to think about my question carefully, Danny," Clockwork interrupted, transforming into his young form and away from the blue orb. He faced the young ghost, whose back was to him. "What would you have done, if I had not prevented that fate?"

Danny felt a painful stab in his heart. He had already asked himself the same thing so many times after that fight, but the thought was too painful to linger on. That time he would have known what his actions could lead to, so what would he have done with that knowledge? He did promise his family he wouldn't turn evil, and he was certain he would keep it…but what would have happened to him if he had lost them in that fight?

"Please don't ask me that," he whispered, without turning around.

Clockwork nodded, although Danny couldn't see it. The time ghost did not need a response from the boy; his reaction was answer enough. "You are stronger then you think, Danny, but that is something you will have to learn on your own." Clockwork asserted, his form becoming elderly as Danny looked at him.

"But I'm only strong _because_ of them," Danny replied. "Please help me, Clockwork! Tell me how to stop all this; tell me what to do!" he pleaded.

"You already know what to do, Danny," Adult Clockwork enlightened confidently.

Danny moved away from him, looking at the time ghost with a sad and hurt expression before lowering his gaze and turning towards the door.

"Danny?" Clockwork called towards Danny's retreating form. The young ghost stopped, but didn't turn around. "Do not forget who you are, or what you have learned," Clockwork warned in a knowing voice.

Danny nodded, and exited the clock tower.

Clockwork returned his attention to the blue orb, waving his time staff to bring up an image. "Everything is as it should be." The time master's powerful voice resonated with confidence, but a sad sigh and a shake of his head betrayed his tone of voice.

* * *

Danny flew with a heavy heart back to the Fenton Portal. _"Why wouldn't Clockwork help me?"_ he asked himself sadly, before it turned into resentment. _"Why!" _Danny's speed increased as he flew through the cold green atmosphere. "You were all I had left," The hybrid admitted softly, seeing the ghost portal up ahead. Danny's ghost sense went off, but he ignored it, costing him greatly. 

"Ahhhhh!" Danny felt a hot blast smash the side of his body, flinging him through empty space around him.

"I thought I told you to stay out of the Ghost Zone, punk."

Danny looked up in surprise, his eyes going wide before narrowing dangerously and igniting a brighter green. "Walker," Danny growled, willing his hands to ignite with green energy. "I'm not in the mood, so I suggest you back off before I make you!"

"I think you forgot who makes the demands around here, boy," Walker said, snapping his fingers. Half a dozen ghost guards appeared around the sheriff. "You don't break my rules without paying the price, and you just broke the biggest one of all by stepping into my domain."

"I don't follow your rules, but if it's a fight you want then it's a fight you'll get!" Danny shot two ecto-blasts at Walker, flying downwards to avoid the attacks of the ghost guards. Making a sharp u-turn upwards he fired another round of ectoplasmic energy, striking two of the guards and sending them flying through the depths of the Ghost Zone.

"I'm sick of you stupid ghosts trying to tell me what to do!" The hybrid punched a ghost guard in the face, then twirled to kick another one coming up behind him. Danny punched, kicked, and blasted the ghosts around him, pushing all of his anger and sorrow into the attacks. "Why can't you just leave. Me. _ALONE?_" he yelled as he punched Walker in the stomach. Danny attacked again and again, becoming sloppier and harsher with every assault. His hand ignited a dark green, ready to blast the Sheriff in the face. The hybrid's aura flamed with a dangerous glow. But before Danny could fire, he got blasted in the back, pushing him into Walker's grasp. The attack with which Danny had been hit came from a ghost guard's retaining weapon. Danny blinked away the stars in his eyes, his expression growing angrier as he found that he had been tied with glowing green bonds.

"You want to get rough, punk? Then we'll get rough," Walker punched Danny in the face, motioning to the guards to close in. "Time to start paying your sentence."

The sheriff blasted the half-ghost towards one of his guards, who hit the ghost boy with a blast and bounced him like a ping pong ball back to Walker. Danny continued to get pummeled by the seven ghosts, being blasted, kicked, and punched in all directions.

Danny felt rage fill his every fiber. He was sick of feeling trapped, and this was the last straw. Danny's eyes illuminated defiantly as he saw Walker's fist draw back with the intent of striking him in the face once again, but before it made contact Danny screamed out his rage.

Walker and the guards were sent careening backwards, the green sonic waves of Danny's Ghostly Wail striking them at close range. His bonds instantly disintegrated from the massive power. The hybrid clenched his gloved hands into fists and continued to scream, not caring that his enemies were completely gusted out of sight and that he was currently wailing his anger and frustration into empty space.

Danny's wail died down, his body no longer possessing enough energy to generate it. The young half ghost panted from exhaustion and lack of air as he felt the two rings appear around his waist. He managed to force them away long enough to return home.

* * *

Danny collapsed, panting, on the lab floor and immediately reverted back to his human mode. His vision violently whirled, and he continued to breathe heavily. As the teen's adrenaline died, he felt the throbbing pains of his injuries come to him full force. His remaining strength left him, and he lost consciousness.

* * *

Skulker watched the young hybrid crumple on the lab floor. It was clear that the kid had been assailed by the bright red bruises and burn marks adorning his body. Skulker noticed that his jumpsuit was torn in several places and singed in others, before it was replaced by the teen's blue jeans and white shirt. Watching boy's ghost sense go off, Skulker knew it was time for him to leave, yet he halted his departure. The boy didn't even seem to notice it, instead hissing in pain and falling unconsciously to the floor. 

"The ghost child is back, and it looks like he's been badly beaten," Skulker informed into his communicator.

"What?" Vlad exclaimed.

"Well, what did you expect? The whelp isn't the most popular person in there."

"Is he okay?" Vlad asked a couple of seconds later, with an emotionless tone.

Skulker gave the communicator a bewildered look. "He's still breathing, if that's what you're asking," Skulker replied, wondering why his employer would care.

Skulker was aware of Vlad's interest in getting the boy on his side, but the hybrid always portrayed his interest as if the boy were a trophy he needed to win. He had never shown any emotional tie—at least, not to him—and he was baffled by the man's question.

"All right, get out of there before he wakes up, but keep an eye on him," Vlad commanded in his usual manner, before cutting off his communication with Skulker.

"Humans." Skulker shook his head, brushing off the hybrid's attitude as he flew out of the Fenton residence.

* * *

"Danny?" Sam said with a frown. 

"Mm…"

"Danny," she called again, shaking the teen lightly.

"Huh?" Danny slowly opened his eyes.

Sam and Tucker let out a breath of relief at seeing their friend finally wake up. The blue eyed teen groaned and clutched his head as he was hit with a throbbing headache.

"Dude, what happened? You've been out for hours!" Tucker exclaimed.

Danny's eyes adjusted, realizing he was in his room. "How did I get here?" he asked, closing his eyes to stop his head from spinning.

"We carried you. After we got out of school we went to the hospital, but your parents told us you were here. When we came in we found you passed out in the lab." Tucker replied.

The teen sat up on his bed, groaning once again at his aching muscles and throat. "Thanks, guys. I've got to get back to the hospital," The hybrid stood up, wobbling a little.

"What happened, Danny?" Sam asked again, seeing that he had ignored Tucker's question.

"Nothing, I just had a run in with a ghost; I'm fine." Danny replied casually as he moved towards the door.

"Danny, wait," Sam said pleadingly. The boy sighed and turned around.

"What is it, Sam?" The half-ghost looked at her with a blank expression. Sam and Tucker stared at each other, neither knowing what to say.

Danny regarded both of them and sighed once again, crossing his arms in front of him.

"Danny, why won't you tell us what's wrong? We're your friends, remember?" Sam said with a frown.

"Yeah, dude. We'll help you with anything you need, but we can't if you won't tell us," Tucker added, frowning at his half-ghost friend as well.

Danny pushed away his emotions to maintain his composure. Ever since Jazz became "ill" Sam and Tucker had been at his side, comforting him. But this time he couldn't reach for that comfort; he couldn't reach for the help they—and he—desperately wanted him to take. He missed the support they had always given him, even before his ghost powers. He missed his nosy sister, bugging him every second to tell her his inner fears and worries so that she could make them disappear by using her psychology babble. He meant what he had said to Clockwork: he was only strong because of them, and without that pillar he was falling apart. As much as he hated to treat them like this, he needed to—for his sister's sake, and for his own sanity.

"There isn't anything wrong," he said off-handedly.

Tucker and Sam saddened at his coldness. Why was he pushing them away?

"Danny…" Sam began dejectedly, before taking a deep breath and glaring at him. "Listen Danny, we're not blind. Something is bothering you and you need to tell us! Stop acting like you can take on the whole world by yourself, because you can't!" Sam shouted crossly.

Danny's hands dropped to his side as he lowered his gaze to the ground, his once-blank expression turning into a hurt look. If only she knew; he felt the opposite.

Sam's glare dropped, seeing her friend's pained expression. "Danny, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. We're just worried about you," Sam explained as she walked up to him, and forced his eyes to meet hers by lifting his chin.

"Come on, Danny, whatever it is I'm sure you can tell us. We can help you," Tucker pleaded as he walked towards his friend, putting his hand on the hybrid's shoulder.

Danny smiled sadly at his friends, before grabbing them into a group hug. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

Sam eyebrows scrunched at his words, not understanding what he was sorry for. "What do you mean?" Sam eyed him warily as Danny released his hold on her and Tucker.

Danny shrugged his shoulders as he continued to smile sadly. "I just have a lot on my mind. I'll be okay. You guys don't have to worry," Danny forced himself to smile with reassurance.

His friends gave him worried looks, but nodded acceptingly.

Danny smiled at them with appreciation, before catching sight of a shiny black box with a white bow. The half-ghost's eyes flashed green. He knew that the box hadn't been there before, and by its elegance it could only be from one person.

"Danny?" his friends asked carefully at seeing the boy's gaze move away from them, and then flash green for a second.

"What's wrong?" they prompted, turning to look in the direction in which Danny was looking.

"Nothing. Let's go," he said, turning towards the door.

"Dude, you forgot to open one of your presents," Tucker stated, his attention going from the black box to his male friend.

"Who's that from?" Sam asked, bewildered, and not understanding why Danny would get upset over a gift.

"It's just a gift from…Valerie," Danny lied with the first name that came to his mind.

Sam scowled while Tucker smirked at her knowingly, before they both followed their friend out the door.

**

* * *

Next: Chapter 5: The Gift**

**Looking forward to your comments!**


	6. Chapter 5: The Gift

**Replies:**

**soccergurl1990:** Thanks for the commplement and for reading, it means alot to me.

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**Fantomgirl 1 on 1:** Thank you for taking the time to review all the chapters. I'm glad you like the story! And I hope you are having a great summer too!

**Queen S of Randomness 016:** Thanks for your wonderful comments as always! I hope you like this next chapter!

**Asilla:** Thanks for your kind words. What's in the box? ...You are about to find out!

**CelloSolo2007:** I'm so glad you like the story and thank you for recommending my story and for your review! I loved it very much!

**Sirithiliel:** Thanks for your review! Here is the next chapter!

Did I get everyone? I kinda lost track of the new reviews. Let me know if I missed you! Thanks for reviewing!

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 5: The gift**

Danny sat in a chair located right next to Jazz's hospital bed. Jack and Maddie were currently in the lunch room getting a quick bite. Sam and Tucker were also at the cafeteria because they were too occupied with their friend earlier to have eaten dinner. The teen's parents and friends insisted that Danny also eat something, but he declined, saying he wasn't hungry. His parents had intended to literally drag him to the lunch room, but he prevented it by promising them he would eat later.

"How're you feeling, Jazz?" Danny asked with a sad smile as he took hold of one of her hands. After her relapse, Jazz had recovered fairly quickly, mostly thanks to being in reach of medical care when it occurred. Danny could see how deteriorated she had become by her pale and skinny appearance. It really tore his heart to see his strong sister look so fragile.

Jazz sat on the edge of her bed, giving Danny a comforting smile at his question. She squeezed his hand to emphasize the smile.

"I'm feeling much better, but being cooped up in here is driving me nuts!" she replied softly.

"I know the feeling," he agreed absent-mindedly.

Jazz eyes flooded with concern at his words. "What's wrong, Danny?"

Danny stood up and turned away from her, before sighing angrily. Everyone kept asking him that, and he was so tried of it. The truth was that every time he heard the words, he felt like he was getting blasted in the stomach. Danny turned back around to face his sister once more, his eyebrows puckered sadly.

"Jazz, please stop worrying about me. You should be concerned with yourself, so you can leave this place quicker,"

"I'll stop worrying about you, if you stop worrying about me," Jazz compromised, knowing that her sickness hit Danny really hard.

"Deal," Danny declared with fake enthusiasm, shaking her hand.

Jazz smiled brightly, buying his act. Danny had never been good at hiding anything and was a terrible liar, but he found himself quickly learning thanks to his current situation. "So how much longer are you going to be here?" Danny sat back in the chair, looking expectantly at Jazz.

"I don't know, Danny," Jazz sighed. "They don't want to let me go until they determine what's causing my illness. My relapse has them on high alert because they're afraid that it'll happen again, and they don't want to risk it happening at home."

Danny looked at his hands, twiddling his thumbs. He couldn't look at her, he felt so guilty. Plasmius was right, he should have kept her out of this; he should have kept her away from Danny Phantom.

"I don't know, Danny, this is really strange. I've never been _this_ sick before. It just doesn't feel…normal." Jazz looked thoughtful while her eyebrows creased at her statement, before shaking her head and laughing softly. "Sounds absurd, right? Our parent's craziness is finally rubbing off on me."

Danny laughed meekly before taking on a sullen look. "I'm sorry you have to go through this, Jazz."

Jazz studied his face for a few seconds; her laughter dying down at his words. Something in his expression gave her the feeling that he blamed himself for this. "Don't be silly Danny, this isn't your fault. I'm sure it'll all be over soon." Jazz gave him a self-assured smile, showing him she wasn't worried.

Danny returned the smile as he nodded his head. "I know it will be."

"In the meantime, I was wondering if you could do something for me," Jazz requested, playing with her fingers nervously.

"Anything," Danny said quizzically, wondering at Jazz's nervousness.

"Well, I'm really bored here, and I've been thinking that, maybe you could…you know…"

Jazz lifted her arm and made a flying motion with her hand.

Danny's eyes broadened in disbelief, his mouth gaping slightly. "You want me to take you flying?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, you've never really taken me before, and I'm just so bored… I mean, you don't have to but…"

Danny sustained his expression. His sister had never asked him something like that before and it was just a weird experience.

"Jazz, I don't mind. But if you haven't noticed, you have a bunch of machines and…things attached to you. Besides, I can't just take you out of here—everyone will find out you're gone in a matter of minutes!"

"Oh, about that…I asked the doctor how much longer I had to have the IV and all these monitors hooked up, and he said that if I continue to show stable vitals they would be removed on Thursday. You can come later in the evening, and I'll just pretend I'm in the bathroom. Don't worry about our parents, either; I've got that covered," Jazz resolved, getting more excited by the second.

Danny continued to stare at her with his mouth open, before remembering himself and giving her an amused smile. "Wow, you have this all figured out."

Jazz blushed. "Well, I really need some excitement. Besides, what good is it to have a brother with super powers if I don't get to enjoy the perks?"

Danny's face became troubled. "I don't know, Jazz…what if something happens to you?"

"Danny, nothing's going to happen. Trust me."

Danny exhaled softly. She was in such a delicate state. He didn't want to put her in anymore danger, but he couldn't say "no" to her.

He gave her a nod and a smile as his response. Jazz squealed with excitement.

Danny cringed at the high pitch sound, but his face showed amusement at his sister's childish behavior. Those moments were rare, but when she had them she went all out.

"Okay, here's what we're going to do," Jazz said, pulling out paper and pencil. Excitedly, she began relating her plan to her brother.

* * *

Danny closed the door behind him, exhaling loudly in frustration, before removing TJ's leash off his collar and tossing it on his night stand. His parents were making him go to school tomorrow, worried that he would get behind after missing so many days. 

Maddie had stayed with Jazz like she did every night. In the morning, Jack would trade places so that Maddie could go home to shower and rest a little.

If it were up to Danny, he would never leave his sister's side, but his parents wanted him to get a good night's rest for the next day. Besides, visiting hours were over.

Danny walked into his closet and pulled out his pajamas, unaware of his dog following his every move.

Danny sighed. Although he knew that Vlad didn't have to be near Jazz to be a threat to her, he felt a little more relaxed to know he was far away. Danny's heart remained heavy from his visit with Clockwork. Apart from the blatant refusal, the ghost had told him several things he didn't understand. Why did he warn him to not forget who he was and what he had learned? Why did the ghost tell him he already knew what to do? The reason he'd gone to Clockwork was _because_ he hadn't known—and still did not.

Danny sighed once more, flicking off the light switch in his room before climbing into bed. He smiled down, amused at TJ who kept trying to jump on his bed.

"You're so weird TJ" he stated, lifting him up and playing with his ears and face.

"Bedtime" he commanded, letting go of the excited puppy and settling down on his bed. He studied the fluorescent stars, arranged into several of his favorite constellations on his ceiling. Today had been one of the worst Mondays of his life. First Vlad blackmailed him, then Clockwork refused to help him, and he ended up in a fight with Walker that he still ached from. It felt like the world was toppling down on him and he hated the feeling.

Danny abruptly sat up on his bed, recalling something from earlier. He snapped his head in the direction of his dresser, where he could barely see the faintly reflected outline of a certain wrapped box.

Danny slowly uncovered himself and warily made his way through his darkened room, towards the black and white gift, while TJ observed him intently from on top of the teen's bed. He stared at it for a few minutes, debating whether he should even touch the thing.

"_It's probably a trap. But what if it's something important? …Something that could help Jazz?" _

Danny took a shaky breath, before quickly picking up the box. He closed his eyes and held it away from him as far as possible, just in case it was a bomb…or worse. When nothing had happened after a few seconds, he opened his eyes. Danny shook the box a little and brought it up to his ear. Danny frowned; once again, nothing had happened. He bit his bottom lip.

"I'm gonna regret this," he predicted, before ripping away the black wrapping and throwing it on the ground. His face took on a quizzical expression as he inspected a small velvet jewelry box the size of his hand. Danny set the box down on the dresser and lifted up the top, holding his breath. The first thing he noticed was a neatly folded letter. Danny scowled, knowing that whatever the letter said was going to be bad news. He intended to flame the letter with ecto-energy, but stopped when he notice the box contained something else. "What the heck is this?"

Inside the box was a black bracelet. This beautifully crafted piece of jewelry was lined with small clear crystals on both edges. The band looked as firm as handcuffs and was as thick as three of his fingers. Overall, the bracelet gave off an elegant yet ominous aura.

"Okay…This is just weird," Danny said to himself, observing the bracelet sitting on his dresser and not understanding why Vlad would buy him jewelry. He turned his gaze from it and towards the letter in his hand. Danny willed his eyes to fluoresce green so he could see in the darkness of his room. Sighing, he unfolded the letter and read.

_Dear Daniel,_

_I believe I owe you an apology, my dear boy. During the time I was in Amity Park, I never once congratulated you on your fifteenth birthday. I hope this small artifact, which I am sure you have just discovered, will make up for my dreadful offence. Of course, I could never give you something as dull as an ordinary piece of jewelry. Its elegant appearance is merely a façade to disguise its true nature. You see, the band has a multitude of uses and can be activated by your touch alone. The most significant of these, which I believe will prove quite beneficial to you, is its ability to mask your ectoplasmic signature from any device your idiotic father has managed to cook up. I am sure that by now you understand that I do not wish for any of your little friends to be aware of our agreement, so I am helping you achieve this goal with my little gift here. I would strongly encourage taking pains to cover your tracks well, little badger—we don't want any accidents now, do we? As I mentioned previously, the bracelet does indeed have other functions, but for now this is all you need to know. I did design this gift especially for you Daniel, so do make sure you wear it. Only think how hurt I would be if you didn't!_

_I'll be seeing you soon, son._

_Ta!_

_V.M._

Danny's eyes flared with rage once he had finished reading the letter. A fraction of a second later, the letter incinerated in green flame.

"Okay, it's official. This _is_ the worst Monday of my life," Danny growled. He grabbed the bracelet, intending to throw it out of the window. At his touch, it began to glow a sapphire blue, and he retracted his hand.

Danny gasped in alarm, warily taking a few steps back. The bracelet returned to its normal color instantly. He stood there for a few minutes as he debated his next course of action.

Danny slowly withdrew his hand and snapped the box shut, stepping away from it.

Although it hadn't hurt him when he'd touched the bracelet, he was afraid; with Vlad nothing, was what it seemed. He gave the closed box one last look before moving towards his bed.

"Note to self: get rid of that thing." Danny closed his eyes and snuggled into his soft bed, praying that tonight his dreams would not be haunted by nightmares.

* * *

Now you now what the gift is! I'm so sorry for the wait; my beta reader already sent me the next chapter so I'll have it up in a week cause I have to make some changes, but no longer then that. Promise. 

Just so you know this is the shortest chapter I have written and probably the shortest one I _will _write. The next chapter is called "Passing Days" and it is long (compared to this one that was 10 pgs) It's17 pages I believe, after this one things are going to really pick up! So as the Box Ghost says "Beware!"

Thank you, for reading and for your reviews, they really mean alot to me. I made a banner for this story so here is the link to it. It's the first one I have made and it was alot of work because of it but I can't say that I regret it. Let me know what you think, er.. the story and banner.

(remove the spaces and ( )! ) it should work but let me know if it doesn't.

http (:) (/) (/)i76. photobucket .com / albums /j18/ pearl200084/ CMB. jpg


	7. Chapter 6: Passing Days

**Reviews:**

**Queen S of Randomness 016: **He-he! Always glad to read your reviews! They are so exciting which makes me more excited and at the moment I'm too excited! Ha! Thanks for your words and I'm so glad you liked my banner and the story!

**Asilla: **Yes, that bracelet brings up a lot of questions… but they will not be answered in this next chapter, in fact, not for another two or three more chapters, er… half of them. _But_ chapter seven might give you some insight on why that bracelet is so important… (scratches head)… or maybe I'm just saying that cause I know what's going to happen or maybe it will raise more questions! LOL! As for Danny wearing it… There is one thing you must take into account… Danny is stubborn and Vlad knows this, so you will find he has taken this into account. Also note that Vlad mentions he wants Danny to cover up his tracks and that the bracelet will help him accomplish this, therefore he is assuming Danny will play into his game sooo having his signature covered is important, but can you guess why? And yes you're right seeing Danny wear that bracelet will bring questions into his friends minds… or answers (grins evilly). Well, I must be off. Ha! Where I don't know but I feel like running around! Thanks for reading and your comments! They are so much fun to read, because It let's me know what the story is making you think! LOL!

**CelloSolo2007:** hmm… try it again maybe you missed a space; if not send me a message and I'll send you a direct link! Painful, Painful… hmm… it's a possibility… still…

I'm just horrible today! LOL!

Yay! I'm glad to hear Vlad's coming out so nicely, he's such an awesome character (even if he is evil) that I'm glad to hear I'm doing him justice! Thanks for your awesome review! I hope you like the next part!

**Fantomgirl 1 in 1: **Yes poor little guy, I'm being so horrible to him, but it makes a good story right? Besides, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger and we all know that our little hero faces this scenario constantly… Ok! Thanks for reviewing!

**horseluver101: **my esteem reader you ask the right questions. (smiles evilly) I think the name of the next chapter will make you ponder this more… Did you get my message? If not let me know! Yes I love the sibling interaction as well, it's just so touching! Thanks for the nice complements. Until next time!

**Horselvr4evr123: **Thank you! … and so you have wished it and so it shall be!

**Ur1crazedupfruitloop: **Ha-Ha! I go on vacation often myself… must be a summer thing… Nope happens year round! I'm glad you liked that banner… and the chapter! Er... chapters! Here is the next one!

**Nonasuki-chan: **Ha-Ha, you are as hyper as me and look we had the same drink! I'm truly touched by your words. I'm glad you think I'm doing such a good job. Keeping the story line believable and keeping the characters how they are portrayed is super important to me, so if it ever goes skewed, don't hesitate to let me know! As for the writing, I have my beta to thank for that. She does a wonderful job at ordering my messy writing! The bracelet, the bracelet hmm… still a few chapters for that, but like you said knowing Vlad it can't be good…

**Lady Leela: **Ha! You ask the right question and your answer will be underlined in chapter 7 and confirmed in chapter 8! Thanks for reading and reviewing!

**Sirithiliel:** Other Functions? What gives you that idea? LOL! I think you answer is about three chapters away… well half of it! Thanks for reading and your kind words!

**Punker88: **Oh, you're making me blush! Thank you so much. I'm really glad you are enjoying the story. Did you get my message? If not let me know! About Jack… yeah he is OC in a way, because he is always goofy and funny, but we have seen that when his family's in danger he abruptly grows a brain and becomes as serious as they come. Like he says: "I might be a goof and I might mess up but when my family's at stake the gloves are off!" (um something like that!) I do however regret at having to make him so serious, but as you can see this story is very emotional and well his family is involved so he will be serious a lot of the time.

Hmm ghost obsession: Wow! I didn't realize that, but you're right! Have you caught on to Danny's obsession… cause he does have one. Can you guess what it is? Hint- very similar to Vlad's, but not as straight forward

Alright, I'm sure you want to read the next part so I'll stop blathering. Thanks again for your feedback, very helpful and insightful!

**Soccergurl1990:** Thank you! It was such a headache to make, especially cause I couldn't find the pictures of the nanobots. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

* * *

**Author's comments: IMPORTANT!**

**Wow**! I got 12 reviews for this chapter (and a lot of them were long)! Maybe I should write shorter chapters…

He-He. Just kidding! Thanks though, I really enjoyed them!

Alright this is the very important part:

Just wanted to make a quick comment that Asilla's review brought to my attention. From Vlad's letter we know that Vlad wants Danny to wear the bracelet. However, we know how stubborn Danny is and so does Vlad, therefore he has taken this into account. (yes, I'm just repeating what I said to you Asilla, so you can skip this -now you can get a head start in reading this chapter! He-He!-, I just wanted to repost this to make sure everyone reads it.) Also note that Vlad mentions he wants Danny to cover up his tracks and that the bracelet will help him accomplish this, therefore he is assuming Danny will play into his game sooo having his signature covered is important.

And Now I give you Chapter six! Hope it makes you happy … er you know what I mean!

* * *

**Chapter 6: Passing Days**

Danny dashed towards his closet, berating himself for forgetting to turn on his alarm clock.

"Danny! Sam and Tucker are here!" he heard his father call from downstairs.

Danny hopped on one foot towards his door, trying to put on his shoe. "Come on up guys! I'm almost ready!" he called out, before losing his balance and landing on he ground with a thud.

Sam and Tucker climbed up the stairs, hearing a loud thud on their way up. They smiled at each other knowingly.

Pushing through the half-open door, Sam and Tucker's attention went to the floor were they found their friend tying his shoe.

"Running a little late?" Sam smirked, crossing her arms in front her chest and looking down at Danny with amusement

"Yeah" he grumbled, standing up and walking over to his dresser to comb his hair with his fingers. "I forgot to turn on my alarm clock last night. Jazz usually reminds me," he informed them, attempting to tame his untidy, black hair.

"We figured that would be the case; that's why we came to get you," Tucker smiled with the same amusement Sam displayed.

Danny walked past them towards his closet and pulled out his backpack.

Sam sat on Danny's bed, watching him run around his room and look for his books. Tucker stood in front of the dresser mirror examining his reflection.

"How can girls resist this?" he thought, smiling in satisfaction as he adjusted his red hat. The techno-geek's eyes fell to a velvet box on Danny's dresser. He picked it up and opened it. Tucker studied the bracelet inside, removing it from the case.

"Wow, this is really nice," he commented casually, showing it to Sam.

"What?" Danny tore his attention from the backpack he had been stuffing with books to see what Tucker was talking about. Danny did a double take, seeing the black bracelet in Sam's hand. His face paled as he rushed towards his friends.

"Danny, who gave you this?" Sam asked in astonishment, finger tips moving along the bracelet's surface.

"I…uh, Valerie! You know, from yesterday," he grinned nervously at them, giving the bracelet a fleeting look. "Why don't you put it back now? We have to get to school."

Internally, Danny noted that the bracelet remained black and didn't glow like it had when he'd touched it.

"Valerie?" Sam arched an eyebrow skeptically, ignoring his last comment. "Danny, do you know what this is made of? It's genuine black onyx, and these outer strips are lined with diamonds; it's made completely out of those two precious gems. How could Valerie afford something like this?"

"Um, are you sure? Maybe it's fake and just looks real," he inferred.

Sam gave him a wry look. "Danny, my mom obsesses over jewelry, especially precious gems. Trust me, that's the real thing."

"Dude, you could score some major points with the ladies wearing this! Here, put it on!" Tucker snatched the bracelet from Sam and gave it to Danny.

Danny recoiled. "Maybe later. We're going to be late," he reminded them quickly, picking up his backpack.

"I hate to agree with Tucker, but he has a point. It's really stylish. I never thought Valerie had such great taste in jewelry," Sam smiled pleasingly at the tasteful wristlet, confiscating it from Tucker's hand to replace it in its box.

"Of course you agree, it's black," Tucker pointed out, rolling his eyes.

"It wasn't black when I touched it," Danny mumbled angrily to himself.

"What was that?" Sam questioned, not catching his words.

"Oh, um… Forget it, let's go," Danny dismissed, walking out of his room. His friends gave each other a quizzical look, before shrugging it off and following behind their friend.

* * *

Danny sat in Mr. Lancer's history class with his eyes half closed. The teacher's mind-numbing voice had him struggling to stay conscious. He peeked over at the clock for the fifth time in one minute. How Mr. Lancer could make five minutes seem like an eternity, he would never know. He turned his attention back towards his teacher as he explained something on Greek Theatre. Danny's eyes slowly started closing yet again, his teacher's voice becoming distant…

"Mr. Fenton!"

"The answer's forty three!" Danny called out at the sound of his name.

"First of all, Mr. Fenton this is not algebra, and even if it were your answer would most certainly be incorrect. Secondly, I would like to know why you feel you have the right to sleep in my classroom," Mr. Lancer reprimanded from the front of the class.

"M-Mr. Lancer I-I-"

"Mr. Fenton, just because you have a reasonable excuse for missing so many days of school it does not exempt you from learning the material you missed. I suggest you start catching up, or you are going to fail. And since you have me for three of your six classes, failing will mean being held back a year. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir," Danny responded, shrinking into his seat as everyone around him snickered. Sam scowled at Mr. Lancer before glaring at her laughing classmates, while Tucker looked at Danny with sympathy.

To Danny's relief the bell rang, allowing him to escape from his embarrassment.

"Man! Considering that he knows about Jazz you would think he would show a little more sympathy," Tucker stated, his brows furrowed deeply.

"Lancer doesn't know what sympathy means unless you're a brainless jock or a pom-pom waving airhead," Sam angrily added as she walked with her two male friends through the hallway.

Danny sighed. "Guys, don't worry about it. Besides, he has a point. I'm behind in my classes and I don't know how I'm ever going to catch up!" Danny said, concern clear in his tone.

"Danny, don't worry about it. You know we'll help you catch up." Sam gave him a supportive smile.

"Yeah, dude, we won't let you fail," Tucker agreed confidently.

"Tha-"

"Hey, Fentoni!"

Danny groaned at the sound of Dash's voice. He really didn't want to deal with him right then.

"What is it, Dash?" Danny asked dully, turning around.

"Well, I couldn't help but notice you didn't come to school yesterday, so I decided to give you a welcome back gift," Dash stated, giving Danny a menacing look.

"That's so considerate of you, Dash, but I'd rather you didn't," Danny replied sarcastically, crossing his arms in front of him.

"Oh, but I insist." Dash picked up Danny by the front of his shirt, fisting his hand to punch the smaller boy.

"Back off, Dash, you really don't want to mess with me today." Danny glared at the stronger boy fearlessly.

Dash was taken aback by the tone in Danny's voice before pushing it away. "Looks like Fen-toad grew a backbone. Allow me to fix that." Dash punched Danny in the stomach making the teen double over on the floor, winded.

"Let that be a lesson to you, Fenton. No one mouths off to Dash Baxter," he avowed, before turning away from Danny and walking away.

Danny slowly stood up holding his stomach, his eyes abruptly flashing green.

"That. Is. It," he declared venomously. Tucker's eyes broadened, noticing the deadly tone in his friend's voice, before the hybrid's body posture mimicked said tone. Quickly reacting, Tucker captured Danny's arm, before the boy could take off after Dash.

"Danny! What are you doing?" Tucker exclaimed, taken aback at what his friend wanted to do.

"Let go, Tuck! I'm gonna show that idiot who he's messing with!" Danny spat out ominously, his eyes still a green hue.

Dash turned, his anger ignited at seeing the furious Danny being held back by Tucker.

"You wanna start something, Fenton?" Dash asked threateningly, walking back towards the smaller teenager, his hands coiling into fist on his side.

"No, but I'll gladly finish it!" Danny guaranteed trying to tear away from Tucker's grip and considering what he was his success stood seconds away.

None of the three friends noticed the crowd that had formed around them as the curious teens talked excitedly, knowing a fight would shortly commence.

"Wrong words, Fentina," Dash sneered, stomping over to Danny.

Before he could close the remaining distance, Sam stepped in front of the jock with her hands on her hips. "Leave him alone, Dash," she warned, glaring at the bully.

"Move it, geek, Fenton needs to be taught another lesson," Dash glared back at the smaller girl.

"I'll teach _you_ a lesson!" Danny tried to scream, but Tucker covered his mouth, preventing Dash from hearing the threat.

"You're not his teacher, so I suggest you back off!" Sam's amethyst eyes pierced daggers into the tall boy's blue eyes, and her body took on a threatening posture.

Dash stared at the girl, before glowering back at her. "You better keep your boyfriend in check, Manson, because next time I won't let you get in my way." Dash shot Danny a fierce glare, receiving the same look in return, before walking off with his friends at his side.

"He's not my boyfriend!" Sam yelled at Dash's retreating form, scowling at his assumption before turning back around.

Tucker released his male friend. Sam and he looked at Danny as though he had just "gone ghost" in front of his parents.

Danny exhaled angrily before turning around to head towards the outside tables.

Sam and Tucker looked at each other, completely mortified, before running to catch up to their black haired friend.

"Whoa!" Sam commanded lifting her arm in a front of Danny to stop him from walking any further. "Mind explaining what _that_ was all about" Sam folded her arms in front of her and frowned expectantly, noting that his eyes were still a ghostly green.

"I don't want to talk about it," Danny affirmed, angrily moving around her.

"Well, we do," Sam stated firmly, catching up to him again.

"Look. Sam, he just made me a little angry, okay." Danny sat down at their usual table, angrily tracing circles on the table with his finger.

"A little angry? Dude, you were about to go postal on him! That isn't like you, man!" Tucker exclaimed as he sat down across from Danny, raising his arms in the air at his statement.

"Danny, Tucker's right. I know Dash deserves it, but this _isn't_ like you." Sam sat down next to Danny, stopping his angry hand movements by placing her hand on top of his.

Danny sighed, his eyes fading to their natural sapphire hue. Danny looked up at Sam and then at Tucker with a saddened expression.

"I'm sorry, guys. That was stupid. I just…haven't been able to keep my head on lately."

"It's all right, Danny. Just don't let these things get to you too much; it's not good for you." Sam gave him a small smile and patted his hand.

"You know what you need, Danny? You need a fun filled afternoon at the video arcade followed by a mega horror movie!" Tucker suggested confidently, standing up.

"I don't know…I should really go see Jazz. Plus, I've got a lot of homework." Danny and Sam followed Tucker's action, heading to the lunch room to get their food.

"I'm sure Jazz won't mind, and we'll help you with your homework before we leave," Sam urged. Since Jazz had fallen sick, the trio had not gone anywhere except for the hospital or done anything except ghost fighting. Although Danny tried to hide it, Sam and Tucker knew that he needed some distraction before he snapped, and what had just happened with Dash confirmed their fear.

Danny sighed. He really didn't feel much like going out, but he had to do something to keep his mind off his problems. He kept losing it, and he had to stop before he did something he would really regret.

"All right, but first we'll go see Jazz."

Sam and Tucker nodded, smiling happily at managing to convince their friend to finally spend some time with them.

* * *

After visiting Jazz and finishing most of his homework, Danny left with his friends to the arcade. As usual, he constantly kept running into ghost trouble. Thanks to one of those run-ins during school he ended up late for his math class, earning him a Saturday morning detention. It was times like those he wondered if the world was out to get him. Like his other problems, Danny just pushed it aside. He needed some distraction and he would force himself to have it.

"As much as I would like to continue kicking both of your butts on this game, we should get going if we want to catch that movie." Sam smirked at her friends, moving away from the video game they had been playing.

"You don't have to rub it in, Sam." Danny rolled his eyes playfully at her, causing Sam to chuckle at his expression.

"Yeah, keep laughing, Sam. One of these days, I'll beat you, and then it'll be my turn to laugh," Tucker pouted, following his friends out of the arcade.

Danny and his friends continued to walk towards the movie theater, chatting away about everything except ghosts and Jazz.

"Why don't we go to the water park this Saturday? I heard they opened an awesome new water slide!" Tucker proposed excitedly to his friends, before accepting the admittance ticket from the man at the movie booth.

"I have detention, remember?" Danny replied, irritation lining his voice, before turning his attention to the ticket seller. "Let me get one for the same movie."

"I know, but it's in the morning so we could go right after you get out," Tucker countered.

"You know, as much as I hate the midday sun, I also want to go check out that new water slide," Sam added, a smile spreading on her lips as she thought about how scary the ride was rumored to be.

The trio went inside, heading over to the food counter to buy some drinks and snacks.

Danny couldn't help but get wrapped up in his own thoughts at the mention of Saturday. His eyebrows furrowed, his dilemma returning to his mind. The teen's blue eyes snapped into focus, a puff of blue smoke erupting from his mouth. Danny exhaled nosily, catching the attention of his two friends.

"Guys, we have a problem," he stated, inspecting the area.

"I AM THE BOOOOOX GHOOOST!

The blue ghost dressed in overalls appeared behind the snack counter, levitating several storage boxes around him.

Screams exploded from the workers and the movie viewers around the area, mass panic spreading through the movie theatre. No one even noticed the three teens that stayed behind.

Seeing the workers leave the snack counter, Danny ran around, ducking behind the popcorn machine and transforming.

"Ugh! Don't you ever give it a rest?" Danny called out, his hands extending up into the air to emphasize his annoyance.

"THERE WILL BE NOO REST FOOR THE BOOOX GHOOST UNTIL I RULE OVER ALLLL THAT IS SQUAARE!" The Box Ghost elevated the boxes even higher in the air, sending them hurtling towards his foe. The ghost boy rolled his eyes in aggravation, becoming insubstantial to allow the boxes to pass through him.

"Guys, thermos, please," the bored white-haired teen requested. Sam pulled out the thermos from her hand bag, tossing it quickly to her ghost friend.

Danny opened it and sucked in the ghost as it said a last parting, "Beware".

Danny de-transformed out of his ghost form under the counter, then walked back towards his friends.

"I guess we can forget about that movie," Danny stated, irritation clear on his face.

"Well, why don't we head to my house and watch movies over there instead?" Sam offered as they walked out of the theatre.

"I think I'll pass, Sam. I'm kinda tired," Danny replied, lazily watching fire trucks and cop cars approaching the movie theatre while they walked down the street.

Sam and Tucker nodded, a little disappointed that Danny wouldn't join them, but they didn't protest because they_ had_ managed to spend some time together.

* * *

Feeling tired, Danny skipped dinner and headed up to his room. His parents were still at the hospital, so he had the house to himself.

Danny seated himself on his bed, staring around the room. The house felt so empty without his family, and the feeling could only be described as depressing.

Danny stood up heading over to his dresser to pick up the black jewelry box. Opening it, his eyes darkened with anger as he passed his hand above the bracelet, causing it to glow blue. He wanted nothing more then to throw it out the window for everything the ominous wrist band represented, but something inside his mind told him it would be an unwise choice.

Danny glowered at the bracelet before roughly closing the box and stuffing it into one of his drawers.

Turning off his light he headed for bed to give his body and mind the rest it badly needed. But after an hour of tossing and turning he couldn't take it any longer. Sitting up, he transformed and flew straight through his roof landing on top of the op- center. He sat there with his knees huddled against him, quietly watching the stars and waiting for an idea or sleepiness to hit him, but like every night so far his exhaustion came first.

* * *

The next day passed as a blur for the young half-ghost. During school, he ran into a ghost, who knocked him into a row of lockers near the gym. He instinctively turned intangible landing him inside the girl's locker room. He was sure he would never hear again after all the screaming that ensued- although Paulina's scream was from happiness.

Upon changing back the bright red teen collided into Dash, who stuffed him in his locker. After school he fought two more ghosts, before heading to the hospital and clashing into three more. Half of his mind screamed from the building stress, but the other half concluded that he had bigger issues to worry about then all the ghost activity. His body and mind were fatigued beyond capacity, but like the increase in ghosts he pushed it aside. He would live. He needed to focus on how to stop Plasmius' newest scheme and with his sister's life at stake, he needed to figure out how fast.

After the hospital visit, the trio headed for Sam's house to watch movies and bowl afterwards. As much as Danny wanted to forget his problems, he couldn't. He felt suffocated, knowing that his days were rapidly diminishing and his option was still down to one, one that he wasn't even remotely considering.

Sam and Tucker, noticed the anxiety pouring from the hybrid, but they said nothing. The more they pressed him to talk the further he would seal himself from them. Sam and Tucker wondered if Danny's depressive attitude was due solely to Jazz. Somehow it seemed to be deeper then that, but what it was they could not even guess. From what they had seen, nothing out of the ordinary had occurred lately, unless they considered the rise in ghost activity—but increases such as those happened all the time. For now all Sam and Tucker could do was constantly remind him that they were at his side, supporting him and willing to help if he would let them.

* * *

For Danny Thursday came too promptly; as much as he had thought about what he could do since Clockwork's visit his mind came up blank. Their just had to be a way to save Jazz without giving in to Vlad's scheme, but how?

"Danny, you're going to be late for school! He heard his mom shout from downstairs. Today Maddie decided to come home earlier then usual to make breakfast for her son.

Danny currently sat on his bed with his head and back resting on the backboard, with his hands wrapped around his knees. He turned to look in the direction of his door at hearing his mom call but the teen just sighed softly and looked away. He did not want to go to school today; he couldn't deal with the extra load at the moment.

"Honey?" Maddie walked into her son's room. Her expression saddened at seeing her son sitting quietly on top of his bed in his pajamas. "Danny, you're not even ready yet. Sam and Tucker are going to be here any minute." Maddie sat next to her son and pushed away his messy hair.

"I'm not feeling well," he replied, emotionless, before resting his chin on top of his knees.

Maddie sighed, staring at her son with concern. "Danny, I'm sorry."

"For what?" he asked with the same emotionless voice, his posture remaining the same.

"With everything that has been happening with Jazz, your father and I haven't been given you enough attention, and I'm very sorry, honey." Maddie rubbed his arched back before Danny lifted his chin from its current location, an expression finally appearing.

"It's not your fault, Mom. I understand." Danny gave her a reassuring smile, which caused Maddie to give him an appreciative one in return.

"Honey, I can tell you're upset and I know you don't want to talk about it, but at least remember that we will always be here for you if you need us."

Danny smiled sadly at her as he nodded his head. "I know, Mom, and I'll never forget that."

"Alright, now hurry up and get ready, okay?"

Danny's smile fell, his eyes going towards his hands. "I don't want to."

"I know sweetie, but you need to because it will hurt you in the long run. Just… take things as they come to you, and if that doesn't work go back to the beginning and work your way forward. I can assure you, everything will fall into place on its own."

Danny sighed at his mom's word, smiling at her as she kissed him on his cheek, before standing up.

"Than-"

Danny's eyes widened as though he had just been punched in the stomach. He quickly let go of his knees and kneeled on top of his bed, quickly stopping his mom from leaving by grabbing both of her shoulder with his hands.

"Mom, repeat what you just said," he said urgently, his eyes widen with a pleading look.

His mom became baffled by the urgency in his voice. "Take things as they come?" she asked slowly still not understanding her son's behavior.

"No, after that."

"Everything will fall into place?"

"No Mom! In the middle!"

"Go back to the beginning and work forward?"

Danny smiled brightly at her for the first time in several days as he nodded enthusiastically. "Mom, You. Are. A _Genius!_" he exclaimed as he threw himself on her in a hug.

"Why, thank you honey!" his mom replied, just as enthusiastic, returning the hug before her son dashed towards his closet to pull out some clothes like his life depended on it.

Maddie happily smiled at finally seeing her son content, while he joyfully murmured to himself.

DING-DONG!

"That's probably Sam and Tucker. Hurry down, Danny," his mom said as she walked out.

Danny rummaged through his closet pulling out clean clothes. "Why didn't I think of that before!" he exclaimed quietly. Danny vaguely heard the door bell, followed by his mom saying something that he didn't really catch, and then his door closing. "Vlad got the bloodstream nanobots from Axion labs in the first place, right? So that means there's gotta to be something in there that could help me!" Danny quickly changed and ruffled his hair before picking up his backpack and heading towards the bathroom to brush his teeth. "I'll just go in there and find it! But…how do I get pass the ghost security system?" Danny's brows creased in thought, before rinsing the toothpaste from his mouth. He stepped out of the bathroom and headed down the stairs while his mind worked to find an answer his question.

"Danny?"

"_I can't ask Tucker to hack into the security controls..."_

"Danny?"

"_I'm going to have to do this on my own…but when would be the best time to go? Maybe—"_

"Danny!"

Danny spun around startled at hearing someone yell his name. "Huh, what?"

"Dude, we've been calling your name for the past minute!" Tucker pointed out in disbelief, while Maddie's and Sam's expression showed what Tucker's tone of voice did.

"Oh, sorry I was just…thinking…" Danny rubbed the back of his neck, smiling shyly at his mom and friends. "We better go," he added quickly.

"Just one minute, young man," his mom demanded sternly, seizing her son's arm and pulling him to the kitchen. "You are not leaving this house without eating breakfast first," Maddie scolded, placing a plate of eggs and toast in front of Danny. Danny felt his stomach flip at the sight, but pushed it away to force himself to eat so that his mom would let him leave. Danny took a few bites, his stomach quickly regretting it. This time his loss of appetite didn't come from worry, but from excitement. He finally had something to go on, and he would go through with it no matter what.

* * *

Yes. Very slow chapter …But the next one will definitely make up for it! Oh and by the way it's called. "Night Frights"

Heh- no it doesn't have to do with Fright Knight, it's just a very fitting name, which I think you'll agree after you read it! Oh and it is as long as this one, I'm not sure if that's good or bad… well bad for my beta, who is so awesome for helping me out!

Thanks E.P!

I'm very hyper right now and I don't know why… Oh! I think it was the Mountain Dew; I had two cans and I normally don't drink it! Ha! Now I'm laughing! -Runs to get another can

Until next time you wonderful Readers!


	8. Chapter 7: Night Frights

**Replies**

**Horseluver101:** Thanks for your reply; I always enjoy hearing from you! Yes, I agree it was a major nothingness chapter, but there will be some chapters like this just because I have to move the plot along or I need to tie things, but I think this chapter will make up for this last one!

**Ur1crazedupfruitloop:** Thanks for reading and reviewing. Sorry for the wait.

**Queen S of Randomness 016:** He-he, no Mountain Dew this time! Thanks for your feedback. Your question will be answered in this chapter!

**Sirithiliel:** Oh, this chapter will definitely answer that and some few surprises as well! Thanks for reading!

**Soccergurl1990:** I'm glad you like this chapter. It wasn't much of an action one but it moved the plot along so that I can get _to_ an action one! Oh and you'll find the answer to that in this one for sure.

**Nonasuki-chan:** Ha! I'm so glad to hear you enjoy my story that much! Thank you. You probably already started school, sorry I wasn't able to update sooner. I started school myself. About the bracelet, it is important but I will tell you it isn't a major "thing" right now, it will be later, later on… in more then one way. Thanks again!

**American-Idiot14:** Thank you for your feedback; I'm glad you are enjoying the story!

**Kantrix Gabriel:** Thank you so much for such a helpful feedback. I agree it is rough at the beginning! One I didn't know how to use this website and two it's my first time writing a DP story and three I haven't written in years! But I'm glad to hear it is moving smoother now, a lot of it is thanks to my beta, she does such an awesome job! I'm also glad to hear it is tying with the show; that's what I was aiming for and still am. I want it to stay in the show's realm, just with a little more drama!

**Drea Phantom:** I'm so glad to hear my story caught your attention! If there is anyway I can make it more alluring then feel free to let me know! I love helpful feedback. I'm so, so sorry for the wait but I hope this chapter is good enough to make up for it. Thanks again!

**Asilla:** Trap? Um… I could answer this but I think the chapter below will do so! Ha! I love how you think, keep on that track! Not this chapter but the next one after this will make you understand what I mean by this… um this one too now that I think about it! Sorry for the wait, I know what it's like to find a story that one gets into, yet updates are slow, but I prefer a well written story with slow updates then a sloppy one. Thanks for reading and such nice reviews!

**haruhikitty1991:** Hi! I'm glad my story caught your attention and I also appreciate your feedback. I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

**Autumnmycat23: **Thank you for such encouraging words, but no worries I am not giving up on this story. I already have it all written out… well the rough draft, I still have a lot of fixing to do, but I know exactly what's going to happen, so I'm not in danger of getting writer's block (I'm already pass that stage. lol!) or anything like that. I know what you mean though because I've ran into a lot of stories like that. I think it is unfair to both the reader and writer. The writer because you devoted all this time and energy to writing a story only to throw it down the drain and the reader because they get us all excited and then they don't finish. That's why I made sure I had an outline done for the story before beginning it, because a lot of time what happens is that a writer gets an idea, but doesn't think it through so they end up with a plot hole they can't fix or something else that they can't push pass. Alright that's enough rambling… he-he I do that a lot… Anyways thanks for reading and your feedback!

**hermie-the-frog: **I'm glad to hear you like the story. Thanks for your feedback and for reading. I hope you enjoy the next part!

**CelloSolo2007:** I'm glad you got it to work and thank you for the complement. I'm glad you liked the chapter! I hope you like the next one!

**Dizappearingirl**: Thanks a bundle for your reviews! I'm glad you are liking it so far. About Maddie…I based her reaction off RT. (I know it technically hasn't occurred in the time line of this story) but since it's a character quirk I used it. She breaks down when she thinks Danny dies, and we have seen that Maddie is very worrisome when it comes to her kids, _especially_ Danny. Being that Jazz is in critical condition at the moment and her son is so unstable, I thought it would push her over the edge… just my take on that. I agree that she is a strong person, more so then Jack in fact, but I truly believe her weakness is her children, which is typical in mothers. Hopefully this update will keep those rabid fangirls/fanboys away. Lol! I better start running if not! Thanks for reading!

**CharmedNightSkye: **I think you might want to do a little more then hit Vlad after you read this next part….lol. Danny _could_ save himself a lot of trouble in telling his parents, but that would mean exposing himself and risking Jazz (because we both know Vlad would assure Danny suffers in all the ways imaginable if he did expose him). As for Jack, we have seen he becomes very efficient and level headed when it comes to his family being in danger somehow; that's how I determined his reactions here. Thanks so much for the great review and for reading! Until next time!

**Writer's-BlockDP:** -snickers- That's a very good question…we'll he ever figure it out? You'll have to wait and see. I'm glad you like my story and I'm glad you reviewed to tell me! I hope you like this next piece just as much.

Phew! That's a alot of replies! But if you guys can be nice enough to leave me such wonderful reviews then I'm more then happy to reply to them! I hope I didn't forget anyone...if I did PM and let me know, I'll even let you hit me with the Fenton anti-creep stick!

Alright I'll save the chit-chat for the end, Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom

* * *

**Chapter 7: Night Frights **

Throughout school, Danny found himself mulling over his idea. The best time to go would have been at night when no one was around, but without Tucker Danny couldn't disarm the ghost security system. He decided instead to head to Axion around dusk; fewer people would be present, and during working hours security was to a minimum. For Danny, this meant a better chance of getting in and out without complications. He had no idea what he was searching for, but his only alternative without his friends' help was to fly in blind and hope to get lucky.

Sam and Tucker noticed Danny's absent-mindedness throughout the school day. Whenever they tried to talk to him, it took several attempts to even get Danny to acknowledge his name. They decided to not press the matter after a while; whatever had him spacing out seemed to have raised his spirit, and they were thankful enough for that.

"Danny, you want to head to the Nasty Burger?" Tucker inquired as the three teenagers exited the doors of Casper High.

"That's nice, Tuck." Danny responded absently.

Tucker raised an eyebrow and turned to Sam. "Uh, was that a yes, or a no?"

Sam sighed exasperatedly. "Danny, what's going on? You've been ignoring us all day! I'm glad you seem to feel better, but you could at least tell us what's got you so zoned-out?"

Danny rubbed his neck, Sam's outburst finally getting his attention. "Look, I'm sorry. I just have something really important I need to do today. I swear, I'll tell you about it as soon as I can...but, please be patient with me until then!" Danny looked between them pleadingly.

Sam and Tucker nodded.

"All right, but we're gonna hold you to that promise." Tucker vowed.

"Oh, don't worry; I _want_ to tell you." Danny affirmed. A goofy smile emerged from his lips. "Now, who's up for some Nasty Burgers?"

* * *

After a quick bite at the Nasty Burger, Danny spent the rest of the day with Jazz. Now that the medical instruments were no longer connected to her body, she could walk around the hospital's premise for a few minutes at a time. 

Danny took her to the secluded picnic area he had found earlier that week. Jazz smiled appreciatively at her brother as he helped her sit down at one of the wooden tables. She felt dizzy from the small walk, but sitting down alleviated the feeling.

"Jazz, are you sure you still want to go tonight?" Danny asked, hoping that his sister would somehow change her mind.

"Come on, Danny. You said you would take me." Jazz pleaded, her eyes moving away from a flower bush she was admiring at his words.

"Well, why not go now? No one's watching." Danny rationalized, heading over to the flower bush that had caught his sister's attention.

"Because Mom and Dad are here, and they'd come looking for us if we don't come back in a few minutes." Jazz explained, watching her brother pluck a white flower from the bush.

Danny nodded, momentarily studying the flower. "Alright, Jazz. But I'm not keeping you out there for more then ten minutes, and you have to bring a blanket." he commanded, offering his sister the fully bloomed white flower.

"Yes, _mother_" his sister replied with some exasperation, but she accepted the flower with a smile at the kind action. Danny grinned in return.

"How are you gonna keep Mom from finding out, anyway?" Danny sat on the grass in front of his sister.

Jazz looked down at him, shooting him a sly smile while twirling the flower in between her thumb and middle finger. "I convinced Mom to sleep at home today with you and Dad."

"How?" Danny tilted his head somewhat, giving his sister a curious look.

"How do I always convince them of things?" She replied with the same sly smile.

Danny smiled amused. "You're going to have to teach me some of that psychology nonsense one of these days."

It's not nonsense!" Jazz pouted, placing her hands on her hips. Danny chuckled lightly, in response. "Besides, what I told her is true."

"And that was?" Danny asked, amusement still on his face, while his hands played with a blade of grass he had just plucked.

"I told her that she has to spend more time at home because her maternal presence is necessary for your developing and stressed mind. Mothers are security blankets, Danny, and right now you need her more then I do." Jazz said in a knowing voice while giving him a lecture expression.

"Jazz! How could you tell her that? Now I'm going to have her down my throat for the rest of the month!" Danny folded his arms in front of him, shooting his sister an aggravated look.

"I know; that was my intention. Since _I_ can't watch you, at least I can feel better knowing Mom will." Jazz smiled smugly down at her pouting brother.

"You know I can easily give her the slip." Danny smiled triumphantly, emphasizing his statement by letting his eyes flash green for a moment.

Jazz was about to protest when their mother interrupted their conversation.

"There you two are! I've been looking everywhere for you kids." Maddie looked at them disapprovingly.

"Sorry, Mom. We just wanted to go somewhere quiet." Jazz explained.

Maddie's expression quickly melted, a loving smile appearing on her lips. "Alright, let's get you back into bed, young lady." She scolded playfully, and her daughter gave her a playful pout in response. Danny laughed lightly, getting up to help Jazz back to her room.

* * *

Danny anxiously gazed at the setting sun from his sister's hospital room. He rubbed one arm with his hand, sighing softly. 

"Mom? Dad?"

His parent's attention went to him, expressing expectancy. "I'm gonna head home; I have homework I need to get done before bed."

"We're leaving in about an hour, why don't you wait for us to take you?" Maddie responded, feeling uncomfortable at allowing her son to roam by himself in such a busy area of Amity at dusk.

"Mom, I need to leave now. It's a really important project." he lied.

His mom sighed worriedly, but nodded. "Okay, but make sure you go straight home. Your father and I will come home in about an hour."

Danny nodded as he moved towards his sister's bed to say goodbye. "I'll be back later." he whispered in her ear, giving her a hug.

"All right" she whispered back, but instead of releasing him she embraced him tighter. "Danny, if by homework you mean something ghost related, please, be careful." She pleaded in a low voice.

"I will" he assured, before moving away from her.

Danny gave her one last smile prior to saying good-bye to his parents and exiting the hospital room.

* * *

Danny soared invisibly above Axion labs. He scanned the large complex as a precaution before flying in. As expected, very few people were in the building, and those remaining were packing up to retire for the day. Danny couldn't help but feel relieved at this. 

He gradually and cautiously roamed the structure, deciding to start in the room he had first found Skulker stealing the bloodstream nanobots from, hoping it got him somewhere.

* * *

Skulker was tired of observing Danny. He had told his employer that it was a waste of his time and talents, but Vlad demanded that he monitor the young half-ghost. Skulker relented after his employer persuaded him with the promise of larger and stronger ghost cages for his displays at his domain. Like every day so far, he watched the boy head to school, to the hospital, and fight ghosts. 

Skulker chuckled evilly to himself. The spirits the teenager battled mainly came from his private stock. It surprised him that the ghost child didn't suspect anything, given that all his collection possessed some unique quality. Of course, he had no problem with that, and neither did the older hybrid. His employer wanted to keep the boy physically and mentally drained so he wouldn't get any ideas, but for Skulker it was pure entertainment. Watching his prey fight other prey truly was a beautiful sight.

Skulker currently sat at the same building he usually occupied when Danny visited the hospital. His attention peaked at witnessing the boy transform and fly off invisibly.

"Plasmius?" Skulker called into his communicator, pursuing the ghost boy at a safe distance with the help of his invisibility-detecting radar.

"Do you have news for me?"

"Yes, the whelp is flying off somewhere."

"And why is that important?" Vlad asked, a little irritated.

"Because, this somewhere is in the direction of Axion labs" Skulker informed, echoing his employer's tone. _"Humans are so unstable"_ he contemplated with a sickened expression.

Skulker's reply came in the form of silence. His deduction was confirmed as he surveyed Danny circling the lab.

Vlad finally spoke. "Skulker, I want you to leave Daniel alone for now. I need you to pay a special young lady a visit."

"But he _is_ in the lab, aren't you worried he'll find something?" Skulker cautioned as he saw Danny fly inside the building.

"He won't find anything, and even if he did, it would not facilitate him in any way. Now, I'm certain you remember the young Ms. Gray?"

"The hunter girl?" Skulker reiterated, intrigued at what his employer planned.

"Yes. I want you to lure her to Daniel's location."

Skulker's eyes sparkled with understanding, his lips curving into an evil grin. "I'm sure I can arrange that." he chuckled softly. This was a fight he didn't plan on missing.

"One more thing; let me know when Daniel pays Jasmine a visit. I need to permanently insure that he doesn't get any more ideas."

"Very well, I'll keep you informed." Skulker said, before terminating the communication.

* * *

"_It's about time I found the place!"_ Danny thought, finally locating the room where Skulker originally stole the nanobots from. Danny inspected the room for employees before rummaging through the numerous cabinets and shelves. He studied every item in every storage compartment, eager to uncover something linked to bloodstream nanobots, but most of the items had names he couldn't even read, let alone know what they were for. 

Danny sighed. "There isn't anything here. I don't even see another bottle of those nanobots." He momentarily wondered if the stolen bottle could have been the only supply the company had. The teen dismissed his contemplation, realizing that it didn't matter, because finding an extra supply of the stuff wasn't going to help him.

"I think." he added aloud.

Danny bitterly released his doubt and decided to look around in the freezer he had found Skulker in not too long ago. Vlad called the nanobots by a name that sounded familiar to him. He was sure he heard that same name during his fight with Skulker.

"_What was that name again? NB-something? Darn it, I can't remember!"_ Danny stepped into the freezer in hopes of discovering something. Maybe if he saw the name he would recognize it. He didn't know if it would help him or not, but he wasn't going to by pass anything.

Danny winced, noting that the ghost shields still enclosed each glass stand. He exhaled emptily, floating towards the glass case that Skulker had seized the vial from. The empty stand no longer had a protective shield and the operating board next to it had been shut down.

"_Nothing" _he thought dejectedly, seeing nothing he remotely recognized.

Danny walked towards a large computer on a far corner. He didn't really know what to do with it, but he needed to find something!

Danny's eyebrows puckered sadly when the machine asked him for a password. _"Tuck, I wish you were here."_ he reflected, before moving away from the computer.

Danny flew around, examining the glass cases. His spirit diminished at the same pace he moved from one stand to the next. _"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. How can I find something I'm looking for when I don't even know what that something is?"_

Exiting the freezer, Danny scrutinized the rest of the facility for anything that could aid him, but all his attempts proved in vain. He couldn't find a single thing related to Bloodstream Nanobots.

Danny indifferently discovered that everyone had gone home, except for one person typing at a computer. Danny halted and hovered above the man, struck with a sudden idea." He bit his lip, debating his next course of action. He hated using his powers against people, but he had no other options left. Without pondering the issue a second longer, he overshadowed the employee.

A hazy green aura momentarily radiated from the man before it vanished. The only incriminating detail of Danny's ghostly influence was the man's luminous green eyes.

Danny clicked through various files and icons on the computer. Some cryptic files however required passwords. He studied what he _could _access with deep concentration for several minutes.

"Ugh! I don't know what any of this means!" Danny pounded the man's fist on the desk, before flinching at his action. "Heh-heh, sorry about that." he apologized, forgetting that the man couldn't hear him.

Danny sighed sorrowfully, releasing the mouse. He had no way of finding anything without knowing what to look for, or having a really good hacker like Tucker helping him. _"Or maybe there isn't anything to find."_ With that last painful thought the teen departed from the man's body.

"Whoa, I should get to bed earlier; I really need to quit zoning out like this!" Danny faintly heard the worker remark, before phasing through the ceiling and landing on the building's roof. Crestfallen, the teen rubbed his arm with his opposite hand as if trying to seek comfort from himself. _"Now what_?"

**BAM!**

"What are you doing here, ghost?" Valerie glared hatefully, aiming a large weapon at her injured enemy.

Danny quickly gazed up through blurry eyes, feeling an aching throb on his shoulder where the hot blast had hit him. "Valerie!" he exclaimed with fearful eyes and a pale face.

"You just can't leave this place alone, can you? Well, I'm about to make sure you leave permanently!" Valerie pledged menacingly, before discharging three consecutive missiles.

Danny gasped, quickly pushing himself off the building and taking to the air to evade the assault. He wondered why he hadn't heard an explosion from the missiles striking the building, but the whistling hum following him answered that question.

Danny augmented his velocity, attempting to out fly the projectiles following his every move.

"Run all you want, spook! You're not dodging those ecto-detecting missiles!" Valerie yelled, chasing after Phantom on her hover board while firing her own set of rounds.

Danny flew wildly, attempting to stay ahead of the missiles and dodge Valerie's attacks.

"Valerie, it's not what you think!" he yelled back, prior to having a shot nip his wounded shoulder. Danny swallowed a cry of pain, knowing he had to keep himself alert to avert the deadly rockets.

"It's exactly what I think, ghost, and I'm gonna make you wish you'd never wrecked my life!"

"Ah!" Danny shouted as a pink laser passed above his head, singeing a few stands of his white hair.

"Valerie, I'm not your enemy!" he yelled frantically, hoping to get through to the ghost-hating huntress, but just like every encounter, she didn't listen.

Valerie had one objective: annihilate Danny Phantom.

Sweat profusely slid down the hybrid's face from the exertion of evading attack after attack, but no matter his strife, he couldn't loose her. Her new suit turned out to be even deadlier then her first.

Danny headed into the park, away from buildings. He had to get rid of those missiles before they got rid of him. He accelerated to his maximum speed, momentarily losing the huntress. Danny flew into the forested area, weaving expertly through the trees. He purposely grazed close to them, trying to cause the flying arsenal to strike the trees and not him. Flying directly towards a tree the ghost boy phased through it causing one of the rockets to hit the solid object dead on. The explosion produced a scorching shockwave, destroying the neighboring rocket next to it from the turbulence and heat it produced.

Danny was drenched in cold sweat, the hot smoke in the air beginning to overwhelm him as he continued traveling at a breakneck speed.

"_One more"_ he thought, his face quickly setting into determination. He continued forward, aiming towards a very large tree up ahead. He's eyes, however momentarily diverted at seeing a flash of red pass him by, some distance away.

His distraction soon proved to be a life threatening mistake.

Danny's eyes widen, at seeing the tree a feet from his still very solid self. "AH!" he screamed covering his face out of instinct.

Luckily his fear also triggered his intangibility power at the last second.

Danny sighed in relief at not ending up a halfa pancake, while the reverberation of the last missile exploding announced the end of his dangerous game of tag. The young teen decelerated once he cleared the forest. His head spun as he drifted above the lake but he barely acknowledged it, his relief at not seeing Valerie blocked it from his immediate attention.

"You can't get rid of me that easily, spook!"

Danny's eyes amplified in alarm as Valerie appeared in front of him.

Sooner than he could react the ghost hunter fired a powerful, hot, pink blast at him striking him directly in the chest. Danny plummeted towards the lake and impacted with a piercing splash.

"Good riddance, ghost!" Valerie spat, firing an ecto- detecting missile towards the lake. The missile detonated on contact, causing a plume of water to burst upwards.

Not detecting anything on her scanner or line of sight. Valerie smiled with satisfaction and glided off.

* * *

Danny felt his body strike the water roughly before sinking through it. Blinking away the stars from his eyes, he ascended to the surface. 

Danny, however, never made it.

He felt his heart stop, perceiving the hum of a missile getting nearer. He squeezed his eyes shut wishing with all his might that he wouldn't get blown up. Unknowingly, his thoughts caused his body to turn intangible and created a shield to protect itself from the impending peril.

Danny didn't register the explosion of the missile or his efforts to scream. The strong pressure that ripped him from his present spot and tossed him in some unknown direction eclipsed everything else. He felt the force shred away his strength in the process and unwillingly reverted him to his human form.

The teenager became encased in an ominous darkness, once the nameless force resided from existence. He willed himself to move through the sluggish atmosphere, feeling he couldn't breathe.

Seconds before he would have lost awareness the boy broke free from the sluggish weight above him, finding he could breathe once more.

Danny's vision slowly came into focus allowing him to recognize he was on the surface of the lake. Pushing away the pain that reawakened throughout his body and unconsciousness trying to claim him, he slowly swam back to the bank.

Reaching the bank he coughed violently, feeling a large amount of water come up from his lungs. Danny collapsed on the hard ground, panting from exhaustion, thankful to whatever helped him make it out of this in one piece.

Valerie got worse with every encounter they had. He fearfully wondered how much longer he would be able to evade her without one of them ending up seriously injured …or worse.

Regaining sufficient strength to support him, Danny wobbled to a standing position, holding his injured shoulder. _"This might take a little longer to heal."_ He thought, walking through the park.

He pulled out a watch from his pant pocket and his face paled. "I'm dead," he predicted, realizing he had been gone for almost two hours. Quickly he attempted to call forth his powers.

Danny grunted in frustration as the rings appeared but dissipated immediately after "Come on!" Danny shut his eyes in concentration finally accomplishing his transformation, but at the cost of having his vision blackened for a few seconds.

Danny shook his head, clearing the remaining affects of his dizzy spell, before taking off towards his house.

* * *

"Danny Fenton!" Maddie exclaimed furiously 

"M-Mom I-I can explain. I-

"No excuses mister! Your mother and I have been worried sick! You said you where coming straight home!" Jack pointed a finger in accusation, as his eyes narrowed in anger.

"I was, but I-" Danny sighed; he didn't have an excuse. "I'm sorry" he softly replied instead, his gaze falling to the ground.

Maddie's anger melted away at seeing the look on her son's face, leaving behind only fear. "Honey, please don't scare us like that, I thought something happened to you." Her voice pleaded fearfully, while she lightly touched his shoulder.

Unfortunately for Danny it was his injured shoulder.

Danny jerked away, hissing in pain. His mom's eyes widen at seeing the hurt look on her son's face "Danny, what happened?" Maddie's apprehension exploded, immediately coming closer to her son

"Mom, it's nothing" Danny assured nervously, trying to move away from her. Maddie had none of that. She seized his other arm and forced him to stay still as she lifted his sleeve on his injured shoulder

Maddie took in a sharp gulp of air, seeing a large red and purple bruise on her son's swollen shoulder.

"Jack, get me the first aid kit!" she exclaimed, dragging a protesting Danny to the couch.

"Mom, stop! It's fine; it's just a bruise!"

"Son, how did you get that?" Jack asked, handing his wife the first aid kit.

"I fell" Danny replied lamely. His mother shot him an incredulous look, but said nothing.

Danny bit the inside of his mouth to hold back a pained groan that wanted to escape his throat as his mom inspected his injury.

Maddie looked quizzical for a moment, observing some dry green substance on the injury. "Well, nothing appears to be broken" she informed with relief.

Maddie cleaned and bandaged up her son's shoulder, while Danny pushed all his will into impeding the painful flinches and noises his body wanted to express.

"Ok mister, it's bedtime for you." Jack ordered as Maddie finished putting away the gauze

Danny nodded. "Thanks mom" he said sincerely, giving her a kiss before getting up to go to his room.

Maddie's eyes glowed with happiness at her son's display of affection. "You're welcome sweetie; make sure you set your alarm, we won't be here in the morning when you wake up since we are heading to see Jazz early."

Danny nodded once more, heading up the stairs "Come, TJ!" Danny called causing the puppy to race after him.

"Good Night!" Danny said, his parents responding with the same statement.

Maddie sighed warily once her son was out of sight. "Jack, as much as I try to figure out what is wrong with Danny, I can't."

"I know Maddie, but I think he's just upset about Jazzy-pants. Give him some time he'll come around …if not we could always test him for ghost contamination." Jack responded, excitedly pondering which of his gadgets would be best for that.

Maddie sighed, shaking her head at the look on her husband's face. "Come on Jack, let's go to bed" Maddie responded, shutting off the lights.

* * *

Danny sat on his bed, rubbing TJ's belly while he waited for his parents to head to their room. Exhaustion overwhelmed him but he promised Jazz to take her out for a little while. 

Danny sighed softly. He felt like something had been ripped out of him after not finding a solution to his problems at the lab. What he found turned out to be the total opposite and that only added to how dejected he felt.

Hearing his parent's bedroom door close, Danny transformed and quickly flew out the window. The teen didn't even want to think that tomorrow was Friday. He knew if he dwelled on the fact he would panic and that wouldn't help him at all.

* * *

Danny floated invisibly in Jazz's room. He scoped out his surroundings to make sure no one was there before turning visible. 

"Jazz?" he called softly, walking toward the bathroom

"Danny!" she whispered happily, opening the door.

"Are you ready?" Danny asked with a smile, observing his sister lock the bathroom door and leave the light on.

"Yep!" she confirmed after striding to a drawer to remove a small cotton blanket.

"Alright, hang on" Danny held her waist firmly; in turn Jazz wrapped her arm across his neck.

Danny turned them intangible, but hesitated. "You're sure?" he asked with a worried expression.

Jazz gave him an annoyed look. "Ok, Ok just checking." With that said, Danny flew through the window and into the night sky.

* * *

Jazz inhaled quickly at seeing how high up they were. Danny winced, feeling his sister's fingernails dig into his arm. "Jazz, relax, I'm not going to drop you." Danny assured. 

Jazz nodded, slowly releasing her death grip.

"This is amazing! No wonder you like flying so much." Jazz remarked, taking in her surroundings in awe.

"Yeah, it's really nice" Danny agreed. He gazed up at the stars with a soft smile.

"Take us higher Danny." Jazz requested, adrenaline overshadowing her initial fear.

Danny hesitated for a moment before he complied. "Cover yourself up."

Jazz smiled, watching nothing but clouds pass her by and the cool wind was renewing to her being.

Danny stopped their flight. "Did you see the moon?" Danny inquired, pointing at the full moon. "It's my favorite time to come out here, because of how it lights everything up."

Jazz smiled at the bright yellow orb. "Yeah, it really does." She agreed. "It must be wonderful to have powers like yours," Jazz complemented, her awed expression never leaving the peaceful atmosphere.

Danny's smile faded, a frown replacing it. "It does have its nice moments, but they come at a price… and sometimes I ask myself if they're worth it."

Jazz frowned as well, returning her attention to her brother. "Danny you can't think that way. Your powers are a blessing. You have helped so many people with them." Jazz laughed softly. "You're a hero, Danny"

Danny looked at her with sad eyes, her comment not fazing him. "What kind of hero can't help his own sister?" he whispered painfully.

"Danny …why do you keep blaming yourself for this?" she asked with a worried look. Her brother's response was silence. "Danny…please, talk to me; what's wrong?" she pleaded, at seeing fear flash in his eyes.

Seriousness quickly replaced the fear and sadness. He looked up at the moon, before speaking once more. "I just want you to be okay, Jazz…and if I could trade these powers for that I would." He told her honestly, looking back at her.

Jazz sighed sadly "That's not possible, Danny and even if it was I wouldn't want you to. I know they bring you problems and stress that you shouldn't have but they have given you so much more in return, they make you, _You _and I couldn't be prouder, little brother."

Danny hugged her. "Thanks, Jazz" Danny said with a small smile.

Jazz smiled, hugging him back. "If I would have known getting sick would get me all this attention from you, I would have done so sooner"

Danny smirked, pulling away from her to retort, but before he could Jazz grabbed him tighter and whimpered.

"You ok Jazz?" Danny asked, not understanding why she sounded so upset all the sudden.

"Y-Yeah, its just- Thanks for doing this for me Danny… it was really nice… but you were right, I shouldn't have made you bring me out here.

"Jazz what are you talking about?" Danny asked, attempting to look at his sister but she wouldn't let him.

"Oh Danny, I'm sorry! I'm such an idiot!" Jazz abruptly exclaimed, sobbing on his shoulder. She held him as tight as she could while trembling in his embrace.

Danny felt his blood drain from his face from her voice echoing nothing but fear. "C-Calm down Jazz, I'm taking you back" he soothed, mimicking Jazz's fearful voice as he began to descend.

"I-I love you Danny, y-you know that, right?" Jazz whispered.

Danny's breathing became shallow, his heartbeat accelerating, but nothing could have prepared him for what ensued seconds after her words.

Danny's eyes widen, feeling Jazz suddenly let go of him, her hands falling to her side. He gasped loudly, quickly tightening his hold around her upper body to prevent her from falling out of his grip.

"J-Jazz, what's wrong?" he asked softly, before lifting her bridal style to inspect her face. To his dismay, all ounce of color had vanished from her complexion. …and she was not breathing.

"**No! Jazz! Don't do this to me!"** he yelled frantically, shaking her limp body in his arms.

Danny didn't feel the tears falling down his face, his shaking body or his rapid breathing. His mind could only focus on getting his sister to open her eyes, to breathe …to show any sign of life.

Breaking away from his panic he quickly flew back to the hospital. Fortunately, they were not that far. "Hold on Jazz" he begged her still form.

Danny promptly landed in her room, not caring if anyone saw him. "Please…" He whispered, resting her on the bed and immediately pushing the assistance button.

Danny turned invisible as a nurse ran in.

Upon seeing an unconscious Jazz the nurse called for a doctor straight away. Within seconds, several staff members including the night shift doctor came in and began to examine her. "She is suffering another relapse, call Doctor Shaw and the girl's parents," the doctor told a nurse. "Make sure ICU is ready in 5 minutes, she is going to need a blood transfusion." She ordered another one. The woman continued to give orders while applying a breathing mask on Jazz to make sure her body got the oxygen she wasn't able to supply on her own.

Danny stared silently at the doctor and nurses running around. He was dying inside and he didn't know how much longer he could bear such an agonizing feeling.

"_Why did I take her out?"_ He thought, blaming himself for his sister's current state.

The extent of his guilt however, only hit him full force after hearing the doctor say she was suffering another relapse. _"He increased the nanobots… but I haven't-"_

Danny took off through the window, consumed by grief. He flew erratically through the sky, feeling sick with remorse. How could he have gambled with his sister's life to save himself? Vlad warned him; he told him he would be watching him, but he pushed the knowledge aside for his selfish needs.

"_You're no better then Plasmius."_ His mind accused causing Danny to shed even more ghostly tears that the wind ripped away from his eyes; nevertheless his tears did very little to wash away his guilt and pain.

He now comprehended what Clockwork had meant when he alleged he already knew what to do. He did know, but he did not want to accept it …until now. _"I promised you I would end this one way or another and I'll keep my promise Jazz."_

* * *

-glances around at angry readers- It's Vlad's fault! Blame him! ...I could say it will get better, but it really isn't...at least not anytime soon. sigh I'm not completely happy with how this chapter came out but after months of looking over it, I know it's not going to get better. Oh well... On a brighter note. I started a new story (My little badger) and it's completely the opposite of this one. It's a funny one so if you're feeling very upset right now take a peak at it and let me know what you think if you're not too upset. Sorry again for the wait, I'm not going to attempt to excuse it because it's pointless at this stage. Now that I have two betas I should be able to update quicker. crosses fingers. Oh and here's a question for my wonderful reviewers: Would you prefer me to reply to you like I have been doing up to this point (posting it with the update) or do you guys prefer for me to send you a PM? Majority votes win. Thanks again and as always let me know what you think! 


	9. Chapter 8: A Brother's Sacrifice

Long awaited chapter...here we go!

**Chapter 8: A brother's sacrifice**

Danny sat in ghost form on his bed; knees huddled close to his chest and arms wrapped around them tightly. He hoped in vain that the coldness he felt as Phantom would numb the pain that burned his soul.

He stared blankly into space while hearing the all too familiar weeping of his mother. Danny's parents debated whether they should wake him and tell him the news, neither knowing that he was currently awake and already knew what had happened to Jazz.

"_Because it's your fault"_ his mind accused yet again. Danny exhaled softly, not bothering to fight the side of him that accused him; why fight the truth? He couldn't look at Jazz; he didn't deserve to after what he did to her.

Danny heard the rumbling engine of the RV as his parents left; obviously they didn't want to give him such stressful news.

The boy scoffed at the irony. His parents had no idea what he was going through. …No one did, thanks to Vlad.

"I guess you won after all." He muttered indifferently, lying down on his bed in a fetal position and holding his pillow in between his arms.

The young hybrid's expression remained blank. He stopped crying a while ago, believing that his sorrow was too great for tears; plus what good would it do?

Danny remained in this manner for hours, which he didn't even grasp or care to. Eventually spectral rings appeared around the teenager's waist and changed him back to his normal appearance, his exhausted psyche going into a fitful sleep.

The slumbering boy never noticed the blue mist that escaped his mouth, alerting him to the presence of a green eyed ghost observing him from outside his window.

* * *

Danny was aroused by a smooth, wet object sliding across his face as something warm and furry snuggled against him.

He slowly opened his eyes half way, finding TJ looking at him merrily. Danny closed his eyes once more, hugging the warm and furry creature lightly before falling back into a deep sleep.

"Hey Tucker, take a look at this." Sam whispered amused at seeing Danny hugging TJ like a stuffed bear. The dog happily looked up at them though he did not move from his master's side.

Tucker ran out of the room, bursting into a fit of laughter in the hallway.

"Man, I wish I had a camera!" he exclaimed quietly to Sam upon entering the room once again. "Oh wait, I do!" he remembered excitedly, raising his trusty PDA and clicking a button.

Sam smirked, silently watching her friend amuse himself.

"Come on Tucker, we need to wake him up." Sam said, moving towards her sleeping friend.

"Danny?" she called in a speaking tone, patting his shoulder lightly and getting no response.

"Here Sam, allow me" Tucker requested, giving her an expression of expertise.

Sam rolled her eyes and folded her arms in front of her.

Tucker cleared his throat. "Danny, wake up!" he yelled.

"Jazz!" Danny shouted, sitting up abruptly; startling TJ as he did so.

"Ow!" Tucker cried out as the furious Sam smacked him in the head.

"Tucker, what's wrong with you?" Sam reprimanded, glaring at her hat-wearing friend.

"Heh-Heh, Oops?" Tucker responded meekly.

"Danny, are you ok?" Sam inquired gently, moving her attention to the half-asleep teen.

"Sam?" Danny asked, blinking at her. He surveyed his surroundings wearily, realizing he was in his room. Was last night all a dream?

"Dude, are you okay?" Tucker questioned, regretting his actions at seeing Danny's confused expression.

"What day is it?" Danny requested in a tone of all seriousness, wanting to confirm if everything had been a dream or not.

"Uh… Friday" Sam replied carefully before glaring at Tucker once more.

"What? I didn't know this was going to happen!" Tucker defended.

Danny sighed, grasping that last night _wasn't_ a dream. "It's alright Sam; I'm just a heavy sleeper." He intervened, preventing his friends from getting into a dispute.

"Really? I would have never guessed" Sam smirked at him, pushing away her argument with Tucker.

Danny smiled in return before falling back down on his bed.

Sam gave him an amused look. "Uh… Danny? You have school, remember?"

Danny frowned "I'm not going" he informed in a monotone, turning his body away from her.

"Danny, you can't keep skipping; you're going to get further behind." Sam scolded in a worried tone.

Danny remained silent for several seconds before replying. "Jazz… suffered another relapse." He said quietly. Sam and Tucker gasped at the revelation, their expressions quickly changing into sympathy.

"I'm sorry man." Tucker consoled, wishing his friend would face them.

Danny shut his eyes. "Not as sorry as I am." He whispered back.

Sam and Tucker glanced at each other sadly, not knowing what to do to comfort him.

Danny sat up, finally looking at them. "Thanks for coming to pick me up, but I'm not going to school." He finalized in a tranquil and appreciative tone, moving to gaze out his window to confirm that his parents were not home.

Sam walked up to him to put her hand on his shoulder "Danny, if there's anyway-"

"There isn't Sam… I just need to be alone." he cut her off calmly.

Sam retracted her hand from its action, letting it drop to her side dejectedly.

"We understand." Tucker answered for her, putting a hand on Sam's shoulder to wordlessly express they needed to leave.

"We'll see you later right?" Tucker asked in a hopeful tone, walking towards the door with Sam.

Danny turned his attention to his friends giving them a small smile and nodding his head. They returned the smile; while their eyes expressed the sorrow they felt at seeing him so down.

With a sad sigh the gothic girl walked out of the room, Tucker following behind her before he halted.

Tucker turned to face his friend who had his arms crossed and his back to him. "Dude?" he called. Danny turned to face him with placid look.

"Jazz will be fine; she'll get through this." Tucker assured, a serious air radiating from his words.

Danny gave him an even smile. "Thanks Tuck... I know she will"

Tucker stared at him for a moment; feeling like his friend was resigning to something. Tucker nodded at him, before turning to catch up with Sam.

Danny desolately observed his friends walk down the street towards Casper High, both giving him a wave goodbye. He returned the gesture before stepping away from his window. The teen sat back down on his bed, staring blankly at the floor for a few minutes. Sighing, he closed his eyes in hesitation a moment, before he opened his night stand drawer and pulled out a notebook and a pen.

* * *

Danny heard the phone ring downstairs once more.

Although he knew it had to be his parents from the constant ringing, the fear of hearing more bad news kept him from answering. His heart screamed for him to find out how Jazz was doing, but the thought of her not being well terrified him. He couldn't handle something happening to her, even more so if it was his fault.

Danny's ringing cell phone distracted the distraught teen from his thoughts. "_Yeah, it's them."_ Danny sighed, knowing he couldn't avoid it any longer.

"Hello?"

"Danny," his mom responded, relief in her tone

"Yeah mom, what's up?"

"Honey, we need you to come to the hospital; did you get out of school yet?"

"Yeah, school is over." He replied, glancing at the clock, not really answering her question. "Mom… I know about Jazz." He admitted softly, not wanting his mom to recap what he already knew.

"But… How?"

"I heard you and dad last night." He covered, "How is she?"

"Danny, I rather tell you when you get here." His mom responded warily.

"Mom please, just tell me." Danny pleaded sadly, trying to keep his voice from cracking.

"She hasn't woken up since last night…They're giving her transfusions regularly because her blood cells keep dying… Danny, I don't know why this is happening to her; she's always been so healthy and-" He heard his mom stifle a sob.

"I'll be there in a little while." Danny replied vacantly, before hanging up and tossing his phone carelessly on his bed.

The half-ghost morphed into Phantom and flew slowly towards the hospital. The teen wasn't even half way there when his ghost sense alerted him of a nearby presence.

Danny looked around with a serious expression. His eyes swiftly spotted a large ghost snake slithering through the sky before it landed on a near by building and curled up in a hunting position. Its red eyes scanned the streets below; its mouth opened just enough for Danny to see needle sharp fangs dripping with green ectoplasmic venom.

The teen flew towards it with ghostly energy swirling in his right palm. Unexpectedly, he halted.

He hovered, staring at the ghost expressionless, before his eyes narrowed hatefully when they fell towards his lit hand.

Danny looked up once more at the ghost, the energy in his hand extinguishing. With a solemn look, the ghost boy turned on his heal and continued his flight towards the hospital, unaware of the baffling look that another hunter gave from further away.

Arriving at the hospital, Danny found Tucker and Sam in the waiting room with his parents. They both gave him a supportive hug and sat down next to him.

"We figured you would be here already, so we came right after school; luckily your parents didn't ask us why you weren't with us" Tucker whispered, to avoid Danny's parents from over hearing.

Danny nodded appreciatively in response. He knew his parents had too much on their mind to question why they got there before he did.

The doctor stepped in some time later and notified them that Jazz was recovering but at a very slow rate and still remained unconscious. To everyone's dismay, the doctor informed them they could not see her until she woke up.

* * *

Danny resignedly watched the sun set in the clear reddish sky; how was it that time always moved at the opposite pace he wanted it to?

Pushing away the unanswerable question he turned his attention to Jack and Maddie, currently sitting next to each other. They looked so drained. The happiness that once revolved around them no longer existed; not even at the mention of ghosts did they react.

As he observed them, Danny found his mind recalling the recent weeks. Since Jazz's sickness his parents seem to notice him more, so much in fact that his thick headed father actually noted the tension between him and Vlad and his mom perceived his gloominess. For the first time since he got his ghost powers they had actually caught one of his injuries from his fights. He knew his parents loved him and Jazz, but their love for their work often blinded them to the things revolving around their kids. Every now and then it bothered him, but after all this it became clear to him that nothing was more important to them then their children. His hidden fear of them not accepting what he was eased at seeing them, huddled together, fear and worry in their eyes. They loved him and Jazz above anything else and that felt healing to him.

"Guys" Danny whispered to his friends who were sitting in the closest seats to the window. Sam and Tucker acknowledged him with small smiles.

"Let's go home." He told them quietly. Sam and Tucker gave him questioning looks, implicating an unspoken "Why?"

"I'll explain later" he answered in the same tone. "I'll meet you guys in the lobby."

Sam and Tucker nodded, standing up. Jack and Maddie were so wrapped in their own thoughts they didn't note the teens' departure.

"Mom? Dad?" Danny called, walking up to them and crouching down to their level.

Jack and Maddie acknowledged their son with sad grins.

"I'm going home," He informed, returning the smile. His parents gave him surprised looks, before it turned into understanding that they highlighted with a nod.

"Will you guys be alright?" Danny couldn't help but ask from how dejected they looked.

"We'll be fine, honey." Maddie assured. "Get a good night's rest, okay? We will see you tomorrow."

Danny nodded and stood up to leave. Something in his heart, however, stopped him. Without giving it a second thought he hugged his mom tightly. Maddie was surprised at first, but swiftly returned the embrace. He looked at his dad before giving him the same loving hug.

"You guys are the best parents in the world." He told them sincerely, standing up once more to leave.

His parents' lips curved with happiness, a few tears falling from his mom's eyes.

Danny opened the door and stepped out backwards, watching his distressed parents' focus move back to the floor. Danny sighed sorrowfully, leaning his head against the door frame.

"Mom? Dad?" He called, catching their attention once more

Danny looked at them with concern. "Don't worry, Jazz will be okay," he sadly assured them. His parents nodded with sad smiles, a small twinkle returning to their eyes at his words.

Danny felt contentment at their reaction, but it quickly vanished once he stepped out of the waiting room. The teen's shaking hands coiled on his side as he walked away.

* * *

"Danny, I thought you wanted to stay at the hospital?" Sam asked perplexed as they walked down a dark alley.

Danny said nothing. He surveyed his surroundings prior to changing into Phantom.

"Dude, if you left because of us then let's go back. We told our parents we were staying the night there with you." Tucker added, seeing his friend did not respond.

"Hold on" He asked, grabbing one of their upper arms and taking off into the sky.

Sam and Tucker continued to study his expression waiting for him to respond, but none came and his face showed nothing.

"Danny, are you alright?" Sam asked warily

"Yeah, I'm just tired" he responded vacantly, his mind focused on his own thoughts.

He wanted to say so much to them; they had stood by his side all his life, helping and supporting him, but doing so out of the blue would just confuse them further or worse… make them suspicious... _"It's better like this, anyways."_ He concluded.

Danny pushed away his urge and turned his face towards Sam and then towards Tucker, giving them both a mischievous grin. "I'm not _too_ tired to do this though"

Before they could understand his change in demeanor he accelerated his flight upward, making their stomachs rise to their chest without hurting them.

Tucker and Sam gasped at the unexpected feeling. The ghost boy stopped his upward flight and gave them a cocky grin prior to dropping back down at the same rate.

"Dannyyyyyyyyyy!" his friends exclaimed, their stomachs coming up once more.

Danny genuinely laughed at Sam's fearful protests and Tucker's excited shouts he received at his continuing mischief.

Landing in an alley close to their houses, Danny switched back opting to walk the rest of the way.

He gave his friends an amused smile while they wobbled for a few minutes from his frolicking.

Sam glared at him and attempted to punch him in the shoulder but missed by several inches, still unable to regain her balance.

Danny chuckled at Sam's actions. "Dude, _that_ was awesome!" Tucker exclaimed trying to put his arm around Danny's shoulder, but stumbled and fell to the ground face first in front of him.

Danny's laughter increased, "Better then a roller coaster eh Tuck?" he quipped, bending down to help his friend to his feet. Tucker nodded ecstatically, finally regaining his balance.

Sam held herself against a wall with one hand, rolling her eyes at him in annoyance, but the smile on her lips said otherwise.

"Come on Daredevil, let's get going," She remarked drolly, pushing the hybrid to the side as she walked out of the alley.

Danny and Tucker chuckled lightly, falling in step with their female friend while she tried to flatten her matted hair. "So, how was school?" Danny asked with a smirk, already knowing the reply they would give him.

* * *

Danny sat on his computer chair, staring at his clock. He sighed at seeing the time change from 10:59pm to 11:00pm.

Danny tiredly stood up and walked towards his closet. His heart pumped faster, knowing that it was time to go through with what he had prepared for since morning. He opened his drawer, pulling out the notebook he had used earlier. In between its pages were four folded sheets of paper. Danny grabbed the letters and slipped them in his pocket. He then picked up a dog crate and a leash off his floor.

"TJ, want to go hang out at Tucker's for a while?" He said softly attempting to sound enthusiastic. The dog wagged his tail in response, happily letting Danny put on the leash.

* * *

Danny arrived at Tucker's house. He glanced up at the boy's room window, discerning with relief that he was asleep from the darkness in the room. The teen placed the Dalmatian puppy in the crate before transforming in a near by bush and flying into Tucker's house invisibly with the crate in hand.

Danny walked quietly towards Tucker's bathroom and phased into it. He opened the crate letting his dog walk around the bathroom while he filled a dog bowl with water. He then gave the dog a toy with a snack inside to keep him quiet. "You'll be better off at Tucker's until Jazz gets better" He whispered to the dog, ruffling his head affectionately before phasing out of the bathroom.

Danny flew into Tucker's room, landing next to his bed. Danny chuckled softly at his sleeping friend, who held his PDA close to his face. _"I wish I had a camera." _He thought devilishly.

His expression quickly dejected at remembering it wouldn't make a difference after tonight. He removed one of the letters from his pocket and placed it on top of Tucker's night stand. "Thanks for everything, Tuck." He said in a low voice before flying off in the direction of Sam's house.

Danny landed invisibly in Sam's bedroom, her sleeping form wrapped in a thick comforter. He walked towards her and placed two letters on her gothic style night stand. He smiled at how content she looked. _"Probably dreaming."_

He gazed thoughtfully at her for a moment. _"I wish there was a way you could help me, Sam,"_ he voiced internally, remembering what she wanted to say to him. _"But… there really isn't; I'm the only one that can put an end to all this"_ Danny sighed sadly before leaving her room and flying back to his house.

Danny landed in his room and changed back. The black haired teen grabbed a large, packed duffle bag located under his bed and headed towards his doorDanny halted his exit, recalling one last thing.

He slowly walked to his dresser and opened a drawer. He studied the black jewelry box before picking it up and opening it. The young hybrid took a shaky breath, his mind once more crying out what it had been saying all day in response to his decision.

It screamed at him not to go to Vlad's; it screamed it would be his demise, but his mind was not loud enough to bury what his heart whispered: "_Jazz"_

Danny removed the bracelet from the case causing the band to immediately glow a sapphire blue that illuminated his face. Inhaling once more to steel himself he opened the clasp and snapped the handcuff like band on his right wrist.

The bracelet ignited into a brighter blue glow forcing Danny to fearfully look away from the strength of the light until it faded into a barely visible, soft, blue glow.

The thick bracelet fit ideally around his wrist and felt comfortable, but no matter how "perfect" it seemed, he hated it; it felt like a leash… like he belonged to that jerk.

Danny scoffed in disgust. "He's so twisted; I wouldn't be surprised if that's one of his reasons for making me wear this stupid thing."

Danny gave the bracelet one last glare before resuming his actions. The teen walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. He glanced around and decided the table would be the best place to leave his last letter.

Giving the note a sad look, Danny transformed back into Phantom only to have his attention averted from the letter to the bracelet on his wrist.

Danny gasped in alarm as it radiated with a bright glow once again. This time however the almost blinding light was white. "What the heck is this? A mood bracelet?" He asked, annoyed.

His expression quickly turned into dread at seeing the bright, white glow finally fade, revealing the once blue band to be a silvery white band, but this wasn't what had his heart trying to leave his chest.

The bracelet, no longer looked like a bracelet but some kind of device.

The diamonds around the sides of the bracelet had become black and flickered like they were sensors. The rest of the band had black button, switches and knobs. Danny fearfully tried to take it off, but to his dismay it wouldn't come off.

"_Of course"_ Danny thought angrily, the device still refusing to unlock.

Not caring any longer what the bracelet did he gave up and flew off towards the outer part of Amity.

Danny slowed down his flight as he thought of one other thing or rather one other person. The ghost boy quickly changed his course towards the hospital.

* * *

Invisibly, Danny searched for Jazz in the ICU ward. The place was really quiet due to the time. He could mainly hear the beeping of instruments as he floated through the hallways and rooms, occasionally passing by staff members.

The young brother smiled at finding his sister's sleeping form. Seeing no one around, he turned visible. Danny approached her side, unable to resist the urge to hold her hand. He looked at her for several minutes wishing he could take her place.

Danny frowned at feeling a warm sensation on his right wrist. He gave the bracelet a wary look at finding it was the culprit of sensation. _"What is this thing?" _he voice internally. The teen's eyes went to a clock on the wall and sighed gloomily.

He needed to go.

Danny gave his sister a kiss on her forehead, a painful lump forming in his throat.

His sad expression changed into surprise at finding Jazz's blurry turquoise eyes staring at him as he pulled away.

"Danny?" she whispered in a hoarse voice.

Danny smiled warmly, for a moment acting as the older sibling. "Go back to sleep Jazz" he told her tenderly, pushing her hair away from her face.

Jazz frowned at him, "but I just woke up." She replied groggily.

Danny chuckled softly "Yeah I know, but you need to rest."

Jazz's eyes unwillingly began to close due to the sleep her body required, yet she still fought against it, feeling she needed to keep Danny in her sight.

Seeing it was a lost cause she gave her brother's hand a comforting squeeze before falling into slumber once more.

"Good Night Jazz." He whispered, releasing her hand.

"Beep….Beep"

Danny's eyebrows scrunched at seeing one of the instruments connected to Jazz suddenly begin to beep and it was getting more frequently. Danny grabbed his wrist at feeling the bracelet grow hot enough to become uncomfortable. It had been growing warmer the minute he arrived in his sister's room.

Danny's eyes darted to his sister, at hearing her give a small groan of discomfort.

Danny's eyes widen and he slowly backed away from her side. He's hand covered his mouth at hearing the instrument beeping more rapidly.

In a flash, Danny turned invisible and flew out of the room.

He hovered above the hospital at feeling the bracelet quickly cool. He floated there, trying to calm his racing heart and trying to comprehend what had just occurred.

"_Why that sick…" _

His hands tighten into fist; he's anger so great he couldn't even finish his train of thought. The man had somehow programmed the device on his wrist to harm his sister. Danny closed his eyes momentarily trying to control the anger and sorrow this revelation induced within him. He finally flew off towards his final destination feeling that his sister would be safe now.

* * *

Just like Vlad said, a helicopter waited on the outer edge of Amity Park. Danny landed down, his ghost sense immediately triggering. He looked around, apprehensively before catching sight of the culprit.

Danny glowered at seeing the same ghost that forced his mom and him to jump from the plane that supposedly was taking them to a mother-son convention in Florida, leaning against the chopper. "You're not planning on crashing this one are you?" Danny asked sarcastically with a raised eyebrow.

The ghost laughed, "Kid, if it was up to me, I would tie you down to this helicopter _and then _crash it, _but_ my employer wants you to arrive in one piece so no, I won't crash it." He informed casually before flying into the pilot seat.

Danny glared after the ghost _"let's see you try it."_ He thought darkly before stepping into the helicopter. He barely knew this ghost and it already wanted to waste him.

The young hybrid sighed, quickly forgetting the threat as the helicopter ascended. He watched with heartbroken eyes as his home for fifteen years quickly faded from view.

* * *

Danny glanced out the window just in time to sight a landing strip emerging from underground in the front of Vlad's house as the helicopter descended. Danny felt like he was going to pass out from his escalating fear threatening to overpower him. His breathing and heart rate picked up at seeing Vlad causally approaching the helicopter with his hands behind his back.

Danny's mind shouted once more at him that he was in immense danger. It told him to run, to fly; to do anything besides sit there but he forced the thoughts away. He couldn't lose it, he had to stay vigilant, knowing that the man was capable of anything; and above all he couldn't let the man know how panicked he felt within.

Regaining control of his breathing, he stepped out of the chopper, holding his duffle bag close to his side.

"Daniel! I'm so glad you made it!" Vlad greeted with sickening charm, coming up to the young hybrid and wrapping his arm around his shoulder.

Danny jerked away from the man's touch like it was a scorching flame. "Don't touch me." He growled menacingly, his eyes illuminating a dangerous green

"Holding a grudge Daniel?" Vlad asked his attitude unfazed. "What would your parents think? Oh that's right you will not see them again so it no longer matters." he mocked cruelly.

Danny glared fiercely, but the anger in his eyes could not compare to the pain attempting to hide behind it. "You're not getting away with this Plasmius and I don't know what_ this _stupid thing is suppose to do but Jazz _better_ be okay because I swear I'll make you wish you never met me!" He threatened darkly.

Vlad laughed full heartedly at the boy's reply, knowing he was just trying to cover what he could see in his eyes. "Dear boy, don't tell me you visited Jasmine while wearing my gift! I do apologize I should have warn you that it momentarily…_excites_ the nanobots, but now that you are away from her, my gift-which by the way looks quite nicely on you- can not affect her. Rest assured, my boy, I'm a man of word. You kept your end of the bargain so I shall keep mine. Jasmine will be just fine." Vlad said with amusement before turning around and walking towards the house. "It's frightfully cold out here. Come along, I'll show you to your room."

Danny hesitated for a few seconds before following, his expression bewildered.

Vlad noticed the boy's expression as he shot him a glance without turning his head.

Vlad chuckled. "Why so surprised Daniel? Did you think I was going to keep you in a cage?" Vlad asked teasingly, stepping into his house.

Danny began to wonder if the man could read minds but quickly pushed the creepy thought aside. "Actually yeah, I did." He murmured, not expecting Vlad to hear him.

Vlad laughed full heartedly once more. "Daniel, you can not possibly think I'm that heartless!" He replied mockingly.

Danny glowered at the man's hypocritical remark but didn't reply.

The teen looked around the castle and swallowed thickly. The place was creepier then he remembered. He promptly turned his focus back to the man in front of him knowing he couldn't lower his guard around him.

"Now there are a few things you need to know." Vlad informed as they walked up the stairs. "First off, breakfast is served at 8 am, lunch at 12:30 pm, Supper at 6pm, and Tea at 2pm and 7pm. The kitchen is always opened so if you get hungry in between then you are more then welcome to let the chef know."

Vlad walked down a corridor, continuing his talk without looking at the young boy following behind "Contrary to what you believe I am not keeping you locked in a cage or in your room for that matter so feel free to roam around as long as you stay within the confines of the estate. _That _does not include the Ghost Zone, Daniel...I do not see why you would want to go there, anyways…" He added with a chuckle. "But yes, you can go anywhere you please around here _Except _For my private dormitory _and_ study." Vlad stopped abruptly, almost causing the teen behind him to walk into him. Vlad whirled around to look down at the boy dangerously.

"So _help me_ Daniel if I even suspect of you going into either of those two places." He threatened, his eyes flashing red.

Danny's eyes widen in alarm, knowing the man wasn't even remotely joking.

"Now where was I?" Vlad asked himself in a lighter tone before resuming his walk down the hallway, his hands behind his back. "I'm sure you have already noticed that my staff are mostly ghosts, so do not be surprised if your ghost sense goes off regularly. I strongly recommend that you do not upset any of them; they do not…_sympathize_ with you very much." Vlad said nonchalantly, before his tone turned into amusement at his last comment.

Danny sighed angrily. _"Great, now I have to live in a house full of ghosts who probably want to waste me."_

"_Unfortunately_ for you, I'm a very busy man, so I will not always be around, but we both know I don't need to be to know if you're misbehaving." Vlad informed, in a matter-of-factly tone.

"Yeah, I heard in biology that most snakes tend to have a sixth sense about stuff like that." Danny snapped back.

"Ah, well at least you are fairly competent in some subject." He replied, looking at the teen with a wry smile and stopping in front of a door.

Danny glared at him, causing Vlad to sigh dramatically. "Dear boy, there really is no need for all this hostility. You should be glad to be here. Anything you desire is now at your fingertips, all you need to do is ask and it's yours."

Danny's glare fell into a look of pondering, before replying. "Gee, that sure sounds tempting, but my parents taught me not to accept things from fruit loops." He replied with a smirk.

Vlad simply gave him an even smile, deciding not to retort to the teen's insult. "Here we are little badger; I do hope the room is to your liking." He said, opening the door.

Danny gave the man a wary look at his overly calm demeanor. With a quiet sigh he stepped in, staring at the vast room that had to be at least four times the size of his.

Vlad observed the boy's actions from the doorway. "I'm sure you are exhausted, but if you-"

Abruptly, Danny whirled around, stopping the man in mid sentence. Before Vlad could react Danny shoved him away from the door and slammed it with glare in his face.

"That jerk doesn't know when to stop talking" Danny murmured darkly, looking at the dim, candle lit room with despise.

He stood silently in the middle of the room, his anger quickly falling. The room felt so empty, yet it had everything a person could ever want.

Danny walked towards the bed but instead of sitting on it he sat down beside it on the rug and rested his head against the mattress' side.

The teen stared at his surroundings momentarily, before chuckling bitterly. "Well, at least I got out of Lancer's detention tomorrow" he told himself in cynical amusement, staring at the barely visible quarter Moon outside the dark windows, before his gaze went to his duffle bag. Opening it he took out a picture frame containing his family and friends.

He stared at it silently. What would they think when they found out he left? Would they be angry at him for it? Would they think he's a coward once they read his letters? Danny sighed. What would happen to him? Would he ever see them again?

Danny ran his fingers across everyone he cared about sadly, before closing his eyes painfully, fearing the answers to his questions.

Gripping his bag, Danny buried his face in it, feeling so overwhelmingly tired; but a side of him repeatedly whispered something that made it difficult to give in to his exhausted body and mind.

"_You lost them"_

* * *

Vlad was nothing short of shocked at having Danny shove him out of the room. He glowered at the boy's actions but decided not to pursue the matter; he got what he wanted after all and that's all that he cared for at the moment… still he made a mental note to check on him later.

Vlad stepped away from the door and headed to his dormitory. A smirk played on his lips as he walked down the corridor. _"Let's see how long that wit of yours last"_ he thought wickedly.

* * *

For those who wanted to kill Vlad In My Little Badger (cough- Invader Johnny-), I don't know what you want to do to him in this one. I was actually going to update this until next saturday, but someone requested an early update as their prize for guessing what Badger Danny was. I'm sorry I forgot your name and deleted your message you sent me, but everyone say thank you! Also a big thanks to my two betas: Enigmatic Penguin and Me Against the World. Check out their accounts under my favorites. They have really awesome stories!!!! I can not thank them enough for helping me out with this long and complicated story!

I also want to thank everyone for reviewing! I'm almost at 100 reviews and we are not even one fourth of the way onto this story! You guys rock! Thank you so much for all your kind words. Please keep them coming; maybe I'll reach 100 with this chapter- crosses fingers-


	10. Chapter 9: Awakening

Hello everyone! Checkmate lives! Here is the long awaited discovery of Danny's disappearance; enjoy!

**

* * *

**

Tucker turned on his bed as his mind slowly regained consciousness. He faintly heard shuffling outside his room but thought nothing of it since he was sure it was just his mom getting up to make breakfast. He snuggled his bed covers closer, deciding to sleep a little longer. Suddenly a high-pitched scream shattered the peaceful calm in the house.

Tucker sat up with a jolt, clearly awake now. "Mom! What's wrong?" Tucker exclaimed, racing out of his room.

Stepping out, he saw his mom near the open bathroom, holding her chest, and staring fearfully down the stairs.

Directing her gaze towards her son, her expression changed into anger.

"Tucker! What is Danny's dog doing here? I almost had a heart attack!" his mom reprimanded, pointing her finger down the stairs at the dog.

Tucker stared at his mom with a quizzical look before turning his attention to the Dalmatian pup running around the living room. "I uh..."

"Never mind, Tucker, just make sure you take him out before he has an accident in the house," his mom ordered. She then walked down the stairs and towards the kitchen.

Tucker blinked, contemplating the puppy. "Um, okay," he murmured in confusion, while scratching his head. Was his memory failing him?

Tucker allowed his question to slip away and headed back to his room to call Danny. "TJ, come here boy!" Tucker called. The puppy looked at him and clumsily ran up the stairs.

The teen shut the door behind him with a smile as he watched TJ run playfully around the room. It quickly turned into a frown when the excited dog jumped on his bed.

"Hey! Get off, I'm not Danny," he scolded, pushing the puppy off his bed prior to searching for his PDA.

"Dang! I need to stop falling asleep with that thing," he commented as he lifted the covers to see if his cherished device was somewhere under them.

The teen smiled when he found the PDA close to his headboard. He turned it on and waited for the device to boot up.

As he waited, Tucker's peripheral vision caught sight of something on his night stand. Shifting his eyes to the stand he identified it as a folded sheet of paper with his name on it.

"_What's this?"_ he thought, taking hold of the folded paper and opening it.

_Tuck,_

_I don't really know how to start or how to tell you this, but I do know I want to make it clear that this has nothing to do with you or Sam. I just need to leave, Tuck. I know the least I could do is tell you why, but I can't. I'm really sorry for doing this to you guys, but, trust me, it's better for all of us in the end. I know that saying that won't make this easier for you or Sam, so if you guys are angry with me for doing this, I totally understand and deserve that. Listen, Tuck, I want to thank you for always being there for me. I really can't imagine my life without you or Sam. You really are the coolest friend there is, and I'm going to miss you more then I could ever tell you in this lame letter. Look after yourself, alright? And a word of advice, don't make Sam mad cause with me gone, she might finally do one of those "vile things" she keeps threatening you with. __If it's not too much to ask, please take care of TJ for me while Jazz gets better. My parents aren't well enough to do it and I don't want him to be lonely. I really don't want you to worry about me, dude; I'll be fine, so just go on with your life, Sam too. You probably think that's the weirdest thing I've ever said, but I mean it, Tucker. I guess that's all I can really say so I better end this. Again, thanks for everything. I want to say "see you around" but I'm not sure if I will. Whatever the case, I'll always be grateful for meeting you. Good Bye, Tucker. _

_Danny_

Tucker stared with wide open eyes at the note in his hand, his heart beating faster with every second that passed. "No way," he whispered, unable to believe what he had just read. This had to be some kind of cruel joke.

Tucker read the letter for a second time to assure he had understood correctly. Several thoughts and questions overwhelmed his mind, not allowing the teen to move nor tear his eyes from the letter in his hands. Forcing himself out of his stupor, he dialed Danny's house number.

Sweat fell from Tucker's face at hearing the phone ring over and over again without response.

"Hey! This is the Fenton residence, leave your name and number, so we can call you back and blather to you about ghosts!" Jack's recorded voice answered.

Tucker hung up; his shaky hands hurriedly dialed his male friend's cell phone number.

Once more the phone rang repetitively. "Come on, dude, pick up." Tucker pleaded softly.

"Pick up!" he shouted, panic swelling inside of him.

"Hello, this is Danny Fenton, I'm not-

"Dang!" Tucker exclaimed, hanging up and frantically dialing another number.

* * *

Sam slept serenely on her large, gothic style bed. Her closed, black and purple curtains kept her oblivious to the morning sun outside her window. Given that it was Saturday, she did not need to worry about getting up early, but at the moment she remained unaware of this or anything else.

"Ring"

"Ring"

Sam mumbled quietly, the external noise invading her unconscious mind. Intuitively, she turned away from the noise and burrowed her head into the pillows.

"Ring"

"Ring"

"Ring"

The teenage girl groggily opened her eyes as the sound finally ripped her away from peaceful slumber. Regaining enough awareness, she perceived the noise to be her cell phone going off on her night stand.

With a loud groan, she rolled over and picked it up with her eyes closed. "Who ever this is, I'm going to mangle you for waking me up."

"Sam!"

Sam opened her eyes when she heard the nervous tone in her friend's voice. "Tucker? What's wrong?" she asked quizzically.

"Sam, he's gone!" Tucker shouted.

"Tucker, calm down; who's gone?" she inquired, sitting up with alertness.

"Danny! IheardmymomscreamthismorningbecauseshefoundTJinthebathroomthen IfoundaletteronmynightstandIreaditand-

"Tucker, slow down!" Sam interrupted. "Look, relax, okay? Now tell me, what's wrong with Danny?"

"Sam, Danny's gone. He left me a note saying he was leaving."

Sam frowned at the news. "Tucker, what do you mean_ gone_?" she replied warily.

"I mean he ran away, Sam!" he exclaimed.

Sam's eyes broadened. "_Ran away?_ Tucker, are you sure? Did you call him? Maybe you were dream-"

"Sam, listen to me; I wasn't dreaming. I have a letter in my hand that proves it and I did call but he isn't answering!" Tucker countered with assertion at hearing disbelief in her voice.

Dread swelled inside of Sam. She couldn't believe what Tucker was saying; she refused to believe it!

Right then, Sam's eyes fell on the two letters on her night stand. The gothic girl felt a wave of nausea hit her and her face immediately became pale.

"Sam?" Tucker called, anxiously.

Sam picked up the letter with her name on it, realization hitting her so hard it made her head spin.

"Tucker," she said slowly as she tried to remain calm. "Meet me at Danny's," she asked before hanging up.

Sam tensely unfolded the sheet of paper, her breath catching in her throat.

_Dear Sam,_

_Knowing how you like sleeping in, I'm sure Tucker already told you that I left. I'm really sorry; I know I'm the biggest jerk for doing this to you and everyone else. I wish things could have been different, but the truth is, I can't regret my choice. You know how they say; you don't really appreciate something until you lose it? Well, I totally agree. You have no idea how much I'm going to miss you. Thanks for always being there for me, Sam. I couldn't have better friends then you and Tucker. Speaking of Tuck, take care of him, okay? You know how fast he gets himself into trouble. I need you to do me a favor; the other letter I left you is for Jazz. I need you to give it to her when she's better. I know that after reading this you're going to come looking for me with Tucker. Please, don't. I don't want to be found. Take care of yourself, Sam. You'll always be in my heart._

_Danny_

Sam continued to look intently at the letter after she finished reading it. "He really left," she whispered. Sam swallowed roughly; she tenderly folded the letter and placed it on the top of her night stand. She picked up Jazz's letter and hid it in one of her drawers.

Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply in order to control the fear that started to emerge from inside of her. She needed to keep a clear head if she was going to find him.

Sam stood up and hastily did her morning regimens before stuffing Danny's letter in her pocket and exiting her room. _"Sorry Danny, but we are going to find you, whether you like it or not."_ she thought with determination.

* * *

Jack Fenton strolled into his house with a bright expression covering his face.

"Hey, Danny! Are you awake?" he yelled, making his way up the stairs.

Jack threw open Danny's door. "Son! I have some good news! Jazzy-pants-"

He stopped, realizing the room was vacant. "Huh, where did he go so early in the morning?" Jack mumbled, his excitement turning into confusion.

The man left his son's room and headed towards the bathroom. "Danny, you in there?"

Not receiving a response, he walked in finding it as empty as the teen's room.

Jack walked back down the stairs with a bewildered expression. "Son?" he asked, arriving at the kitchen. "Maybe he's walking his dog," he suggested to himself, sitting down and strumming his fingers on the kitchen table in thought. Slowly, his attention went to a letter that was sitting on the edge of the kitchen table. On the letter the words 'Mom and Dad' were written.

Jack smiled, knowing it had to be from Danny, informing them why he wasn't there. Jack opened the letter and began reading it. His content demeanor turned into puzzlement and that quickly became replaced with incredulity. "Great globs of ghost goo!" he exclaimed as he stood. He quickly ran up the stairs as the terrible realization embedded itself within his mind.

"Danny!" he shouted into every available room including the closets.

Jack's actions became more and more frantic as he continued to search every corner of the house. But it did not matter where he looked; his son was nowhere to be found.

He finally halted in the middle of the living room, bending over to catch his breath while sweat dripped freely down his face. "No, he can't be gone!" he voiced loudly. Jack darted towards the door and flung it open only to run into Sam and Tucker.

"Mr. Fenton!" Tucker cried out as Sam and him leapt away to avoid getting trampled.

Jack whirled around looking at the two teens with large eyes. "Where is he?!" he demanded with a panicking voice, seizing Tucker by the shoulders.

Sam and Tucker stared at him in shock while Danny's father looked back at them with desperation and disbelief in his eyes. "Sam, Tucker, where's Danny?!" he reiterated, calming himself down enough to let go of the teen.

"W-We don't know," Tucker replied. The fact that all three knew exactly what each meant made the truth sink even deeper within them.

Jack gazed at them with fear before running towards the RV. Sam and Tucker observed Danny's father speed away even faster then usual.

"Tucker, why would Danny leave like this?" Sam voiced, watching the Fenton RV disappear from view.

"I don't know, Sam," Tucker replied, mimicking her look of worry and confusion.

"Come on, Tucker; we have to find him," Sam stated firmly as she started moving towards the Fenton house.

"Well, at least Mr. Fenton left the door open for us," Tucker voiced to his self, following Sam into the house and towards the lab.

"Tucker, is the Specter Speeder working?" Sam inquired, while rummaging through all the available ghost equipment.

"I'm checking it, Sam," he replied.

Although it had several pieces missing, the main components of the Specter Speeder were still intact. He also noticed that the device had additional pieces on it he had never seen before. "It looks like Mr. Fenton is working on building the upgraded version, but I don't know if it's finished enough to work," Tucker informed, opening the door and climbing inside.

"A-ha!" Sam exclaimed, finally finding the object she had been looking for: the Fenton Boomerang. Sam ran up to Tucker and watched as he fiddled with the control panel. The engine roared, but quickly sputtered and died.

"Aw man, it's still damaged from last time." Tucker said, disappointed.

"Tucker, without the speeder there is no way we can keep up with this tracking device," Sam said urgently.

"Maybe it has some kind of back up power," Tucker answered in a hopeful tone. He continued to work on the vehicle, typing commands into the main computer system that controlled the speeder. Suddenly, the engine roared back to life again.

"Tucker, you did it!" Sam cried out, jumping into the passenger seat.

"Was there any doubt?" Tucker alleged smugly with an egotistical smile.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Just go."

The speeder rose in the air as the exit tunnel opened. The teens took off and emerged on the outside of the Fenton house.

Tucker lifted the top glass so his friend could throw the tracking device into the air.

"Find Danny!" Sam voiced loudly, throwing the Boomerang with everything she had. The device looped through the air, but instead of distancing itself further away from Danny's friends it turned around like a normal boomerang would and headed back towards the teenage girl.

Sam's eyes broadened as the device rapidly approached her head. "Sam, look out!" Tucker yelled, grabbing her arm and roughly making her duck. The device flew into the speeder, before hitting the back of the cabin and falling to the ground.

"Thanks, Tucker." Sam said, sighing in relief.

She headed towards the gadget and picked it up with a questioning look. "Is it damaged?" Sam wondered as she passed the device to Tucker.

Tucker inspected the Boomerang but was unable to detect any physical damage to it. "I don't know, Sam, it doesn't seem to be," he replied, while still examining it. "Here, try it again; maybe it didn't register his signature or something." Tucker suggested.

Sam nodded. "Find Danny!" she pronounced, louder and clearer this time.

The Boomerang took off only to twirl back towards her yet again. This time she was prepared and caught it with ease.

Sam sat down. Both teens stared at the ghost device with worry. "Find Danny!" she said again, studying the light on the tip of the Boomerang.

Sam and Tucker frowned. The light remained green, instead of blinking red like it normally did when locking onto a signature. "Find Danny!" she attempted once more, but the light on the device did not change its green color.

The teenagers gazed at the Boomerang for several seconds, before Sam's eyes lifted towards her remaining male friend. "Tucker?" she began slowly. "What does this mean?"

Tucker swallowed hard, his eyes reflecting the same fear as hers did. "I-I don't know, Sam," he could only reply.

* * *

After vigorously searching the town for his son and not finding him, Jack had no choice but to tell Maddie.

Quietly, Jack entered his daughter's hospital room. He was relieved to see her sound asleep.

Maddie looked at her husband and gave him a warm smile, before her expression melted into a questioning one. "Where have you been and where is Danny?" she whispered.

Jack stared at her fearfully causing Maddie to instantly become concerned.

"Jack, what's wrong?" she asked apprehensively. "Where's Danny?"

"Maddie, I think we should step outside." Jack replied carefully.

"Jack, you're scaring me, what's going on?"

"Maddie, please, we need to go outside." Jack urged.

Maddie gave Jazz a quick glance prior to following her husband out.

"What's going on, Jack?" she inquired in a normal volume once she was certain they wouldn't wake their daughter.

"Maddie… Danny… he…-"

"Jack, what's wrong with our boy!" she demanded, her husband's troubled expression making her impatient with his apparent stalling.

Jack sighed warily and handed his wife the note from their son. Maddie gave him a nervous glance before she started to read the note he given to her.

_Dear Mom and Dad,_

_I really hate to do this, especially when you guys have enough worries as it is right now. First, I just want to tell you both that you're the greatest parents a kid could have and because of that, I've always tried to make you guys proud of me; I hope I did that, at least once. Please, don't think for a second that this is your fault somehow, because it's not. I'm leaving because it's something I have to do. I'm sorry I can't explain but there are things I've decided to keep personal. Don't worry about me though; thanks to you guys I'm pretty good at watching out for myself. I want to thank you for always showing me you__r__ care and for everything you've taught me. I know that without those things I'd be in trouble; without you, mom and dad, I wouldn't be who I am now. Please don't tell Jazz about me until she gets better and take care of her; she needs you two a lot more then she thinks. I love you both very much; please, don't forget that. I know I won't forget how much you guys love me._

_Your son forever,_

_Danny Fenton._

Tears splashed the letter and streaked down its length. Maddie looked up at Jack with hazy eyes filled with grief, before they rolled backwards and she limped forwards.

"Maddie!" he exclaimed, seizing his wife in his arms in order to prevent her from hitting the floor. "Maddie, wake up!" he pleaded, gently touching her cheek. Two nurses in the hallway had witnessed the whole thing and rushed to the trembling man's side.

* * *

Danny looked up at his future self, refusing to give up. He had to save his loved ones and to do that he had to defeat the monster in front of him.

"What makes you think you can change my past?" his evil self sneered.

Danny wobbled to a standing position, pain shooting from every fiber in his body. "Because I promised my family!" Danny retorted confidently.

Danny glared at Phantom's hysterical laughter at his reply. "You are such a child!" he mocked before his face turned into a disgusted expression. "You promised?" Phantom asked with revulsion.

Danny felt his body fill with rage at the ghost's condescending look. He did make that promise and he was going to keep it. "Yes, I PROMISED!" he yelled with assurance as his scream turned into a ghostly wail.

The boy's evil self got flung backwards and skidded across the pavement, ripping off pieces of it before coming to a halt.

Danny looked fiercely at his older self, who weakly and agonizingly stood up.

"That power; it's not possible," he grunted, the pain he felt showing even in his words. "I don't get that power until ten years from now," Phantom continued in disbelief.

"I guess the future isn't as set in stone as you think it is." Danny responded before taking a gaping breathe and unleashing another Ghostly Wail with all his remaining strength.

The colossal force of the ectoplasmic waves sent Phantom colliding into everything in his way. The attack lastly hurled him into a tall building and due to the force of the impact, the building collapsed onto Phantom himself, covering him entirely with debris.

Danny panted as he changed back into his human form. His eyes quickly fixed on his evil self, slowly lifting himself to his feet.

"Well, that's it, isn't it?" Phantom snarled, holding his side.

"Time's up," Danny voiced angrily, activating the Thermos in his hands.

"Yeah, it is."

Danny spun around at hearing a familiar voice behind him. He gasped in disbelief at seeing himself in ghost mode. The ghost he was looking at resembled him exactly. It was as if he had gone through the Fenton Ghost Catcher and separated his human half from his ghost half.

Danny looked at his ghostly counterpart quizzically. The expressionless way this ghost stared back at him started to make Danny nervous. The younger Phantom's lips, however, quickly curved into a malicious smile as he started to form bright, green flames in his white, gloved hands.

Unexpectedly, he twisted around and shot the energy in his hands at the vat filled with Nasty Sauce causing it to instantly explode and take with it everyone Danny cared for.

"NO!" Danny screamed, running towards the burning building.

His ghostly self swiftly appeared in front of the teen and shot a blast at him which sent him flying backwards. He then landed on the ground again several meters away.

Danny grunted, rising to his hands and knees. The teen's sorrow filled eyes ascended towards Future Phantom who stared evilly at him. "I told you it was only a matter of time before you turned into me and_ I_ didn't even have to waste them, you did it yourself!" he accused, laughing.

"No." Danny said, shaking his head.

"Now you're all alone." Future Phantom mocked while the present Phantom gazed at him with a cruel smile, clearly enjoying the fear his human counter part's eyes expressed.

"No! They're not gone!" Danny yelled angrily, looking at both ghosts fiercely.

"They are and it's all thanks to _you_." young Phantom affirmed. Then his amused expression changed into a dangerous and menacing one. "And now, so are you," his ghost half sneered, igniting his hands with ecto-energy and then hurtling the deadly, accumulated energy directly at Danny.

"AHH!" Danny screamed, bolting up to a sitting position. The boy panted, staring around with a horrified expression. "It was just a dream," he whispered, pushing back his sticky, sweat soaked hair from his face. It was then he finally started taking in his surroundings.

"Oh, no," he squeaked fearfully at perceiving he had awakened from one nightmare to fall into another.

Danny looked down at the bed he was sitting on with a baffled expression. "How did I-"

With a dark expression he threw the violet sheets off him like they were diseased. "Vlad," he growled, knowing only he could have put him on the bed.

The fuming Danny stepped out of the bed, his socked feet landing on the soft, green and gold rug, before a few steps met them with the cold wooden floor.

His heated thoughts quickly vanished; the chill sipping into his body from the sweat soaked, shirt and jeans, stuck onto his skin, took priority.

The teen exhaled loudly in annoyance. _"I need a shower," _he thought.

Danny bit his bottom lip, surveying the room. The place appeared bigger now that the sun was shining through the two large windows, located on the far wall to his right. The soft gold colored curtains were arranged in such a way that it appeared as if the windows were shaped triangularly. The dark stained glass that made up the windows both dimmed and broke the suns rays into numerous colors which beautifully washed the room.

Obviously, this room was not a guest room like the one he stayed at for the reunion, but a master bedroom. The room like everything in the castle contained the green and gold décor with an air of gothic design. Overall the room's appearance was as elegant as it was dark.

The king sized bed the teen was standing beside, was similar in design to the one in the guest room Danny occupied for the reunion. The grand dormitory had a nightstand at each side of the bed, while the dresser and large entertainment system were located on the wall behind Danny. The furniture matched the black colored, wooden layout of the large canopied bed. The tops of the nightstands and dresser, and the outer parts of the TV stand, were made of an olive tinted marble with glittering gold specks.

Danny's attention then went to the several doors in the room. He knew that the one on his left led him out of the room, but he did not know where the four doors in front of him led to.

He walked, slowly, towards the furthest door on his left, his curiosity clearly getting the best of him. He opened the door and found an office or study room of some sort. A large, elegant desk, located to his left, took up almost half of the room. It contained a computer, various office supplies, an antique reading lamp, and a large, black leather chair. The wall in front of him was hidden from view by a large bookshelf containing an impressive library of books. There was a circular cream color rug in the middle of the dark, fine wooden floor. The windowless, dim room had an overall cozy appeal to it and the antique, floor and wall, lamps would provide plenty of light when needed. Uninterested, he closed the door.

Opening the door located to the right of the office, Danny's eyes widened in amazement. The private entertainment room contained various electronic devices –including video games- and a small movie theater similar to Sam's except for the green and gold accent. Danny shut the door, not really caring for it, considering he didn't have his friends to use it with and also the fact that it was _Vlad's _house.

Walking pass the bed, Danny pulled down the gold handle of the next door. The young hybrid couldn't help but smile at what he saw next. "Well, this saves me the trouble of having to leave this room to take a shower," Danny said with relief, eyeing the black marbled bathroom.

Danny's eyebrow rose at the large Jacuzzi tub and the walk-in shower on his left. The black marbled counter on his right contained two gold washbasins. The counter-length mirror was outlined by the same black marble that made up the counter, tub, shower, and toilet. This last one was located on the far wall, in front of the teen. The walls and floor were made of a bone color marble. The gold, rustic candle lamps accented said walls, while the gold rug, right below the counter, did the same for the floor. Despite the situation, Danny had to admit he liked the restroom; he quickly shrugged it off and stepped out.

"Let me guess, it's a kitchen!" Danny stated sarcastically, swinging the last door. "Or a very, very large closet," he added dryly.

"Eww" Danny stated in revulsion at noticing that the walk in closet actually contained clothes of all occasions… and they seem to be just his size. "Fruit loop" he murmured. He then shut the closet's door, not caring to inspect it further.

With a heavy sigh, Danny picked up his duffel bag from the ground and placed it on top of the bed. He pulled out a set of clean clothes before zipping the bag back up.

His attention caught hold of the picture frame of his family and friends on the nightstand next to him. He took it in his hands and studied each of their faces. "I hope they're not too mad at me," He whispered sadly, placing it back on the marbled furniture.

Grabbing his clothes, Danny headed into the bathroom to shower.

* * *

Heh, sorry for the wait once again, but the good news is you can expect the nest update next Saturday! Let me know what you guys thought of this chapter; it gave me such a hard time because of the notes. Even now, they still don't convince me, they just don't sound like Danny to me; my betas helped me with them though and they are A LOT better then what they first were. (So thanks Me Against the World and JH24; you guys rock out loud!!). As for my readers, I thank you all as well; your support is without a doubt motivational to me as a writer. 


	11. Chapter 10: Day One

Man, I'm tired! It's like one in the morning right now, but I need to update before I go to bed. I'll be out all day at a pool party and then a birthday party so I won't have time later. Well here it is and yes, you are not dreaming, I updated quickly for once. It's short, but I hope you guys like it!

* * *

**Chapter 10: Day one**

After taking a shower Danny sat on his bed, although, he refused to think of it as such. His eyes sadly took in every detail of the room but his mind was truly focused on his unwanted thoughts.

He turned on the television, hoping to keep his mind from thinking of where he was or if he would see his family and friends again.

"You're a strong girl, Sara; you'll be out of this hospital bed- Flick- "Lassie! Lassie, where- Flick- "And so her husband's case went cold after two years of miss- Click.

Having turned off the TV, Danny threw himself down on the bed with a loud sigh. Why was it that everything around him cruelly reminded him of his predicament?

Danny never thought he could hold so much resentment for someone, like he now did for the older half ghost. He hated what Vlad was doing to him. The man made him feel so weak and powerless, like a defenseless, lost, little kid. He was literally at his mercy. Vlad was once more holding all the cards, but this time, there was nothing he could do against it. Out of all the things Vlad had done to him in the past, this was, by far, the worst of them all. No amount of physical pain could compare to the emotional pain he was experiencing right now.

Deciding to find another form of distraction, he bent over the side of his bed, grabbed his duffle bag, opened it, and pulled out his laptop. He was glad he brought it with him because with it, he could stay informed of anything that might happen in Amity Park.

There _was_ a computer in the study room, but he did not plan on using it. "_He probably had it wired or something, so he could spy on me," _he thought angrily, booting up his computer to play cards.

The young hybrid yawned as he boringly played solitaire. He felt sleepy again. "Man, that stupid nightmare woke me up really early," he mumbled, annoyed. He didn't know why he was having _these _dreams again. He thought he was passed this, but since Jazz fell ill, they had begun all over again.

Danny's eyes widened as the next yawn that escaped him became ice cold. "_Ghost sense" _he thought, closing his laptop and pushing it under the bed. He quickly transformed into Phantom and became invisible.

At the knock that came shortly after, Danny sat frozen on the bed while his heart pounded loudly in his chest.

"Master Phantom, may I come in?" said an unknown voice.

Danny listened apprehensively, his form remained unmoving; the teen didn't even blink.

"Master Phantom?" the voice said again.

The repetition of his new title made him cringe and disgust momentarily passed his expression. After a frustrated sigh, he decided to answer. "What?" Danny asked angrily.

"Master Plasmius has asked me to inform you, breakfast is ready," the ghost replied.

Danny rolled his eyes at Vlad's title before glaring at the door. "Well, you can tell _Master Plasmius_, I don't care. If he wants company, tell him, I said, to buy a cat; maybe he can convince it to eat his gross food." Danny snapped.

The ghost remained silent for a few seconds before replying. "Y-Yes, young master."

* * *

Vlad sat at a large and elegant dinning table, reading a newspaper. He picked up his cup of coffee, took a sip, and placed it back on the table. He flipped to the next page and read on. A moment later he felt someone walk into the dinning room.

"Excuse me, s-sir?"

"Where is Daniel?" Vlad asked without taking his eyes off what he was reading.

"H-He is… well, h-he s-said…

Vlad looked up and glared at the stuttering ghost.

"H-He told me to inform you, he does not care for breakfast…a-and he mentioned something about purchasing a cat to keep you…c-company," the ghost informed meekly.

Vlad's glare went upwards, as if he could see through the ceiling. His anger, however, quickly turned into annoyance and he rolled his eyes. "Very well, you may leave," he calmly dismissed.

The ghost bowed respectfully, before floating out of the room. "He can not stay in there forever," the billionaire murmured, returning to his reading.

* * *

Danny Phantom floated above his bed, his bright, green eyes fixed on the door across from him; his gloved hands glowed with hot, green energy. He was ready to face the angry Plasmius that would walk through the door at any moment.

Seconds ticked by, turning into a few minutes, then several, and Vlad had yet to appear. Tired of focusing the energy in his hand, Danny released it, changed forms, and plopped back on the bed. "Huh… I thought for sure he would try to kick my butt," Danny said with a quizzical frown.

His attention went to his grumbling stomach. Yes, he was hungry. He had not eaten since yesterday morning, but at the moment, he would rather starve then eat with his arch-enemy. Danny, however, did not concern himself; he had snacks in his bag and for now that would be enough. He pulled out a bag of chocolate chip cookies from his bag and then grabbed his computer from under the bed. He munched on the cookies and continued his game of solitaire.

* * *

Jazz looked around the hospital room, her sleepy eyes slowly adjusting to the dim lighting. "Mom?" she called with a scratchy voice upon noticing her sitting in a nearby chair.

Maddie raised her sad eyes and smiled at her daughter. "How are you feeling, sweetie?" she asked with a motherly tone as she stood. She picked up a water container and offered it to Jazz.

"I'm okay; just dizzy," she said softly after taking a few sips of water. Upon closer inspection, Jazz finally noted her mom's red and puffy eyes. "Mom, what's wrong?"

Maddie's eyes glazed with tears at the question, but she still remained calm. She couldn't tell her sick daughter about Danny. "I'm worried about you, sweetheart." Maddie honestly replied.

"I'll be fine, mom; you don't have to worry." Jazz comforted with a sure smile.

Her mother only nodded.

"Where are Dad and Danny?" Jazz asked, remembering they were not in the room.

Maddie purposely turned her attention towards Jazz's messy hair. She combed it with her fingers as she answered. "Your father is doing something really important and Danny I haven't seen. He should be with his friends," she informed half truthfully. Jack was in fact doing something important. Both parents quickly decided it was best to contact the police since it was clear from their son's letter that he had truly ran away. Jack advised his wife to stay with their daughter while he did that and continued his own search for Danny as well.

Jazz nodded as her thoughts moved to her dream last night or at least she believed it was. She dreamt Danny had come to see her but what she found peculiar was that he was in his ghost form. She had so much medication running through her yesterday that she honestly didn't know what was real and what wasn't. "_I wouldn't be surprised if I was hallucinating." _Her thoughts were interrupted by a hospital assistant bringing in her lunch. "_I'll just ask Danny later,"_ she resolved.

* * *

Danny awoke at a knock on his door. "Sir?"

The teenager groaned in annoyance. It was the same ghost from earlier. He moved his gaze towards the clock hanging on the wall and realized it was past noon. "_I fell asleep."_ Danny rolled on his back and stared up at the ceiling before answering the ghost outside his room. "What do you want?"

"It's lunch time, young master."

"Am I supposed to care?" the half-ghost replied in a dry tone.

There was a moment of silence and then the spirit spoke once more. "Does that mean you will not be attending, sir?"

"What do you think?!" Danny shouted, angrily sitting up. He had no idea who the ghost was, but he didn't care. It worked for Vlad and that was enough for him to detest it.

"Yes sir; my apologies."

Danny sighed once he felt the ghostly presence leave. He looked around and let out a louder sigh. "What am I going to do?" he sadly asked himself, passing a hand through his hair. The teen then scowled and punched the mattress. "Why is he keeping me here anyways?" He angrily left the bed and went into the study room. Danny plopped down on the wheeled chair and spun himself. "Whatever the reason I'll make sure he doesn't get it," he assured himself. He finally ceased his spinning when his attention dully went to the large bookcase. Dizzy, Danny staggered towards it and gazed up at the numerous books on the shelves. The bookcase was high enough to require a ladder to reach the higher shelves. Danny smirked at the wheeled ladder on the far side of the bookcase. He didn't need it; he had something better. The half ghost switched into his Phantom form and floated up. He didn't like reading, but given the circumstances, he could give it a try. "Romance novel? Pass. Geography? No, thanks. Paranormal studies? Eeh..." Danny shrugged and pulled out the book. He crossed his legs in mid-air as he flipped through the pages. "Ghost behavior?" Danny shrugged again and began reading.

* * *

"Sam, let's sit down for a minute." Tucker asked; sweat freely falling down his face. After discovering the "booooooo-merang" wasn't picking up their friend, they decided to look for him on foot, (technically on foot _and_ scooter). Tucker "borrowed" the Fenton Ghost Finder to aid their search. So far, they only ran into the Box Ghost.

Sam nodded in agreement and they both sat down at the closest park bench. They remained silent for a few minutes, but then growling broke it.

"Was that your stomach or mine?" Sam asked tiredly

"I think it was mine." Tucker replied in the same demeanor.

"Tucker, I don't get why Danny would do this." Sam said, desperation edging her tone

"I don't either, Sam. I mean, he _was_ pretty upset lately because of Jazz, but I don't see why that would make him leave."

"Tucker, we're his best friends; how did we not see this coming?"

"…he kept pushing us away" Tucker murmured thoughtfully.

"I should have insisted more." Sam said sadly, her gaze falling towards the ground.

Tucker placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Sam, I feel the same way but he couldn't have gone far, right?" he replied with an optimistic smile.

"Tucker, he can fly," Sam reminded with a frown.

"Still, Sam, we'll find him," he assured her.

The girl's purple eyes lit with determination. "You're right, Tucker; we_ will_ find him and when we do, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind for making us worry like this," she said seriously, before hearing her stomach growl.

Sam looked at her watch and it read 5pm. They had been searching for Danny since morning and _both_ had not eaten anything all day.

"Come on, Tuck, let's keep looking." Sam stood up, grabbed her scooter, and wheeled it beside her. Tucker nodded and followed his friend's actions.

* * *

Danny threw the book across the room, while he rested on the bed. He turned on his stomach and propped up his head with his hands. He couldn't read any more of that, no matter how bored he was. Whoever wrote that nonsense had obviously never seen, much less, known, a real ghost. The book assured ghosts were shy and docile creatures who avoided human interaction at all cost. "Oh yeah, Ember and Skulker are definitely shy and docile." Danny mumbled sarcastically. He brought his face down against the soft mattress and yawned, from both boredom and exhaustion. He had been feeling tired all day; whether it was because he had absolutely nothing to do or because his body was paying him back for the lack of sleep the last few weeks, he didn't know. He never thought time could drag any slower then when he was in school but today certainly proved him wrong. Danny's eyes eventually dimmed, his eyelids grew heavier, and he was soon asleep once again.

* * *

Walking into his mansion Vlad let out a loud, relieved sigh. He really hated going to company meetings. It was always the same nonsense! The board members would debate pointless issues or suggest some idiotic ideas that were a complete waste of his time. He wanted to shout that they were as competent as a piece of cheese, but like always, he had to put on a smile and calmly explain why their _suggestions _were unwise.

The older half-ghost headed towards his private study as he contemplated the different ways he could easily dispose of those stupid buffoons, but then he remembered that would mean he'd have to hire more stupid buffoons and he didn't feel like wasting his time on such a worthless affair.

"I much rather spend it on more productive matters," he stated wickedly, entering his secret lab and approaching a large computer mainframe. "Open file: BS-NB 3501."

"File opened and ready for request," the machine responded.

"Requesting complete analysis of host." Vlad calmly observed his command being carried out. Other smaller screens lit up and beeped, while the main screen displayed an outline of a human body. A flashing green line slowly traveled from the head to the feet, before traveling back up and repeating the process.

"Insert currently active by 60 percent. Red blood cell level low by 1.2 million per cubic millimeter. Temperature 99.1 Fahrenheit. Heart Rate 85 bpm. Blood pressure 90 over 45."

"Conclude Data," Vlad commanded.

"Conclusion: Host's vitals low, but stable."

"Wonderful," Vlad declared. Having done what he came to do, the billionaire left his lab and headed to his room.

"Excuse me, sir?"

Vlad halted and turned towards his ghostly butler. "Yes?"

"Supper is served."

He nodded in response before continuing his walk down the corridor.

"Uh, sir?"

Vlad sighed. "Yes?" he asked, stopping once more to address the ghost.

"Did you want me to inform the young master?" the butler asked fearfully.

Vlad's expression changed into amusement "Derek, the boy is not going to bite you …the most he will do is fire a couple of ectoplasmic blasts at your head, so you see, there is no need to fret, my good ghost."

The ghost, now known as 'Derek', gulped nervously and decided to just nod at his employer's cynical attempt of making him feel better.

"Has Daniel been out of his room yet?" Vlad inquired, his tone serious once again.

"From what I'm aware of, no, sir; he has refused to eat anything as well."

Vlad nodded with a thoughtful look on his face. "Do not worry about the boy; I'll attend to him personally," he stated, walking the opposite way he was before.

Vlad slowly strolled past the stairs and down towards Danny's room, the whole time debating on what he should do. It was clear he had reached a decision when two black rings formed around the man's waste, moved away from each other, and left Plasmius in their place. He became invisible and without hesitation, phased through the bedroom door.

Vlad stopped his approach the moment he noticed the young boy sleeping peacefully on his stomach with his arms as his pillow. The billionaire couldn't help but smile genuinely at the sight… he looked so innocent. Who would guess that _this_ teenage boy was really a fiery human-ghost hybrid, infamous in the Ghost Zone and Earth?

Plasmius floated closer, but halted when Danny turned on his side, huddled his knees close to his stomach and placed his hands under his face.

Vlad sighed, unable to suppress his fatherly affection for the young half ghost any longer. _"Daniel… I would give anything to have been your father instead of your enemy, to have you look at me with affection instead of hate, but life has been cruel to both of us… no, not life …Jack Fenton."_

Vlad's red eyes darkened as well as his thoughts. "_It would be so easy to get my revenge on that fat imbecile _right_ now,"_ he contemplated, his dark gaze focusing on the resting boy in front of him, while deadly, red energy slowly started leaking into one of his hands.

"_Destroying you would hurt Jack more then any physical pain I could inflict on him. I would have my revenge and I would alleviate myself of the torn in my heart that you are Daniel." _Vlad thought; all the while the ectoplasm intensified and darkened in his grasp. Danny mumbled something incoherent as he huddled his body into a tighter ball, due to the ghostly chill his arch enemy emitted. "_And yet …I am unable to do it. You are so important to me that it sickens me." _Vlad bitterly let the hot energy in his hand die. "_I need you at my side Daniel; even if the only way to do that is by force." _The billionaire's bitter expression saddened. "Sweet dreams, son," he wished in a whisper before stepping away from Danny and phasing through the door.

Vlad returned to his human form as he walked down the hallway. Nearing the stairs he noticed his butler on the first floor. "Derek, you can tell the maids to clear the table. I will not be dining tonight and neither is Daniel. Just bring me a cup of tea to my room," he ordered, before continuing towards his dormitory.

* * *

What a fun day for Danny, huh? riiiiight. Yes, a slow chapter, but for some reason I enjoyed writing this one. I'm sorry to report that you guys will see chapters like these pop up every now and then. This story is complex and because of it, it requires alot of plot building, so for those who dislike slow chapters, please bear through them. In good news, the next one is twice as long as this one and very exciting. Another of my personal favorites. Oh and it should be up Saturday! Update on MLB, well, I have the next chapter written out but I haven't had time to revise it so I'm not sure when I will update. Hopefully sometime this coming week, so be patient with me. Thanks for reading and... I'm feeling extremely giddy from how late it is so my reviewers for this chapter will get a sneak peak at the next chapter, if you want it of course. huh, sounds like a bribe, doesn't it? Well it is! See? Vlad's getting into my head! Did I mention my muse is Vlad? Well he is and he's an evil little thing... he tranqulized Benji, my beta's muse and now Me Against the World can't update her stories! I sucked him in the thermos for that, but I had to release him today so he could help me with MLB. Problem is he overshadows me alot, hence why he is getting his way in this story... He's also making me write this pointless note here at the end. He's trying to manipulate you all! Run! mkay, that's enough. Ta! ...Vlad again. 


	12. Chapter 11: Confinement

**Chapter 11: Confinement **

Vlad paused, looked at his clock and saw that it was 7:32 am. He then continued to pace his living room in thought. Today would mark the fourth day since Danny arrived and he had yet to come out of his room! The billionaire had anticipated something like this, but he would have never expected that it would last this long. It was reasonable that the teen didn't want to speak, much less, look at him at the moment, but his body should have overcome his stubbornness by now! How long could someone go without eating? And if his body wasn't enough incentive for him to leave the room, surely his mind had to be. Danny couldn't possibly stand being confined for this long. He was a teenager after all, one with ghost powers no less. It would be like a wild bird caging itself. Surely the boy should have cracked by now.

Vlad shrugged all this off, but his starting question remained. _"How long can Daniel go without eating?"_

"Excuse me, sir?" Derek called.

Vlad looked at the butler with a frown. "Let me guess, he doesn't care," he commented with a slightly irritated tone in his voice.

The ghost nodded, before leaving. Vlad sighed; he really didn't want to confront the young half-ghost about this. Doing so would only make matters worse due to the boy's temper….but he just couldn't allow this to continue.

"_If you don't come out for dinner today, Daniel, I'll drag you out myself," _Vlad thought darkly, making his way towards the front door to leave.

Vlad stopped in his tracks as he heard the phone ring. By the sound of the ringing, Vlad could hear that it was not a business call; someone had dialed his personal number, a number he gave to very few people...

Vlad approached the phone and picked it up. "Vlad Masters speaking."

"Vlad, it's Jack."

Vlad's lips spread into a wicked grin, his eyes moving towards the stairs. "Jack, old pal! To what do I owe the honor of your call?" he asked with enthusiasm, his smile never faltering.

"Something terrible has happened, V-man! Danny's missing! He disappeared three days ago and despite all our searching, we haven't even found a trace of him! Maddie and I remembered that Jazz headed to your place when she left and we were wondering-"

"If I have seen him?" Vlad finished in fake sympathy.

"Yeah," Jack replied softly.

"I'm sorry, Jack, but I have not seen Daniel …_lately," _he added mentally. Vlad could faintly hear Maddie in the background and it became obvious she could hear him, because right after his reply, she began to cry. The billionaire's smile finally faltered.

Vlad felt his heart constrict at hearing the women he loved in tears. "Jack, please tell Maddie not to cry; I'm sure Daniel is just fine. In fact, I'm going to personally look into this matter; I can assure you, I will not rest until I find Daniel."

"Thanks, Vladdy," Jack said sincerely.

"Don't mention it, Jack; I know how much Daniel means to you. I couldn't even begin to imagine how horrible you must feel to have your only son disappear," he falsely sympathized. Vlad heard his college friend take a shuddering breath at his words, which only caused his smile to return ten-fold. "Tell me, how is dear Jasmine?" he asked with genuine interest just not for the reasons he projected in his voice.

"She's doing a lot better, but we haven't told her about Danny yet."

"Yes, that is best; she is quite delicate to take such horrible news right now."

"We think so too," Jack replied with a sigh. "Listen, Vladdy, I gotta go. We left Jazz alone and she's going to wonder where we went to. Please, let us know if you see Danny or hear anything about him, okay?"

"Of course, Jack; I will help you in anyway possible. If it wasn't for a recent encumber on my hands, I would head to Amity Park right away. Regrettably, I will be unable to leave Wisconsin for some time," he informed sadly.

"Don't feel bad, V-man, we understand."

"Thank you, Jack. Please give Maddie and Jasmine my love and keep me informed, hmm?"

"I will and thanks again."

"Anything for you, Jack. Ta!" Vlad hung up the phone just as Skulker walked into the room.

"I really don't want to know," Skulker decided upon noticing the bright grin on his employer's face.

"What makes you think I was planning on telling you?" Vlad retorted, raising an eyebrow.

"So, where's the whelp?" Skulker asked with a predatory smile.

Vlad shot the ghost a devilish grin. "Wouldn't you like to know?" he quipped.

"That's why I'm asking," he retorted, his smile turning dark.

Vlad chuckled. "He is in his room, but you are not to go near him."

The hunter growled at his employer's words. "You know, I did invest a lot of time to get you the whelp; the least you could do is let me chase him around a bit."

Vlad rolled his eyes. He had already rewarded the ghost for his work. Still, Skulker was the most useful ally he had; keeping him somewhat content was always a wise thing to do. "I'll think about it," he replied off-handedly.

Skulker smiled at his reply before changing the topic of their conversation. "I completed the task you've given me; I've delivered your message to the Fright Knight."

"Good." Vlad replied, gazing thoughtfully towards the stairs. "Skulker, have you seen those three buzzards?"

Now it was the hunter's turn to roll his eyes. "I'm certain those pathetic birds are around here somewhere," he answered, knowing the three ghost birds preferred to stay out in the human world.

"Well, if you see those three, tell them I have a job I'd like them to do for me. I need those buzzards to do something else besides molt all over my house," Vlad replied in annoyance as he headed towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Skulker couldn't help but ask at his sudden departure.

"Not that it's any of your business, but I have a company meeting at nine," he replied casually, while opening the door. The ghost's eyes traveled to the stairway and he smiled wickedly.

"Oh, and Skulker? I said I would think about it, that does not mean _Yes_," Vlad warned before stepping out.

Skulker let out a frustrated growl as he walked away from the stairs. He would have to hold in his temptation to go after his prey for a while longer.

* * *

Tucker and Sam headed into the park with flyers in their hands. Three days had past and they had yet to find a trace of their blue eyed friend. "Tucker, this is crazy!" Sam exclaimed, pinning a 'missing' poster on a tree. "How can Danny just vanish into thin air?!"

"I guess he just thinks about it, Sam," Tucker replied absently.

The goth girl shot him a glare and he backtracked. "I-I mean, I don't know."

"We've searched everywhere and so have his parents," Sam continued in desperation. "And what's even weirder, the tracking devices aren't picking up his ghost signature!"

Simultaneously, the two friends let out a troubled sigh. "Sam, Danny has never disappeared like this… What if something _happened_ to him?" Tucker voiced, halting his footsteps and looking fearfully at his friend.

Sam stopped as well. Just like Tucker, her eyes radiated fear. "No, Tucker, don't even think that. Danny's fine. He's probably just too far for those devices to pick up."

Tucker nodded in agreement for his friend's sake. He knew, however, that at least the boomerang was capable of traveling anywhere to locate its target. Tucker's eyes widened as his current thought led him to realize a very important possibility.

"Sam," Tucker said, grabbing the girl's lower arm. "Maybe the reason that the tracking devices can't find him is because he isn't here."

"Huh? Tucker, I know he's not here-"

"No, Sam, _here_ as in the human world," he interrupted.

Sam's eyes broadened. "He's in the Ghost Zone," she said softly, voicing her friend's thought. The goth girl's face brightened with a smile that would make the over-peppy Paulina jealous.

Tucker smiled as well and without words they dashed out of the park and towards their scooters.

"Tucker, why didn't we think about that before? Danny uses the Ghost Zone all the time to relieve himself of frustration!" Sam exclaimed as she strapped on her helmet.

Tucker nodded in agreement. "And lately, he's had a lot of it," he added.

Danny's friends headed towards Fenton Works without saying anything further. There was no need to discuss their next course of action. They both knew what they had to do.

The teens cringed the second they discovered the Fenton's RV parked in the driveway. "Sam, how are we going to get pass Mrs. Fenton?" Tucker asked.

"Don't worry, Tucker, I'll handle it," Sam replied as she knocked on the door.

Both teenagers were startled at how fast the door flew open. Maddie looked down with hopeful eyes but the emotion vanished at realizing it wasn't who she had hoped to see.

"Hi kids, any news on Danny?" she asked sadly.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Fenton," Tucker replied sympathetically. The mother let out a dejected sigh, before allowing her son's friends in. All three headed to the family room and sat down.

"How's Jazz doing?" Sam asked, genuinely concerned; her question also served to break the tension that was quickly building.

"She's a lot better. Jack is with her right now," Maddie replied with a small smile. Each parent had been taking turns at staying with their daughter so that if the police or Danny called, someone would be at home.

"Mrs. Fenton, has the police found _any_ clue on where Danny might be?" Tucker asked hopeful.

Maddie shook her head sadly as her gaze fell to the floor. "Nothing. No one has seen him. I even told Jack to call Vlad and ask if he's seen him."

Sam and Tucker gave each other wary looks before turning back to Danny's mom. "What did he say?" Sam dared to ask.

"He hasn't seen him either. He offered to help us find him though… I suppose I'm grateful for that," she informed in the same demeanor.

The two teens and the older women sat quietly for a few seconds before Sam gestured to Tucker to stand up. "Mrs. Fenton, we're going to head up to Danny's room to see if there's something that could help us find him." Maddie absently nodded, her gaze not leaving her hands resting on her lap.

Tucker closed Danny's door once they were inside. "Man, things just keep getting worse. Vlad now knows Danny's missing and you know he's going to try to take advantage of it!" he said worriedly.

Sam scowled and crossed her arms. "Vlad's a heartless jerk. How can he pretend to care for Danny like that? He's probably rejoicing over all of this! I'm telling you, Tucker, if it wasn't for the letters Danny wrote us, I would blame his disappearance on him."

Tucker nodded in agreement. "So…how do you expect us to get to the lab from here?"

"Its 4:43 right now. Mrs. Fenton is going to head over to the hospital around 6pm to trade places with Mr. Fenton for the night; we just have to wait it out. When she leaves we'll just tell her we haven't finished searching."

* * *

Jazz looked angrily at her father. "Dad, I have not seen Danny in four days! Stop telling me he's with his friends because that excuse got old after the first day!" she yelled.

Jack sighed in response. "Ok, princess, I'll tell you the truth, but let's wait until your mom gets here, okay?"

Jazz huffed, but agreed. "Where are Sam and Tucker?" she asked after a minute.

"They haven't been able to come… they're really busy," her father replied, half truthfully.

"Or they're trying to avoid ME!" Jazz shouted.

"Honey, what's going on?" Maddie inquired as she walked into the room. Her daughter was so angry that her face was bright red and she was trembling.

At hearing her mom enter the room, Jazz directed her rage towards her. "Where is he, mom?" she demanded, approaching Maddie. At first, Jazz bought that Danny was busy. Later, she believed her brother felt so guilty -even though it was her idea and he had no reason to feel responsible for what happened that night- that he couldn't even look at her. But now, she knew something was wrong and she wasn't going to let another second pass by without finding out why her brother was not here.

"Honey, Danny-"

"No! Stop lying to me! Something is wrong with Danny and I want to KNOW!" she screamed, her rage shattering and revealing what she truly felt; fear.

Maddie hugged her crying daughter and she too began to cry. Jack placed a hand on his wife's shoulder, getting her attention. "We need to tell her," he whispered, his face trying to mask his own sorrow.

Maddie cried harder but nodded in agreement. Jazz felt her heart constrict at her father's words. Something really was wrong!

Forcing herself to calm down, Maddie coaxed her nervous daughter to sit on the hospital bed. She crouched down and held her hand. "Honey, please stay calm, okay? I don't want-"

"Mom, just tell me," Jazz pleaded.

Maddie remained quiet for a moment, clearly trying to find a safe way to rely the news to her sick daughter. In truth, there was no safe way. "I'm sure you noticed how much Danny was affected by what's happened to you."

Jazz nodded sadly.

"This last relapse was very serious, Jazz… I was so upset that I didn't think anything of his sudden change in behavior that night. Your father and I thought he was starting to handle your illness." Maddie shook her head, her eyes falling to their joined hands. "He seemed so calm when we saw him; he was encouraging _us_ to keep our heads up!" Jazz observed her mom take a deep breath, before continuing. "When I asked Sam and Tucker about him they told me the same thing. He was acting so distant and-

"Mom, where's Danny?" Jazz interrupted, unable to take her mother's stalling any longer.

Maddie's fear filled eyes rose to meet Jazz's. "We don't know," she whispered.

Jazz gasped in disbelief. "Mom, what do you mean you don't know? How could you not know?"

"Jazz, he ran away!" her mom exclaimed, her tears returning.

Jazz just stared at her mom's crying form. Danny left? No, he would never do that. There had to be a mistake. "No, mom," Jazz said, shaking her head in denial. "Danny wouldn't run away. T-There's gotta be some mistake; he's probably-"

"Jazz," Maddie cut off in a sober voice. "There is no mistake; Danny left. He-"

"No!" Jazz angrily yelled, pushing away from her and standing up. "How could you guys even think something like that?" she continued, turning her attention towards her dad. "Danny doesn't run away from things! He's gone through too much to do something like that and if you two had bothered to notice him, you would know that too! …Wait… you're lying to me again!" she accused, her fear igniting her rage further. "I'm not going to drop dead from knowing the truth! And even if I did, it's not like you would care because all you care about is YOUR SICK OBBESSION WITH GHOSTS!"

"JAZZ!" her mom exclaimed, while Jack looked at her with shocked and hurt eyes.

Jazz's own eyes widened, unable to believe what just came out of her mouth. "D-Daddy, I-I'm sorry; I didn't-"

"We are not lying to you," Jack assured in an emotionless tone as he pulled out a letter from his pocket. Without another word, he shoved the letter into his daughter's hands and left the room.

Jazz shut her eyes in regret. "I didn't mean that, mom," she said softly.

"I know, sweetie." Maddie comforted, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Jazz looked down at the note. Its worn appearance showed just how much it had been handled. The letter read 'To: mom and dad' in her brother's handwriting. Without further hesitation, she opened it and read its contents.

By the time she was done, Jazz was breathing heavily and her face was overwhelmed with tears. "He really left," she whispered, turning towards her mom who had been watching her the whole time. "He really left," she repeated as her mom pulled her into a gentle hug. "And… it's my fault."

Jazz sobbed freely in Maddie's embrace. "Oh sweetie, it's not your fault," her mother assured. It, however, did nothing to deter Jazz from believing she was responsible for her brother's disappearance. _"He left because he felt responsible for what happened to me …it wasn't a dream, he really was here… to say goodbye." _

* * *

Danny paced in front of his bed, mumbling incoherently. A few minutes later, he grunted in frustration. "Who am I kidding? I can't stay in here forever!"

The young half-ghost sat down on the wooden floor, in front of his bed and banged the back of his head repeatedly against the footrest. He felt suffocated despite the size of the room he was in. His stomach was now hurting from the lack of food. All the sugar he could eat just wasn't enough anymore. He had been confined to this room for more then three days now and he just couldn't stand it anymore!

"I can't stay here," he whispered, his voice laced with panic. Vlad might not have put him in a cage but he sure felt like he was in one. He was a teenage boy! He needed things to do, people to talk to! Danny was used to a fast paced life, both as Fenton and Phantom. Now, he was neither; everything that defined him was far away and to him, it was nothing short of torture.

Now, to make matters worse, Vlad had yet to bother him. Danny had not seen the evil man since he arrived at his mansion. He wanted to be glad, but he felt something was wrong with that. He had been certain that the billionaire would continue using his sister against him somehow.

Danny bit nervously at his lower lip as he thought about all the things the man could force him to do... not that he would give in without a fight. But Vlad _had _to be planning something. He couldn't swallow that his arch enemy would make him leave his home just to keep him as his guest… right?

The sensation of his ghost sense, following by a knock, brought Danny out of his panicked thoughts. Quickly, he pushed his pains aside and glared at the bedroom door as he stood up, already knowing who it was.

He was so sick of hearing that stupid ghost's voice. For the past few days it was the same story, over and over again! The ghost would come to inform him that lunch or whatever was served and he would refuse every time. Today, at lunchtime, the teenager was so fed up that he threatened the ghost causing it to quickly go away. Now, it was dinnertime and he was back! What did he have to do to get him to understand his answer wasn't going to change?!

"_Maybe if I blast him in the face he'll finally get it,"_ Danny thought angrily. Unfortunately, that would mean leaving the room and he definitely wasn't planning to give Vlad that satisfaction.

"Sir?"

Danny ignored the ghost, hoping that maybe this tactic would work.

"Young Master?"

"_Or not,"_ Danny thought as he rolled his eyes and crossed his arms in front of him.

"Sir?" came the ghostly voice again.

"What do you want?!" Danny finally asked in exasperation

"It's time for dinner and-"

"Look," Danny began as he got closer to the door. "I don't care if it's time for dinner or Plasmius' ballet lessons. Just leave me alone, got it?!"

"Daniel, come out of there this instance; stop acting so childish!"

The teenager's expression grew darker at hearing the voice of the only other human in the mansion. "Leave me alone, Plasmius," he growled.

If Danny could see Vlad, he would see the man was rubbing his temple, clearly trying to remain calm. "Daniel, you have been in there for almost four full days. Are you trying to starve yourself?" he asked exasperated.

"If it means that I don't have to look at you, then Yes!" Danny yelled back.

Vlad's eyes narrowed in anger. "Listen here, you sorry excuse for a half-ghost, either you open this door and come out willingly or I'll drag you out!" he threatened.

Knowing that the man wasn't kidding, Danny went ghost, willed himself invisible, and flew into the closet. He couldn't drag him out if he couldn't find him.

Not getting a reply, Vlad furiously walked through the door, only to discover the young teen was nowhere in sight. Vlad sighed. "Daniel, I am not playing hide and seek with you. Come out here, NOW!" he demanded.

The billionaire's reply was silence once again.

Vlad turned his hands into fists and stomped over to the closet. He threw open the door, looking menacingly within it.

Danny gulped as he hovered on the far corner of the closet's ceiling. _"He can't sense me, right? I never seen him have a ghost sense,"_ he thought nervously.

The ghost boy watched his arch enemy cross his arms in a bored fashion. He felt relieved when the man finally took a few steps away from the door to leave… or so Danny thought. In one quick motion, the man looked directly at him and shot out pink beams from his eyes.

"Oof!" Danny hit the floor in a sitting position and instantly regained visibility. The teenager stared up at Vlad in shock, his right hand touching his chest where the attack had struck him.

"Just because I do not have ghostly mist coming out of my mouth, which by the way must be very uncomfortable, does not mean I can not sense ghosts; and your unstable signature is like a strobe light at the bottom of the sea." Vlad enlightened, looking angrily at the boy.

Danny scowled at the information, while trying to stand up. "I'm not coming out," he stated defiantly, ignoring his stomach and mind telling him to do otherwise.

"Yes, you are; I'm about to make you," Vlad assured threateningly, taking a step towards him.

Danny immediately took a defensive stance and made both his hands glow with hot, green energy.

Vlad halted at the boy's reaction. He simply blinked at him for a moment, before an amused grin spread on his face. "Daniel, you look more pathetic then a cornered rat," Vlad teased, cocking his head and chuckling.

"Come closer and I'll show you how _pathetic_ I am," Danny snapped back.

Vlad rolled his eyes and released a bored sigh at the comment. "I do not have time for your stupidity," he decided off handedly. "If you want to stay in here and rot go right ahead," he added, turning to leave.

Danny was about to drop his fighting posture, but suddenly, the man cut short his exit. The teenager didn't see the wicked smile that appeared on Vlad's features.

Turning back around, the billionaire looked at Danny with a smug expression. "I forgot to mention, your father called me this morning," he informed the young hybrid with a raised eyebrow and delighted smile.

Right then, Danny began to feel extremely dizzy, but at hearing the evil man's comment, he pushed it aside. He gave the billionaire a darker glare, knowing exactly what he was trying to do …and it was working.

"Jack is so devastated that his dear son has gone missing," Vlad continued in fake sympathy. "Of course, seeing that we are such great chums, I told him I would not rest until I found you… aren't you glad I can keep my promise?" he asked, shooting the boy a clever grin.

Danny stepped towards him in rage. "Why you heartless monster! I'm gonna knock that sneer off your ugly face!" he growled, lounging at him.

At the last second, Vlad calmly stepped to the side, causing Danny to hit only air and fall to the floor. The teenager stood up, only to suffer from vertigo and wobble on his feet. Soon after, two rings involuntarily appeared around his waist. Danny gasped when he looked at himself and found he was in human form.

"Tsk-Tsk," Vlad gestured his disappointment with his right pointer finger. "See what happens when you do not eat. That's not a wise move, my boy, especially when you are living under the same roof as your enemy," he said evilly, changing into Plasmius.

Danny's eyes widened in alarm. He quickly backed away from Vlad who moved towards him. "What's wrong, Daniel? I thought you were going to show me how _pathetic_ you really are? Oh, I get it, you are showing me," Vlad mocked, his right hand slowly charging with his energy.

Danny forced himself to concentrate on becoming Phantom once more. He did manage to let the rings appear around his waist, but they quickly disappeared again. He didn't even have enough energy to initiate the transformation. The failed attempt left the boy with a pale complexion and a faint feeling. While moaning softly, he stumbled backwards, only to unexpectedly hit the edge of the bed. Unable to keep himself balanced, he fell backwards and landed on top of the mattress.

Vlad laughed loudly at witnessing all this. "Oh Daniel, I think _pathetic_ is too good of a word for you!"

Danny pushed away his fear and ailment, and forced himself to stand up again; he would not give into Vlad's intimidation. "You don't scare me, Plasmius. My ghost powers might not work, but I can still defend myself!" Danny retorted boldly.

The man laughed full heartedly once again. "Is that so?! Well, I would just love to see you prove that!" he challenged. Vlad stepped towards the door and opened it, before clearing his throat. "Skulker!" he yelled, his voice somehow echoing through the entire house. The older half-ghost looked back at the younger one and gave him a calm but evil smile.

Danny couldn't move his eyes away from the man, even with the ringing Vlad's resonating voice left in his ears. He didn't understand what his arch-enemy was trying to do and he wasn't sure if he even wanted to know.

"What?" the hunter replied, upon landing next to his employer.

"Skulker, I thought about your request… There's the boy; have fun." Vlad said off-handedly.

At hearing this, Danny moved his attention to Skulker, while his heartbeat doubled its pace. _"Oh man, any request from Skulker regarding me can't be good, but… would Vlad let…"_

Danny's eyes widened with fear and realization when the hunter shot him a predatory grin and slowly began advancing towards him. In turn, he backed away, frantically trying to get his powers to respond and find a means of escape.

"What game should we play, ghost child? Cat and Mouse? _Sudden Death_?"

Danny gulped and then smiled nervously at the ghost. "How about a nice game of Monopoly instead?" he suggested meekly.

"Not enough running and screaming," Skulker sinisterly replied.

Not seeing any other option, Danny dashed towards the nearest door which happened to be the bathroom. Before he could pull it open, however, Skulker managed to grab him by his shirt and pull him away. The ghost threw the startled teen across the room causing him to painfully slam his back into a wall and then collapse to the ground with a loud thud.

Danny ignored his abused body and closed his eyes. He needed to morph, but the rings wouldn't go passed his torso. His efforts ceased the moment he felt an iron grip attach itself to a good amount of his hair.

"Ahh! Let go!" Danny screamed, automatically grabbing Skulker's hand in an attempt to get it loose.

Skulker forced his prey to a standing position causing his feet to barely touch the ground. In response, Danny growled and tried to kick at his attacker, but every time he moved the agony Skulker's iron grasp was causing him would intensify. "Your little helpers aren't here to save you this time, ghost child, and by the looks of it, you can't even save yourself."

Danny was in too much pain to respond; he needed to escape! But how?

"Well, I have matters to attend to. Skulker, do try not to make a mess, hmm?" Plasmius said casually as he turned around to leave.

Danny gasped when Skulker pulled out a glowing blade. "Plasmius, wait!" he yelled. The teen quickly grabbed the hunter's wrist, preventing him from pushing the blade into his throat.

"Yes, Daniel?" Vlad asked in the same casual tone.

"I get it; call him off!" Danny shouted, fear and anger in his tone of voice. He desperately fought to keep Skulker's blade away from him, but he was quickly losing this uneven battle.

"But I thought you said you could defend yourself, dear boy, why don't_you__?"_

"Look, this isn't funny, Plasmius!" Danny said in panic. The young half-ghost grunted as the cold blade began to push into his soft skin.

"Not from where I'm standing" Vlad replied smugly, crossing his arms in front of his chest and leaning on the door frame.

Danny couldn't afford to have the blade pushed in any further, but the ghost's strength was too great for the weakened teenager. Danny shut his eyes and concentrated the best he could on going intangible. It would be his last chance.

At dropping to the ground, feeling the pressure on his neck and the pain in his scalp leave, Danny realized he had succeeded but just long enough to escape Skulker's grasp. The boy didn't waste any time and got up on to his feet to flee. Unfortunately, he didn't have the strength to do it fast enough to prevent Skulker from gripping his left leg and painfully making him hit the floor with a hard smacking sound "Get. Off. Me!" Danny shouted furiously, kicking Skulker as hard as he could which forced him to let go of his leg.

The ghost boy's eyes filled with fear at the sight of the large cannon Skulker had just retracted from his shoulder. "I hope you enjoyed your life, whelp," he stated, before releasing a hot green blast at his defenseless prey.

An involuntary, frightened squeak left the teen as he shut his eyes and covered his head with his hands. What he expected to happen, however, never occurred. The blast _did _hit something, but it wasn't him.

His hazed, blue eyes opened and discovered a pink, dome-shaped shield around him, just before it dissipated. Danny looked up, clearly surprised at still being in one piece. His now doubled vision saw two Skulkers moving away and revealing two Plasmius' directly behind the hunters.

Vlad kneeled right in front of the dazed and shocked teen on the floor, before changing back into his human self. "I strongly recommend you regain your strength because I will not save you from him tomorrow," he informed sweetly with a light pat on the boy's head.

Vlad stood and gestured Skulker to follow. "We'll finish this tomorrow, whelp," Skulker assured threateningly.

Danny watched them exit the room, leaving him alone once more. For a moment, all the disheveled teen on the floor could do was stare at the closed door, but then several shuddering breaths escaped his mouth, each one becoming heavier then the first. He couldn't believe what had just happened. Vlad had completely humiliated him, and worse, he couldn't even defend himself from it.

Danny managed to bring his breathing back under his control only after he forced his eyes to move away from the door and they landed on the picture of his family and friends, on the night stand. Danny closed his eyes and then opened them again, hoping the action would straighten his doubled vision, but he soon discovered this wasn't the case.

Ignoring the ailments caused by his weakened body, he wobbled towards the bed and curled up on it. "Dad…he called," Danny whispered, remembering Vlad's earlier remark. Despite it had only been a couple of days since he left, he missed them, and the fact that he didn't know if he would ever see them again made the feeling only stronger.

The teenager sighed shakily from both sorrow and humiliation. Danny knew, however, that his hurt ego was nothing compared to the pain of losing his family. Vlad had destroyed him the moment he ripped him away from everything he held dear and nothing the evil half-ghost did anymore would be able to hurt him more then that.

Danny didn't doubt that the man would allow Skulker to waste him but with or without Vlad's threat, he couldn't ignore his body any longer, even if it meant leaving the "safety" of his room. The young hybrid closed his sleepy eyes, but the images of what just happened kept playing in his mind. He managed to push them away by switching to thoughts about his family and friends. This quickly allowed Danny to finally fall into a deep sleep.

* * *

"Well, that takes care of that," Vlad stated smugly to himself as he walked down the hall with Skulker beside him.

"You should have let me blast him," the hunter commented with annoyance.

"Oh, come now, Skulker, what possible satisfaction could you get out of attacking Daniel while he's so defenseless?" Vlad retorted.

Skulker nodded his head. "I suppose you're right, although, he did put up a pretty good fight if you take into account how weak he was." Vlad rolled his eyes, but said nothing. "So tell me when I should pay the pup a visit tomorrow," he added excitedly.

"You are not." Vlad replied coolly.

"But you said-

"I just said that to get him to eat. I have no intention of hurting the boy, Skulker. If I did, I could easily do that myself," Vlad informed in a matter-of-factly tone as they walked down the house's main stairs.

Skulker gave him an irritated look. "So, you have your prize, what now?"

Vlad smiled knowingly. "Now, I wait."

"You wait?"

"That's right."

Skulker studied his employer for a moment, clearly baffled. "Is this some type of riddle?"

Vlad rolled his eyes once more. "Skulker, weren't you building a new armor for yourself?"

"Oh, yes… I'll see you later," he replied before quickly flying off.

Vlad let out a breath of relief at getting rid of the ghost; he could get so annoying at times. As the billionaire headed towards the kitchen, a strange smile suddenly appeared on his face. The cause? Only he knew.

* * *

Sam boarded the Specter Speeder while Tucker activated the Fenton portal. The doors opened, revealing the ghostly world within and illuminating the lab in an eerie green color. The floating vehicle took off into the Ghost Zone with two determined teenagers operating it.

"Let's see if Danny's in here," Tucker said, activating the locator on the speeder.

"Real world item detected," the machine announced and the outline of a human body appeared on the computer screen.

"Tucker, it's Danny! It has to be!" Sam exclaimed, speeding towards the location the tracker was showing.

* * *

Yes, I know cliff hanger, bad Pearl! My evil Vlad muse is asleep at the moment and I am very well rested so no crazy rant as before. I just wanted to apologize for the long wait with MLB; I am having problems with the next chapter's flow, but I will get it up sometime this week. I will be starting a new fic, an AU, called "Dawning of a Sun." when I finish MLB, so that will be another fun ride I'd love for you all to join me on, yes? Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter... it seems I have lost some readers after those long waits... so many thanks to those who are still with me! -Jack Fenton hug- 


	13. Chapter 12: Searching

**Chapter 12: Searching**

"Keep a look out, Tucker," Sam asked in a wary tone. Sure that the dark and cold environment was her kind of place, but she couldn't forget that Danny's enemies lived here, and that important fact didn't really allow her to enjoy the scenery.

"Sam, what good would it do? None of the weapons are working on this thing; we're lucky it's even moving at all!" Tucker replied nervously.

Sam shrugged. "I would just rather see it coming," she said calmly. Tucker gave her a weird look in response; the goth could be so morbid sometimes, but then again, that shouldn't be a surprise to him. "I just wish this stupid thing would go faster!" she exclaimed in frustration.

"Like I said, be grateful it's even _moving_. Although, I really don't know how long the back-up power will last," Tucker added with a thoughtful frown.

Whatever response Sam was about to give her friend was quickly forgotten when they felt something violently shove the speeder to the side.

"Tucker, what was that?"

"I-I don't know; it felt like- A really big, green lizard with red eyes, a long spiky tail, and sharp teeth trying to eat us!"

"Wow, you really narrowed it down," Sam said with a quizzical and surprised expression towards her friend.

"Uh-huh," Tucker squeaked, grabbing the girl's face and turning it to look forward.

"Oh," Sam responded meekly, seeing the front part of the speeder inside the mouth of what really was a giant ghost lizard. The teens were brought out of their stupor as the ghost animal began to viciously shake the floating transporter from side to side.

"Sam, put it in reverse! Do _something_!" Tucker yelled in panic.

"It won't move! That thing has its teeth jammed into the speeder!" Sam yelled back as she continued to ram the accelerator in reverse. The only thing that her actions caused, however, was the speeder to smoke from the damage it was receiving as it was simultaneously pulled in opposite directions.

"Tucker, you have to find a way to get one of the weapons to work or we're going to become lizard chow!" Both teens couldn't help but think about the irony of being eaten, just with different points of view.

The techno-geek frantically pounded instructions into the speeder but all his attempts to get something to workwere futile. "It is no use, Sam; there just isn't enough power to activate any kind of weapon on this thing."

Suddenly, the lizard bit harder into the speeder causing the engine to release an even greater amount of smoke. To the teens' luck, the ghost immediately let go of its snack as the fumes began to overwhelm its senses.

"SAM, DRIVE!" Tucker shouted.

Her friend didn't have to tell her that twice; Sam slammed down the accelerator in reverse before making a U-turn and flying as fast as they could away from the lizard.

Realizing its meal was getting away, the ghost let out a mighty roar and chased after the duo.

"Sam, it's gaining on us!"

"What do you want me to do?! This thing won't go any faster!"

The teens screamed as the ghost rammed its head into the side of the speeder, causing Sam to momentarily lose control of the steering wheel.

The monster arched its body for another assault but it was never able to carry it out. What seemed to be out of nowhere, a black and white blur appeared and charged full force at the creature.

The two friends watched the being, who was moving too fast to get a clear view, deliver an upper cut to the lizard's face, sending it tumbling into the vast space around it.

"Danny?" Sam and Tucker asked each other, but an answer came from the ship's onboard computer itself.

"**Real World item found."**

Danny's friends ran to the back of the speeder, both hoping to get a better view of the battle going on outside.

They quickly opened a small hatch in the back revealing a window. They looked outside, only to gasp when they saw how the lizard hit the unknown entity with a powerful swipe of its large tail. The figure was sent hurdling across the atmosphere, letting out a loud and _high-pitched_ scream.

The two friends' faces immediately dejected; that wasn't Danny's voice, meaning it couldn't be their missing friend out there. Sam and Tucker's realization was further proven, when the mysterious being finally stopped moving and held its head in its hands.

The duo's dejected expression turned into that of surprise. It wasn't Danny, but in some way it was though. "Danielle," both Tucker and Sam said softly.

The ghost girl charged at the beast once more giving it a strong kick in the belly. The lizard howled in pain, but only for a moment. The strong animal-ghost recovered fast and then started to growl angrily, glaring at the girl menacingly. The beast quickly drew back its head and shot out a green liquid from its mouth. Danielle yelped as she dodged the attack, although, just barely. The liquid only hit air except for a few drops that fell on the side of the specter speeder.

"Boy, I'm glad that wasn't me," the young girl stated, watching what she figured was the beast's saliva eating away at the metallic surface of the ship.

Danielle charged yet again at the ghost lizard and effectively delivered a set of punches and kicks at the creature's belly and face. In turn, the ghost snapped at the girl with its teeth and swiped with its claws and tail, but not once did it land an attack.

As pain began to overwhelm the lizard it stopped trying to attack and instead attempted to dodge its little attacker, but she was just too fast. "Go find yourself another snack, lizard breath!" the twelve year-old said before firing an ecto-ray at the monster. Finally realizing it was outmatched the large ghost lizard fled.

Danielle watched with triumph as the creature disappeared into the depths of the Ghost Zone, but then suddenly, a wave a weakness spread through her, and her expression changed into dread. _"No, not again,"_ she thought fearfully. _"I have to stay calm, I can do this."_ She slowly and carefully breathed in and out, trying to relax her body again. Danielle sighed in relief as she started to feel a bit better once more. She took a sturdy intake of air, before flying towards the speeder.

"Sam? Tucker?" Danielle asked with a surprised tone as she landed in front of them and reverted back into her human form. "What are you guys doing here? …And where is Danny?" she added, upon realizing her "cousin" was nowhere in sight.

"Danielle, have you seen Danny lately?" Sam asked instead of replying.

The ghost girl shook her head. "It's Danni, and no, I haven't seen him since the whole thing with D- Vlad," she replied as she sat down to rest. "Why? Do you think he's here? In the Ghost Zone?" she questioned curiously.

"We thought he was," Tucker answered sadly.

Danielle frowned at the two troubled teens. "Aw, don't worry. I'm sure he'll show up; he's probably fighting some ghost," she reassured them with a smile.

Tucker and Sam looked at each other upon hearing her words; the look on their faces made the younger girl's smile vanish. "He's not, is he?" she voiced warily. "Where's Danny, you guys?" the adolescent asked, standing up.

Sam sighed. "I wish we knew; we haven't seen him in over three days."

"What? Three days?!" Danielle exclaimed with shock.

"Yeah… look, let's head back to Danny's house; we'll explain on the way," the goth teen said

The younger girl nodded. All three kids took their own seats and they headed back to Fenton Works.

"I guess… we should first tell you what happened to Danny's sister," Sam stated, looking back at Danielle from the co-pilot seat.

Tucker nodded, his gaze focused on navigating through the ghostly world. "Yeah, and that started over two weeks ago…"

* * *

As soon as the three teenagers arrived back at the Fenton's they snuck pass Jack and headed up to Danny's room so that they could continue to talk in private.

"Ow" Danielle mumbled as she rubbed the sore spot on her forehead. Sam decided to use the ghost girl to test out the Fenton Boomerang. To both girls' dismay the device was working fine.

"So none of the tracking equipment has been able to pick him up?" Danielle asked with concern, while she continued to nurse the bump on her head.

The two teens shook their heads sadly. The young girl paced Danny's bedroom floor for a moment, before speaking once more. "well, I don't get that at all, but the only explanation for his disappearance, I_ can _think of is that Vlad captured him …or maybe another one of his enemies."

"We thought about that too," Sam admitted with a frown, while her hands fidgeted with the boomerang, "but that's just the problem, he wasn't captured by anyone, he…just left. Half of his things are gone and his letters…" Sam shook her head and sighed. "Danny planned all this out."

Tucker, who had been sitting on Danny's bed this whole time, watching the both standing girls talk, finally spoke. "Yeah, and my name would stop being Tucker the day Danny would go to Vlad's willingly."

Danielle placed her hands in her jean pockets and nodded. "Yeah, he'd never go to there… I guess it's just hard to believe Danny would leave. I mean, doesn't he see what a great life he has? …he's so lucky." Her last comment was said in a whisper, and so the older teenagers didn't catch it.

Sam sat down next to Tucker and placed the boomerang on the mattress beside her. The room had fallen quiet after Danielle's words, but Tucker quickly broke the silence. "So, where have you been?"

Danielle snapped out of her thoughts at the boy's question and turned her blue eyes towards him. "In the Ghost Zone mainly. For some reason my ectoplasm remains stable there. When I do come out here, I don't stay long because I start to get really weak, even when I'm in this form," she informed, pointing at her human body at the end.

"Wow, that must stink, Danielle," Sam said sympathetically.

The twelve year old shrugged. "Not really, the Ghost Zone has just about everything that this place does; I even go to school there. Oh and like I said, it's Danni."

"There's a school in there?" Sam and Tucker asked simultaneously with a surprised tone in their voices. Sam then added "Oh and I can't call you that, that's Danny's name."

Danielle shrugged once more. "Well, it's a ghost school, but it's still a school," she answered calmly, before her arms crossed in front of her chest and she gave Sam an annoyed look. "Well if that's the case then I'll call you Samantha."

"What?!" the goth teen exclaimed, standing up and glaring at the smaller girl. "Nobody calls me Samantha!"

"Then you need to stop calling me Danielle!" she angrily retorted, walking up to her and returning her glare.

Tucker quickly stood up. "Whoa, take it easy!" he said, stepping in between the two scowling females. "Look, Sam, just call her by what she wants," Tucker proposed.

Sam was about to argue, but the sound of approaching footsteps stopped her. "Sam? Tucker?" they heard a voice call. It was Danny's father.

With a gasp, Danielle turned invisible just before the older Fenton walked in. "What are you two doing here?" Jack asked, bewildered.

"Mr. Fenton!" Tucker exclaimed nervously. "W-We're just…"

"-looking around for anything that can help us find Danny," Sam quickly explained, giving the man an innocent smile.

Jack sighed. "Any luck?"

The two teens shook their heads and the room fell into a sorrow filled silence.

Danielle, who had been observing the interaction, was distracted from it when her head began to spin from dizziness. She quickly flew into the closet, before her body flickered back into visibility. She shut her eyes and leaned against a wall, while she waited for her ailments to end.

"We told Jazz about Danny today," Jack informed, finally breaking the silence.

Sam and Tucker gave each other wary glances before turning their attention back to the ghost hunter. "How did she take it?" the goth girl asked.

Jack exhaled once more and his gaze lowered. "She blames me for it," he replied sadly.

Sam and Tucker stared at the grieving father sympathetically, but could not find anything to say at the moment. "Why do my kids think I care more about ghost hunting then about them? Danny implied it too, not so long ago."

"I'm sure they were just upset. Danny and Jazz know you and Mrs. Fenton love what you do, but they also know you guys love them." Sam consoled.

"Yeah, and I know for a fact, Danny wouldn't change you for anyone else in the world," Tucker assured him with a smile.

Jack's spirit lifted a little at hearing their kind words and he gave them both a grateful pat on the back. "You kids should leave soon, it's getting late. Maybe you two can stop by the hospital tomorrow; Jazzy-pants wants to see you," he informed, turning to leave.

Danny's friends internally cringed at his last statement. "Alright," they replied, watching the man walk out of the room and close the door behind him.

Danielle stepped out of the closet with a very pale complexion. "I need to head back," she informed with some difficulty.

The two older teens turned their attention to her and frowned at how weak she looked. "Are you going to be okay?" Sam asked.

The ghost girl gave them an assuring nod. "I'll be fine as soon as I get back. I'll keep an eye out for Danny in the Ghost Zone, okay?"

"Okay," Tucker answered. "If you find _anything_, let us know."

Danielle nodded as she turned into her ghost self. "Don't stress so much, we'll find him," she assured them with an encouraging smile, before she turned invisible and flew straight through the floor.

Sam and Tucker sighed tiredly. "Come on, Sam, let's go home; we'll keep looking for Danny tomorrow."

The girl agreed and followed her friend out of the bedroom.

"Bye, Mr. Fenton," the teens called.

"Bye, kids," Jack said from the kitchen.

"We are going to have to see Jazz tomorrow," Sam said as they walked down the street.

"Yeah, and it won't be pretty," Tucker responded.

* * *

Vlad's eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he slowly brought a needle-thin laser towards a watch-like device. Said device was currently upside down with the inside circuitry completely visible. Two rubber pincers attached to a lab table, held it by the wrist straps and suspended it at Vlad's eye level.

The billionaire pushed a button on the laser and a soft surge of electricity shot out of it and hit a small, donut shaped, metal disk, found within the watch, directly in the center.

The electricity spread through the entire disk and it instantly began to spin. Vlad smiled in satisfaction.

He lowered the laser and picked up two tiny rubber tongs with his left hand. The half-ghost then increased the magnification on the pair of goggles he was currently wearing, before taking one of the tongs in his right hand.

He lifted both hands towards the device once more. With a steady grip, he grabbed two cut wires, one in each tong. He angled them towards each other and with remarkable precision, he joined them together. Sparks of electricity emitted in all directions from the live wires but the man was unalarmed by it.

He continued to hold them together until the sparks finally died down. He then released the wires, and surprisingly, they now held together on their own. Vlad picked up the laser once more and turned a knob on it; a few 'clicking' noises could be heard as he did so. He grabbed a gold made cover on the table and placed it above the device's exposed circuitry. It was clearly part of the watch-like contraption since it fit perfectly. Once the cover was in place, the man hovered the tip of the laser above the cover before pressing the 'on' switch. A small amount of smoke emitted from the device as Vlad expertly traced the outline of the cover with the red, hot and hair-thin beam. Once finished, he turned the same knob, but just one time, and the red beam changed into a cold, blue one. He repeated the process, this time steam heavily lifted from the device. Vlad turned off the laser and placed it on the lab table. He fanned away the steam with his right hand and removed the goggles from his head with the other. He finally unhooked the device from its holding place and turned it right-side-up.

"Skulker," Vlad called as he calmly studied the device in his hold.

Upon hearing his name, the hunter turned away from his own weapon that he was working on. Instead of looking at the man, a few feet away from him, he lifted his right hand and pressed a button. "Is it working?" he asked.

"Give me a moment, the boy's ectoplasmic attack didn't damage it beyond repair, but it did unbalance the system. I need to recalibrate it," the billionaire informed as he pressed several buttons that only he knew what they did.

The device suddenly came to life and a clock face displayed on its screen. Now, it looked just like a watch. "Ah, there we go." In a flash of light Vlad turned into Plasmius and just as quickly the device lit with a bright red hue. When the glow dimmed, the device revealed to be the same one that Vlad had used to activate the nanobots in front of Danny the day the man disclosed the true origin of Jazz's sudden illness… this device also looked exactly like the one Danny had on his own wrist, expect of course, for the color it glowed with.

Vlad pressed a button. "It should be working now," he said into the band.

"Yes, it is. I hear you clearly," Skulker replied back through his own communication device. He then lowered his arm and turned his attention towards the weapon he was making once more.

"Alright, let's see…" Plasmius said with a smirk. He pressed more buttons before his eyes gazed up at the large mainframe in his secret lab. "Open file BS-NB 3501," the billionaire said into the piece of equipment he was holding.

"**File opened and ready for request,"** he heard the mainframe state through the device.

Vlad's satisfactory smirk widened. "Ah, good, that's working. Now, let's see if _this _works…" The man pressed a single button.

"**Initiating linkage." **

Skulker, who had just finished connecting the new gun to his suit, immediately looked towards his employer when he heard what the mainframe said. "You're linking your communicator to the whelp's cloaking device?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, his eyes momentarily going to the glowing "watch".

"Yes, I am. It does more then conceal his ectoplasmic signature, Skulker… And yes, I know you made it, but I added a few extra functions after you were done."

Skulker smiled wickedly. "I see; are these _extra functions_ meant for _insurance_, perhaps?"

"**Linkage complete."**

Vlad smirked evilly at the hunter. "To some extent, yes," he admitted, earning a chuckle from his partner. The half-ghost reverted into his human self, and in turn, the device in his hand changed once more into a common, but expensive looking gold watch.

"If you do not require any more tasks from me, I will be returning to my lair… I must test this new weapon." Skulker informed with a predatory smile as he willed out his new gun. "It disrupts nerve and energy signals, consequently immobilizing, and then eliminating any size of prey, all under a minute… Of course, I could stay here, and try it out on the ghost child," he added darkly.

Vlad calmly adjusted the watch he had now placed on his wrist. "If I require your services, I will call you. Good-bye, Skulker," he said coolly.

Skulker frowned, knowing that meant a 'no' from his employer. He let out an irritated sigh. "Very-

The ghost halted his response at hearing a hissing sound, caused by the ghost portal's doors opening. Vlad too had turned his attention to it and waited to see who was coming through. The billionaire didn't keep his portal locked, since, one, he had those under his employ constantly coming in and out, two, he had no real ghostly enemies, and, three, no one dared to invade his territory without his consent…. well, not the smart ones anyways. There was that blasted ice ghost, what was his name again? Klemper? He really needed to do something about his frequent visits.

Vlad's train of thought was disrupted as three ghosts flew in. "I told you going there vould be a vaste of time! My vings are sore and ve didn't even find one-"

Vlad cleared his throat, quickly getting the three vultures attention. "Oh, hi boss!" they all greeted.

Vlad smirked. "Just the ghosts I wanted to see. I have a job for you three," the billionaire informed.

"Vhat do you need?" they questioned, landing down on a lab bench and staring expectantly at their employer.

Vlad gave the mainframe a quick glance before staring back at the vultures. "I'm certain, you three, remember Jack Fenton…"

The leader of the three ghost birds adjusted his tiny hat as he answered. "Yeah, the guy you vanted us to peak to death. Vhat? You vant us to try again?"

Vlad gave them a condescending look. "What makes you think I'd let you _try again_? I have more then enough proof you three are not competent enough to waste the fat idiot."

"Hey! Ve are smart enough to vaste the guy. If ve didn't before it vas because the fancy pants ghost boy got in the vay!" another defended.

Vlad exhaled in irritation. "I do not want you to waste him; I want you to watch him. His daughter is sick, so he is spending most of his time in the hospital. I must know his every move, but most importantly, I need you three to find out what time of day he is usually home,_ alone_."

"But… that's the ghost boy's father; vhat if he catches us?"

Vlad and Skulker shared a smile at the question, before the half-ghost answered. "Oh, I can assure you, he will not interfere."

The three vultures gave each other unsure looks. "Okay… if you're sure."

"Completely," the billionaire replied with a chuckle. His amusement vanished, however, at seeing the vultures still calmly sitting on his lab table. "Well?" he asked, with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh? You vant us to go _now_?" they questioned at their employer's look.

Vlad held the bridge of his nose. "Yes, now, would be best, and if it's not too much _trouble_, try to be quick about it," he replied, anger lining his tone of voice.

"Ve'll be back as soon as ve can, but you have to understand, ve're not younglings anymore."

With that, they took to the air and flew into the portal. Vlad's eyes moved towards Skulker at hearing him chuckle. "May I inquire what you deem amusing?" the half-ghost asked with an annoyed look.

Skulker pointed at the man's lab table with an amused grin. Vlad frowned as his eyes caught sight of the glowing green feathers all over his work bench. There was also a trail of feathers on the metal floor, leading to the billionaire's ghost portal. "If they fail such a simple task, then I'll turn them into feather dusters for you… or perhaps, pillows?" the hunter quipped.

Vlad's annoyance changed into amusement. "They'd make horrid pillows, Skulker. Dusters sound better."

Skulker laughed. "Dusters it is then," he replied, activating his flying rockets.

Vlad watched the hunter fly into the Ghost Zone, before he turned his attention to his watch. "10:17," he read with a tired sigh. Deciding it was time for bed, the billionaire stepped out of his lab and headed to his room.

* * *

Ah, yes, I brought in Danielle… unless I have told you, I'm sure you will be shocked to know I don't like her. And now you are wondering why I added her, hmm? Well, I am putting up with her presence for the sake of this story…-sigh- the sacrifices a writer must make… Anyways, I just want to clear something up just in case you all forgot. In chapter… one, part two, Vlad pays Danny a visit while he is at the hospital with Jazz. He and Skulker apprehend him and Vlad reveals why Jazz is sick, and proves it by activating the nanobots to a higher level. He uses a device on his wrist to carry out the command, does everyone remember? (if not I recommend you read that chapter and also chapter two) Then in chapter two (remember where Vlad makes Danny lunch, and they have a small fight in the kitchen?) well, Danny attempts to destroy this device, hoping it will save his sister, like it did when he took the remote from Vlad in 'Secret Weapons'. Danny ends up damaging the device, and that is what Vlad was fixing in this chapter. Let's just say this 'watch' has more then one function just like Danny's has more then one function, but with Danny, the main one is that it conceals his ecto signature so that he can't be tracked. So, yes, please let me know what you guys think, I love to get your input. The next chapter will be all Danny and he gets to meet a few… ghosts, fun, eh? Until next time my wonderful readers, oh and I get to watch 'Phantom Planet' Friday, YES! 


	14. Chapter 13: Venturing

**So sorry for the wait; but what can I say, school... yeah... Thanks for waiting and I hope you guys like this next part!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, because if I did, I would not have sold it to Nick.**

* * *

**Chapter 13: Venturing **

"Danny, stop playing under the coffee table; you're going to hurt yourself." Maddie scolded.

"But mommy, I'm on a twesur hunt!" the boy exclaimed with a smile as his mom picked him up and took him to the kitchen.

"Really? And what have you found?" the woman asked while she sat Danny down on a chair.

"A blue cawr," he replied, lifting the toy in his hands.

Maddie chuckled. "Sweetie, that's a red car."

"Yeah, wred, that's what I say." Maddie nodded with a smile as she handed her son a peanut butter cookie.

The little boy's bright blue eyes sparkled with glee, a wide grin forming on his lips. "Cookie!" he exclaimed happily. "Tanks, mommy," he stated before crawling off the chair.

"You're welcome, sweetheart," he heard his mother reply.

The boy made his way back to the coffee table while he munched happily on the cookie in his hand.

"Hi Danny, what are you eating?" Jazz asked, approaching her brother.

The little boy looked up "Pevnutbudder cookie!" he replied, waving the treat at his sister.

"No, no, it's_ peanut butter_, Danny" Jazz corrected.

"Danny shrugged his shoulders before crawling under the coffee table. "That's what I say."

"Did not!" she said

"Did too!" he argued back

"Naw-uh!"

"Uh-huh!"

"I'm not talking to you no more!" Jazz pouted, placing her hands on her hips and then leaving towards the kitchen. "Mommy, Danny's being mean and…"

Danny heard Jazz's voice fade away as he played merrily under the table. "Vom!" he exclaimed, wheeling the car across the table's surface above him.

"Hey, Danny?"

Danny's eyes went to his sister, who had returned with a cookie in her hand and a calmer demeanor. But what ever she wanted to say was interrupted by the opening of the front door.

"Hey kids!"

Danny's eyes widened with excitement. "Daddy!" he shouted as he sat up, only to forget that he was still under the table.

Surprised with a hard bang to his head, the little boy dropped his cookie. He stared at it with large eyes; clearly, it was more important then the large bump on his head.

"Danny, are you okay?" his sister questioned with concern.

He shook his head in response as his eyes filled with tears. "I dwrop my cookie!" the boy said before wailing in sadness.

"Danny!" Maddie exclaimed, quickly picking up her son. "I told you not to play under the table, look at that bump," she reprimanded softly, while inspecting her crying child's head. "Jack, get me some ice for Danny's head. Shush, my baby boy, you're alright," Maddie cooed.

Finally getting him to calm down, she sat her son on the couch where he sniffled sadly.

"Here, Danny, you can have my cookie," Jazz said softly as she climbed up on the couch and sat next to her brother.

Danny's features brightened once again as he gave a big smile to his sister. He gratefully accepted the cookie, but before eating it, he split it in the middle and gave one half back to Jazz. "I wuv you, Jazz," Danny told her and cuddled closer.

His sister giggled as she wrapped her arm around him. "I love you too, little brother," she replied.

"Aw, Jack, aren't they adorable?" Maddie said.

"They sure are, Maddie," Jack answered. Danny looked up at his parents, wondering what 'adowable' meant. He soon dismissed it and went back to munching on his cookie. The little boy never acknowledged his bruise.

He suddenly felt groggy and his bright blue eyes dimmed. They became heavier and heavier, his vision hazing, and finally receding into darkness.

Danny groaned as he stirred from his sleep. With a yawn, he sat up and rubbed his eyes into focus. A soft smile appeared on his expression upon recalling his dream. _"I didn't even know I remembered that,"_ he thought with amusement. He looked at the hanging clock on the wall while another yawn escaped him. It read 11 PM. The teenager's happy mood quickly faded as the real world eclipsed his dream. With a frown, Danny gazed around the room. Surprisingly, he found nothing had been damaged or even disheveled from his recent struggle with Skulker. The only sign of his fight- if you could call it that-was the tilted lamp on the wall he had been sent flying into. Danny's right hand wrapped softly around his throat. The room might not have suffered repercussions, but his body was a different story. It ached terribly… and he clearly remembered the feeling of Skulker's blade pressed so painfully close against his neck. His train of thought instantly made him turn his attention towards the door and he dropped his hand back to his side.

Standing up, Danny slowly made his way to the entrance door. Halting in front of the door, he stared at it warily for a moment before a loud grumble made him jump. He soon realized that it had just been his stomach.

The teenager let out an irritated sigh and slid his hand down his face. "This is ridiculous," he said angrily. "I'm not letting that bitter, old jerk who needs a cat, get to me." Taking a sharp breath, he quickly regained his self-confidence.

Danny opened the door just a crease and peaked his head out to see if anyone was around. It was pretty late, so Vlad was most likely asleep by now... or he hoped. In actuality, the older hlaf-ghost _had _turned in after finishing his work in the lab with Skulker. Confirming that the candle lit hallway was empty, Danny stepped out and headed down the long corridor.

The eerie silence around him, only served to bring back his apprehension. The half-ghost looked around as if expecting something to jump out at him from the shadows; in his case, however, it was a very likely scenario. Danny halted his movements upon realizing he had no idea where he was going. He growled softly with frustration as he glanced at the multiple hallways he could take. _"Darn it! This is going to take forever without using my ghost powers, but I can't use them for this. I need to keep whatever energy I have just in case I run into those two maniacs."_

Danny randomly picked a route, and walked towards it. The vast hallway was adorned with various priceless artifacts and paintings. The teenager, however, had no interest in observing his enemy's decorative or artistic taste. What he did hold an interest to were the many rooms he was passing by. Danny couldn't help but wonder what lay behind all those doors; still, he didn't allow his curiosity to get the better of him.

Danny stopped once more. His choice of direction had led him to a dead end. The young hybrid thoughtfully studied his surroundings. He _had_ been to Vlad's castle before, so he just needed to find something he was familiar with. _"Okay, I know that the dining room is downstairs and so is the ballroom and theatre. That means, the kitchen is most likely downstairs too, since the only things I have ever seen up here are bedrooms… but… where are the stairs?"_

Danny backtracked to his room and picked another hallway. The night he came here, he was so focused on the older hybrid, expecting the man to pull something on him at any second, that he didn't pay attention to where he was going. _"I think I remember seeing some gold statues…" _

He gazed his surroundings and discovered that the corridor on the opposite side of the one he had first taken, contained gold statues of knights, lining both walls. The seven feet tall statues had a sword in their right hands and held it elevated at a 45 degree angle. The teen found it rather creepy because it appeared as if the knights were about to strike him down.

Danny quickly passed them and continued down the hall, then suddenly, his ghost sense went off, making him gasp. He froze as his eyes locked on a familiar duo of ectopusses that had phased into the hallway from the wall on his right, a few feet in front of him. But then just as quickly as they had appeared they disappeared through the left wall.

Danny let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. He was fortunate, considering the state he was in, that those two ghosts hadn't noticed him.

The young half-ghost continued walking and a moment later he found himself at a division. The teenager looked both ways before picking the one he thought looked most familiar.

"Finally!" he whispered as he looked towards his right and saw the two-part stairs. The boy walked down the flight of steps and paused at the bottom. He studied the area, attempting to find anything that might hint at the kitchen's location.

Suddenly, his ghost sense triggered again, interrupting the young half-ghost's detective work. In an instant, Danny became invisible and hid behind a glass case that held a Packers shrine.

With fearful curiosity, the boy observed three petite ghosts float by, talking to one another. By what he could see, the three spirits had a few things in common; they all possessed a slim body structure and their skin was the same bluish color as many of the ghosts he had met in the past. _"They kinda remind me of Dora,"_ he thought. Their typical maid's attire, however, clearly showed they held a different rank then the dragon princess.

Danny's focus went to the one in the middle; she looked different from the other two. For one, her eyes were red, not blue like the other spirits'. She also seemed younger, around his age in fact. Her very curly, brown hair was down, ending right on her shoulders, while the other maids had a different style and hair color. The older two looked like middle aged women; one had black hair and the other red; both wore it up in a bun. The three ghosts phased into a wall leaving the teenager alone once more.

"_Ghost maids, somehow I'm not really surprised."_ Danny turned visible and moved out of his hiding spot. He intended to walk the opposite way direction the housekeepers went, but two steps later he halted yet again. His eyebrows furrowed as he looked back at the wall he had seen the ghosts float through. _"Maybe I should ask them where the kitchen is… but what if they attack me?" _

The teenager bit his bottom lip. He felt wary from all the walking he just did even though he shouldn't. _"I didn't think skipping a few meals would affect me like this,"_ Danny reflected with worry. He didn't feel like he was malnourished and oppose to what he told Vlad, he wasn't trying to starve himself. He just didn't want to eat _here_… that wasn't the same thing, right?

The teen couldn't lie to himself; he _did_ feel hungry, but he had simply ignored his body's unease since he was eating cookies and candy. _"…Although, I remember Jazz saying something about sugar not being able to substitute proteins or something."_ Danny shrugged it off. It didn't matter; he just needed a bit of food and he would feel better again.

The half-ghost closed his eyes in concentration. What especially bothered the young teenager was that Vlad had been right about what he said earlier. His refusal to eat any kind of _real_ food had truly not been a wise move. The man's successful attempt to prove this to him left no room for any doubt. He needed to eat in order to replenish his strength or he would remain powerless, in other words, defenseless, and that would be bad.

Slowly, he felt energy accumulate within him and form two white rings. Danny didn't notice their dulled appearance and he probably wouldn't have cared since they served their purpose.

He held his spinning head with a white gloved hand, his green eyes hazed. He quickly pushed aside his weakened feeling and straightened his posture. If he had to confront any ghosts he had to make sure he was ready for it. "Or as ready as I can be," he mumbled.

Danny floated towards the wall that the ghost maids had gone through and went through it himself. He looked at the room he was now in and discerned it was a lounge by the big, comfortable sofas and the squared coffee table it contained. He turned his attention to the three ghost maids, sitting on a couch, apparently talking about some type of detergent.

"I'm telling you, Martha, it is the best thing to get rid of dirt stains," the black haired spirit said.

"But isn't that bad for your skin?" Martha replied.

"Um, excuse me?" Danny said meekly.

All three spirits looked towards the white haired ghost and immediately froze in place.

Danny became very nervous at witnessing their pupils dilate and their mouths open from what appeared to be shock. "Heh-heh, uh… sorry to interrupt you guys, but could you tell me where the kitchen is?" he asked as he rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand)

The ghosts just stared, their jaws still hanging.

Danny's eyebrows furrowed and he gave his surroundings a quick glance. Did Clockwork just freeze time or something?

"O-kay" he mumbled, perplexed. The teen let out a sigh and then floated a bit closer "Look I-"

The half-ghost halted as the maids finally reacted, but not in a way he had expected. The three ghosts scattered to their feet and fearfully backed away him.

"What's wrong? I just want you to answer my question," Danny quickly said, landing on his feet and walking forward. The teen gasped when he heard the red haired women shriek loudly. The last thing he needed was Vlad to find him here. "Stop!" he pleaded, before he was hit by a dizzy spell. Danny took a deep breath as his vision darkened for a moment.

The younger maid raised an eyebrow as she noticed the ghost boy pale abnormally. "I don't think he is going to attack us," she told the other spirits, who still held a frightened expression.

"Are you mad?! He's the other halfa! The one that hunts ghosts!"

"That's because they attack my town!" Danny yelled defensively.

The half-ghost flinched at realizing he had just made the housekeepers even more wary of him; even the girl backed away a few feet.

Before Danny could think of anything to say, he felt another wave of dizziness hit him, only this one was a lot stronger. The teen groaned as he braced himself against a nearby wall. _"I shouldn't be using my ghost powers"_ he thought before his body turned him human against his will. At witnessing the boy change before their eyes, all three maids gasped loudly)

"Oh, this is just great!" Danny murmured angrily. Remembering what he was doing, he let out a frustrated sigh and addressed the ghosts once more. "Look, just tell me where the kitchen is and I'll leave, ok?"

Once more, Danny got no response, instead, Vlad's servants whispered among themselves while shooting untrusting glances in his direction.

"I don't think he's trying to trick us," the youngest one said.

"I think he is," Martha responded.

"I think so too, but he doesn't look evil," the last maid put in.

Danny sighed with exasperation. "I am not evil! And I am not trying to trick you! I _just _want to know where the kitchen is!" he exclaimed, angrily walking towards them.

The two adult maids cringed causing Danny to stop. "Ugh! Forget it! I'll find it myself!" he snapped, momentarily lifting his arms in the air, before turning towards the lounge's exit.

"Wait," he suddenly heard the girl ghost whisper, causing him to turn back around.

"What are you doing?!" the other two protested, but their young companion ignored them.

"I'll show you where it is just as long as you don't hurt me, okay?"

Danny simply nodded preferring not to argue that he was never going to hurt her.

The ghost floated over to him. "I'm Niane," she said with a curtsy and a bright smile.

Danny looked at the girl's actions strangely. "I'm-"

"Danny Phantom" the girl spirit finished. "But I'll call you Master Phantom," she informed him, her smile still present, as if she knew something he didn't.

"Uh... I rather you didn't," he responded, revulsion clearly visible on his face. "Call me Danny."

"Very well, Master Danny."

"No, its-" He sighed. "Never mind."

Seeing that the "evil ghost hunter" hadn't attacked their companion, the two older ghosts approached him as well. They studied him with curiosity and fear, their hands occasionally probing his upper body like he was the strangest thing they had ever seen.

Before Danny could protest at the invasion of his personal space, the red haired ghost named Martha grabbed his chin and pinched one his cheeks, causing the teen to blush. "He's so cute," she stated, a contemplative frown on her expression, before letting go of the boy's face.

Yes, but it's always the cute ones that are the most dangerous," replied the other older ghost.

"No, Patricia; it's the quiet ones. The quiet ones are always the most dangerous," Martha corrected.

"What? No it's not. I'm certain it's the cute ones!" Patricia argued back.

Danny stared at the two ghost women with a befuddled expression. First of all, he wasn't dangerous, and secondly… what the heck were they arguing about?

The half-ghost dismissed the spirits' bizarre behavior with a shake of his head, and turned his attention to Niane. "Are you going to show me where the kitchen is or do I need to find it myself?" he asked tiredly

"Oh, I'm sorry," Niane replied, taking her red eyes off the two bickering maids and turning them to the boy. "Martha and Patricia like to get into debates about all kinds of things and once they start one it takes them weeks to finish or until they find a new topic to switch to, like now for example," she explained as she motioned him to follow, leaving the two other ghosts squabbling.

"It's this way," she said, phasing through a wall. Danny followed except when he tried to turn intangible his powers did not respond, so he ended up colliding with the solid wall, making him yelp in surprise.

"Darn it!" he exclaimed, rubbing his sore nose and forehead. Niane stuck her head back through the wall and eyed him with perplexity. "Can we use the door instead?" Danny asked

The girl gave him a strange look before nodding and phasing the rest of her body back into the lounge. The teenage boy quietly followed the ghost out of the lounge and down a hallway. At the end of it they made a turn to the right, and soon came upon a pair of double doors that read 'kitchen'.

Danny exhaled in relief as he walked in after the maid. "George, you in here?" she called loudly, floating pass a breakfast table and heading towards the actual kitchen.

"Niane? What can I-"

The spirit named 'George' fell silent at the sight of the black haired boy, standing a few feet behind the girl ghost. For a moment, he simply blinked at Danny, but slowly a smirk appeared on his features.

"Well, well….Danny Phantom. I was wondering when I would finally get to meet the number one enemy of the Ghost Zone."

Danny just raised his hand and rubbed nervously at the back of his neck. Was it a good or a bad thing that the ghost knew who he was? Now that he thought about it, how did any of these ghosts, he had never met, know he was the ghost boy? Did Vlad tell them he was coming? It was the only explanation, and he didn't like it.

"I'm not looking for trouble," the ghost boy said apprehensively. There was no doubt in Danny's mind that if this ghost attacked him in his current weakened state he would be down in less then a minute.

The teen noticed that George roughly had the same body structure as his father only that he was about a foot taller. His eyes were a dull blue, his hair a dark grey, which was very short and ended at the base of his neck, and his skin was a pale yellowish color. The latter the teen found quite odd since he had never seen such a skin tone before. Lastly, the ghost wore a chief's outfit, complete with the traditional white hat. "Likewise," the cook responded, his smirk still present, "but I just have to ask, why?"

"Why what?" Danny asked confused.

"Why do you hate your own kind?" the ghost expanded, his expression now completely serious.

"What are you talking about?" Danny asked annoyed. Why was everyone making him out to be the bad guy?

"You are always fighting your fellow ghosts when all they want is to have a little fun in their afterlife."

"Maybe because their _fun_ is kinda mean. And I don't _hate _ghosts and I don't consider myself your kind. I'm human too."

"That doesn't make you any less ghost; young halfa," the cook countered, raising an eyebrow.

Danny sighed angrily. He really wasn't in the mood for this. "Listen, I didn't come here to explain myself to anyone, in fact I don't want to be here, but since I don't have a choice at the moment, I'm going to get something to eat so if you'll excuse me." Danny walked around the ghost and headed further in, all the while attempting to suppress his annoyance with Vlad's servants.

Before Danny could pass in between two semicircular bar tables, which separated the actual kitchen from the small eating area, the cook materialized in front of him. "Hold on there, young halfa," he quickly said, "I might not like you, but I respect a powerful ghost when I see one, so tell me, what would you like to eat? I'll gladly make it for you."

"N-No, thanks; I can make my own food," Danny replied, feeling uncomfortable with the ghost's offer.

"Don't be silly, it's what I do." George placed one of his hands lightly on the teen's shoulder and guided him over to the closest bar stool. Danny sighed once more and sat down. The teen couldn't believe that he was actually going to let a ghost make a meal for him, a _ghost _who didn't like him no less.

The spirit phased straight through the tall table before turning and facing the teen, assuming a position resembling a bar tender. "Now, what would you like?"

Danny shrugged. He really didn't think about what he wanted. He didn't even think about it when he was home. The teen would just go to the fridge and hunt around for something that he found appetizing or wait for his mom to just make him whatever she wanted. "I guess a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is fine," he answered uncaringly.

The ghost blinked a couple of times before bursting into a fit of laughter; it actually sounded surprisingly creepy due to his deep and echoic voice.

Danny looked at the amused cook like he had just turned human, but then his expression turned into a scowl. "What's so funny?" the hybrid asked hotly, not realizing his eyes had flashed a bright green… but the young maid did.

"I'm sorry, young halfa, but this is the first time in my afterlife that someone has asked me to make them something as insignificant as that," he explained with amusement. "You want a sandwich? Then let me, at least, make you a _real_ one."

"Gee, I didn't know there were fake ones. Are turkey sandwiches also _fake_?" the teen growled.

"I can work with that. What would you like on it?" the cook asked.

Danny shrugged. "Just don't add tomatoes," he said tiredly. The ghost nodded before walking away towards the fridge.

The half-ghost banged his head on the table and left it there for a moment while he exhaled softly. Before he could close his eyes, he felt a shiver run down his spine, and he immediately looked up.

"I-I'm sorry to disturb you, Master Danny, but if you don't need anything else, I'll be getting back to my sisters," the ghost maid said shyly.

Danny nodded his head before resting it on the table once more.

Despite the boy's approval, Niane remained where she was and calmly studied him. A few seconds later she turned and floated towards a nearby wall. Danny didn't see the mysterious smile that momentarily appeared on her face as she phased out of the kitchen.

"What have I done to deserve this?" Danny whispered into the table. If it wasn't bad enough to be living with his archenemy, now, he was permanently surrounded by ghosts who were either afraid of him or hated him, and so far, all were missing at least one screw.

Several minutes later Danny's ghost sense emerged. He looked up and found that the cook had returned. "Here you go, young halfa. I brought you a fruit drink as well since you look a little pale," he informed.

"Thanks," Danny mumbled, turning his gaze to the two turkey sandwiches with everything on them. The teen picked up the first sandwich and took a bite. It was at that moment he realized how hungry he really was. To his stomach's delight, he quickly chewed and swallowed the food in his mouth, and took another bite, then another, and another. Unknowingly, he finished the sandwich in less then a minute. Danny eagerly picked up the second sandwich and was about to make it disappear but halted as he finally noticed the cook was still standing in front of him, staring.

Danny slowly lowered the sandwich back on his plate and eyed the ghost nervously. George smiled calmly in response, and the teen immediately felt sick. "D-Did you-" the teen swallowed roughly, "Oh man, you poisoned it, didn't you?" he said, feeling dizzy from fear, or was it from the poison already starting to work?

The ghost's smile fell, a bemused expression replacing it, but that soon disappeared when the cook fell into another fit of laughter. "You… You…" The ghost continued to laugh, unable to state what he wanted. "You think I poisoned it?!"

"What do you expect me to think when you are just standing there smiling weirdly at me?!" Danny replied heatedly from being laughed at again. He _was not_ going to let anyone else humiliate him today.

"I was waiting for you to tell me if the food was to your liking," George explained, still looking amused.

"Oh," the teen said, dropping his aggressive attitude, his eyes moving back to his meal. "Its fine, thanks," he answered quickly as he picked up his sandwich and bit into it.

"Glad to hear it," the cook said before moving away but not as far as Danny would have liked him to go. The ghost whistled to himself while cleaning the other bar table "So tell me, young halfa, how do you like it here so far?" he suddenly asked with a casual tone.

Danny bit angrily into his sandwich as his eyes flashed green at the question. "I don't," he replied, giving his meal a dark look before continuing with it.

"It can't be that bad. Mr. Mast-"

"Look, if you want to talk to me I suggest you find another topic, fast," the teen growled. Although he didn't mean for it to sound that way, his statement was delivered in a menacing tone.

"Easy there, my young sir, I did not mean to upset you," the chef quickly stated, nervousness audible in his voice.

Danny sighed as he picked up his glass of juice. "Sorry," he said tiredly before gulping down the drink. The spirit nodded, although the teen didn't notice it.

The half-ghost suddenly let out a gasp as his entire body began to tingle, but not in a way he felt before. The odd sensation quickly faded, leaving him oddly refreshed. Danny looked up at the cook. "What was in that juice?" he asked tensely.

"Vitamins," the ghost replied with a small smile.

"Uh, I never had vitamins do that before."

George shrugged. "Does it matter? You feel better, right?"

He had to agree, he did feel a lot better. It was as if he had just drank 20 cups of coffee, not that he knew what that would be like since he didn't drink that stuff, but whatever was in that juice had recharged his energy considerably.

Danny stood up to leave. "How about a little dessert?" the cook asked kindly with a smile.

"No thanks."

The ghost nodded. "Wait," he quickly said, stopping the teen from leaving. Danny's eyebrows creased at seeing George float out of sight. He promptly returned with another glass of the same juice he had given him earlier. "Here, take this with you," he told him, extending the glass to the boy.

"I'm fine," Danny replied, holding up his hand, refusing the drink.

"It's good for you," the ghost insisted. Danny sighed reluctantly, but took the drink from the chef.

"Thanks," the teen said, before heading towards the kitchen's exit.

"Anytime," George called out, "just give me something more challenging next time, okay?"

Danny nodded without looking back, and then walked out. Retracing his steps he made it to his room without trouble. Leaving the lights off, he sat down on the bed and studied the drink in his hand, quickly noticing that in the darkness of his room the juice glowed with a barely visible, green tinge.

"Plasmius," the teen growled. The teen turned on one of the reading lamps next to the bed before standing up and making his way to the bathroom. Danny then poured the beverage in the sink and left the empty glass on the counter. He didn't care how good it made him feel, he wasn't _willingly_ drinking anything that glowed, especially when it was probably something invented by that fruitloop.

Danny went back to his bed and sat down once more. He looked at the clock and realized it was almost midnight, but he wasn't remotely tired. His thoughts went to his family and friends, wondering what they were doing right now. _"Sleeping, of course."_ he answered himself.

Deciding to change into his sleepwear, Danny walked over to the closet to grab his duffel bag, but upon entering, he noticed there was a rope hanging from the ceiling. "Huh? Where did this come from?" he mumbled curiously, grabbing the rope. The teen gave it a strong yank and an opening appeared, revealing pull down stairs.

"Man, how many rooms does this… room have?" he wondered, gazing up the ascending flight of steps, but his eyes only met darkness. He scoffed dryly. "Next thing I'm going to find is a door under the bed…. I'm gonna check for that, but first, I'm gonna find out where this leads to," he decided, and headed up the stairs.

Danny's left hand ignited with ghost energy while he searched for a light switch. Upon finding it beside the entrance, he flipped it on, allowing him to finally see what the darkened area contained. His eyes widened as he realized the room was a big, comfy, private lounge, complete with a fireplace, but what amazed Danny the most were the huge, crystal clear, glass double doors that led to an outside balcony. The teen quickly walked over to them, opened one, and stepped outside.

Danny was so awed by the sight that the cold night wind went unfelt by him. The mansion appeared to be a lot bigger then he could have ever imagined. From what he could see, Vlad had a very big backyard. The teen frowned as his eyes caught sight of the all too familiar football field, but since his room faced the back of the house, and the arena was on the side of the mansion, he could only see the tall, stadium lights and one of the touchdown goals. He turned his attention to the other things he hadn't seen. The bilionaire actually had what appeared to be stables further out; He could see a closed in, glass made veranda and a large pool almost directly below him, illuminated by several white lights on the ground.

There were other things, including a big, dome shaped structure, but because of the darkness, he couldn't make out what they were exactly. Behind all this stretched out an endless forest. A smile grew on Danny's expression as the tall trees lifted his gaze towards the clear, moonless, night sky, overwhelmed by thousands of brightly shining stars. He hated to admit it but the view of the stars was so much clearer here then in the city of Amity Park.

Danny bit his bottom lip as he looked back into the lounge. If he was going to remain confined in this place he needed to do something to keep his sanity, and just like at home, he found that the best way to clear his mind and to relax, was to go flying at night. The half-ghost turned his attention towards the sky once more, a thoughtful frown forming on his expression. "What if my powers mess up while I'm flying? Then again, I do feel fine, but what if I'm not?"

Danny sighed, "Well, only one way to find out; I'm going ghost!" Raising his arms into the air, two spectral rings formed around his waistline and speedily traveled away from each other.

Danny looked upwards and launched himself off the balcony. He rapidly increased his altitude, getting closer and closer to the stars above him. The half-ghost smiled brightly as he realized how great he felt at the moment. He spread out his arms and made several circles and loops with his body through the air. The boy then increased his speed, and raced towards the forest. Upon reaching it, he flew inches above the tree tops and continued to fly further and further away from the castle, fully enjoying the freedom he felt around him.

After several minutes of passing nothing but trees, his mind slowly began to fill with dread. There were no other houses out here…Vlad really lived in an isolated place. A moment later the half-ghost noticed a large river below him; he headed down to it. He flew for a bit with his body only centimeters from the waterline, but then he decreased his speed and hovered above the calm river. With a gloved hand, the teen bended forward and lazily touched the water's surface, observing how the bright glow of the stars made the water droplets glisten on his fingertips. Danny stopped his actions and allowed his reflection to form on the mirror like stream. The hybrid really hadn't looked at his ghost form so intently since he found out the accident gave him these ghost powers. It had become second nature to him, but now, as he stared at himself, he questioned how he was possible… What had he actually become?

Danny furrowed his eyebrows with uncertainty as he began to wonder… Was he a ghost with human emotions or a human with ghost powers? Even when human, he could feel his ghostly side just lingering below the surface, and yet when he turned ghost he couldn't feel any physical connection to his human half; in that form he felt completely ghost…. So did that mean his ghost side dominated in his self?

"_That doesn't make you any less ghost, young halfa."_

It was disconcerting to discover that here, he was viewed in another light, and what bothered him more was that he realized this was probably how most ghosts saw him. To many he was the hero of Amity Park, a good ghost that helped humans, but here and in the Ghost Zone, he was the "villain"; he was a traitor to his own kind… but he didn't belong to _their _kind, did he?

Danny considered himself human, therefore he protected them, especially since most ghosts were evil… but they called_ him_ evil…

The teen glared. "Why the heck am I even thinking about this stuff?" He shook his head and dismissed his confusing thoughts. He came out here to clear his mind, and even if it was only for a few minutes, he was going to do so.

Danny gave himself a daring grin before diving into the cool water and quickly reemerging back up in flight, heading once more above the trees. Going intangible the ghost boy felt the extra weight of the water leaving him. He drifted lazily on his back, his eyes admiring the sparkling atmosphere. The darkness around him made him feel so tiny, and yet it filled him with enchantment. The sky was so vast and mysterious it never stopped captivating him.

Eventually, his thoughts returned back to earth. He righted himself, and looked towards the dark castle, now barely visible in the distance. The teen would give almost anything to continue flying away from it, from the place that was bringing him so much torment.

Danny sighed dejectedly and slowly flew back towards Vlad's mansion, or to him, his prison.

The boy's gleaming eyes dulled once more as he landed on the balcony and transformed back. He gave the sky one more longing look, before heading inside.

After changing his clothes, Danny got into bed. He still wasn't tired, but what else was there to do? He immediately sat up upon remembering there _was_ something he was meaning to do. Taking out his laptop from inside one of the drawers, he turned it on with the purpose of searching the internet for any news about his home state.

Danny didn't have to worry about Sam and Tucker knowing he was online; when he decided to leave, he made sure to change his screen name since one of his enemy's strict orders was to cover his tracks and he wasn't about to defy any of those orders… he already knew the consequences of doing so.

Pulling up the Amity Park Times, he gazed through different articles. "Well, there haven't been any major ghost attacks; I guess that's one thing less to worry about." He continued to skim, but immediately stopped as he locked gaze with a picture of himself.

Above it, there was a headline that read 'Resident Ghost hunters' only son, missing'

Danny read through it with sad eyes. They didn't have any idea where he could be.

"Of course, like my parents would ever suspect their college friend of anything," he stated bitterly, before giving the bracelet on his wrist a hateful look. "And with this thing, Sam and Tucker have as much luck of finding me as I do at surviving the rest of the week in this place." The teen sighed. "Not that I want them to find me; it would only complicate things, and I couldn't go home anyways."

Danny turned off his computer, and placed it back into the drawer. He then turned off his reading lamp, allowing the darkness to entirely consume the room, which was truly for the best since he really didn't want to see anything around him. Everything in this place only served to remind him of the predicament he was in.

The half-ghost stared toward the ceiling, which was completely obscured from view. At this, Danny's expression turned into anger. "Ok, even in the dark, I'm reminded of where I'm at," he said bitterly, recalling that in his own room he would always see the many fluorescent stars on the ceiling.

Danny turned to his side and closed his eyes, all the while wishing that somehow, he could escape from this seemingly never-ending nightmare.

* * *

Yes, another slow chapter, but believe me you want them, because when we reach chapter 15 (which is very soon), things are going to get... heavy... Still, I hope you guys liked this one; yup all Danny, and these new ghosts will be playing a few parts throughout the story, some of them more then others... heh-heh. Well, I have MLB all done too! I will update that a little later since I need to go to church, I will try to update before going, but I need to read over it once more before posting, so it will most likely be until tonight. Thank you all for your support and for reading! As always, I look forward to hearing from all of you! Many thanks, and see ya over at MLB later! Ta! 


	15. Chapter 14: Findings

**Chapter: 14: Findings**

Vlad Masters sat in his grand dining room for breakfast. Despite the fact that he had gone to bed around 10:30 last night, the man had woken up at his usual time: 6:00 am. It was now ten till eight and the billionaire had no traces of exhaustion in his visage. On the contrary, he looked more then awake, in truth he was down right ticked off. But it was clear that his anger was due to whatever news he had just received from the person he was currently talking to over the phone.

"They did what?!" Vlad shouted, his hold on the phone tightening. The man paused, clearly listening to the person on the other end while he forcefully stabbed a cut piece of melon with his fork only to leave the utensil attached to it as he abruptly let it go. "No, I did not approve of that! Why the blazes would I concede to something that would put DALV's financial status at risk?!"

The billionaire paused once again. "I understand, Stephanie, but tell them my answer is still, n-

……………...

Vlad sighed as he turned his attention back to his fruit salad. "Is that so?"

………………

"No, no, I'll take care of this personally."

………………..

"Uh-huh," Vlad replied, before hanging up the phone.

"Coffee, sir?" asked Derek, the butler. The billionaire nodded while rubbing his temple.

"Are there any competent people left on this planet?" he mumbled to himself.

With a deep sigh he dismissed his frustration and picked up the newspaper on the table to continue reading it. "Packers win 42 to 8, how wonderful!" Vlad exclaimed happily before taking a sip of his coffee.

Vlad quietly enjoyed his breakfast for a moment longer, but eventually looked at his wristwatch and realized it was getting late.

"_I suppose the sooner I leave the less chance there is of having one of my companies set aflame in my absence,"_ the billionaire thought with annoyance, while he took a final sip of his coffee. He grabbed the napkin on his lap and elegantly dabbed his mouth. After placing the napkin on the table, he got up and headed out of the dinning room.

"_Now, where did I store those contracts I signed?…Ah, yes, in my briefcase,"_ he recalled as he climbed the main stairway. _"Since I'll be heading to _DALV, _I might as well stop at Vlad Co. to-"_

Vlad abruptly halted his pondering and steps upon reaching the top of the stairs. As he caught sight of the corridor to his left, he immediately switched his thoughts to the boy now living in his house.

"Oh, that's right," he mumbled for reasons only he knew of. He then turned right and continued towards his private study.

Vlad looked for his briefcase and saw that it was beside the desk. He picked it up and placed it on top of the desk. The man quickly opened it and checked through the folder and papers within to make sure he had everything he needed. Closing the case, he grabbed it and left his study, checking his watch again.

The billionaire made it back to the first floor, but instead of heading to the front door he made a right at a hallway leading towards the kitchen.

"Good Morning, Sir," the three maids greeted him with a smile as they floated by.

"Good Morning," Vlad replied casually. He continued forward, but then abruptly halted. "Oh, Patricia?"

"Yes, sir?" the spirit asked, turning to face her employer.

"Take care of the boy's room today, but use caution, hmm?"

"Yes, Master Plasmius," the ghost replied nervously, before watching the man walk away from her.

Vlad entered the kitchen, and immediately spotted the spirit he was looking for.

"Good Morning, Mr. Masters, what can I do for you?" the cook acknowledged his employer with a nod.

"George, did the boy come by yesterday?"

"He sure did, sir, and if I may be so bold to say, that young halfa has some temper!"

The billionaire chuckled and nodded in agreement. "Did you give him the spectral vitamins as I ordered?"

"Yes, sir, I mixed it in his drink. He became very apprehensive after he realized they were in there, but I did manage to give him two glasses of it."

"Good. The boy does not eat properly when he's under a lot of stress, so continue giving him those vitamins, but… just add a fourth of the dose I told you; that should keep him from feeling its effects. Otherwise, Daniel won't take them willingly; in fact, I'm quite surprised that he accepted another glass of his beverage after he found out you added the spectral vitamins to the first."

"Well, I saw him consume the first glass, but he took the second one with him."

"Ah, he didn't drink it," Vlad assured with a smirk. "For obvious reasons, the boy doesn't trust ghosts, especially those that work for me. That's why it is best if he doesn't know he's taking these vitamins; it will avoid further suspicion on his part."

"I understand, and I'll see to that," the cook replied.

"Thank you, George. Oh, one more thing. I will most likely be out all day, so just worry about the boy today."

The ghost chef smiled. "Well, at least I'll finally be able to tend to someone more often than once in a while, even if it must be the infamous Danny Phantom."

Vlad frowned at him. "George, I understand your dislike for Daniel, but like I've told you all before, I will not tolerate any acts against him.

The spirit chuckled deeply. "Of course, sir, I would never disrespect your orders, and besides, you know I am not one for conflicts; I'm far too old for those sorts of things."

Vlad simply nodded. "I really must be going; Ta, George," he said, turning to leave.

"Good-bye, Mr. Masters; have a pleasant day," the ghost replied before seeing his employer exit the kitchen.

"Carl?" Vlad called when he noticed his ghostly chauffeur waiting for him by the door. "I need to head to DALV's main branch. I have a couple of things to attend to."

"Yes, sir," the ghost replied, opening the front door for his employer before stepping out.

* * *

Danny tossed and turned in his bed as another nightmare robbed him of any form of peaceful slumber. The young hybrid continued to mumble incoherently for a moment longer until finally, his dream became too intense and his mind found the only way out. "Get away!" he screamed, abruptly sitting up and firing an energy blast from his right hand. The ecto-energy hit the wall in front of the teen and left a smoking, circular indention.

The boy cringed upon waking enough to realize that he had been having a dream and that he just attacked the wall instead of Vlad.

"Great! Now he's in my dreams, too," the boy said angrily, before throwing the covers off him and heading towards the closet. After grabbing a set of clothing from his bag, he went into the bathroom to do his morning routine.

About fifteen minutes later, Danny came back out, towel drying his hair. The teen hissed quietly, and even flinched a few times, at the touch of his still tender scalp.

"Stupid Skulker! I'll get him for this!" he growled as he walked toward the room's vanity.

Like he always did when running late, Danny opted to style his hair without the aid of a brush in order to avoid anymore pain to his scalp.

Danny frowned as his eyes went to the wall where his ecto energy had struck. He sure did a number on it; he didn't realize before that the damage was this noticeable. The boy tossed his towel on top of the vanity's chair, before stepping back a bit and tilting his head at the charred wall. "Well, at least I didn't make a hole through it, right?" he reflected dryly. The half-ghost crossed his arms in thought. Maybe he should try to cover it up… not that he cared if his cheesehead, arch enemy got angry at him for messing up his house, _but,_ it was better for him to avoid any kind of confrontation with the man, especially since he wasn't holding any of the cards, per se.

Danny was sure that any fight with Vlad would end badly for him in these circumstances. Until he found a way out of this, it was best to play it safe… besides that, he didn't see any way of escape at present. All his previous attempts to not give in to his enemy's ultimatum had ended very, very badly…. especially his last attempt. That's why he was terrified of attempting anything at all at this point; he really couldn't, not when it would risk his sister's well-being.

Danny quickly redirected his mind to his original thought. He looked around the room for anything that could hide the damage on the wall. The room was ugly enough--being that it had "crazy, rich man" written all over it-- without the black, charred indention. And if that wasn't a good enough reason to hide it, the fact that he was bored and had nothing better to do was.

Not seeing anything smaller to use as a cover up, he walked over to the vanity's side. "I can just push this down a bit more," he decided with a clever smile. Danny placed both his hands flat on the furniture's side and pushed his weight into it. "Darn it!" he grunted as he continued to push without even moving it an inch. He growled as he let go, turned and then pressed his back against the dressing table and pushed on it again, while using his feet as anchorage. With a frustrated grunt, he slid down against the vanity, exhausted. "What the heck is this thing made of? Concrete?" he panted. It then clicked. "Oh, duh!" he exclaimed, quickly standing up.

The half-ghost turned the furniture and himself intangible, before effortlessly moving it two feet over. He stepped back once more, and admired his work with a satisfied grin. "The good thing about being a C-student is that you _eventually_ figure things out," he told himself proudly. His comedic musings came to an abrupt halt with the escape of his icy ghost sense.

Danny whirled around towards the entrance door, his eyes quickly narrowing as he felt a ghostly presence approaching. He watched the door intently as his somewhat enhanced hearing caught sound of the whispers outside his room.

"No, you knock."

"Why me?"

"Because he didn't attack you last night."

"He didn't attack the two of you either!"

"Well then, you knock."

"What?"

"Master Plasmius told you, Patricia"

Danny's eyes narrowed further at hearing the older half-ghost's name. The teen walked closer to the door and crossed his arms in front his chest.

"What do you want?" he asked pointedly.

Danny heard the ghosts gasp before they began to nervously argue with each other again. The teen rolled his eyes. "Well?" he pressed, slight annoyance bordering his words.

"W-We are sorry to disturb you, sir, but its cleaning day and-

"I can do it myself," Danny interrupted.

The maids fell silent, but then he heard a quiet sigh. "Please, Master Danny, we have orders to follow. I can assure you, it won't take long."

Danny recognized the voice; it came from the youngest ghost maid, Niane. The teen sighed as he debated on what he should do.

The maids' response soon came in the form of the teen opening the door. They watched the boy then turn around and head towards the closet with a bag in his hand, ignoring them entirely. After placing his bag inside, he pulled out a pair of red and white sneakers and a pair of socks, before closing the door behind him.

Danny sat on his bed to put on his shoes, while waiting to see how long it would take the three ghosts at the door to stop staring at him and come in. The boy placed his second sneaker on his already socked feet and began to tie it, before finally deciding he had enough. "Well? Are you coming in or not?" he asked, this time unable to suppress his irritation.

As if the boy's voice had been a green light, they quickly floated forward. Danny stood just in time to catch the older maids pulling cleaning supplies out of thin air. "Ok, that's new," he said quietly, watching them move about the room.

"Excuse me, young master, do you have any laundry?"

"Laundry?" he repeated with a quizzical look. Patricia nodded at his question. Danny bit his lower lip, unsure of how to respond. He was really having a hard time wrapping his mind around being served, _especially_ by ghosts. The teen was about to argue that he could do it himself, but quickly decided against it upon realizing it was pointless to do so. He had no idea where the laundry room was and they would probably just keep insisting anyways.

"It's in the laundry basket, in the bathroom." Danny answered, pointing in that direction. The ghost nodded, before floating over to the restroom.

It was then that the boy's attention moved towards the opened bedroom door. He gazed thoughtfully at the part of the hallway he could see, not realizing that his hand had lifted up to rub his neck, like it so often did when he felt nervous.

"Master Plasmius is not here, sir," Niane informed, noticing the half-ghost's actions.

At hearing the girl's words, Danny abruptly halted in thought and turned to look at her. "And what makes you think I was thinking-or even wanted-to know that?" he asked with thick annoyance. Was he _that_ easy to read?

"I'm sorry, Master Danny, I shouldn't have assumed," the young ghost apologized quietly, her red eyes lowering from the boy's.

Danny sighed, his expression softening. "Where did he go?" he questioned in a calmer tone of voice.

Niane smiled as she looked back at him. "To the office. He normally goes to meetings and other functions in the mornings, but sometimes, he leaves all day, and then other times he-"

"Niane!" Martha scolded, halting the girl ghost's rant

"What? He asked," she argued back.

Danny decided not to interrupt the now arguing maids, and walked off towards his room's exit. He continued down the halls that led to the main stairway.

"Good morning, young s-sir," a ghost wearing a black tuxedo nervously greeted him as the teen walked down the steps. Danny warily stared up at the very tall and muscular spirit. The glowing, green skinned man appeared to be in his late twenties, had very short black hair, and small, pupil less, green eyes. "I-I don't believe we have personally met. My name is D-Derek, I'm the head butler of the house," he informed, taking a small bow, "W-Will you be having b-breakfast?"

The half ghost's mouth opened slightly. So _this_ was the guy that had been coming to his room for the past days to ask if he was eating! After hearing his voice so many times there was no way he could not recognize it. Danny gulped at realizing that he had threatened a ghost that was taller—and quite possibly stronger—than the Fright Knight. The boy only nodded apprehensively.

"A-Alright, I'll let the cook know; p-please excuse m-me," Derek said, with another bow, before quickly heading towards the kitchen.

Danny blinked at the butler's retreating form. _"Wait a sec, is he afraid me, too?" _he thought, perplexed. The boy dismissed the question with a shake of his head and turned his attention to his surroundings.

"Man, this place gets bigger with everyday that goes by… Hey, I wonder what's over there…" Just like other boys his age, Danny couldn't keep his curiosity from overwhelming him and walked off towards the hallway, which was in the opposite direction of the kitchen. He had not been on this side of the house before and he really wanted to know where it led to.

Looking around, he saw the corridor was filled with large double doors, much like the ones that the ballroom and theatre room had. "I'm pretty sure the ballroom and theatre are not over here though," he mumbled thoughtfully as he attempted to recall their exact location from the day he came here for his parents' college reunion.

Picking a random door, he opened it and quickly realized it was a very grand and elegant dining room. In the center, stood a twelve-chaired, rectangular table, and above it hung a beautiful, crystal chandelier. Of course there were decorations and other things of the sort, but the teen didn't stay long enough to notice them. He decided to open another random door and found a living room. "Oh, come on! Doesn't Vlad have anything remotely interesting in this place?" he muttered in annoyance as he closed the door.

The now uninterested half-ghost decided to leave exploring the other rooms for another day, when he had time for it. "Uh, scratch that, I have plenty of time, but I'm not bored enough yet," he said as he continued down the corridor.

At reaching the end of it, he found two glass doors. Danny looked through them and saw a veranda, which looked more like a large room made completely out of glass. Past it, he could see the back of the mansion.

"There's gotta be _something_ interesting out there," he said to himself with a curious smile. The fact that he could see a walkway, and that its final destination was hidden from sight by a canopy of vines, made him even more eager to explore the outside area.

"Excuse me, sir?"

Danny quickly turned around at hearing the ghost butler's voice behind him.

"Your breakfast is ready."

The fifteen year old gave the glass doors a quick glance, before nodding his response. He sighed as he placed his hands in his pockets and followed the butler down the hallway again. He sat down at the same dining table he had seen a little while ago, before a plate of eggs, bacon, and what appeared to be potatoes with vegetables, was placed in front of him. The butler then added a small plate with toast and a container with butter next to it.

The nervous teen understandably jumped when the ghost suddenly stepped closer to him. In turn, Derek gasped and took a quick step back. Looking scared, he stammered, "Y-Your n-napkin, young s-sir."

"Oh," Danny said softly as the ghost got closer once more and carefully placed a napkin on his lap.

"Coffee?"

"No, thanks."

"What beverage do you care to have?"

Danny shrugged, "Orange juice, apple juice, which ever juice you have."

"Master Phantom, we have both and more," Derek replied.

Danny rolled his eyes at his words. "Apple Juice."

"Very well. Condiments?"

"Just ketchup."

The ghost nodded before moving away towards the kitchen. Danny watched Derek float out of the room before turning his attention back to the food. Picking up a piece of toast, the teen absentmindedly spread butter on it before taking a bite. He immediately scrunched his face in disgust and roughly swallowed the piece of bread in his mouth. "Ugh! Why am I eating this? I hate toast!" he mumbled, placing the bread back on the plate and pushing it away.

"Here you go, young sir," Danny heard the butler say behind him just as a glass of apple juice was placed on the table for him.

The teen crossed his arms and sighed as he watched the ghost add ketchup to his eggs from a container that looked like an elongated creamer cup.

"Are you going to feed me, too?" Danny asked sarcastically.

The ghost, who had just placed the ketchup dish on the table, quickly turned his now wide-opened eyes to the boy and hesitantly replied, "D-Do you… want me to?"

Danny stared at the butler, blinked twice, and then slapped his face with his hand, dragging it down its length. _"Are these ghosts for real?"_ he thought with irritation and disbelief.

"No, thanks, I'm pretty sure I can handle it," the half-ghost replied, a hint of annoyance in his voice. He picked up his fork and began to cut his sunny side up eggs.

Danny was about to put a piece in his mouth when he noticed Derek standing a feet from him with his arms behind his back, watching him. "Uh, I'm not going to choke or anything. You can leave you know," the teen said slowly, feeling quite creeped out.

"A-Are you sure?" Derek replied.

"Yeah," Danny responded.

The ghost bowed before leaving the dining room.

"It's official, I'm surrounded by lunatics," he told himself before resuming his breakfast.

After eating an egg and a few bites of his skillet potatoes, Danny decided he was full. He picked up his glass of juice but suddenly remembered what had happened last night. Danny lifted the glass to his eye level and carefully studied the contents for anything unusual. Using his pointer finger, the teen dabbed the drink before placing his finger in his mouth. _"I don't feel anything,"_ he thought. Danny then chanced a very small sip of the juice and waited to see if he felt the same weird tingling from last night.

Despite not feeling anything unusual, he continued to stare warily at his beverage. He already was fearful of having a ghost make his food; the last thing he was going to put up with was said ghost adding some weird "vitamins" to his drink.

"_I wouldn't be surprised if Vlad is behind this…maybe he's trying to poison me slowly." _

Danny cringed at the thought. "Uh, I'm not really thirsty anyway," he said, placing the drink back on the table and standing. As he left the dining room he felt his previous curiosity return, and headed towards the back of house.

The young half-ghost made it to the glass doors and stepped out onto the veranda. He continued forward and soon made it to the outside walkway. The area was deprived of almost all sunlight because of the vine-covered canopy he had seen earlier.

"This place is creepy," Danny murmured, warily looking around.

The boy finally saw the end of the dark walkway approaching. The second he reached it, however, his eyes scrunched and he brought his hand up to shield them from the bright morning sun that unexpectedly hit him. His eyes soon adjusted and he lowered his hand, now giving his attention to his surroundings.

Danny first observed the large pool and Jacuzzi located just a bit further out. He then moved his gaze towards the other structures he had seen last night but could not make out. Now, however, they were very visible. He was pretty sure that the glass dome several feet away, to his left, was a greenhouse and those were definitely stables over to his right.

Danny frowned as he finally noticed two ghost gardeners -or at least that's what their appearance and the tools in their hands conveyed- standing a short distance away. They had clearly turned their attention to him a while ago, since they had stopped doing whatever they had been doing and were currently glaring at him.

The teen felt his heart speed up as both of them began to tend to the house's flora, but without taking their eyes off him. One of the two gardeners started up an electronic tree cutter and began to stab at one of the trees, while the other, who held a large hedge clipper, snipped a bush more forcefully then necessary.

Danny slowly backed away from them, before quickly walking in another direction; even so, he could still feel their hateful eyes boring into his back. "Note to self: stay far away from the crazy gardeners."

Feeling he was far enough from them now, the teen relaxed again and continued his self- tour. Danny soon made it to the concreted area that contained the pool and Jacuzzi. The teen really couldn't stop the impressed smile that appeared on his lips as he approached the huge pool that was at least three times the size of Casper High's.

The pool had a large water fountain in the middle of it that was sculpted out of clear glass and shaped to look like a hand holding a giant football. At the tip of the football, a spout of water cascaded down the sculpture's length and accumulated at the palm of the hand. "Vlad has way too much money" the teen said, shaking his head. Danny's expression soon turned quizzical when he spied things moving inside the fountain.

"Hey, what is that?" he mumbled, stepping closer to the pool. He lifted an eyebrow and tilted his head slightly to the right at finally realizing what those things were. "Well, now that's something you don't see everyday," Danny told himself as he observed the numerous saltwater fishes swimming within the glass sculpture. The teen gazed deeper into the pool, past the sparkling, blue-tinged water, and his eyes immediately widened. "No way," he said in a surprised voice at finding that fishes also swam around the pool's parameter.

The sunk-in pool had its walls and floor made of thick double-layered glass instead of concrete. In between these two glass layers, exotic and colorful fishes swam freely around and under the pool just like they did inside the fountain, which connected to the pool's floor.

"How the heck do you surround an entire pool with a fish aquarium?"

His surprise was soon forgotten when his ghost sense was suddenly triggered. The teen gasped, fearing it was those ghosts he had seen earlier. He quickly turned around, forgetting how close he still was to the pool.

"Ahh!" the teen shouted in alarm as his right foot hit air instead of solid ground, causing him to fall backwards into the pool.

Danny immediately swam to the ledge of the pool, coughing violently on the water he had just breathed in. He lifted himself out and instantly glared at Niane when he realized she was the one who alarmed him.

"Oh my goodness! I am so sorry, sir, I didn't mean to startle you," she quickly apologized.

Danny shivered from the cold air around him, which only served to quickly change his embarrassment into anger. "Don't ever sneak up on me like that again!" he warned, before coughing a bit more.

The teen then stalked off. He couldn't help but cringe at the loud sloshing sound which came with every step he took.

"Wait, Master Danny?" the ghost called.

"What?" Danny answered as he paused and looked at the girl with crossed arms.

"Your room is ready and I'm terribly sorry."

Danny's anger faded at the ghost's sincere tone of voice. He nodded in response before walking away. _"Great, all I need now is to get sick,"_ he thought miserably as he continued to shiver, but soon after a small smile grew on his lips. He quickly turned intangible and the water on his body fell into a puddle under his feet. Danny sighed in satisfaction as he opened the door, while deciding he had enough exploring for today.

* * *

Tucker and Sam watched Danny's sister pace her hospital room in an attempt to calm herself. Maddie was currently at home while Jack had stepped out to lunch, allowing the teenagers to talk freely.

"How could you two hide this from me?" Jazz asked heatedly, stopping her movements to look at Danny's friends standing in front of her.

"Jazz, you were barely conscious when he left," Sam reasoned.

"I wasn't unconscious for four days! He's my brother! I had the right to know!"

Tucker stepped in to defend his friend from Jazz's quickly escalating anger. "Jazz, you gotta understand, Danny told us not to tell you."

"If Danny told you to jump off a bridge, would you?!" she exclaimed.

Tucker nervously fixed his beret. "Only if he was going to catch me," he answered meekly.

The older girl glared daggers at his response.

"Look, Jazz, I know you're worried but so are we," Sam intervened, feeling that if she didn't, Danny's sister might strangle Tucker. "Blaming us isn't going to solve anything, plus, you would not have been able to do any more then we have."

Jazz's glare fell and sorrow replaced her expression. "I'm not blaming you two because it wasn't your fault … it was mine," she admitted softly as she took a seat on an empty chair.

"Why would you say that?" Sam asked warily.

"Because it's the truth, Sam," Jazz replied bitterly "The day before he left, I-I convinced Danny to take me flying; I was so bored and…" The girl shook her head. "Anyways, he took me and I- I had this last relapse while we were out… h-he witnessed _everything_," Jazz looked up at the two teens, her face reflecting how guilty she felt.

Sam and Tucker stared at her with wide eyes, their mouths opening slightly. This time Tucker snapped out of it before Sam.

"Oh man!" he groaned, covering his face with his hands, before removing them and looking at the older girl. "Jazz, what were you thinking?" he asked in a distressed tone of voice.

Jazz's eyes began to water as she shook her head. "I'm sorry, I didn't know that was going to happen; I-"

"Didn't know? Hello! You're sick!" Tucker said in frustration. "If you are in **here** is because you can't be out **there**!" he exclaimed, before he began to pace as his anxiety continued to grow. Now his best friend's letter made sense, his actions made sense, everything made sense in Tucker's mind.

"That's why he ran away; he blamed himself for what happened to you. He was already upset and seeing you like that finally pushed him over the edge!" Tucker shouted his dread filled voice cracking and his arms rising above him from edginess.

Sam frowned at seeing Danny's sister burst into tears at her friend's words. She, too, felt wary and upset after hearing Jazz's confession, but they couldn't give into it; the only thing that mattered now was finding Danny.

"Tucker, calm down. I know all this is confusing. I still don't get why Danny didn't let us help him! He has a lot of explaining to do, Tucker, but first we have to find him, and in order to do that we have to keep out heads straight," Sam reasoned with a sad expression.

Tucker then noticed Jazz crying and he immediately felt horrible at realizing he had unintentionally just made her feel worse. "Oh man, Jazz, don't cry! I'm not blaming you for this, really!" he sighed sadly, "I'm sorry, I'm just worried about Danny you know."

Jazz smiled sadly at him and shook her head. "I know you're not blaming me, but I'm blaming me. This is my fault. I shouldn't have talked him into taking me out, knowing the risks of doing so. I knew how unstable Danny was lately; I should have known he would react this way at seeing something happen to me!" Jazz continued to weep, her guilt fueling her grief.

Tucker just placed his hands in his pocket and lowered his gaze; there was nothing he could say to make her feel better, because there was nothing he could say to make himself feel better. They were all too worried about Danny, and at this point the only thing that would bring ease to all of them was seeing him again.

"Jazz," Sam called softly as she carefully pulled out a letter from her pocket. Jazz looked up at her through blurry eyes. "Danny told me to give you this when you were better… I guess now is as good a time as any, right?" she said, handing the letter to the older girl.

Jazz sniffled softly as she accepted the letter and held it tenderly with both her hands.

"Listen, we're going to go get something to eat, okay? We'll be back later," Sam said as she placed a hand on Tucker's shoulder.

Jazz didn't say anything; she only stared at the letter in her hands with sad eyes. Hearing receding footsteps, followed by the door opening and closing, the girl opened her brother's letter and began to read.

_Dear Jazz,_

_First of, I just want to apologize for getting you involved with my problems, for hurting your feelings when you would try to give me advice. I've really messed up more times then I can fit in this letter, but none of that compares to what I did to you now. I shouldn't have been so selfish, I should have thought about you first. I'm so sorry Jazz ……_

Tears poured freely and down her face, blurring her vision and preventing her from reading on. "He really does blame himself for this," Jazz whimpered. The girl took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down enough to continue to read.

……_. Now I wish I would have listened to you more; I wish I wouldn't have been such a jerk, maybe none of this would have ever happened. Even if I can't hear you say it, promise me you'll get better, Jazz, and promise me you won't blame yourself for any of this. This is my decision and mine alone. I can't even begin to explain to you have hard this is for me to do. I realize that by leaving I also leave behind who I am. After today I'm no longer Danny Fenton or Danny Phantom, but whoever I am now, I want you to know that I will always be your little brother and you will always be my nosy, know- it- all, big sister, who I love very much. I know I should have said this to you more often, so I'm sorry for that too. Thank you, Jazz, for always being there for me, even when I didn't want you to be or when I didn't know you were. Don't worry about me, alright? I'll be fine, and knowing that you will be, too, will help me go through with this. Take care of yourself and take care of Mom and Dad. I know that you're going to try to find me, but I'll tell you what I told Sam and Tucker. Don't. I don't want to be found. I love you, Jazz, never forget that._

_Your little brother,_

_Danny. _

Jazz sobbed loudly as she clutched the letter in her hands. "Why, Danny?" she said through her cry, not realizing someone had opened the door.

"Jazz?" Jack asked with concern the moment he noticed his distressed daughter.

Jazz jumped out of the chair she had been sitting on and ran towards Jack. "Oh Daddy!" she exclaimed, lunging herself in his arms. "I'm so sorry for what I said! I'm so sorry for everything! I just want my little brother to come back!" she wailed.

Jack sighed sorrowfully and comfortingly stroked his sobbing daughter's back. "Don't worry, princess, we'll find him," he assured. _"We have to,"_ he added mentally with a sad frown.

* * *

You'll have to forgive my dragging with describing Vlad's home, but it is necesarry I can assure you that much. But all of those who had been wondering what Danny wrote Jazz, there it is! And next chapter you'll get some action! It's called: "Enemies will be Enemies." so ponder on that a bit, kay? As always, thanks for your wonderful support and please keep those reviews coming, they are yummy treats for me! Oh, and Thank you to my betas, Me Against the World, JH24, and my newest, Truephan! You guys are the best!!! Ta, my wonderful readers! 


	16. Chapter 15: Enemies will be Enemies

**I'm back with that well awaited chapter! Be prepared to be glued to the computer screen for a while! This chapter is mega long! Enjoy!!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom**

* * *

**Chapter 15: Enemies will be Enemies. **

Danny flew through the morning sky, heading towards the river. Vlad was at the mansion today; and the young half-ghost avoided the older one like he was the plague. In fact, the teen, who usually stayed in his room when Vlad was home, had not seen his enemy since the incident with Skulker--not that he had a problem with this, of course. The boy didn't want anything to do with the man, and if he never saw him again, it would be too soon. But sometimes the teen felt he would go crazy in there and today was one of those times.

It felt like he had been here for an eternity when in reality it had been a little over a week. Lately, Danny had been feeling extremely anxious; he felt suffocated, as if, something wanted to explode from within. It was the main reason he was currently out; flying seem to somewhat relieve him of that feeling.

The half-ghost soon spotted the now-all-too familiar river, and headed down to it. He lazily floated above it, instantly relaxing as he usually did at the sound and smell of the crystal clear water. He turned on his back and absentmindedly lifted his gloved hand, before forming a small sphere of Ecto-energy in its palm. He calmly watched it for a bit, taking in how it danced in motion with the cool morning air blowing around him.

Danny allowed the energy to fade away, but continued to study his hand, wondering how the hot energy didn't burn him whenever he summoned it…. The boy chuckled bitterly at his pointless musing, realizing he had to be very bored to be thinking about something like that.

* * *

Vlad stood with his hands held behind his back outside his bedroom balcony, calmly gazing toward his football stadium. 

He couldn't help but notice how spring was quickly approaching. Despite the winter winds, the sun had now become warm enough to allow the spring flora to flourish once again.

Aside from this, however, his mind was actually focused on other thoughts, thoughts pertaining to the other half-ghost. He had yet to see Danny since he _persuaded_ him out of his stubborn refusal to eat. He had been resisting the urge to check on him for several days now, preferring to let the boy "run" into him then make an attempt to approach him directly.

Vlad wasn't clueless, however. He knew the teen was going out of his way to avoid seeing him, not that it was anything difficult to do; after all, his house was huge and he wasn't always home either. The man's current urge to see the boy was mainly curiosity. He wondered how the boy was dealing with all the _changes_. Hadn't it been over a week now? And he had only seen Danny once. Indeed, if it wasn't for his servants he would think the boy wasn't in his castle ...He _really_ wanted to see him.

The billionaire looked down at his watch in order to make a final decision. He was currently in the process of buying several shares from different investors. These particular deals would most likely take him months to complete, but once everything was finalized he would become the sole owner of one of the world's leading commercial industries.

Today, he needed to head to one of his many offices to pick up the contracts to begin his newest conquest. ….Luckily, he could spare a few minutes to check on how his _other_ conquest was fairing.

A devilish smirk grew on the man's features, before he turned and walked back inside. He headed out of his room before calling forth his ghost side and changing in a flash of light. He swirled his cape around his body and disappeared just as fast.

Plasmius soon materialized in front of Danny's bedroom door and phased into the room invisibly, preferring not to alert the boy of his presence. To his surprise, however, the teen was not there. The half-ghost quickly checked around to assure himself of this before pausing in the main part of the room. He frowned at his confirmation. "Where did he go?" he wondered, tapping a finger lightly on his lower lip. Plasmius didn't ponder this for long and instead teleported to his secret lab.

"Locate Daniel," he requested, speaking to his computer system.

Vlad watched as a map, showing a green blinking dot, came up on one of the many screens on his mainframe. A smirk edged on the man's lip as he studied the map.

"Current form?"

"**Ghost."**

"Predictable," Vlad said with a light chuckle, "I knew you couldn't stay in your room for long."

Plasmius turned away from the mainframe and headed out of the lab. The fireplace closed behind him as he left his study. The man continued down the corridor with an indecisive look on his face, but it soon vanished and he reverted back to his human form. He could check on his young rival at some other time; it was getting late and he really wanted to get started on those contracts.

"Hey, boss, vait a second!"

With an annoyed expression, Vlad turned around and quickly caught sight of the three ghost vultures flying towards him.

"Back so soon?" he asked sarcastically, crossing his arms.

"Ve sure are!" the leader replied proudly, not catching the man's sarcasm. "Ve got the information you vanted."

The billionaire waved his hand dismissively as he turned to go. "Yes, well, it will have to wait. I need to run a quick errand. If you see Skulker let him know, hmm?"

"Oh, okay," the leader replied as he watched his employer walk away. He turned to his other two companions with a questioning look, but they just shrugged at him.

* * *

"_It must be wonderful to have powers like yours,"_

"_It does have its nice moments, but they come at a price… and sometimes I ask myself if they're worth it."_

"_Danny, you can't think that way. Your powers are a blessing…. "_

Still in ghost form, Danny sat on the leaf-filled ground, his back against a tree. He leaned his head back and sighed emptily as he thought about the last conversation he had with his sister. "For the first time, Jazz, you're wrong," he mumbled, ripping up a dry leaf.

His current musings were stirred by what he had earlier realized: a week from today would mark a year of having his ghost powers.

Danny huffed bitterly; if someone would have told him that he would be spending his anniversary here, a prisoner in his arch-enemy's castle, he would have laughed, but...could he even call it an anniversary now? Didn't he leave Danny Phantom behind the day he left Amity Park? Clockwork warned him not to forget who he was. But he wasn't forgetting! It was taken from him; _both_ sides of him--his entire identity--had been taken from him.

Danny Fenton lived in Amity Park. His mother and father, Maddie and Jack Fenton, were the world's leading ghost experts and the most loving parents a kid could have. Danny Fenton had a smart and caring older sister named Jazz, and last but not least, he had two best friends named Sam and Tucker, who had grown up with him and supported him in every way….but now, it was all gone. _He_ didn't have any of that, so how could _he_ be Danny Fenton?

As for his ghost form, Danny Phantom, what purpose could it serve now that he was far away from the town he protected, from the people he fought for? What was the point of having ghost powers when there was nothing to use them for? This was the first time since he became half-ghost that he had gone for more then three days without using his powers, well, aside from going flying that is.

A pained glare fell on the boy's face. No, a week from now would not be an anniversary; it would be a funeral; it would be a burial of whom he once was.

Danny turned his now saddened gaze towards the brightly shining sun. Being an aspiring astronaut, the boy had learned how to tell time by looking at the position of the sun. He quickly deduced it was past noon, and his growling stomach confirmed it. "I guess I better head back," he said sullenly before leaping into the air.

As the young half-ghost flew back to the mansion, he took in all of Vlad's property below. Danny slowed down upon noticing the stables directly below him. The teen had passed the place several times before, but had yet to go in there. Realizing he had nothing better to do, he flew down to it for a bit of exploring.

The white-haired teen pulled open one of the large metal doors with a bit of effort before walking in. Instantly he saw the stables' main features.

"Never thought Vlad would have horses," he mumbled, looking around at the various large animals, "…although, he does live out in the country…in the middle of nowhere," he added annoyed.

As he walked further in, Danny noticed different kinds of equipment, either stored in cabinets or hanging on the walls. Most of the items he could see seemed to be meant for riding, except for a few. He wasn't entirely sure, but the boy got the impression that some of the equipment was meant for... Polo?

Looking around again, Danny uttered, "Well, I'm not sure if that explains Vlad having horses, or if it just makes all this weirder."

Suddenly, a flicker of light from the white device adorning the teen's wrist grasped his attention. The band…it was now glowing green…

He rolled his eyes. "It _is_ a mood bracelet," he grumbled.

Danny ignored the device and continued with what he was doing. He slowly walked along the stables, observing the various horses, appearing in all colors and sizes. He didn't know much about these types of animals but they were beautiful enough to catch his interest. The teen stopped in front of a pen that held a solid black horse.

"Cool!" he whispered, a smile growing on his feature as he took in the creature's majestic appearance.

The stallion's hide was lush and intensely black; and its long, waving black hair was just as breathtaking. The creature's large size and stance gave it an air of power and strength. The horse soon turned its chocolate colored eyes towards Danny and began to approach him, clearly taking an interest in the boy itself.

Danny's grin widened at seeing this, and he lifted his hand with the intention of petting the black horse; but before he could, his ghost sense went off.

The boy turned around and took an unconscious step back at finding a slim man standing in front of him. His casual attire was not unlike that of a jockey. It consisted of a slick pair of white pants and a long sleeved shirt of the same fashion and color, with a blue vest above it. His face was slim and extremely pale in tone, as if he had never seen the sun. Finally, his slicked back, brown hair ended at the base of his neck, and accented his peculiar and large, honey-brown colored eyes. If his ghost sense hadn't gone off Danny would have mistaken the ghost for human.

"Why hello there, little one!" the ghost greeted him with a dashing smile.

Danny just stared at the man for a moment. He felt oddly drawn by him, and yet he really wanted to leave. "H-Hi," he replied warily, his eyes glued to the spirit's own.

"What brings you here? Did you want to play with the horses?" he asked sweetly, holding his hands behind his back while calmly looking down at the stiff boy in front of him.

The teen's eyebrows furrowed a little bit. Play? How old did this guy think he was? Four?

Danny slowly opened his mouth to reply, while he continued to stand there without moving a limb. "N-No, I was just… looking around."

"Oh, I see," the ghost stated, taking a few steps towards the half-ghost. "You're a curious little thing, aren't you?" he teased with a sweet yet wicked smile that sent a shiver down the boy's spine.

Danny felt his heart rate quickly escalate; there was something strange —no-- something dangerous about this ghost; his mind was screaming it to him, so why wasn't he listening to it?!

The spirit smirked. "Well, you know what they say; curiosity killed the cat, but in your case, the hybrid."

A gasp of fear escaped the teen's lips as the spirit's form dissipated into a black shadow before his very eyes. With a dark expression and his eyes still fixed on the ghost boy, the shadow ghost extended his right hand; in its palm a golden mist appeared and began to take form.

Danny watched helplessly as the mist took the shape of a hand with large claws which quickly reached towards him. Despite the imminent danger, his body remained completely paralyzed and his eyes refused to unlock from the ghost's, which were now pupil-less and glowing with a more golden hue than their original honey-brown.

The "hand" stopped upon reaching the center of Danny's chest. A soft golden hue then grew around the teen's body just as the hand slowly started swirling with a clockwise motion, as if it were searching for something. If that really was the case, then it appeared to have found it! The clockwise motion abruptly stopped, and the hand remained still. Its palm stayed wide open for a few seconds but then the claws quickly arched back before plunging directly into the boy's chest.

A pained cry tore from Danny's throat as he collapsed to his knees, the strange glow around his body intensifying as the mist continued to invade him. The half-ghost's breathing came out in short gasps from the excruciating pain. He felt like something was being ripped out of him, causing his head to spin and his body to quickly weaken.

"You should have stayed in your own territory, _Danny Phantom_," the ghost said venomously before he slowly retracted the mist out of the boy's body.

Danny, who was now on his hands and knees, didn't even realize when he changed back to his human form. He also didn't see the evil smile or the predatory hunger that appeared in the ghost's eyes as the mist began to reform into a hand, bringing in its grasps something from within the boy.

"_NO!"_ Danny desperately screamed in his mind as he felt himself at the brink of unconsciousness. He wanted to move; he wanted to fight, but his body wasn't listening to his hazed mind. Something was keeping him from defending himself in any way!

Danny slowly managed to close his eyes and began to search deep inside himself for strength. He had to do something or this ghost was going to get away with whatever he was trying to do to him, and judging by the pain, weakness, and dwindling awareness, the teen had no doubt that the evil spirit's success would mean his own downfall.

Just as slowly as he had managed to close his eyes, he lifted a trembling hand towards his attacker and focused -no- forced green energy to form in it. The shadow ghost didn't even have time to realize it before the half-ghost released the energy towards him.

The gold mist instantly disappeared when Danny's attack met its target, which sent the spirit flying backwards, where he then slammed into some riding equipment mounted on a wall. In one intense blow, Danny felt his strength and ability to move return to him after the hue around his body disappeared.

Despite this, he was still severely disoriented and in pain, but he forced it away and transformed into his ghost form. The boy's eyes narrowed as the ghost changed back into his human appearance and slowly got back on his feet.

"Who are you?" Danny asked dangerously, his hands exploding with ecto energy.

The ghost lifted his eyes towards the boy's, an evil grin appearing on his lips. "Dazzler," he responded, before his eyes began to emit a bright, golden glow again.

The energy in Danny's hands fizzled away as he became entranced by the ghost once more, but suddenly, the boy's hands fisted. "No!" he screamed out loud, breaking his gaze away from Dazzler.

Not thinking it twice, Danny shot out through the roof and flew speedily into the sky, wanting to get as far away from the evil ghost as possible. It was only when he had put a good amount of distance between himself and the stables did he slow down. His heart was still beating wildly inside his chest and his breathing was just as erratic, but with a deep breath he managed to calm his shaken nerves.

"What was he doing to me?" he murmured, placing his hand on his chest before a chill ran down his spine as he remembered the horrible feeling.

Danny didn't understand what had happened to him; it all occurred so fast. The moment he turned to face the ghost his body had simply shut down and his mind blurred. Then there was that eerie attraction towards him, which didn't allow him to rip his eyes from the evil being. His glowing gold eyes were like magnets, and that strange mist… what was that? It wasn't ecto energy… was it a spell?

It felt like those claws had stabbed him in the chest, and yet, they did no physical damage. It _had_ to be some form of ghostly spell, but what did it do? All he could focus on was the pain, but when the mist began to pull out of him he began to feel cold, numb…. lifeless. At that moment, he could feel how the ghost drained him of his energy, as if he was nothing more than a battery.

Danny pushed the event out of his mind. It was over; he would never go back there again. He still felt a dull pain in his chest and he had a horrible headache, but he was too relieved that he escaped Dazzler's claws to let it bother him too much.

The young teen's attention immediately went to the mansion a few feet in front of him, when he saw Vlad step out of the house. Just as fast, he turned invisible in case the man decided to look towards the sky.

He watched with narrowed eyes as the man stepped into his limo before it soon took off. "Good riddance," Danny grumbled.

Seeing that his enemy had left, the young half-ghost phased through the house's roof and landed at the top of the main stairs. He suddenly remembered that he was hungry, so he switched back to his human form and walked towards the kitchen.

* * *

"Now where did my employer go?" Skulker said mainly to himself as he floated around the castle. 

"Are you certain he wished to see us at this time?" Fright Knight inquired as they checked the bottom lab but found no traces of Vlad.

"Of course I'm sure!" the hunter snapped, feeling a little insulted at being doubted. "Do you think I'd fly all the way to your lair for my enjoyment?"

They floated out of the lab and into the main hallway. "And what exactly does my master desire of me?" the spirit of Halloween asked.

Skulker rolled his eyes at the title the other ghost gave Plasmius, but didn't comment and simply shrugged. "I'm not entirely certain. Plasmius can be very secretive when it comes to…. certain things." He suddenly growled, "And he seems to believe he's the only one who has other matters to attend to."

The hunter then caught sight of the three ghost vultures. "Hey, you worthless pigeons."

The birds halted in flight and turned their attention to Skulker. "Who are you calling pigeons?" one of them said with a glare.

"Yeah, ve're Ecto-Americans," another added.

"No, you're prey," Skulker said, giving them a predatory grin as he pulled out his blade.

The vultures scrambled at his words, leaving glowing feathers where they once floated. "Fright Knight, you wait here for Plasmius to return; this will only take a moment." Skulker said with a smile.

Before the other spirit could respond, the hunter flew after the ghost birds. _"I'm sure my employer won't miss those three too much,"_ Skulker thought, chuckling darkly.

The Fright Knight stared after the other ghosts as he heard the vulture's frantic cries and Skulker's laughter fade away. With a shake of his head, he turned around and his attention was drawn to a medieval painting on a wall.

* * *

Danny walked out of the kitchen eating a red, juicy apple. He had just discovered that Vlad didn't keep any form of junk food or soda in his home. "How does anyone live without soda?" the teen mumbled before taking another bite of his apple. 

Not wanting to be cooped up in his room, the boy decided to head to the green house. As he walked down the hallway, he remembered his last trip there. What a relief that at least there were no ghosts in there—well, not dangerous ones anyway. He found some interesting ghost plants the last time he went. He didn't even know they could live outside the Ghost Zone. Even though they were just plants, he still didn't risk getting more then three feet from them. Who knows, they might posses some kind of evil ability.

Danny continued to munch on the apple as he entered the main part of the house. Right then, his mouth grew cold and a wisp of blue smoke escaped from it. By now the half-ghost had gotten use to his ghost sense going off every five minutes while inside. In fact, he had learned to ignore it most of the time. His main worry was Vlad; but the man didn't set off his sensing ability so he knew it couldn't be him.

Danny, however, instantly halted and his eyes widened when he caught sight of who exactly triggered his ghost sense.

Coincidently, Fright Knight chose at that moment to turn towards the boy's direction, his own expression quickly mimicking the teen's.

"YOU!" they both shouted at the same time.

"What are you doing here?" they demanded from each other.

Pushing away his initial surprise, the dark knight declared, "You have a debt with me, whelp." He pulled out the Soul Shredder. "My master will be pleased with me for eliminating you, intruder."

Danny dropped the apple and quickly dived to the right, barely managing to escape a large Ecto-blast the ghost had thrown at him. As the teen tried to get up, the evil ghost dashed forward and with a terrifying roar, leapt towards his young opponent, holding the deadly weapon above his head, ready to deliver the fatal blow.

In turn the teen jumped in the air, avoiding the attack, and changing himself into Danny Phantom. He briefly spun in the air, before firing a powerful blast from his right hand. The knight flew back and held the sword in front of him in time to protect himself from the attack. Instantly, the energy turned purple upon contact and ricocheted off the sword, sending it directly back to its creator.

"Ahhh!" Danny screamed when the ball of energy struck him in the chest and sent him crashing into a nearby Packers shrine. Lying amidst the destroyed Packers souvenirs and items, the half ghost quickly slapped his hands together and fired a strong ray of energy at the spirit of Halloween, before taking to the air once again.

Not being able to deflect the attack this time, the Fright Knight was slammed into the wall behind him, creating a large crater in it.

The ghost boy wasted no time and flew towards the fallen knight. "I was heading to the green house, but I suppose this is a much better pastime," he said with a smirk before slamming his fist into the spirit's face.

The force of the hit sent the Fright Knight toward the wall just outside the dining room, this time crashing through it. The spirit landed on the large dining room table within, sliding across it and knocking over two vases filled with flowers which had been on top of it. One of the vases fell to the floor and broke just before the ghost dropped from the table himself and finally landed on the floor with a loud thud.

The boy quickly flew after the ghost. "Mr. October, you might be strong, but I've gotten stronger since we last met," he said smugly, before phasing through the wall.

Growling in frustration, the Halloween spirit stood up again, clenching the Soul Shredder tightly in his hands. "_I'll make him suffer for this," _he thought furiously.

Seeing the teen fly into the room, the dark knight quickly jumped on the table and then lunged himself straight at his opponent.

"Whoa!" Danny exclaimed when the ghost took a swing at him, narrowly avoiding the sword from slicing his abdomen.

"_Phew,"_ the teen sighed in relief, _"that was close."_ He tensed as he saw the evil ghost swing at him again. "_Too close!" _he thought in alarm, taking a few steps back in order to put some distance between himself and his opponent.

He quickly adapted his fighting stance, his eyes narrowed in concentration._ "I might be stronger now, but I still need to be careful as long as he holds the Soul Shredder."_

With equally loud growls, the two enemies flew towards each other. They continued to attack using ghostly force and ecto-energy, neither realizing the large dents and broken decorations that increased in number as they fought.

* * *

"Let us go! Ve don't look good stuffed!" the vultures cried as they fought to break free from the ghost proof net. 

"Any prey is good prey," Skulker declared as he held his prize over his shoulder and floated towards the place he left the Fright Knight.

"The boss told us to give you a message," one of them said, hoping the hunter would release them if they diverted his attention to something else.

Skulker stopped and raised the net to his eye gaze. "Really? What did he say?"

"Let us go and ve'll tell you," another compromised.

"How about you tell me so that I don't stuff you this very second!" he retorted menacingly, which only caused the vultures to frantically flap their wings in an attempt to escape.

"BAM!"

Skulker immediately turned his attention to the noises coming from downstairs. Without hesitation, he dropped the net and left to investigate. The birds scattered out, ready to fly off, but the commotion below also caught **their **interest.

* * *

"Ahhhhh!" Danny screamed as the knight grabbed his leg and flung him across the room, where he crashed into the large dining table, knocking the final vase off. 

Danny groaned as he held his head before glaring at his opponent. "You're going to regret that, bucket head!" he shouted, flying at top speed towards the ghost with both fist extended.

His enemy quickly turned intangible, successfully escaping the attack, but Danny quickly came back around just as Fright Knight solidified his form. The teen landed a powerful kick to the spirit's face, sending him flying through the wall connecting to the main entrance.

"And that's how you play, kick the can!" the half-ghost quipped as he zoomed after his enemy.

Just as Fright Knight lifted himself to his feet again, Skulker made it to the stairway and instantly noticed the ghost.

The hunter's eyes widened with surprise when he saw the ghost child appear and fire a blast directly at the knight, who jumped into the air, dodging the attack on the last moment.

"Hey! Vhat's the fancy pants' ghost boy doing here?!" one of the vultures exclaimed, when the trio arrived at the scene.

A wicked grin slowly spread on Skulker's face as he continued to observe his prey and the ghost knight fight each other with everything they had. _"I should stop Fright Knight but this is too entertaining to interrupt. After all, Plasmius said _I_ couldn't touch the whelp; he didn't say anything about someone else..." _

"You three, go assist Fright Knight," the hunter ordered.

"Vat?! He'll kick our tails!" they shouted back, referring to the half-ghost.

"Not with him helping you," Skulker retorted, pointing at the powerful, medieval spirit.

The birds looked at each other, before they grinned evilly. "Get em, boys!" the leader said.

Skulker laughed full heartedly. "Pay back time, ghost child," he stated evilly.

"This is the end for you, child!" The spirit of Halloween yelled, swiping his sword directly at the fallen teen.

Danny gasped at realizing he was cornered. Thinking quickly, he split his body transversely, and his abdomen became a white mist just as the Soul Shredder was plunged through his middle. The boy growled as he fired a massive ecto-blast at the owner's face.

Screaming in agony and anger, the spirit covered his eyes and stumbled backwards.

Not wasting time, Danny got up and willed more energy into his hands; but before he could use it against his momentarily blinded opponent, he felt a set of claws grip onto his shoulder and lift him in the air

"Yeoow!" Danny cried out as he felt the talons-- of which he now realized were from one of Vlad's vultures--penetrate his skin. Ignoring the pain, he lifted his arm and fired a ghost ray at the bird.

The vulture screamed as he was propelled away from the boy, a trail of ghostly feathers following his fall.

Danny landed on his feet and quickly ducked as another ghost vulture flew at him. Just as fast, he spun around and blasted it in the stomach. The ghost boy turned once again, aiming an energy attack at the third approaching bird, but before he could fire it, Fright Knight blasted him in the stomach, momentarily ripping his breath from him and sending him slamming into the opposite wall.

"You can not defeat me that easily, boy!" the knight declared angrily.

"Likewise," Danny growled, firing another blast at his enemy, who countered his attack with an energy sphere of his own, causing both to consume each other.

Before the teen could fire again the knight dropped his sword on the ground, flew into the air and released a large, purple ray at him. Danny's eyes widened in shock but he quickly formed a barrier in front of him and braced himself for the incoming attack.

The boy cried out in pain as he was forcefully driven to his knees from the sheer force of the assault slamming against his ecto-shield.

"_This is too much, I can't hold this!"_ he thought fearfully. Knowing there wasn't much time left, he focused his energy and pushed forward. With an intense scream from the teen, his barrier, amazingly, became a burning ball of energy and it immediately overcame Fright Knight's own assault.

With a startled gasp, the spirit became intangible, just as the sphere of ecto-energy came at him. The attack detonated upon impacting the ceiling, causing the mansion to shake on its foundation; dust, wood and other rubble rained down on top of everyone.

Noticing Fright Knight lowering his shield he had made to protect himself from the falling debris, Danny fired a new ecto-blast at the ghost, throwing him into a small decorative table as the attack hit him.

Danny momentarily panted, feeling quite drained after deflecting the Halloween spirit's assault. Knowing he couldn't lower his guard, he quickly shook it off, only for another pain to surface. The teen hissed as he slowly stood and touched his throbbing shoulder. He retracted his gloved hand and looked at the glowing ectoplasm that came back with it. The teen glared at the vultures responsible for his current injury.

He shot into the air once more, towards them. "Isn't there a saying that says something about shooting down two birds with one stone? Well, I can shoot three!" the half-ghost exclaimed, firing a ball of ecto-energy at each bird. Each attack hit their target and the ghosts squawked in alarm as they were thrown towards the stairs, but before they could impact them, a net broke their fall.

A surprised gasp left the floating ghost boy when he finally noticed Skulker standing at the top of the stairs.

"Sorry, whelp, did I do that?" the hunter teased with a smug grin

The boy's eyes narrowed and glowed more vividly, remembering all too well what the ghost had done to him not too long ago. "Hey, Skulker, we never finished our game," he remarked with a dark grin, while creating a powerful sphere of energy using both hands.

Without any hesitation, Danny attacked Skulker. His aim, however, was set astray by Fright Knight, who suddenly appeared to his right, and smashed his fist into his cheek. With a cry of pain, Danny smashed headfirst on the hard floor.

The stunned teenager remained on the ground, his vision spinning from the force of the hit. He looked up only to gasp at seeing the spirit of Halloween, now in the air, dive down with his Soul Shredder aimed straight at him. Danny instinctively rolled on his back and threw up a ghost shield, unable to suppress an alarmed yelp as the sword impacted his shield with full force.

"And I thought the ecto ray was bad!" Danny grunted as his enemy continued to furiously slam his sword repeatedly against his shield, which cracked more and more with every blow. The young ghost hastily rolled away when the barrier finally shattered, barely escaping the sharp blade.

Danny leapt into the air, but suddenly, a ghost net slammed into his back and trapped him within. The shocked teen screamed as the net sent him crashing back to the ground, the force sliding him across the room, until colliding, head first, against a brick wall.

Danny cried out again from the jolt of pain that pierced his skull. He clenched his head and moved to a curled position as he tried to fight against the agony spreading through his body. But the ghost boy knew this wasn't the time to recover, not with his enemies all around him. He anxiously struggled to break free of his venerable position, while Skulker's evil laugh rang in his ears.

The teenager's eyes went wide with fear at seeing Fright Knight approaching him. He stared darkly at Danny and lifted the Soul Shredder above him, the sharp end aimed at his trapped adversary. "You won't get away this time."

A wave of adrenalin pulsed through Danny's veins and his body ignited with green energy, effectively breaking apart the net. At the last second, and just before the sword would have pierced his chest, Danny Phantom fired a strong ray at Fright Knight, which hurled the screaming ghost upwards, and caused his sword to slip out of his grasp.

The teen had no time to rest; from his left he saw one of the vulture's quickly approaching, its sharp claws extended forward. Danny rolled, missing the vulture's talons. Immediately, he was forced to roll again as a second pair of talons came at him, this time avoiding them by inches. The boy, however, wasn't quick enough to dodge the third ghost bird.

The half-ghost hissed in pain as the third vulture clamped his claws down on his left leg and lifted him into the air. Danny yelped in alarm and turned intangible as an ecto blast fired by Fright Knight came towards his head. From his quick action, the energy blast passed harmlessly through his head and his leg was freed from the vulture's grasp.

Danny fell to the floor head first. He wobbled to a standing position, his right hand rubbing at his extremely sore head. He looked towards his opponents, who were all approaching him, except for Skulker, who was gleefully pulling out an electrified green rope, obviously meant for him.

The boy slowly began to back away. He knew when he was out done and he needed to get away while he still could. Before his enemies could do anything to stop him, Danny turned and fled towards the hallway leading towards the back of the house.

All five ghosts raced after the half-ghost and caught sight of him phasing into one of the castle's rooms.

"Wait!" Skulker yelled, causing the other spirits to halt their pursuit. "I have a better idea," he told them evilly, his eyes lit with recognition as he looked at the room his prey had gone into. "Follow me."

The hunter turned intangible and phased into the room next to the one the hybrid had gone into; his companions quickly followed suit.

* * *

Danny breathed heavily while studying the large, solid white room. He cocked his head slightly. "What is this supposed to be?" he wondered quizzically. 

With a frown, the teen turned his eyes back to the area's entrance. He was surprised the ghosts hadn't followed him. "They probably didn't see me come in here," he said nervously, trying to reassure himself, before looking around the totally empty room again. "Creepy," he whispered before shaking off his wariness and flying to the other side of the room with the intention of phasing out of it.

Suddenly, a loud humming sound resonated throughout the chamber causing Danny to whirl around in alarm.

"Simulation room activated," he heard a speaker say above him. "Training level: Forty five."

Danny stared in absolute shock as his surroundings began to change before his eyes. The boy gasped when the floor split open in the center of the room, revealing a square pool filled with bubbling green substance. His head snapped upwards, towards the sound of metallic clicking, which he soon discovered came from several weapons emerging from the ceiling, and then from the walls as well.

"**Training commencing."**

"Oh, man," Danny squeaked when all the weapons turned to face him. He quickly flew out of the way, maneuvering himself between the various laser beams and energy blasts.

The teen didn't think twice and fired his own attacks at the guns, only to have his heart leap into his throat as more weapons immediately replaced the destroyed ones.

Danny eyes darted towards the room's doors, but found they had vanished! He turned intangible as he flew towards the wall where the doors once were and phased through them… or at least he tried. Instead, he slammed head first into the solid wall.

"No!" Danny yelled, realizing in alarm that a ghost shield had been erected around the chamber. He was trapped!

The teen desperately tried to find some way to escape his predicament. However, his attention was drawn back to the chamber when he heard a strange clicking sound from behind. Looking back, his face turned pale of what he saw next.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed seeing green knifes coming towards him. He jumped out of striking range, the knives plunging into the wall instead of his body.

"_What kind of training room is this?!"_ he thought fearfully. The hybrid screamed as he felt something cut his left thigh. Looking down, the boy gasped in horror at finding a star shaped disk, embedded in his skin, ecto-plasm flowing out of the wound. Biting away the pain, Danny yanked the object out of his flesh and threw it against the wall.

At hearing another clicking sound behind him- and knowing it couldn't mean anything good- he created a dome shaped shield around himself, just before several more star shaped disks came at him. Wave after wave of the deadly little objects continued to collide with his barrier, falling to the ground after.

As if realizing it wasn't getting anywhere, the simulation room ended its current assault and instead raised a claw shaped device….right in between Danny's feet…

The ghost boy cried in agony as electricity coursed through his body, forcing him to lower his shield and fly into the air to escape the assault.

* * *

Skulker and the other ghosts laughed hysterically as they watched Danny Phantom dodge attack after attack from a window that was visible only from their side of the wall. 

"What does this button do?" asked Fright Knight, looking down at the simulation room's control panel.

Skulker grinned and quickly pushed the button. "Let's find out."

Their laughter increased when they witnessed a rocket emerging from one of the walls, before it fired at the ghost boy. In response, the boy bolted away from the missile's path before it exploded. The force caused the hybrid to roughly roll across the floor, but realizing he was about to fall into the bubbling pit, he quickly stopped himself with his hands, his face just inches from the hot green liquid.

"Aw!" the ghosts groaned in unison, disappointment clearly on their visage.

Skulker calmly turned the dial on the control panel in a clock-wise direction, increasing the training level by a considerable amount. While doing so, several possible explanations danced in his mind, trying to find the right one to tell his employer when he found the whelp no longer breathing.

"_I hate to tell you this, Plasmius, but the whelp had an accident in your training room. As you can clearly see, I have not touched him once," _Skulker nodded, a satisfied grin appearing on his expression.

"Ve should get some popcorn!" he heard one of the vultures say.

"That's a marvelous idea!" another exclaimed, while the hunter ignored them and pushed several more buttons.

"Vell, I'm not getting it," the third responded, "I don't vant to miss the ghost boy go up in smoke!"

"Here, let me try," Fright Night asked, stepping towards the control panel. He was tired of watching Skulker; he wanted to inflict some pain on his enemy himself. He pushed a random button before turning his gaze back to the window to find out what it did.

The chamber's wall began to emit a bright red glow. Heat waves soon became visible, indicating that the temperature had reached an incredible high and intense level.

"Ooo cooked ghost boy!" one of the ghost birds said gleefully.

"I know!" Skulker suddenly exclaimed excitedly, "We'll take turns. Whoever can waste the whelp first gets bragging rights in the Ghost Zone and whatever is left of him!"

Fright Knight and the vultures looked at the hunter with disgust. "How about the winner gets bragging rights and _you_ can have his remains regardless," the spirit of Halloween corrected, while the birds nodded in agreement.

Skulker smiled evilly. "Even better."

"Okay, then it's our turn!" the leader of the vultures said and moved to the controls.

"Hey, try this one," one of them suggested.

* * *

Danny panted while his head spun horribly. He could barely breathe anymore; the air had become so incredibly hot. 

The teen continued to evade attack after attack using everything he could think of to avoid getting blown to pieces. His heart was beating wildly as fear swelled within him with each second that passed by. He didn't know how long he could keep this up and he was completely trapped!

The half-ghost did his best to stay intangible as often as he could, but his body was tiring quickly and so it was becoming increasingly more difficult to summon enough strength to keep this up. But this was not his only problem.

He had discovered that some of the last assaults had managed to harm him, even while staying intangible.

Danny grunted as another one of those blasts hit him, this time in his chest, causing him to lose intangibility.

Faster then the teen could recuperate a pink ray struck him in the shoulder blade, the force propelling him across the room with a heartbreaking cry. Smashing against one of the burning hot walls, the boy screamed even louder before finally falling to the floor with a sickening thud.

He tried to use his now shaking hands to lift his body, but before he could stand, the floor beneath him began to rumble, disrupting his balance. An alarmed yell left his throat as he rolled away from the large, sharp spikes that shot out of the floor.

The boy stood on his trembling legs, just as a loud, metallic groan sounded all around the room. Danny's eyes widened at seeing the ceiling and the walls begin to come towards him.

It was then, as he watched the room grow smaller and smaller, that the boy felt something snap within him; primal fear overwhelmed his very being.

The now frantic half-ghost became intangible and shot towards one of the approaching walls. He slammed into it, the sound of his pounding fists echoing through the chamber. He didn't care how hot the walls still were, he wanted out!

"Let me out of here!" he yelled desperately.

Had all this been a set up to get him here? It had to be. And there was only one person who could be behind all this.

"PLASMIUS! LET ME OUT!" he cried out, complete panic in his trembling voice. Unknowingly, his lost of self control caused the boy to also lose the last bit of concentration on staying intangible.

Danny was pushed back into the approaching opposite wall by another powerful, hot, pink blast. He screamed as a jolt of electricity was sent through his body before being thrown forward this time by another blast.

The teenager knew he had reached his limit. He just couldn't dodge any of the relentless attacks any longer, and every time they made contact it felt like he was being ripped apart. And if that wasn't bad enough, he was still being pushed closer and closer to the dangerous, liquid pool by the heated walls and ceiling.

If it wasn't clear that the boy's fear had reached its peak, then the loud, terrified scream he let out left no doubt. He didn't realize that his tortured cry soon turned into ectoplasmic waves.

* * *

Vlad stepped out of the car and walked up to his mansion, his eyes glued to the papers he was reading. 

The chauffeur, Carl, opened the front door for his distracted employer, allowing him to enter the house.

Vlad stopped walking once he was inside and set his briefcase down, before turning the page on the file in his hands. He was so preoccupied that he didn't hear the ghost right beside him gasp in surprise. "E-Excuse me, s-sir?" Carl stammered, staring at the destroyed house in absolute shock.

"Hmm?" the billionaire responded distantly, his focus completely on the papers.

"You need to see this," he replied urgently.

"Give me a moment," Vlad asked with a concentrated frown on his face, clearly pondering something he had just read.

Suddenly, the house began to rumble, causing the lamps and the decorations remaining on the walls, to shake.

**This** the man noticed.

Vlad finally looked up and his eyes grew wide at the sight of his demolished home.

"**Oh, Butter Scotch!"**

The half-ghost dropped the papers as he turned into Plasmius. Using his inner ghost sense, he immediately picked up the younger hybrid's signature and flew at top speed towards him. From the piercing sound and the feel of the energy coming from the boy's direction, Vlad realized that the rumbling occurring was due to Danny's unique new power that the man knew from experience, packed a punch!

Plasmius gasped upon discovering his sense had led him to the simulation room. Turning intangible so he could phase into the chamber, he was shocked to discover that a ghost shield prevented him from entering. "What in blazes? Who turned on--?"

The man's eyes became vivid with anger before he swirled his cape around his body and vanished from the spot.

"WHAT THE BLAZES DO YOU FIVE THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" Plasmius roared when he materialized in the control room and caught sight of the five ghosts.

The startled Skulker, Fright Knight, and ghost vultures looked towards the older hybrid in shock before quickly stepping aside as their furious employer approached the controls.

The man gasped at seeing the difficulty level the training room was currently under.

_He_ didn't even train at that level.

"Systems OFF!" he commanded, just as the young half-ghost reverted to his human form. Plasmius momentarily looked at the five spirits behind him. "I'll deal with you five later," he assured menacingly before teleporting into the simulation room.

Skulker, Fright Knight, and the vultures stared at one another in pure disbelief. "What was that?" the ghost knight asked, referring to the ear piercing scream and ectoplasmic waves the boy had let out.

* * *

Danny, who currently held himself on his hands and knees, panted and trembled from exhaustion and fear. The boy's aching body was completely drenched in cold sweat. His head spun so uncontrollably that his mind barely registered that the room had returned to its white, plain appearance, or that he was no longer getting bombarded by painful assaults. He also didn't notice someone walking towards him. 

"Daniel?" Vlad called almost fearfully as he leaned down to help the shaking boy to his feet.

The teenager heard the man's voice echo in his ears but what he said didn't come through. He was unable to suppress a whimper from the pain that shot through his body the moment Vlad grasped his torso and back, and slowly lifted him up.

Danny weakly attempted to push his enemy away, despite his pain and knowing he didn't have the strength to support himself. "Get …away y-you… je…"

The young half-ghost collapsed in the man's arms, unconscious. Vlad frowned at the sight of boy's battered, wounded, and wet body, his skin still a bright pink from the heat the room once held.

Plasmius felt his rage swell even more. _"Those five better hope that Daniel is not seriously injured,"_ he thought darkly as he repositioned the teen in his arms before carrying him to his room.

The billionaire placed Danny on his bed and then reverted back to his human form. Sitting on the edge of the teen's bed, he carefully examined his body for any injuries. Vlad soon sighed in relief at not finding anything serious. The boy had a lot of scraps and bruises, none of which were bleeding, and the few that had been, had already stopped due to his quick healing ability that came with being half ghost.

The man stood and walked over to an intercom beside the bedroom door. "Patricia!" Vlad called, after pressing a button on it.

"S-Sir?"

"Bring me a moist cloth to Daniel's room, now!"

"Yes, Master Plasmius."

Vlad turned his attention back to unconscious hybrid. Not wanting the boy to catch a cold, he phased off the teen's soaked shirt and also took off his sneakers, before wrapping him in his blankets

Here you go, sir," the maid stated, materializing in the room and handing him a warm, moist cloth.

"Take this to the laundry room," Vlad ordered, giving the shirt to Patricia.

The older hybrid sat on the edge of the bed once again and began to dab the moist cloth on the boy's pink, sweat covered face and neck, in an attempt to cool him down.

Vlad suddenly paused and his eyes momentarily closed as he let out an angry sigh. He should have seen this coming.

His gazed softened as he looked back at Danny and continued his previous actions. "You certainly are a package, little badger," Vlad said softly, gently pushing away the boy's wet hair from his face.

The man soon placed the cloth on the night stand and headed towards the room's tinted window. He crossed his arms in front of him and glared as he looked out. His anger of course had nothing to do with what he saw, but at the thought of the five ghosts, especially the hunter.

He strictly told Skulker that the boy was not to be harmed. If anything infuriated him it was being disobeyed… but what else could he expect from obsessive ghosts who hated the young half-ghost more then anything else?

* * *

Skulker anxiously paced a part of the kitchen. He didn't expect to get caught. His plan to tell his employer that the ghost boy had an accident with the training room would have freed him of any incrimination. After all, he _did_ respect Plasmius' wishes; not once did he lay a finger on the child. It wasn't his fault the man didn't inform the Fright Knight or those pathetic birds of said orders, and it certainly wasn't his responsibility to do it for him. Problem was he had been caught and now his employer was furious. 

"But it was worth it," Skulker said quietly, stopping his pacing, an evil smile appearing on his expression as he remembered the past events…. It really was a shame Plasmius didn't arrive a few seconds later…

"You didn't tell me my master didn't want the whelp harmed!" Fright Knight accused angrily

"Yeah, this is all your fault!" the three vultures exclaimed.

The hunter was about to argue in his defense, but before he could, George floated over to them. "What did you five do?" he asked quizzically, wondering what the rumble had been earlier.

Skulker grinned mischievously at the cook. "Well..."

* * *

Danny groaned as he began to wake. He slowly opened his eyes and hazily noticed his darkened surroundings. The boy lifted his weakened hands to his face, feeling his head spin horribly. The assault in that room had scared him beyond comprehension. He knew that with ghost fighting his life was always at risk, but his understanding of this had only become a reality less then a handful of times and what happened in that room had just added one more to his list. 

He really thought he was going to die in there.

"Daniel, are you alright?" he heard Vlad ask softly, which pulled him away from his traumatizing thoughts.

Danny dropped his arms to his sides and looked around for Vlad. However, he couldn't see the man, since the lights were off and the curtains closed, shrouding the room in darkness.

"I'm going to turn on the reading lamp," the billionaire warned.

Danny groaned and placed his hands back on his face, attempting to block out the painful lighting from his eyes. The room fell into a tense silence for several seconds, but then the teen broke it.

"You really enjoy torturing me," Danny said tiredly, his hands still covering his face.

Vlad remained silent and simply looked down at the boy with a sober expression. But then, he shook his head and sighed softly. "Daniel, I had no idea that was going to happen."

At his words the younger half-ghost forced himself to sit up. He momentarily held his aching head, before looking up at his enemy. He felt so battered.

"You expect me to believe that it was pure coincidence that those birds, Skulker, and Fright knight got together to attack me without _you_ knowing?!" he yelled hoarsely, "Oh and let's not forget me getting mysteriously locked inside some death trap!"

Vlad glared at the boy. "I already told you, none of it was my doing. If you want an apology you can dismiss such request," he responded angrily.

Danny held a hand to his chest, trying to ease the aching pressure he felt as he began to breathe harder from anger. "I don't want an apology; it would mean _nothing_ coming from you! What I want is the energy to kick your butt, Plasmius, you_ and_ those other idiots!" he replied, glaring weakly at his arch enemy, truly wishing he had the strength to do what he just said.

The billionaire's hands balled into fists as he hissed menacingly, "If you weren't about to pass out, I would make you regret those words."

A knock on the door interrupted them. "Excuse me, sir?"

"Come in," Vlad said, his angry gaze going to the door.

"I brought up the young master's dinner as you requested," the butler informed the man as he walked into the room with a dining cart.

"Take it back; I'm not eating," Danny commanded; his glare had never left the older hybrid.

Vlad's eyes snapped back to Danny's, igniting a bright red. "Leave it, he_ is_ eating," he assured through clenched teeth, daring the boy to challenge him.

"No. I'm. Not!" the teen growled back.

Seeing where this was going Derek wisely made his retreat.

Vlad's left hand flared with energy, matching his eyes in color. Danny didn't even flinch at this; he was too angry to feel any kind of fear.

"Listen carefully, Daniel," the man began dangerously. He leaned down to the boy's level and roughly cupped his face with his right hand. His own face was now only inches from the young half-ghost's as he continued. "There is absolutely _nothing_ here to stop me from ending your mediocre existence, so _do not_ push me!"

Danny looked directly into his enemy's eyes and fearlessly replied, "If you're going to waste me, then do it, if not, then…GET OUT!" he shouted as he found the energy to push the man away from him.

Vlad fired the energy blast in his hand inches above the boy's head, immediately destroying the bed's backboard and causing pieces of wood to rain down on the teen. The man stomped off towards the room's exit before turning back to Danny. "You better eat!" he exclaimed furiously and then slammed the door shut.

Danny's angry bravado instantly fell at finding himself alone again. He closed his eyes before holding his face in his hands. His life was going to end here; it was only a matter of time. "Someone, help me," he pleaded softly.

* * *

The infuriated billionaire walked down the main stairway, his eyes still glowing red. Vlad was a patient man; it was very few the times that someone made him lose his composure. But the younger hybrid… he was the exception. That boy just loved pushing him past his limits. 

"Ungrateful little urchin!" Vlad mumbled angrily. _"I should have let those five blow you to pieces!"_ he added darkly in thought. The man stomped into the kitchen in search of a certain hunter.

"Skulker!" Vlad yelled angrily when he spotted him.

Skulker, who was preoccupied with cleaning a weapon in his hand, slowly turned his gaze to his employer. "What?" he replied causally.

"What? WHAT?!" Vlad yelled enraged with the hunter's calm response. "Is that all you're going to say to me?! I told you to stay away from the boy!"

"And I have, but you see, I found the whelp fighting with Fright Knight and--"

"Forgive me, my liege; I was not aware of your orders," the Halloween spirit interrupted.

"Yeah, what he said, boss," the leader of the vultures added in their defense.

"Shut your beak, I didn't ask you!" Vlad snarled at the bird, before turning his attention back to Skulker.

"Why was Daniel in the simulation room?" the hybrid demanded angrily, knowing that the only other being, apart from him, who knew how to work the room was the hunter.

Skulker nervously rubbed at his neck, forgetting about that small detail until now. "Well… I thought he could use some… exercise?" the ghost replied in more of a question.

"AT LEVEL 72?!"

"Um…"

"All of you get out of my house before I forget why I put up with you!" the man screamed.

Skulker frowned at hearing his employer's words. He wanted them to leave? He was the one who called him here in the first place!

However, the hunter knew it would be futile to reason with the furious half-ghost at the moment, so he just sighed angrily and turned to leave. _"…humans,"_ he thought crossly before phasing through the wall.

"My apology, my liege," Fright Knight said with a bow and then followed after Skulker.

As for the Vultures, they high-tailed it out of there at the same instant Fright Knight had turned to leave. They knew better then to test their employer's patience any more.

Vlad stormed back towards the main hall. Upon arriving, he began to curse angrily at the sight of the destroyed entranceway. He picked up the papers and his briefcase he had dropped earlier, before doing the same for his Packer possessions that weren't blown to pieces. To his relief, his prized football signed by Ray Nitche was one of those unharmed items.

"Where the blazes are-- Patricia! Martha! Niane!" the man boomed.

"Yes, s-sir?" they quickly replied after materializing in front of him

"Clean up this mess and tell Derek to call someone to repair this place!" Vlad ordered before walking up the stairs with his remaining packers' collection and business items. He would stick with his plans, even if it meant losing his sanity in the process.

* * *

Is that enough action for ya? I hope you guys enjoyed this piece as much as I enjoyed writing it! If you didn't notice, the title of this chapter is a spin of, of the saying, "Boys will be boys" …"Enemies will be Enemies" -Laughs insanely- Get it?! Ha! –clears throat- Anyways, I figured since Danny is at Vlad's he needed to run into all his enemies eventually; talk about being in the lions den, huh? Well, I hope you liked Dazzler; he'll be playing a plot later on, and you'll learn more about him eventually. 

So, two announcements: First, I am still working on that AU, Dawning of a Sun. I know I have been saying I would be posting it soon, but I'm not kidding when I say the universe is against me when it comes to that story. (School being the major obstacle!) I have a few chapters written down, but nothing in concrete yet. I had planned to post the first chapter at the beginning of November. I had the first chapter all edited and ready to send to my beta, and guess what happens? My computer crashes! I'm not kidding you, it crashed just as I was about to send the chapter to him! Luckily, I back up my stuff on a pen drive, so I did not lost checkmate or my other workings. (I would die if I lost CM!) I still have the chapters I wrote for this AU as well; what I lost was the edited version of chapter one. I haven't wanted to rewrite it because I think my files were not lost. I think the problem is a hardware piece that just needs to be replaced, and shouldn't affect my saved data on my computer… I hope. Thing is, it's been a month, and my parents have not gotten it fixed for me, but they finally made an appointment for this Friday. So pray with me that I can recover my files, because I don't want to rewrite- re-edit it. I tired a few pages, but it just isn't the same as when I first fixed it up. (I was on a roll that day!)

Okay, one more thing, and I'll stop blathering. The next chapter is called Twisted Truth, and it ties to a previous chapter. I strongly recommend you guys reread the chapter called, "Night Frights", especially if you can't recall it very well, otherwise, you might be lost in the next chapter! So yes, plot development ahead! BEWARE!

Until next time my wonderful readers, I look forward to reading your comments on this chapter!


	17. Chapter 16: Twisted Truth

**Thank you all for your patience! I know it's been a while, but you know…. School Luickly, I'm out! Yay! I hope you all looked over the chapter "Night Frights" See you at the bottom!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom**

**

* * *

Chapter 16: Twisted Truth **

Vlad stepped out of his limousine after his driver had opened the door for him. "Thank you, Carl. Do not wait for me… I will be taking the_ alternative_ route home," he informed with a small smirk on his lips.

Carl smiled knowingly, "Yes, sir. See you at the house."

Vlad nodded before turning his eyes to the large building in front of him with an evil grin. The smile vanished and his expression turned casual as he walked towards Amity Park Hospital with a large bouquet of Jasmines in hand.

It was currently eight in the morning and he knew the Fenton family —minus Danny of course— was here. He could not allow what had occurred yesterday with the boy and his employees to setback his plans. After his anger had subsided somewhat, he recalled that the three ghost vultures had come to deliver the information he had requested about Jack, and that he never informed Fright Knight of his task. Luckily, the three ghost birds had returned last night, and he got what he needed… that's how he knew the Fentons were currently here.

As for Fright Knight, the half-ghost planned on heading to his lair today, but first, he had to pay dear Jasmine a visit. There was a certain issue he needed to discuss with her and he knew exactly what to say to make her… see things his way.

He had another reason for his visit to Amity today, and it was why he decided to come so early. Although it meant getting out of bed before dawn to get here at this current time—not that he wasn't use to it— it had to be done. His "errands" would take a few hours to accomplish and he had to get them out of the way and get back to Wisconsin as soon as possible, preferably early afternoon, just in case Danny noticed his long absence.

"_Not that I really think he would,"_ Vlad thought with amusement as he walked up to the main desk in the building. Still, he wasn't taking any chances. Not this time. This time he would finally obtained what he wanted. And feeling how close he was and how well everything was coming together, made him _almost_ impatient. But if he could wait twenty one years, he could wait a bit longer. And wait he would. Meanwhile, he would relish as the time slowly drew nearer.

"Excuse me, what room is Jasmine Fenton in?" the billionaire asked the person at the counter.

* * *

"It's not fair, mom! I should be out there looking for Danny with you and dad!" Jazz said angrily, her arms folded across her chest. 

"Jazz, I know you want to help, but you're not well, sweetie. Until you get better you have to stay here," her mom said gently, although she understood how helpless she felt.

"But I feel better, really! Please, can't you guys tell the doctors to let me leave under strict meds or something? I want to go home and I want to help find Danny!" she said before weeping in her hands.

Jack and Maddie looked at each other worriedly. Lately, their daughter just seemed to blow up about everything, and after doing so, she would just weep and weep. They were sure it had to do with being here for so long and from the medications, but Danny's absence had a lot to do with it too. In fact, it became worse after she found out. That was why they did their best to remain positive around her. They tried to stay strong for her despite that they felt immense sorrow and worry at not knowing where their son was.

"Princess, I'm sure you'll be able to come home in no time," Jack assured with a confident grin as he sat beside her. "In fact, we'll ask the doctor when she comes today!"

Jazz's crying subsided into sniffles, before looking up at her father with depressed eyes. "I asked her yesterday and she said she couldn't say yet. How is today any different?"

Maddie smiled at her daughter with reassurance, "Well-"

Knock-Knock

Everyone's attention turned towards the door before Maddie said, "Come in."

"Maddie! Jack! Jasmine! It's so good to see you all!" Vlad beamed as he walked into the room with a large grin.

"Vlad Masters?!" Maddie and Jazz exclaimed in disbelief.

"V-Man!" Jack shouted, the depression in his eyes vanishing at seeing his best friend.

Before the billionaire could do anything to evade it, Jack ran across the room and wrapped his large arms around his body, giving him a constricting hug.

Vlad visibly cringed at feeling his bones on the verge of snapping. "I… missed you… too," he rasped out, "but… would you please put me down!" he gasped out quickly.

Realizing he lifted his friend off the ground in his excitement, Jack blushed and chuckled shyly as he complied with the other man's request. "Sorry, Vladdie, I just get so excited when you come to visit!"

"Yes, I can clearly see that," he replied with annoyance, fixing his attire the best he could with one hand since the other still held the flowers. Of course Jack didn't notice Vlad's negative tone, or that his wife and daughter looked at the billionaire with a scowl on their faces.

Vlad grinned warmly at the two, acting as if he didn't notice their dislike for him. "Maddie, I missed you as well," he said walking towards her and Jazz, "but my main reason for visiting is sitting on that bed," he added turning his eyes to the teenage girl.

"Jasmine, these Jasmines are for you," he said with a small chuckle, "They are a very rare kind, but of course, they can not compare to how special you are, my girl," he said, offering her the turquoise colored flowers.

Jazz looked at the gift with unease and then looked at her mom, who nodded at unspoken question, before accepting the Jasmines. "Thanks," she mumbled, her eyes staring at the man with distrust.

"Of course, my dear! I only hope to bring you some happiness during such a difficult time for you." The man sat down at a nearby chair, before continuing, "So tell me, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," she responded coldly, giving her father the flowers so he could put them in a water jar.

Vlad sighed in sadness, "I wish I could say you look fine, dear girl," he responded, earning a glare from Jazz. The man, however, wasn't lying. The teenager looked extremely sick. Her expression was pale, there were dark circles under her eyes, and she had clearly lost weight. "What have the doctors said?" he inquired, his attention going to Maddie.

"Well, they said she is stable, but they have been unable to determine the reason for her illness. They refuse to let her leave until they find the cause. They don't want to risk another relapse at home," Maddie informed him with worry.

"But Jazz is a Fenton and she will be back on her feet in no time, won't you, princess?" Jack said, sitting once more beside his daughter and then giving her a gentle hug.

Jazz just looked at him and smiled in response, before moving her eyes back to the evil hybrid, who was smiling with an eerie calmness at their interaction.

The girl was unable to hide her unease at witnessing this. The wickedness in Vlad's eyes sent an unpleasant prickle throughout her body, making her lower her gaze from him. She then grasped Jack's hand tightly as if doing so would keep her father safe from the man in front of them.

"I believe so too, Jack," Vlad said, his grin becoming larger as he noticed Jazz's actions. He then turned his eyes to Maddie, his expression changing into sobriety. "Did the private investigator I hired come to see you about…?" He let his words hang in fake sorrow.

Maddie's gaze lowered in an attempt to keep her sorrow in check and not begin to cry. "Yes… he said he would do everything in his power to find Danny…"

Vlad grabbed the women's hands in a comforting gesture. "And… nothing yet?" he asked gently.

Maddie just shook her head, knowing if she said another word, her voice would crack and the tears would finally fall.

Although the woman he loved was not looking at him, he could feel the obvious pain flowing in thick waves out of her dejected form. It caused Vlad's heart to swell with guilt and sorrow. He was responsible for the immense grief she was going through... The billionaire suddenly felt like Maddie's hands were burning him, and he let go.

"We really don't know how to thank you, V-man. I really couldn't have a better pal then you," Jack said, breaking the small silence.

Vlad ripped his eyes from Maddie and looked at the large man. "What do you mean, Jack? I have not done anything. Daniel is still missing," he replied, his voice ringing with actual soberness. After all, he was still facing his earlier emotions and the women in front of him.

"I know, but you caring, and helping us in every way possible is what counts," his friend responded seriously.

Maddie sighed, realizing Jack was right. Her former college friend might do a lot of things that she disliked, but he had been supportive, not just with Danny, but with Jazz. She looked up at him and smiled appreciatively. "Jack's right, Vlad. It really does mean a lot that you are helping us, so thank you."

Vlad forced away the feeling of guilt and smiled warmly. "Think nothing of it. You all mean a lot to me."

Jazz rolled her eyes at his words. She had been silent the whole time in an attempt to read pass the man's lies. She didn't buy a second of it. She knew full well who was in front of her, and this man cared for no one but himself. He was here for something, and she worried what it could be. Without Danny around, she feared for her dad's life, but something told her this wasn't about him. If so, why come to see her? It then clicked; he wanted to talk to her. Alone.

Jazz continued to watch her parents talk to the half-ghost about Danny. She was curious to find out what he wanted with her, but was wary of staying alone with him… but then what if it was important? What if…

"_Danny,"_ she thought fearfully… could he know?

"Mom," Jazz called a little too suddenly.

"Yes, dear?" she replied with a concerned look.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I'm kinda hungry, and-"

"You're hungry?!" Jack exclaimed, standing up, "Why didn't you say so sooner? I'll get ya something, princess!"

"Ah, wait, dad!" Jazz said quickly, stopping her father from running out the room. "You guys still haven't had breakfast. Maybe you and mom should go get something while you're out there."

"We'll wait, sweetie. Besides Vlad is here and-"

"Jasmine's right, Maddie. You and Jack should eat. It wouldn't help your children if you became ill, now would it?" he questioned.

Maddie looked unsure at Jazz, before sighing in resignation. "I suppose you're right."

"Yeah, I forgot I had not eaten yet," Jack added with a quizzical frown. "What about you, Vladdie? You want anything?"

"Oh, no, no. Thank you, but I already had breakfast. You two get something. I'll keep dear Jasmine company until you return."

Jack nodded with a beaming smile. "Okay then. We'll be back in a jiff, Jazzy-pants!"

"Yes, dear, we'll tell the nurses to get you something before we go, okay?" her mother added.

Jazz nodded with a smile. "Okay, mom, thanks."

Maddie gave the billionaire an untrusting look before reluctantly following her husband out.

Vlad and Jazz watched them step out; and with the closing door echoing in the girl's ears, her heart jumped in dread.

"Alone at last, eh?" the half-ghost said with a smirk, turning his attention to the teenager.

Jazz frowned at him, hiding her nervousness behind an icy look. "Yeah, so why are you here?" she replied, getting straight to the point.

Vlad leaned back in the chair and smiled warmly at the girl. "Why am I here? My dear, I have come to see you! I was devastated to hear the news about your illness. I couldn't believe it, really. You're so young and-"

"Enough!" Jazz shouted, glaring at the man. "I know who you are, Vlad Masters, so don't play sweet, caring uncle with me! What. Do. You. Want?!"

The billionaire raised an eyebrow, before adapting a calm expression. "My, aren't we edgy. Very well, I'll be forward then. I want to talk to you about Daniel," he informed, his hands clasping together on his lap, awaiting the girl's reaction.

Jazz's eyes widened at having her suspicion confirmed. "W-What do you know about Danny?" she whispered with fear, before it quickly turned into rage and she stood from her bed. "You know where he is!" she accused, "I swear if you have done anything to-"

Vlad laughed loudly, causing the teenager's anger to turn into wariness again. "Oh, Jasmine, please don't tell me you are as impulsive as Daniel. Honestly, what makes you think I would know where your brother is?" he asked in amusement.

Jazz frowned, but the suspicion reflected in her face did not change. "If anyone could find him, it's you," she replied.

Vlad shrugged, "Perhaps… but what makes you think I want to find him? You're brother has been a torn in my side since I met him. I offered him to join me. I would have treated him like a prince, but the foolish boy refused me, and so it is for the best that he has run away." He chuckled a bit, "I knew he couldn't stand the life of a hero for long. Shame, really. He should have listened, ah well."

"You lying snake!" Jazz growled, her hands fisting. "You're just pretending to help my parents find Danny! They're counting on your help! How can you be so cruel?!"

Vlad smiled placidly at her. "You really should calm yourself. As you can understand, I'm not very comfortable around sickness, so do sit down before you have a seizure or something of the sort. I would so hate to witness that," he said, making a disgusted face.

Jazz glared daggers at the man, but took his "advice" since her display of anger was making her a bit light-headed. She sat down on the bed before continuing. "Alright then, Vlad. You want to talk about Danny. Well, what about him? Or was that it? Did you just come to gloat over my brother's disappearance? Or did you come to feed on my dad's misery like a certain sick ghost I know?"

The half-ghost smiled evilly, "Yes, and no. Although, I do enjoy seeing your father in pain, and it is satisfying to gloat about how my young rival cowardly ran away from his problems, I have come for a more important matter. A matter that deeply concerns me. You're brother's _secret_."

Jazz gave the man a quizzical look. "That he's Danny Phantom? What about it?"

"Everything. You see, Jasmine, although I have no interest in finding Daniel, I have pondered what your brother's absence might cause, or rather, what it could cause for me. Tell me, dear girl, have Daniel's little friends attempted to locate him using your father's inventions?"

Jazz looked down sadly at her hands and nodded. "It's not picking him up," she replied softly.

Vlad leaned forward, before whispering, "Have you wondered why?"

The girl looked up at him with fear, clearly showing she had, but didn't want to acknowledge the reasons. Instead of answering him, she questioned, "Why are you asking me this?"

"Because I have attempted to pick up his ghost energy myself and have had the same results."

"I thought you said you didn't care about finding him?" she shot back with a deep frown.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I am not curious of his whereabouts. I don't plan on putting anymore effort into it, but I have wondered why I am unable to lock unto his signature. The reasons as to why are very few, Jasmine, and none of them mean anything good for Daniel," Vlad assured, leaning back leisurely on the chair once more.

Jazz glared, "Danny's fine! And we're going to find him, Vlad!"

"But what if you do not?" he answered with a raised eyebrow. Jazz fell silent although she still stared at the man angrily. "Let me answer that for you. If you do not, you will become desperate, and so will Daniel's friends. You will tell your parents who and what Daniel really is. And that is what I can not have. You see, dear girl, your brother's secret and my own are tied together. His exposure means my own. If Maddie learns the truth about her son, she will eventually put two and two together, and I won't allow that," Vlad ended with complete seriousness in his tone.

Jazz's suspicion of the billionaire vanished and was replaced with realization. She understood why he was there.She scoffed before saying in a disgusted voice, "You know, I can't say it surprises me that your only reason for coming here is just for yourself, but it still makes me sick."

"Hmm, well, at least it doesn't cause you anything new," he threw back with an uncaring wave of his hand. Internally, however, he was grinning. The girl had bought his reason for coming- which it really was the actual reason he came. He could not allow Danny to be exposed, because it would indeed mean his own downfall. But it was clear the girl no longer suspected him of being involved with Danny's disappearance and just believed he came here for his own selfish needs. It was time to wrap this up.

"You don't really expect me to listen to you, do you?" Jazz replied with amusement, before narrowing her eyes once again. "Make no mistake, Vlad Masters, if my brother's life depended on it, I would tell my parents everything. I told him I would keep his secret, but if he's in danger and it's the only way to help him, not you, or anyone else will stop me from revealing it," she assured.

Vlad smiled calmly as he rubbed his chin. "I wouldn't be so sure, Jasmine. You don't know what I'm capable of in order to obtain what I want," he said, his tone becoming dark. "I will not allow you to expose me, girl. I don't care if you find out Skulker has your brother's remains on display, or anything else as terribly unimaginable as that! You _will not_ tell your parents the truth," he hissed, glaring at the girl.

Jazz's heart sped up, but she forced her fear down. "I-I don't plan on telling them unless I have to… B-But you can't stop me," she said trying to sound confident, but her tone wavered a bit.

Vlad smiled, his look returning to a carefree one. "You don't even believe that yourself, dear girl. There is plenty I could do."

"What? You're going to waste Sam, Tucker, and me in order to keep any of us from talking?" she answered, this time sounding bold.

The half-ghost grinned wickedly, "That's one way… But," he said, standing up, "there are simpler ways to keep you quiet, dear girl." He walked towards the teen and sat on the bed beside her. "You are a bright girl, Jasmine. Surely I can make you see things my way. You are well aware of the power I hold, yes?" the man asked sweetly, before his eyes flashed a menacing red, causing the already nervous girl to let out a startled gasp. "But that isn't the only form of power I have at my fingertips. Now, let's say you decide to tell dear mommy and daddy the truth about their precious son. On a side note, you must have already wondered what they are going to say? Their son, the thing they hate most in this world…"

"My parents love Danny; they won't care," Jazz assured, while internally wishing the man would move away from her.

Vlad shrugged. "If you want to believe that. As I was saying, your brother's exposure will mean my own. And so the next question is, what will your parents say? Not that I care what Jack thinks, but Maddie… well, you know that means everything to me. So you expose dear uncle Vlad, and guess what happens next? Dear uncle Vlad will assure daddy gets blamed for everything. After all, Daniel and I are what we are thanks to his foolishness." The billionaire gasped dramatically. "Could you imagine what the Guys in White will say when they find out that your father has been protecting a ghostly criminal? And not just any criminal, but the one they have been after for some time now, Danny PhantomFurthermore, what will the world say to a person who has risked his family's safety by exposing them to constant dangers, to the point that he has turned his own son into a freak? Perhaps… even your own illness is due to all the exposure to everything your father does…"

"That's not true!" Jazz growled. "No one would believe any of that!"

Vlad gave her a dry look. "Of course, they would. It is the truth after all. Or am I bluffing when I say your father's work is dangerous? I'm sure you realize that just a minor instability and that ghost portal could blow up your entire house in a matter a seconds. Face it, Jasmine, everyone would believe every word of it, because it's. the. truth. Jack Fenton is a danger to his family and _everyone_ around him. I'm surprised the people of Amity Park haven't shipped him of to a mental hospital," he added with a chuckle.

Jazz looked away angrily. Although she knew her father was not a threat to anyone- not even ghosts- she also knew the man before her could easily do everything he was indirectly threatening her with.

Vlad grabbed the girl's chin, forcing her away from her thoughts and to look back at him. "Do not test me, Jasmine. My intentions never were to threaten you, but if you put my identity in jeopardy, I'll destroy your father in every way possible. I promise you, you will _never_ see him again. I'll have him locked up for the rest of his life." He let go of the girl's face, who held a look of terror and disbelief. "So be a good little girl, and do as I ask, yes?" he said, with a sweet tone.

Vlad patted Jazz's shaking hands in reassurance. "I just want you to understand that it is in everyone's best interest to keep our mouths sealed about this, dear girl. Besides, if you're brother were to return, then you would have ruined his life. He would be hunted for the rest of his life, or worse captured and used as some rat… Jasmine, you don't want to be responsible for all that, now would you?" he asked softly.

The girl lowered her head in silent defeat. "Okay, you win," she whispered.

"Oh? Nonsense," Vlad replied, waving a hand dismissively, "We all win with your wise choice, my dear," he assured with a warm grin.

Jazz didn't look at him or say anything. Although the thought had crossed her mind, the truth was she never planned on revealing Danny's secret. Yes, she was worried about him, but at the moment, doing so would bring her brother more harm then good. How would revealing his secret help them find him? It was too much of a risk… especially now that the evil half-ghost had added his _persuasions _into it.

Jazz looked up at Vlad with pleading eyes. She didn't care who the man was, she knew that they had more chances in finding her brother with his aid, and that's all she wanted right now. She wanted to find him. "Please… help us find Danny… I know you could if really wanted to."

Vlad raised an eyebrow. "What for? So that he can continue to get in the way of my plans?"

Jazz glared, although there were tears falling down her face. "Danny might not be here, but I won't let you hurt my father, Vlad," she assured.

The billionaire smiled in amusement, but before he could respond to her comment, a knock sounded at the door.

"Hi, Jazz, we heard you were hungry," said a nurse as she walked in, rolling a food cart.

"Thanks," Jazz said softly, wiping away the tears in her eyes.

"Yes, thank you. She's famished, aren't you, my dear?"

The girl nodded, forcing a smile on her face.

"Well, here you are then. Do you need any help?" the nurse asked kindly.

"Oh no, she's fine," the half-ghost answered for her, "Her uncle Vlad is here with her. I'll make sure she eats every last bit of this nutritious meal."

The women smiled warmly, before saying good-bye and exiting.

Vlad stood and uncovered the tray for the girl. "Come now, you must eat, Jasmine. We all want you to get better quickly," he said with a sweet smile.

Jazz rolled her eyes. "I'm not hungry. I only said I was so my parents could leave… now I regret it."

The man shrugged in response, "Yes, well, you must eat anyways, or your parents might begin to wonder. So…" He extended the fork towards her. The teen glowered at the man for a moment before snatching the utensil from him.

Vlad sat back down in a chair and studied his right hand for a bit while Jazz played around with her food. A moment of silence later, he finally spoke, "So tell me, why do you think Daniel left so suddenly?" He leaned forward, so that his elbows rested on his knees. Supporting his chin on his knuckles, he asked with a grin on his lips, "What could have caused my little badger to finally break?"

Jazz didn't look at him, but she visibly tensed. She was sure she knew why he left and that she was to blame.

"Oh? Is that guilt I see?" the billionaire chuckled, "Do not tell me you are responsible? What could you have possibly done to push Daniel into making such a rash decision?"

Jazz shot the man a fierce look. "Why don't you just-"

"Jazzy-pants, we're back!"

The teenager's glare quickly vanished, and she smiled at her dad who walked in with a drink and a covered food tray in his hands.

"My, back so soon?" Vlad questioned innocently, while Jazz turned her attention back to her breakfast to keep herself calm.

"Yes, we decided to bring the food up with us," Maddie explained.

"I'm really glad you came, V-man. I know you said you were busy, so I know you must have pushed a lot of stuff out of the way to come see us," Jack said with a grin, before sitting down and pulling out a large sub.

Vlad smiled. "Just one thing, Jack."

"How long are you staying?" Maddie asked sitting down, and placing her own food aside.

"Oh no, I won't be staying. I just wanted to come by for a bit to give you all my support. In fact, I must leave soon. I need to head back to Wisconsin as soon as possible."

"Shucks, Vladdie, I was hoping you'd stay longer," Jack said in a depressed voice.

"I would love to, but I can not leave this important affair unattended for very long," he answered, feigning sadness.

Maddie looked at her daughter, and frowned. "Jazz, are you alright? You look a bit pale," she said, standing up and going over to her.

"I'm fine, mom," she whispered, "I'm just really tired."

"Perhaps we should let her rest then, " Vlad suggested.

Maddie smiled at her daughter, "I think that's a good idea. Let's go talk in the lobby so we won't keep her up any longer," she said, looking at Jack and Vlad, before looking back at her daughter, "Is that okay with you, Jazz?"

Jazz nodded, wanting nothing more then to have Vlad Masters taken away from her sight. "Thanks, mom," she said as her mother helped her get back into bed.

Vlad walked up to Jazz, causing her to use all her will power to stay calm. "I guess this is good-bye, my dear. I truly hope the next time we see each other it won't be in this dreadful place." The man patted the girl on the head. "Be a good girl, Jasmine," he said sweetly.

Danny's sister watched as her parents and Vlad left the room, before finally doing what she had been holding in. The girl buried her face in her pillow and sobbed freely into it. She was so afraid for her brother, and the evil half-ghost had asked her what she had been internally dreading to ask herself: What if Danny never came back?

* * *

An hour later, Vlad was heading out of the hospital feeling very pleased with himself. Everything was moving perfectly. Although he would still be keeping an eye on Jack's daughter, he was fairly certain she would think more than twice in revealing Danny's secret. The half-ghost could not have that occur; it would ruin everything. 

He didn't bother with Danny's friends. He knew the boy's sister would inform them of his little visit. He had been a bit cautious at first, knowing that one wrong word could bring the girl to be suspicious of him, but she seemed to have bought every word. Like she had said herself, he had no need to play "sweet, caring uncle," or the need to sugar coat anything. Jasmine knew who he was and that made things remarkably easier.

Making sure no one was around, the billionaire walked into an alley way, before changing into Plasmius.

He took to the sky with a smirk on his lips. "Now that we have taken care of the king's bishop, knight, and rook; it's time to get rid of the unwanted fat, pawn. How nice that I have my own knight to do that," he said, laughing evilly.

To Vlad Masters, Danny was the main piece in this chess game. He was the ultimate prize. And once he had "the king", he would also obtain "the queen" – Maddie, of course. But since the billionaire had already made every necessary move to obtain the little king, all he needed to do was wait. And all the while, he would assure that the boy's three protectors—Jazz, Sam and Tucker—stayed out of the way…or he'd make them.

A moment later, Vlad flew invisibly into Fenton Works. He quickly lit a hand with ecto-energy, and looked around the living room he had just landed in.

"Where's that blasted dog?" he muttered darkly. He recalled the Dalmatian he had seen the last time he was here. The billionaire had been attempting to make lunch for the young half-ghost that day, and the stupid pup kept following him everywhere, yapping and pulling on his pant legs. Having enough, he had changed into his ghost form, scaring the wits out of the annoying thing. He had watched the yelping dog run up the stairs and hide inside one of the rooms.

Vlad called off his energy. Either the puppy was too scared to show himself, or he was not here. The half-ghost shrugged, before floating off towards the lab.

A grin spread on Plasmius' lips as he walked up to the ghost portal. "It's such an advantage that my old, college chum, has never been any good at chess, otherwise I would not be certain he will fall right into my trap."

The man pulled out a cylinder filled with glowing green substance. After typing in a few numbers in the portal's control panel, the machine released the ecto-filtrator from its slot. He looked at the old cylinder with an evil grin, before exchanging it for the one he brought. "There we go," he said after locking it in place.

Vlad stepped back and admired his work for a moment. The filtrator look just like the one the Fentons had before, so they would never know the difference. Vlad looked down at the device adorning his wrist, and typed something in before saying, "Open ghost portal." Right after, the lights on the portal began to flash in alarm as the doors slowly opened.

The evil hybrid grinned. "Close ghost portal," he asked, and the Fenton's portal obeyed. "Perfect!" he beamed.

Plasmius reached into one of his jumpsuit pockets again, and pulled out a green bulb just like the ones the ghostly gateway had around itself. Carefully, Vlad unscrewed one of the green bulbs on the machine, before replacing it with the one in his hand.

"With this, I'll be able to see when Jack is in his lab," he said, waving a hand in front of the bulb causing it to blink in response to his hand movement.

Plasmius' eyes went to the instruments and inventions around him. "Ah, there it is," he said, walking up to the specter deflector. He slowly reached for it, his face actually showing wariness. If there was one ghost device he had come to hate it was this one. He knew how painful the thing was, which was why he couldn't hide the relief in his face when he finally grabbed it and realized it was turned off.

Vlad turned it around and studied it for a moment, before turning his right hand intangible and pulling out the circuitry. He quickly began to sort through the many wires, trying to find the ones he was looking for. When he did, he cut the two wires with a set of pliers he found on a nearby lab table. He quickly inverted them, before connecting everything else again.

He turned the device back around and with a bit of hesitation, activated it. The device glowed green like it usually did, but oddly enough, it did not harm Plasmius. He didn't find it odd. In fact he was grinning.

His smile soon disappeared. He bit his lower lip, before quickly changing into his human self. Immediately, the device glowed brighter and the man let out a sharp gasp. Vlad dropped the specter deflector as he wobbled backwards until his back met a lab table, and he used it to support himself for a moment. "It works… well," he grunted out, lifting a hand to his spinning head.

The half-ghost then summoned his ghost form again, all traces of weakness vanishing instantly. He calmly picked up the device off the floor. Turning it off, the man placed it back on the table where it was before.

Plasmius walked back towards the portal and lifted the glowing red device on his wrist once more. "Open ghost portal."

The portal opened and _all_ the green lights around it flashed as usual. With a smirk, Plasmius flew into the Ghost Zone. He looked back at the open portal for a moment, before chuckling. "I'll leave it open. That will give Danny's little friends something to occupy themselves with."

With a loud laugh he flew off into the ghostly atmosphere, towards the Fright Knight's lair.

* * *

"Ms. Manson? Mr. Foley? Could I speak to you both for a moment?" 

The two teens nodded in response and waited for their classmates to leave the room. They ignored the quick glances several of the other teens gave them as they walked out.

"I wanted to ask you two if there is any news on Danny?" Mr. Lancer asked with a worried frown.

Sam and Tucker shook their heads sadly, neither meeting their teacher's gaze.

"I'm truly sorry," he replied, placing a hand on each of the teens' right shoulder. "I want you two to know that if there is anything I can do to help I will gladly do it. Please, don't hesitate to let me know," he told them gently.

The fourteen year olds finally looked up at their instructor with grateful eyes.

"Thank you, Mr. Lancer," Sam replied.

"You don't need to thank me. Danny's one of my students and I have grown quite attached to him even if he is late for almost every class," Mr. Lancer replied with a sad, but amused smile.

The teens returned the gesture.

"How is Jasmine doing?" the teacher asked, changing the subject.

"She's a lot better, but the news about Danny hit her pretty bad," Tucker replied sadly.

"I can imagine," Lancer said sympathetically. He sighed before addressing his students once more, "Thanks for your time kids, and do not forget if there is any-"

"We won't forget, Mr. Lancer," Tucker interrupted with a grateful smile.

The teacher nodded at them, before watching them leave his classroom with a heavy frown. "Mr. Fenton, I hope you return to us soon, because those two are not the same without you." He let out a soft sigh and shook his head, before turning towards his desk.

* * *

Sam and Tucker sat at the outdoor picnic table they commonly occupied during lunch. Neither had bothered to get anything to eat and just sat in silence across from each other. Their gazes were lowered to their own hands resting on top of the table, while occasionally looking at the now vacant spot Danny sat in. 

"Where could he be, Tucker?" Sam asked a little above a whisper.

Her friend just sighed and shook his head.

"What if something happened to him," the girl continued in a fearful tone, her gaze still lowered.

"Please don't say that, Sam. Danny just left; he has to be somewhere."

"But, Tucker, Danny's all alone in that "somewhere"! He has a lot of enemies. They could have hurt him or worse," Sam pressed, needing to say the worries that overwhelmed her mind.

"Stop, Sam," Tucker said in a strong voice, looking up at her. "Danny's fine. We just have to keep looking for him, and we'll find him."

Sam fell silent and only nodded her head. Unlike her, Tucker didn't even want to think of the possibility of something happening to his best friend, his brother. With a sigh, the boy suppressed his fears, and hoped with all his might that Danny was okay wherever he was, unaware Sam was wishing for the same thing.

* * *

Valerie and Star walked together to their lockers as lunch ended. "I wonder what Mr. Lancer wanted with Foley and Manson?" Star said, remembering that the teacher asked them to stay behind. 

"Probably to ask them about Danny" Valerie replied, her expression turning into a sad frown.

Closing her locker, the blond-haired girl turned to her friend and said, "Who would have thought that Fenton was stressed enough to run away."

Danny's disappearance was known throughout Amity Park. The town's news channel and paper had been announcing it since they got wind of the story, and even police investigators had come to question anyone who knew Danny Fenton.

The ghost hunter closed her own locker after pulling out the books she needed. "I don't know, Star. You know Danny and I are friends and-"

"You were more than that once if I remember correctly," Star interrupted, with a raised eyebrow.

Valerie blushed lightly, smiling as she recalled those wonderful days. She quickly shook her head to push herself out of her daydream. "As I was saying," Valerie continued, shooting her friend an annoyed look, "Danny and I are friends and I never saw him stressed, or at least not enough to do something like this…he always seemed so carefree." The dark-haired girl leaned against her locker, crossing her arms with a dejected look. As much as she pondered the matter, she could not understand why Danny had run away. He had everything a kid his age could want: A complete family, caring friends, no need for a job. He had no worries! And unlike her, he didn't need to constantly be on guard for ghost scum! Danny had such a great life! …one that she would love to have. What would propel him to leave it all behind?

"I might not like Fenton, but I hope he's okay," Star said, putting her hand on her depressed friend's shoulder.

Valerie nodded in agreement, while giving her an appreciative smile.

"You know who else is missing?" Star asked when she saw a sad looking Paulina walk by.

"No, who?" Valerie inquired, after wondering why the Hispanic girl looked so upset.

"The ghost boy," she replied. "Paulina's really upset about it."

A satisfactory smile spread on the ghost hunter's face at hearing her friend's statement.

Noticing it, Star gave her a quizzical look, "Ok, spill it," she ordered

"What are you talking about?" Valerie asked nervously, berating herself for not being more discrete.

"I know you don't like Danny Phantom, Val, and by your look you know something you're not telling."

Valerie stayed silent. She knew exactly why that ghost hadn't been around. She had taken care of him permanently that night at the Park after she caught him trying to cause trouble at Axion labs again. She had destroyed him and she couldn't be happier about it. "Well," she finally began to answer, lengthening the word, while her eyes glowed with glee. "I heard this rumor from someone a little over a week ago," she lied.

Valerie wasn't the type of person to brag often, and even less to talk about her ghost hunting life with anyone…but she was dying to scream to the world that she had finally destroyed her enemy. This was her chance to tell at least one person, in some way.

"You know that hunter that's always after that gh- Danny Phantom?" she asked.

Star nodded vigorously, clearly interested in hearing the latest gossip.

"Well that person told me that she saw-"

Valerie halted what she was about to say when she noticed Sam and Tucker walking their way. Danny's friends momentarily looked at the hunter before returning their gaze in the direction of the hallway.

Valerie watched them pass her, but with a bit of hesitation she called, "Manson!"

Tucker and Sam turned to face the girl at hearing her voice. "What do you want, Valerie?" Sam asked, expressionless.

"Is there any news on Danny? I'm really worried about him," Valerie asked with a sad look.

Sam crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Really? Because your smile a few seconds ago said otherwise."

The brown-eyed girl frowned at her response. She was about to say something back, but Tucker cut her off.

"Sam," the boy said gently, placing his hand on her shoulder. In response, his friend just glared at the ground, but she didn't argue.Tucker turned his attention to Valerie. "No, there's no news," he told her calmly.

Valerie nodded. "Okay, thanks," she said dejectedly.

"Yeah," Tucker answered softly. Both of Danny's friends turned around and continued to head to their class.

"So tell me about the ghost boy," Star urged as Sam and Tucker walked away. The two teens, however, were close enough to hear the comment.

Sam and Tucker whirled around. "What about the ghost boy?" they all but shouted at the same time.

Valerie looked quizzically at them. "Why so interested?" she asked skeptically.

The goth girl quickly adapted a casual expression. She had always been good at covering her mistakes and she was going to do just that but also get the information she wanted. "Well, I'm sure we all noticed the ghost boy hasn't been around lately. Don't tell anyone but…. he's my hero!" Sam gave the hunter a bright smile, although her left eye twitched at sounding like Paulina.

Tucker bit his bottom lip to avoid laughing at his friend's statement. "You admit it, huh?" he whispered softly in her ear.

"Shut it," she replied through her teeth, still grinning like an obsessed little girl.

Valerie gave Sam a disgusted look. What was it with some people? How could they think that evil, vile ghost was a hero? The hunter sighed and rolled her eyes. "Alright, I guess I can tell you, since I'm sure Star will have it known through the whole school by the end of the day anyways," she said dryly

"Hey!" Star protested.

Valerie gave her an amused smile before turning her attention back to the other teens.

"I was telling Star that I heard this rumor about the red hunter girl, you know the one that's always after Danny Phantom? Well, I heard she finally got him," she said, unable to hold in a smile.

"Got him?" Sam and Tucker repeated warily.

Valerie shrugged off-handedly "I don't really know if it's true or not, but I heard that more then a week ago they got into a fight at the park. I think it was pretty late at night. Anyways, they were fighting for a while until they ended up above the lake. I heard the hunter shot him down into the lake_ …_and he _never_ came back up," the hunter finished saying the last part in a soft and triumphant voice.

She quickly pushed aside her excitement and crossed her arms uncaringly. "Of course it's just a rumor," she covered, "but it would explain why no one has seen him since then."

All three teens stared wide-eyed at her, their mouths gaping in shock.

Star was the first to speak in a stunned voice. "Paulina is going to die when I tell her that."

Danny's friends were so impacted by Valerie's story they felt queasy and unable to react. What she had just said couldn't be true! They didn't want to believe it but the triumph in the girl's eyes wouldn't let them deny it. Although Valerie didn't know it, Sam and Tucker both knew that the girl in front of them _was_ the red hunter. She did a real good job of keeping herself from being suspected, but they knew the truth; they knew how much she hated Danny Phantom. …She could still be lying, right?

But even that hope was crushed when they realized how well her story fit with Danny's disappearance. Their friend _had_ left more then a week ago. And the last time they saw him was Friday night, which meant Danny had to have left really late at night and he must have used his ghost powers to disappear as fast as he did…. that would let Valerie easily track him. And the next day after, they had discovered that none of the ghost equipment was picking up his signature…. He was nowhere to be found …She wasn't lying.

"Are you guys okay? You look like someone just died," Valerie said with a small bemused smile.

Sam felt her breath catch in her throat from the painful lump that had formed in it. Valerie was obviously talking about Danny _Phantom_, but to Sam, in her current distress, she was talking about her best friend! The girl began to tremble, while her hands formed into fist. How dare she call herself Danny's friend? How dare she act like she cared for him?! Sam's eyes burned with absolute hatred. She was going to pay for this.

"You low, ungrateful, grudge-holding hypocrite!" Sam yelled in rage. "How could you?! **After all he has done for you!**" Sam screamed, approaching the girl with every intention of avenging her friend.

"Sam!" Tucker exclaimed, preventing his friend from lunging herself at the girl. He was also feeling fearful of how Sam was talking. She was so consumed by her own fear and anger she wasn't watching what she was saying! "You have to calm down! _This_ won't help!" he said with a pain-filled voice while he stared at the ghost hunter with hate.

Valerie was stupefied from Sam's insult and the look Tucker was currently giving her. What had she done to have them explode on her like this? Why did Sam say all that? She sounded like she knew she was the red hunter! But that couldn't be! No one knew that except for her dad! So, then what was her deal?

Valerie soon decided it didn't matter; Sam had no right to talk to her that way. She approached the goth girl and locked glares with her. "I don't know what your problem is. Either you are more obsessed with Phantom than Paullina, or you are having some serious issues because of Danny's absence. But even if it's the latter, that doesn't mean you can give me guff. But you should consider yourself lucky that Danny is both our friend and I'm hurting too. It's only out of respect for him that I'm not going to make you eat your words, Manson," she hissed dangerously, pointing a finger in the girl's face.

"You know _nothing_ of respect; if you did, you wouldn't stain his name by letting it come out of your mouth!" Sam spat out hatefully.

"How dare you?!" Valerie yelled, her anger rising to its peak, her hands quickly coiling into tight fists.

Star squeaked in alarm and quickly moved away from Valerie. Her blue eyes darted around and she realized the shouts had long since drawn the attention of the other students in the hallway, and they were now gathered around the girls at seeing a fight seconds away.

"_To Kill a Mockingbird_! What is going on here?" Mr. Lancer exclaimed above the excited chatter of all his students and the chanting of "Fight-Fight"

"Ms. Manson, Ms. Grey, is there a problem?" the teacher asked them sternly.

Before anyone could reply, Sam ran out of the crowd in the direction of the school's exit.

"Sam!" Tucker shouted, before taking off after her.

"Ms. Manson! Mr. Foley! Where do you think you're going?!" Mr. Lancer exclaimed as he made his way towards their direction. But both teens ignored the man's protest and they had ran out of Casper High before he could even make it out of the crowd.

* * *

Sam arrived at the park. Her speed had never decreased in the ten minutes it had taken her to get there. She continued to run in the direction of the lake as fast as her legs could carry her. "DANNY!" she screamed at the top of her lungs as she looked around the area. 

"DANNY, PLEASE ANSWER ME!" she continued in desperation.

The girl kept shouting the boy's name while she ran around frantically through the area. Finally catching sight of the lake, Sam in blind fear, shot off towards it with every intention of jumping in to rescue her friend.

"SAM, NO!" Tucker screamed, finally catching up to her. He grabbed his friend around the waist in time to prevent her from doing something rash.

"TUCKER, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! WE HAVE TO SAVE HIM!" she yelled hysterically, fighting against his hold.

"Sam, it's been over a week!" he replied, trying to get her to think rationally. Although he was trying to hide it for Sam's sake, Tucker's heart was just as torn as the girl's from Valerie's confession. Everything fit too well for it to be passed off as coincidence. But as much as he wanted to break down he had to help his remaining friend from acting reckless.

Unfortunately, there was no stopping her.

Sam barely even heard Tucker's logical words. Using the strength she had from her panic, she ripped out of her friend's hold and ran towards the lake. Without any thought she dived into its deep, cold waters.

"SAM!" Tucker screamed in fear, before running the short distance and jumping in after her. He didn't care that the action caused him to lose his glasses and hat.

"DANNY!" she screamed, whirling around frantically at the surface, trying to catch sight of the half-ghost. She dived under and looked around, until the need for air forced her to come up to the surface. She took a gulp of air and went under yet again.

"Sam! Stop! Sam!" Tucker yelled, swimming to her. He attempted to grab her but she would shove him off every time and continue her desperate search. After several attempts, Tucker gave up with trying to pull Sam out of the lake, realizing he had to let her convince herself. He just watched her for a moment before deciding to "help" to show some support for her sake.

More then an hour later, the gasping Sam let out a heartbreaking cry as she slammed her fists on the water. Tucker, who had long been watching her and floating beside her, quickly swam to his friend at seeing she was no longer able to keep herself afloat from how exhausted she was. Slowly, he took them back to shore. All the while, Tucker was secretly thankful that they were in an isolated part of the lake. No one had noticed them so they would not have to explain their bizarre actions to anyone.

The shivering Sam wrapped her arms around her frame, but it wasn't to keep herself warm.

"Sam?" Tucker called softly, sitting in front of her while trying to get her to look at him to see if she was alright.

"That's why the tracking device hasn't been able to pick up his signature," Sam whispered before looking up at her worried friend with tear glazed eyes. "Tucker, Valerie, she-"

"NO!" the boy shouted fearfully, abruptly standing up and backing away from her a few steps. He didn't want to hear what his mind screamed at him. He couldn't take it! He couldn't accept that it was very possible that his friend-

"Don't say it, Sam!" he said angrily, pacing a bit before glaring back at her. "DANNY'S FINE!" he screamed, his voice cracking, "Danny's-"

Tucker dropped to his knees, his slumped shoulders shaking from his resolve quickly shattering. Sam crawled towards him, closing the few inches between then. She reached out and touched his shoulder.

Tucker removed his hands from his face and looked at his friend with watery and grief-filled eyes. Immediately, he grabbed Sam in a tight hug, causing her to finally break into loud cries.

"Danny!" she said through her weeping, holding onto Tucker like her life depended on it.

Tucker had been trying to hold in his own sorrow, but hearing Sam sobbing uncontrollably in his arms pushed him over the edge.

The two remaining friends of the former trio wept in each other's grasp, both believing that they had just lost their best friend.

* * *

-from under a rock- Like it? I hope so, this one was even emotional to me. Anyways, I know that aside from wanting to strangle Vlad at the moment some of you might be wondering, what the heck, Pearl? I thought you said this was Vlad and Danny centered? Yes, I did say that and it is! But all in do time, my readers! Believe me, this story has so much Danny and Vlad you might get stomach aches! Heh-heh, yeah, lame joke, I know! But just keep reading, everything will be answered and I think you'll be satisfied! I should have the next chapter of CM pretty soon. I'm out of school as I said, and I am focusing on this story, and starting, "Dawning of a Sun" …. That should be fun! So, although, it's very sad, hope you like this early Christmas present. I am currently working on another one for you guys, but I won't say what it is because I'm not sure if I'll have it by then. _But_, what Pearl wants for Christmas is a lovely review from each of you…. 

–Gives puppy eyes- Thanks!


	18. Chapter 17: Without You

**Chapter 17: Without You **

"Mom…" Danny whispered while he sat on the floor of the wooden balcony, looking at the rising sun. He couldn't sleep. He didn't want to sleep. Every time he tried, he relived the events in **that room**.

The anxiety he was feeling before what happened yesterday was now gone. Instead, an even worse feeling had replaced it. He had this immense sense of dread in the pit of his stomach. He didn't want to be here! He wanted to be at home! He wanted to be with his family and friends...

But most of all, he wanted to be in his mother's arms. He wanted to feel protected like he always did when she held him. He remembered the times when he was younger, when she could make everything alright again just by embracing him. He recalled how his fears would vanish. And even now, now that he was older, she still held that awing power. Only that now he didn't reach out for her protection anymore. He felt like he didn't need it.

But **right now**, he missed it. He _needed_ it.

The young half-ghost took a shuddering breath as he wrapped his arms around his knees. What was happening to him lately? He felt like he was becoming a helpless, scared little boy… like one of his enemies had told him once. Why couldn't he focus? Why couldn't he see a way out of this? He had always found a way out of his arch-enemy's schemes before!

Danny's eyes instantly turned a bright green at the thought of the older half-ghost. How could someone be so cruel?

Ever since Danny found out about Plasmius' existence, he disliked and feared the man. Yet deep inside, there was a part of him that felt extremely sorry for Vlad. The man was so blinded by his one loss that he didn't see all that he had gained; he didn't see what more he could gain if he would only allow it. Who says that family has to be of your own blood? Jack Fenton cared for the billionaire more than he would ever deserve. He loved his "best-friend" like a brother. But Plasmius was too selfish to see that.

Danny remembered what his parents taught him about moral values. And one of those values was that you should never hate. And up to today, he had never known just how that dark emotion felt.

But now, after all that Vlad had done-- hurting Jazz, tearing him away from his loved ones, doing all those things to him here-- what else could that constrictive feeling in his chest be? What else could describe the darkness that consumed him at the mere thought of the man?

Danny's fear for the older hybrid was greater than he would admit to himself. But the hatred that now resided in his heart for Vlad surpassed that fear and obliterated any pity he once held for him.

"I hate him," Danny whispered, bringing his knees closer to his chest. "I hate him _so much_," he restated, a choked sob brought forth from sorrow _and _shame escaping him. He knew it was wrong of him to feel this way.

The teen couldn't remember the last time he had cried before this whole thing with Jazz started. But since then, he had done it often. He couldn't help but wonder: Was it childish of him to cry? He wasn't a small kid anymore. But on the other hand, what else could he do? What else could _anyone_ do when they were all alone, in pending doom, and with no way of out of it all?

No, it wasn't childish; but even so, he shut his eyes tightly, driving the tears away. He had told himself he wouldn't shed anymore after he made the decision to yield to Vlad's blackmail. He had given him that much; he wouldn't give his enemy any further satisfaction by letting him see him falling apart. If Vlad should walk in at this moment, and catch him crying, the man would know that keeping him here was ultimately destroying him. And he wouldn't risk that.

Danny buried his face in his knees and clenched his teeth against the painful lump in his throat. No, he would not give him that satisfaction. He didn't know how yet, but some way or another, he would make Vlad Masters pay for putting him through all this. But most of all, he would pay for taking him away from his loved ones.

* * *

Pamela Manson walked upstairs with an irritated look on her face. Once she reached her daughter's room, she walked in without knocking. Even though the room was dark, she could see her daughter. "There you are, Samantha! I just got a call from your vice-principal. He said you left school without permission! I demand an explanation, young lady!" she said sternly.

Sam didn't answer. She just stayed wrapped in her black comforter, tears falling down her cheeks and onto her pillow.

Mrs. Manson's anger change to concern at hearing her daughter's rigid breathing. "Sam, what's wrong?" she asked, walking around the teen's bed. She quickly turned on the reading lamp so that she could see her daughter's face. Immediately she gasped. "Samikins, why are you crying?!" Pamela asked, clearly shocked at the sight. She hadn't seen her daughter cry since she was around eight years of age! And when Sam cried, something really had to be wrong!

Sam began to cry harder at hearing her mom's question, and buried her face in her pillow. She had gone to bed, hoping that sleep would keep her from thinking about what Valerie said a few hours ago. But every time she tried to sleep, she ended up having nightmares about Danny. She would see Valerie shooting him down into the dark and cold lake below, while she could only watch helplessly. And then…

Quickly sitting up, the teenager grabbed onto her mom and wept uncontrollably.

"Sam, you're scaring me. Please, tell me what's wrong?" Mrs. Manson pleaded, wrapping her arms around her daughter's quivering form.

"Danny!" she cried out in a choked voice, "He's gone!" Sam gripped her mother's dress with all her might as if doing so would cease the pain in her heart.

Pamela sighed deeply as she rubbed her child's back. "Oh, Samikins, I know you're upset about the Fenton boy, but you can't let this control your life. You know I don't care for your friendship with him, but that doesn't mean I wish him any harm. However, if he doesn't appear… you have to move on, Sam."

Sam shook her head in response. She couldn't forget about her friend. She had grown up with him. They had shared so much. Her love for her best-friend was too great to let go. He meant so much to her, more than Danny ever realized…

She still hoped that this was all some sort of dark nightmare. She wanted to wake up and see Danny's bright blue or green eyes looking at her while he gave her one of his usual goofy smiles. But it wasn't happening! Her nightmare was all-too-real. Everything kept saying she would never see her special friend again.

Perhaps, Tucker and she were jumping to conclusions… Maybe Danny escaped Valerie's attack; he always did before… But everything pointed otherwise… How far could pure coincidence be pushed?

* * *

Tucker looked down at the puppy sleeping on the floor next to his bed. With a soft sigh, he sat down next to the Dalmatian and gently stroked his head, earning a tail-wag from the little dog. TJ was growing rapidly. He had doubled in size in just this week alone.

Tucker's extra pair of glasses had fogged up again. The sad boy removed them and after wiping his eyes, placed them on top of his night stand. It was so hard to wrap his mind and heart around the possibility that Danny was truly gone. In fact, he wished that Valerie had never said anything to Sam and him. He felt so lost now; he just didn't know what to do. Should they tell everyone the truth… about everything? He sure didn't want to be the one to tell them.

Tucker sighed deeply. Maybe he needed to think this through more carefully- not that he really could at the moment. But how sure could they be that Valerie really… hurt Danny? Were Sam and he jumping to conclusions?

Tucker thought of Danny's letter to him. His friend wrote that he was running away, but didn't say why. It did seem that Jazz's story confirmed that Danny felt guilty for what happened to her. And Tucker knew all too well that it was so like Danny to always feel responsible for everyone around him, especially the ones he cared for. So, if what Valerie said was true, then the fight she claimed she had with Danny could only have happened after he wrote the letters. Right? It was such small window…but it fitted too well. But maybe…maybe his half-ghost friend made it out of his brawl with the ghost hunter just fine! He always did! Still, there was the problem with the ghost-detecting devices. Why weren't they picking up his ghost signature?!

Tucker knew that the 'Fenton Boomerang' was strong enough to locate his friend over vast distances…. Maybe…. he wasn't jumping to conclusions…. maybe he just didn't want to accept as true to what all the evidence pointed to…

Turning back to the dog with pity and sadness, he scratched his ear and softly said, "I'm sorry, TJ." The Dalmatian happily wagged his tail, unable to comprehend that he would never see his master again.

Tucker's puffy red eyes began to water once again. What was he going to do? In his letter Danny had told him to go on with his life…. as if his friend knew something bad was going to happen to him and he didn't want him and Sam to be distraught by it. But Tucker had refused to heed his best friend's words when he thought Danny had only just run away. He had still gone looking for his friend. But now, now that everything around him said that the worst had happened to Danny, how was he supposed to heed his friend's wishes? No, he couldn't and wouldn't! He would keep searching for him, even if all the evidence proved his attempts were in vain.

Suddenly Tucker was awoken from his thoughts when he heard several knocks on his door.

"Tucker?" Are you in there?"

The boy sighed before answering, "Yes, mom."

The door opened and Mrs. Foley entered the room. "Tucker? Shouldn't you be in school right now?" she asked, walking into her son's room.

The teen didn't move from his spot on the floor, and kept his gaze on Danny's dog, "I…don't want to be there right now," he answered calmly.

"Tucker…" his mom began with a reprimanding voice only to stop herself when a stifled cry abruptly came from her son.

"Tucker?" Mrs. Foley said warily, squatting down at her child's side and forcing him to look at her.

Tucker couldn't mask his fear and sorrow upon seeing his mother, and began to cry out loudly.

"Oh my goodness! Honey, what's wrong?!" his mom asked fearfully, not believing that her son was actually weeping. She couldn't even recall the last time she heard him this upset.

The teen hugged his mom, burying his face under her chin. "I-I think something really ba-bad happen to D-Danny," he choked out.

Mrs. Foley's eyes reflected both sadness and understanding. "Oh Tucker, don't think that. Danny is just fine and I'm sure he'll show up in no time," she assured in a soft but optimistic voice, while rubbing his back soothingly. But she didn't know that there was a deeper reason for her son's sorrow.

Honey? Mr. Lancer just -" Mr. Foley quickly forgot what he was going to say upon finding his wife rocking their crying son.

Mrs. Foley looked up at her husband with worried eyes, silently telling him she would explain later.

Tucker's father looked with concern at his son before leaving. Right now, it would be best to let his wife stay and comfort their son.

All the while, TJ was enthralled with what was happening. He tilted his head from side to side in wonder. He was clearly curious of what the new sound coming from the boy was.

* * *

"Maddie? …How are you doing?" Jack asked as he joined his wife at the hospital's cafeteria.

The woman kept her eyes on the coffee she was swirling with a spoon, but still managed to respond in a sober voice, "Jack, our daughter is sick with an illness that has threatened her life more than once, and our son has been missing for more than a week. How do you _think _I'm doing?"

Jack sighed. "Maddie, I'm just worried about you. This isn't easy for me either, but…we gotta be strong for them, Mads," he said, grabbing his wife's hands in his.

The distraught mother looked up at her husband with tear-filled eyes and shook her head. "I can't," she replied, the tears in her eyes flowing down.

Jack leaned over and hugged her. "Then I'll be strong for the both of us," he assured in a strong voice, ignoring the few tears falling from his eyes.

"Oh Jack! I just want my baby boy back in my arms!" Maddie cried out before sobbing loudly into her husband's shoulder.

"We'll find him, Maddie," he comforted, while caressing his wife's hair, "We'll find him."

* * *

Jazz sat at the picnic table Danny had taken her to a little over a week ago. She stared up through her tears at the blue sky, feeling lost and helpless. She just couldn't understand it. How was it possible that her little brother was no where to be found? It was as if he had been erased from existence!

And what distressed her just as much was that she couldn't do anything to find him. She crossed her arms in frustration. All she could do is just sit here, all because of this stupid illness!

Jazz wiped away the fresh tears the leaked out of her eyes. It felt as if the light that shined within everyone who cared for Danny had left with him. Without him their lives felt so dark. Oh, how they all needed that light! How they needed him!

Her thoughts drifted to Sam and Tucker. The last time she had seen them was three days ago. And she could only describe them as living shadows. They barely talked to her or anyone…they even barely talked to each other, but they were more inseparable than they ever had been.

Her mom and dad were no different, except they put on an optimistic façade around her, even though Jazz could see right through it. The pain in their eyes spoke louder than their words or actions ever could. As for herself…. she was agonizing from guilt and sorrow. After all, it was her fault all this had happened.

"Danny, please, come back," she softly pleaded to the sky, wishing that somehow he would be able to hear her.

With a deep and sad sigh, she stood up and headed towards the cafeteria where her parents were. She had no trouble moving about on her own, well… not too much. Physically, she was feeling much better now, though she would tire more easily since she got sick. Other than that, nothing else was ailing her…unless you counted her sorrow. With all her emotional turmoil, she was a complete wreck.

She desperately wanted to run out of this stinkin' hospital and search for Danny! She was his big sister! She was supposed to protect him…. But no, she couldn't. She had failed him. Oh, how much she wanted to change the past, to turn back the clock. She would somehow help her little brother through the emotional distress he was in before he left. She would prevent herself from pushing him past his limit…If only she could…

Jazz entered the cafeteria, and began to look around for her parents. She didn't want to be alone right now. But instead of feeling better upon sighting them she actually began to feel worse.

Jazz began to approach them but stopped when she saw her dad hug her mom and say something she couldn't make out. But she heard her mother's response loud and clear.

"Oh Jack I just want my baby boy back in my arms!"

"_Danny, our family is falling apart without you,"_ Jazz thought, as tears fell from her eyes at the sight of her broken parents. The girl turned back and left, preferring not to interrupt her parents at this moment.

Arriving at her room, Jazz closed the door before sitting on the bed. For days her mind was filled with thoughts about Danny, and they were always the same ones: Was he all right? Was he safe? Was he alone? She hoped that wherever he was right now, he was okay and that he would return to them soon. His disappearance had created an empty void in everyone's heart and in her case, a deep sense of guilt as well, weighing on her shoulders like a massive anvil. And only with his return would she be rid of it.

* * *

Valerie flew on her hover-board through the evening sky, in search of any spooks trying to cause trouble. She had all ready taken care of a few in the last hour. And she had stayed focused on one goal in each battle: namely to get rid of the ghost scum. But once it was all over, her mind would drift back to the event that occurred today with Danny's friends.

She just couldn't brush off her argument with Sam. She was more plagued by the goth girl's grief-stricken words than the question as to why she had said all that in the first place…It felt as if Sam was accusing her of destroying the most precious thing in her life. The only logical answer she could think of was that her words were induced by the news of Danny Phantom's end. Her fierce reaction only came after she had heard about it.

Yet, Sam's words made no sense if she was referring to her former enemy. She couldn't possibly care for Phantom that much… No, wait. The way the girl looked at her--the way _Tucker_ looked at her—there could be no mistake. . She had seen those looks before, even though they were not as intense as today. But she was sure that they were those same protecting and distrustful looks that she only received when she got too close to one person: Danny Fenton.

But if Sam's words, or rather, her insults were because of Danny Fenton- which she was now sure of- then it made even less sense. Even that stubborn goth girl new she cared for Danny! She cared so much for him that she had given him up. Valerie knew Danny would never be safe with the work she did. She let him go because she wanted him to be safe, to be happy… she would never purposely hurt him in any way. Danny was her friend too!

Valerie sighed with frustration. That had to be it! Sam was obviously confused. Like her, the goth girl had more than friend-oriented feelings for Danny, but that wasn't _any_ excuse for her to blame her for whatever she was blaming her for.

With a shake of her head, the ghost hunter pushed the argument out of her head. Who cares what some jerky and clearly perturbed girl thought of her? Valerie knew she was a good person, and there was nothing that she could say that she regretted doing.

The teenager huffed when her radar alarm shook her out of her thoughts. Three more ghosts were in the vicinity. "What is up with all this ghost activity lately?" she murmured annoyed.

For some odd reason, ghost fighting had become a lot more frequent and exhausting to her. And it was making her neglect her school work more and more. "At least most are easy to destroy," she stated to herself

But even as she raced toward the new ghosts, still thinking of all the increase in ghostly activity, Valerie felt an immense sense of relief. Amity Park had fallen into such a tranquil state ever since she destroyed _that _ghost. It felt so unreal that she had finally disposed of the spook that had ruined her life and had been a thorn in her side for so long. Heck, if she hadn't seen it with her own eyes she wouldn't believe she truly destroyed him.

Of course, not everyone was as pleased with her accomplishment as she was. Some people saw Phantom as a hero. But those people were missing a few screws. How could they even think such a thing? That ghost destroyed more than he supposedly saved! Those people were truly blind if they couldn't see that trouble followed Phantom around everywhere he went. He was like a magnet for it. Every time there was any form of ghostly disaster happening in Amity, Phantom was always there, right in the center of it.

As Valerie finally neared the ghosts, ready to do battle with them, she was thoroughly convinced that she had done the right thing in wasting Phantom. With that irksome ghost gone, the looming darkness over Amity Park was lifted and she couldn't be happier for it.

"Now if only Danny would come back then everything would be perfect," she said out loud. With a sad sigh, she aimed her gun and blasted one of the ghosts to smithereens.

* * *

.

Am I making you guys depressed? …Sorry. But I promise the next one will be lighter. I had fun writing it, and I think you'll be happy to know the spotlight is turning back on Danny and I am not torturing him! Heh, So if you haven't noticed I have started "Dawning of a Sun" (the AU story), and I should be posting the next chapter in a couple of days.

Oh! Check out the picture Bloodmoon drew for CM! Thanks a bundle, BM; it rocks!

-remove spaces and '()'

ht tp (:) (/) (/) bloodmoon14. deviantart. c om/art/ Checkmate-You-ve-Lost-Them-73304322

That reminds me. You know how I have made a title card for both CM, and MLB, my two main stories I have written? Well, I want to have one for DoaS, but I'm not very good at drawing the characters, and I don't have the time to try. If anyone is good at drawing the DP characters and is interested in doing it for me, I would be so grateful! Send me a message and let me know, kay? I'll give you more detail then.

Well, ta for now! And don't forget to share your thoughts with me!


	19. Chapter 18: Aquaintance

**Dislclaimer: Do not own Danny Phantom.**

**Thanks for everyone's support! I hope you enjoy!**

**

* * *

****Chapter 18: Acquaintance**

"NO! Let me out!" Danny screamed, his eyes snapping open as he sat up. Using his hands, he frantically scuttled back from some unseen danger until suddenly his back hit a solid surface. The teen spun his head around only to see….a concrete wall?

Danny looked at his surroundings and soon realized he wasn't in the simulationchamber, but on the veranda that was part of his room. He had just been dreaming.

"I must have fallen asleep out here," he mumbled through his heavy breathing while he held a hand to his chest to keep his pounding heart from coming out.

Danny _slowly_ stood up. He felt so painfully stiff for reasons he didn't want to recall. "What time is it?" he wondered, walking back inside the lounge and then down the pull-down steps. Getting to the main part of the grand room, he looked at the wall clock and let out a loud sigh. It read past noon.

After what happened yesterday, he wasn't too keen on leaving his room anymore. If ever he were afraid of leaving his room before, he certainly was petrified now.

Everywhere he went he found ghosts! And they hated him! He suddenly thought about yesterday's encounter with Dazzler. Unlike his established enemies, like Fright Knight and Skulker, that ghost didn't attack him right away…. Were all of these other spirits going to be just as calculating in their attacks? What if… What if Vlad's servants were also acting, like Dazzler had been? Maybe they were waiting for the right moment to strike! …Maybe Vlad was just toying with him like a cat does to a mouse before delivering the fatal blow….

Danny sat on the bed, pondering his last thought. His hands came up to his face, while his breathing became a bit rigid. "I don't know how much more of this I can take," he whispered dreadfully.

The young hybrid couldn't deny any longer what he knew to be true. His fear for the older hybrid was growing. Even if his hate towards Vlad felt stronger, his fear was creeping up. And it was becoming harder and harder to hide from his arch-nemesis how scared of him he really was. He couldn't keep bluffing much longer.

The truth was, Vlad was better than him in almost every aspect. And after his recent life-threatening situation, he realized there really wasn't anything to stop the man from ending his life.

Danny came out of his thoughts upon feeling his stomach growl. "I guess I don't have much of a choice," he murmured, allowing his transformation into Phantom. He was starving and the only way to get food was to leave his room.

Turning invisible and intangible, the half-ghost phased through one of the bedroom walls. Maybe if he could stay hidden for as long as possible, he would be able to avoid his enemies.

The teen continued forward, flying quickly through several rooms, before he dived through the floor of one of them. He wasn't very familiar with the castle's exact layout yet, but he did know _exactly_ where the simulation room was, and so he made sure to keep far away from it.

Danny suddenly paused upon finding that his random direction of flight had led him to the bottom-floor lab. He slowly floated down and landed on the metal floor. This particular laboratory –which the teen recalled was one of the two Vlad had in this castle- reminded him of the one at his house, except it looked _much_ cleaner and sophisticated. His eyes moved toward the closed ghost portal behind him. Why did he even stop here? Maybe… it was the familiarity of the environment that attracted him…

He quickly knew this was the case when he began to feel even more homesick as he looked around the lab.

Danny's attention halted on a particular lab table that had different kinds of ghost equipment neatly placed on it. But what had caught his interest was the fact that some of them resembled his father's own ghostly inventions…. Heck, some of them were identical except in color.

The teen scoffed in disgust. "Is there anything he _doesn't_ want to steal from my dad?"

Danny honestly didn't get the guy. He was always carrying on about how stupid his father was and how worthless his inventions were. But if that was the case, then why did he always steal his dad's ideas?

Danny's look of disdain suddenly left him, and his eyes widened a bit. There on one of the work tables was the Plasmius Maximus!

A strange smile slowly lit the boy's face and his eyes quickly flashed ghostly-green. Oh, how he would love to turn the tables on the evil half-ghost. He could use his own weapon against him like he did at the Rockies! He could give Vlad the beating he deserved, and boy, would he enjoy every last moment of it…

But then, Danny's smile faded. What was he thinking? There was no way he could pull that off without serious consequences. And even if he could, things were different this time. Every time he had physically confronted Vlad in the past, he had done so because he was left with no other alternative. And each time he had a way out. Whether it was back-up from his friends and/or sister, some kind of advantage, or a form of retreat, he always had something in his favor.

This time, he didn't have any of that.

Danny's distracted glance spied a large storage shelf. At first, he thought nothing of it, but then he caught sight of something that sparked his curiosity.

He floated up to the highest shelf, and tilted his head at the large beaker of glowing _orange_ goo before him.

"What's this?" he asked himself out loud. It looked exactly like the glowing green goo that he had fired at Vlad during the college reunion. It was designed to stick onto a ghost's body and slow it down. But from what he was aware of, it didn't really hurt the ghost.

Danny lifted his right hand, his intrigue compelling him to touch the glowing orange goo. He wanted to know if it was similar to the one his father made.

But his ghost sense triggering stopped him cold.

"I wouldn't touch that if I was you. That'll give ya one nasty burn!"

Danny immediately turned towards the voice and his eyes widened in surprise. But then, a genuine smile spread on his lips. "Dairy King?"

"Who else, kiddo!" he replied with a wide grin.

Danny floated over to the ghost, truly happy to see him. "What are you doing here?"

The small ghost let out a light chuckle, before answering, "I live here, don't chya know."

Danny laughed shyly, realizing how dumb his question was.

The Diary King then gave him a quizzical look. "I heard there was _someone_ occupying the second grand bedroom, but I never thought I'd see you around these parts again."

Danny sighed, his gaze casting downward. "It's a long story."

"Aw, cheer up there, kiddo!" the ghost said, hitting the boy lightly on the head with his staff.

"Hey!" Danny protested with a smile as he rubbed his head, although it really didn't hurt.

The Diary King crossed his arms and asked, "If you don't want to be here, why don't chya leave?"

Danny scoffed. "Believe me, if I could, I would, but Plasmius is forcing me to stay here."

The king shook his head helplessly. "Gosh and golly; so he's at it again."

Danny nodded even though his statement wasn't a question.

"Well, that would explain all the activity around these parts lately," the ghost added thoughtfully.

The teen's eyebrows creased. "What do you mean?" he asked curiously.

The Diary King smiled once again as he adjusted his cheese crown. "Well, plenty of his helpers have been up-and-about here lately; not to mention all the work he's been upta in his secret lab."

The spirit's words made Danny frown in thought. From the ecto-suit incident with his sister, where Plasmius had inserted the nanobots within her, the half-ghost recalled that his enemy's second lab, his _secret lab,_ was inside his private study.

"_And he told me not to go there,"_ he realized, his frown deepening.

Was it possible that Vlad had something in there that he didn't want him finding? ….Something to get him out of all this?

Anger passed over the boy as he thought, _"Of course it's possible, in fact, it's probable!"_

"You okay there, kiddo?" the Diary King questioned, seeing how angry and pensive the kid looked.

"Huh? Oh yeah, sorry," he replied, quickly pulling away from his thoughts.

"So, whatcha up to in here?" the short king asked with a mischievous look.

Danny laughed and held his hands in front of him. "Nothing, I was just looking. I was actually heading to the kitchen."

"Is that right?! Well, let's get goin then! You can finally try the Gouda!"

The young hybrid grinned and nodded brightly, but abruptly his enthusiasm vanished. "Wait," he called out, seeing the ghost about to phase through the door.

The Diary King gave him a questioning look. "What's wrong, kiddo?"

Danny looked at the ghost warily. "Is there a way we could get there without being seen?"

The king gave the teen a sympathetic smile. "We're actually pretty close. This here lab is right in between the grand stairs, don't chya know!"

"Um, no, I didn't," Danny answered enlightened.

"That's right! And I'll tell ya what; I'll take a peek out there to make sure no one's around. If it's safe, then we'll make a dash to the loafing room! From there we'll just phase through the wall since the kitchen is on the other side!"

Danny's face immediately brightened and he nodded. He felt so relieved to be around someone he knew wouldn't hurt him.

"Okay then! Now don't chya move; I'll be right back," the ghost said before going through the door.

The moment the jolly spirit was gone, Danny's smile faded and his mind moved back to his previous thoughts, or rather on a choice he was tempted to make.

But before he could even begin to ponder the issue, the Dairy King popped his head back inside the lab. "All clear, kiddo!" he announced.

Danny quickly phased out of the lab and followed behind the chubby ghost.

Upon arriving at the lounge, they quickly caught sight of the three ghost maids. "Hiya, girls!" the Dairy King greeted them, stopping his flight above them.

Looking up, they smiled and greeted him back, "Hello!" But their smiles faded when they caught sight of who was behind the Diary King.

"Hello, young sir," Martha and Patricia said warily, while Niane addressed him as "Master Danny" and sounded more shy than fearful.

"Hi," Danny replied, in the same wary tone as the older maids.

The Diary King laughed. "Oh girls, you're not scared of this harmless little thing, are ya?" he asked, patting the white-haired teen's head.

The female ghosts didn't reply and just looked down at their fidgeting hands. Danny, too, had looked away from them, as well as from the Dairy King. The maids didn't even realize he was just as scared of them as they were of him.

The same thought from earlier entered the boy's mind, _"Maybe they're just faking it to ambush me later…"_

"Ya girls need to stop listening to all 'em rumors in the Ghost Zone," the king scolded gently, before his expression returned to its normal sunny demeanor.

The small ghost waved at the three maids, before flying through the wall that separated the lounge from the kitchen. Danny quickly and gratefully followed.

Once they were in the kitchen, the Dairy King addressed the teen, "Don't chya pay 'em any mind, kiddo, they're harmless, don't chya know," he assured, referring to the maids.

"They work for Plasmius," Danny responded, showing he didn't agree.

"That may be, and believe me, they're loyal to him, just like all the ghosts here, but they won't try to harm ya…," the ghost informed, but quickly turned thoughtful, "Well… most of 'em won't; ya might want to keep an eye out for the ones that reside outside this here house; they can be pretty naughty!" he warned with a smile.

Danny nodded, but decided not to say anything else on the matter.

"George!" the Dairy King suddenly called out, flying past the counter that separated the rest of the kitchen from the small eating table.

"My King! What can I do for you?" the cook asked, playfully bowing his head.

The Dairy King hit the other ghost on the head with his staff, causing Danny to stiff a laugh. "Show some respect," the small ghost playfully scolded.

The other spirit chuckled and rubbed his head. "Always." The cook then turned his attention to the young half-ghost floating behind the king.

He raised an eyebrow at Danny. It was the first time he had seen him in his ghost form. "I see why you are so infamous," the ghost stated, studying the boy intently. "That fire in your eyes…," he cocked his head as if searching for the right word within the boy's luminous green eyes, "…indescribable," he finally said.

Danny just stared at the cook, not knowing how to react to his comment.

"Stop talkin' nonsense, and make the poor kiddo some food!" the Diary King ordered, raising his staff to emphasize his command.

The cook lifted his hands in surrender and nodded with amusement. "Alright, Alright." He looked back at the floating boy and asked, "What would you like?"

"Um…" Danny bit his lip in thought, but soon answered, "Spaghetti?"

"Ooo, make 'em your famous Alfredo dish!" the chubby spirit exclaimed at the cook, before looking back at the ghost boy. "You'll love it! He's quite good at it," he said with a wink.

Danny smiled in return and nodded.

George chuckled, "Chicken Alfredo it is then," he said, and then floated further into the kitchen to make Danny's lunch.

"Oh! And bring 'em Gouda and crackers while he waits!" the Dairy King called after him.

Danny stared at the jolly little ghost with a smile. If he only knew just how much he was thankful to find a friendly face in this place. "Dairy King?"

"Eh, kiddo?"

"Thanks," the boy said sincerely.

The ghost chuckled kindly. "I wouldn't be a good king if I didn't help those in need, don't chya know."

"You're a great king!" Danny stated with a chuckle as he became human, and then sat down at the table.

"I know!" the Dairy King agreed with small laugh. "Well, I must be off; royal duties a-callin, don't chya know," he explained with his usual bright demeanor.

Danny's expression quickly became a mixture of panic and pleading. "No, don't go."

The ghost smiled gently at the teen, before patting his head. "Don't worry there, kiddo, I'll come to check on ya as soon as I can."

Danny frowned sadly, his eyes casting downward, only to catch sight of the bracelet around his wrist turn from blue to green. The teen let out a dejected sigh before looking back up to the nice ghost. Danny gave him a sad smile and nodded.

"To get back: dash back into the loafing room and then go through the ceiling there. Your grand room is right above!" the Dairy King informed with a wink. He quickly waved good-bye and then simply vanished.

Danny waved back even if the ghost didn't see it. So his room was right above the lounge where the maids were relaxing?

Well, that piece of information was going to make his life a whole lot easier. Now he knew a shortcut and he could avoid having to fly through the hallways to get to the kitchen.

Right then Danny's ghost sense went off and his attention quickly turned back to his surroundings. He soon caught sight of the cook coming back with a plate filled with crackers and cheese.

"Here you go, young halfa. I'll have your lunch ready in about twenty minutes," George said, placing the plate down in front of the teen.

"Thanks," Danny said. The cook smiled in return before floating off again.

The teen looked down at the appetizer, a smile edging on his lips. The Dairy King was sure one of the strangest ghosts he had met, but he was sure funny and nice. With a sigh, he picked up a cracker, placed a piece of cheese on it, and bit into it.

* * *

Vlad calmly read the information on the computer screen in front of him. He had gotten back from Amity Park about ten minutes ago and decided to check up on the boy via the bracelet on his wrist. He had told Daniel that the band that adorned the boy's wrist did more than cloak his ectoplasmic signature. And it truly did **a lot** more. 

The bracelet was really a device that kept him informed of the younger hybrid's location, health, form, strength, signature readings…in short, everything.

In reality, it was the second main reason- covering his signature being the first- he had made it. He needed a way to monitor the teen. But it did do a few "extra things" like momentarily exciting the nanobots within Jasmine, as the boy had already discovered. The "extra things" were insurance, or more specifically ways to make sure young Daniel behaved.

Currently Vlad checked Danny's health. He knew quite well that the boy wasn't eating right and after yesterday's incident… well, he was a bit concerned.

"**Health: Good"** stated his computer.

The man sighed with relief. The teenager was no good to him sick or injured. But luckily he was neither… probably a bit sore from the multiple beatings he received from his enemies and then the training room incident…. nonetheless he would be back to his usual strength in a day or two.

Another thing that had Vlad intrigued was Danny's ecto-signature. He wasn't bluffing when he told the younger hybrid that his signature was unstable. The man indeed had the ability of sensing other ghosts, but unlike the boy's, his wasn't visible. His sense was more of an inner feeling and it came to him as a sudden hot tingle that started from the center of his chest and then spread through his body. With years of practice he had tuned his sense so he could feel the strength and stability of a ghost. The stronger the feel of his ghost sense, the stronger the ghost. And the more erratic the feel of it meant more instability.

Danny's signature was **strong** and unlike any other ghost he had encountered it was **severely** unstable. Vlad knew some of that instability had to do with what he was: A human-ghost hybrid. He knew that because his own signature wavered for that same reason. But his own was nowhere near that unstable. There was another reason for Danny's chaotic energy. And the billionaire knew what it was.

Vlad smirked. He knew more about the younger hybrid than Danny could ever imagine. He had studied the boy's biology, capabilities, and signature for months in order to make a perfect clone of him. He knew **a lot**. In fact, he knew more about the boy than the boy did of himself. It was from all that research that he came to uncover the reason why Danny's signature fluctuated so drastically. It was a result of his unstable human body.

The boy was at the very peak of puberty. Meaning that his metabolic activities and hormonal levels were high, and his physical body was changing in all the ways possible. So in turn, his ghost side was also following its human side's instability.

The older half-ghost couldn't help but wonder how the younger half-ghost handled such volatility. In this aspect, they differed greatly. That is why their powers were to some extent diverse from one another's.

Vlad's body had already past puberty and was pretty stable when he got his powers. And yet he would never forget his first year living with them.

To put it into a few words, his first year was a nightmare when it came to controlling his powers. So, how the boy handled having his own powers at his current age was the one thing the man could not even begin to understand.

His interest, however, wasn't about the boy's unstable energy. He was well aware of it. What intrigued him the most had to do with yesterday's events.

The moment Vlad had stepped into the house he had felt Danny's ecto-signature, but simply ignored it since it was now a common occurrence. However, he had been too preoccupied to notice how much stronger it was at that instance. But when the house began to shake, it wasn't the only thing that got his attention. Feeling the young hybrid's energy level sky-rocket also got his attention, even more so than the shaking house. That's the other reason he was now checking up on the teen.

Vlad frowned, looking thoughtful. The boy's data read that his energy level was normal. "Was the burst in energy from fear?" he pondered out loud, tapping his chin. "It could have just been a random increase… It wouldn't be too surprising considering how unstable he is." The man sighed. "Whatever caused it is gone now."

Vlad turned his attention to another monitor on his mainframe.

"Requesting host's vital status," he commanded.

"**Vitals: stable"**

The older hybrid smiled smugly. Jasmine was making a fast recovery from the last time he increased the activity level of the nanobots. The stubborn boy had gone into Axion Labs hoping to find who knows what. An antidote probably… not that he would have found it there.

Still, he needed to assure Daniel understood the severity of not complying with his commands. So having his sister relapse in front of him proved his point all-too-well. His plan, however, came out far better than he had anticipated.

Vlad chuckled at the thought. The boy had been foolish enough to actually risk taking his sister out of the hospital in her condition!

The billionaire was glad for it though. It had proved to be the right leverage to make the defiant boy realize what his only decision was.

And now here Daniel was. Right where he wanted him.

Vlad pushed aside his thoughts as he looked down at his watch. He had some paperwork he still needed to get done before the end of the day.

The billionaire walked out of his lab, and the moveable fireplace closed behind him, concealing his secret lab once more.

Sitting down in front of his desk, he pulled out a folder with twelve inches worth of papers from a filing cabinet.

The paperwork was to initiate the purchase of shares from the different investors of that commercial industry he wanted as his own. The main investor, or rather the head owner, of this company lived in Germany. He planned to meet with him in the future, but first he needed to get rid of the several co-owners. And that's what he was doing at the moment.

Normally, the billionaire would let his secretary handle all these dull legality contracts and issues, but when it came to purchases of this magnitude he preferred to do them personally. Vlad trusted no one.

He opened the folder and looked down at the first page. He sighed. "This is going to take a while," he murmured. He looked at his watch again and his eyebrows creased. "Hmm…I suppose I could have lunch first…"

Deciding he liked the idea, he stood and headed out of his private study. He absentmindedly walked down the hallway. He really couldn't decide on what exactly he wanted to eat. He shrugged. He would just tell George to make him whatever he thought would be good. The ghost chef always had fine judgment for these sorts of things.

Vlad walked into the kitchen, but whatever he was about to say or do was halted the moment he caught sight of the only other true being like him sitting at the kitchen table. The older half-ghost's lips slowly formed into a smirk.

"Good afternoon, Daniel!" he greeted him cheerfully. "You're looking much better."

Danny dropped the fork-full of spaghetti he was about to put in his mouth; a loud "clank" sounded out when the fork hit the plate.

The boy's eyes burned a bright green the moment he had heard his enemy's arrogant voice from behind him. But instead of turning to face him to say something, Danny just stood from the chair with his back to the bachelor.

Right then, George floated out of the inner part of the kitchen and caught sight of the teen. "What's wrong, young halfa? Aren't you going to finish your lunch?" the cook asked bewildered.

Danny let his ghost side take over his body as he looked at the cook. "I just lost my appetite," he answered disdainfully.

By the look on the George's face, Vlad knew Danny's expression mimicked the tone in his voice. The billionaire watched as the boy turned intangible and flew through the wall connecting to the lounge. Not once did he look at him.

Vlad, however, didn't seem bothered by this. In fact, he was staring at the wall the boy had phased through with amusement.

"What a shame," the cook said, causing his employer to look at him, "Just when I had figured out how to get him to eat." The ghost sighed and shook his head.

Vlad gave George a bewildered and questioning look in response.

The spirit smiled and answered, "He likes pasta."

The half-ghost resumed his amused expression, but it was different somehow. "How do you figure?"

"That was his third plate," George said, pointing at the half-eaten plate of Chicken Alfredo.

Vlad chuckled lightly as he looked down at Danny's meal. He picked up the boy's glass of ice-tea with his right hand and willed his left hand to glow a dark purple. He brought the energy close to the glass, creating a darker atmosphere around it. He studied the liquid inside and immediately frowned. "The vitamins are not in here."

"He won't let me pour his drink," the cook informed him.

Vlad nodded as he turned his eyes back to the ghost. "And I'm sure you remedied that problem…," he answered, a mischievous expression appearing on his face.

George returned it in the form of a grin. "Yes. I just mixed it in his food instead."

Vlad smirked at his reply, before going behind the counter and to the fridge. "Daniel can be so naïve," he remarked humorously as he poured himself a drink.

The ghost chef didn't reply to the comment, knowing that his employer was most likely talking to himself, and it wasn't his place to say anything on the matter anyways.

George looked at his pensive employer who was leaning against the counter while absentmindedly drinking the juice. Remembering the man still hadn't eaten lunch yet, the cook addressed him, "Sir?"

"Yes?" the billionaire asked, coming out of whatever he had been pondering.

"What will you be having for lunch?"

Vlad shrugged as he placed the empty cup in the sink, "I'll have what the boy was having," he answered offhandedly before heading out of the kitchen.

* * *

Danny didn't want to be cooped up in his room after leaving the kitchen, so he went outside instead.

He currently lay on the castle's roof. He had his back against it and his head resting on his crossed hands above him. Considering the time of day, the sun was pretty bright, but it was still cold outside. It was why he had stayed in his ghost form. With it, he was more resilient to the icy weather.

As the boy continued to gaze at his tranquil surroundings, his once blank mind was flooded by the only thing that mattered to him: his loved ones.

Day after day, Danny tried to keep himself occupied so that he didn't end up lingering on thoughts that only made him feel worse than he did—like now. But no matter how many things the house had, no matter what he attempted to do, he would always find himself thinking about what he no longer had. Nothing he could do would ever replace his friends and family. Nothing could replace human interaction. He felt so alone.

Danny sighed at his depressive thought, and sat up, but as he did his body sharply protested. The boy groaned in discomfort; his muscles were still quite sore from yesterday.

Danny stood up before phasing back into his room. He really needed something to help his stiff muscles, and he also didn't want to sit up there any longer and linger on thoughts of his family. They plagued him enough every night and every second of the day he wasn't doing anything that didn't require his full attention…. which was almost always.

The fifteen-year-old went into the bathroom and turned on the Jacuzzi tub. A hot bath would help his sore muscles relax.

While the tub filled with steaming water, Danny headed over to the large walk-in closet. He grabbed his duffle bag and began to look through it. His regular clothes weren't helping his constricted muscles and he needed something…softer.

With a satisfied smile, he pulled out a pair of white jogging pants and a black shirt that had his favorite band in front: Humpty Dumpty. He then grabbed a clean pair of socks and freshly-washed boxers --courtesy of the ghost maids—from a nearby rack. Taking all his garments with him, he headed back into the bathroom and locked the door behind him.

The young half-ghost stripped out of his current clothes and stepped slowly into the tub. The water was very hot, but slowly his body became accustomed to the temperature. Danny leaned his head back for a moment on a built-in head cushion. Then his eyes caught sight of a black remote held in a unit fixed on the tile wall. He pulled the remote out, studied it for a few seconds, and then smiled with the realization.

He pressed a button, and immediately the water jets around him came on. They felt divine.

The teenager's smile widened. "Oh yeah, I _definitely_ like this bathroom."

Danny pushed another button and a pink soapy liquid, followed by a clear oily liquid were released into the tub through a thin facet beside the water facet. As the water quickly coated with bubbles, the scent of mint and lavender impregnated the teen's nostrils. Danny placed the remote back in its holding compartment before resting his head back on the head cushion once again.

The boy soon realized that the more he breathed in the aroma that had become dispersed by the clear liquid, the more he relaxed. In fact, he became so relaxed by the calming oil that his eyes closed and his breathing slowed down to an almost sleeping state. And all the while the hot water jets were doing a blissful job of slowly removing all the painful knots in his body.

Danny remained here for a good half hour. His mind had long cleared of all thoughts his body's pain had vanished, and his heart was pleased and content.

But eventually, the boy came back to reality.

Danny yawned before his blue eyes opened. He was getting really tired, but being in the hot tub felt great. The teen sat up, and immediately the upper part of his chest chilled from the colder air surrounding him.

He lifted his hands and noticed they were covered with white foam. He couldn't help but do what everyone else does in the same situation: he blew the soapy material away. Suddenly delighted with the familiar thrill of playing in the bath, he picked up more bubbles and repeated his actions. After a few times of that, his inner kid was satisfied.

He really couldn't remember the last time he had taken a bubble bath, but he had forgotten how much fun they could be. Now soap-free, Danny could see his wrinkled hands. He wiggled his fingers as a smile spread on his face. "Hey, I look like Grandpa Jack!" he said with amusement. But his expression changed when he caught sight of the blue bracelet on his wrist. The teen had long learned that the contraption was water-proof. Danny bit his lip and leaned back in the tub as earlier thoughts plagued his mind. Like what the Dairy King had said to him regarding Vlad's activities lately…. it had brought one question into his mind.

Frowning in concentration, he said out loud, "What if he has something in his lab to get me out of this? …Or at least find out how exactly he's able to control the nanobots within Jazz. If I can get rid of whatever is controlling them, I could end all of this… I could go back home."

Danny knew full well that Vlad kept all his private projects in his secret lab. There just had to be something controlling those nanobots! But the question was what? And how would he even know what it is if he saw it? … Perhaps he even had an antidote or something…

"It would explain why he doesn't want me in his study. His lab is in there," he said, a dark expression dawning on his face. But it quickly fell.

He was now uncertain. He really wanted to go find out if his enemy really did have something in that lab that could free him from his prison. But the risk he would have to take could not be taken lightly.Perhaps before the training room incident, he wouldn't have thought this twice. But now, after _that_, Danny was more aware of making dangerous choices.

"_If Vlad catches me he'll waste me for sure,"_ he thought fearfully.

There was nothing here to keep the evil half-ghost from hurting him. His friends and sister weren't here to save him. And there was no one here to make Vlad play the role of good guy. He had run away according to his letters, so who would suspect anything? And even if they did, no one would suspect the rich and powerful Vlad Masters. Danny had absolutely no leverage.

The teen grew angry at the thought. As much as he hated to admit it, this time, his enemy had succeeded in cooking up a completely flawless scheme. There was no way out of this.

"No, there's gotta be! And it has to be somewhere in his lab...right?"

he mumbled hesitantly.

Truth was: He was terrified. But if doing this meant he could see his loved ones again, he wasn't backing out. He would just have to push away his fears.

Danny sat up and pushed the drain button on the remote. And the water began to slowly empty out of the tub. The boy stood up and stepped out of the tub. He grabbed his bathrobe and put it on, before picking up a towel and drying his hair. He then picked up his brush and absentmindedly combed his black hair.

Danny sighed when he eventually placed the brush down. He gazed downward in thought before looking back up at the mirror.

He immediately glared at himself. "Come on, Fenton, snap out of it!" he chided himself.

It was so absurd how hesitant he was about doing this! What the heck was wrong with him lately? Since when did he just sit back and let that fruit loop win?

Danny closed his eyes and took a deep calming breath. _"I'll go tomorrow night; when Vlad's asleep,"_ he finally decided.

Even though he felt better, the young half-ghost wanted to make sure his body had totally recovered…just in case he had to fight…

Despite his determination, Danny couldn't keep himself from shuddering at the thought. But he quickly pushed his wariness away. He needed to get his head back together if he was going to do this and he only had one day to get it done.

* * *

For those who were asking about the bracelet; here you go. Although, there are still a few things left about it, but you'll have to wait and see. So, I'm sure you all know what's coming in the next chapter, but if you need more hints here's the chapter's title: "Clashing" –laughs evilly!- Anyways, I will be updating 'Dawning of a Sun' soon. But I might not today like I told some of you. We'll see. Review please! It makes my muse and I very happy! 


	20. Chapter 19: Clashing

**Sorry for not repying to everyone's last reviews, but I was attacked by exams all this week; and I wanted to post this before I go to bed, since I will be out all day tomorrow, and I don't think I'll have time to do so then. But I will reply to them later, kay? Enjoy, and you guys might want to brace yourselves for this one!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom**

* * *

**Chapter 19: Clashing**

It was late at night the next day, or rather, since it was now two in the morning, early the day after. Danny had attempted to take a nap earlier during the day in preparation for what he had planned, but since he was so nervous about it, he had stayed awake all day.

Today had been one of the "good" days since he didn't run into Vlad at all. It had been a typical day really; he had done the usual. He ate, sat outside, ate, flew around outdoors, ate, and finally sat inside his room to check the Amity Times and do whatever else he could think of for entertainment… yes, it was a typical boring day…

However, he didn't _really_ notice his boredom as he usually did; his mind had been too consumed with what he was about to do now…

From where he sat on the bed, Danny looked at the clock and watched the minute hand move, marking the time as 2:02 am. He took a deep breath and stood. He might as well get this over with. He could only hope that by now Vlad was fast asleep. The house was eerily quiet, but then again, it was always like that.

The nervous teen hesitated for a moment, but then quickly pushed away his fear, and quietly said, "I'm going ghost!"

As he transformed into his ghostly form, his eyes filled with determination. If there was a way to escape this trap, he was going for it, even if he had to go through his evil archenemy to do so…. But only if he _had_ to. By picking this time of night, the young half-ghost was hoping to avoid just that.

Danny phased through his door and stared down the dimmed hallways. The boy had deducted—and remembered somewhat--- that Vlad's private study was on the right of the main stairs. It was the only area he had not dared to enter. The man's room was probably there and Vlad would undoubtedly see him if he neared it.

Danny's pulse sped up when his next turn brought him to a hallway that contained a large double-door room.

"_That gotta be Vlad's room."_ Danny sighed warily and hovered where he was for a moment. He would have to pass right by his enemy's bedroom to get to his destination after all…And since he wasn't familiar with all the shortcuts in the castle—though he knew the training room was somewhere below here—he saw no other way to avoid it.

Danny's expression darkened and the determination in his eyes returned. _"__I'm not letting you destroy my life."_

The ghost boy flew past Vlad's room and halted on the other side. The teen listened for any noise to assure himself that the man hadn't woken up. Somewhat satisfied, he resumed his flight, but still he couldn't help but glance behind him a few times.

The teenager quickly poked his head into each room, scanning them. Turning a corner, Danny found the end of the hallway and instantly smiled. There, on the last door, was a gold plaque that read: _Private Study_.

The boy phased into the room and right away saw the fireplace in front of him. Staying intangible, Danny flew through it and landed in the large lab, unaware that his bracelet momentarily blinked red upon entering…

Danny looked around trying to find anything that looked suspicious. He quickly noticed the ghost portal on one side of the lab. But then, he also noticed a large mainframe at the opposite side. Interested, he walked towards it.

He looked up at the huge computer system, a small smile forming on his lips as he said, "Man, Tucker would sure love to have one of these."

The machine had several screens. Some of them were shut off while the others all showed different information on them… information Danny was having a hard time even reading.

The teen, however, frowned when his eyes fell on a monitor flashing several number sequences at him.

"Heh, I feel like I'm in math class…. nothing makes sense," he said to himself with a nervous chuckle.

Deciding he did not want to even try to understand that monitor, he looked on to the next. But this one was just as confusing. It looked like some sort of map with a blinking green dot on it. He raised an eyebrow at seeing the dot flash red suddenly.

And yet again, he didn't notice the white device on his wrist flashing red. But this time, he also didn't notice that it flashed at the exact same time as the dot on the screen.

Danny looked at the screen for a moment longer but eventually shrugged at it and picked another screen further away. Now this one had several small windows showing. They all read the same thing: _Vitals_, _Host_, _Insert_, and _Activation __Level_. But each one showed different numbers.

"Ugh! What the heck does all of this mean?" Danny said, frustrated. As much as he tried, he couldn't decipher all the strange data in front of him.

"I have no clue what- wait a minute," he suddenly mumbled as a particular window caught his attention. Danny's eyes narrowed as he studied the information on it, or more specifically, a single sentence on it.

"BS-NB 3501 activated at 60 percent," he read, his frown deepening.

He knew what the title corresponded to. At the beginning of all this, Vlad –with the help of Skulker-- had lured him out of the hospital to literally show him he was responsible for Jazz's illness. Using his own device on his wrist, Vlad activated the nanbots using that same strange letter and number sequence…

"_How do you know about Jazz?" _

"_Don't tell me you haven't figured it out yet? ... _

"_Just tell me!" _

"_Why don't I show you instead? …. Activate BS-NB-3501 by 50 percent._"

"Of course! Bloodstream Nanobots!" Danny stated, smacking his forehead when he realized that the name was just the initials of the biological weapon.

Danny's hands fisted as he glared up at the mainframe. "This controls them," he finally realized.

"Yes, it does."

Danny whirled around, his face instantly going five shades whiter the moment he saw Plasmius standing at the lab's entrance. His enemy had his arms crossed on his chest, while he stared at him with an unreadable expression… If the boy wasn't so alarmed, he would have wondered just how long the man had been watching him.

"Plasmius," was all Danny could say in response. But the surprise and fear in his voice, resembling that of a small child getting caught with his hands in the cookie jar, said much more.

The older half-ghost floated closer to the teenager, who didn't hesitate to step back at the same rate as his approach. But the man halted once Danny had moved away from the mainframe. Now, Vlad was in front of it.

Silent tension covered the lab as Plasmius, appearing to pay no mind to the young hybrid, studied the screens on the mainframe instead. Danny could only stare at him, while attempting to breathe.

Plasmius quickly typed in something on the computer system and with a press on a single button, the screens went black. But before Danny could even process it, Vlad finally spoke. "You must have a death wish, Daniel," he said calmly, turning to face the boy. "I thought I had made it clear that this place is off limits to you."

The man's voice seemed to bring Danny out of his frightened state. Actually, it did more than that.

The teen's boldness returned and he scoffed defiantly. "Dude, you didn't really think I'd listen to you, did you?" he retorted, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow at the man.

"No, of course not," he replied in that same eerie calm tone, making Danny both confused and uneasy once more. "That's why I linked _this_ device," Plasmius pointed at the blinking red band around his wrist, "to _that_ device," he said, pointing to Danny's own.

The boy looked down at the white device on his wrist, and immediately frowned when he finally caught it blink red for a second.

"But you know what?" Vlad asked, bringing back Danny's attention, "I'm going to make you wish you had," he assured, his calm expression instantly vanishing into a dark glare.

Vlad fired an ecto-blast at the unprepared boy, riveting him violently and painfully against the wall behind him.

Danny wasted no time and stood back up into a fight stance. "You don't scare me, Plasmius! And you can be sure of one thing: that twisted machine of yours is going down!"

Danny flew out of the way just as two more energy blasts were sent toward him. He instantly counter-attacked with his own set of blasts. Plasmius, however, floated higher and quickly volleyed them away with either his hands or a fast shield.

The teen swooped down with the intent of firing his next ecto-blasts at the mainframe. But Vlad caught Danny's intention, and with a swift hand movement, created a large pink shield which engulfed the entire computer system.

Danny halted in mid-flight, stunned by the display of power from the older hybrid. He quickly rebounded and glared down at Vlad. But the man showed no intention of attacking him and was simply studying him with narrowed eyes.

"You think that's going to stop me?" the teen growled. He fired a strong ray at the shield but it didn't even crack it.

Seeing that, a smirk appeared on Plasmius' face and he asked, "Are you sure you want to do that?"

"Uh, let's see…" Danny pondered sarcastically, firing more ecto-blasts at the shield in front of the computer, "Do I really want to get rid of those nanobots and effectively foil another one of your evil plans? …YES, I do!" This time, he fired a blast at Vlad, hoping this would throw the man off-balance. But his enemy effectively moved away from it.

Danny growled. Why wasn't Vlad fighting back? It's as if he was more concerned with keeping the computer system safe… which made sense.

"_Darn it! My blasts are not strong enough for his stupid shield!"_ the boy fumed in his head, while firing another ecto-ray at it. Suddenly, he remembered another arsenal up his sleeve.

"_Let's see it stand up to this,"_ Danny thought, before taking a deep breath to ready himself to use his Ghostly Wail. He would destroy the entire lab if he had to!

But Vlad's sudden laughter jolted him from his intent. "You are so impulsive, Daniel!" the man said through his laughter. "I ask you once more: Are you entirely certain you want to do that?"

Danny glared at him, and instead of responding inhaled once again.

"You don't seem to understand, my boy," Vlad said, bringing the teen's attention back towards him, "If you destroy that mainframe, you will be destroying your sister as well. You see, Axion labs developed Bloodstream Nanobots in the hopes of achieving a medical breakthrough. But they didn't perfect them. Instead of just aiding their host by eliminating the harmful pathogens in their body, the nanobots inadvertently eliminated their host's red blood cells as well, which, of course, would fatally harm the host. However, they are only lethal when fully active. That is why I made this computer system, Daniel. With it I can control their activation level. It is what is keeping them from becoming fully active and therefore _harming_ their host. Translation: Jasmine dies without that," he said smugly, pointing at the mainframe.

Danny stared at him with large eyes for a moment, but then they narrowed. **"You're lying!"** he screamed furiously, lunging at the man.

At the last second, Vlad produced a shield in front of himself. Danny collided with it and fell on his bottom.

"You honestly think so?" he asked with a small smile as Danny stood up.

The young hybrid summoned energy into his hands and stared at him with hate. "You're lying," he repeated.

"Alright then. If that's what you believe. I won't stop you any longer." Vlad snapped his fingers and the shield he had made around the mainframe vanished. He calmly stepped away from it and made a hand gesture to the teen. "Destroy it, Daniel."

Danny's glare fell into an uncertain look. He turned his eyes to the exposed computer system, not realizing his breathing had turned shaky and shallow. He didn't want to believe what the man was saying. Plasmius just wanted to prevent him from destroying it because he knew that without Jazz's life in his control he couldn't hold him here anymore….

Yet again, Danny took a deep breath. But this time, he held it on his own accord when he realized Vlad wasn't moving an inch or saying anything to distract him. He really wasn't going to stop him.

"What are you waiting for? Destroy it," Vlad pressed darkly, causing the boy to become more nervous and release his breath. "You would be free. All you must do is sacrifice your sister for that freedom."

Danny shook his head. He couldn't. He already risked his sister's life the last time he saw her. He could not do such a thing again. Even if Vlad was lying – which the teen was now certain he wasn't-- he couldn't risk it.

"DESTROY IT!" Plasmius screamed, his sudden display of anger startling Danny.

The boy stared at the glaring man for a moment, before looking at the mainframe. His eyes soon lowered and he took a few fearful steps away from it.

"No?" Vlad asked, his voice sounding innocent and carefree, while acting as if his explosion of anger had never happened.

But just as quickly as it had left, it returned.

Tenfold.

"Then allow me to show you what happens to arrogant little rats who dare to oppose me."

Quicker then Danny could blink Plasmius appeared in front of him. The boy let out an alarmed yelped when the man grabbed him forcefully by his jumpsuit before throwing him across the room.

With a loud clank, Danny slammed into the closed portal's doors, a cry of pain ripping from his throat.

The teenager groaned, clutching his aching head as he tried to get to his feet. But before he could get his bearings, Plasmius was upon him.

"I believe I've been far too lenient with you, Daniel. But, no more! I'm going to _teach_ you to listen!"

This time, Vlad grabbed the young half-ghost by the arm and sent a jolt of energy through his body, before flinging him across the lab once more.

Despite the pain, Phantom immediately got up from the cold metal floor and began to fire ectoplasmic blasts at his enemy standing a few feet away. He sent one attack after the other, not realizing his anger was making him put so much force into them that his shots were coming out like strong, but uncontrollable, raging flames. There was no telling where they would go, or what they would blindly destroy. His enraged mind was only set on making the man in front of him disappear.

But despite Danny's attempts, Vlad continued to block or avoid every sphere of energy. However, the teen didn't relent. In fact he made his next ecto-blast twice as strong.

The large sphere hit Plasmius' ecto-shield he had produced and actually pushed him back a few steps. But the older half-ghost still managed to hold the pink barrier and the attack bounced off….

And headed towards the mainframe.

"No!" Danny screamed in horror. To his relief, however, the blast missed by inches.

Vlad chuckled. "I'd be careful, dear boy," he said smugly. He then pushed his hand forward and the shield he had beside him flew towards the unprepared boy, slamming him with the strength of a concrete wall.

"Ahhh!" Danny cried as he was propelled back, before painfully hitting the ghost-portal's doors once again.

"_I can't risk fighting in here!"_ Danny thought. Not thinking twice, he flew towards the lab's exit and soon out of Vlad's private study.

"Where are you going, Daniel? I'm not done with you," Phantom heard Plasmius' voice echo as he continued down the hallway without any kind of plan in mind.

Danny glanced back, trying to figure out in what direction the voice had come from. He hated how the man could somehow make his ghostly voice sound like it was everywhere at once.

"Are you looking for me?"

Danny gasped and turned forward, only to receive a pink blast to the face that threw him against some statues.

He looked up at his enemy, who was currently floating a few inches from the ground, gazing soberly at him.

The teen glared in return, trying to hide the fact that the man's silence creeped him out. "What? Aren't you going to throw some more lame threats at me, or is it time for insults now?" he asked, standing up. But as soon as he did, his hands were grabbed and restrained behind him by another Plasmius.

"I'm sorry; I didn't realize I gave you the impression that I'm playing with you, Daniel," the Plasmius in front replied darkly while Danny struggled against his double's grip.

The young half-ghost growled and formed energy in his captured hands. He quickly released it, and the attack effectively hit the Vlad behind him and knocked him away. But in return, the other Vlad in front of him fired eye beams at the teen's chest, flinging him backwards into a wall.

The boy shut his eyes in an attempt to clear his hazed vision, but when he opened them a second later, they instantly widened and he gasped at the sight of a gloved fist coming towards him.

Reacting quickly, he became intangible and sank through the floor.

Vlad's fist slammed into the wood floor instead of his original target. Calmly rubbing his sore hand, the man joined back with his duplicate and then teleported to where he felt the boy's presence.

Danny flew through the corridors, his heart picking up speed as he remembered his enemy could sense him. What was he going to do? There was no way of escaping him! …Unless…

The young hybrid flew behind a Packers' display, and changed into his human self. His pride was insulted by his hiding from Plasmius, but he needed a moment to catch his breath, and most importantly, think!

Surprised, Vlad halted all movement at feeling Phantom's presence vanish. But then unexpectedly, an amused smile spread on his face. "Clever boy!" he exclaimed, his voice echoing through the hallways, allowing Danny to hear the comment directed to him.

Vlad split himself into four and each one took a different hallway. It was clear by the man's expression that he couldn't decide whether to stay angry or be amused with the teen. So when he chuckled on his next words to Danny, it sounded like a mixture of both emotions. "I must know, Daniel. What were you hoping to find, hmm? The "off" switch, perhaps? Or maybe a "get home free" card? Foolish child! Did you truly believe I would make it that easy for you? If you did, then you better start waking up. Rest assured, Daniel, you are not getting out of this. You know why? Because there is no way out. I made sure of it!"

Danny heard the man's words loud and clear, and he shook with suppressed rage. However, it was quickly replaced by alarm when he saw Plasmius float by him. But the villain didn't keep going. He stopped right in front of him.

The young hybrid saw a smile appear on the other hybrid's face, exposing the tips of his fangs. He held his breath as he thought, _"He knows I'm here, but how?" _

As if Vlad could read his mind he answered, "Your heartbeat betrays you, Daniel."

The bone-chilling words instantly made the boy feel sick from fear and disbelief. How could his enemy possible hear his heartbeat? Sure he knew that their ghost powers gave them enhanced hearing, but not to that extent! At least not for him!

Vlad laughed loudly when he heard the teenager's heart rate increase in response to his words.

Danny urgently wracked his mind for ideas. But the only thing that came to him was to stand and fight. It's not like he could leave his enemy's territory, so what else was he supposed to do?! But the man was more powerful than him! He would just be asking for it! …But he couldn't hide forever.

Meanwhile, the older half-ghost continued to listen closely. He knew exactly where Danny was, but he wanted the teen to come to him. And since he knew his young rival very well, he knew exactly how to accomplish this.

"Tell me, Daniel. How does it feel to have a single person take away everything you hold dear?" he asked mockingly, joining himself back into one.

The question tore Danny from his thoughts and almost got the better of him. It hurt so much that it ignited his anger. But not so much as to send him into a blind rage again. No, this time, his anger made him realized that Plasmius was just trying to mess with his head. And that just made the boy more resolved.

Danny transformed as he darkly thought, _"Two can play at this game."_ He quickly flew out of his hiding place. But instead of inflicting Vlad with a well-deserved punch to the face, he floated up to him and leisurely crossed his arms on his chest.

Plasmius arched an eyebrow in response. Something wasn't right here. He managed to draw him out, but… why wasn't the boy attacking?

A smug grin curved on Danny's face as he retorted to his enemy's cruel question with his own medicine. "I don't know, Plasmius, why don't you tell me."

Vlad stared at the teen for a moment, stunned at having his own tactic used against him. However, this soon left him, and anger replaced it. "Oh, Daniel, you just made a terrible mistake," he growled and then quickly fired a blast at the boy.

Still grinning, Danny flew high enough to evade the attack. Plasmius knew exactly what to say to hurt him, but the teen knew how to hurt the man right back.

"Is that why you brought me here?" the young hybrid mocked, before avoiding another ecto-blast by diving under it, "So you can pretend to have someone care for you?"

Danny gasped as a barrage of pink rays suddenly came at him. Unable to dodge them all on time, he was hit by a few and sent careening backwards. But the teen quickly reacted and turned intangible to avoid colliding with anything behind him. Danny then became invisible and flew under Plasmius before coming back up with the intention of punching him.

Vlad --as usual-- saw it coming and grabbed Danny's fist inches from his face. The boy winced at the iron grip around his hand.

"Don't flatter yourself, Daniel," Vlad finally responded, "You're here for the sole purpose of making you and your father suffer," he said darkly, using his hold on the boy to fling him towards the ground.

Danny made a gasping sound as the air momentarily ripped from his lungs after his back slammed against the wooden floor.

As Danny lifted his upper body with the help of his elbows, Vlad crouched next to him and narrowed his eyes. "You are merely a trophy; spoils of war if you will. I own you; and once I get bored of you, I'll bid you off to one of your enemies." He chuckled smugly. "Skulker alone would give me his services, free of charge for the rest of his afterlife, just to have you."

Danny's furry exploded at his enemy's demeaning words and he fired a strong blast at the man's head.

Plasmius quickly moved aside and avoided the ecto-energy. But he couldn't stop his eyes from slightly widening when he saw the attack drill a hole right through a bedroom door located behind him.

Danny's eyes flared yellowish-green as he screamed, "Keep dreaming, you obsessed freak! You don't own me and you _never _will!"

The boy threw himself at the unguarded older hybrid and slammed him down on the ground, effectively pinning the evil man under him.

However, Vlad made no attempt to escape from the boy's hold and simply smiled cruelly at him. "Tsk, what's wrong, my boy? Don't like the truth?"

Danny furiously grabbed his enemy's collar and pulled him forward so his face was inches from his. "Oh I like the truth, Plasmius. And you know what that is?" he spat out, "The truth is that my mom loves my father and despises you!"

Vlad threw the boy off him in response and quickly stood and fired two red ectoplasmic rays at the teen.

Danny instantly made a shield to block the attacks, but they were so strong that when they slammed into his ecto-barrier, he was unable to hold his ground. He was violently thrust back into a nearby living room. The teen landed within it and skidded across the floor, stopping only after he painfully slammed into a coffee table. The impact broke the strongly-made furniture in two.

Danny groaned from pain as he got back on his feet, holding his aching side.

Vlad calmly landed in front of the teen. "You're losing, Daniel," he said smugly, approaching his young rival.

Danny stood to his full height and narrowed his eyes at the man. "Maybe …but I'm gonna make sure you're sore in the morning," he growled with determination in his eyes.

Danny quickly took a deep inhale of air and Vlad knew immediately what the young half-ghost had meant.

"Cinnamon rolls!" was all he had time to exclaim before Phantom unleashed his most powerful attack against him: His Ghostly Wail.

The green ectoplasmic waves slammed into the man, sending him back towards a large entertainment system, along with anything that wasn't attached to the walls.

There was a loud bang as Vlad's body impacted the wood and glass furniture. But his pain didn't end there.

The boy's powerful energy kept him slammed against what remained of the TV system. Plasmius now understood what it felt to have a thousand power drills riveting against your back.

Despite his pain and the fact that he could feel his energy being peeled away by the waves slamming into him, the man was more horrified by the sight around him.

The entire house was writhing even more violently against Danny's onslaught than it did when he used this power in the simulation room.

And _that_ was the problem. Only his labs and training room were made with ghost-proof materials. The boy didn't realize that he was seconds away from bringing the house down on both of them!

And that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was that Danny's attack would undoubtedly leave them both powerless. They would not be able to do _anything_ to protect themselves!

**The boy was going to doom them both!**

Now panicking, Vlad knew he had to do something to stop the young half-ghost. But he couldn't even scream at him to stop!

It was then that the ceiling and walls began to crack.

He needed to do something. **Now.**

Despite feeling as if his bones would snap in half at any moment from reeling against the powerful ectoplasmic waves, the man managed to force his head to turn forward and his hand to stretch out in front of him.

With his last remaining strength, Plasmius fired a blue ecto-blast at the teenager.

The attack was like a swift punch to Phantom's stomach, knocking the wind out of him and effectively cutting off his Ghostly Wail. But it also threw him back a couple of feet.

The boy stayed sprawled on the ground from the lack of air and energy. And yet, he somehow managed to not change back. It was probably because his mind wouldn't let him forget that danger lurked nearby.

Despite the pain and his spinning head, Danny forced his severely weakened body to lift off the ground. But all he managed was to stay on his hands and knees.

Sweat trickled down his face, while he panted heavily to restore his lost oxygen supply. But he had no way of restoring his body's energy any time soon, and so he was completely defenseless.

On the other side of the room, Vlad was in the same shape, only that _he_ had reverted to his human self. But his energy supply was more abundant than Danny's.

Fisting his hands to fight back the pain, he stood and transformed back into Plasmius.

The older hybrid focused his eyes on the younger one, and they began to glow a brighter red. If Danny's disobedience and insults had made him mad, the fact that the boy almost killed them with his stupidity made him furious!

Vlad approached the exhausted teenager with a deadly look and grasped him around his neck when he reached him. Danny emitted a choking noise in response, but he had no strength to fight against the man.

Danny looked up at his enemy through blurry eyes, but he could still see that Vlad was battered and weak. Unfortunately for him, however, he was weaker, and now he couldn't breathe.

"L-Let go" he grunted, his hands instinctively grabbing onto the one cutting off his oxygen supply.

But Plasmius just squeezed harder and darkly said, "I've had **enough** of your temper tantrums, you little rat!"

Danny let out a strangled cry when Vlad suddenly slammed him against a wall. And then with his free hand, the man grabbed both of the young half-ghost's hands and shoved them against the boy's abdomen. Using them as leverage, he pressed Danny even harder into the wall to keep him from moving.

Before Danny could even question Vlad's bizarre actions, the teen felt a searing pain propel itself into his neck from the large hand wrapped around it

Pain caused Danny's defenses to kick into full gear and he began to struggle, attempting to lash out in anyway. But Vlad pressed the boy even harder against the wall and further tightened his grip on his hands. He wasn't letting this brat go anywhere until he was done with him. Without any remorse, he increased the strength of his energy and drove it deeper into the young half-ghost.

Danny couldn't take it anymore. He wanted and attempted to scream out in agony, but the hot energy whirling inside his throat kept him from doing so. After what seemed like an eternity the energy suddenly surged in all directions, extending to every fiber in his body.

If he had his eyes opened and if he could focus at all through his pain, Danny would notice that his entire body was now encased in pink energy.

Vlad coldly watched the boy's frantic struggles die off in a matter of seconds. He limped immediately after in his hold and reverted back to his human form.

"That should take care of them," Plasmius whispered angrily, referring to his last comment to the teen. The older half-ghost grabbed Danny by his waist and threw him over his shoulder, before flying up and phasing through the ceiling.

Plasmius quickly arrived at Danny's room and roughly threw him on the bed. Without so much as a glance behind him, he slammed the door shut.

It was only then that he changed into Masters once more, and allowed himself to show how much pain he was in.

The man groaned, a hand held against his side as he walked down the hallway.

How he hated that blasted attack!

The billionaire's hands coiled on his side as he recalled Danny's words to him before he used that strange power on him… The blasted boy had accomplished his goal afterall!

But his anger quickly vanished with the intensity of his pain. He couldn't let it cloud his judgment… or at least not anymore than it had tonight…

He brushed his thoughts aside and let out a soft hiss of discomfort, "I'm… going to need some pain killers," the exhausted and battered hybrid groaned as he continued to walk to his room.

* * *

Man! I am so tired, but I'm happy I finally posted this one. I hope you enjoyed it; and remember, I still need Vlad for this story and DoaS, so try not to hurt him too much, kay? 

Oh and check out the fan-art Blood Moon did for me and this story!! The link to her DA account is at the end! Thanks a bundle, BM!

Well, Ta, everyone! I look forward to your thoughts!

Link to Blood Moon's DA account:

-Remove spaces and ()-

ht tp (:) / (/) bloodmoon14. deviantart. com/


	21. Chapter 20: Dark Consequences

**Yay! Can you believe it? I'm updating already! Luckily my crazy test week is over, so I've been working on my stories! Oh, and this chappie is dedicated to my good friend, Shining Zephyr and her muses! SZ, you'll see why after ya read! Happy Reading! It's pretty long!!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom**

* * *

**Chapter 20: Dark Consequences.**

Skulker stood motionless in front of his employer's bottom-stairs lab. His eyes were wide with shock as he stared at the shambled house that the maids were attempting –without much success-- to clean-up. …It didn't take long for an amused grin to curl up on the hunter's lips.

"Fright Knight just lost our bet," the hunter stated with a chuckle, "I knew those two couldn't live long under the same roof without trying to kill each other."

Skulker's attention went to his employer, who was walking down the stairs, taking care not to step on the pieces of ceiling and broken decorations that littered them.

Vlad quickly noticed how amused his ally was and glared at him. "I'm not in the mood, Skulker," he warned, and walked past the ghost, towards a smaller dining room since the larger one was destroyed.

The hunter smirked, but didn't say anything and just followed the man.

The half-ghost sat down and let out a sigh as he rubbed his temple. He had such a horrible headache and his body ached all over. Remembering Skulker was in the room with him, he asked, "Do you have any news for me?"

"No, everything is quiet in Amity Park," Skulker replied, taking his eyes off the cracked walls and looking back at his employer.

"What will you be having for breakfast, sir?" the ghost butler interrupted.

"Bring me a cup of coffee, a fruit salad, and two aspirins," Vlad replied as he continued to rub his temple.

Skulker cleared his throat, trying to carefully pick his next words. "So…I assume you had some trouble with the whelp… What happened, if you don't mind me asking?"

Vlad sighed angrily before looking in the general direction of the stairs. His eyes flashed red as he angrily answered. "I found Daniel in my secret lab."

Skulker chuckled, his arms crossing in front of him. "Oh, I see; he found the mainframe."

Vlad narrowed his eyes at the smiling ghost. "I said I wasn't in the mood," he growled menacingly.

Skulker held his hands up in mock surrender. "Alright," he said, amusement still in his tone of voice, "It's over now, so calm yourself."

Vlad sighed away his anger. "It's not over. It's only the beginning," he said tiredly, watching Derek return with the pain killers he wanted. Without a word, he grabbed the two aspirins and swallowed them.

* * *

Danny found himself in a very deep sleep; one he didn't want to wake from. However, something kept nagging at him. Something felt…. uncomfortable. He really couldn't place what the feeling was exactly because he was unconscious. But his body seemed to sense it; and it soon pushed him out of his slumber.

The teenager groaned as he slowly began to stir. But the second he had acquired awareness, he realized that the uncomfortable feeling was pain; and it was coming from his throat.

Danny's eyes snapped open, and his hands instantly wrapped around his neck. The now withering boy's eyes squeezed back shut, and he whimpered from the excruciating agony he felt. But when he did, his mind jolted with realization and fear.

He sat up, his hands still clutching his red and swollen neck.

"What..."

Danny's eyes widened when he realized no sound came out of his mouth. He attempted to speak again, but all he caused was more unbearable pain, and still not a single sound came out.

He began to shake and hyperventilate, which only made his throat ache worse. _"My throat! My voice! What did he do to me?!" _he thought frantically, his eyes tearing as he tried over and over again to get his vocal cords to respond.

Danny fell back on his bed. He grabbed onto his pillow in desperation and buried his face into it. _"I can't talk,"_ he thought as more involuntary tears sprang from his eyes.

How could he? How could Vlad hurt him like this? Sure, his enemy constantly caused him physical pain. But nothing as severe as this! The man had destroyed his vocal cords! …But why? ... And… was it permanent?

His mind quickly recalled Plasmius' last words to him and the unique way he attacked him before passing out…

"_He did this on purpose…he messed up my throat just to keep me from using my_-"

The young hybrid felt pure rage explode within him and he all but jumped to his feet. With fisted hands and glowing green eyes, he transformed into Phantom. But when he did, he felt a piercing pulse of pain course through his throat. Danny fell to his knees as he let out a silent scream.

His throat was so injured that even the moderate tingle of his energy rings passing over it was very painful. Luckily, the coldness of his ghost form soothed away the extra burning sensation enough to get his mind to focus. Phantom stood once again; and with narrowed eyes, he flew out of his room. The anger still flowing wildly through his veins kept his mind focused and determined on the only thing he wanted at the moment: Revenge.

* * *

"Have you ever considered releasing some of those creatures? Maybe then you would not have the need for so many cages, or the need to expand your domain," Vlad said, clearly annoyed with the real reason for Skulker's visit. The hunter wanted more supplies. But Vlad had just given him a large stock a few days ago, and the older hybrid was not in the mood to oblige him again.

Skulker crossed his arms indignantly. "I will do no such thing. I do not criticize your personal life, so do not criticize mine," he replied with the same annoyance.

Vlad rolled his eyes, but waved a hand dismissively. "Fine, I'll-"

He dropped whatever he was going to say upon feeling Danny's ecto signature come to life. With a tired groan, he rested his elbows on the table and buried his face into his hands. "Here we go," he murmured.

Vlad, however, never expected the boy to arrive so quickly.

Skulker was about to ask the man what was wrong, but he was startled by the white and black blur that flew into the room. As it made a sudden halt in front of his distracted employer, the hunter immediately realized the blur was the young half-ghost. The hunter's eyes widened the instant he saw the large sphere of bright green energy already formed in between the teen's hands.

"Plasmius! Look out!" Skulker shouted just as Danny released his attack at the older half-ghost.

With a gasp, Vlad reacted to his ally's warning, and threw himself out of his chair, landing not-so-elegantly on the hard floor.

Danny's ecto-attack slammed into the chair the man once occupied, instantly exploding it into sawdust.

Vlad's head snapped up towards Danny after witnessing this. "Daniel!" he gasped out, his eyes wide with disbelief.

But the teen wasn't staring at him anymore. Danny's glowing yellow-green eyes were locked onto Skulker, clearly furious with the ghost for causing him to miss.

Without hesitation, the boy shot an ecto-blast at the hunter, throwing him back onto the table with a surprised cry. Skulker sat up amidst the remains of the destroyed dining table, and stared opened-mouth at his right shoulder. The blast had taken off a large chunk of it!

Skulker's green eyes narrowed at the teen responsible. "Why you little-"

Vlad immediately jolted from his shocked state and jumped to his feet. "Skulker, no!" he exclaimed, preventing the ghost from firing his missiles at the boy.

This brought Danny's attention back to his main target. But before the teen could attack, the Vlad transformed and instantly vanished from the spot.

Danny, blinded by rage at losing sight of the evil man, began to fire ecto-energy in every direction, not remotely caring about all the destruction he was causing. All he cared about was finding his arch-enemy so he could make him feel a fraction of the pain that he was in.

Plasmius suddenly reappeared behind Danny and quickly seized the boy's arms. Danny let out a muted growl --that he horribly regretted-- as Vlad forced his hands behind him, stopping his rampage. Regardless, Danny continued to fight wildly against his arch-enemy, using all his supernatural strength to break free.

"Stop it, you little rat! You deserved it!" Vlad spat out as he actually struggled to keep a hold of the teen.

The man's words enraged Danny further; so much, in fact, that a surge of raw green energy exploded out of his body, pushing Plasmius away from him.

The older hybrid was forced to bring up an ecto-shield in order to protect himself from the bombardment of ecto-blasts the younger hybrid sent his way. Still, some of them were so strong that they actually pushed him back.

"Okay, perhaps those were not the best words to say at the moment," Vlad mumbled to himself as he continued to block Danny's constant attacks. It was all he could really do. The boy wasn't leaving him a single opening to do anything else.

Danny ignored his growing fatigue and pain, and pressed forward with his assault. Each blast became sloppier and stronger than the last, but he didn't care. He wasn't giving his arch-enemy the remote chance to attack. It was his turn to make this heartless jerk suffer!

Unfortunately, Danny was _too_ focused on his goal, and he didn't see the net Skulker fired at him until he was caught and sent skidding across the floor within it.

Danny glared up at Skulker, who looked back at him like he was fighting against his every fiber to keep himself from wasting the teenger that very second.

Vlad lowered his shield and walked towards the struggling boy, who slowly stopped attempting to break free... It didn't take a genius to see Danny was in a lot of pain.

Plasmius grabbed the net and lifted up the trapped boy to his eye level. Danny silently stared back at him with narrowed eyes, his right hand curled into a fist, while his left hand was wrapped around his throat.

"I warned you," the man said angrily after a moment of silence.

Danny lashed out in response, and attempted to punch Plasmius in the face, but the net prevented him from doing so. Instead, he only managed to make himself dizzy from the swaying the net did as a result.

"But you don't need to worry; you'll heal," Vlad continued with narrowed eyes. "Consider yourself lucky that all you got was a sore throat!" he exclaimed before roughly letting go of the net.

Danny landed back on the floor with a thud, the fall upsetting his throat even more. The boy clenched his teeth and momentarily shut his eyes as he waited for the extra pain to pass.

Vlad turned his gaze towards Skulker and gave him a small nod.

The hunter clearly understood his ally's silent order, although he wasn't happy with it. Grumbling, he pushed a button on his wrist, and the net surrounding Danny vanished.

Vlad glared down at the teen and menacingly said, "I suggest you leave before I decide to make your injuries permanent."

But Danny didn't move and just looked up at the man with angry, pained eyes. There was no doubt he was debating something in his mind…

Just when Vlad thought he would have to force Danny to leave, the young half-ghost suddenly reacted by vanishing into invisibility. The billionaire then felt the boy fly out of the room…He couldn't help feeling surprised that Danny had left so… willingly.

What Vlad didn't know, however, was that the teen had left _willingly_ for a reason.

While trapped in the net, Danny got an idea. His arch enemy might be too strong for him to take on physically, but that didn't mean he couldn't make Vlad suffer. The man would pay for what he did.

"_And I know exactly how to do that,"_ the young half-ghost thought darkly, flying into the laboratory that was located in the middle of the castle's main staircase.

Danny quickly grabbed the beaker with the orange goo off the shelf, before looking around for something else. A dark smirk ghosted across his face when his eyes landed on a nearby thermos.

He walked over to it and picked it up. He studied it for a moment, before looking at the beaker in his hands. He knew he wasn't thinking straight; he knew what he was about to do was wrong… But he didn't care. With both objects in hand, he flew back to the small dining room.

* * *

Meanwhile, Vlad had changed back into his human form and was currently surveying his destroyed dining room. The man took a deep breath and momentarily shut his eyes in an attempt to keep his anger under control. He looked back at the area where he once sat, and walked over to a slightly battered briefcase lying on the ground.

With a sober expression, he bent down and picked it up. He pulled out a white napkin from his suit's pocket and began to wipe off the pieces of wood and food covering his expensive briefcase.

The whole time Skulker just stared at his employer. What could Plasmius have possibly done to make the whelp **that** angry? He had never seen him act so violently in his after-life… It was truly a shocking sight.

"Plasmius," the hunter called, bringing his alley's attention to him. The ghost gazed at Vlad with an unreadable expression as he asked, "What did you do?"

The billionaire looked down at the briefcase in his hand for a moment, before looking back up at Skulker with a serious expression. "You know that new attack he used in the simulation room?"

The ghost slowly nodded.

"Well, he used it against me last night…" Vlad pointed to his neck and continued, "and so, I-"

The man paused, and suddenly sighed in frustration at realizing Danny was coming back.

"Oh cookie crumbs!" he cursed loudly, placing his briefcase down, just as the teen arrived in the room, "Daniel, I don't have time to- Ahh!" Vlad cried in alarm, his hands raising in front of his face in hopes of blocking the object the young half-ghost suddenly threw at him.

The object was the glass beaker. And so, the second it hit the older hybrid's shoulder, it shattered, and its contents –the glowing orange goo—splashed the man's face and body.

In the back of his mind Vlad knew what was now covering him from head to toe, but he was too shocked to do anything more than stare at the glaring boy in disbelief. But the burning sensation that quickly spread and intensified throughout his body finally snapped him out of his stupor.

"AHH!" the billionaire screeched in agony, his hands clawing at his face and any other exposed area the goo had directly touched. In blind panic, Vlad changed into Plasmius… And he quickly regretted it.

The man's piercing screams grew stronger as the goo began to burn through his jumpsuit, reaching every inch of his ghostly body. Plasmius stumbled backwards, before suddenly vanishing in a puff of pink smoke.

The dining room fell into a dark silence.

Skulker slowly turned his eyes to Danny, who just continued to glare without a single word or movement at the spot Vlad had once been. Suddenly, his prey looked at him, and he couldn't help but feel a tinge of fear. But it quickly vanished.

Skulker growled at the half-ghost and willed out a large gun from his working shoulder. But before the ghost could fire, Danny lifted up the thermos and effortlessly sucked him into it. Without any form of expression on his face, the boy capped the thermos close and then tossed it uncaringly behind his back as if it was nothing more than a piece of unwanted trash. With that same eerie calmness, Danny left the dining room and flew up to his room to wait.

* * *

Vlad reappeared above the outdoor pool; and using what little coherency he had left, he dived into it. The cool chlorinated water was like an ointment to his burning skin… but only temporarily. Although the orange goo quickly washed off his body, it had already done its cruel job.

The first things that emerged from the water were Plasmius' shaking hands as they grabbed onto the edge of the pool. His body cried in protest as he pushed himself out of the pool, but he still managed it. He stayed on his knees, panting heavily while holding his swollen blue face in his hands.

The half-ghost's hair was no longer curved upward, but flattened against his head, and his half-eaten cape was awkwardly wrapped around his soaked body.

Vlad's rigid breathing and shaking limbs slowly settled, and he lowered his hands from his face.

He stood up, his face distorting further from pain as he did so. He didn't need to see himself to know that every inch of his body was swollen; the pulsing pain said it all.

Using his intangibility power, the hybrid slid the water off his body, and immediately his hair and outfit returned to their normal look... well, as normal as his clothes could look after the goo had eaten holes through it.

Vlad hissed from pain and anger, while his hands balled into fists. "That's it," he growled out, his red eyes becoming terrifyingly darker and brighter. "I'm going to kill him!"

The man shot into the sky like a bullet, and flew at full speed back into his house. His ghost sense and mind was so focused on finding Danny, he didn't even notice Fright Knight entering the main hallway when he passed by it…. He also didn't think to simply teleport to where the teenager was.

Instead of phasing through Danny's bedroom door, Plasmius blasted it out of his way. He then sent two red energy beams towards the boy's bed, causing it to instantly explode into a mess of feathers and wood.

Vlad, however, realized too late that the young half-ghost wasn't on the bed.

"Ahh!" the man yelled when a green ecto-blast threw him out of the room and crashing into a nearby wall.

Danny was instantly upon Plasmius. He grabbed the fallen villain and punched him in the face with such force that it sent the billionaire to the opposite side of the hallway. Danny flew after him, firing another energy attack as he neared.

But Vlad quickly went intangible, and the blast tore a hole through the wall instead of him. The man growled as he floated to a standing position just in time to counter another one of his young rival's blast with one of his own.

Red energy met green energy, creating a violent explosion that riveted both opponents back from the force. Plasmius slammed into the wall behind him while Phantom skidded across the wooden floor.

Danny got to his feet in time to see Vlad split himself in four. With a silent growl that he regretted, the teen phased through the floor, and landed on the first floor. He couldn't fight all four of them at the same time; he needed to split them up.

"_Stupid boy!"_ Vlad thought with disgust as his three duplicates and he phased through the floor as well, following the boy's ecto-signature. Didn't the brat learn yesterday that he couldn't hide from him?

But Plasmius was shocked out of his thoughts when he felt the young hybrid's signature abruptly disappear from existence. He noticed too late the human Danny standing behind him.

The blue-eyed boy fired four quick but strong blasts at his enemy and his duplicates. Each attack met their target, and once again Plasmius found himself slamming into a wall.

To Danny's surprise, the attack was enough to cause the man's copies to disappear in a puff of smoke. He didn't question his luck and instead decided to use it to his advantage.

But Danny hadn't counted on the pain he would feel when he changed into his ghost form once more. Just like in his room, the teen fell to the ground in pain, clutching his burning throat.

Vlad didn't hesitate to take advantage of this.

The man fired a hot blast at Danny's back, throwing him across the room. The young half-ghost turned his focus back on Plasmius in time to see him fire a strong ray at him. Reacting quickly, he rolled away from the attack. Immediately, he jumped to his feet and flew at the older hybrid.

The teenager fired his own ecto-energy at Plasmius, before diving towards him. The man had no trouble deflecting the blast with his hand, but wasn't able to dodge the two fists that collided with his face, sending him reeling towards the ground.

Dazed, Plasmius momentarily stayed where he was, and clutched his aching jaw. Since when could the boy land so many hits on him? He was almost certain his young rival had struck him more times than he had Danny! He quickly realized his anger and pain were to blame. He couldn't focus and the teen was taking advantage of it…. But then, of course, he failed to realize that Danny was in the exact same frame of mind.

Vlad was literally kicked out of his thoughts by Danny's foot striking him on his side. The man gasped out, mentally cursing himself for practically giving the boy the shot.

Danny wasn't allowing Plasmius any time to recover and he fired an ecto-blast at his defenseless enemy.

Or so he thought.

Before the attack even made it to Vlad, he vanished. And in a blink of an eye he was right in front of the floating ghost-boy.

The older hybrid seized the younger one by his neck, and threw him to the floor with so much force that the wood floor dented where the boy impacted it.

Danny let out a silent cry, due more to being grabbed by his sensitive throat than because of the impact with the ground. However, he forced himself to push aside his pain and got right back into the fight.

The half-ghosts were so focused on one another that they didn't notice they had had a spectator ever since they brought their violent fight to the first floor.

Fright Knight watched on in shock, still not believing what he was seeing. Just by their silence, the ghost knew that his master and the young boy were fighting with the sole purpose of terminating each other… it was then he bitterly recalled that Skulker won their bet.

The knight saw his master fire two eye beams at the teenager, but the child dodged them and quickly lunged at the man and punched him. The Spirit of Halloween found it odd that the half-ghost child seemed to be winning this fight. But why? He knew that the man was stronger than the boy. And he should know. He had fought them both at one point. Something, then, had to be wrong with his master… and his physical appearance was solid proof of that.

Seeing the boy punch his master into a nearby lamp table finally pushed the ghost out of his frozen state. He had enough of watching; he wasn't letting that insolent child win against his master.

Fright Knight pulled out his sword and flew towards Danny, who had his back to him and was ready to fire another ecto-blast at Plasmius.

Vlad, on the other hand, saw the spirit, and suddenly screamed, "**NO!"**

Danny's eyes widened as he whirled around and saw Fright Knight's sword coming down on him. But just when he was sure he was going to be run through, a red ray ripped the sword out of the ghost's hands, before he could deliver the deadly blow.

"You stay out of this!" Vlad roared at Fright Knight, before directing his focus back to the boy "I want to end his existence myself!"

Danny had been taken aback at witnessing Plasmius just save him, but when he heard the man's reason for doing so, the emotion vanished. Since he couldn't voice something in response to his enemy's words, he decided to let his actions speak for him.

"Ahh!" Vlad shouted at having a blast thrown at his face, sending him sprawling back to the ground.

It was all Plasmius' mind could take, and his cry of rage was solid proof.

The man jumped into the air above the teen, his aura actually glowing red before he split himself in four.

Danny took a step back at seeing all four Plasmius' produce bright red ecto-energy in their hands; and instantly, they fire it. All the teen could do was squeeze his eyes shut as all four ecto-rays engulfed him.

The energy Vlad had released was so intense, it lit the entire surrounding area with a red glow and a loud boom resonated through the house when the attacks hit their mark.

The house gave one strong jolt, and then, there was silence.

Vlad panted heavily as he waited for the smoke to clear. When it did, it revealed a human Danny, trembling from the effort it took to hold himself on his hands and knees. The teen was breathing rigidly, his body covered with scrapes and bruises.

The older half-ghost floated down to the ground, and joined back into one. He walked forward until he was standing a foot from the other half-ghost.

Danny gazed up at him and glared defiantly despite his spinning head. One of his hands was wrapped around his aching throat, while the other held into his aching side.

Wordlessly, Vlad lifted a hand above him and lit it with red energy, his cold and angry eyes locked onto the teen's own.

Danny didn't even blink at the man's actions. If this was the end, so be it. He would face it with dignity. At least this would also be the end of this monster's sick game.

"Give me one, Daniel. Just one good reason why I shouldn't end your life right now," Vlad stated darkly. Somewhere in the back of his mind, there was a voice screaming at him to stop, that he was about to throw all his plans out the window. But his rage blinded his care.

Danny grabbed a piece of broken wood beside him and flung it with all his might at the man's face as a response. The piece of rubble harmlessly went right through the older half-ghost's head. But that didn't make the wordless insult any less disrespectful.

Vlad's raised hand began to shake and his breathing picked up. He stared at the fearless teen, who seemed to silently assure the man he had lost. This only fueled Vlad's growing fury and the energy in his hand intensified. He knew the boy wouldn't withstand a blow like this in his human form. Just one would be fatal. It would be very easy.

_Fire it!_ his anger screamed.

**FIRE IT!**

And he did.

The blast flew towards Danny, but instead of hitting the boy it landed inches in front of him. The young half-ghost was thrust backwards from the force of the attack and smashed against a large vase at the other side of the room.

Vlad let out another scream of rage as he spun around and let out two more rays towards a nearby wall. WHY?! **Why couldn't he destroy this brat?!**

"Fright Knight!" the man screamed.

The ghost standing on the side lines quickly floated over to his master. "Yes, my liege?"

"Get him out of my sight before I destroy him!" Plasmius roared, pointing towards the battered teen on the ground.

Danny glared at the man, but internally he was trying to figure out why the man hadn't finished him off. His thoughts were interrupted by Fright Knight's strong hands, painfully grabbing him around his torso, before the ghost threw him on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"_No!"_ Danny mentally shouted, kicking and punching the ghost with all his might. _"This isn't over!"_ The teen immediately attempted to transform into his ghostly counterpart, but he didn't have the energy to do so.

The knight ignored the boy's tantrum, and looked back at his master. "Uh…Where should I take him?" he asked.

Plasmius glared spitefully. "I don't care where you take him! Bury him underground if you must; just get him out of my sight and make sure he stays out of my sight!"

The spirit of Halloween hesitated for a moment, clearly unsure of where he should take the child. But he soon decided and headed up the stairs.

Vlad watched as Fright Knight took away the flaring Danny. The man's teeth were clenched so hard he was surprised he hadn't broken them yet.

Once the boy was out of sight, Plasmius leaned his back heavily against a nearby wall, and finally allowed himself to show the overwhelming pain coursing mercilessly through his body.

He didn't hesitate to change into his human form, but his swollen blue skin merely transformed to swollen bright-red skin. Since the goo was designed to burn ghost flesh, his ghost half was the more injured, and his pain had significantly decreased with his change. But he was still in unbearable agony.

Vlad hissed loudly as he pushed himself off the wall, forcing his feet to carry his weight once more. He angrily walked back to his room and then into his bathroom.

He opened a medicine cabinet and pulled out a strange looking bottle.

"I hate that brat!" the billionaire grumbled angrily as he grabbed his rinsing cup and filled it with water. The dark thoughts coursing through Vlad's mind had his eyes glowing red as he opened the bottle containing a dull green powder.

Using a small spoon that was also inside the bottle, he measured out an amount and mixed it in the water.

Immediately the water glowed a ghostly green. He momentarily glared at the cup in his hands, but then he swigged the contents down. The man's body lighted with the same ghostly green glow the water he drank had, but it quickly faded away.

He pressed his hands against the bathroom counter and sighed deeply when the pain he felt diminished to a bearable level.

The medicine was designed just for that. It reduced pain and inflammation. The older half-ghost had discovered a while back that ghost plants held unique qualities. Qualities he had learned to harness and use for different purposes. The powder he had just consumed was one example of this. Another example was the ghost vitamins that Vlad gave Danny. The vitamins were a mixture of normal vitamins with ghost plant proteins. These proteins made the vitamins absorb and react faster inside a ghost's –or half-ghost's-- body system.

Vlad looked down at his watch and became even more enraged… if that was even possible.

He was late for a meeting with the investors he was going to buy company stocks from. Grumbling to himself, he headed to his closet to pull out another suit to replace the singed one he currently was wearing.

* * *

Fright Knight had debated on where exactly to take the teenager. He had first thought of his master's training room, but he didn't know how to use it, so he couldn't really lock the half-ghost in there. Then for a moment, he actually contemplated Plasmius' suggestion of burying the kid underground. There was no way Danny would be able to escape since it was obvious he was too weak to use his powers. However, burying him underground would probably kill the human child, and if his master hadn't done it just a few minutes ago then that meant he didn't want the whelp dead. …Drat.

Lastly he recalled Skulker telling him Danny's bedroom was somewhere on the second floor… he just couldn't remember exactly where. . Even so, he had no problem finding the boy's room… the blown-up door was enough clue.

Meanwhile, Danny, oblivious to Fright Knight's musing, was still struggling to escape the ghost's hold. He wanted to pound the spirit mercilessly for taking him away from his fight with Plasmius, but he was far too exhausted and in pain to get his powers to respond in any way. And the fact that he couldn't even attack the stupid ghost verbally filled him with even more anger.

Fright Knight walked into the child's room and headed for the closest door, which so happened to lead into the study room. The ghost forcefully threw Danny into it, and the teen collided with the bookcase, causing several books to fall on him.

The Spirit of Halloween stared menacingly at the half-ghost, who was on the ground clutching his aching head. "I wouldn't have let you live, boy," the ghost assured darkly, before turning and exiting the room.

Danny immediately got up and sprinted to the door with every intention of getting out. But when he grabbed the handle to pull it open, he let out a soundless yelp. The freakin' door was burning hot!

On the other side, Fright Knight smiled as he continued to melt the metal handle in order to bind it permanently to the door frame. For some reason he didn't think of locking the teen in the old fashion way: using the door's lock. Still, his way was just as—or maybe more—effective. Either way, the whelp wouldn't be going anywhere for a while.

"_Well, at least not until he restores his lost energy,"_ the knight thought smugly as he finished his handy work. With an uncaring expression, he left the room.

Danny pounded and kicked furiously on the door, trying with all his might to knock it down.

"_No! Let me out! I'm not finished with him!"_ he screamed in his mind.

He continued with his efforts until his aching hands and body couldn't take the abuse any longer. With one last punch at the door's hard wood frame, he fell to his knees in front of it.

His body was completely spent of energy, and as his adrenaline faded, his pain resurfaced with all its intensity. Danny wrapped his hand around his neck, and clenched his teeth. His entire body was in absolute agony, but the pain in his throat was foremost of them all.

Danny just stayed on the ground, his head filled with dark thoughts. In the back of his mind, his conscience kept telling him what he had done was wrong. It kept asking him how he could have just thrown his morals out the window like that. But he still didn't care; he didn't regret what he did to that, that… he couldn't even think of a great enough insult for Plasmius… at least not one his parents would approve of.

It was then he realized he had tears rolling down his cheek from how angry he was. The teen scornfully wiped them away, and his eyes narrowed as he thought, _"This better NOT be permanent! Because if it is, that twisted jerk is going to wish he never met me!"_

* * *

Vlad stomped down the stairs and made his way to the small dining room. Using a napkin, he carefully wiped off some orange goo that had fallen on his briefcase, before picking it up. The billionaire sighed in relief after he checked the contents and saw they were unharmed. The briefcase itself didn't look as nice as it used to, but he didn't have time to transfer everything within it to another briefcase. He would have to take this one as it was for today.

It was then Vlad caught sight of one of his red-and-white thermoses on the floor. With a roll of his eyes, he picked it up.

He walked off towards his first-floor lab with his briefcase and thermos in hand. Arriving, he headed to the ghost portal at the far end of the lab, and then inserted the ghost container into the releasing unit.

Vlad quickly typed in something into the portal's control panel and its doors opened, revealing a ticked off Skulker on the other side. The ghost quickly flew into his employer's lab and instantly pulled out a large gun from his suit.

"Where is he?! I'm going to adorn his head on my wall!" Skulker fumed.

"_For once that sounds pleasing,"_ Vlad thought with clenched teeth. But instead he said, "Stay away from him."

Skulker angrily watched his employer –who he noticed looked as red as a tomato—leave the lab without another word.

Vlad walked out of his castle and then stepped into his limo. He groaned for a moment as he sat stiffly in the car seat. Every tiny moment and every little thing that rubbed against his skin –like his clothing—was painfully irritating. An angry sigh left the man's mouth as something within gnawed at him as he thought of the young boy... and how much pain he also must be in.

Vlad muttered a dessert-related curse under his breath, and quickly pressed a button beside him, "Just a moment," he told his driver, stopping him from starting the car.

The billionaire stepped out of his limo, his hands balled into tight fists as he stomped back into his house. "I can't believe I'm doing this!" he said angrily to himself.

Vlad entered his room and headed straight into his bathroom. He quickly grabbed the bottle he had used earlier, plus an additional one, and left his room once more.

He soon made it to the kitchen, and roughly pushed the two swinging doors open.

George, who had been occupied with cleaning some kitchen appliance, was startled by the slamming sound of the doors and quickly went to investigate.

But before he could move, his employer came into view. The cook's jaw dropped at the sight. "Uh… Sir?"

"Don't ask!" Vlad snapped, walking pass him and towards the stove. He angrily looked through the cabinets, pulling out the things he needed.

George cringed when the half-ghost slammed a tea kettle on the stove-top after having added water to it.

Muttering incoherently, Vlad turned the stove on full blast, before crossing his arms as he waited for the water to heat.

His cook kept staring at him the entire time both in apprehension and as if he had grown an extra eye.

Minutes later the three maids suddenly phased into the kitchen in a frenzy. "George?!" Martha called out.

"George!" Patricia exclaimed, catching sight of the cook, "You are not going to belie-"

"Sir!" all three maids cried in surprise when they realized their employer was there. But then they visibly cringed at the man's appearance.

Vlad shot them a glare, before turning his attention to the whistling tea kettle. He grabbed it and poured the hot water into a teacup. He added the tea bag and two spoons of honey, before lastly adding a measured dose from each of the medicine bottles he had brought from his room.

He placed the tea on a small carrier as he changed into his ghost form. He couldn't keep himself from wincing at the extra pain that resulted from his transformation.

Without so much as a glance towards his still-stunned staff, he phased through the ceiling with the carrier in hand.

Vlad wasted no time in changing out of his more injured side once he landed on the second floor. It was then he recalled he didn't know where Fright Knight had taken Danny…

He decided to try his luck with the boy's room. It was the most likely place for him to be… well, there or somewhere underground…. He didn't put it past the Halloween spirit to actually take his previous words literally.

Walking into the now door-less room, he quickly noticed the teen wasn't in the main area of it. With a raised eyebrow, the older hybrid's eyes fell on the nearby melted door handle. He rolled his eyes and whispered something about Fright Knight having no common sense, before phasing into the office.

Danny Immediately jumped out of the desk chair he was in and adapted a fight stance when he saw his enemy enter the room.

The half-ghosts just glared at one another for a moment, but then Vlad broke their stare-down contest, and placed the tray with the tea on the desk.

Danny took a quick look at what the man had just placed in front of him, before returning his attention to him.

"Drink it!" Vlad ordered spitefully.

In response, Danny grabbed a nearby book and flung it at Vlad's head.

The billionaire yelped when the hard book slammed him in the forehead, and for a second, he saw stars.

Vlad's eyes turned red and he fired a pink blast at Danny, throwing him into the chair behind him.

"Or you can sit there and suffer!" Vlad spat out, before phasing out of the room.

The older hybrid walked out the teen's room. He hissed and rubbed his aching forehead, but quickly stopped when his sensitive skin reacted with more pain instead of relief.

With a massive headache, he finally left his house and headed to his meeting that had started two hours ago.

* * *

Danny pushed off the chair that had somehow ended up on top of him, and slowly got up while glaring in the direction of the door. But his glare soon fell to the hot tea still on the desk.

Danny's anger left him and apprehension slipped in. He stared fearfully at the tea, uncertain whether he was alarmed more by the fact that it had come from his enemy or that it was glowing a bright green.

The teenager cautiously stepped closer to the tea while debating on what to do with it. He was almost sure the hot beverage was supposed to do something for him…like the ghost vitamins… _they_ had made him feel better…

Danny wrapped his hand around his throat. The pain was killing him! But… he didn't want to drink something that glowed and came from Vlad again…

A defeated sigh left his lips when his pain won over his fear and defiance. He picked up the tea with shaky hands and closed his eyes as he took a small sip.

Danny gasped and almost dropped the cup at the strange sensation that passed through his body. He opened his eyes and realized he was glowing ghostly green! But before he could panic, it went away.

It was then he realized that the pain in his throat and body had significantly lessened. This time, he didn't hesitate any longer and continued to drink the hot liquid. The fact that he didn't even like tea never crossed his mind. He was too happy that his pain was fading to remember something like that.

Danny was less than halfway finished when he lowered the teacup from his mouth. Something wasn't right…he felt very drowsy….

The teenager glared down at the tea, and silently cursed Vlad. That jerk had added something to the drink to make him tired.

Danny's anger didn't last long though. The drowsiness growing within him took away the energy for it. He clumsily placed the cup down on the desk, and in the same manner, sat-down against the nearest wall. He grabbed his head in his hands, feeling his eyelids and body growing heavy with fatigue.

Danny didn't even realize when he fell asleep.

* * *

By one in the afternoon, Vlad was done with his job affairs and was on his way home. He currently was having a _calm_ conversation with the repair company that had come to fix up his house after Danny's earlier fight with Skulker and the others.

"Yes, I know you were here two days ago!" the billionaire shouted into his cell phone.

……………………………

"I don't care! I'm paying your company more than all of those people combined! Make _them_ wait! I want this done today!"

……………………………

"No, it's worse than before."

………………………….

"In an hour? Good. Don't be late," Vlad said before hanging up on whoever he had been speaking to.

The billionaire placed his phone back into his coat's pocket, before leaning his head back against his car's seat. Shutting his eyes, he let out a deep sigh as he recalled all the stares he got from everyone he saw today.

The worst of it was when he walked into the conference room for the meeting he was late for. At the sight of him, the people who had been waiting for his arrival either spat out the beverage they had been drinking or sat stunned with wide-open mouths.

It was humiliating.

Of course, he had no trouble coming up with a believable cover as to why he looked like a ripe tomato that had gotten into a fight with a grinder. He simply told them it was an allergic reaction to something. No one questioned him further… although some insisted he should go to the hospital.

But even with his believable explanation, the stares were still there; they never went away… he felt like he was reliving his years with ecto-acne all over again.

Vlad groaned when he saw his castle come into view through the limo's window. For the first time in his life, he didn't want to come home… Having Danny live with him was turning out to be a bigger nightmare than he thought.

Suddenly that nagging feeling in his mind returned, and Vlad found himself contemplating his actions since last night…. Perhaps he had overdone it…

But then, he quickly recalled what Danny did to him today, and he snuffed out his growing regret. "He shouldn't have been snooping around in my lab," he grumbled as he stepped out of the limo.

Now that he wasn't blinded by rage, Vlad _saw_ the extent of the damage to his house upon entering it. The main hallway had more holes through the walls and ceiling than he could count; the grand stairs looked on the verge of collapsing; and any decorations he once had, had been blown to pieces. And this was only one section of his castle!

He knew both of his dining rooms were in shambles, and that his largest living room had been completely obliterated by the boy's strange attack. Those areas, however, were just the places they had spent the most time in. He didn't even want to think about all the other places they had chased one another through.

With a huff of frustration, Vlad headed up the stairs and towards his room. To his dismay, the second floor also looked like a tornado had ripped through it. Still, it was nowhere near as bad as the first floor.

But then he recalled he had blasted Danny's bedroom door and bed into pieces… He cringed at that. And then shook his head.

The boy had really made him lose it today.

Vlad honestly never planned on harming Danny to the extent that he did. Sure he was angry last night, but he mostly attacked him just to scare him. He needed to make sure the teenager wouldn't try sneaking into his lab again. But Danny just loved rebelling against him; and Vlad couldn't help getting ticked off every time he did.

Even so, the billionaire wouldn't have hurt him like he had just because of that. After all, harming Danny wasn't part of the plan.

But _that_ attack… the same attack that destroyed all his months of hard work; the same attack that killed his perfect clone, his perfect half-ghost son… having the boy use _that _attack against him once more made him furious!

And then Danny's actions today… Well, that truly destroyed any rational thought from Vlad's mind… he seriously wanted to _kill_ him.

Sitting down on his bed, the billionaire sighed and rubbed his temple, having yet to realize he had a purple bruise on it where the book had hit him.

Vlad tiredly looked down at his watch and mumbled, "He should be out for a few more hours."

Deciding to check up on Danny, he stood and headed to the teen's room. On the way there he continued to observe all the damage around him. Every now and then the billionaire would flinch as he passed by the remains of a priceless artifact, or of something of equal or greater value to him… like his Packers possessions.

Truly, Vlad was beyond surprised that the castle was still standing.

The older half-ghost phased into the study room, and found the younger one fast asleep on the floor.

Immediately, Vlad felt his anger begin to boil once more, but he pushed it aside. Gently –so he wouldn't wake him-- he picked the boy off the floor. But the truth was Vlad highly doubted he could wake Danny even if he tried; the ghost plants' sleeping spores were very effective. Still, it didn't hurt to be careful.

Vlad walked out of the study room and headed to the walk-in closet. He looked up at the pull-down stairs and realized he couldn't lower them since his hands were occupied.

Bracing himself for the jolt of pain to come, he turned into Plasmius, causing the boy in his arms to shiver from the ghostly chill all ghosts emitted from their bodies.

Groaning softly, Vlad flew up and quickly landed in the lounge that was part of teen's room. He changed into his human form as he laid Danny on a large sleeping sofa.

Vlad gazed at the sleeping boy for a moment, simply observing his soft and even intakes of air. The man's blue eyes then moved to Danny's red and swollen neck, before he knelt beside him. With a soft sigh, Vlad grabbed the boy's chin and lifted his head slightly so he could examine his neck more closely.

Although Danny was not awakened by the man's actions, his face did scrunch in pain. And Vlad was sure, the boy would be whimpering if his vocal cords worked.

The older half-ghost frowned, realizing that he could actually see his handprint branded on Danny's neck. "Maybe I was too harsh…" he whispered, lightly touching the young half-ghost's throat.

He let go of Danny's chin and stood. Vlad stared at the boy for a moment longer, contemplating his actions once more. But then, he shrugged it off. What was done was done. It's not like he had permanently harmed him. Danny would heal… just like he would heal as well.

Vlad hissed as he changed into his ghost form once more. He looked back at the teen, but now he was glaring. "Then again, you deserved it," he said through clenched teeth from both pain and anger.

Plasmius phased back down to the room's main area and headed out. Wanting to escape the extra pain that came with being in ghost form, he quickly became Masters.

Vlad brought his hand over his mouth as he yawned. He was so exhausted, but unfortunately he couldn't sleep like he wanted to. The repair company would be here in less than an hour, and he had several calls to make. He needed to replace his destroyed furniture…

Yes, having Danny here was truly a bigger nightmare than he had thought.

* * *

-Vlad muse glares- You all know what to do. And those who do not click the button below will have to face my wrath!

Pearl: -jaw drops- You did not just threaten our readers! -glares- I swear, you crazy muse, if I lose just one of them because of you I'm burning your Maddie doll!

Muse: -pulls plush Maddie closer- I'd like to see you try that! I just did you a favor, girl! So don't you threaten me or _you'll _be facing my wrath!

Pearl: Ugh! Whatever, I'm not in the mood to argue with you; I'm just saying you could have asked nicely!

Muse: I don't plea to anyone! -glares at readers- You all have an obligation to fulfill so get to it. -vanishes-

Pearl: heh... -rubs neck nervously- I'm really sorry; he is um... grouchy after this chappie. Yeah... um, hope you guys liked it! And um, if you're not too mad let me hear your thoughts, kay?

See ya!


	22. Chapter 21: Growing Problems

**Wow... I have reached 400 reviews... --passes out-**

**Vlad muse: -slaps face- Oh for the love of... You have some serious issues, girl! How the blazes did I even end up with you to begin with? Rest assured if... -looks around at readers- Oh, you all are here... -grins- Well, I suppose I can move this along, hmm? Pearl was going to thank you--although I don't see why she wants to--- but yes, you have HER thanks. She was raving on to me how she got 26 reviews for the last chapter and how she had not gotten that many since chapter 11, or something of the sort. So, you have all pleased the girl dearly. -in a sarcastic tone: You are free to give yourselves a pat on the back. Well, I present to you the next chapter of Checkmate. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Blast! I have to do this too? -grumbles- Pearl does not own Danny Phantom... -rolls eyes- Why would anyone want to own it anyways? Now the Green Bay Packers... -grins-**

* * *

**Chapter 21: Growing problems**

Now that the adult Fentons had been spending most of their time at the hospital with Jazz, the trio of best friends—minus Danny—had decided to meet up with Danielle at the easiest place that was always available to them: Fenton Works. They often used Danny's home whenever they needed to talk to the ghost girl, and today was one of those days.

The ghost girl had informed Sam and Tucker of her findings in the Ghost Zone, which consisted of… nothing.

Every ghost she asked about Danny Phantom had said about the same thing: _"Haven't seen him, but if you find the ghost-boy let me know so I can waste him." _

After a couple of comments like that, Danielle had just decided to scout the Ghost Zone on her own. But in the end, she found no trace of her cousin. At one point, she felt the urge to check _her_ _father's_ home at the Rockies… but she didn't dare. The ghost girl was deathly afraid of the older half-ghost… It was the second reason –the first being to keep herself stable--—that she stayed in the Ghost Zone. It was the only place she could hide from him.

Besides, Danny's friends and she had already discussed the possibilities of her cousin going to Vlad's… and they just couldn't buy it. Danny would_ never_ go to his arch-enemy no matter how stressed he was. And he hadn't been kidnapped; he had left on his ownso none of his enemies could be involved.

However, that didn't mean they were disregarding the evil hybrid all together. He had to be planning something now that Danny was gone. And that led to the realization that eventually all of Danny's enemies were going to find out he was no longer protecting Amity Park… Sam and Tucker didn't even want to think about what would happen then. And Danielle could do nothing about it in her delicate condition.

After Danielle had told them about her empty findings—leaving out the part about how she chickened out from checking Vlad's home-- Sam and Tucker informed the young girl about everything that had been going on with them… Well, everything except for what Valerie had told them five days ago. Neither mentioned a word of it to the ghost girl. They couldn't… they hadn't even told Jazz yet…

After their chat, Danielle headed back into the Ghost Zone, but Sam and Tucker stayed in Danny's room for a bit longer. Luckily, cutting school had only gotten them detention for two days. And since their parents understood how hard all this was on them, they had received no punishment this time. But their parents were also quick to let them know that they would not tolerate any more skipping and would not be so lenient in the future.

Despite what Valerie told them, Danny's friends decided they would continue to look for him. Sadly, their search was limited to Amity Park, since they couldn't just vanish from home to go on a blind search for their friend. One run-away teen was enough for everyoneThat, however, didn't mean they weren't tempted to. But they did what they could. …They wouldn't give up on their friend.

Sam looked at one of Danny's spaceship models and smiled sadly at it. "Danny was really good at this, huh?" she said, grabbing the model and sitting beside Tucker on the bed.

The boy nodded as he looked at the ship in his friend's hands, "Yeah, he _is_," he stated, looking at her at his emphasis.

Sam frowned, realizing how wrong her word usage had been. But then she gave Tucker a smile and nodded in agreement. She studied the rocket for a moment, lost in thought, but then her friend suddenly spoke.

"Hey, Sam…?"

She looked up at him to find his expression was something in between sadness and happiness. "Do you know what today is?"

She looked back down at the rocket and nodded while attempting to hold back tears. "It's Danny's one year anniversary of having ghost powers," she said softly.

Tucker looked at no place in particular and smiled, "Yeah," he said, remembering everything they had planned to do for today…. And now, they couldn't because he was gone.

Sam quickly changed subjects; thinking about how empty this day felt without their half-ghost friend was too much for her to want to linger on. "Tucker, I've been thinking… Maybe we should tell Jazz about Valerie."

Tucker frowned. "Sam… we can't. Jazz would wig out at that kind of news. I mean, she's already a mess from just thinking Danny ran away. Plus, she's been really edgy from being cooped up in that hospital." Tucker cringed and added, "Not that I blame her."

Sam bit her lip before looking up at her friend. "I know, Tucker, but it isn't right to keep this from her. She has the right to know." Sam sighed. "Tucker, what if we don't find him?" she asked, quickly wiping away a few tears that escaped her eyes.

The teenage boy sighed himself; he knew what she meant by her last statement.

"We can't keep something like this to ourselves," Sam continued.

Tucker nodded. As much as he didn't want to agree, his friend was right. They couldn't keep something this serious to themselves; whether it was true or not.

"Okay, but let's wait a few more days. If he hasn't shown up by then, we'll tell her," Tucker rationalized.

Sam nodded. "And then what?" she asked fearfully.

Tucker looked at her with a sad expression, "We'll let Jazz decide."

* * *

Danny sighed as he looked up at the morning sun from his balcony. It had been five days since his fight with Plasmius. The teen's throat was no longer _visibly_ red or swollen, but it still felt pretty sore. To his relief, however, his voice was working again. But it sounded scratchy and it hurt to use it. …Danny hated to admit it, but maybe if he would have drunk the teas Vlad had sent him throughout these past days, he would have completely healed by now. However, even though he knew that the first time he had the tea, his pain had significantly lessened, and having more would probably help him heal faster, his pride stopped him from taking more. He didn't want anything from that man. 

Along with the tea, his food had also been brought up during these five days. And although he knew he had Vlad to thank for that, he wasn't about to acknowledge it. Besides, his enemy probably just gave his butler the order to keep him from coming down while the house got fixed. All the noise coming from below had alerted him to this. But his new bed and repaired bedroom was really his first clue. After the effects of the tea had worn off—around eight at night— that day, he had discovered with quite a bit of surprise that his room had been fixed while he had slept.

Still, Danny had felt too horrible to want to leave his room anyways, and had just spent most of his time sleeping. But if anything good came out of being "caged," it was the fact that he hadn't seen Vlad since then. He was very glad for that at least.

He was also glad he was feeling a lot better… but he couldn't help but wonder if Vlad could say the same thing…

Leaning forward on the balcony's railing, Danny looked towards the never-ending forest with a thoughtful and troubled expression. As much as he tried, he just couldn't get his mind off his violent fight with Vlad, or to be more specific, what he did to him.

Now that the anger and pain that had driven him to such actions against his enemy had left him almost completely, he felt extremely bad for throwing the orange goo at him. By the look on the man's face—which still vividly plagued his mind-- Danny knew the goo had caused him a tremendous amount of pain. Vlad had barely even been able to keep up with their fight from how hurt he had been …

Danny sighed. "Maybe I was too harsh…," he mumbled, but a sharp sting from his throat distorted his face with pain. He grabbed his throat, anger now boiling inside him. _"Then again, he deserved it,"_ he thought darkly, but a pang from his conscience deflated his anger and he instantly regretted the thought.

He had felt so torn with himself lately. It was like his hate for Vlad was messing him up. But why should it? The man deserved all his resentment! Plus, he was the enemy; he was the villain. It's not like he had harmed some innocent person… So then why did he feel so bad?

Danny huffed away his confusion. The goo couldn't have harmed Vlad permanently… and they had quick healing abilities…But his face had looked very swollen…

The teen couldn't stop an amused smirked from forming on his lips as he realized how funny Plasmius had looked with his blue swollen skin. Now that he thought about it, the man had looked like an angry, inflated blue puffer fish!

Danny grinned. Where was a camera when you needed one?

Shaking off his amusement, Danny stared back up at the sky, a wistful expression appearing on his face. He was feeling really anxious again. His body oddly craved to be in ghost form and take a long, _long_ flight.

But that meant his throat would have to go through some temporary discomfort. Sure his throat had healed, but not enough so that changing into his ghost form wouldn't cause him discomfort… and he really didn't want to experience any more pain after what had occurred… But, he was just dying to leave his room; he felt suffocated! He needed to feel the soothing rush of the cold air, the warmth of the sun's rays…the exhilarating sensation of his powers coursing through his every fiber…

His desires quickly won his internal battle, and for the first time in five days, he changed into Phantom. He held his throat as a soft groan of pain left him, but his ghostly chill soon relieved the uncomfortable feeling. With a small smile, Danny leapt off the balcony and headed towards his favorite spot near the river.

* * *

"Leave it there," Vlad told a man that had brought in a large expensive painting, and was currently putting it up in the billionaire's larger dining room. 

"Yes, Mr. Masters," he replied. The delivery guy wiped off his fingerprints from the picture's frame, and then walked off to bring in the furniture for the living room.

With his hands behind his back, Vlad studied the painting of himself with a slight smile, before exiting his now repaired dining room. He walked through the hallways, toward one of his living rooms, looking at his new decorations and furniture as he went.

The final repairs on his house had been finished yesterday. It had taken a lot longer for all the construction to be done than he would have liked—and he didn't hesitate to let the repair company know that. Still, and most importantly, all the holes in the walls and ceiling were now gone. The furniture and decorations he had bought were now being arranged. He still needed to buy other decors to replace the destroyed ones, but at least he had the main things. He could purchase the smaller items at another time.

Of course, the first thing that he had repaired was Daniel's room. He had no fear that anyone would see the boy, as Daniel had been in a deep sleep in the lounge above his room. Besides, no one would ever suspect him, _Vlad Masters,_ of anything. And it's not like anyone would know of –or care about-- some teenage boy "run-away" from the wash-down town that was Amity Park...No, he had the child's room done first only because it was the most urgent area that needed to be fixed. After all, he had destroyed Daniel's bed and main door; and the boy still needed his privacy and a place to sleep.

Vlad also had Derek bring up Daniel's meals to the teen's room because he knew that Daniel couldn't speak. And, of course, without his voice, it would have been difficult for the young half-ghost to communicate his needs to the cook and other staff. The boy obviously had no problem with staying in his room anyways, since he had not been down since their fight.

However, yesterday was definitely the limit of Vlad's being…considerate. He expected the boy to be well enough now to take care of himself. But that would mean that the boy would be well enough to leave his room. Only problem with that was that the billionaire had a higher chance of seeing Daniel. And he really didn't want to. Vlad was certain it would just cause him to have another horrible day…

A few hours later, Vlad sat down on one of his new couches with a loud sigh. It was such a relief to finally be done with all these "chores". But what felt even better was to not to be in pain…

His skin had healed almost completely as it was no longer red or swollen. It still held a slightly pink tinge to it, but most of his discomfort was gone. Well, from his human-self that is. Since the goo was designed to hurt ghosts, his ghost-self was taking longer to heal; and so the pain came back when he turned into Plasmius. Still, it was nothing like the pain he had been in for the first few days.

"Mr. Masters, is there anything else you require?" the man in charge of the delivery service asked.

Vlad waved his hand dismissively, somewhat annoyed at being disturbed. "No, you can leave. Derek!" he called.

His butler, who at the moment didn't _look_ in any way ghostly, stepped into the room. "Sir?" he asked, his voice holding an echo. Clearly, the full human in the room didn't seem to notice that Derek was a shape-shifting _**ghost**_.

"Escort this fine gentleman to the door, hmm?" Vlad asked off-handedly.

"Of course, sir," Derek said before turning to the man, "Right this way, sir."

The delivery man nodded, and then said a kind good-bye to Vlad—who completely disregarded it—as he followed Derek out.

Vlad rubbed his temple once he was alone again. He had such a headache from everything he had done these past days, and he need not mention how tired he was. It was why he had canceled all his plans today and opted to just stay home and relax.

But still, the half-ghost's aching mind wondered back to his fight with the younger one again.

It still baffled and disturbed Vlad how the boy had reacted to what he had done to him. Sure, he had expected Daniel to be ticked off; and he even suspected that the teenager would try to fight him again… But his level of anger, his _violence_. He had not expected that from _Danny Phantom_. It was so unlike the boy that it had thrown him completely off guard.

Daniel had actually tossed all his foolish morals out the window just for revenge. And he had actually used his head, but only to get back at him!

Vlad truly felt like he had been fighting two different persons the night he had caught Daniel in his lab and then the day afterward. The Danny from that night had been the usual hot-tempered and impulsive teenage boy he was use to…. perhaps, a little too impulsive. He still could not believe Daniel had used that strong wail-like attack against him while they were in a non-ghost-proof area! Didn't he realize how dangerous, even catastrophic, his actions could have been? That was the problem with the boy, he didn't think; he just acted. Rashly. Foolishly.

… But all that had left the boy the next day. It was as if his anger made him calculative, darkly focused, and dare he say… slightly evil?

Vlad frowned at the thought. No, "evil" was too strong a term…Daniel could never be evil. The boy had too much of his childish heroics wrapped up in his head… Although…Vlad had never heard of the "good guy" acting so violently…or being vengeful…

The billionaire banished the thought with a distasteful scoff. The whole concept of good and evil was so overrated. There was no such thing as "heroes" and "villains". Everyone was capable of the best and worst of things… all that was needed was the right circumstance and motivation. The boy's actions five days ago proved his beliefs all too well.

Another thing that had been bothering him—more specifically, bothering his _pride_--was the degree in which his young rival had had the upper hand in their last battle. He hated to admit it, but the boy was pretty strong when he allowed himself to use his powers to their full potential.

It annoyed Vlad every time he thought about how many more times the boy had hit him than he had the boy. It was as if they had reversed roles… it was kind of alarming…

The billionaire frowned at himself. What had happened to him? Since when did he fight so… sloppily? He never thought pain could blind him to such a degree. But wasn't the boy in the same amount of pain as he was? And they were also both just as angry… So, what happened?

Vlad bit his bottom lip as he was unable to find an answer to that. Well, he had won the fight in the end… that's what mattered. The young half-ghost certainly had a lot of potential, but he would never grow enough to surpass him… at least not on his own; there was just too much Daniel didn't know to be able to.

The billionaire smirked. The boy's ignorance was delightfully amusing at times. He had risked it all to sneak into his lab, and in the end, he had set his eyes on the wrong thing. Instead, he had attempted to destroy the mainframe, which would have harmed Jasmine rather than help her. Yes, Daniel was so clueless; he had no idea what he was up against… And the teen knew it too. The confusion and fear in his eyes were evident when he had found him in the lab. The look on Daniel's face had been priceless.

Vlad chuckled softly as he drummed his fingers on the sofa's armrest. "If only he would attempt to use his head for a bit longer, he would know what all this is about. After all, I already told him."

The truth was Daniel was capable of using his head quite well. He just didn't use it enough. Even so, Vlad still couldn't figure out how the teen had even known that the orange goo existed.

The man tapped his lip thoughtfully. "He could have stumbled across it, I suppose… but, how did he know what it did? Daniel couldn't possibly be foolish enough to touch something that's obviously meant to be used against ghosts…" The man suddenly rolled his eyes. "No, he could be," he decided. Whatever the case may have been, Vlad decided that he would have to lock up his more… dangerous arsenals just in case the teenager got any more… wild ideas.

But what had impressed Vlad more than Danny's act of revenge had been theboy's constant planning throughout their fight. He had purposely trapped Skulker to keep him from interfering in their battle. And then, during their fight, he had changed into his human form just so he could sneak attack him!

Vlad shook his head. Daniel might not use his head enough, but when he did, he was quite clever.

"What a shame he doesn't realize it…" he added out loud, his smirk returning. With a sigh he stood and pushed his thoughts away. He needed some fresh air… especially since he had not become Plasmius in so long.

Vlad walked off towards his backyard. He had not been to his greenhouse in some time, and there were some ghost plants that he needed to check on. Yes, that sounded like a nice way to take his mind off… everything.

* * *

Danny walked through the forest with his gaze towards the leaf-and-twig-covered ground. Although being outside made him feel physically better, he was still as emotionally down as ever. He really missed Amity Park…. He missed everything and everyone in it… The teen wouldn't even mind being at Casper High right now being teased by Dash and the other jocks! 

Anything was better than… this.

Now, Danny truly wished he would have spent his last week at home more wisely. He should have spent it more with his friends and family… Instead, he had kept himself isolated from them. And in his attempt to avoid the unavoidable, he had been a jerk to all his loved ones…

Danny sighed sadly. He was all alone now. And this hurt in his heart was slowly eating away at him… he'd give anything to have it go away.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, the teen knew today marked a year since the day he stepped into the ghost portal and became Danny Phantom. But he couldn't bring himself to care. In fact, he wished it never happened. He wouldn't be here if it wasn't for his being half-ghost.

But then Danny found his thoughts drifting to happier ones and he smiled. His friends and he had actually planned on what they would do for today: Danny Phantom's one year anniversary. Danny had wanted to celebrate by doing a few ghostly things. And the first that had come to mind had been to play a small prank on Dash.

Danny chuckled at the thought. "Even Sam agreed," he whispered to himself, remembering his conversation with his friends.

"_Hey, dude, have you thought of what you wanna do for your one year anniversary,__question mark__" Tucker asked mischievously. _

_Danny's eyes turned green, his grin mimicking the expression on his male friend's face. "Well…" he said, lengthening the word, "I was thinking something along the line of putting a tutu on Dash during lunch while __**making**__ him sing 'I Feel Pretty' from that lame musical Lancer made us watch." _

_Tucker shuddered "What's scary is that I actually remember most of the songs from it. It's like the time you and Sam left me tied up and I was forced to sit through hours of standardize test prep. That music is drilled into my head just like that stuff was! …What was the name of that movie again?"_

"_West Side Story," Sam answered dryly, before addressing Danny, "And I'm not helping you with your little revenge scheme," she told him in a matter-of-factly tone._

_Danny pouted at her. "Oh come on, Sam! I can't pull it off without you! Where else besides the girl's dressing room am I going to get the tutu?"_

"_He's right, Sam. And besides, you owe him," Tucker intervened with a grin, "If it wasn't for you, he wouldn't have gone into the portal at all." _

_Sam glared at him in response. "Uh, I'm pretty sure that means __**he**_ _owes __**me**__."_

"_Come on, Sam, please! It's just some harmless fun; and it's just this one time," Danny said, giving her a sad puppy look, but then a smirk crawled on his face, "Unless you want me to go into the girl's dressing room myself and get it..."_

_Sam gasped in indignation, before narrowing her eyes at him. "You better not, Danny! That is so disrespectful! What is it with you guys and thinking that girls are just….._

_Danny and Tucker shared an eye roll as Sam went off into one of her individualist speeches that both boys didn't hesitate to tune out. _

"……_..how would you feel if someone snuck in on your privacy?"_

"_So, you'll help me?" Danny asked, tuning the girl back in. _

"_Fine," Sam grumbled, crossing her arms. But then, her posture changed and she gave him a shy smile, "but you gotta take me- I-I mean, __**us**__ flying that night," she said, a small blush appearing on her cheeks from her slip-up. _

_For some odd reason, Danny found himself blushing as well; and he heard Tucker murmur something under his breath. "A-Alright; that sounds cool," he agreed with a smile._

_Tucker looked at both of his friends in turn and said, "Well, OK. That's your 'after hours' plan. But, then__ what do you want to do before your date, Danny?" Tucker asked._

_Danny quickly snapped his eyes away from Sam. "What?"_

"_I said, what else do you want to do for __**that**__ date," he covered, shooting Sam a nervous smile after catching a glimpse of her 'death glare'. _

_Danny shrugged. "As long as we hang out, I'm down for anything… but I do have another thing in mind, but that I can do on my own." _

_Tucker smiled at seeing Danny's wicked look return. Sam tried to look bored, but her friends could plainly see the underlying amusement in her eyes. _

Danny chuckled as he thought about the scare he had planned to give his sister. "Jazz would have freaked," he said, his eyes glistening with mischief.

But the sparkle in his eyes quickly faded as his thoughts about his sister made him think about what his enemy had done to her. He sighed as he pushed back his white hair with a hand. Danny wondered how Jazz was doing, how she was feeling. Had she recovered like she did last time? …Was she still in the hospital?

A scowl appeared on Danny's face when he realized the only person who could answer his questions was Vlad Masters. And he wasn't about to ask _him_. He couldn't talk to that man. Just looking at him made the teen want to blast him through a wall.

And Danny knew Vlad felt the same way.

The truth was his enemy and he were like the opposite poles of a magnet, only they defied the laws and repelled each other instead. They were just so different in every way that fighting each other was inevitable. He would never buy the older half-ghost's insisting that they were more alike than not. He hadn't been here for more than two weeks and they were already at each others' throats.

"Literally," Danny mumbled, briefly touching his neck before he sighed. "Why is he doing this? What does he want?" he asked himself angrily.

Plasmius had told him that he had brought him here to make him and his dad suffer. But Danny had a hard time believing the billionaire would make such a complex scheme just for that sole purpose… right? The teen knew Vlad hated his father enough to answer 'yes' to that question. But himself? Did Vlad hate him so much that he would do all this just to hurt him?

Danny lowered his head in sadness, not knowing the answer to that. A grumble from his stomach brought him out of his troubling thoughts. He looked up past the treetops at the bright sun and noticed it was a little past noon. With a sigh, he took to the sky and headed back to the castle for lunch.

* * *

Vlad placed the glowing garden gloves away, before stepping out of his greenhouse. He studied the small glass vial in his hand, containing a clear glowing liquid that had come from one of his ghost plants. 

"This should be enough to make a good batch of the healing enhancer ointment," he told himself, before securing the vial's lid and then storing it inside his jacket pocket.

He looked down at his watch and realized it was time for lunch. A strong hot tingle from within--_his_ ghost sense--suddenly spread through his body and he immediately turned his eyes to the sky.

"Daniel," Vlad murmured spitefully as he watched the boy fly by. The man quickly resisted the urge to raise his hand and shoot the boy down like a hunter does a duck. All that would do was cause another fight, and today, he didn't want to deal with one. With a sigh, Vlad turned his eyes away from the teen, unaware that Danny had spotted him from above just as he did.

Danny's eyes flared with anger as he watched the billionaire heading back towards his castle. From the direction he was coming from, the young hybrid could tell the older one had been in the greenhouse.

Danny gritted his teeth, forcing away the temptation to aim his hand at the man and shoot at him like an archer would a standing target. As much as the idea attracted him, the teen knew that he would just start another fight, and at the moment, he wasn't in the mood for one.

Danny sped up in order to get Vlad out of his sight. He quickly arrived at the castle, phased straight through the roof, and landed at the front foyer. He reflexively gasped when his ghost sense was triggered. Danny quickly saw who the culprit was and his eyes narrowed.

Fright Knight, who had just phased out of the first-floor lab, didn't hesitate to return the boy's glare when he caught sight of him as well. But before the ghost could react, Danny fired a strong ecto-blast in his direction. With a surprise cry, Fright Knight slammed into the lab's door behind him

"That's for locking me in the study room," Danny angrily informed him.

The Halloween spirit jumped to his feet with a snarl, and pulled out his soul shredder.

Danny immediately took a fight stance and willed more green energy into his hands.

The ghost took a step towards him, but suddenly froze upon recalling his master's orders about not harming the child. He stared hatefully at Danny for a moment, before reluctantly putting his sword away. With an angry growl, he turned from the half-ghost and stomped away towards a nearby hallway.

Danny was so shocked at seeing the ghost back down that all he could do was watch him leave. "Uh… okay," he finally murmured, slowly letting the energy in his hands fade away. "Where the heck did he go? Why didn't he attack?" he asked himself, his voice ringing with both confusion and annoyance.

Danny's musings were interrupted by his ghost sense going off again. He turned and noticed Niane floating into view.

A small surprise look appeared on her face before she gave the half-ghost a warm smile. "Good afternoon, Master Danny," she greeted him.

Danny rolled his eyes at her, annoyed by the title she always gave him. "Hi," he replied indifferently, before flying past her and heading to the lounge. He phased into it so he could take the short cut into the kitchen. But when he did, he found the other two ghost maids in the lounge.

They let out a startled gasp in response, making the already irritated teenager even more so. But he didn't say anything to them, and without any form of acknowledgement, he phased through the wall connecting to the kitchen.

Danny landed beside the breakfast table, before heading further into the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator that contained the beverages, while his mind went back to the incident with Fright Knight just now.

"_Did Plasmius tell him not to attack me?"_ he thought quizzically, not knowing why else the ghost would back down. But then the teen dismissed the idea with a shake of his head. "No, that can't be it. Fright Knight didn't hesitate to attack me last time," he rationalized, pulling out a jar of freshly squeezed lemonade.

Danny changed back as he poured himself a glass. With a thoughtful frown, he then leaned his back against the counter and took a distracted sip of his beverage.

A sharp sting from his throat, however, quickly pushed him out of his musing, and he hissed. "Ugh…Note to self: Don't drink lemonade with a sore throat."

Danny dumped the lemonade into the sink, before pulling out another glass and pouring himself water instead. He quickly drank some of it to soothe the stinging sensation in his throat.

"Hello, young halfa, I haven't seen you in a while."

Danny shot the ghost cook a glare in response as he continued to consume his glass of water.

George gave him a small nervous smile. "Alright, I see you don't want to talk about it."

Danny scoffed angrily after lowering the cup away from his mouth. "Really? What was your first clue?" he snapped back, putting away the jar of water.

"My apologies, young sir," the chef said calmly.

Danny's glare fell, and a small sigh escaped him as he watched George float away from him. He didn't like or trust any of these ghosts because they worked for Vlad. But that still didn't stop him from having a guilty conscience whenever he treated them badly. "Wait."

The ghost turned his head towards the half-ghost and gave him a curious look.

Danny's eyes lowered to the glass of water he currently swirled in his hand. "I'm sorry," he said with some effort, but still did so sincerely.

A smile grew on George's face in response. He still didn't like what the kid did, but for some reason he had been growing fond of him. "Don't worry about it, young halfa, I'm sure you have your reasons. Are you hungry?"

Danny looked up at the cook with a shy smile and nodded.

"How about lasagna?" George asked with a knowing smirk.

Amusement filled the boy, and he chuckled in response. The ghost had actually figured out he liked pasta. With a grin on his face, Danny answered, "That sounds good."

"Alright then. I'll go get started on that," the ghost said, before floating pass the teen. But as he did, he ruffled the boy's hair.

To say Danny was taken aback by the display of affection was an understatement. He stared after the ghost quizzically. He just couldn't understand it. How was it that someone who worked for a heartless tyrant that was his arch-enemy could be so nice? Could be… a good ghost? Furthermore, George had told him from the very beginning that he didn't like him…. so then why was he so nice to him?

Danny sighed, pushing away his confusing thoughts. Everything around him was just so bizarre. But he had enough with trying to stay on his guard against Plasmius to be wasting his energy on figuring out all the ghosts around here. Still, he couldn't forget where he was and who these ghosts worked for. He could not; for it would be his own undoing if he did.

Danny walked off towards the table and sat down. He took another sip of his beverage, before noticing a Wisconsin newspaper lying on the table. He picked it up with a shrug, and began to scan through it. But when Danny's peripheral vision caught sight of someone entering the kitchen, his attention was diverted. He looked up in time to see Vlad walking pass him, heading into the inner part of the kitchen. The teen glared at the man's back the entire time.

* * *

After running into Fright Knight and speaking with him, Vlad continued on his way to the kitchen. But when he entered, he was greeted by the sight of Danny sitting at the small breakfast table, reading a newspaper. The billionaire glared at the boy, but decided not to say anything and just walked passed him. 

Vlad walked up to the fridge and ironically pulled out the jar of lemonade. After serving himself a glass, he leaned his back against the counter. Instead of drinking the beverage, however, he just glared at it, while thinking. _"I can't stand him!"_

Unfortunately for George, he picked at this precise moment to interrupt the man, "Sir?"

"What?!"

Vlad instantly cringed at his unmeant outburst. He quickly composed himself and rephrased his answer in a calm tone. "What is it, George?"

The cook, now a little apprehensive asked, "Will you be having lunch today?"

Vlad just nodded, before drinking his lemonade.

"What would you like?"

The billionaire shrugged uncaringly. "Whatever you're making, George."

"Lasagna?"

"NO!" Vlad abruptly yelled, slamming his empty cup down on the counter. "No pasta!" he fumed; just the thought of said food reminded him of the brat sitting at the table. He would starve before he ate another dish of pasta in his life again!

George, who had jumped at the burst of anger from his employer, was now staring at him with absolute shock. Sure some people didn't like pasta—although he knew the older halfa was not one of them—but even then, he had never seen anyone get so riled up over the thought of eating it!

Vlad seem to suddenly realize the absurdity of blowing up over a food dish, and he let out a deep sigh. He closed his eyes and held the bridge of his nose for a moment. "Just make me soup, George," he asked calmly, before walking away from him.

All George could do was stare after his employer.

* * *

From how large the kitchen was, Danny couldn't really make out what Vlad was yelling about. But whatever it was, he sounded furious. The teen, however, didn't get much time to ponder the thought since soon after, Vlad walked out. 

Both hybrids locked eyes and glared at one another, neither realizing that his own set of eyes changed, flaring back at the enemy with their ghostly hues.

Vlad broke their stare-down contest and walked out of the kitchen, grumbling incoherently.

Feeling something warm growing in his hands, Danny looked down. He gasped loudly at finding the newspaper in his hands on fire! Using the remaining water in his cup, he instantly put out the green flames. He blinked at the burnt paper in shock. He didn't understand it. How had he produced ecto-energy without realizing it?

* * *

Vlad muse: -looks down at the still unconcious Pearl and grins evilly-- Ah, the possibilities... --looks up-- Finished already? Well, you know what to do next, hmm? Oh and Pearl would probably add a please in here somewhere, but I'm not her, am I? But if it makes you feel better, she'd be saying please. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have things to do. -drags Pearl off- Now where did she hide that thermos -cackles evilly- 


	23. Chapter 22: Conclusions

**Okay, gang, time for another happy chappie of CM… right. Well, Enjoy, and thanks for your support!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

* * *

Chapter 22: Conclusions 

"Tucker, it's been over two weeks since he left! We have to tell her!" Sam pressed firmly, while they sat in the hospital's cafeteria. They had come to see Jazz for one specific purpose, but Tucker quickly decided he couldn't go through with it. Instead of ending up in Jazz's room, they were currently in the cafeteria.

Tucker sighed. "Why don't we wait until she's out of this place?" he suggested, but he looked at her with a pleading expression.

Sam sighed herself. "Tucker, we don't know how much longer Jazz will be in here, but from what she said last time, it will be for a while longer. This can't wait."

Tucker angrily stabbed at the piece of pie he had bought. How could they possibly tell Danny's older sister that there was a chance her brother got wasted by his grudge-holding "ex-girlfriend"? One part of him didn't want to give Jazz this news because he knew he would have to hear the painful story again. But the other part of him feared what Jazz's reaction would be. She was sick; what if something happened to her after hearing the story? What if this just made this whole mess even worse by telling her? Would she tell her parents _everything_? What did that mean for his best friend then? If he was alive—which Tucker refused to think otherwise—would Danny forgive them for spilling _his_ secret?

Tucker came out of his thoughts when he felt a smaller hand touch one of his. He looked up, uncertainty and sadness as clear as day in his eyes.

"Tucker, I know this is hard, and I don't want to do this as much as you…" Sam took a deep breath to keep her emotions in control before continuing, "She has the right to know. Danny's her brother. Tucker…Don't make me do this by myself," she said pleadingly.

Tucker nodded. "Alright, _we'll_ do this. But we gotta tell her in her room… just in case this is too much, you know?"

Sam gave him a thankful smile and nodded in agreement, before looking back at the small salad she had bought.

Neither friend said anything else as they pretended to eat the food in front of them.

* * *

Vlad sat in his private study, laughing full-heartedly. "Am I that good?" he asked himself through his laughter, a newspaper clutched in his hands. 

He looked back down with amused eyes at the article he had been reading. The article was on the front page of a local newspaper from Amity Park—which, of course, he always read to keep himself _informed_. The article was titled: _"Infamous Danny Phantom Gone Forever?"_

The article reported that the "ghost" had not been seen for more than two weeks now, and that citizens had reason to believe that he was executed by the mysterious red hunter. It went into detail about the many versions of the rumors from different people. But Vlad had no trouble seeing right through this whole rumor. It was ridiculously obvious that not only were the interviewed citizens' versions totally different, but also that no one got it right about what really happened the night he told Skulker to send Valerie after Daniel.

Even Vlad had to admit that the fight between both teenagers had turned out to be more violent than he had anticipated. So much, in fact, that when Skulker—who had been watching the fight the entire time-- told him that Daniel had been shot down into the lake by Mrs. Grey, _and he wasn't coming up_, Vlad had actually felt his heart skip several beats. But of course, things had turned out fine… and now he realized things turned out more than _fine_.

He grinned widely at the newspaper in his hand. He couldn't help but laugh at the irony of this article. It was just too delightful!

"If they only knew they are off by one day!" he exclaimed going into a fit of laughter once more.

This was just too good to be true! All of Amity Park was practically sure that Danny Phantom had been destroyed! Therefore, he was sure that _Danny Fenton's_ friends-- and most likely his sister-- were already aware of the rumor.

"They think he's dead," Vlad stated as he continued to laugh. "And with Daniel missing, they have no reason to think otherwise!"

Vlad shook his head in amusement. Even when he hadn't plan them, things still came out to his benefit.

"Oh, Daniel, I would love to see the look on your face if you read this," Vlad said with mirth as he put the newspaper away in one of the desk's drawers.

Clearly, the billionaire had no clue that Danny read the Amity Times every day through his computer….

* * *

"Sam? Tucker? Are you two alright?" Jazz asked, quizzically at seeing the two teens looking even more dazed than they had been since Danny left." 

The two younger teenagers stared at each other, making the older one even more suspicious. After a moment of silence, Sam took a deep breath before standing up from her chair and walking slowly toward the girl. She hesitated just as she reached her. But then, Jazz, who was sitting on the edge of her bed, motioned for Sam to sit next to her. Sam hesitated again, but obliged her, but sat far enough away so she could face Jazz.

"Jazz, listen closely, okay? First, I want you to remember that what I'm about to tell you might not be true, but…" Sam stopped, but then continued with conviction in her eyes. "You know Valerie Grey, right?"

Jazz nodded, although she looked very confused.

"Did Danny tell you she's a ghost hunter?"

Jazz looked at her for a moment as if trying to decipher what the girl was saying, but at not being able to, she answered, "He mentioned it, but he didn't really tell me how she became a ghost hunter… But, why are you asking me this? And why are we talking about her?"

Sam looked at Tucker in order to find the extra confidence to say what she needed to say. A nod from him was all it took. "Jazz, Valerie told us something last week… and what she said falls right into the time that Danny disappeared."

Hearing the sobriety in younger girl's voice, Jazz immediately became concerned. "Sam, what did she tell you?" she urged fearfully.

Sam swallowed a lump forming in her throat, but didn't realize her hands were shaking. "I think it was the night Danny left. I'm not sure, but from what she said… Valerie was after him, like she always is. She hates Danny Phantom, Jazz, because she too stupid and obsessed to understand that Danny has never done anything to her!" Sam stood up from her sitting position, her hands fisting on her side in anger.

"Sam, what did she tell you?" Jazz pressed, only to have the shaking girl turn from her.

Tucker, seeing Sam couldn't continue, pressed on for her. "They fought at the park," he said, his voice solid, and filled with a seriousness never thought possible for someone like Tucker. "Valerie said that they ended up above the lake… and that she shot him down."

Jazz gasped loudly, her hands covering her mouth. She barely noticed a choked sob escape the other girl in the room.

But she did notice Tucker's voice as it finally crack, "S-she said she shot him down, J-Jazz, a-and he n-never came back up…she's so sure that she…"

Tucker lowered his head, knowing he couldn't bring himself to say it. But Danny's sister didn't need him to finish.

Jazz leaned forward, her hands covering her face, while she trembled from head to toe. "No," was all she said over and over again. But then she stood up, revealing the tears that were freely falling from her eyes. "No," she continued, and began pacing the room, "She's lying. Danny's fine. H-He's just s-somewhere," she tried desperately to convince herself. "He left me a l-letter, and he came to s-see me b-before he left… S-She c-couldn't have…" She stopped pacing and buried her face in her hands once more, but then, abruptly shouted, "Why didn't you tell me this sooner?!"

Jazz grabbed Sam by her shoulders, "What is wrong with you?! How could you have waited this long to tell me this?!"she screamed, shaking the younger girl violently.

"Jazz, stop!" Tucker exclaimed, jumping to his feet to aid his friend.

"W-We didn't w-want something to happen t-to you!" Sam yelled back in angst, the tears in her eyes falling.

"To me?! What about Danny?! You're telling me that my little brother could be **dead**!"

It was clear to Tucker that Jazz was not thinking straight. The grief she felt was too much to bear, and unfortunately for Sam, she was the outlet for it.

"Jazz, you gotta calm down! We don't know that!" Tucker said, trying to get her to let go of Sam.

But Jazz only continued. "He's been missing for over two weeks! What am I suppose to think?! What am I suppose to tell myparents?!"

Jazz suddenly let go of the younger girl and sat back down on her bed, sobbing. "What did I do? None of this would have happened if it wasn't for me. He was my responsibility! I was supposed to take care of him. I WAS SUPPOSED TO PROTECT HIM!"

Tucker stared at both sobbing girls for a moment, and felt his own emotions begin to swell. But he pushed them down. They needed to figure out what they were going to do, and crying was not the solution.

He took a shaky breath before walking up to Sam, and placing a hand on her shoulder, pleading her to calm down. He then stepped toward Jazz, calling to her as he drew closer, "Jazz, I know this is tough, but you gotta calm down." He gingerly yet gently placed his hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her. He swallowed nervously, as he continued, "Your parents could come in at any second, and… we gotta figure out what we're going to do."

"I don't know what to do!" Jazz cried out, staring up at him. "He counted on me. I'm his big sister and I failed him!"

Sam sat down beside Jazz again, now a bit calmer. "Not anymore than I have, Jazz. I should have insisted more when I saw Danny acting strange. We should have known… but Tucker's right. We gotta think about what we're going to do now. And Jazz? We need to know what you want to do… Danny's your brother," she whispered, wiping away fresh tears.

Jazz shook her head as she sniffled. "I don't know what to do. If I tell my parents…and then Danny comes back… and then Vlad would…I can't do anything!" she cried out.

Sam and Tucker stared wide eyed at her at the mention of the billionaire. "Vlad?" they both repeated.

But Jazz's thoughts were elsewhere. "Danny has to be fine," she whispered, "And I have to find him. I have to get out of here!" Jazz got to her feet, causing the other two teens' to gasp and stand as well.

"Whoa! Wait!" Tucker exclaimed. "Jazz, you know you can't leave! Your parents and the doctors aren't gonna let you outta here!"

"But I have to find him! You two don't understand! I can't tell my parents any of this or I'll be hurting both my dad and Danny!"

"What? And what does Vlad have to do with this?" Sam urged.

Still in tears, Jazz quickly proceeded in telling them about the billionaire's visit and how he threatened her to keep her from revealing Danny's secret and, consequentially, the evil man's own secret.

In the end, the two younger teens believed what Jazz had said regarding Vlad. And the three were now certain that they were on their own in all this. They would have to figure out something and keep it all to themselves. But whatever they did had to be done fast. They _had_ to find Danny. Or they would have to believe what Valerie said to be true.

* * *

Danny's mouth gaped open as he read the article on the front page of the Amity Park Times. "No way," he whispered. He re-read the article once more, and by the time he was done, anger shined in his bright green eyes. He abruptly stood from his bed and stomped out of his room, thinking, _"It was him! __Vlad didn't just stop at getting back at me by hurting Jazz the time I went to Axiom Labs.__ He __also __sent Valerie __after me!__ He set that whole thing up that night to make them think I'm dead!"_

Reaching the main stairway, he looked around, trying to find the only other person living in the house. "I don't care if he breaks my legs this time; I'm going to break his!" he growled out, turning into Danny Phantom and flying in the direction of the billionaire's room and study.

He stopped in front of Vlad's room, and immediately caught the sound of shuffling paper.

Furious, Danny raised his right arm and blasted the door away.

* * *

Sitting on his bed, Vlad sorted through some papers he was reading. Usually he wouldn't be reading these sorts of papers on his bed, but they really weren't anything too important. They didn't require his signature, and they only listed the finer details of the company he wanted as his. He was currently making side notes on the things he planned to change, remove, or add. It was very time consuming, but luckily he was just about done. 

"This must go," he mumbled, making a side note on the page he was on. Just as he did, however, he felt Danny's signature come to life. But he paid it no mind, since the boy would commonly fly around the house in his ghost mode. However, he did noticed that the teen's ecto-signature was stronger than normal, and that fact he did pay mind to, and made a mental note to check the boy's status later today.

But suddenly, he felt Danny's presence come closer; so close actually, that he felt him right outside his room. Vlad immediately looked up. "What is he- Ahh!" he shouted as he threw himself off the bed upon seeing pieces of door come his way.

The billionaire groaned, rubbing his head that had collided with his nightstand. But then he instantly recalled the reason he was on the floor in the first place. And with a gasp, he looked up at the angry Danny Phantom glaring at him with energy forming in both his hands.

"It was you! You sent Valerie after me!" Danny yelled, firing two ecto-blasts at his enemy.

More from instinct than anything else, Vlad went intangible, and the blasts hit his nightstand instead of his head. All he could do at the moment was to stare wide-eyed at the teenager, thinking, _"How does he know about that?" _But when he realized that the boy had grabbed him by his collar, and had wrenched him up enough to punch him in the face, he snapped out of his disbelief.

Danny gasped in surprise when Vlad grabbed his fist only inches from hitting its' mark. But his gasp was replaced by a scream when his enemy began to clamp down on his captured hand. In the back of his mind, he was glad for his ghostly strength while in ghost form, because without it, his hand would already be crushed under this amount of pressure. With a growl, Vlad sent an electric pulse through the boy's hand, and Danny yelled in more pain. It didn't take long for the boy to weaken enough to lose control of his ghostly form.

The man let go as he stood up off the floor, before bending down and lifting the softly moaning Danny by the collar of his white shirt."Yes, I did send Ms. Grey, and there is nothing you can do about it, you little rat," Vlad stated through clenched teeth.

Quickly regaining focus, Danny glared. "Oh, yeah? I can do this!" he growled out as he kicked the billionaire in the stomach.

Vlad dropped the teen as he doubled over and groaned in pain. But he composed himself just as Danny stood up from the floor. The older half-ghost immediately grabbed hold of the teen's black hair before the younger half-ghost could do anything else.

Danny yelped at the unexpected constraint, and instantly grasped the man's hand in an attempt to pry him off. But then his enemy forced him to look up at him, and all he could do was let out a pained gasp.

"Didn't I tell you not to come here?" Vlad hissed, staring at the boy with red eyes. "Perhaps you need another lesson..." he added darkly, willing red energy in his free hand.

Danny gasped again, but this time out of fear. Knowing he didn't want to find out what _'another lesson'_ meant, he did the only thing he could think of in his compromised position. Using one of his hands, Danny grabbed the larger hand coming towards him and willed out his own green energy.

The ghostly energies instantly intertwined and they appeared to glow brighter, but neither half-ghost noticed. What they did notice was the pain, and they hissed as the other's energy burned their respective hands. But still neither backed down.

Vlad pushed the pain away, and jerked the boy's head by the hold he had on his hair. All Danny could do was hiss louder at the pull and glare.

"You cannot imagine how close I am to destroying you, Daniel." Vlad threatened in a low menacing voice.

"Oh, I _can_ imagine," Danny growled back.

The billionaire's anger suddenly seemed to vanish and he chuckled slightly. "Miss them, do you?" he mocked cruelly.

Danny just growled in response and his eyes turned green.

Vlad smiled evilly, before coming closer to the boy. "Guess what?" he whispered in the younger hybrid's ear, "…_I'm_ _glad_," he finished slowly.

Whatever calm was left in Danny shattered into a million pieces after hearing the man's words. An enraged scream left him as he transformed into Phantom faster than his enemy could even blink. Then just as quickly, Danny used his hold on the man's hand currently grasping his white hair, and somehow found the strength to fling Vlad over him.

Vlad landed roughly on his back with a cry of surprise, but it was cut short when the impact momentarily knocked the air out of him. Since he was trying to regain his breath, he didn't notice Danny walk up to him until the teen leaned down and stared at him menacingly.

"You are going to regret bringing me here, Plasmius," the boy assured in a dark whisper, before grabbing Vlad and punching him across the room. "**I swear it!"** he yelled furiously.

Danny charged at the evil man, but before the teen could reach him, Vlad suddenly vanished from where he had been on the ground.

Danny looked around in apprehension, mentally cursing himself for giving his enemy any time to act. "Where did he-"

A burst of pain from his back answered his unfinished question, and a scream ripped from his throat. By the time it was over, Danny dropped to his knees back in human form.

Danny turned his head, and found Plasmius holding the powered-up Plasmius Maximus. The teenager snarled at the man as he stood and lunged at him, but all Danny did was go right through the ghost and land in a heap on the bedroom floor.

Plasmius lifted Danny by a leg and glared spitefully at the upside-down teen. "I'm giving you two seconds to get back to your room, before I throw you into the training room, **and never let you out!**" he yelled, enraged as he flung the boy out of his now door-less room.

Danny slammed into the wall outside, before landing on the ground with a _thud._ He groaned for a moment as he held his head, but then he looked up and found Vlad still glaring at him.

Danny stood up off the floor, but although he wanted to, he knew he could do nothing against his enemy without his powers.

Pushing away the fear that crept into him from Vlad's previous words, Danny fisted his hands, and boldly said through clenched teeth, "This isn't over, Plasmius."

"Yes, it is," was Plasmius' angry response, which he emphasized by blasting the boy in the stomach. Danny crumpled to his knees, his teeth bare as he wrapped his arms around his aching stomach, while trying to breath right.

Vlad gave the teen on the floor one last hateful look before reverting to his human form and looking around for the papers he had been looking at previously.

Vlad soon found them… or what was left of them. "Honey barrels!" he cursed loudly, realizing the papers were too damaged to salvage, or even attempt to read the notes he had made. He would have to get a new copy and do everything all over again!

Meanwhile, Danny had finally managed to slowly stand up with the help of the wall. He let out a soft groan, but his attention went to Vlad at hearing him cursing and muttering angrily.

A smirk slowly spread on his lips as he realized that he had just destroyed something really important to the man.

Vlad turned around to leave his room, only to notice the amused expression on the boy's face. "You better wipe that smirk off your arrogant face before I blasted off," he growled menacingly.

Danny just grinned wider.

The billionaire's eyes narrowed further, but then he fisted his hands and stomped away.

"Hey, Plasmius!" Danny called out with mirth at the man's retreating form. "What happened to the puffer fish look? It looked really good on you!"

Danny gasped as Vlad whirled around and shot an energy ray at him, throwing him further down the hallway. Clearly, the man had understood full well what the boy meant.

Danny wobbled to his feet in time to see the billionaire walk into a nearby room and slam the door behind him.

Danny chuckled as Vlad cursed so loudly he could hear it, but the teenager soon stopped from the pain it caused his stomach. He was also vaguely aware that his screaming had left his throat throbbing with pain again... So much for it being healed completely.

Danny walked back to his room, a wicked look now on his face. "That was kinda fun…I think I might just _get under his skin_ more often..."

* * *

Vlad sat down on the bed once he had cursed out his anger. He took deep breaths trying to calm himself. Danny was going to make him do something he was going to regret if the boy kept up his little games. 

With a loud sigh and a shake of his head, he regained his composure, and pulled out his cell phone.

………………………………….

"Yes, this is Vlad Masters, I need someone to come out to make a few repairs."

…………………………………

Vlad rolled his eyes as the women on the phone laughed after joking about him having angry spirits destroying his house…. If only she knew how right she was.

"No, I need it done before Thursday. I have important company coming over then."

…………………………………..

"Very Well, Ta."

Vlad growled angrily as he made another call. "Stephanie, It's Vlad. I need you to fax me another copy of the M.V.I. inventory papers."

………………………………

"No, I need the whole thing."

…………………………….

"You too. Ta."

Vlad sighed as he placed his phone back in his coat pocket. "How did he find out?" he mumbled quizzically. There was no doubt the boy had read the news article, but he doubted Danny went into his private study and found the newspaper there. "The bracelet would have alerted me," he said out loud, tapping his lips as he pondered the issue. But the answer soon hit him. "Ah," he said, and then his eyes narrowed, "Well, I can easily remedy that." He immediately stood, and left to his private study.

Vlad sat down at his desk and logged into his laptop. He quickly pulled up a window, and knowing exactly what he was doing, proceeded on. With a final click he finished his intended task. "That should do it."

* * *

**Well, as enjoyable as it is for my evil muse to have you guys in the dark, I think it's time to let you in on what Vlad is planning, yes? And you can expect that in the next chappie, fun, eh? Well, thanks for reading! And I await all your lovely thoughts! **

**Oh, and those reading "Dawning of a Sun," I will be updating soon.**

**Until next time!**


	24. Chapter 23: Pushing Boundaries

**Okay time for another CM chappie! And here is the answer to the question everyone has been craving to know! But I'll tell you, it won't come too much of a surprise for ya... our fruit loop isn't as unpredictable as he lets on. He just likes to confuse us! Anyways, sorry for the wait; and without further ado, I give you all Chapter 23! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom**

* * *

**Chapter 23: Pushing boundaries.**

It was the next morning and since it was now eight, Danny knew that Vlad would be at breakfast. He stomped down the stairs, mumbling angrily the entire time.

"Put it back!" Danny shouted as he entered the room and saw Vlad reading the newspaper.

"No, I don't think I will," Vlad replied blandly, knowing exactly what the teen was referring to, but not bothering to lift his gaze from the paper.

"I'm serious, you fruit loop! Whatever you did, undo it! You have no right to keep me from checking up on my home!" Danny didn't know how the man had blocked his internet connection, but he had. And the teen definitely wanted it back!

"Actually, I have every right. Last time I checked, this is _my_ house. And so, I'm entitled to do whatever I please," the billionaire replied distractingly, flipping to the next page of the paper.

Danny's eyes ignited green as he approached the man and ripped the newspaper from his hands. He lit his hand with ecto-energy, instantly reducing it into ashes.

Vlad growled and angrily blasted the boy away. But then he rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Do we honestly have to do this every day?" he asked in a bored tone.

"Yes!" Danny yelled, jumping to his feet and firing an ecto-blast at the man.

Vlad yelped in alarm as the blast struck him in the chest and the force thrust the chair he was on backwards. It broke, and he landed in a heap on his back. But, the billionaire quickly got to his feet, fuming as he screamed, "WILL YOU STOP DESTROYING MY HOUSE?!"

Danny gasped mockingly. "Oh, dude, my bad! I should be more considerate, huh? And I so would be, but I'm so bad at using my powers, remember? I just don't know what they might do!" The teenager fired two ecto-rays at the large table, breaking it into pieces. "Oops! There they go again! If only I was as good as you, fruit loop." Danny sighed and shook his head in fake regret.

Vlad changed into Plasmius without a word, and approached the young hybrid with a killing look.

Danny grinned wickedly at his advancing enemy, before looking over at a Packers decoration stand and then aiming a hand at it.

Vlad gasped as the teen fired. "No!" he screamed, not hesitating to teleport in front of the blast. He prevented the blast from hitting his collection of footballs by taking the hit himself.

Danny blinked at the man's actions, before giving him a disgusted look. "Man, you're really obsessed, aren't you?"

Faster than Danny could react, Plasmius appeared in front of him and grabbed him by the throat.

Danny saw stars burst in front of his vision as he was slammed into the wall behind him. Despite the pain, the teen growled in both anger and annoyance. What was it with this guy and grabbing him by his throat? But then the lack of oxygen quickly made him realize the answer: It was the quickest way to be defeated.

"I …can't…. breathe," Danny grunted, attempting to pry off the hand around his neck.

"Yes, I know," Vlad said darkly, not releasing his hold on the teen.

Danny's eyes widened at the older half-ghost's response. Just the look in Plasmius' blood red eyes told him his enemy was intending to waste him!

Now panicked, the boy struggled even more, and would have been shouting at the man to let go if he had the oxygen for it. An instant later, he felt his struggle rapidly waning. He became human as he saw his vision blacken.

But just before the lack of oxygen claimed the teen, a sigh of annoyance came from Vlad, and he let go. Danny fell like a rag doll with a thud on the ground.

"Run along, Daniel, I have more important matters to attend to than humor you," Vlad said off-handedly, changing into Masters. He walked over to his destroyed dining table and picked up his briefcase.

Danny didn't budge. He was coughing violently, still struggling to breathe and keep himself from passing out. He didn't even notice as the billionaire calmly walked past him and left the room.

Eventually he slowly stood, grasping his abused throat. He glared at the empty room, before storming out of it.

Soon, he was back in his room and slamming his bedroom door behind him. He threw himself on his bed and screamed into his pillow in frustration.

Seeing it didn't calm him, he stood and paced in front of his bed. "Great! Just Great!" he seethed. "Now I won't be able to know what's going on in my town!" Danny growled, his hands fisted on his side. "I cannot stand him! And I can't stand BEING HERE!" he screamed, not realizing his hands had momentarily lit with burning green energy.

Danny sat down on the bed, and clutched the mattress from how angry he was. His breathing grew shaky and he felt his pent-up anxiety intensify. He didn't know what was causing it.

"No, actually, I do!" he corrected himself out loud, his anger flaring again, "He's trying to drive me crazy!"

Danny crossed his arms, his green eyes narrowed as his mind filled with dark thoughts. But then suddenly, his face lit with an evil smirk that would fit the older hybrid better.

"Alright, Plasmius, you wanna play your twisted games, then I'm gonna show you a little game of my own…"

* * *

"That brat is trying to drive me insane," Vlad mumbled, rubbing his aching forehead.

"Plasmius?" Skulker called, walking into the living room the billionaire currently sat in.

Vlad quickly looked up at the ghost, and asked, "What did you find out?"

"Well, you were right. They definitely know about the hunter girl, but the whelp's helpers are still looking for him and so are his parents. However, they don't suspect you're involved in his disappearance—or at least by what I could tell."

Vlad smiled evilly in response.

"By the way, I stepped into your dining room, figuring you would be at breakfast right now… Did you know your table is destroyed again?"

"OF COURSE I KNOW!" Vlad abruptly screamed, glaring at the ghost. He leaned forward, and with trembling hands, he angrily picked up his coffee from the small table in front of him.

Skulker raised an eyebrow, and not just because of his employer's outburst. The man was so furious, he was shaking. And although his employer did have an explosive temper, he rarely let his emotions run wild like this. Actually, Skulker had never seen him this unstable. …There could only be one person, or more specifically, one ghost boy responsible for it.

The hunter crossed his arms, and calmly asked, "If he gets to you that much, then what are you waiting for? Why don't you just get rid of him already?"

Skulker's question seemed to make the billionaire realize his behavior, and he sighed away his anger. Now composed, he took a small sip of his coffee, before placing it back down on the table, and addressing his ally, "Skulker, I want the boy at my side," he said with a calm seriousness.

Skulker resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "You already have him at your side, Plasmius. Not to mention you could get him to do anything you want with his sister's life in your hands," he answered boringly. He didn't really understand why his employer was so obsessed with the whelp…Well, okay, maybe he kind of did understand, since he, too, was a little obsessed with the ghost boy. But at least he had a logical reason. He wanted the whelp's pelt as a bed rug… Yes, that was a very logical reason.

Vlad shook his head, before standing up. He scanned around them to see if the younger hybrid was near. Satisfied that they were alone, he looked back at the hunter and continued, "Yes, I could force him to do anything I wish. But it's not what I want. There is no satisfaction or guarantee in that. I want him to come to me _willingly_. I want him to submit to me," Vlad revealed as he picked up his coffee again.

Understanding and intrigue covered Skulker's face, and he smiled evilly, "Oh, so you want to break him."

Vlad smirked in response, "Not my choice of words, but, yes."

"Well then, you are going about it all wrong," the hunter said knowingly. "To break _anything_ you have to beat it down."

The billionaire rolled his eyes at the ghost's one track mind. "Skulker, there is more than one way to _break_ --as you call it-- something or _someone_. Daniel will not submit under physical pain. He is much too proud and stubborn."

"Nonsense! Everything breaks with a good beating," Skulker defended.

"_Not him_," Vlad growled. "Have you seen my house lately?" he asked angrily. "And this all started just because I attacked him _once_, Skulker! And let's not forget the fact that he_ deserved _it!"

Skulker frowned, realizing his employer had a point. "So then, how are you going to break him?"

Vlad calmed and his lips curved into an evil grin. He studied his ally with amused eyes as he brought the cup of coffee to his lips and took a drink. The man was either stalling to give himself time to decided whether or not to answer, or he was just stalling to annoy the clearly-intrigued Skulker.

Much to the hunter's annoyance, he knew it was a mixture of the two. But Vlad soon lowered the cup and spoke, "The boy's spirit, _his drive_, is fueled by his loved ones. My wish is not to destroy that in him, but to control it, to…"

"Tame it," Skulker supplied with a wide grin.

Vlad chuckled, "I have taken away his _fuel source_, Skulker. Without _them_, it is only a matter of time before he surrenders to me."

"Confinement?" the hunter asked thoughtfully, trying to decide if it would work.

"More like isolation, my friend," the half-ghost corrected, "Confining him would just anger him. Honestly, why do you think I let him do what he wants? Daniel's mind is fragile. With nothing to do, his mind will have more time to duel on what he has lost. The boy will come to me _willingly._ All I have to do is… wait."

Skulker nodded in understanding, "I'm not sure about your approach, Plasmius, but I hope you realize the whelp isn't going to _let_ you tame him. We both know he's going to kick back with everything he has and doesn't have. Honestly, I doubt anyone can break the ghost child."

Vlad gave the ghost an amused smile. "You have the most interesting choice of words. But let me ask you this. How can he _kick back_ when he hasn't even figured out my intentions?"

Skulker raised a questioning eyebrow, "How can you be so sure?"

Vlad arched his own eyebrow, and dryly replied, "Because this house wouldn't be standing if he had."

Skulker chuckled. "Good point."

The billionaire smirked, "Yes, and the most amusing part of all this is that I told him my intentions from the very beginning. But he is so immersed in the _loss_ of his family and friends he doesn't even remember!" Vlad chuckled to himself as he recalled his conversation with the teen in his limo when he had taken him to the hospital.

Skulker rubbed his neck, debating if he should ask his next question. "Well… it's a wise plan, but… is it… working?"

Vlad's demeanor instantly changed. He placed his coffee cup down, before sitting back down on the couch and angrily crossing his arms. That was the problem. The boy wasn't showing any signs of yielding. In fact, Vlad was beginning to doubt his plan would work at all. It had been over two weeks, and all the boy was doing was getting more rebellious with each passing day. But he couldn't give up. He refused to give up! He had invested too much time on this, and he was so close. Everything so far had come out perfectly. This had to work!

"I just have to wait," Vlad finally replied through clenched teeth, although his words were more to himself than the other ghost.

Skulker shrugged. "Alright, but if you decide to beat him into submission, then I'll gladly help… Free of charge even," he added with malice.

No longer in the mood to tolerate the hunter's obsessive remarks, Vlad sighed angrily, "Skulker, don't you have things to do?"

"_Of course"_ he replied with thick annoyance. "I'll see you later," he added, before walking out of the room.

"Much later, I hope," Vlad whispered irritably, before picking up his coffee again.

* * *

Danny all but skipped down the stairs while humming cheerfully to himself. It was close to lunch time, and Vlad had returned from wherever he usually went and was now home. Oddly, the teen had checked on all that…

Causally, Danny walked into the kitchen and pulled out a pitcher of pineapple juice. He poured himself a cup, a mischievous grin on his face as he did so. Whatever he was thinking… or planning… had him immensely content. He drank his juice before looking around for the ghost cook.

"Hey, George?" Danny called nonchalantly, after spotting him, "Do you think you could make me a chocolate cake?"

The cook glanced at him in surprise, but then he smiled and nodded. "Sure thing, young halfa," he replied, before moving off to get the supplies he needed.

Danny grinned again as he watched the ghost continue to take out what was needed for the cake from the fridge and pantry. George soon floated further away, towards the stove, and began to prepare the dough.

Seeing that the cook was now completely preoccupied, Danny knew he could do what he really came to do…

The teenager leaned against the counter as he pulled one of the six brown bottles he had 'acquired' from one of his pants' pockets. He calmly studied it, while continuing to drink his pineapple juice.

Finishing the beverage, he turned and picked up the pitcher of pineapple juice from the counter. "Man, this stuff's really good," he said with mirth, pouring himself another glass. Obviously, the boy wasn't just pleased on how _good_ the beverage was…

Danny went to put back the juice container, but as he did, his eyes went to George. Assuring himself once more that the ghost was distracted, he opened the brown bottle he had been studying, and then began to pour some of its liquid contents into the pineapple juice. "Let's see if this makes it taste better," he whispered wickedly as he continued to pour. Biting his lip to keep himself from laughing loudly, he purposely ignored the recommended dosage—which was two tablespoons-- and emptied half of the bottle's contents into the juice.

He quickly repeated the same action for all the other beverages in the fridge. And by the time he was done, the six brown bottles that had been full when he first came in were now empty. He put the empty bottles back into his pockets before closing the fridge. Danny picked up his cup of juice, and walked out of the kitchen, humming once more.

Ironically enough, just as Danny made it to the castle's entrance hall, Vlad had finished descending the stairs.

The billionaire immediately frowned at Danny, but the teen didn't even spare him a look as he calmly walked pass the man.

Vlad raised an eyebrow at the boy's strange demeanor, while watching him head up the stairs. That was odd. He wasn't aware the younger half-ghost was the humming type. And what was he so happy about, anyways?

Vlad soon shrugged it off, and continued to his destination: the kitchen.

Arriving, the billionaire immediately spotted George cooking something. "What are you making?" Vlad asked casually, opening the fridge, and looking inside.

"Chocolate cake," the ghost responded.

Vlad poked his head out of the fridge and raised an eyebrow at George, "Chocolate cake?" he repeated perplexed.

The cook shrugged. "The kid said he wanted chocolate cake."

Vlad rolled his eyes, before pulling out a jar of juice. He poured himself a cup as he scoffed and mumbled, "Now he has cravings too? …Wonderful," he added sarcastically, before taking a drink of his beverage. But after noticing the strange aftertaste in his mouth, Vlad lowered the glass from his lips and gave it a strange look. "George? How old is this juice?"

The cook turned around to see what his employer was talking about. "I squeezed it yesterday, why?"

Vlad took another drink, trying to place the odd flavor. It was barely noticeable, but it was there. The taste was kind of bitter, like medicine…

"It just has an unusual taste," the older hybrid stated as he picked up the jar and studied the contents for anything that could hint at its being spoiled.

George looked confused as he asked, "Do you want me to make a fresh jar?"

"No, that's fine. I'll just get something else," Vlad answered, pouring the jar's contents down the sink, before doing the same for what was left in his cup. The billionaire pulled out another beverage and poured himself a glass of it. He took a drink, only to lower the cup from his lips with a frown.

It had the same exact taste, but this time it was more noticeable.

Vlad stared at the drink in his hands, before slowly looking up at his cook, and then towards the kitchen's exit. The man slowly put the cup down, the realization of what happened squarely riveting his mind and his body….

"Unbelievable." The man sighed, rubbing his temple as the nauseous feeling in the pit of his stomach swelled.

The cook quickly looked at his employer at hearing him. "Sir? Are you okay?" he questioned, becoming more confused and concern at seeing the man take a deep breath as he began to pale.

"George, he doesn't want chocolate cake," Vlad stated as he held his now aching stomach.

"Huh?"

"Just throw those drinks away," Vlad said quickly, before covering his mouth and walking out of the kitchen. Now breathing heavily and in a cold sweat, he forced himself to keeping going despite the fact that his stomach continued to do flips and he felt himself on the verge of losing everything in his stomach.

The chalk-white half-ghost somehow made it to the stairs, only to find Danny Phantom sitting on the banister with his legs swinging on the ledge. The smirk on the boy's face grew. "What's up, cheese head? You don't look so good."

"You do realize… how immature… you're acting… don't you?" Vlad managed to growl out, although the pain in his voice didn't make it sound very menacing.

Danny chuckled calmly, but then his eyes narrowed, "Maybe, but seeing you suffer is worth it."

Vlad nodded, both hands now firmly wrapped around his loudly grumbling stomach. He slowly climbed the stairs, but as he reached Danny at the top, he paused. "When I come back… I'm going… to watch…. you…. suffer," he wheezed out, before continuing towards his room.

"Sounds like fun! See you in about two days! Oh, and, don't go falling into the toilet. I'd hate to have to call a plumber to get you out!" Danny yelled out in amusement as he watched the man all but run to his room.

Suddenly the boy's ghost sense went off, and he looked below him. His smile grew wider as he watched Fright Knight appear into his view. "Hey, Tin Man!"

The ghost quickly turned, and was startled to find the ghost boy sitting on the banister, legs swinging merrily.

"If you're looking for Plasmius, you might want to come back in a few days. He's a little _unclogged_ at the moment," Danny said wittily, smirking at the spirit of Halloween.

The Fright Knight glared even though the child's senseless words now had him extremely confused. Curses! Why wouldn't his master let him destroy this annoying brat?!

Danny, however, didn't give the ghost any time to say anything in response. With a cocky expression on his face, he waved at the Halloween spirit, before flying through the roof.

Danny was hit by the bright sun outside as he reached into his pockets and pulled out the six empty brown bottles. Danny laughed as he tossed the empty bottles of laxatives behind him, before speeding up his flight. It had taken him a lot of exploring to find so many, but luckily the castle had so many bathrooms he was able to gather them from the medicine cabinets.

Danny knew that his actions were immature, and maybe even cruel, but he wanted to make the man feel at least a fraction of how miserable he felt. The thought wiped his amusement away.

Danny sighed sadly as his true emotion resurface. And with his sorrow, his anxiousness also returned. He knew the latter feeling wasn't normal, but he couldn't quite place what was wrong with him. And quite honestly, he was too depressed to care. Still, he hoped it would go away soon.

* * *

A few days later, Danny paced around in his room, mumbling incoherently. He momentarily stopped, looked at the clock which read '2:03' in the morning, and then continued his previous actions. He anxiously pushed his black hair back, before clenching and unclenching his hands on his sides. Suddenly he growled, stopped pacing, and yelled. "What is wrong with me?!"

The young hybrid's restlessness was becoming more overwhelming with every day that passed. He felt like he was going to explode, or like something _within_ him was going to explode! He couldn't sleep, he could barely concentrate, and he couldn't stop his hands from shaking! What was this horrible feeling?!

Danny had been taking more frequent flights. In fact, he probably spent most of his day flying. It was the only thing that helped him feel better, even if it was only for a little while. But somehow, he knew that soon it wouldn't be of any help, either.

The blue-eyed boy sat down on his bed, and looked at the picture frame of his loved ones on the nightstand. He saddened like he always did when he thought about them—which, of course, was almost always. The sleep-deprived teenager crawled back into bed, and closed his eyes.

Danny was so engrossed with how bad he felt, he had all but forgotten what he had done to Vlad two days ago…

The young hybrid finally fell asleep around 5 am, his dreams, as usual, plagued by nightmares.

* * *

Vlad walked down the stairs after dressing. His stomach still felt sore from two days ago, but other than that, he was fine now. He still couldn't believe Daniel had had the audacity to pour who-knows-what into the beverages. The foolish rat could have poisoned him, or worse! And, in fact, those stomach aches _did_ make him feel like he was dying.

At first, Vlad had decided to strangle Daniel the moment he was able for what the boy had done. But in the end, he decided it best just to ignore him. He refused to encourage Daniel's childish behavior or play his silly game. He wouldn't give the boy the satisfaction of seeing him angry. He was nobody's play thing, especially not his young rival's. Besides, he had company today; and he couldn't risk having his house destroyed again.

Vlad was brought out of his musings when a faint crash reached his ears. He frowned, realizing the sound was coming from his employees' lounge. "Odd, they are never in there this early," he mumbled, before walking towards the lounge and opening the door.

All Vlad could do was blink at the sight in front of him. Danny sat on top of a pile of broken wood that used to be his coffee table, rubbing his head.

"What the heck?" the teenager muttered as he stood, not realizing Vlad was behind him.

"Daniel?" he called with a baffled look, "What are you doing?"

Danny instantly whirled around and glared at the older hybrid. "Hey! What the heck did you do?!" he shouted, not understanding how he had gone from his room—where he had been asleep-- to slamming into a coffee table in here.

Vlad's confused stare deepened at the boy's words, but then his gaze went upwards. An amused expression grew on his face as he said, "Oh? Did you have an accident with your powers, little badger?" He chuckled as he continued to look at the ceiling above the teenager.

Danny found himself blushing at the comment. "What? No! I-" The teen quickly looked up, remembering his room was right above this particular lounge. His eyes widened in disbelief at seeing that his bed's sheets were hanging half-way through the ceiling. Danny's shock quickly turned into anger when he heard Vlad break into a full-fledged laugh.

"You really did, didn't you?!" he stated between his laughter.

Danny growled as his face turned even redder with embarrassment. This was just as bad as the time Jazz had made fun of him for wetting the bed when he was very young.

"Unbelievable! You have had your powers for a year, yes? And you're _still_ having accidents?!"

Danny's hands balled into fist, before pushing aside the hysterical man, and storming up the stairs.

"Where are you going, Daniel?" Vlad called out. "Don't tell me you're going back upstairs after all the trouble you went through just to _come down_!"

Danny ignored the man's jab and his loud laughter, and kept going.

The boy soon left Vlad's sight and the billionaire shook his head. "You know, I think I might just get him a ghost-proof bed," he said with mirth, wiping away a tear from his eye.

Vlad looked back at the destroyed coffee table and then at the ceiling once more, before breaking into another fit of laughter, which continued as he went to the kitchen.

* * *

Danny slammed his door, his face still bright red. He couldn't believe he had dropped through the ceiling, and just his luck that his arch-enemy also found out!"

He rubbed his aching head some more, before grabbing the sheets and making them intangible to lodge them out of the ceiling. He frowned at them, before laying them on the bed. "That hasn't happened to me since I first got my ghost powers…and the memory loss thing, but that doesn't count," he said quizzically to himself.

He sighed loudly, before he went into his bathroom to get changed. The entire time, his mind was plagued with the strange occurrence.

* * *

**Well, now you all know why Vlad is putting up with all this. Of course, it's not surprising that in the end he wants the same thing as always: for Danny to join him. As I said, Vlad isn't as unpredictable as he lets on. He wants three things--Maddie as his wife, Danny to join him, and Jack dead-- and his plans always involve this some way or another. He also wants world domination... but that little 'want' didn't come until season three, and this story takes place at the end of season two... Well, I hope you liked, and by the way, this story's anniversary is coming up. The 24th of this month this story will be two years old... man that's crazy. Heh, I have a small treat planned for you guys for that date... but you'll have to wait and see... Okay then! Take care and voice your thoughts please!!**


	25. Chapter 24: Sabotage

**Pearl: Hey, gang! Nothin to say today! **

**Vlad muse: -gasps- It's a true miracle!**

**Pearl: -rolls eyes- Hilarious.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

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* * *

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Chapter 24: Sabotage

Invisible and with a smirk on his lips, Danny Phantom intently watched six business men step into the castle after Derek opened the door. However, the ghost looked entirely human this time, leading Danny to believe that the butler was most likely a shape-shifter. As for the other ghosts in the house, they seemed to have literally vanished, but Danny could still feel they were around.

The younger half-ghost had been up in his room when he had heard the door bell ring. That kind of occurrence around here, of course, was rare and too much of a temptation for him not to come down to see who it was.

Deep within, Danny had hoped—forgetting for the moment the consequences it would bring—that it was his parents at the door…or anyone else he longed to see…

But seeing these men step inside instead brought him back to reality, and a totally different train of thought came into focus. And that thought was what had the teen smirking.

He was currently debating what he should do with these unexpected visitors, who—from what he had heard the men say just now—the billionaire had invited to his house for dinner. That his arch-enemy actually had a life outside of his being the evil ghost hybrid that he was still psyched the boy out.

Before coming here, Danny had always imagined that Vlad spent every waking hour scheming revenge plots against his father and him. But now, he could see that the guy actually did normal things, too. He went to work, he had hobbies that didn't involve his obsessions with his mom and the Packers; heck, the teen had even seen him watching TV a few times! And now, the man just revealed that he had a social life as well… What a shame Danny had a good mind to ruin the latter right about now.

"Good afternoon, gentleman. I hope you were able to get here with no trouble," Vlad stated, walking into the foyer before shaking hands with the men.

"No, no trouble at all," one of them said, "We would like to thank you for inviting us to your grand home, Masters."

Vlad smiled and waved dismissively. "Oh, there is no need for that. I am honored to be the host of such fine fellows."

Danny rolled his eyes as Vlad and his guests continued to compliment one another. Seriously, was every wealthy person that self-absorbed?

He sighed, before a strange expression appeared on his face. No, not everyone was like that…. Sam wasn't like that at all. She was different. She was… special.

Danny suddenly shook his head, and quickly focused his attention back to the men.

"Right this way, gentlemen," Vlad escorted them, "Dinner will be served shortly, and afterwards, we can get down to business, hmm?

The men nodded and followed their host.

But before Vlad left the foyer, he shot a warning glare at the invisible Danny. In response, the teen laughed, but quickly covered his mouth to quiet his amusement.

"That important, huh?" he whispered mischievously, before following the men into the dining room.

Vlad's right eye twitched when he realized Danny was in the room with them. _"If he ruins this, I am going to hang his head on _**my**_ wall," _he thought darkly, quoting his ally.

For some time Danny simply watched Vlad and his guests as they just talked about some business while they waited for supper to be served by Derek. The teen was trying to figure out what Vlad was up to with these people. But… the older-half ghost just continued chatting away with them.

Eventually, the still invisible Danny let out a yawn of boredom. He had never been around people as boring as these! He barely had any clue what they were conversing about. If he had not left yet it was only because he got a kick out of seeing his evil nemesis twitch nervously because of his presence. Obviously, Vlad didn't want him here. And the glares the man occasionally sent his way left no doubt.

Danny grinned as he finally decided to make a move, and do a little more than make Vlad twitch. He flew over next to him and whispered in his ear so only the older hybrid could hear, "What are you up to, Plasmius?" he asked, doing nothing to hide the amusement and mischief from his tone of voice.

Vlad made no indication of having heard, let alone know the teen was right beside him. But then he brought his glass of water to his mouth, and before taking a sip he discreetly whispered back, "Leave. This doesn't concern you, Daniel." He lowered the glass, and without skipping a beat, responded to the man that just addressed him, "No, I haven't taken a tour of the branch here in Wisconsin just yet. But, rest assured, I know full well what I have invested in."

Danny chuckled before answering to Vlad, "Leave? But you haven't even introduced me yet, fruit loop."

Vlad's grip tightened on his salad fork, and he quickly hissed, "Don't make me force you, boy!"

"Excuse me?" the man closest to Vlad asked at hearing his host say something he didn't catch. "Hmm? Oh, no, just coughed," Vlad answered, which the man nodded at and turned his attention back to the person talking.

It was then Vlad realized… Daniel was no longer beside _him_…

"_Let's turn this up a notch,"_ Danny thought wickedly as he hovered near one of the business men. Knowing the effects ghosts had on humans, he purposely inhaled and then blew out air at the man.

Instantly, the man visibly shivered, "Goodness, It got really cold in here," he chattered, his breathe actually showing for a moment.

"I'm dreadfully sorry," Vlad calmly apologized, although his hands were fisted under the table, "I'll go fix that inconvenience." He stood, and then added, "Permanently."

"Oh, no, it's quite alright. I'll live," the man said with a chuckle, while gesturing his host not to bother.

Reluctantly, Vlad sat back down, but his eyes stayed on Danny, following his every movement as if he could see him.

The teen flew around the table, which caused a shiver to travel down all the visitors' spines. He then flew up and hovered at the opposite side of the table, facing Vlad.

The older half-ghost didn't need to see the boy to know that he was most likely grinning widely at him, enjoying every second of this humiliating situation he was putting him through. It took a lot of self-restraint for Vlad to suppress his desire to make a Plasmius duplicate and attack the annoying rat. Oh, how he would love to do that, but he knew that the last thing he needed was a 'ghost fight' in front of these men.

"Masters, are you alright?" one of the men asked, noticing his host had his eyes locked into empty space.

"Of course," Vlad answered him offhandedly, turning his eyes to his guest.

Noticing all the men had their gaze on Vlad, Danny turned visible and waved at the half-ghost billionaire. The second he got his attention, he willed green energy into his hands and smiled wickedly.

Vlad felt his face pale as Danny pointed to the man closest to the teen and gestured he was going to shoot him. Forgetting that his young rival would never harm an innocent person, Vlad impulsively rose from his sit and exclaimed. "Do not dare!"

Danny instantly became invisible even though everyone was staring at Vlad. The six men looked at their host, before turning their heads to see who he had shouted at. Not seeing anyone, they turned their bewildered stares back to him.

Noticing the looks he was getting, Vlad laughed nervously. "Yes, do not dare try your steaks without this exquisite sauce my chef makes!"

The men blinked at him for a moment, before they slowly nodded. "Alright," they mumbled, lowering their forks.

"Derek?" Vlad called, sitting back down.

The butler, who had been standing right outside the dining room, quickly walked in. "Yes, sir?"

"Please be kind enough to bring the steak sauce," Vlad said with a tight smile.

Derek looked perplexedly at his employer. But at receiving a hidden glare from him, he made a silent, "Oh," before stepping out.

Unable to hold in his laughter any longer, Danny had flown out of the room via the ceiling, and was currently cracking up on the top floor. He was laughing so hard he had to clutch his stomach from the ache it produced.

Vlad looked up as his sensitive hearing picked up the boy's hysterical laughter. Instantly, his blue eyes turned red, but remembering his guests, he quickly brought his anger back under control, and with a smile, continued conversing as if nothing had occurred. "Mr. Gonovi, I heard you will be opening a new automotive industry in a month's time. How's that going for you, hmm?"

Meanwhile, Danny had finally gotten a hold of himself… and also had gotten another idea… Now human, Danny strolled down the stairs with a mischievous smile on his lips. He soon made it to the dining room and didn't hesitate to walk in. "Uncle Vlad!" he exclaimed.

Vlad dropped his fork, and his face turned paper-white. "Daniel," was all he could say.

Danny grabbed the shocked billionaire around the neck, before giving him a quick nuggie. "Hey, Unkie Vlad, what ya up to?" he asked, flashing him an innocent smile and a not-so-innocent flash of his green eyes.

Vlad stared at him, wanting nothing more than to punch the boy across every corner of the room. But instead, he grabbed Danny's hand that was still around his neck and gently moved it away, before he stood.

Vlad looked at his guests, who had been muttering to each other while looking curiously at Danny. While straightening his 'nuggied' hair, Vlad calmly introduced him, "I apologize for the interruption, gentlemen. This is my nephew, Daniel."

The visitors stood up and greeted the boy with a hand shake which Danny returned a little too enthusiastically.

"I didn't know you had family, Masters," one of the man stated after ripping his hand from the teen's iron grip.

"Yes, a sister," Vlad replied, Struggling to keep the anger out of his voice.

"Well, since you're here, will you be joining us, Daniel?" one of the guests asked with a smile, while thinking how lucky his host was to have such an innocent and sweet nephew.

"No!" Vlad exclaimed, but the stares he got quickly made him backtrack, "I-I meant, Daniel, don't you have homework?" he said, grabbing one of the teen's hands and squeezing it tightly.

Danny squeezed back while smiling sweetly at him. "Uncle Vlad, you have such a great sense of humor!" he said with a loud chuckle, before slapping Vlad roughly on the back.

Not expecting it, Vlad lost his grip on the younger hybrid's hand and grunted as he almost stumbled forward. "I'm on vacation, remember?" Danny continued, "You brought me here to spend some quality time with you! …Besides, you haven't fed me in over two days! …And people wonder why I'm so scrawny!" Danny placed a hand on his stomach as if it hurt from hunger, while lifting an arm to show everyone how skinny he was.

Frowning, everyone turned to Vlad who looked a little nervous. But then he chuckled and patted Danny on the head. "Daniel, stop joshing our guests." He turned towards his visitors, "He's very well fed here, I can assure you."

The frowns instantly vanished from the men's faces and they laughed lightly, believing Danny was indeed joking with them.

"Derek, set up a place for Daniel," Vlad commanded as his guests and he sat down at their respective seats.

"Right away, sir," was the ghost butler's response.

Danny plopped down on the chair closest to Vlad and placed his elbows on the table, before starring intently at the strangers around him.

Vlad glared at Danny's manners, but decided to ignore it. "As I was saying," he continued "The investment you gent-"

"Uncle Vlad?" Danny interrupted sweetly while pouring himself a cup of water.

Vlad gritted his teeth, but managed to address the teen as a caring uncle would. "Daniel, Uncle Vlad is discussing something very important at the moment, please do not interrupt." He looked back at his guests, and resumed, "The invest-"

"But I need a drink," Danny answered with a pout.

"Daniel, your drink will be here shortly. Be patient." He tried again, "The-"

"What kind a drink am I getting? Because you know that citrus drinks make me sick, and I'll just end up barfing all over the place."

"Daniel!" Vlad exclaimed, not believing the teen had the audacity of saying something like that while others were eating. And he was right, for his guests had cringed at Danny's sickening comment.

Perhaps, the boy wasn't as sweet as they had thought.

"What? It's true!" Danny defended, his hands lifting above his head in emphasis. Unfortunately for Vlad, Danny _just so happened_ to be holding onto his full glass of water at the time.

"Ahh!" the two men in front of the teen shouted, standing up in shock as the cold water splashed their faces.

Vlad, too, stood up in alarm, while Danny blinked innocently at the two wet men in front of him. But he quickly reacted, and exclaimed, "Oh no! I am so sorry!" Danny grabbed his napkin and ran over to them. "Here, let me get that for you," he said as he stuffed the napkin in one of the man's face, making Vlad gasp in disbelief.

The now soaked _and_ shocked man stumbled backwards, trying to get away from the cloth currently suffocating him, but Danny just persisted more. "Don't worry, dude, I'll get to you, too," he said to the other wet man, who stared at him wide-eyed.

"Daniel, stop!" Vlad shouted, grabbing the boy by the arm and pulling him away from his guests.

"Gentlemen, I apologize for my nephew's behavior. He doesn't know any better sometimes."

The man who Danny 'attacked' nodded as he straightened his attire. "Quite alright, Masters. He's just a kid after all," he said politely.

"If you all would excuse us for a moment," Vlad said, before dragging Danny out of the room with him.

Danny winced in pain from how hard the billionaire's grip around his wrist was, but did nothing to escape just yet.

"What in blazes do you think you're doing?" Vlad growled in a low and angry voice once he had reached a safe distance away from the dining room.

Danny let out a pained, but amused chuckle. "What do you mean?" he asked, continuing his innocence façade.

"Don't josh me, you little rat! This business deal is very important to me! If you ruin its closing, I'll personally break that scrawny, little neck of yours! Do I make myself clear?" he threatened, pulling the teen closer in an intimidating manner.

Danny finally phased out of his enemy's hold with another chuckle. "Oh, Uncle Vlad. What makes you think I'd mess this up for you? It's not like you have given me a reason to, right?" he said, punching the man hard in the arm.

Vlad hissed at the boy's action, before pushing him away. "I'm warning you, Daniel, go to your room."

"No, I don't think I will, Plasmius," Danny stated darkly, dropping his act and amusement for a glare. "**You** dragged me here. Now you get what you brought," he threatened, before turning and walking off toward the dining room.

"Daniel! Get back here!" Vlad hissed, quickly walking after him and grabbing a hold of his arm to stop him from going any further.

Danny turned his head and glared at him with green eyes. "Unless you want a bigger show, you better let go of me _right_ _now_," he growled. But then his anger vanished and he grinned. "Plus, our food's getting cold, Uncle Vlad."

Vlad studied the smirking half-ghost with a serious expression, before reluctantly letting go. "You are going to regret this."

Danny shrugged, before continuing forward. "Not anymore than you, Plasmius," he shot back calmly.

Vlad walked after him and fell in step with the boy. "Don't be so sure. The only one you are hurting with these childish games is yourself, Daniel… But try me enough and we'll have to add Jasmine to that list." The man sounded calm, but the underlying message was very clear.

Danny didn't hesitate to respond in the same calm, but threatening manner. "You do anything to her, and I swear you'll regret it for the rest of your life. Not only will you have no way of keeping me here anymore, but you can be sure I'll tell my parents, I'll tell _everyone,_ everything you've done. I'll tell them who you _really_ are." His eyes briefly flashed green, betraying his calm exterior. "I don't care if I have to go down with you. I'll do **anything** to keep you away from my family, got that?"

"_Be careful_, Daniel," was Vlad's only reply before they stepped in.

"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to throw my water at you," Danny said innocently to the men he had splashed.

"It's fine, really. I know it was an accident," one of them said, patting Danny on the head while the other nodded his agreement.

Danny sat down just as his drink and meal were placed in front of him by Derek. The teen stayed quiet as Vlad and his guests returned to their business conversation. However, his silence was not because he had heeded to his enemy's threats. No, he was waiting for the right moment to strike. He needed to catch Vlad off-guard.

Danny calmly took a sip of his ice tea, his eyes turned to the man currently speaking, "Mark Vazier Industries has several branches. Aside from the one that was just inaugurated here in Wisconsin, all of M.V.I's branches have been successfully running for at least a decade now; the main one in Germany is actually approaching its fiftieth anniversary. I can personally guarantee you are making a wise business move with this one, Masters."

"I'm well aware of that, Mr. Walche. It is precisely its global influence that interested me in M.V.I. in the first place But, if you are so fond of your partnership with Mark Vazier, then why give it up to me?" Vlad asked calmly.

Mr. Walche chuckled, "Well, as much as I enjoyed being a stock holder of M.V.I., I think I will enjoy the two-and-half million dollars you are offering me for my share much more."

"Yes, it is indeed a hefty sum that none of us could have said 'No' to," another added with a smile.

Vlad smirked, "Hmm, yes, I suppose it is," he answered, earning laughs from his guests.

"So, Masters, tell us, have you met with Mark Vazier yet? I'm curious, since after today, you will be the major stock holder of M.V. I., apart from Vazier. Is he aware of his new, _one and only_ partner?"

Vlad almost grinned wickedly at the question, but kept his calm appearance. "No, not yet. But I will be meeting with him as soon as we close everything tonight. I'm sure he'll be-"

"Uncle Vlad?" Danny causally interrupted, before putting a fork-full of wild rice in his mouth.

A bit surprised by the boy's sudden interruption, Vlad just turned to look at him.

"When are we going to go get your cat?" Danny asked, chewing on his food and staring merrily at the half-ghost billionaire.

Vlad's mouth gaped open. And before he could compose himself and respond, one of the men at the table did it for him. "A cat?" he repeated, clearly baffled.

Swallowing his food, Danny smiled at Vlad. "Yeah, a cat," he said, turning his eyes to the man who spoke, "Uncle Vlad gets so lonely here in this big house, so I told him a little kitten would keep him company!"

The visitors just stared at the bright red Vlad, who stared at "his nephew" in shock. Clearly, he was at a loss at what to do or say to Danny.

Mr. Walche cleared his throat to break the silence, while the others looked away, trying to keep themselves from laughing.

"Oh, well, that's… a marvelous idea," the man that had been addressing Danny finally replied with a slight squeak in his tone.

"Oh, yes, cats are wonderful companions," another added as the tension became too much.

"See? They agree, Uncle Vlad! That settles it! Tomorrow we'll go to the pet store and pick one out that looks like you!"

Vlad, who had taken a swig of his beverage to drown his embarrassment, instantly choked after hearing Danny's words, but then his eyes flared red. Luckily, everyone was staring at the boy with a shocked expression on their faces, and so they didn't notice their host's ghostly eyes.

Fighting back the urge to stand up and strangle the young hybrid in front of his guests, Vlad finally addressed him. "Daniel, we'll talk about the cat later," he said through his teeth.

Vlad turned to his guests, "Gentlemen, you'll have to excuse my nephew's behavior." He suddenly smirked at Danny and added, "His father dropped him on his head when he was a baby. But luckily, he's getting the best medical care." He raised an eyebrow at Danny, who was frowning heavily at him and asked, "Have you taken your medication yet, my boy? Perhaps you should run off and do that, hmm?"

"No, I haven't taken them since you told me to take them at the same time you take yours," Danny said back sweetly, although his eyes were now narrowed.

With the same facial expression and tone as the teen, Vlad said, "Ah, yes, I forgot that you are so incompetent at math, you cannot count out three pills. But that's alright, little badger, that's why you have me, your dear Uncle Vlad."

The men had kept their eyes on their drinks the entire time, clearly uncomfortable with the 'conversation' between the half-ghosts.

Danny bit his tongue at being unable to think of a retort to his enemy's last jab. But he quickly remembered there was a better way to get under Vlad's skin. "So!" Danny said with a grin, turning to the other men. "Do you guys have any kids?"

"Daniel, that is not any of your business," Vlad said with a frown, his hands fisting under the table once more.

"Oh, it's alright, Masters," Mr. Gonovi quickly intervened, feeling relieved with the change of subject. He looked at Danny. "Yes, actually, I do. I have three."

"Three?! Cool!" Danny exclaimed, acting extremely interested. "My uncle doesn't have any kids." He laughed lightly and added, "That's why he loves me so much!"

Vlad rolled his eyes at the boy's comment, which the men didn't catch since their focus was on the younger hybrid. "The only way I'd love you is if you were six feet under," he growled under his breath.

Danny's sensitive hearing caught his enemy's comment, and his grin widened.

"I can see he does," one of the men replied to the teen's comment, although internally he wasn't sure if he meant it.

"How old are they?" Danny continued.

"Well, Mathew, my oldest, is nineteen, Tiffany is fourteen, and Kim, my youngest, is six. You know, I think I have a picture of them with me," Mr. Gonovi said, before pulling out his wallet.

"Oh, let's see then!" Danny answered as he pushed his plate aside, and then leaned half his body across the table.

The actions nearly knocked several things down, but Vlad quickly steadied the wobbling items as he kindly said with great effort. "Daniel, get off the table."

Danny ignored Vlad as Mr. Gonovi showed him the picture. "Hey, your son looks like you. You got very cool kids, sir," Danny commented politely. Then, sitting back down on his chair, he added. "Man, family's great, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is, and important, too," Mr. Gonovi agreed with a smile.

"It sure is! I would hate to end up a bitter old man with no family. I'd probably become a crazed up fruit loop!" Danny said with a chuckle, which the men also lightly chuckled at.

Vlad didn't hesitate to calmly add to the conversation. "Yes, but it's even worse to have family and not be able to see or be with them. Ever. Again." At the end, Vlad sent a fierce look at the teen when no one was looking.

Danny quickly returned it, and placed a piece of steak in his mouth to keep himself from attacking Vlad.

"That would be most unfortunate," one of the men commented in an unsure tone, trying to figure out why they were having such a strange conversation.

"Yeah, I bet that person would do _anything_ to be with them again. I would _hate_ to be in the way of someone like that." Danny added darkly, taking a sip of his drink.

The strangers just stared wide-eyed at the boy. But then Vlad chuckled airily, breaking the silence. "Children say the most humorous things, don't they?"

The tension immediately vanished, and everyone laughed heartedly; everyone, except for Danny, who had looked down at his plate to hide his glowing green eyes.

Danny continued with his meal, while Vlad went back to talking business with his guests. But when Danny looked at his boiled vegetables, he immediately got an idea. He smiled up at the half-ghost billionaire who was still immersed in conversation.

Danny picked up his glass of ice tea and poured half of it into Vlad's own glass without his noticing. He then stabbed a piece of broccoli and placed it into his mouth, only to quickly spit it back out. "Oh gross! I hate steamed vegetables!" he exclaimed, bringing everyone's attention to him once again. "Uncle Vlad, you like these, right? Here, you eat them," he said, picking up his plate to put the vegetables on the man's plate.

Vlad quickly lifted up a hand, having heard Danny spit out food back onto his plate. "No, thank you. Just don't eat them, Daniel," he replied with annoyance and disgust.

"But then they'll go to waste! Think about all those poor starving kids out there. You like them, so here." Before Vlad could stop him, Danny pushed the vegetables onto his plate.

Vlad swallowed roughly to push down the sick feeling rising up from his stomach. But seeing it wasn't helping, he picked up his beverage and took a drink.

"I also gave you half my drink since I know I won't be drinking it all." Danny added nonchalantly as he chewed on a piece of steak.

Vlad had to place a hand over his mouth to keep himself from spitting out the liquid in his mouth. He forced himself to swallow the tea-slash-backwash in his mouth, before lowering his hand. "Daniel, whatever you don't want just keep on your plate or glass, alright?" Vlad almost pleaded, looking a bit sick.

The men just silently stared at their host and his nephew, feeling a bit disturbed with Danny's actions.

"Okay!" Danny said with a heavy nod, before addressing the visitors. "Man, this food's really good! My uncle's cook sure knows how to cook! He can make just about anything! Just yesterday he made me…"

Throughout what remained of dinner, Danny made sure to keep the men's focus on only him, and ate as rudely as possible, knowing both actions were angering Vlad to no end.

Eventually, dinner ended, much to Vlad's relief, since now, he had an excuse to make Danny leave.

Arriving at the foyer with his guests and Danny, Vlad turned to the boy. "Daniel, these fine gentlemen and I have important business to attend to. Do be a good boy and go to your room, alright?" Vlad asked kindly, even though his eyes turned red as a threat that only the teen saw.

Danny willed his eyes to turn green as he nodded innocently. "No problem, Uncle Vlad," he answered sweetly, obviously not meaning it. He walked off, but then turned back to the men. "Bye, it was nice meeting you all!" he said to them, waving before heading up the stairs.

"That nephew of yours is such a good boy," one of the man stated politely as they watched Danny go up the stairs.

"Yes, but _good_ doesn't quite cover it," Vlad replied darkly.

The men blinked at him, but Vlad quickly changed the subject. "Right this way, gentlemen," he said, escorting them to a meeting room.

Making sure Vlad and his guests had left the foyer, Danny slowly and quietly came back down stairs. He poked his head down a corridor and watched as they all stepped into a room.

Danny chuckled darkly as he heard the door close, almost sure the other half-ghost had locked it as well. "Like that's gonna stop me." He turned into Phantom, before turning invisible and flying towards the room. "I'm going to make you wish you never met me, Plasmius, even if it's the last thing I ever do," he said with narrowed eyes.

* * *

One of the six men Vlad had invited was his private attorney. Unlike some of his other business deals, this one was actually _honest, _for he was really buying and not stealing the men's shares. And when he did things 'by the book', he always made sure everything was in writing. And that meant a long boring process of reading legal documents and all the other nonsense that came along with it.

Vlad calmly waited for his attorney to begin reading everything as he resisted the urge to groan in annoyance from the whole thing. Perhaps he should have just overshadowed everyone… But no, that would have been unwise. This particular deal needed more brains than brawns in order to accomplish what he ultimately wanted. The thought made him secretly smirk at all the men sitting to his left and right.

He turned his eyes to his attorney, who was currently standing in front of him, across the large rectangular table in between them. But as the man was about to speak, Vlad felt the boy's signature come to life, and he soon felt Danny enter the room. "What are you doing here?!" Vlad yelled angrily into what appeared empty space as he stood.

Vlad cringed as he looked back at his guests who were staring at him in surprise. Quickly looking at Derek-- who had been serving tea, but had stopped upon hearing his employer's shout-- Vlad addressed him, "You're supposed to be waiting over there," he said, covering up his blunder by gesturing to his butler to move to another area of the room.

Derek just blinked at the billionaire, but then slowly complied.

"My apologies," Vlad stated with a smile at his visitors, "I don't believe it is very courteous to bring in the tea without _all_ you gentlemen comfortably seated first."

His lawyer nodded appreciatively, before sitting down. Vlad, too, sat down, and gestured to his attorney to begin.

Vlad gritted his teeth as he felt Danny poke him on his side. "If you keep that up, Plasmius, these people are going to discover what a fruit loop you really are. I'm sure then they'll think twice about doing business with you," Danny whispered to his enemy, before poking him again, this time letting a spark of ecto-energy shoot out of his finger.

Vlad bit his tongue to keep himself from yelping loudly in pain. Despite this, he decided to ignore the teen the best he could and did not say a word to him.

Danny, however, had stopped paying attention to Vlad and was currently looking at his invisible hand with a frown. He had not meant to make the energy he let out that strong. But he quickly shrugged it off, and returned to annoying the evil man beside him.

"Hey, Plasmius, I gotta ask, is your human hair white because you're weird, or because you're old?"

Vlad rolled his eyes, but still said nothing.

"What? You're ignoring me now?"

Still no answer.

Danny let out a hurt sigh. "Fine, I guess I'll find out myself…"

Vlad jumped in his seat as he felt the teen yank out several strands of his hair. The man's hand instantly went to rub the tender spot as he looked around to make sure no one saw his actions. "Are you mad? What are you doing?!" he hissed quietly at the invisible Danny beside him.

Danny chuckled. "I heard that white hairs from oldness don't hurt when you yank them out. Guess that means you're just weird. But I better make sure…"

Vlad grunted as he felt the boy pull out more of his hair. "Yup, you're weird alright," he whispered, before letting go of the strands in his hand.

Vlad watched as white hairs drifted down onto his cup of tea. "Daniel," he said calmly. "This is your last and final warning."

Danny remained quiet for a moment, making Vlad believe he had actually frightened the teen. But nothing could be farther from the truth. Danny chuckled quietly, before softly saying. "Then I better make it count, huh?" And with those words the young half-ghost left his side.

Vlad felt his heart speed up, but before he could ponder Danny's words any longer. His attorney stood. "Does anyone have any questions?"

No one answered.

"Alright, then we can begin signing the contracts." Everyone stood, including Vlad, and they walked over to a small round table.

Vlad looked up feeling Danny hovering right above everyone. "Mr. Masters, should we continue?" the lawyer asked, noticing the billionaire's distracted look.

"Yes, please do," Vlad responded, turning his attention to the matter at hand, although he was still extremely nervous.

Danny was about to do something else, but paused when the men stood. He listened as one of the men began to explain some things. He didn't completely understand everything that the man said, but he frowned seriously about what he did understand. _"Knowing Vlad, he's probably tricking these guys into a bad business deal," _he thought.

"There are five contracts here, one for each of you. Everyone has personally read and agreed to the terms on them. The amount of two-and-half million dollars will be paid to each of you by my client, and in return, each of you will yield your share held at Mark Vazier Industries. If there are no last minute objections, then my client will sign each contract, and then each of you need to sign your respective contract to close these deals," Vlad's attorney said.

Danny watched as everyone nodded in agreement, before Vlad stepped forward and began signing some papers. At that moment, an idea popped into the teen's head, and he smiled. He would have to face Vlad's wrath for this, but at least he was getting some payback and keeping Vlad from cheating these people with whatever he was doing.

Vlad had just finished signing when he felt as if Danny was in front of him. And he was… in some way.

A gasp left the lawyer causing everyone to turn his attention to him. No one had seen the green hue that had surrounded the man's body a second ago. And no one noticed the man's glowing green eyes, except for Vlad who had just turned five shades whiter.

"Hey, Masters? Do these people know you're ripping them off?" Danny asked from within the attorney's body.

Vlad's eyes widened. _"He wouldn't dare,"_ he thought fretfully.

"Is everything alright, Mr. Clare?" one of the men asked the lawyer, frowning after hearing his comment.

"Yeah, everything's fine, except that you people are about to make a bad business deal," Danny replied as he crossed "his arms" on "his chest", and directed a smirk at Vlad.

"What? But you just said everything was in order," another man said, baffled.

Vlad growled under his breath as he came closer to Danny. "Mr. Clare, I think you are not well," he said calmly, placing his hand on one of his lawyer's shoulders.

"And I think I'm perfectly fine," Danny retorted with a smug look. But it soon vanished when he saw Vlad's eyes turn red just before he felt something invade the body he was in. And this something quickly made him lose his control of the lawyer.

Unable to fight against the strange and unseen force, Danny was pushed out of the man's body. The teen grasped his head, feeling a bit dizzy from the ordeal, while the once overshadowed man shook his head, trying to regain his senses.

"Mr. Clare?" the men asked warily.

"Oh, I'm sorry; where were we?" the lawyer asked, visibly confused.

"You were going to tell everyone to sign," Vlad answered him calmly.

Mr. Clare nodded in agreement. "Oh, yes, of course. Please, if you would," he said, placing a pen on top of each contract.

"So everything is as it should be?" one of the five men asked, still a bit unsure.

"Yes, it is. Unless there is something in the contract you didn't agree with," the attorney replied.

Danny growled as he finally regained his senses after Vlad's actions. Now more determined than ever to ruin Vlad's business deal, he quickly decided to do it the easiest way possible.

Danny materialized behind the men who were holding the pens in their hands, about to sign the contracts. Vlad's eyes widened just as Danny asked in mock curiosity, "What are you guys doing?"

All six men immediately turned around towards the voice, and their eyes went wide with fear upon finding a ghostly figure floating right in front of them.

Danny smirked evilly at the shocked men, and calmly said, "Boo."

They all let out screams of fright, before running out of the room and towards the door.

"No! Wait!" Vlad exclaimed as he raced after them.

Danny laughed uncontrollably in the air while grabbing his aching side. "Oh man, that was awesome! I doubt they're gonna want to come here again! And I didn't even know Vlad could run that fast!" It then hit the young hybrid. "Yikes! Vlad!" He quickly took off towards his room, knowing he would soon need the element of surprise. "Guess this party's not over yet," he added with a nervous smile.

* * *

Vlad's eyes glowed bright red as he watched the men get into their limousines and leave. With eerie calmness he walked back into his house, but the force he used to slam the door with betrayed his outer demeanor.

Vlad gazed up the stairs as he turned into Plasmius. But surprisingly, he did not take off towards it. Instead, he looked down at his watch, which was now a glowing red device, and began typing something into it.

The instant he was done, Danny's agonizing and heartbreaking screams resonated through every part of the mansion.

Vlad leisurely walked up the stairs, his face still expressing that same eerie calmness. He eventually made it to the boy's room where the cries of pain clearly originated from. But when he entered, the young half-ghost was nowhere to be seen. However, he could sense him, and so knew where Daniel was hiding. Plasmius pulled down the stairs leading to the room's upper lounge, and then headed up. He immediately caught sight of Danny in ghost mode, withering from pain as he desperately tried to get rid of the source of his pain: the device around his wrist.

Danny didn't understand what had happened. One minute he had been waiting for his enemy to show up and attack him, and the next, the white band on his wrist turned bright red and began to pulse sharp, hot pain throughout his body. If he could compare the pain to anything, it would be to the pain he once received from the Fenton Specter Deflector, only that it was worse this time. Danny knew Plasmius was standing right next to him and that he needed to stay in ghost form to have any chance against him, but the bracelet continued to weaken him just like the Specter Deflector would.

Vlad watched as the rings appeared around Danny's waist and quickly turned him human. The boy's cries of pain had become heavy pants as he continued to tug frantically on the still red and pain-inducing bracelet on his wrist. It was indeed Vlad's own version of the Specter Deflector, and so he knew it wouldn't stop hurting the young half-ghost unless he turned the bracelet's feature off. He also had to turn it off before _he_ could touch Danny.

Seeing the teen had stopped trying to pull off the bracelet and was just clutching his arm close to his body, Vlad finally decided to end the boy's _current_ suffering. He pressed a button on the device on his own wrist and the boy's bracelet returned to its normal blue—not white since he was not in ghost form anymore—color, thereby ending its merciless assault.

Plasmius didn't hesitate to grab the weak and disoriented Danny by the back of the shirt, and literally began dragging him out of the room. Once outside it, he turned the boy and himself intangible and went straight through the floor, landing on the lower part of his house.

Danny's head was spinning so much he couldn't even see where his enemy was taking him. But it wasn't long before he felt cold metal bars slamming against him.

"You want to act like an animal?! THEN I'LL TREAT YOU LIKE ONE!" Vlad screamed, slamming the door closed on the glowing metal cage he had just thrown the teen into.

Danny regained his senses just in time to see Vlad lock the cage with a glowing green key. The teen growled when he realized he was at the bottom-stairs lab, inside a cage so small all he could do was sit up.

Danny quickly sat up and tried to free himself. "Let me out, you fruit loop!" he shouted, fighting furiously against the cage's bars.

But the only responses that the boy got were the lights going off and the sound of the door closing as Vlad left the lab.

Now in pitch darkness, Danny quickly tried to transform, his mind ignoring the fact that the bars were glowing for a reason. The boy screamed in agony as jolts of electricity coursed through his body. By the time it was over, the still human Danny slumped against the metal cage, feeling dizzy once more.

Recovering, his anger exploded. He began to kick and thrash against the cage, while screaming insults at his enemy.

Vlad, who had paused outside of the lab after hearing Danny scream in pain—obviously the boy had attempted to transform in the ghost-proof cage—glared spitefully when he heard Danny's violent reaction.

Danny's screams of anger and his insults at Vlad echoed through the house. But suddenly, they became screams of pain. He had tried to morph again.

"He's just as stupid as his father," Plasmius growled with disgust as he changed back into Masters. There was a moment of silence, before the teen began to shout insults at him once more.

Just then, the maids floated into the foyer where their employer stood. Noticing them, he immediately glared and said, "If _**anyone**_ dares to free him, they'll have to face **me**!" he threatened, before stomping up the stairs.

"Yes, sir," the ghost maids replied as they watched their employer walk away, although they did not know what exactly he referred to. The two older maids then phased back into the lounge, but the younger one stayed behind.

Niane let out a sad sigh as she watched her master disappear from view, before turning her gaze at the lab's door. She listened sympathetically to the boy screaming angrily from within.

"Niane?" Patricia called, phasing out of the lounge to see what was keeping the girl ghost.

"I'm coming," she answered, still looking at the door, but then she turned away, and floated off towards the employee lounge.

Even after the maids had cleaned the table and tidied the meeting room, Danny was still shouting to be let out. But they ignored it. No one dared to go against their employer's wishes.

And even as eight o'clock approached that night, and the lights in the castle turned off, all within the darkened home still ignored the boy's continuing screams.

* * *

**Hope everyone enjoyed this latest installment! Thanks for reading and reviewing! I leave you all with a wonderful piece of fanart from Bloodmoon13! Until next time!**

**-remove '()' and spaces-**

**ht tp (:) / (/) bloodmoon14. deviantart. com /art/Checkmate-Sore-Throat-82284415**


	26. Chapter 25: Unstable

**Hello everyone! It's story time again! Heh-heh! I am very content, despite that I feel like I just got beat up with the Fenton Anti-creep Stick! Yes, colds can make you feel like that! But I'm happy, cause I have one week left of school! And I don't have to go back until August! –cracks fingers—It's time for my ten little fingers to forget about school work, and focus on fun story typing! Yay! But enough chit-chat! See at the end!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, but my evil little Vlad muse is mine! --gets blasted--**

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Chapter 25: Unstable

Danny's eyes slowly opened, and with a yawn, he sat up. He rubbed his eyes to clear his blurry vision from sleep, but the second his eyes came into focus they went wide with fear at finding a pair of green pupil-less eyes staring right at him.

"AHH!" Danny screamed, quickly backing away from the presumed danger in front of him. But when he collided into something hard and cold, he gasped and looked back. The teen stared at the cage bars behind him, and as he looked around his surroundings his mind quickly recalled Vlad had thrown him in here last night. Now fully awake, Danny's attention went back to the being currently laughing loudly in front of him.

"You look good in there, whelp," Skulker stated as he looked evilly at the half-ghost while kneeling on one knee in front of the cage.

Danny growled and quickly attempted to shoot an ecto-blast at the ghost, only to be electrocuted by the cage. "Ouch!" he yelped, quickly clutching his hand which had received the worse of the shock.

The hunter's laughter filled the lab once more, but he soon asked, "Tell me, ghost child, what did you do **now **to get my employer to throw you in there?" Skulker stood back up, but continued to stare at the trapped boy with amusement.

Danny glared at the ghost, but then an evil smirk spread on his lips. "Let's just say I gave him a night to remember," he answered, inspecting his nails as he thought of everything he had done last night to his enemy. Even though he was now stuck in a cage for it, he didn't regret any of it in the slightest.

Skulker chuckled. "I never would have imagined it… You're quite evil, whelp."

"I'M NOT EVIL!" Danny abruptly screamed, grabbing the cage bars in anger. "HE DESERVED IT! _HE'S_ THE EVIL JERK!"

Skulker raised an eyebrow at the boy's words and abrupt change in demeanor. "You feeling alright, whelp?" The ghost smirked, "Because if I didn't know any better I'd say you're losing it."

"I suggest you leave before I _lose_ _it_ on you!" Danny exclaimed furiously.

Skulker laughed full-heartedly. His prey really was acting irrational! "Look around you, pup. Do you even realize where you're at?"

Danny ignored the ghost's question, and just stared at him spitefully. But then he said, "You tell Plasmius he better let me out of here, or I'll tear down his house WITH HIM IN IT!"

Skulker just laughed louder, but nodded "Alright, I'll tell him. And I'm sure he'll gladly comply!" he added sarcastically, before flying out of the lab, laughing once more.

Danny let out an enraged scream, before he covered his face with his shaking hands. For a moment, the boy's depression threatened to overwhelm him, but his anger quickly suppressed and subdued it.

* * *

Vlad was currently training in the stimulation room, which was something he usually did regularly... But with everything that had been going on with the young hybrid, he had not had the time or desire. However, his pent-up energy and anger had finally driven him to exercise. Unless he got rid of it, he felt he would explode from all of his frustration.

Letting out as much energy as he could into each attack, Plasmius sent ectoplasmic blasts at the different obstacles that the stimulation room threw at him. He expertly moved forward, dodging and weaving away from anything that came his way. He never once made a mistake in his actions. And yet, his mind was not on what he was doing in the least. It was focused on his current troubles; or more specifically, the cause of them: Daniel.

To put it into a few words, the boy was uncontrollable! Every day, Daniel and he would end up in a quarrel that the teen always started somehow! But lately, Vlad had made sure that their fights ended quickly because he was really beginning to fear Daniel would indeed bring down the house on both of them. Not only that, but the boy was making him so angry that he knew if these violent fights continued, it would end badly for the young half-ghost, and then for himself… It was the only reason why Vlad did not attack him for what Danny did last night. It was why he locked him in that cage instead. If the teen did anything else to anger him, he wasn't sure if he would be able to restrain himself any longer.

The older hybrid couldn't lie to himself. He had never expected the boy to take on this overly aggressive and defiant attitude. Maybe at **first**, but not now, and definitely not having it become progressively worse! And if that wasn't troubling enough, the boy's _physical_ instability was. Yes, he had noticed it. Danny's ecto-signature was completely off the charts. At first he thought it was due to stress, but now…he wasn't sure what it was from… Perhaps from not using his powers?

Vlad shook his head. No, that couldn't be it. Daniel was constantly in his ghost form, perhaps even a little too much… Whatever the reason for Danny's instability, Vlad was too angry now to really care enough to find out. Besides, the boy _looked_ to be physically fine.

"A little too fine," Plasmius growled as he produced a shield to block some green quills coming his way. But then he sighed tiredly as he thought of the disaster the boy made of everything yesterday. Danny had ruined an important business deal for him, one that he had been working on for over a month now.

"I can probably still salvage it," he mumbled, multiplying into four, before countering the numerous blasts coming his way. He bit his bottom lip in worry, but a voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"Sorry to interrupt, Plasmius, but I have something to tell you," Skulker said through the overhead intercoms.

"What is it, Skulker? I'm busy," Vlad replied angrily, not pausing with his training.

"The whelp wanted me to relay a message to you."

"I don't care what that rat has to say!" the half-ghost fumed as he blew up one of the weapons that had come out of the wall.

"He insisted I tell you," Skulker replied, a grin growing on his face. He simply couldn't pass up the chance to see his employer's reaction to the whelp's threat.

Vlad rolled his eyes, knowing the ghost was going to tell him despite his objection. Still, he said nothing and just continued exercising as he waited for his ally to tell him whatever the boy had said.

Skulker chuckled as he quickly programmed his suit to replay Danny's words. Luckily, his suit had a new upgrade that allowed him to either holographically project things he had seen, or repeat things he had heard. And so, he pressed replay.

"_You tell Plasmius he better let me out of here, or I'll tear down his house WITH HIM IN IT!"_

Skulker's grin widened as his employer growled and let out stronger ecto-blasts in response to "the message". The hunter quickly addressed him, doing nothing to hide the delight in his tone of voice. "So, do you want me to say something to him for you? Or maybe a small blast to his head will be sufficient?"

Vlad's anger exploded as he screamed, "What I want is for you to let me exercise in **peace**!"

Skulker grumbled in annoyance, and exited with an angry pout.

"Increase training by ten more levels!" the furious half-ghost shouted to the room.

"**Training level 54 initiated." **

* * *

Danny was huddled at the corner of the cage, his face buried in his knees. He had no clue what time it was--not that he really cared. But it was hard to ignore his stiff and cold body, and his grumbling stomach. It had to be past lunch time if he was this hungry. He let out a soft sigh which sounded like a foghorn in his ears from how quiet the lab was.

Then suddenly, his ghost sense went off. He looked up, and saw the reason why. Niane was currently floating in front of the cage he was trapped in. Danny just glared at her before burying his face into his knees once more.

The young maid said nothing for a moment, but then she softly called out to him, "Master Danny?"

"What?" he responded venomously without lifting his head.

"I…I brought you a piece of cake," Niane replied in the same quiet tone of voice.

Danny looked up angrily, this time noticing the tray in the ghost's hands. "I don't want **anything** from that--"

"It's not from him," the maid interrupted, which received a bewildered and stunned look from Danny. Niane looked around nervously, before turning back to the boy. "I-I thought you might be hungry so I-"

"Why?" Danny asked, frowning suspiciously at the girl.

"I'm sorry?" Niane replied, not understanding the question.

"Why would you risk getting in trouble for me? Or is there a catch? What do you want?" he demanded, his anger returning.

The ghost sighed sadly as she shook her head. She placed the tray in her hands, containing a piece of chocolate cake and a cup of milk, down on the floor next to the cage. "There is no catch, Master Danny. I-I just don't think you're all that bad, i-if you'll excuse my honesty."

Danny looked at the ghost, trying to desperately understand why she would care. He just didn't know what to think of her; how to react to her. He was torn in his thoughts. The ghost worked for his archenemy, and yet she seemed so harmless, so nice… She had always been nice to him.

Danny looked down at his sneakers, the feeling of anger suddenly vanishing. "Can I ask you something?" he asked almost timidly.

"Of course, sir," she replied with a small smile he didn't catch.

"Why do you work for him? How can you work for someone that's so …evil?" Danny asked, looking back up at her with hate, but it wasn't directed towards her.

Niane instantly frowned at the question. She just stared at him for a moment, making Danny believe she wasn't going to answer him. But then she floated down and sat in front of him with her knees tucked under her. She looked away from him, nervously straightening her dress. But her expression was unreadable as she whispered her response, "Just because he's evil in your eyes doesn't mean he's evil in everyone else's."

Danny looked at the ghost in disbelief, but then his anger exploded at the absurdity of her reply. "_Of_ _course_ he's not evil in everyone's eyes! HE'S A HYPOCRITE!"

Niane cringed at the boy's outburst, which Danny immediately regretted. "I'm sorry," he said softly, looking back at his shoes.

"You don't have to apologize," she said calmly. "I know it's hard for you to understand. We all have different reasons why we are with him. But, Master Plasmius… he treats us kindly. Sure he has his temper, but he has given us a home outside the Ghost Zone, and we get to live a peaceful afterlife here, doing what we like… well, most of us…" Niane quickly looked back at her fiddling fingers, expecting another outburst of protest from the teen.

But it didn't come. Instead, Danny just sighed sadly. Without a word, he reached forward and grabbed the plate and drink. As he ate he contemplated Niane's words. "Hard to understand" was an understatement. Vlad Masters, _Vlad_ _Plasmius_, **his arch-enemy**… _kind_?

He shook his head. _"He doesn't even have a heart to be kind with,"_ he thought angrily. How could Niane talk like that about Vlad? She obviously had no clue who she was really working for…right? So then, why were she and all these other ghosts so loyal to him? Maybe the benefit of it was so great that they didn't care what their employer did. But… they didn't see him as the evil guy Vlad was, or at least Niane didn't after hearing her talk like that.

There had to be something wrong with all these ghosts… And yet, Niane seemed different to Danny somehow. There was something about her that had caught his attention from the moment he met her. Problem was, he had no idea what it was. Maybe…Maybe it was how _normal_ she acted. If he didn't know better, he'd think she was a _human_ teenage girl. He had yet to see her act obsessive in any way, unlike the other maids with their bickering, the cook with his need to cook, Derek with his extreme desire to serve…Danny was almost certain he could name the obsessive nature of every ghost he had met in his life, except… for this one sitting quietly in front of him.

Danny had so many questions he wanted to ask Niane, but he never asked them. He remained quiet the rest of the time, knowing his pent-up frustration would cause him to yell at the ghost if he attempted to converse with her. And she didn't deserve that from him.

He soon finished off the milk and cake, and placed the cup and plate back on the tray. "Thanks," he said sincerely.

Niane smiled and nodded in response. She grabbed the tray and floated to a standing position. She moved towards the lab's exit, but then looked back at Danny and said, "Ta, Master Danny. I'll return--"

"What are you doing, child?"

Niane gasped as she immediately turned towards the voice. "Skulker!" she said in alarm, quickly backing away from the hunter.

Skulker momentarily glanced at the tray in the maid's hands, then at Danny, before returning his eyes to Niane again. "If I heard correctly, my employer said he didn't want anyone near the whelp." He raised an eyebrow as he studied the ghost in front of him in a contemplative manner. But then he grinned at her.

Niane tried to think of something to say, but the predatory expression on Skulker's face had her too nervous to speak. Danny, too, caught the spark in the hunter's eyes, but _he_ wasn't keeping quiet.

"Don't even think about it!" Danny threatened, grabbing the cage bars so hard that his knuckles turned white.

Skulker laughed at seeing the ghost-boy's anger and protectiveness flare. "Well, well," he stated evilly, "I see you have a new helper."

Danny growled in response, his green eyes narrowed menacingly.

Skulker smirked cleverly at the half-ghost as he took a few steps closer to him. "You know, since my employer won't let me have your head perhaps your little helper's here could provide a substitute…."

"NO!" Danny screamed as in an instant Skulker was upon the girl ghost, and had wrenched her up by her neck. Niane squeaked and closed her eyes in fright, the tray in her hand falling to the floor, dish and glass-cup shattering into pieces.

"SKULKER, STOP! LEAVE HER ALONE!" Danny shouted when he saw the hunter pull out his glowing green blade.

"SKULKER!" another voice suddenly yelled, just as the desperate Danny attempted to 'go ghost' and painfully failed.

Panting from pain, Danny looked up through blurry eyes, and realized the other hybrid was now in the lab.

Vlad glared at the hunter. "Put her down," he ordered angrily, and Skulker immediately let go of the maid.

Niane fell with a thud on the floor, and quickly backed away from the hunter, while trying to address her employer. "S-Sir, I-I c-can ex--"

Vlad held his hand up, stopping the girl from continuing her stumbling explanation. "Get a broom to clean up this mess," he ordered calmly.

"Y-Yes, sir" she replied, and speedily flew out the lab.

Vlad pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment, before looking back at the hunter with a bored expression. "Skulker, I believe you have a job to do."

"Yes, of course," the ghost stated nervously as he put away his blade. Without any further words, Skulker opened the ghost portal, and then flew into it.

Vlad watched the portal's doors close behind the ghost, before casting his eyes over to Danny, who was surprisingly quiet, but glaring at him from within the cage. Vlad didn't hesitate to return the hateful look, before turning around and exiting without a word.

Once Vlad was outside the lab, he let out a weary sigh. But his attention quickly went to the young maid who was returning with a broom. "Niane."

The girl looked up at him nervously. "Sir, I'm sorry. I-I just thought--"

"Don't be," Vlad interrupted. "Make sure he eats dinner," he added without emotion, before turning away towards the main stairs.

* * *

Danny looked around at his surroundings, but not out of curiosity, but out of boredom. In fact, he had scrutinized Vlad's lab so well by now he knew the number of lab tables, storage cabinets, and even the number of glowing-green bars that made up the cage he was in—which was twenty-eight, by the way; seven on each of the four sides. The top and bottom of the cage was solid and made up of the same cold and hard material as the bars. There were two openings, one on top and one on the side, and both contained a very well-built locks that he found out were impossible to open without the key.

Another thing Danny had noticed was that the weapons—including the Plasmius Maximus-- that had once been lying in full view when he first came in here were no longer around. There was no doubt Vlad had hidden all the weapons he believed Danny could use against him. If the teen wasn't so down at the moment, he would have been amused by the fact that his enemy had become so paranoid after the 'goo incident' that he had made sure to hide most of his ghost weapons.

Danny's eyes were currently studying the Ghost Portal in front of him, when suddenly, the lights went off, and he was left in pitch darkness just like last night. Apparently, the lights in the lab were automatic and set to turn off at a certain time…Perhaps that's how all the lights in the mansion turned off… Before his mind could ponder further over this, it quickly slammed its brakes, and then backed up. **The lights had gone off!** That meant it was night-time again!

"_You gotta be kidding! How long is he going to keep me in here?"_ he thought fearfully. Knowing his ghost vision was more adapted to the darkness than his human one, he willed them forward, and stared nervously at his quiet surroundings.

He didn't want to be in this cage anymore! It was so cold in here and his body hurt from being in one position for so long. Not to mention, he was a few feet away from a ghost portal and was practically defenseless. Not the most comforting place to be.

Also, he had felt all tingly the entire day. He wondered if it was the cage, but he didn't really think so. He was feeling anxious as always, only that today it seemed to come in waves. Really strong waves; and it was at their peak that the tingling sensation came. At one point the tingling had been very strong, and the weirdest thing happened: the cage had reacted and electrocuted him as if he had been trying to use his powers! That had made him even more worried the rest of the day. The last thing he wanted was to be barbecued in this trap. But luckily, it had only been a one-time thing.

Danny sighed, the action once more sounding deafening in the silence of the lab. He grabbed his stomach, feeling the dull ache of **necessity** knocking at his door. Fortunately, he had not had too much to drink the day before or today. If he had, he would be in even more trouble right now. But that didn't mean he didn't need to go to the bathroom. In fact, when Niane came for a second time today with food for him, Danny did not have anything to drink, afraid of what that could do to his already uncomfortable system.

The half-ghost slumped against the cage as he let his eyes turn back to their natural blue, which, in turn, caused his visual range in the darkness to fall to nearly zero. Maybe some sleep would do him some good. At least it would keep his mind off his pained body.

* * *

Vlad slammed the book close he was reading on his bed, and mentally cursed. He had forgotten all about Daniel. Well, not really. What he had forgotten completely about was the boy's bodily functions. He had been planning on keeping the boy locked in that cage for a few more days. For one, it was the least the little rat deserved, and two, Vlad _needed_ some peace and quiet to clear his mind. But now he realized he was going to have to settle for just one Danny-free day…

Vlad sighed as he stood up and went over to his closet to put on a robe. He might as well release Daniel. He couldn't keep him in there forever …unfortunately.

The billionaire soon made his way downstairs and to the lab. He walked in, not bothering to turn on the lights. Instead, he willed his eyes to glow red, and moved towards the sleeping teen. He glared darkly at Danny for a moment, before reaching in his pocket and pulling out the glowing-green key. He kneeled on one knee and unlocked the side door, before reaching in and lightly, but uncaringly, slapping the boy on the cheek.

Danny was roused by this, but not enough to alarm him in any way. The young half-ghost looked sleepily up at Vlad, before rubbing his eyes into focus. It was soon after that that his brain seemed to register the angry pair of red eyes staring at him through the darkness.

"Ahh!" Danny screamed as he backed himself into the cage, now fully awake.

Vlad rolled his eyes, before glaring again. "Get out," he growled as he grabbed the boy by his shirt and threw him out of the cage.

Danny yelped as he landed on the floor in a heap. But he quickly stood up... well, as quickly as his stiff body would let him. Willing his eyes to glow their ghostly hue, the teen narrowed his eyes at the billionaire. "You could have at least turned on the light," Danny growled, angry at Vlad's insensitive "wake-up" call.

Vlad ignored the comment as he walked up to the younger hybrid and looked down menacingly at him. "You cross me again, in _**any way**_, Daniel, and you can be sure you'll find yourself back in there, **permanently**!"

Any other time, Danny would have blasted the man across the room to show him his threats didn't scare him. But he knew Vlad wasn't kidding, and his tired body and mind couldn't take being locked up like that anymore. Plus, he had to go to the bathroom…

Danny swallowed his pride, but not his anger, and pushed his enemy out of his way and stomped out of the lab.

Vlad glared after the boy's retreating form, resisting the urge to blast him for his rudeness. He gritted his teeth and growled, before following behind Danny and exiting the lab himself.

Both hybrids found the double-flight stairs and climbed them at their opposite wings, staring each other down the entire time. With one last spiteful look they unlocked eyes and headed in opposite directions on the second floor, both angrily cursing the other all the way to their respective rooms.

* * *

"Danny, wait up!"

The blue-eyed boy turned around and smiled at his male friend who was running to catch up to him.

"Dude, I thought I would never reach you. I called your name, like, ten times!" a seven-year-old Tucker said in between pants, after stopping in front of his friend.

Danny chuckled at him. "Sorry, Tuck, I didn't hear you."

"Come on, let's go to lunch!" Tucker stated as he slapped Danny on the back.

"Hold on, Tuck. I told Sam I would wait for her," his friend said.

"Who?" Tucker asked, confused.

"Oh, I met this girl in my homeroom class. We were paired up for an arts project, and, well, she's really nice. So…I asked her to eat lunch with us. I'm just waiting for her to get out of the bathroom."

"A _girl_?" Tucker asked with a frown.

Danny laughed at the look on his friend's face. "Come on, Tuck, she's really not bad for a girl. Trust me, you'll like her," he said, just before 'the girl' came out of the bathroom. "Hey, Sam?" Danny called, "I want you to meet Tucker; he's my other friend I told you about."

"Hi!" Sam greeted Tucker with a smile and a wave.

"Sam? Isn't that a boy's name?" Tucker asked confused.

"It's short for Samantha," she answered with a shrug, but then suddenly glared at him, "But you call me that and you're gonna be in big trouble!" She then smiled cheerfully again.

Tucker nodded fearfully, before looking over at his male friend and giving him a bewildered look.

Danny shrugged in response, before smiling at the girl. "Come on, guys, I'm starving!" he stated as he walked off towards the cafeteria.

"Wait for us!" Tucker and Sam exclaimed at the same time, quickly falling in step and to each side of their blue-eyed friend.

"Are you coming over to my house today, Tuck?" Danny asked. "We can play with my rocket ship collection!" he added happily.

"Yup to both!" he replied just as enthusiastically. "And we can also play with a new video game my dad got me!"

Danny grinned, but then looked over at Sam, who was unusually quiet. "How bout you, Sam? Wanna come over my house and play?"

Sam's face immediately brightened and she nodded fervently. "Okay! But I gotta ask my mommy and daddy first, but I know they'll say yes!"

"We're not playing girlie stuff, just so you know," Tucker quickly assured her.

Sam gave him an angry look. "Who said that? And I can do boy stuff, too!"

"Well, just in case, Danny can get _you_ some of his sister's dollies," Tucker replied.

Sam stuck her tongue out at Tucker, causing Danny to laugh at his squabbling friends.

"It's okay, Sam, you can play with whatever you want," Danny said with a smile that the girl returned. As they arrived at the cafeteria, he asked, "So what are we gonna eat?"

"Meat! **/** Salad!" Tucker and Sam responded respectively, before immediately frowning at each other.

Danny tiled his head in amusement at them, "We could always--" He stopped and frowned at feeling a small tremor under his feet. He looked up at his friends only to find they were no longer there. Before he could wonder why, the floor underneath him began to crumple and he gasped in fear. In an instant, it gave way and he fell through the floor, plummeting down to what seemed like an endless black pit.

"Ahh!" Danny shouted, sitting up. He panted heavily as he looked around his surroundings. It didn't take long for him to realize he was on the floor in the employee lounge.

Danny glared upwards, now knowing he had dropped through the ceiling while sleeping again. He didn't understand why this was happening to him, but it was getting on his nerves!

He stood up angrily and turned into Phantom. And with a grumble, he phased through the ceiling, grabbing his lodged covers as he flew by. He changed back above his bed and dropped on it with a bounce. He let out a groan as he rubbed his sore head.

"At least the coffee table wasn't there this time," Danny mumbled. Resting his elbows on his knees, he supported his face with his hands and sighed. "Maybe all the stress is really getting to me," the teen suggested to himself, before sighing louder. This was the last thing he needed or wanted at the moment. He was in no mood to go through the whole 'powers malfunctioning' thing again.

Danny looked up at the clock and his eyes widened. "Four AM?" he screeched, but then groaned and fell back on his pillow. What annoyed him more was that his body wasn't remotely tired. In fact, it felt way too energized. And yet, his mind felt murky, like it did when he was sleep-deprived.

"You would think after being locked in that cage for a full day I would be exhausted," he mumbled in confusion as he placed his hands on his face.

Danny decided to close his eyes and attempt to fall asleep again, but two hours later he realized it wasn't happening. And so, he decided to get an early start on the day… Not that he had anything to do, per se, but if he couldn't sleep, he didn't have much of a choice.

* * *

**Poor kid's a mess, huh?**

**Well, the next CM chapter is one of those that you might want to consider strapping on your seat-belts to read. And that's all I'm saying about it! But moving on to another story, 'DoaS', to be more specific, I have not forgotten about it! But rest assured the next chapter's length with make up for the wait! **

**Please share your thoughts! Until next time!**

* * *


	27. Chapter 26: Breaking Point

Chapter 26: Breaking Point

**Well, here we are! Big Climax! I had hoped to post this on Thursday for CM two-year anniversary, but I had finals all week and it was impossible to do so! But I still have that present pending for you guys! And I'll tell you what it is now. It is a one-shot of Clockwork relating to this story! Clockwork, although you will see him again in this story, does not have a large part. So, I want to give you all a 'backstage' look at Clockwork. Let you in on what he thinks of everything that's going on in CM and what's going to happen…. Yes, I will be adding a few 'clues' into this one-shot. I'm still working on it though, so it might take me a few more days to get it up. Anyways, let's get back on this rollercoaster! Buckle up and enjoy the ride!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

* * *

**Chapter 26: Breaking Point**

Danny sat on the roof of the Masters' estate, seemingly looking towards the forest. It was now officially a month since he came to Vlad's. But, amazingly, that was not what was bugging him. He sighed, and lowered his gaze to what was really on his mind: himself.

He just knew that there was something seriously wrong with him. He hadn't fought in any way with Vlad since the cage incident. But this in no way was because the man's threats got to the teen. No… He just didn't feel well enough to put any energy into opposing his arch-enemy.

Maybe he was coming down with something... After all, everything from his diet to his environment had abruptly changed.

But this didn't feel like some common illness. And there was no denying that whatever was happening to him involved his ghost half more than his human half.

Danny didn't know what to do. His ghost powers were really getting out of control. In fact, it was worse than when he first got his powers. In the past week alone he had dropped at least twenty cups because he unwillingly kept losing tangibility. It was almost a sure thing now that he was going to end up falling through his bed and crash in the lounge below every time he fell asleep!

He also noticed that all his powers had become exaggerated lately. Every time his ghost sense went off, he felt like he had just coughed up a huge block of ice. The rings that changed him into Danny Phantom were so bright he had to shut his eyes to prevent himself from going temporarily blind. And as for his ecto-energy… well, he didn't even try to use it anymore. The last time he had, he obliterated five full-size trees with a single blast. And what made it most disturbing was that he never meant to.

The overwhelming anxiety that he was **still** suffering from seemed to be directly tied to his growing loss of self-control. Not even his constant flights were helping him free himself of the horrible feeling anymore. Whatever was causing this anxiousness was mounting, and he didn't know how much more he could take.

Danny sighed, his breath quivering like the hands he gazed at. Why wouldn't they stop shaking?! What was going on?!

The teen abruptly groaned and hunched forward in pain as the worst and newest of his bizarre symptoms hit him. The horrible sensation had begun three days ago. Not only would it wrack his entire body, sometimes even leaving him choking for air, but it also seemed to last forever!

The sensation resembled a cold flash, a really **bad** cold flash, like he was being dipped in liquid Nitrogen, or had fallen through a frozen lake. And if these 'flashes' themselves weren't strange enough, the fact that they seemed to come more often when he was in his human form was. Luckily, he wasn't in human form now.

Danny took a deep breath upon feeling the cold flash ebb, glad that this one didn't last as long as they usually did. Feeling a bit light-headed, the teen decided to go back to his room and lie down. But just when he landed inside his room and changed back, he suddenly felt parched, and headed to the kitchen.

Danny slipped his shaking hands into his pant pockets, before heading downstairs. But when he pushed open the kitchen doors and saw Vlad sitting down at the table, he unconsciously glared at his enemy. However, he then decided that ignoring him was the better option, and with a shrug, walked passed him toward the fridge.

* * *

Noticing Danny, Vlad lowered some papers he had been reading, and stared curiously at the boy as he walked by. He still didn't understand why the young hybrid's ghost energy was so elevated. Vlad knew that if he could just find out a bit more of what was going on by either talking to the boy, or running some quick test, he could find out… But, Daniel would rather drop dead than allow him to help.

Vlad shrugged, but glared at nothing in particular. Why should he concern himself with his young rival? Perhaps there wasn't even reason for concern. Daniel's energy constantly fluctuated; it was probably just one of its high points…

Vlad looked back at the papers in his hand, only that… he found himself unable to continue with them… He sighed. What if there _was_ reason for concern?

The billionaire lowered the papers, and stood. He walked further into the kitchen, deciding it wouldn't hurt to give the boy a quick 'check'.

Noticing Vlad, Danny, who had been pouring himself a drink, turned his attention to him. But the man just walked right by him, opened the fridge, and scanned its contents.

Danny rolled his eyes as the expression, _'subtle as a flying mallet'_ came to mind. It was so obvious Vlad wanted something. But deciding he didn't care to know what, Danny just leaned against the counter and concentrated on quenching his thirst. However, when he felt eyes on him, he lowered his glass, and found that those eyes belonged to the older half-ghost.

Danny immediately glared, although he felt unnerved by the way the man was just looking at him. "What?" he demanded angrily.

The question seemed to snap Vlad out of whatever he had been pondering. He rolled his eyes in response to the teen's hostility, before moving away to a nearby drawer and grabbing a knife to cut the pear in his hand.

Danny stared after the billionaire with a heavy frown, believing the man was ignoring him. What was his deal anyways?

"_Oh yeah, I remember, he's a fruit loop,"_ the teen thought, before continuing with his beverage.

"Are you feeling alright?"

The sudden voice of his enemy, and more importantly, the actual question, caught Danny so off guard, he almost choked on his drink. But he quickly recovered and glared in response, "What do y-"

Danny never finished. The intense cold flash hit him so quickly that he couldn't even think. The teen clutched his chest, and with a gasp for air that never came, his knees buckled.

"Daniel!" Vlad exclaimed in surprise as the boy collapsed right in front of his eyes. The man dropped the things in his hands, and went over to the teen, who seemed to be having trouble breathing. Ignoring the shards of glass on the floor from the cup that had fallen out of Danny's hand, the billionaire kneeled beside him, and carefully sat the boy up against the counter behind him.

"Daniel, what's wrong?" he asked, clearly worried.

The teen just groaned softly in response, his hand still pressed firmly on his hurting chest. The cold flash had left him breathless.

Not getting a response, Vlad grabbed the pale boy's face, and instantly felt how cold and clammy it was. "Daniel?" he called again, trying to get a response from him, but the teen was completely dazed out. And this made the man extremely nervous. "Daniel, answer me!" he almost exclaimed, while shaking the young half-ghost lightly in hopes that it would snap him out of his daze. Fortunately, it did.

Danny took in a deep breath, before his muscles seemed to wake up. "Wha…" he slurred as his clouded eyes began to focus. The teen blinked a few times, before realizing someone was kneeling in front of him. But when he saw that that someone was his arch-enemy, his mind jolted awake, and he instantly glared at Vlad.

"Don't touch me!" Danny snarled, pushing away the billionaire's hand; only that, he did much more. And it shocked him as much as it did Vlad.

The ecto-blast hit the older-half ghost right in the chest, and he screamed as it propelled him across the kitchen, before the stove roughly brought him to a painful halt. Vlad groaned, and for a moment he thought he was going to black out, but he somehow managed to keep conscious. With his right hand pressed firmly on his aching chest, Vlad slowly attempted to stand up off the floor.

Despite the screaming pain that was now throbbing at him for some unknown reason, Danny couldn't get his eyes to look down to see where in his body this pain was coming from. With his mouth gaped open, all he could do was stare in disbelief at the man some distance away. He had not meant to _blast_ him away, especially not while in a kitchen where there were plenty of things that could explode!

Finally able to pull himself up, Vlad looked at the smoking and completely destroyed stove he had been thrown into, before glaring over at Danny, who was still sitting on the ground a few feet away. The teen had managed to close his mouth, but his eyes were still wide open.

"What the blazes is wrong with you?! We're in the kitchen, you foolish boy!" Vlad exclaimed furiously, although his heavy breathing and the hand on his chest showed he was in as much pain as he was angry.

Danny stumbled to his feet. "I-I-" At a loss of what to say or do, the teen quickly backed away from his enemy and darted out of the kitchen.

Vlad disregarded the boy's reaction all together, clearly in too much pain to think of anything else. Not feeling well enough to move yet, he leaned forward on a nearby counter using his hands, and just shut his eyes for a moment. That was without a doubt the strongest blast the boy had **ever** hit him with. And receiving it in his human form didn't help either. Hissing against the pain and ignoring his spinning head, he forced his body to move. He slowly walked out of the kitchen and towards his room, silently cursing the boy. He _really_ needed pain killer.

* * *

Visibly shaking, Danny sat on his bed, inspecting one of his hands. He couldn't believe it. The energy blast he had fired at Vlad, had **burned** his hand!

"It's never hurt me before," he mumbled fearfully. He had been so shocked by what he had done to the other half-ghost, he had ignored this sudden pain; and it wasn't until he left the kitchen that he realized that his hand was injured.

But what had Danny staring at his hand wasn't because it was burned, but because it **wasn't**! As he had walked up the stairs, his injured human hand had suddenly begun to glow white! And when the weird occurrence ended a few seconds later, the pain had left and he found his hand completely healed. Danny knew he had always healed quickly because of his ghost powers, but it had never happened as fast as this before.

Danny raked his other hand through his black hair, worry and fear in his blue eyes. "What's wrong with me? he whispered.

* * *

Vlad groaned softly as he walked into his private lab, his hand still clutching his chest. The pain killers had done very little to ease his discomfort. He had been hit so hard he actually had a bruise forming on his chest. Vlad couldn't even remember the last time _that_ had happened to him. But at the moment, his attention was solely on finding out what exactly happened in the kitchen a moment ago.

What occurred in there had confirmed his suspicions. There was something wrong with the boy. And Vlad wanted to know what.

"Requesting vital readings," he asked the mainframe, after pressing a few buttons on it to activate the boy's bracelet.

"**Vital readings being taken….Vital readings acquired." **

Vlad frowned heavily as he read off the boy's blood pressure, heart rate, and temperature, and realized they were all abnormal. But the latter of the three was the one that really caught his attention.

"92.4," he whispered in disbelief. "That can't be right…. Retake vital readings," Vlad asked the computer system.

The results were the same, or actually, slightly worse. Danny's temperature was at 91.7 Fahrenheit this time around. Vlad knew from his research that the boy's and his own human body temperatures were lower than normal because of their ghost half. But it was only slightly: a degree-and-a-half at most!

The same concept applied to their heart rate. But Daniel's was too slow right now. It was at the rate that it normally was when in ghost form, but the computer was showing he wasn't in ghost form. His human half was now acting as abnormal as his ghost half! And speaking of which…

"Requesting ectoplasmic signature readings, and ghost vital readings."

Vlad sighed worriedly as he read through the information. There was no other way to describe it: the boy was a complete mess.

The older half-ghost rubbed his temple, honestly not knowing how he was going to deal with this. He had not counted on something like this to happen, especially now. If this was some 'ghostly' growth spurt then why the blazes did it have to occur while the boy was with him?! But if Danny's human half was being affected negatively it had to be more than some power growth.

Vlad sighed. "What's happening to you, Daniel?" he asked himself, looking back at the computer screen with worry.

* * *

"Good Morning, Jasmine."

"Good Morning, Dr. Shaw," she replied back to her doctor, who had just walked into her room.

"How are you feeling today?" the male doctor asked with a smile as he gave his patient a routine check-up.

"Really good," Jazz answered honestly. Although she still got weak spells when she strained her body with too much activity, they now went away pretty quickly with a bit of food and rest. Other than that, she wasn't suffering from any of the symptoms she had experienced when she first acquired this strange illness. Jazz almost felt like her normal self again.

"I'm glad to hear it," Dr. Shaw answered, checking her heart. "And I think you'll be glad to hear I have some good news for you. But I'd like your parents to hear it, too."

Jazz smiled, clearly intrigued by what this 'good news' might be. "They stepped out for a few minutes, but they should—"

"Honey, we're back," Maddie said as she entered the room, a cup of coffee in her hand. Noticing the doctor, she smiled at him. "Dr. Shaw, you're here early."

"I had a couple of schedule changes," he answered, finishing up with his check-up. "I was just telling Jasmine that I have some good news for her."

"Then let's hear it, doc!" Jack beamed.

The doctor chuckled at the man's unrestrained excitement. "Well, as I said before, you have been showing great improvement over these past weeks, Jasmine. And although we have been unable to find why a good percent of your blood cells keep dying, your bone marrow is now successfully making up for the constant loss."

"Oh, that's wonderful news, honey!" Maddie said happily as Jack wrapped an arm around his wife in equal joy.

The doctor chuckled again. "It is, but that's not _the_ good news," he said before addressing Jazz again. "If you remain physically stable and we continue to get satisfactory blood results, then I'm going to let you go home in two more days."

"I can go home?" Jazz asked, wanting to make sure she heard right.

The doctor nodded in reply, and Jazz's face instantly lit up with a bright smile. "Of course, you will have to go on a few medications, and come in for regular visits, just so we can make sure you continue to get better. I didn't want to let you leave until we had determined the cause of your illness, but seeing how much you've improved, I believe it is very possible that your system will be able to fight of this illness on its own as long as you don't over stress it. Besides, I'm sure you miss your own bed," he finished with a smile.

Jazz sighed wistfully. "I sure do. And I'm more than ready to leave."

Dr. Shaw nodded. "I know you are," he agreed. "Well, Jasmine, I'll leave you now. I'm going to have you get a complete blood work done and also a couple stress test to check your heart's performance."

"Thanks, doc! You're a great guy!" Jack said happily, shaking the doctor's hand with enthusiasm.

The doctor slightly winced at the strength of Jack's grip, but then smiled in amusement. "Of course. I'm just glad that Jasmine has been able to pull through this so well. You have a strong daughter, Mr. Fenton," he complemented.

"Yes, she is," Maddie agreed with a smile, shaking Dr. Shaw's hand as well.

"I'll come back this evening to tell you how your tests came out," the doctor told his patient before moving to the door.

"Thank you!" Jazz called out, receiving a nod and a smile in return.

As soon as the doctor left, Jack and Maddie ran up to their daughter and covered her with hugs and kisses. "Oh, sweetie! You can finally come home!" Maddie stated happily.

Jazz nodded excitedly, although it still seemed unreal to her that after being confined to this place for over a month now, she was finally getting out. But right then, her happiness wavered as her last thought reminded her of how long her little brother had been missing now. One whole month…. How could the days have passed so quickly when each one had dragged agonizingly slow for her? Not a single clue, not a single trace, not a single anything had been found of her brother. The only thing she and Danny's friends had discovered in a month's time was what Valerie was certain she had accomplished…

A hand touching her hair in a comforting manner pushed her out of her thoughts, and she looked up. Jazz smiled sadly at her mom, realizing that she had all of the sudden gone quiet on her and her father. But her mother didn't say anything, and Jazz knew it was because she, too, had realized the same thing about Danny.

"Eat your breakfast, Jazz. We really want you home, honey," Maddie said, trying to smile, but not really managing it as she placed Jazz's food in front of her.

"And I want to be home, Mom," Jazz answered, pushing forward a grin for her mom's sake, before picking up her fork.

Jazz watched her mom sit beside her dad, who patted her hand comfortingly. But her mom's reaction to it made Jazz frown. She had moved her hand away.

Her father just sighed and silently continued drinking his coffee. But his eyes then looked over at her, and Jazz quickly looked down at her food, not wanting him to know she had seen what had just happened between him and her mom.

Jazz started on her breakfast, determined to eat all of it. She **was** getting out of here, and the first thing she was doing was looking for Danny herself. She already had a plan on how to do it, too. She would start with their own house first. She needed to make sure there wasn't anything there that could give her a hint of where Danny could be. Perhaps even something as insignificant as what he took with him could point her in some direction. Yes, her parents had looked. Yes, Sam and Tucker had looked. And yes, the authorities had looked. But none of them knew Danny like she did.

Her parents and the authorities could only do so much because they didn't know how special her little brother really was. And as for Sam and Tucker… Well, they were very close to him, and he was close to them. Jazz knew Danny shared more about his 'things' with them than he did with her. But there were things that Danny didn't share with anyone, and even if he thought they were secret only to him, she could still _see _them anyways. Jazz just needed to find something that would give her some idea of what her brother had been thinking, _feeling_ that night. If she knew, perhaps she could figure out where her brother had run away to. Because he **did** run away. She refused to believe what Valerie said.

"_I'm going to find him,"_ she thought determinedly.

* * *

Danny paced the balcony of his room in ghost form. This was too much! He couldn't deal with his ghost powers anymore! In addition to the symptoms he had had a week ago, he was now also burning holes in his sheets while asleep, and if he didn't focus mentally on **not** producing ecto-energy it would 'leak out' of his hands on its own. And what made it worse was that it kept hurting him! He also woke up today on the lounge floor--which was now no surprise to him--but the fact that he was in ghost form when he woke up was. How was it even possible for him to change into Danny Phantom while unconscious? He had no clue. But it wasn't this or the other stuff that had him pacing anxiously.

"Why can't I change back?!" he exclaimed, his hands going up. He stopped pacing, and tried once more to change into his human form, after failing consecutively for the past two hours to do so.

The rings appeared but fizzled right away. A scared sound escaped from his throat and Danny quickly tried again, this time closing his eyes. They came again, and he forced them to stay, but when he attempted to get the rings to split further away from each other, the teen began to pant in pain, feeling as if he was trying to rip off one of his own limbs. He slammed his back against the wall behind him, and let out a cry of pain as he released his mental hold on the energy rings. They instantly vanished.

Danny just slid down until he was sitting slumped against the wall. He looked up at the sky as he blinked back tears. He was scared, yes, but it was mixed with despair. He was so helpless. He didn't know what to do! What if he never changed back again and he was stuck as a ghost permanently?

The thought sent a shiver down his spine. Danny knew Vlad had noticed his… problems. How could he not? Danny had collapsed right in front of him and then blasted him across the kitchen last week. But aside from that, Danny knew this because the billionaire kept giving him weird looks every time he saw him. The teen didn't really care, of course. His arch-enemy could stare at him all he wanted as long as he didn't direct a word at him or get any closer than five feet from him.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he's responsible for this," Danny grumbled angrily, but then his expression saddened and he added, "He's been responsible for everything else."

Danny suddenly groaned as he felt a cold flash dispel throughout his body. They had gotten worse since they started. Thankfully, he wasn't human right now, because he seriously kept thinking he was dying when he experienced them in that form.

As the chilling attack passed him, he leaned his head back on the concrete wall behind him and closed his eyes, trying to ignore his pounding head and how completely sick he felt.

He also felt very weak, though he really didn't get how that was even possible when he felt he would explode from his restlessness. But maybe it was because he wasn't eating like he should again. And he was barely sleeping either. How could he when his powers wouldn't let him?

Danny took a deep breath and tried to clear his mind for a moment. He needed to change back, and he needed to do it now, or else he was going to lose it.

Keeping his eyes closed, he concentrated on turning human. The rings came and Danny once more forced them to stay. He then began to make them move, and as before, the pain came with it. He clamped his jaw shut to keep himself from crying out because if he did he would lose the will to keep going.

Danny groaned loudly as the rings _very_ slowly did what they were supposed to. If he was asked to describe how painful changing back was, he would say it was as painful as if trying to swallow a butcher knife.

Feeling his torture abruptly end, he opened his eyes, and instantly realized he was human again. But he didn't realize his eyes were still bright green…

Danny sighed in relief, and wiped away the sweat from his brow. He stood, but had to quickly hold himself with the wall.

"Whoa, dizzy," he mumbled, holding his head. "I just gotta eat something." He slowly let go of the wall, before inching back in his room.

* * *

Vlad paced in front of the main staircase. He was currently trying to find a way to approach the boy without ending up in a fight with him. Daniel was unbelievable hostile towards him—not that he didn't understand why—but the child's stubbornness… that needed to end. There was something clearly wrong with the young hybrid. It was obvious just by the feel of his ghost signature. Now, if he added the boy's jumpiness, the pale look on his face, and all the accidents Daniel was having lately, then little red 'danger' flags were basically being violently waved in front of both their faces. So then why the blazes didn't Daniel say anything to him? Why did he keep acting as if nothing was wrong with him when they both knew something was?

"Stubborn little rat!" Vlad spat disdainfully, although he was still pacing nervously about. Daniel's attitude angered him to no end, so much so, that he had to push down the urge to literally knock some blasted sense into the child. But Vlad knew that right now that would do little to help the situation. He needed to figure out what was causing the child's problem and put an end to it before it escalated any more out of control.

Since the boy blasted him in a kitchen a week ago he had been conducting a few 'experiments' without Daniel's knowledge. There was a trigger, a specific element that was causing the teen's ghost energy to mount with each day that past. And whatever this 'trigger' was it was _here_; it had gone off the moment the boy arrived. The first time Vlad had felt Daniel's energy become elevated was during the stimulation room incident some time back. He had dismissed it as nothing of importance then, but now, Vlad realized it had been the beginning symptom of the boy's current problem.

So after he had concluded that he was onto something, he decided to try a few things out to see what the trigger was. What had changed so drastically for Daniel here —aside from the obvious, that is—as oppose to when he was in Amity Park?

The first thing he had done was remove the ghost vitamins from the boy's diet. From his own experience, Vlad knew that the vitamins wouldn't increase his ghost energy level, but he needed to make sure it didn't have some unique effect on Daniel. But the boy's condition was still worsening; and he wasn't eating right and had lost weight without the vitamins. So the ghost vitamins were not the trigger.

Vlad also tried removing other things. For the past week, he told Skulker and the other ghosts that did not live here to stay away from his home, just to see if perhaps it was the presence of so many ghosts constantly around him that were upsetting Daniel's ghost side. Vlad had even gone as far as keeping himself human and out of the boy's sight all week to see if maybe his presence was somehow the cause of it. But Daniel remained the same.

Now he wondered if maybe this trigger wasn't something that **was** in the child's environment, but something that **wasn't** in his environment… But what would that be? And it wasn't the absence of his family because as stressful as it was to Daniel not to have his family, it wouldn't affect his ghost-half this severely.

Vlad sighed as he came to a dead end. If indeed the problem was something that was missing _here,_ then there was no way he could find it out without Daniel's cooperation—and he doubted he'd get it from him. But he had to get to the bottom of this, even if he had to buy another house when he was done.

Vlad was brought out his musings by the boy himself. The billionaire frowned as he watched Daniel walk down the stairs with his eyes glued to his shaking hands. Somehow, Vlad knew the teenager was trying to keep them from doing more than just shake.

Danny finally looked up, and upon noticing Vlad, he immediately slipped his hands in his pockets and glared at his enemy. The only thing Vlad could focus on was on how pale the boy was.

Danny walked right by him without saying a word, but Vlad wasn't letting him leave without getting at least a few from him.

"Daniel," Vlad called, his tone of voice clearly stating he just wanted to talk to him.

Danny halted, but didn't bother to turn around. "What?" he growled out.

Vlad sighed in order to keep his anger down. They really couldn't talk to one another without the urge of blasting each other through a wall. But Vlad considered himself a civilized and mature adult, so at least _he_ could keep that urge in check long enough to fix the boy's problem.

"Daniel, I must know. Are you feeling well?" Vlad asked with sincere concern. "If you are not I can-"

Danny chuckled bitterly, the strange and unexpected reaction choking whatever the man wanted to say. The teen finally turned around to face the billionaire, who had a look of complete confusion on his face. And seeing that the boy's eyes were green and glowing didn't help get rid of it, quite the contrary.

"What's wrong, Plasmius?" Danny asked smugly, "_Afraid_ that your—what was it that you called me, oh, yeah—_trophy_ is messed up?" he mocked, before glaring viciously at the man.

Vlad's confusion instantly became replaced by anger. What the blazes had he been thinking showing concern for this ungrateful brat? Fine, the stupid boy could deal with his blasted problem on his own! But, he was dead wrong if he believed he was going to get away with spurring his concern like that!

A cruel grin curved on Vlad's lips as he crossed his arms on his chest. "Afraid? Hardly, Daniel. I just figured I should show some concern for my… _property_. I do have to make sure it still has some value, after all." He raised an eyebrow at the boy, silently daring him on. Vlad wanted him to say something, or better yet _try_ something. He would _gladly_ respond back.

Danny's hands balled into fists, wanting nothing more than to attack this jerk. How dare he call him 'his property'? How dare he talk to him like he was nothing more than a _thing_?!

Danny took a step forward, ready to call forth his ghost half that literally wanted to explode out of him. However, he immediately halted when his mind quickly reminded him how painful it was to do anything with his ecto-energy.

Danny gritted his teeth as he stared at Vlad with hateful eyes, while his mind whirled with dark thoughts. But then, he looked away, turned, and left without a single word.

Vlad felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on him when he saw this. Had the boy actually just walked away from him?! That remarked should have at the least gotten him an ecto-blast from Daniel!

Vlad cursed himself as he realized how foolish he had just acted. He should have not let his anger get to him like that. He had just lost any chance of getting the boy to tell him what was wrong! The billionaire looked worriedly at the direction Danny had left in, but then he shook his head and walked up the stairs.

Neither he nor Danny realized that the house had slightly trembled when they had been on the verge of fighting each other.

* * *

Later that day, Danny had retreated to his room. He had tried to have lunch, but eating had made him nauseous, so in the end, he didn't bother with it. It was now six in the evening, and all he wanted to do was stay in bed. And so, he currently sat there with his legs huddled against his chest, while gazing at himself from the dresser mirror that was a few feet away. The teenage had finally realized that his eyes had been green all day… But he felt too horrible to try to do anything more about it. He was so cold right now that his whole body was shivering. But what he was most now was exhausted. He wanted to sleep so badly, but something within his body wouldn't let him!

Danny rested his chin on his knees as his thoughts drifted back to Vlad. He couldn't believe the man had the nerve to pretend he cared about what was happening to him. He hadn't hesitated to make him suffer all those times before; he hadn't hesitated to hurt him now by keeping him here; did that jerk really think that he could make him believe he cared now?

Danny hated the other half-ghost more than he could bear to. He felt so angry not just with Vlad but with himself, and he didn't know how to vent it anymore. Or maybe he didn't _want_ to vent it since then all that would be left on the surface was fear and sorrow.

Danny had been masking how much being here was affecting him by using his hate and anger. He wanted to make the man responsible for it suffer like he was. But he didn't have the strength of mind that hate and anger required any longer; he didn't have any strength for revenge. Besides, all those other times he had tried it never made his own suffering any less painful. It was pointless.

Danny sighed, before standing up to go get his pajamas from the closet. He didn't want to think about Vlad; he didn't want to think about anything. He just wanted to go to sleep, and he was going to try to do just that. He needed it.

* * *

Vlad frowned as he recalled how his chef had informed him that the younger hybrid had not been down to eat since lunch. This had tempted Vlad to go check on Danny… But in the end, he decided against it. The boy wasn't going to cooperate, so there was no point. Perhaps tomorrow he would try to approach Daniel again, and if need be, strap him down on an examination table by force.

Vlad looked at the large grandfather clock in his living room and saw it was eight at night. He looked back at the book he had been reading for a moment, but then closed it and put it aside. Picking up his cup of tea on the table, he leaned back on the couch with a sigh.

Things were not going as he had planned, and although he had had past plans go wrong and even fail, this time it bothered him more than any those other times. It was just that this plan had seemed so solid, that there wasn't any chance of it being foiled. But the cost of such a complex and--dare he say-- perfect plan was that he had played every move; he had risked everything to create this plan. The boy's and his own secrets were hanging precariously in the balance with this. He had sacrificed the woman he loved by putting her daughter in danger and taking away her son. And what had he accomplished so far? Nothing, besides give himself a huge headache and a problem in the form of an aggressive, stubborn, and unstable young hybrid.

"_Maybe…Maybe bringing him here by force wasn't the best idea…"_ The sudden thought made Vlad frown heavily. But then he shrugged it off. He needed to stop thinking so negatively. He had spent too much effort towards this plan to just throw in the towel now. So what if things were not going as smoothly as he wanted; if there was one thing he was better at than planning things out, it was turning 'bumps in the road' into something of gain. He wasn't giving up. He would get something out of this; even if that something had to just be making his young rival, and more importantly, Jack, miserable.

He sighed once more as he put his tea down. "I'm going to bed," he decided, grabbing his book and standing up. Everything would turn out as he wanted; he just needed to be patient… Even if Daniel was making it almost impossible for him…

Feeling a headache surfacing, Vlad quickly decided to push the boy away from his thoughts. He would deal with that 'bundle of troubles' tomorrow. …Vlad could only hope tomorrow would take its time in coming.

* * *

Danny sat up on his bed. As much as he tried, he just couldn't sleep. The teen looked over at a full size mirror he hadn't noticed before and sighed in relief when he looked at his reflection. At least he was still human and had not phased through the bed.

He huddled his white sheets closer to his body, feeling impossibly cold. For a moment, the boy buried his aching head into his hands and just listened to the silence around him. But then he sighed and whispered, "I want to go home."

It was always at night that he had the hardest time with his situation. Everything was quiet and his troubled mind could only linger on what he no longer had. He was all alone; his loved ones were so far away they felt gone. It had been his fault. All of it had been his fault for being selfish. Or was it for trying to be the hero? He didn't know. All he knew was that they were gone and he was the only one left. He was left with a never-ending hurt in his heart. He wanted it go away. He wanted to make the hurt go away. How could he make it go away?

"_Danny…"_

The boy looked up and stared at his surroundings. Was someone in here? He thought he had heard someone whisper his name… Danny looked around the small area once more, and not seeing anyone dismissed it. But then:

"Danny."

He gasped and his eyes widened in alarm. This time it had been clear. And it sounded like...

"Jazz?" he whispered into the dark room. He stared around, his breathing quickly becoming rigid. "Oh man…I'm going crazy." He couldn't be hearing his sister. She was gone. It wasn't poss--

"Danny."

Danny jumped to his feet, the rugged room silencing the thump his action made. This time it was Tucker's voice.

"Danny…" Sam's voice called.

Now breathing heavily, Danny shook his head, trying to desperately clear his mind. They were gone; they couldn't be talking to him! But even with his denial, he kept hearing his family and friends voices calling to him, questioning him, and even blaming him…

"Danny."

"Where are you, Danny?"

"Danny."

"Danny, come back."

"Sweetheart!"

"How could you leave, Danny?!"

"Son, Please!"

"Danny! How could you let this happen to us?!"

"Everything's your fault, Danny!"

"Danny!"

"Danny!"

"Danny!"

"STOP!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. But they didn't stop. They never stopped. They continued, growing louder and louder.

Danny grabbed his head, while his whole body violently shook, "It's not real," he told himself over and over again as tears welled up in his eyes. However, no matter how many times he tried to convince himself he was just hearing things, the voices didn't go away.

"Please, just stop!" he pleaded as a sob racked his throat and many more followed. He stumbled to his dresser and supported himself on it while his sobs got stronger. But then he somehow found himself looking up at the dresser mirror, and he instantly screamed in horror.

Danny backed away in disbelief and fear as he stared at his own reflection in the mirror. He had turned into his ghost form without even knowing, but his eyes were not green or blue, they were blood red!

Suddenly his entire room began to glow red, and before he could even ponder the occurrence he felt something within him explode out.

Danny fell to his knees with a choked cry of pain. His entire being had become consumed by mind-numbing pain! The agony came in merciless waves from within, and all he could do was whimper. All he could do was feel how the pain began to destroy him. His skin that was now as cold as ice began to crack around his face while his tongue slowly ripped apart down the middle as it changed in shape. But then his teeth also changed shaped. They were growing pointed… like fangs…

It was then, in the back of his mind that he knew what was taking place, and all he could do was hold himself, scream, and let it happen. He felt it all. He felt how his ears stretched, how his eyes' pupils were burned away by red ectoplasm, and how his white hair exploded into raging white flames. He could also see it all somehow, and so he knew that his skin had turned a deathly blue, and that as the seconds passed by his features were continuing to change, turning into something, _someone_ that he knew and feared above anyone else…

And the entire time his body suffered through this torture, his loved ones voices were still there, torturing his heart. But now there was a new voice; the voice of that someone he feared above all; and it had come to torture him mentally. The owner of the voice laughed sinisterly, taunting him for becoming what he said he would never become, until finally repeating a phrase he had once said to him. And the single phrase sent a bottomless fear into Danny's very soul.

"_I'm still here, I still exist, that means you still turn into me."_

"NO!"

* * *

Vlad abruptly sat up on his bed, his eyes wide and his right hand clutching his burning chest. He felt like his insides were on fire, and yet, his outer body felt as cold as if it were submerged in freezing water. A gasp of disbelief suddenly escaped him as he realized what exactly the burning sensation was. Immediately, he threw off his covers, and actually ran out of his room.

"_It can't be!"_ he thought as he headed straight for the boy's room. But the shaking house that shook more violently the closer he got to the young half-ghosts room said otherwise.

Abruptly, Vlad cried out in pain and fell to his knees. He clutched his chest, trying to push down the strength of his ghost sense. The boy's ecto-signature was so strong it was painful!

Vlad got to his feet with great effort while ignoring the red smoke coming out of his mouth and burning his lips as it exited. He knew this had never happened to him, but right now it was the last thing on his mind. He suppressed his ghost sense the best he could as he quickly made it to his intended destination. Vlad didn't hesitate to push open the door, but the instant he did, he wished he hadn't.

The older hybrid's eyes were wide and fixed as he took in the sight before him. The boy's entire room was glowing with green energy, and everything within it was encased in a green hue and levitating in the air! If the rumbling outside the room had been bad, the rumbling inside it was worse as that the ceilings and walls were cracking under the pressure. But it didn't end there. The temperature in the teen's room was so low it had become an actual freezer! The walls and other objects were covered in layers of ice, and icicles hung from just about everywhere in the room. And the cause of the whole thing was the worst sight of all.

In the middle of the room, lying on the levitating bed was the boy in ghost form, trashing about wildly on top of it. And although he held his usual ghostly appearance, he was glowing bright green, while incased in raw ecto-energy that spun and whirled violently around him.

Pushing away his fear and disbelief, Vlad ran to the Danny's side, before gasping. "He's asleep!" he cried out in horror. It was impossible! How could the boy hold his ghost form while unconscious?! Or worse yet, how was he shaking the entire house and levitating everything in his room without knowledge of it?!

"Daniel! Wake up!' Vlad screamed, reaching for the white-haired teen through the vortex of energy covering him.

"AHH!" the older half-ghost cried out as the violent green barrier instantly flung him away from the young half-ghost and threw him against a far wall. Vlad gasped out in pain, feeling as if he had just been punched by a freight train. He looked up at Danny, fear coating his eyes, but he pushed himself up, and quickly called forth his ghost powers.

Vlad lit his hands with red energy, knowing that he had to wake the boy up one way or another, especially since it was obvious he was having a nightmare. He fired a blast straight at the boy, but his attack bounced right off the vortex of energy that covered Danny, and it came right back at him. The man cried out again as his own ecto-energy hit him on the shoulder.

However, the force with which Vlad's ecto-energy had struck the boy's own energy was enough to stir the teen somehow. Danny abruptly sat up, his green eyes snapping wide open as he did. But the situation only worsened with his waking.

Danny screamed out in agony, feeling like his body was on fire and his head was going to explode. He didn't see anything of what was happening around him; he didn't even know what was happening to him. All he knew was pain, and how it was ripping him apart from the inside out.

Vlad didn't have time to react to the screaming boy. He was forced to bring his cape up, and shield his face from the ceiling lights that suddenly began to explode. But it didn't stop there. Plasmius felt a genuine wave of fear wash over him as pieces of furniture and other things began to explode and disintegrate before his very eyes from the massive energy covering them.

"DANIEL, STOP THIS!" he screamed in panic, just as the ceiling began to fall. "DANIEL!" he continued, backing away from Danny as he felt the boy's raw energy trying to encase and destroy him as it had done to just about everything else near him.

Danny faintly heard someone screaming, but he didn't know what he or she was saying, or _if_ they were saying anything. The teen just continued to cry out in pain, his hands clutching his head in order to keep it from finally exploding. He didn't know it was possible to be in any more agony than he was, until his pain grew to an unbearable new level. There was a force inside him that burst through him like an over-flowing wild river would a dam, and as much as he tried to push it back or gain come control over it, he couldn't. He was completely overwhelmed by the powerful and painful force.

Vlad snapped out of his fear-induced paranoia when he saw the boy's ecto-energy grow stronger and brighter. He was putting an end to this **right now**. He quickly whirled his cape around himself, and vanished in a swirl of pink smoke.

In a matter a seconds, the older hybrid returned to the room with the Plasmius Maximus in hand. He powered the device as he walked intangibly towards the boy, so to avoid the things floating and exploding around him, as well as the actual ghost energy that was consuming everything it touched. Turning the maximus intangible long enough to pass it through the green vortex around the boy, he thrust it forward without hesitation, and it made contact with Danny's back.

The device instantly sparked, sending electrical waves of energy to disrupt Danny's own ecto-energy. The results, however, were horrifying. The teen screamed even louder, and the spinning vortex around him grew and became more violent.

Vlad, too, screamed as the Plasmius Maximus exploded in his very hand, the device unable to withstand the raw energy it was trying to suppress. But the electrical waves continued to course through the boy even though the device they had come from had been destroyed. Then faster than Vlad could react, the boy's energy manifested itself in a new and deadly form.

The green waves of Danny's ghost wail exploded forward, and as they did, the force they held sent Plasmius unwillingly flying backwards even though he had not been in front of the boy to receive the full impact of them. The older half-ghost crashed straight through the dresser mirror that broke into pieces upon impact, and soon buried his unmoving form with its glass and wooden remains.

Right after, the electrical energy from the Plasmius Maximus that was still running through Danny's system **finally** overpowered the teen's own energy, and the violent vortex instantly vanished, as well as the boy's ghost wail.

Danny grabbed his throat as a new, yet familiar pain reemerged within it, unaware that at that instant his energy rings appeared and changed him to his human self. Danny's exhausted body leaned forward on its own accord, and his face fell into his hands. His murky and unfocused mind knew nothing expect that his torture had ended.

No one ever saw how everything had fallen back on the ground, breaking from impact or landing with a loud bang the instant the boy's powers ceased. All that was left was the destruction they had caused. And the pieces of melting ice, the only signs of the room's once freezing temperature.

With all the lights in the room ruined, and no ecto-energy present, the room turned pitch black, and the only thing that could be heard through the eerie silence was Danny's heavy breathing. But then a groan came from Vlad's direction.

The man pushed himself out of the pile of wood and glass, and slowly sat up. For a moment all he could do was grasp his spinning head and attempt to breathe evenly. Regaining some coherency in his clouded mind, he wobbled to his feet as he barely realized he was no longer in ghost form. Holding his injured side, Vlad looked down at the barely visible debris around him, trying to figure out where in the world he was and what had just happened to him. He gasped when he suddenly remembered.

Vlad willed energy to come forth from his right hand, and the room quickly illuminated with a blue hue. He looked at the younger hybrid, who was still hunched forward in the same position on his bed, with fear and disbelief in his eyes.

"Daniel?" Vlad questioned, not sure if this boy in front of him really was the one he knew after witnessing everything he had done.

Danny heard the man's voice break through his tormented mind. He was so confused. He didn't understand anything that had happened. The voices… his family's, his friends'… his evil self's… he had heard them all, hadn't he? No, that would mean he also turned into _him_, into his evil self! He felt it! He felt as he turned into him! Did it really happen? Or… had it all been a dream?

Danny looked up at Vlad, with only fear and confusion in his blue eyes. His gaze slowly moved to his surroundings, and his breathing instantly began to pick up as he saw all the destruction around him, suddenly realizing that somehow he had done it all. But how? How did he do this?

The teen looked down at himself, trying to figure out how this was happening, how he had destroyed so much. But then, he seemed to recall that the other half-ghost was in the room with him, and he looked back up at him.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?" Danny screamed in fear, his stomach instantly knotting with dread.

Vlad was taken aback by the boy's question, but then his eyes narrowed and his shaken nerves exploded. "STUPID BOY! I'M NOT DOING ANYTHING TO YOU!"

The man's hands balled into tight fists, wanting nothing more than to strangle the teen in front of him. What the blazes was wrong with the brat? Why did he blame everything on him?

Seeing Danny's gaze move towards the destroyed dresser, and the teen's body begin to visibly shake, Vlad unclenched his hands and sighed. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temple for a moment, trying to calm himself. The boy was obviously very wound up, and letting his anger and own shaken nerves get to him was not going to help any of this.

Vlad looked back at Danny with a serious expression. After witnessing everything that happened, this whole issue finally made sense to Vlad. There was no doubt in his mind of what was causing the teen's powers to spiral out of control like this.

"Daniel," he began in a calm tone, "When was the last time you **used** your ghost powers?"

But Danny didn't hear the question; he didn't even hear the man's voice. His mind was too wrapped up in his surroundings. He couldn't believe he had done all this.

"_What's happening to me?" _he thought frantically, not realizing he had just wrapped his arms around his body.

He had done this. He had caused this destruction. His powers… his evil powers…They were turning him into a monster; they were turning him into _that. _Into what he said he'd never become. But he was…He was becoming _him_. He felt it…It hadn't been a dream. It had been real! All of it!

"Daniel!" Vlad shouted, not liking how the boy's eyes were fixed and glazed, like he was under a spell. But the young half-ghost remained unresponsive, making Vlad extremely nervous. He grabbed Danny's shoulders, and tried again, "Daniel? Daniel! Daniel, snap out of it!" he exclaimed, actually shaking the boy at the end.

Danny's mind jolted back to reality and his eyes quickly snapped towards Vlad's own. The teen just stared at him for a moment, but then his eyes widened with fear and realization, as if he finally realized who he was staring at.

Danny let out a sudden and terror-filled scream, causing Vlad to jump back in alarm and release his hold on the boy.

"N-NO! GET AWAY!" Danny yelled, frantically scuttling away from his enemy until his back was pressed against what remained of his bed's backboard.

The boy's reaction sent a wave of cold fear over Vlad, and he froze. "Daniel?" he asked shakily, not understanding why the boy was looking at him with horror. He dared to take a step forward, and instantly wished he hadn't.

"NO!" Danny screamed, quickly grabbing the first thing that he touched, and throwing it at the older hybrid.

Vlad gasped as a piece of broken lamp came his way, but he narrowly avoided it by turning intangible. "Daniel, stop!" Vlad shouted when Danny threw something else at him. He quickly moved towards the boy and grabbed his arms before he could throw anything else.

An anguished and panicked cry tore through the teen's throat as a result, and he immediately began to struggle, trying desperately to get away from the person retraining him. "NO! LET ME GO! I'M NOT HIM! YOU CAN'T! PLEASE, NO! I CAN'T!" he screamed hysterically as he continued trashing wildly against Vlad.

"Daniel! What are you talking about?! Stop it! You're delirious! Just calm down!"

But the boy wouldn't calm down. He just continued to scream and fight to get away from Vlad. Realizing that restraining him was making him more hysterical, the older half-ghost let go.

Danny immediately backed away from Vlad, but he didn't realize that he was moving closer to the bed's edge until it was too late.

"Daniel!" Vlad exclaimed when he saw the teen fall backwards off the bed. The man quickly ran to the other side of the bed, and got there just in time to see Danny scooting into the space between the night stand and the bed.

To the young half-ghost's dismay he had not been able to fit under the bed, so he just pushed himself as far into the corner as he could, hoping with all his might that it would protect him enough from his enemy. Vlad was doing this! He was trying to drive him crazy! He was trying to turn him into that thing, just like he had in the alternate future! He wanted to turn him evil!

Vlad tried to approach Danny again, but the results were the same. "NO! STOP! STAY AWAY! I WON'T TURN INTO HIM! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!"

Vlad halted his steps. "Daniel, calm down," he pleaded, but the boy just whimpered and covered his head with his hands. The billionaire looked grief-stricken. He didn't know what to do! His presence was upsetting the young half-ghost terribly, but he couldn't leave him like this!

He took one step closer, ignoring the trembling boy's whimpers. "Daniel, I know you're frightened by what happened, but you need to calm down. Let me help you. Everything will be fine."

Vlad approached Danny, and kneeled beside him. "Daniel?"

"Please…no," the boy cried out softly, pressing his hands closer to his head.

"No, what, Daniel?" Vlad asked worriedly, carefully placing a hand on the boy's shoulder.

It was all Danny could take.

A sob racked out of the boy's throat, followed by another, and another.

Vlad's eyes widened, dread and disbelief immobilizing him as he stared at the weeping boy. He had never seen or heard him cry before.

"Go a-away. P-Please… don't hurt me," Danny pleaded through his sobs.

Vlad's breathing accelerated after hearing the teen's plea, and he immediately moved his hand from Danny's shoulder. He quickly stumbled to his feet, but just stood there, gazing down at the crying child, one of his hands reflexively covering his mouth. He couldn't believe it. The boy had completely lost it.

"What have I done?" he whispered fearfully.

Vlad just watched Danny as he continued to hold himself into a tight ball and sob freely. But the sick feeling in his stomach and the light-headedness made him realize he _needed_ to leave. And needed to leave right now.

Vlad slowly back away until he was against the door frame. The man looked absolutely terrified, and it was only when he forced himself to call off his light energy, which shrouded the room and Danny into darkness, did he finally manage to look away from the teen.

He couldn't see him, but he could still hear him. And he continued to hear the boy all the way down the hallway as he left towards his own room.

He continued to hear him and even see him when he got there. For the image and the sound of the broken boy was embedded in his mind. And he asked himself the same question from before.

What had he done?

* * *

-Grabs Vlad muse and flees-


	28. Chapter 27: Surrender

**Author's notes at the end.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom**

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Chapter 27: Surrender

Vlad sat in the living room, drinking some tea that was supposed to be relaxing his nerves. But as he could plainly see by his shaking hands, the tea was doing him no good. He still could not believe what had happened last night. What he had seen…and heard…

The billionaire glared at the tea in his hands. How could he have blinded himself with anger in such a way? He should have done something before things got to the point they did last night. He wanted the younger hybrid to submit to him, not to drive him over the edge!

But that's not all that had Vlad worried. It was also what he had discovered during those events yesterday….The amount of power unveiled within the boy was like nothing he had ever seen before. The young half-ghost had actually shaken the entire mansion without even realizing it! How could Daniel have so much raw energy within him and hold any remote of control over it as he did? Not only that, but also the things the teenager actually did in his own room… Levitation, ice formation, encasing himself in pure ecto-energy, disintegrating things without touching them…. The boy held abilities he himself wasn't even aware of yet. Daniel had no idea the amount of mental and physical power he possessed!

If Vlad was certain Danny Phantom belonged at his side before, he was dead-set on that belief now. His young rival _needed_ him…and besides, as much as the billionaire hated to admit it, it wouldn't be too long before the teen would surpass him in power. And he could not afford that kind of opposition… Still, the boy had a long way to go before that happened. Yes, Daniel's level of power was awing, but with his lack of control, it was just as dangerous. This is why the young half-ghost needed him. The boy simply didn't have enough knowledge on the usage of his powers to keep up with their fast development. And this was what truly worried the older half-ghost. Daniel was a ticking time bomb, and his elevation of energy had triggered him.

Since last night, the billionaire had understood what was currently causing the boy's explosion of energy. Daniel produced _so much_ ecto-energy that he needed to constantly use it in large amounts to keep his ghost half stable. The problem was the boy had not been doing that. Yes, Vlad knew the young half-ghost went flying often… but it just wasn't enough _for him_.

But the boy's condition was not a completely unique thing. Vlad, too, needed to use his ghost energy to keep it stable, but unlike Danny, the older half-ghost just needed to transform into his ghost half—preferably every day-- to do so. The teenager, on the other hand, needed to physically release ghost energy to maintain stability. Ironically enough, Danny's fights with Vlad and his other enemies that had occured at the billionaire's castle all this time had actually helped the young hybrid. It was why the boy's elevated energy had stabilized right after the training room incident, and after his violent fights with the older half-ghost himself.

But then, Vlad had put a halt to their fights by either ending them quickly or ignoring the teenager, and that's when the boy's deterioration began… Indeed, it was ironic. Also, now that he thought about it, keeping Daniel locked in a cage in _human form_ for a day had not been the best idea. It had only worsened the teen's condition.

The billionaire now knew what Daniel was missing here that he had back at Amity Park: ghost hunting. Back home the boy was always using his energy to capture and fight ghosts. And so without that here, Danny had no outlet for the energy that was naturally growing within him.

Vlad sighed. "Unfortunately, there is nothing I can do to stop his ghost half from producing so much ectoplasmic energy. But I still need to get him to **use** it… and that is a problem in itself…" The man frowned thoughtfully, before lowering his tea and setting it on the table. He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temple as his thoughts shifted.

What was he going to do now? His plan had completely crumbled after what happened. Had the boy's breakdown been momentary, or was it permanent? And if it was the latter, would Danny ever be the same again?

Vlad didn't know. But he did know what he saw and heard last night. Daniel's wall of anger had shattered yesterday. The wall he always put up to hide his true feelings from him—not that it really worked with Vlad-- was gone. And although a side of him told the man that he should feel some sort of accomplishment in that, he didn't. He didn't because it wasn't just the boy's anger that had fallen apart last night, but everything else. There had been nothing, not even hate. All that was left in the boy was just pure fear… fear towards him…and even himself…?

Vlad's eyebrows creased. Was that possible? Was Daniel actually afraid of himself? That's what it seemed last night. And why had he kept screaming that he wouldn't turn into '_him'_? Surely the boy wasn't referring to _him,_ or wouldn't Daniel have shouted 'I won't turn into you' instead?

Vlad tapped his lips for a moment, but then shrugged. The boy was just delusional. He had clearly been dreaming when he had found him, so he probably thought his nightmare had been real or something of the sort.

"_Must have been __**some**__ dream,"_ Vlad thought with a frown. And what made it worse was that Daniel's ghost energy just so happened to reach its peak while the boy had been asleep last night. It was still unbelievable that Daniel was asleep in ghost form, but now that he realized what exactly the teen's problem was and how severe it was, it all made sense.

Vlad sighed once more, before looking at his grandfather clock which read '5:02am'. The billionaire's mind felt blurry and his body ached from the abuse it received several hours ago. And although his entire being was screaming for sleep, he just couldn't make himself do it. He had been awake since he left the boy. He had wondered all night—and was still wondering--how Daniel was doing. Something within him kept nagging at him to go check on the young half-ghost, but he just couldn't. As much as he wanted to approach him, he… feared what he might find. No, he couldn't see him… And besides, he would just risk making things worse… if he could make them any worse…

Vlad suddenly scowled and crossed his arms. He _hated_ how his conscience kept paying him visits since the boy got here. Now that the man wasn't so shocked by what had occurred, he could not believe the words he had uttered. _'What had __**he**__ done?'_ Why the blazes had he kept thinking that? He had not done anything! It wasn't his fault the boy couldn't control his powers! It wasn't his fault Daniel was so stubborn! He had tried to help the teen several times, and each time he spurred away his efforts! So how was any of this his doing?!

The older half-ghost eyes flashed red. This wasn't his fault. It wasn't his fault his supposedly 'best friend' ruined his life. It wasn't his fault Daniel was the son of that fat idiot who also ruined his own child's life. **It wasn't his fault the young half-ghost kept getting in his way!**

"_He_ chose this and now he can accept the consequences," the billionaire growled. If the boy would have just joined him from the very beginning, **none** of this would have happened!

"_But it did happen,"_ his conscience whispered back, instantly snuffing away his anger. He couldn't argue with that.

Vlad looked towards his tea cup with worry. He silently hoped Daniel was fine. The truth was, he didn't want to destroy the boy; he just wanted him at his side. That's what this whole plan had been about. And now there was no denying it had not worked.

"Vlad?"

The man snapped his head up, and his eyes instantly widened at the sight of the young hybrid standing at the entrance way of the living room. But all he could do was stare at Danny as his mind flooded with questions and emotions. Oddly, the strongest of his emotions was _fear._ And, for some reason, the most pressing question that emerged was: Why was Daniel using his first name? Since discovering that he had been responsible for Jasmine's condition, the boy had never once called him "Vlad"... Instead, the teenager had referred to him by his ghost name: Plasmius. Since all this started, the boy only saw him as his enemy, so then… why the change now?

Danny lowered his gaze from the billionaire, unable to suppress the shiver of fear caused by the man's stare. But he had to come. He had to come see Vlad… because he couldn't take this anymore. And there was no point hiding what his enemy had clearly seen last night. He had tried so hard to stay strong, to keep the older half-ghost from seeing how much all this had been affecting him, to fight back… But he couldn't anymore. He felt like he was drowning, like he couldn't breathe… like he was dying in every way possible. And only one thing could save him.

Danny looked up at his arch-enemy, his eyes coated with nothing but desperation as he pleaded, "I want to go home."

Vlad just blinked at the boy. He had not expected that, but then again, he had not expected to hear the boy beg like he had last night. Brushing away his surprise, the man's mind began to work at full speed. What was he supposed to say to something so simple, yet powerful as this? Obviously, he wasn't about to let Daniel do that… but what should he say? His mind suddenly halted. There was something he had to find out right away. He needed to know how unstable the boy really was.

Vlad raised an eyebrow at Danny, before chuckling lightly. "Dear boy, you are home," he said in his usual demeanor.

Danny shook his head as his eyes lowered once more, but this time, his breathing began to grow shaky.

"Really, Daniel," Vlad continued, "how long are you going to be in denial? After all this time you have been here, I thought that had become clear to you."

The teen began to tremble as he heard the man's words. Vlad wasn't sure, but it seemed like the young half-ghost was trying to hold something in.

"Stop," Danny whispered.

Vlad frowned. "What do you mean, my boy? I'm just-"

"Stop," Danny pleaded louder, his voice slightly cracking, but he still didn't look at Vlad.

The billionaire paused for a moment, but then continued, this time sounding somewhat annoyed. "This is your home now, Daniel, so you should-"

"STOP IT!" Danny suddenly screamed, his human body igniting with a green hue while he stared at his enemy with pupil-less, glowing green eyes. "DON'T YOU GET IT? YOU'VE WON!"

Vlad gasped as the boy's shout caused the lights to flicker wildly. But then as Danny continued, the house began to rumble as well. "ISN'T THAT ENOUGH FOR YOU? WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT?" he asked in desperation, only to abruptly fall to his knees as his elevated ghost energy became too much.

Danny breathed heavily, clearly in pain but he was determined to finish, "Look… no more… games, Vlad. P-Please, just stop…. Stop doing this to me. I-I…can't-"

But he was unable to finish; a cold flash spread rapidly through his human body leaving him paralyzed and gasping for air. He didn't realize that the entire living room had just been encased by the same green hue his own body held, and that the items in the room had begun to lift up off the ground.

Vlad had been so taken aback by the boy's shouts, he had frozen in place. But when he felt the couch he was on beginning to move just like everything else around him, he snapped back to his senses.

"Daniel, calm down," he asked, quickly approaching the teenager who had his head lowered and his hands wrapped around himself.

But Danny didn't calm down, and Vlad became more nervous as the boy did quite the opposite. Danny began to tremble even more violently and his breathing accelerated as he felt his ghost energy flare to a painful new level.

Vlad immediately grabbed the boy's chin and held it up, only for his eyes to meet with ones that were currently glowing …greenish yellow? The sight shocked the billionaire even more. Danny's energy was so elevated his green energy was close to changing color!

"Daniel, you **have to** calm yourself," Vlad said, sounding almost as desperate as the boy had a moment ago."The Plasmius Maximus was damaged with your last energy flare, and if you have another one, you are going to bring the entire house down on both of us! **Now** **Concentrate**!"

Tears sprang into Danny's eyes as he shook his head in response. "I-I can't."

"**Yes, you can!"** Vlad shouted back, grabbing the boy's shoulders tightly. "They're _your_ powers, Daniel! So control them!"

Danny gasped in pain as he felt his body ignite with more ghostly energy. He clutched his arms tighter around himself and wrenched his eyes shut, trying desperately to stop his ecto-energy from overwhelming him completely, somehow knowing that if it did, it would be the end of him. But suppressing his energy was like trying to hold down the water in a pressurized valve with only his hands. He couldn't do it!

In truth, Vlad cared very little if the boy brought down his castle anymore. He knew he could protect them both if he had to. His fear was really for Danny himself. The excess energy was too raw for his human body to bear! It could destroy him if he let his energy get to the point it had last night! And although Vlad knew of one other way to short circuit the boy's powers, he didn't dare think of trying that again, especially not when he was in human form. Shorting the teen's powers while they were so elevated so frequently could leave the boy with irreversible damage!

Vlad ignored the pain he suddenly felt as the green hue around Danny began to glow brighter, burning his hands that still held the teenager's shoulders. He also ignored the hot red smoke now streaming out of his own mouth. "Daniel, listen to me. You must regain control of your powers. You have to push them back! **Your ghost half will obey you, but you have to force it back!**"

Danny didn't know why, but his enemy's words kept him from giving up. Vlad was right; he couldn't let his evil ghost half win!

Gritting his teeth together, the boy fought against his powers, against his ghost half trying to explode out of him, trying to gain _control_ of him. And he slowly began to win the battle.

Vlad sighed in relief as the green hue surrounding the boy's body slowly disappeared, stopping the ghostly effects the ecto-energy had been causing on the house.

Danny felt the pressure and pain his energy was putting on his body and mind gradually ease away. But when his body involuntarily took on his ghostly form, it became obvious his elevated energy was still barely being suppressed.

Danny was unable to keep in a pained cry as he changed into Danny Phantom, while Vlad, who had been forced to look away the instant the boy's blinding rings had come to life, was unable to stop the shiver that shot down his spine as the room's temperature suddenly dropped.

The older half-ghost grabbed the exhausted and shaking boy and lifted him to his feet. He cringed in fear when he noticed how abnormally cold and transparent the boy was. Without words, he led the teenager to his less damaged couch and sat him down.

"Derek?" Vlad called after pressing a button on a nearby intercom.

The ghost quickly materialized in the room, looking extremely nervous. Clearly, the shaking house had not gone unnoticed by the butler. "Y-Yes, S-Sir?"

"Bring me a hot tea," Vlad ordered, but then mouthed something extra that the ghost understood and nodded to, before vanishing.

Danny kept staring at his hands while trying to steady his breathing. But his eyes were fixed, clearly lost in thought.

"Are you alright?" Vlad asked, walking closer to the teen and staring down at him.

Danny lifted his gaze to the man, looking slightly calmer. "Vlad…Let me go home. Please don't keep me here anymore," he asked, his voice and green eyes pleading at his enemy.

"No, Daniel," Vlad answered in a cold and definite voice, before he sat on the single-seat sofa that faced the boy.

Danny looked back down at his hands, forcing himself to stay calm despite that his breathing and heart rate were increasing. He couldn't bare this torture anymore. He needed to see them! He _needed_ to know they still **existed**… Or he was going to go crazy …if he hadn't already.

"Then let me see them!" he pleaded loudly, staring at the man in desperation again.

Vlad glared at the boy, "You are not going anywhere. Get this clear in your head, Daniel: they are your past, and _this_ is your present and future. I strongly recommend that you get use to that."

Danny shook his head at him. "No…Please," he whispered. "You don't understand; I need them. I _need_ to see them. Please, what do you want, Vlad? I'll do whatever you want… I'll give you whatever you want," he said, trying to find some way to get through to the older half-ghost, to make him understand how much he needed them.

But Vlad wasn't swayed in the slightest by the begging boy. "Enough, Daniel, you know full well there is _nothing_ you could possibly do to convince me to let you go. I don't want a thing from you, understand?"

Danny fisted his hands in his white hair and whimpered from despair. How could anyone be so heartless? Why didn't Vlad understand? Why was he doing this?! The man wasn't gaining anything by keeping him here! And he just said he didn't want _anything_ from him! So then why was he forcing him to--

Danny caught his breath as his mind realized something. This wasn't the first time Vlad had said those words to him… He had said them in the limo the day he gave him the ultimatum of coming here in order to keep his sister safe…But Vlad had said more that day…

"_What do you want from me?" _

"_**From**__ you? Not a thing. It is __**you**__ who I want, Daniel; the moment I met you I knew you were meant to be __my__ son…__**you**__, my boy, belong at my side."_

Understanding coated Danny's eyes. "You want me," he whispered more to himself than Vlad. The teen had not paid much attention, let alone thought about everything the man had said to him that day; his mind had been so stuck on his enemy's blackmail that it was all he had focused on. But now…he understood. Vlad's whole scheme; from hurting his sister to letting him do whatever he wanted around here…All of it was for the sole purpose of forcing him to be at his side. Sure Danny knew that the evil half-ghost wanted him to 'join him'_._ But since he had never even pondered the thought of doing so, he never really realized what that implied; what it would mean.

Vlad wanted him to completely surrender to him. It wasn't just about renouncing his father like the man had once said to him; it was about renouncing **himself**. Vlad wanted **him …**Why hadn't he realized this before? Everything made sense now. His enemy wanted him, and he… wanted his loved ones… It was so simple.

Vlad raised an eyebrow at the boy, unsure of what he had whispered and why he had suddenly calmed so quickly. The teenager soon made him realize both.

Danny's hands relaxed and he removed them from his hair, before looking up at Vlad with expressionless eyes. "You said you wanted me."

Vlad frowned at the boy's words. What was he talking about? Was he delirious again? But then he realized--or at least thought he had—what Danny was talking about and quickly adapted an indifferent expression on his face. "Look around you, dear boy. I already have you," he replied, leaning back on the couch in a casual manner.

Danny silently stared at Vlad, which unnerved the man a bit. But then the teen answered him. "No… you **don't**," he whispered confidently. However, his eyes then lowered and he remained silent again. Danny took a shaky breath, before adapting a sober expression on his face and staring up at Vlad once more. He could barely utter, "But you can …if you let me see them."

The older hybrid's lower jaw dropped, finally understanding what the younger one was really talking about. Even so, he could not believe the boy was actually saying what he was saying to him!

Recovering a bit, Vlad managed to speak. "Daniel…" he began slowly, "you do realize what you are offering me?"

Danny's eyebrows creased from the emotional pain the question caused him. "I-I'm offering you… what's left of me," he answered sadly, his eyes down casting yet again.

Vlad stood, and stared at Danny in disbelief. The boy made it sound like he was giving up something worthless, but the man knew it was nothing of the sort. Daniel wanted to _willingly_ join him! His plan… His plan had worked! Sure he should have expected this, but…

He really couldn't believe it.

Vlad, who unknowingly had started pacing in front of Danny, halted and looked back at the boy whose face was currently buried in his gloved hands. He moved down on one knee beside the young half-ghost and lowered his respective hands to make boy look at him.

"Daniel, if I accept, that means you will _serve_ me with **all** the strings that come with the word. I want your loyalty. Your powers, your strength, everything you hold will become my own. You will yield _completely_ to me," Vlad stated in a serious and commanding voice.

Danny looked into his enemy's eyes, unaware that the doubt and fear that Vlad's words induced within him could clearly be seen in his green eyes. But then sorrow washed the two emotions away, and the young half-ghost nodded his response.

Vlad was so shocked by Danny's agreement that he abruptly let go of the boy's hands and stood. However, Danny wasn't agreeing as quickly as the man thought. "I'll do whatever you want as long as you don't ask me to hurt anyone, especially _them_," he whispered.

"Here's the tea, Sir," the ghost butler said as he suddenly floated into the room.

Vlad gestured to Derek to place it on the table without looking at him. The man was too busy pondering the boy's exception to even see the ghost comply with his order before leaving. Although a frown was now on Vlad's face, he wasn't thinking of objecting to Danny's little 'condition'. It was of no importance to him. He never planned to use the boy for that purpose anyways. He had others to do those sorts of things for him… All Vlad cared about right now was getting the young hybrid in his grasp. And luckily, all he needed to do was seal tight this deal.

"Daniel," the billionaire called so the boy would look at him again. "I want you to think about what you are offering because there will be _no_ backing down after this," he stated with such heavy warning in his voice that it bordered into threat. And his next words showed that it was just that. "Let there be no doubt in your mind that if you go back on your word in _any_ way, I will not hesitate to go back on my own, do you understand me?"

Danny couldn't bear to look into his enemy's eyes after hearing his threat. His mind was screaming so loud at him to stop what he was doing that he felt on the verge of a panic attack. He understood completely what the man was saying; who he was threatening him with if he broke their deal. But he wouldn't go back on his word. He was determined to this for _them_.

Danny pushed away his conscience; it didn't matter anymore. Nothing mattered anymore. All that mattered was seeing his loved ones again. And if it cost him himself then so be it. The boy nodded, and with the simple gesture he felt his self worth and morals shatter into nothing.

Vlad smirked. "Alright. But since you imposed a condition, it's only fair that I get to do the same, hmm?" Danny didn't dare look at the man, dreading what his next words would be. "You may see your family, Daniel; even your friends if you care to. However, under **no** circumstance may _they_ see _you_."

Danny took a shivering breath as he used whatever strength he had left to keep himself from breaking down again. The man's condition was like a blow to his stomach. He wouldn't' be able to talk to them and hear their voices responding back to him. He would not be able to voice to them how much he missed them, how much he loved them. He wouldn't be able to feel their arms wrapped around him in a hug or his mother's kisses. He wouldn't be able to get the comfort and strength he needed… He would only be able to look; just look like a caged bird does to the world outside its prison… Danny swallowed down the desire to say, 'no' to his enemy's condition, knowing if he did, his enemy would not agree to let him go to Amity Park. And he needed to go back, even if it could only be for a short time. This was the only way; the only choice he had.

By Danny's silence Vlad knew the boy was not going to object to the condition he had placed on their deal. The older half-ghost's grin widened. "Very well; you join me and in return you may see your loved ones…. Do we have an agreement?"

Danny buried his face in his hands and just nodded his head.

"No," Vlad said in a serious tone, kneeling back down and forcing the boy to look at him by grabbing his face. "I want to hear you **say** it. You agree?"

Danny's eyes glazed with tears as he stared into the man's demanding ones. "I agree," he whispered, the tears in his eyes falling with his words.

Vlad's lips slowly curved into a small, but genuine smile. "You have just made the best decision of your life, little badger." His eyebrows creased slightly as his words caused more tears to spring from the boy's eyes. He sighed, before pulling out a handkerchief from his coat. "I know you do not see that now, but you will… eventually," he assured as he wiped away the young half-ghost tears, his fatherly feelings for the boy suddenly getting the best of him.

But seeing Danny avert his gaze from him, snapped Vlad out of it. Without hesitation, he let go of the teenager's chin and stood back up. He grabbed the hot tea Derek had brought off the table, before offering it to the boy. "Drink it."

Danny didn't really want the tea, but took it anyways, knowing by the man's tone of voice he wasn't giving him the choice of refusing it.

Vlad sat back down on the single-chair sofa, and just watched without words as the boy slowly began to drink the hot beverage. In truth, he was waiting for the tea's contents to take effect. He didn't wait long.

Danny lowered the half empty cup from his mouth the moment he felt himself growing drowsy. He stared at Vlad with large, fearful eyes as he asked, "What did you add to this?"

The billionaire raised an eyebrow at the teenager, but then causally responded, "It's a relaxant; you need to sleep."

Danny shook his head, before putting the tea back on the table like it was poison. "No," he whimpered, fearing the nightmares that could plague his mind. "I don't want to sleep!" he shouted in panic, now breathing heavily. "It'll happen again! It'll make it worse! Please don't make me sleep!"

Vlad quickly stood as he saw the boy jumped to his feet, only to wobble from how groggy he was. "Daniel, calm down," he said firmly, steadying the teenager before he fell. "You _need_ to sleep. Your human body is exhausted, and if you don't rest, it will just make your powers harder to control."

Danny attempted to shake his head, but it had grown too heavy to move. "N-No…Vlad…I…I can't," he slurred.

Vlad frowned at the barely-awake teenager, realizing that the relaxant was working quicker than it normally did. He lowered the boy back on the couch without much struggle from him. The billionaire then calmly walked over to the intercom, and pressed the 'talk' button on it. "Patricia, get me a blanket," he ordered.

Danny barely felt Vlad move him to a lying position or his head hit the pillow under it. His fear fought to keep his eyes open, but the relaxant and his own tired body and mind didn't even give him a remote chance of winning. The last thing Danny saw before his eyes closed was his enemy putting a blanket on him.

Vlad sighed in relief when Danny finally fell asleep. But his relief turned to worry at seeing the unconscious boy stay in ghost form. "We must get rid of that pent-up energy, Daniel," he commented to the sleeping teenager.

He studied Danny with a thoughtful look for just a moment more, before turning away and walking out of the living room. But then as he did, an evil grin touched his lips.

He had been filled with so much doubt that he had even believed his plan might never have worked, especially after seeing the boy break down in his room. But now…all his doubt had just been tossed out the window.

Daniel had finally submitted to him. Of course… it was costing him a lot more than he had anticipated. It would be no easy task to have the young half-ghost return to Amity Park without anyone seeing him. But he was willing to risk that if it meant Daniel would join him. It would definitely be worth it. And now… he was somewhat glad the teenager's energy had become unstable. His condition had played to the billionaire's advantage… just like everything else.

Vlad had known Daniel would sacrifice himself for his sister. He knew that the boy would **choose** to leave everything and everyone behind to save Jasmine. And without his loved ones, the billionaire knew Daniel would eventually give in. It was the simple knowledge that they were just a grasp away that made his loss unbearable. It was their absence that had caused the boy's will to crumble. They were his weakness… and his price.

"And a price is something everyone has, even **my** stubborn little badger," Vlad said with a chuckle as he made his way to his study.

* * *

**Expected this? Maybe? Heh-heh. Well, my readers, I have an announcement to make. I'm sorry to say that this will be last update for about three weeks. See, I'm going to Honduras for a missionary trip, and I will be over there for two weeks, but when I get back, I'll have to work on editing the next chapters and all that jazz, so it's way I say I won't be updating for three weeks. Sorry for the wait ahead of time, and I hope you all understand. I also want to apologize for not putting up that one-shot I promised you guys yet. That, too, will have to wait until I return. I had to decide in between updating this story and DoaS, or working on the one-shot… I figured you all would prefer the updates first. Don't forget to share your thoughts with me, and I'll see you all in three weeks! Wish me luck, kay? I'll miss ya all!**


	29. Chapter 28: Shattered

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Back!! And here with the next chapter of CM! Sadly, I'm a bit time deficiant so I was not able to reply to the last chapter's reviews, but I will get to that tomorrow!! I just figured you guys would like me to post this today, and just answer reviews after! ... or I hope that's what you all prefer. But either way, I'll be answering to them, just a bit late! Well, see ya at the bottom!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

* * *

**Chapter 28: Shattered**

Danny sat at the edge of the pool, crossed legged, watching carelessly the variety of fishes swimming about in the pool's surrounding aquarium. The tired and defeated expression on his face made him appear as if he had aged several years. There was no happiness or vigor in his eyes, leaving them a dull, lifeless blue. In short, he looked everything a broken hero would; and there was nothing more heartbreaking than that sight.

As for his mind, it no longer dwelled on his problems with his powers. He still had no idea why his ghost half was so out of control; but he no longer cared to find out, let alone, find a way to fix it. All he could linger on was on the deal he had made with the older half-ghost a while ago.

He was now calm enough to admit that he really wasn't thinking straight when he approached the man. But after allowing Vlad to see him fall apart as he did last night, Danny knew he had lost. For the first time, he had truly lost to his arch-enemy. He felt destroyed; he felt as if he could never be himself again. It was why he made the decision he did. He made it because he no longer mattered. Only _they_ did. Just seeing them again was what mattered. However, he couldn't help but wonder if even now he was thinking straight, because no matter how much he thought about his deal with Vlad and what it meant, he didn't regret making it.

But that didn't mean his conscience was happy about it. He felt so low, so dirty for selling himself as he had.

Danny shook his head at his last thought while he swirled his hand in the cool, blue pool water. How could he sell himself when there was nothing left of him?

But then his mind jolted with an even more disturbing thought. Did this mean he was going to turn evil?

Danny sighed fearfully as he recalled his dream about how he turned into his evil self. It had seemed and felt so real; in fact, his mind still had severe doubts over it.

But, no, he wouldn't turn evil. Ever. He had promised that and he would at least keep his honor in that sense by keeping true to it. Besides, just because he had joined Vlad didn't mean he was going to turn evil… right? After all, he did still have his humanity; and even if he had thrown his morals out the window, he would never harm others. No, he would never turn evil. …Or was he just telling himself that to avoid feeling any worse?

Danny cupped water from the pool in his hand, absentmindedly watching it slip through his human fingers… just like his entire life had. He lost, and worse, gave up. He failed himself; he failed _them_; and he failed…

"Clockwork," he whispered.

Danny closed his blue eyes thinking of his mentor and the amount of pain it brought him. Did Clockwork know all this was going to happen?

"Of course he did," the teen answered himself bitterly.

He couldn't help but feel hurt by the ghost. Why did he let this happen? Didn't Clockwork realize how dangerous it was to allow him—Danny—to be anywhere near Vlad after the alternate future events? Maybe…Maybe joining Vlad didn't mean he would turn evil, then? The Time Ghost would have already intervened if that was the case, right?

But that thought did little to comfort him when he found his thoughts drifting back to his fear of becoming evil. He immediately tried to push these even more troubling thoughts away by concentrating on the feel of the cool water he continued to swirl around with his hand. At this point, all he cared about was that he was going to see his loved ones again, even if… they wouldn't see him.

A single tear escaped his eyes, but with a soft sigh he swiped it away.

* * *

"Daniel?" Vlad called as he walked into the living room in which he had left the young half-ghost asleep a couple of hours ago. But the man instantly frowned at finding he wasn't there anymore. Without words, he turned around, and headed to the kitchen.

He walked into the kitchen and discovered that the teen wasn't there, either. "George?" he called to his chef. "Have you seen Daniel?"

The ghost turned to him, and shook his head. "No, sir, I haven't."

Vlad silently nodded, before exiting the kitchen. He let out a sigh as he walked up the stairs to check the teen's room. "Well, at least he isn't in ghost form anymore," he murmured, realizing he could not sense the boy's ecto-signature.

But when he reached Danny's room, he found it vacant. "Where did he go?" the billionaire asked himself, taping his lips in thought. However, he was soon distracted from his pondering as his eyes finally focused on the teen's room. Now that the sun was up and there was light in the room, Vlad could truly see how utterly destroyed it was.

The man sighed in annoyance and muttered. "It looks like I'll be making another phone call." He gave the room another brief look, but then rolled his eyes and left.

Vlad didn't want to waste any more time blindly searching for the boy. Daniel would be easy enough to track…

The older hybrid headed toward his secret lab and to the mainframe that linked his and the boy's wristbands. He knew that the boy's wrist band would be blue now, as Daniel was human at the moment. And he knew that it would react by glowing green once the link was made to the mainframe.

Vlad stopped a moment as he looked at the screen. Honestly, was Daniel really this slow to catch onto things? The man was certain the boy had yet to realize what the green glow indicated, which meant the young hybrid still didn't understand how the device he wore worked. Daniel's device was not just linked to the mainframe, but to Vlad's own device. And when that link was made from the boy's device to his own, Daniel's bracelet reacted by glowing red.

It didn't take long for the billionaire to find out that Danny was outside by the pool area. But before going there, he made a quick stop at the kitchen again…

At finally arriving outside, Vlad soon noticed the boy, who was still silently sitting at the pool's edge and moving his hand dazedly in the water.

The man halted his approach a few feet from Danny, and just studied him for a moment. But he wasn't looking for Daniel just to find him. The young half-ghost appeared a lot better, but that didn't mean he was anywhere near well yet. And the boy wouldn't be until his problem was dealt with, which was really why Vlad was here. And that reason was one that the billionaire knew would not bode well with the boy.

"Daniel," he finally called to him.

Danny froze upon hearing the older hybrid's voice. But he soon relaxed, and slowly retracted his hand from the water and dried it off on his pants.

Vlad sighed when he saw the teen's initial reaction, and that he didn't even look at him when he spoke. Still, he decided not to bother with the issue, and instead said to the boy, "Come with me."

When Danny finally looked at the man, Vlad had already turned around and was walking back to the house. The teen sighed as he stood up and followed behind the older half-ghost.

As he walked on, Vlad glanced down at his watch and saw it was past noon. He knew the boy had not eaten anything since early yesterday. But that would have to wait. He needed to get _this_ done now before _anything_ _else_ happened.

Danny didn't care in the least where Vlad was taking him; that is, until he realized the man had turned into the corridor that led to the training room. The teen instantly halted, and the billionaire noticed it right away. Vlad sighed when he stepped forward again and didn't hear the boy's footsteps following. He turned to him and found the boy staring at him nervously.

"W-Where are we g-going? Danny asked softly, his hands fidgeting slightly, hoping the man wasn't trying to take him where he feared he was.

Vlad sighed once more. This was going to be very difficult, but it had to be done. Deciding to try to get the boy to see the logic behind what he had planned for him, Vlad ignored the teen's question, and instead, explained to Danny his situation.

"Daniel, the reason you have been having problems with your ghost powers is because you are not using them enough to eliminate the amount of energy you produce. You have a high amount of accumulated energy that needs to be eliminated, and the only way to do that is by using your powers."

"I-I can go flying," Danny suggested, dreading what the man was going to have him do. And the fact that his enemy didn't answer his question made him realize he wasn't going to like it.

Vlad rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Unfortunately, that's not enough for you, Daniel."

"S-So what do y-you want me to do?" Danny asked, his heart rate already increasing.

The billionaire bit his bottom lip as he tried to think of a way to carefully relay the next information to the unstable teen. "Well… I would like you to… _manage_ your ghost-half for a bit..."

Danny swallowed. "How?"

Vlad sighed, realizing he was going to have spell it out for the boy. "I need you to run a training exercise in the simulation room."

The boy's eyes widened when his fear was confirmed. In one single blow, everything that had happened in that horrible place returned to his mind, and he slowly began to back away.

Seeing the boy on the verge of panicking, Vlad quickly reacted. "Daniel, listen to me," he urgently said. "It's understandable that you are a bit apprehensive about going in there, but this is something you _need_ to do." Vlad let out another sigh at seeing the teen's eyes begin to dart around the area, clearly looking for an escape.

"Look, it's like this," Vlad said, trying to reason with him again. "You are a human-ghost hybrid; therefore your body contains two types of energies: your natural 'human energy' which your body makes through the nourishment it receives, and your spectral energy. And that is a self-generating kind of energy. All energy is made to be used, Daniel. When in human form, you burn your human energy whenever you exercise or do anything with your body. And the same applies to your ghost half. You must burn your ghost energy, but because it's _ghost_ energy you must be in your ghost form to do so. Unfortunately for you, my boy, your spectral body develops a high amount of energy, which I speculate has to do with your growing body..." Vlad shook his head realizing he was straying from topic. "The point is that turning into your ghost form isn't enough for _you_ to release that energy. Since you no longer have your '_little job_' you need another way to release all that growing energy. Do you understand?"

Danny just stared at the man with wide eyes. Everything Vlad had said had barely registered in his mind; he was too worried on where the man wanted to take him to focus on anything else.

Vlad raised an eyebrow at the boy, expecting an answer or some reaction out of him from everything he said. But he didn't receive a thing. The billionaire shook his head and decided to just continue forward. "Come, Daniel, it will just be for a short time," he told him, approaching the teen.

But Danny reacted by backing away from the man at the same rate of his advance.

The billionaire halted. "Daniel," he began, his voice now lined with anger. "I prefer to do this the easy way, but I will drag you in there if I must."

Danny began to shiver, and shook his head. "I-I don't want to go in there."

"That's too bad, my boy, but it's for your own good."

Danny gasped at seeing his enemy quickly approach him with a determined look. Panic instantly took control of the teen, and he ran for it.

"Oh, for the love of- Daniel! Get back here!"

But Danny ignored the angry man's demand, and he raced up the main stairway, heading to his room. His scared mind was only focused on getting as far away from **that** room as possible.

But his attempt was cut short.

Danny screamed in terror as Plasmius materialized in front of him, cutting off his escape route. Faster than the boy could react, the older hybrid grabbed him around the torso and threw him over his caped shoulder.

"NO!" the teen cried out, frantically flaring in the man's grasp in order to escape his hold. But Vlad wasn't letting him go anywhere. The older half-ghost simply turned them both intangible so Danny couldn't harm him or himself. Still, the boy continued to struggle and shrieked, "NO! STOP! DON'T TAKE ME IN THERE!"

Plasmius gasped at seeing a green glow appear around the boy's body and the house begin to rumble. The billionaire wasted no time, and quickly flew to the simulation room. This, of course, just made the boy freak out even more, but at least Danny's powers couldn't cause anymore destruction within the ghost-proof room. Or at least he hoped.

"Ghost shield on" Vlad commanded, dropping the teen on the white floor of the simulation room.

Danny scattered to his feet, and sprinted towards the only door. But just like last time, it disappeared before his eyes, leaving only behind a plain white wall.

"NO! NO!" Danny pounded on the wall, before turning intangible in an attempt to phase out. But he could not. "NO! LET ME OUT!"

"DANIEL! CALM DOWN!" Vlad whirled the panicking boy around and grabbed him tightly by shoulders.

Danny stared at him with tear-glazed and terror-filled eyes. "Let me out," he pleaded, flashes of everything that happened to him in here playing over and over again in his mind.

"No, Daniel," Vlad said sternly.

"Please let me out," Danny pleaded again, ignoring the man's refusal.

"Daniel, stop it!" Plasmius shouted angrily, "You need to use your powers and you are not leaving this room until you do so!"

"LET ME OUT!" Danny screamed back, his body glowing once more, but this time his surroundings were not affected.

Vlad's eyes narrowed. In one quick moment, he lifted the teen and slammed him against the wall. "If you do not release that pent-up energy you are going to destroy your human half! In other words, You. Will. Die!"

But not even this brought Danny out of his panic. In fact, he didn't even hear Vlad. His eyes were darting all around the room while he hyperventilated through his clenched and bare teeth.

Plasmius coldly let go of the young half-ghost, causing him to fall back on the floor.

Danny looked up at the man, not understanding why he let go so suddenly. But he soon realized after reading it in his expression. "N-No, no, please, no! Vlad!" he whimpered, seeing the man take a step away from him

Vlad silently glared at the boy for a moment, before vanishing in a puff of pink smoke.

If the teen was panicking before, he lost it at seeing Vlad leave him by himself in the horrible place he was in.

"NO! COME BACK! DON'T LEAVE ME HERE!'

* * *

Vlad rubbed his forehead as he watched Danny from the control room continue with his hysterics.

The older half-ghost was so out of it, he didn't even feel the entity that had just materialized beside him, until it uttered, "Excuse me, Plasmius?"

Vlad jolted in response to the unexpected voice, but then sighed when he realized who it was. "What are you doing here, Skulker?"

"You called me!" the ghost reminded him with thick annoyance.

"Oh… yes." Plasmius turned to look at him. "The Plasmius Maximus was damaged last night," he informed him briefly, "I need you to take a look at it to see if you can fix it. I was trying to do just that this morning, but I think it might be too far gone to fix. And I'm far too busy to waste any more time on it myself."

Skulker was about to respond, but the shouts coming from the conjoined room diverted his attention. Forgetting all about his employer, he quizzically floated over to the looking glass and immediately found that the screams belonged to his favorite prey. He grinned maliciously.

"I see you finally took my advice," Skulker commented to Plasmius, staring at the clearly scared teen.

Vlad rolled his eyes. "No, I did not," he answered in a bored tone. "I don't have the boy in there to torture him, Skulker. Daniel's ghost energy has become severely elevated. I need to get it to return its normal level."

Although Skulker had clearly understood his employer's vague explanation, he made no acknowledgement that he had. He was too focused on the ghost boy. He had finally noticed the green hue around Danny's human form. And being that Skulker was constantly making weapons against his favorite prey-- both for his and his employer's use-- the hunter knew quite a bit about half-ghosts. Of course, not as much as his employer did; but he knew enough to know that the child's glow wasn't normal.

Skulker suddenly chuckled, and turned to Plasmius. "Tell me, Plasmius, what happened with the '_I'm going to tear the house down with **you** in it' _ordeal? The whelp had been so indomitable about it, I was actually worried for you," he teased.

Vlad rolled his eyes at him, but ignored the comment and turned his attention to the control panel. "Begin training at level two," he instructed.

"**Level two training initiated."**

Vlad silently watched the white room begin to change, but then abruptly, yet causally, uttered to his ally, "I got the boy on my side."

Skulker's eyes widened in surprise, but it left as quickly as it came, and he smiled evilly. "Oh, I see now… You finally broke him."

"Yes…" the billionaire murmured, still not liking the usage of the word. It just meant something completely different to him; something he didn't like. But he dismissed it, and added, "The boy submitted; he came to me, just like I said he would."

* * *

Danny stopped pounding on the wall when he heard metallic whirling suddenly sound all around the room. The room began to change like the last time he was here and he immediately let out a gasp. But at seeing something begin to emerge from the center of the floor, the teen screamed out in horror and pressed himself into the wall. He shut his eyes as he slumped down to the ground and covered his head with his hands. He trembled violently as short sobs mixed into his heavy breathing.

He was unaware that he had an audience. And while Skulker's smile fell upon seeing the ghost boy reduce himself into a quivering ball, Vlad let out a gasp of alarm. But both asked themselves the same question: What was wrong with him?

Skulker stared on in disbelief at the scene before him. He didn't know who he was looking at. Was the child in that room _really_ the ghost boy that he hunted? It looked like him, but it wasn't him. It couldn't be him. There was no trace of his prey's brave and stubborn spirit. Everything that made the child worthy of hunting him was… gone.

"Plasmius," Skulker finally uttered, although he did not tear his eyes from the ghost boy, "I don't think you broke him…You shattered him," he said in complete seriousness.

Vlad immediately looked away from the teen and glared at the ghost in response to his comment. "Leave!" he ordered through clenched teeth.

Skulker rolled his eyes, but then looked back to Danny. He gave his prey a quizzical frown, before exiting the room without words.

Vlad turned back to the boy and let out a sigh. He lowered his gaze for a moment in silent thought. But then, he whirled his cape and teleported into the simulation room.

He silently walked up to the weeping boy, who didn't even acknowledge his presence, and knelt down beside him. He couldn't stop the wave of sympathy and guilt that hit him at the sight before him.

"Daniel," Vlad called in a soft, and almost saddened, voice.

The teen looked up at him with frightened and teary eyes. But Vlad's presence brought little relief to Danny.

Plasmius changed back into his human self before continuing, "This place isn't going to hurt you again," he assured him, "_I'm_ running the room. There is no one here besides you and me, alright? Now, get up and transform," he said gently.

Danny shook his head. "No, you don't understand. I can't do this. Please, just let me leave. I don't want to be here," he answered, his voice cracking at the end.

Vlad sighed. _"Well, it was worth a shot… And at least I can say I tried," _he thought dryly. The older half-ghost changed into Plasmius once more and stood. He then quickly grabbed the boy by an arm, forcing him to stand. "All I'm asking you to do is shoot a couple of mere wooden targets! Now enough of your drama, Daniel! You morph this instant!" he demanded.

Danny just stared at him, shaking.

Vlad let out a deep growl from his throat as he roughly grabbed the boy's face, causing Danny to wince in pain. "Daniel, I'm giving you two seconds to morph. If you do not, our deal is off, and you are not seeing your family!"

Danny's eyes widened, the conviction in the man's eyes proving to him that his enemy was not joking. And Vlad wasn't. He refused to let the teen destroy himself. But the boy still hesitated.

"Morph!" the billionaire demanded once again, letting go of Danny's face.

"B-But it's painful and—"

"THAT'S WHY YOU HAVE TO DO THIS!" Vlad yelled, his patience completely vanishing.

Realizing he had no choice but to comply, Danny closed his eyes, but not before giving the room one last wary look. The young half-ghost instantly felt the spectral rings appear, causing the older one to turn away from how bright they were.

Quicker than normal, Danny became Phantom, but not without experiencing a very unpleasant cold feeling as he did. However, changing into ghost form was not anywhere near as bad as turning back into his human form.

"Shoot the target," Vlad commanded, pointing to the targets in the center of the room.

Danny closed his eyes once more and braced himself before firing an ecto-blast. He had been so focused on the pain to come he forgot to look at where he was shooting…

"Ahhh!" both half-ghosts screamed. Danny yelled at the pain that seared through his now burned hand, and Vlad shouted as the boy's energy beam slammed into him and propelled him into a wall. The billionaire quickly stood, clearly ticked off. "WILL YOU AIM?"

Danny lowered his gaze just as he let go of his injured hand that he had automatically cradled against his chest after his first shot. But it had now healed as quickly as before. Still, he didn't want to fire another blast. It hurt so badly! But he really didn't want to press Vlad anymore. He had to see his family.

The young half-ghost looked up, and this time aimed his energy at the targets. He cringed in pain, but continued.

Seeing the boy doing what he asked, Vlad looked down at his chest to make sure he wasn't injured. Danny's attacks were so strong, he felt like he just got hit by a bus. It was a good thing that he was in his ghost form at the moment…

Vlad quickly looked up at hearing the young half-ghost suddenly stop firing. He frowned at seeing the teen staring at him, but then Danny asked in a hopeful voice, "Can I go yet?"

"What? No!" Vlad exclaimed, exasperated with the boy's nonsense.

Danny sighed gloomily, before turning his attention back to the targets and resuming his actions. Soon the targets began to move, appear and disappear, making Danny concentrate more deeply on what he was doing in order to catch them.

Vlad silently studied the boy, noticing how he winced every time he used his ecto-energy. But as the young half-ghost continued, it was apparent that using his powers was becoming less painful for him.

Danny had to fly up to reach the next set of targets that sprung from the ceiling. But when a large metallic barrier unexpectedly blocked his path, he let out a gasp of fright, and quickly backed away. He just stared at it warily, not daring to move.

Seeing this, Vlad sighed loudly. "It's only a barrier, Daniel. Just phase through it," he said in a tired voice as he rubbed his temple.

Danny still hesitated and continued to look at the metal wall nervously. He didn't trust Vlad's words, but…his family, his friends...

It was all the motivation the teenager needed. He quickly flew at the barrier and phased through it. Now on the other side, he fired at the targets hanging from the ceiling. But he was unable to destroy all of them before they disappeared from sight. Danny phased back through the metallic wall and found that the remaining targets had reappeared on the other side.

Danny continued the simulation without any more pauses. And all the while, Vlad simply leaned against a far wall and watched.

About a half-hour later, the simulation room declared, **"Training exercise completed." **

Danny slowly flew down and landed on the metal floor while watching the room return to its plain white appearance.

"_Now_ you may go," Vlad commented, walking up to the teen as he switched back into Masters.

Danny changed back as well, but with a small cry of pain. Becoming human still felt like he had just swallowed a knife, but he was thankful that he had managed to do so on the first try.

"Your energy level should return to normal in a few days _as long as_ you continue these exercises. You'll have to do them twice a day; well, at least for now. And until you get better, try not to excite yourself. Stress and strong emotions are going to cause your powers to act up, understand?"

Danny just sighed fearfully as he looked around the room. He wasn't thrilled with the fact that he would have to come in here regularly.

Vlad rolled his eyes at the boy's absurd fear of the room, but decided not to comment. "Come, Daniel, you need to eat."

Danny gasped at seeing the older hybrid walk away from him, towards the now visible door. Afraid of being left inside the deadly room, the teen quickly followed after his enemy.

* * *

Coming out of the castle's secret lab, Skulker walked back towards the training room to have a talk with his employer. He studied the Plasmius Maximus with a quizzical look as he walked down a hallway. "What happened to this?" he mumbled in disbelief. The hunter was so focused on the device in his hands he didn't realize his employer was walking right towards him.

"Skulker," Vlad called upon sighting the ghost.

The hunter quickly looked up at his employer and vaguely noticed Danny behind him. "Plasmius, what in the ghost world happened to this device? The inside circuitry is completely fried! Did you jab it into an electric socket or something?"

Vlad gave the ghost a dry look, but then remembering the boy behind him, shot him a glance. Even though he was gazing at his feet all the while, it was clear Danny did not like what he had heard. The teen knew that the 'something' was _him_, and that his powers had been the cause of the device's destruction. It only drove the memory of everything that happened last night through the boy.

Skulker raised an eyebrow at the silence that his question induced. Like his employer, he, too, glanced at the ghost boy. But unlike Vlad, who had let out a small sigh, the hunter smirked at the quiet teenager, and asked teasingly, "What's wrong, whelp? Am I not getting even _one_ witty banter from you today?"

Danny let out a tired sigh in response to the ghost's mocking question, but decided not to say anything. What was the point anymore?

Vlad quickly shot his ally an angry look; the glare unmistakably told him to leave the boy alone. The older half-ghost turned his eyes back to Danny and said, "Daniel, why don't you go into the kitchen? I told George to make your lunch, so it should be ready by now."

The young half-ghost silently nodded before walking off towards the kitchen. Not once did he look at either of his adversaries as he left.

Vlad stared worriedly after the teenager, not realizing that Skulker had noticed and was looking at _him_ with confusion. Still, the hunter decided it was best not to ask. After all, his employer did act oddly at times…..especially now that the ghost boy was around…

"So, you can't repair it?" Vlad suddenly asked, turning his attention back to his ally and looking at him with his usual demeanor.

"No, I cannot," Skulker answered, also in his usual attitude, "But I could make a new one if you give me the blueprints. I'll need them since the device is your own design."

Vlad absently nodded, his mind actually on a more pressing matter… If he was going to allow the boy to return to Amity Park he needed to carefully plan it out.

Vlad suddenly changed the subject and blurted out, "Skulker, have you seen Fright Knight?"

* * *

Danny moved his spoon aimlessly around in his soup. He stared at his meal, having no interest in it at all. However, he did occasionally put some of it in his mouth, knowing Vlad wouldn't let him get away with not eating anything. He wasn't hungry though. He was actually tired instead. And although he had to admit using his powers made him physically feel a lot better, the restlessness was far from gone. But even if he could get his powers to let him sleep, he wasn't eager to do so. Not with the events from last night plaguing his mind like they did…

He felt so lost and afraid… Afraid of himself, of his ghost half. Sure, in the past he felt a bit wary of his powers at times…but nothing like this. But now, he realized that he may not be able to control his ghost half like he thought he could, and that terrified him. What if his ghost side took over completely? What if it turned evil? Or was it already evil?

His mind quickly recalled the dream he had had. It had felt so real; and even after he woke up, he was sure it was. Was his mind that shattered that he couldn't tell reality from a dream?

It just had been too much. Hearing their voices… Hearing _his_ voice.

Danny sighed painfully.

The teenager was so engrossed in his disturbing thoughts, he didn't realize George was observing him from the inner kitchen. The ghost chef couldn't help but wonder what had happened last night. All he knew was that the house had started to shake, and then there was some commotion between the two hybrids….

Whatever happened had been serious. And the destroyed house was the least obvious proof. The cook's real proof was sitting alone on the breakfast table in front of him. There was something really different about the young halfa.

Earlier that morning, the ghost butler had mentioned to George that there was something wrong with the child's ghost powers. Derek had seen some of the scene in the living room since his employer had asked him to bring him tea. And now, about an hour ago, the chef—and everyone else—had heard the ghost boy's screams as his employer took him to the simulation room. George knew that's where they had gone since the older halfa had mentioned it briefly when he had come in earlier to ask him to make the kid's lunch…

George didn't know what could have happened to the young halfa to… change him so radically… The boy sitting at the table was in no way of the high-spirited boy that had come to his employer's castle over a month ago now. It was truly a sad sight to behold… Especially now that he had gotten to know the young halfa enough to realize he wasn't as bad as he thought. He still didn't like what the kid did--or rather, used to do. He could never stomach all that ghost fighting the young hybrid insisted on involving himself in. Still, the boy was so different, so pitifully different now….

The ghost gave the boy a sympathetic look.

"George?"

The chef immediately snapped out of his thoughts, and turned to the voice close to him. He smiled at the three maids floating up to him, and kindly said, "Hello, girls. What can I do for you?"

Martha, who had first called to the ghost chef, answered, "Well, I was telling Patricia that garlic gives chicken a better flavor."

"No, it does not!" Patricia argued back, "Lemon and pepper does."

George gave the two older maids an amused look as they began to bicker with themselves, but then he looked down at Niane, and grinned at seeing how bored she was with her companions.

Deciding to say something to Patricia and Martha before they strangled each other, George quickly intervened in their fight. Niane, on the other hand, just crossed her arms and sighed with disinterest. But then the young maid's attention went to the teenager sitting at the table.

She shook her head sadly, feeling pity for the broken boy. However, the sad look melted into a thoughtful one, which made her seem older than she physically looked. She studied Danny for a moment more, as if debating something within herself. But then, she sighed with her decision and floated over to the young half-ghost.

Now just a few feet from Danny, who was so deep in thought that he didn't realize he had company, the young ghost maid's demeanor suddenly became timid. "Master Danny?" she called softly.

Danny broke out of his trance upon hearing Niane's voice. He looked up at her without words or expression, silently waiting for her to continue.

The girl ghost fiddled with her fingers, clearly trying to decide what to say. And she soon did. "A-Are you alright?" she asked with sincere worry on her face.

Danny sighed, before returning his gaze to his soup. "No," he answered softly.

Niane bit her lower lip at how much defeat was laced into his voice. "Is there anything—"

"No," he interrupted in the same voice.

The ghost maid's hesitation seemed to suddenly vanish. She furrowed her eyebrows in deep concern. "Master Danny," she began in a more confident voice. But Danny never let her finish.

"Please," he interrupted in a louder, but pained voice. "Leave me alone."

Niane saddened in response, but nodded in understanding. "Yes, sir," she replied, before floating off.

* * *

"I don't blame you for not trusting me to accompany the ghost child. _I_ don't even trust myself with him," Skukler commented, giving his employer a predatory grin at the end.

Vlad glared in response, clearly in no mood for the ghost's antics. "Are you always this obsessive?" the man asked with heavy irritation.

"Of course; I'm a ghost," Skulker replied, his tone of voice showing it was the most obvious thing.

Vlad rolled his eyes and decided to just continue. "I also need those buzzards to come see me. I'm not taking _any_ chances."

Skulker nodded, before turning his eyes back to the Plasmius Maximus in his hands, and examining it thoughtfully once more. "You do realize how much ectoplasmic energy this device had to have been subjected to for it to short-circuit on itself as it did?" Skulker asked, frowning when the wire he had just pulled out of the device reduced to black ashes in his very hand.

"Of course I realize!" Vlad snapped, "I just told you what happened!"

"_I don't know who's more out of it: him or the ghost child,"_ Skulker thought dryly, after hearing his employer explode. "Alright, I get it," the hunter answered, his tone of voice telling the man to calm down. "I'll get started on this device after I deliver your message," he added, placing the burned maximus down on a nearby table.

Vlad didn't respond, and just watched as the ghost went through the portal. Seeing the metal doors close, he turned and walked out of his private lab.

* * *

"Mom? Dad?" Jazz called, knocking softly on her parents' bedroom door before entering. But upon finding only her father's sleeping form, Jazz frowned. Where was her mom? She wasn't downstairs and she wasn't in here…

Jazz sighed softly in realization.

The teenager quietly walked off towards her brother's room where her suspicions were confirmed. Jazz felt her heart constrict at the sight of her mom asleep on her little brother's bed. If she felt like she had a painful hole in her heart from her brother's absence, she knew her mom had to be going through worse torment. Jazz couldn't even attempt to imagine the pain a mother felt from losing a child; or worse, of not knowing where he was and if he was hurt or in danger…

After getting out of the hospital, Jazz had briefly thought of telling her parents the truth about Danny… Maybe if they knew, they could find a way to track his ghost signature. But she quickly squelched the urge. For one thing, she knew that meant she'd have to tell them about Valerie… And she just could not bring herself to give her parents such horrible news. And just as importantly, she remembered Vlad Masters' warning… No, she couldn't risk her family like that; and that included her brother, since divulging his secret could be disastrous for him.

Jazz quietly closed Danny's door as tears welled up in her eyes. She knew that it had been too long; and that if her brother didn't return soon, she _would_ be forced to tell them everything despite the consequences. But she dreaded having to tell them. What would her parents say, how would they react if she told them their son was the ghost boy? And how would they feel when, because of his decision to protect this town, there was a chance that he had been harmed by a ghost hunter like themselves?

Jazz sighed in distress as she walked back into her room. No, she couldn't tell them just yet. It was up to her and Danny's friends to find him. If only she could find something to steer them in some direction! She had searched her brother's room, heck, even the whole house, for anything that could help them find Danny. But there was nothing. There was just his letters; and all that was missing was his laptop and few sets of clothing.

Jazz had asked Tucker to see if he could somehow track Danny's computer, but it, too, ended in failure. And the ghost devices still did not pick up any hint of Danny's ghost self…

After changing into some jogging clothes, the teenage girl looked at her clock. It read past ten at night. With a sigh, she grabbed the Fenton Boomerang off her desk and silently made her way to the kitchen. She grabbed her car keys, but not before scribbling a quick note to her parents on a nearby napkin and leaving it on the table.

Since she had returned home, her parents had refused to let her go outside; and so, she had been reduced to searching for clues in just her house. But now that her parents were asleep… this was her chance.

She decided she would search around the park's lake first. Jazz knew her brother's friends had already searched, but she couldn't just sit here. She couldn't give up on her little brother.

"You wouldn't give up on me," Jazz whispered as she closed the front door behind her.

* * *

"Daniel?"

Danny, who had been sitting on the floor, looked behind him as Vlad entered the balcony.

"What are you doing out here? It's past midnight," the man asked with a deep frown.

Danny turned his eyes back to the night sky, before answering, "I can't sleep."

"Then I'll get you some tea," Vlad replied

"I don't want it."

The billionaire sighed tiredly. "Daniel, you need to rest. Do you want your powers to flare up again?"

Danny sighed as he wrapped his hands around his tucked knees. "Leave me alone," he said in response, but his request held no demand to it.

Vlad's frown deepened as walked up to the boy. Without hesitation, he grabbed the boy's arm and lifted him to his feet. "You're going to bed," the older half-ghost said sternly.

"No! I'm not tired!" Danny protested as Vlad dragged him inside.

The man let go of the teen upon reaching the large couch in Danny's room lounge. "Sit," he ordered, pointing to the couch.

Danny let out a sigh of defeat, before complying.

"Now, don't move. I'm going to go get you that tea so you can rest," Vlad said as he headed for the stairs.

Danny buried his face in his hands once the billionaire had left. Why couldn't Vlad understand that he didn't want to sleep? What if it happened again? What if he had that dream again? What if this time he couldn't wake up and he was stuck in his nightmares forever?

About ten minutes later, Vlad returned with the tea to find Danny still where he left him. But in the man's absence, the teenager's thoughts had drifted to others beyond not wanting to sleep…

Without words, Vlad offered the boy the tea, and surprisingly, Danny accepted it without protest. But the teen didn't drink it. Instead, he stared silently at it as if contemplating something. The young half-ghost's sudden question made the older one realize what exactly the boy was thinking about.

"When am I going to Amity?" Danny asked in a leveled tone, but his gaze stayed to the cup in his hand.

Vlad frowned, although he had been expecting the question from the boy eventually. "Once you are well," he soon replied.

"How long will that be?" Danny asked, still not making any effort to drink the tea.

Vlad raised an eyebrow at the boy, but then calmly answered, "I'm not sure, Daniel. Perhaps in a week or so; if you continue your needed exercises, that is."

"I want to go tomorrow," Danny stated seriously, looking up at the man standing in front of him.

"No, Daniel," Vlad said, firmly refusing the boy. "That's too soon. You are still not well."

"I'm fine," Danny replied, not taking his eyes off the billionaire.

Vlad's calm demeanor instantly vanished. "Have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately? You are not fine!" he snapped angrily. The boy's stubbornness was so infuriating! Daniel could be completely mangled and he would still say he was fine! It was absurd!

Danny set the tea down on the small table beside him, before looking back at Vlad with intense sobriety. The boy didn't realize that his eyes had just turned bright green. But the older hybrid did.

"I _want_ to go tomorrow," Danny restated, this time with actual anger lining his voice.

Vlad was severely taken aback by the boy's sudden change in demeanor. But then a wicked smile slowly spread on the man's lips. "Ah… there's that wit of yours."

Danny's hard look instantly fell, and his eyes returned to their normal hue just as quickly. He averted his gaze to the tea, and without words picked up and began to sip on it.

Vlad said nothing as well, but he was now studying the teenager with a critical eye. "Alright," the billionaire suddenly said after a moment of silence, quickly regaining Danny's attention. "You may go to Amity Park tomorrow, but you are not going alone."

"Wha-"

"I'll explain everything tomorrow." Vlad cut off the boy before he could ask him anything more.

Danny didn't object; the familiar drowsiness caused by whatever Vlad added to the teas started to spread through his body, leaving his eyes dull and hazed with tiredness.

The older hybrid frowned at seeing the boy react so quickly to the relaxant. It was supposed to take longer to work…Yet, every time he gave Daniel a new dose of the sleeping powder, the boy responded more rapidly to it. He unconsciously bit his lip in worry. There could only be one explanation for this occurrence: its rapid impact was solely due to the fact on how sleep-deprived the boy really was.

Realizing the now barely conscious boy was about to drop the tea cup in his hands, Vlad quickly took it from him and set it aside. Being that Danny's actual bedroom was still in shambles, Vlad quickly opened up the sleeping sofa. But by the time Vlad had finished making the bed, Danny had fallen asleep on the couch.

With a sigh, he carefully picked up the slumbering young hybrid and then set him back down on the sofa bed. Once he had covered Danny with a blanket, he turned off the lights. Luckily, tomorrow the boy's room would be repaired so this would only be for tonight.

"Sleep tight, Daniel," Vlad said sincerely, before heading down the stairs and out of the room.

* * *

Okay, Just a quick clear up about the bracelet. And I know I have mentioned this several times, but it's important that you guys don't get confused on this. Danny's bracelet is orginally black, but the moment Danny put it on all that time back, it **activated** since it reacts only to Danny's ghost signature. If it wasn't activated it would return to it's balc color. In human form the bracelet is blue. In ghost form the bracelet is white. The colors simply represent different... features that bracelet has.

The bracelet is blue, indicating Danny is in human form. And the device looks like a blue bracelet when human because the device's features are limited in this 'form'. But When Danny turns ghost, the device indicates it by turning a silvery white and it changes into a 'device look'--meaning it has buttons, knobs, etc. You know, a device.

Now every time Vlad links Danny's bracelet to the mainframe--either to find his location, check his health, or whatever else-- the bracelet reacts by temporarily glowing green until Vlad breaks the link--meaning he is finished doing whatver he was. Now, the latest color change was red. This indicates that Vlad is commanding Danny's bracelet using his own device. Recall, Vlad has a device that he wears similar to Danny's... only that, it doesn't have so many features, like hiding his ghost signature, for example. Vlad's device also changes. When in human form it looks like a regular watch, and so the device's functions are limited. But when he turns into Plasmius the device is fully activated and, like Danny in ghost form, Vlad's device has a 'device-look' to it when he's Plasmius. Only that, Plasmius' device glows red. This is why Danny's glows red when Vlad links his own device to Danny's. And so far you have seen that Vlad activates the Specter-deflecter-like function on Danny's bracelet through his own device, if you recall the whole ordeal with Danny ruining Vlad's deal with those men...

Lastly, let me list the things Danny's bracelet so far can do: Conceals his ghost signature. Temporarily excites the nanobots within Jazz if Danny gets too close to her. (these two features are constant) Allows Vlad to check his health, energy level, what form he's in, his location, etc. (these Vlad has to link Danny's bracelet to the mainframe in order to obtain, causing it to glow green) And lastly, the bracelet has an enhanced and improved Specter Deflecter feature built into it. (Vlad can only activate it through his own device he wears, and when he activates it, Danny's device glows red)

Phew! So much for a quick explantion. Anyways, I hope that's clear. It's good to be home again! Honduras was quite the experience, but I like being home! And I missed ya guys, so let me hear from ya all! Thanks a bundle and until next time! And I will answer the reviews from last chapter along with this one!


	30. Chapter 29: Resurfacing Struggles

**Ready for more angst? Good! Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom**

* * *

**Chapter 29: Resurfacing Struggles.**

Pushing back his bed hair, Danny glanced at the grandfather clock in his room's lounge. His eyes widened when it dutifully informed him it was past noon.

"I've been asleep that long?" he said, surprised, his voice scratchy from sleep. And then he added in thought, _"Either that tea Vlad gave me last night was really strong, or I was more tired than I thought."_

He didn't really ponder the issue, though; and instead shrugged it off. He got out of the sofa bed and sluggishly headed downstairs to the bathroom to do his morning regimens.

But when he reached his actual bedroom below, he froze. His mouth dropped slightly as he took a look at his now tidy and refurbished room. It was so impeccable it was hard to imagine that it had once been utterly destroyed. How did Vlad get it repaired so fast?

Danny pushed aside his surprise and sighed. It didn't matter. He was just glad it _was_ fixed. It served as one thing less that could remind him of that horrible night….

He shook his head, firmly erasing any of those resurfacing images that tried to demand his attention. He then silently continued on his way to the bathroom.

But after a good thirty minutes, most of which had been spent taking a warm shower, Danny headed out of his room to attend to his growling stomach.

He was feeling much calmer and awake now. He still felt the stress of his elevated energy on his body and mind, but it wasn't as bad as before. Too bad what he saw next tensed him back up.

As Danny got to the top of the main stairs, his ghost sense triggered and he froze in place. He warily--yet curiously--stared toward the foyer. There, Skulker, Fright Knight and the three ghost vultures were all talking to Plasmius.

In an instant, his mind jolted as it recalled what happened the last time all those ghosts were gathered together like this, and Danny quickly decided he would come back down later. His stomach could wait.

But Vlad noticed him before he could even turn his head in the direction of his room. "Daniel! Good to see you've finally woke up, my boy!"

Danny frowned, realizing his plan to retreat to his room had just been shot down. It was time to take the more appealing but riskier second option: a retreat towards the kitchen.

"I'm gonna go eat," the teen mumbled in response, before forcing his body to descend the stairs, in spite that this would move him closer to the evil ghosts below.

"Yes, you do that. And when you are done, I want you to meet me in the simulation room. …Think you can get there on your _own_ this time?" Vlad asked, raising an eyebrow.

Danny silently nodded, before walking past Vlad and his other enemies. The teen was barely able to suppress a shiver from going down his spine. He was sure that he could feel the hateful looks boring into his back as he continued forward. He didn't dare look back. And it was only when he reached the safety of the kitchen, did he release his held breath.

The teen was right, though. His enemies had glared at his retreating form until he had vanished from their sight. Well, expect for Vlad.

The billionaire had also stared after the boy, but the expression on his face had been analytical, not hateful. He was glad Daniel was getting physically better, but there was something about him that still troubled Vlad: his demeanor. He had hoped it would have improved along with his body, but Daniel was still acting as reclusive and fearful as that night….

Vlad snapped out of thought when the boy vanished from sight. His personality would return; it would just take longer, he decided. And perhaps he could coax it along using his own _means_….

He turned his attention back to the three vultures he had been speaking to before the boy's entrance had interrupted him. "As I was saying, I want you three to search the area before the boy gets there. Make sure he doesn't run into trouble, and more importantly, doesn't _try_ anything. You know how to notify me if anything comes up."

"Yeah, Ve know! And don't vorry, boss! Ve'll keep an eye on the fancy-pants ghost boy!"

"So, you desire for me to remain hidden, my liege?" the ghost knight spoke up.

Vlad nodded. "Yes. I'll let you know if there's any reason for you to interfere."

* * *

At first, Danny was dismayed that Vlad forced him to use the simulation room for an additional fifteen minutes during this morning session. He still feared this room, but he pushed himself to finish. He had to. He wanted to. Because today, he would not have his second exercise session as if it were any other day. Today, he was going to Amity Park. And nothing, not his fear of this room, not his fear of using his powers, would prevent him from going there…

"**Training complete." **

Danny switched back into his human mode still with some effort but he was glad that it wasn't too painful any more. However, the teen quickly forgot about himself when he saw the simulations room's door reappear. He didn't wait for Vlad to tell him he could leave and began to walk out.

"Just a moment, Daniel," Vlad called upon noticing the boy attempting to make a quick exit.

Danny halted and let out a sigh that sounded like he had just been denied something essential. He turned back to the older hybrid, and just silently stared up at him.

"I want to talk to you about your trip," Vlad informed him, quickly sparking the teen's full attention.

"When can I go?" Danny asked, his voice finally having some life to it.

The billionaire found himself unable to keep in a small smile at seeing the teen's blue eyes light up with a hopeful glow. "You'll be leaving an hour right after dinner. I'll have the helicopter ready for you."

Danny silently nodded before turning from the man to leave once more.

"I'm not done, Daniel," the older half-ghost announced with some irritation in his voice.

The teen quickly looked back him, but this time he stared quizzically at him. What else did the man have to say to him?

"You do remember my mentioning of your not going alone to Amity Park, hmm?"

Danny gave him a stunned look, indicating that he didn't remember. But then the teen frowned. He wasn't happy with the news at all.

Vlad chuckled at seeing all this. "I see the relaxant last night affected you more than I realized. But in any case, you shouldn't be surprised, my boy. Do you really think I trust you to go on your own without trying to trick me?"

Danny felt something hot swell in his chest and his eyes instinctively burned green. But he lowered his gaze to keep the fact hidden and didn't respond to the man's comment.

However, it was clear by Vlad's widening smile that he noticed. And even if he hadn't, the boy's anger was evident in spite of his attempt to cover it up. Daniel's reaction only encouraged the billionaire to push the teen's 'buttons' further.

"But don't worry, dear boy," he continued smugly, "You'll have plenty of chances to prove your loyalty to me, _since_ that was part of our agreement."

"Can I go?" Danny asked emotionless, still keeping his gaze from his enemy.

"Yes, you may go," Vlad replied, amusement thick in his voice. He calmly watched the young half-ghost exit the room, before he let out an evil chuckle. "Shattered? Hardly."

He let a smirk grace his lips, before turning his attention away from the door, and changing into Plasmius. It was time to do something that had nothing to do with the boy, but with himself. And he had held off that something long enough.

"Initiate training level forty-three without assault," he commanded the simulation room.

"**Level forty-three commencing without assault weapons."**

Vlad calmly watched as the room began to change to match the requested level. But he wasn't exactly here to merely train. If so, he would have requested a higher level. He looked up as a circular metal plate covered with a glowing and pulsating cap of blue ice appeared on the ceiling above him.

"Requesting ice shield," he then said, and immediately the walls became coated in ice, severely dropping the room's temperature.

He thoughtfully passed one of his hands lightly over his mouth as he thought of what he wanted to do next. Ever since that night with Daniel, he had been meaning to check his ghost half. He needed to find out why the boy's elevated energy had triggered his internal ghost sense so strongly that it had become visible.

It had happened twice, and both times, it had been because of the boy. But it was just odd. He had felt many kinds of energy levels during the years since becoming Plasmius, but _that _had never happened to him. Not even when he faced one of the most powerful energy ghosts in the Ghost Zone: Pariah Dark.

Overall, it had been a strange and painful experience. He felt like he had breathed out fire and that that same fire had been burning inside his chest…. Could the boy's elevated energy have unintentionally triggered some sort of growth in his internal ghost sense?

He was determined to find out. But first, he needed to check his ectoplasmic energy in general.

Vlad willed red energy into both of his hands and began to increase its intensity to the point that the ice on the walls began to melt from the heat his ghost energy gave off. How ironic it was, wasn't it, that Daniel's energy was almost opposite of his own after all?

After seeing the boy's energy flare that night, it had become clear to the older hybrid that the younger one had a cooler form of ghost energy. It was the only explanation for the boy's icy ghost sense and his ability to create ice that night…. Not that the boy was aware of this… yet.

So while Daniel had a _cold_ region—which was the area in a ghost's body where their energy was made—Vlad had a _hot_ region. It was why Plasmius' ghost sense felt like a hot tingle rather than a cold one as Danny felt it. It was also why he had to put up an ice shield whenever he used the simulation room.

His energy was, for the lack of a better word, hot. Its heat-based property was what allowed him to cause more damage without the use of so much energy. It made a small blast feel more powerful than it really was when it struck an enemy. It was a true advantage… But _only_ after he had mastered his powers.

By now, the room was completely covered with steam and more continued to come from the evaporating ice walls. But the room kept producing more ice, keeping the ice shield stable. Vlad's red eyes seemed to glow brighter as he allowed his energy to reach its full intensity. And with a soft grunt, he lifted his hands and fired his energy directly at the metal circle above.

A loud _boom_ resonated throughout the entire room, but most of the noise was kept from being heard outside by the soundproof walls that made up the simulation room. The metal plate had turned a vivid red and remained that way.

Plasmius lowered his hands and took in a deep breath, before uttering, "Analyze intensity level."

The metal plate retracted back into the ceiling as the room replied, **"Analyzing…. Now." **

Vlad calmly turned his eyes back to himself as he waited for the room to finish. He lifted his right hand to his eye level before snapping his fingers. And as he did, a spark of electricity passed through his fingers before vanishing. He quickly looked at a random wall, before lifting his hands towards it, his fingers spread forward. In a flash of light, he fired, but his energy did not come out as an energy beam or ecto-blast; it came out as electricity.

The bolt of red energy slammed into the wall, shattering the ice shield completely, before it quickly repaired itself. This electrical power was another ability that came with having a 'hot region.'

While Daniel would eventually develop his ice powers, Vlad had long since developed his electrical ones. But, he never used them to their full potential. At the most, he had once used a light charge on Daniel during the time he had hired all those ghost hunters to distract the boy…

But that's as far as he dared to use them. And if he didn't use them further it was because he had still to master true control over them. He could create electricity in light or strong charges; he could even bend it to fire out into different shapes and sizes. But at full power, he could not control his electrical energy's intensity. It was always the same raw level no matter how much he had spent trying to alter said level. It was the downside of having this sort of power.

Not even other ghosts who had the ability to create electricity could _really_ control it. Electricity itself wasn't just naturally unpredictable; it was deadly. Take, Technus, for example. The staff he always carried around was a conductor. It was the only reason the ghost could lower or increase the intensity of his electrical powers. Without that staff, the ghost would have no control over his abilities.

And so, Vlad never _truly_ used it outside the safety of his home. In fact, not even his closest ally, Skulker, had ever seen him use his electrical powers to their full potential. He felt his inability to master _this_ power could make him appear weak in other's eyes. And that was something Vlad Plasmius would not allow. Weak was the one thing he was not. He also wasn't one to give up, either. And so, even after years of failing to control this ability, he still continued to try. And it was slowly paying off. His powers were growing—like they always had and always would—and eventually, he would be able to truly tame his deadly gift.

But that wasn't really what he was here for. He had plenty of chances to train later. Right now, he wanted to know if that odd occurrence with his ghost sense was just a one-time--or rather, a two-time thing-- or if it meant more.

"**Ectoplasmic intensity increased by two categories." **

Vlad raised an eyebrow in surprise, clearly understanding what the room's computer had just announced to him. "Interesting," he mumbled.

"Run ghost detecting drill," Vlad asked, placing his hands behind his back.

"**Drill initiated at a ghost energy level of seven."**

"Increase by two every thirty seconds." Vlad closed his eyes and concentrated fully on his inner ghost sense. The room was currently releasing different ghost signature levels into the room, which was the next best thing as to having different energy level ghosts actually lined up in front of him. Daniel's power level was currently a seven, but when his energy had elevated it had almost doubled. If the boy's increased energy had indeed sprouted a permanent change in the older hybrid's inner ghost sense, then when he reached that certain intensity level, it would show…

And being that the ghost signatures he was currently feeling were not _real_, their stability didn't waver like it would with a real ghost signature. Vlad could not only feel a ghost's presence, but he could also feel its level and stability. Of course, that came from years of experience. But even so, there was a certain level in which his ghost sense started to feel _uncomfortable_, but it had never actually become painful until that night.

"**Level Eleven."**

"_The ghost king's energy level,"_ he thought, his face scrunching in slight discomfort. But then suddenly he gasped, just before a wisp of red smoke escaped his lips. Plasmius choked on the hot vapor and began to cough heavily.

"End program!" he coughed out, before turning around to the direction of where the door would be. "Blast! _Not again!_" he growled, before quickly spinning his cape around himself and vanishing from the room.

Vlad's odd and sudden exit had nothing to do with what he had been doing. In fact, the room **had not **been what had just triggered his ghost sense to become visible for the third time. It had been a stronger level of energy that had abruptly appeared from _outside_ the room.

Daniel's powers were acting up again.

* * *

Feeling that he needed some fresh air Danny walked out to the pool. It felt so unreal that tonight he would see his family and friends again. After more than a month, he was actually going to see Amity Park, _his home_, again. But… what would he find? Who was taking care of the ghosts now that Danny Phantom was gone? His parents? The Guys-in-White? …Valerie?

What if something awful had happened to his hometown in his absence? Vlad had taken away his internet access, so he had no clue what was happening in Amity. And… What about his sister? Was she better? Was she okay?

For the first time in a while, Danny's hands fisted. "She better be," he whispered angrily. Jazz was the _only_ reason he had left everything behind, that he had given up his own life. He couldn't have lived with himself if something had happened to his sister if he had not succumbed to his arch-enemy's ultimatum. He knew Vlad was capable of a lot in order to get what he wanted, but it was not until that day in that limousine that he realized the man had no remorse in using anything or _anyone_ for it. And it wasn't until now, when he submitted to him, that Danny realized just how far Vlad was willing to go for his own selfish desires.

Danny suddenly jolted as his thoughts of his sister made him realize something, and he stared down at the bracelet around his wrist. How was he supposed to go see her tonight with this thing wrapped around his wrist? Didn't Vlad say it excited the nanobots temporarily if he got too close to Jazz with it? But how much was 'too close'? It had affected her when he had gone to see her one last time at the hospital before he left… So, did this mean he couldn't see his sister?

Danny felt his heart begin to race at the thought. He had to see Jazz! He needed to see with his own two eyes that she was okay!

He sighed helplessly as he realized he would have to talk with Vlad about this. And talking to the man was something he avoided doing all the time. Just looking at the man reminded him that he had given up his freedom, _his free will_ to him. And it hurt so much each time he remembered.

His thoughts suddenly shifted to what the older half-ghost had said to him in the simulation room a few minutes ago.

_Trust_… Like he cared if the man trusted him or not. But he wished the man would have let him go on his own…. What did Vlad think he _could_ do to 'trick him' at this point? Danny had already tried everything he could think of to foil the man's plans, and they all had proved in vain. And now, even if he, by some miracle, found a way out of this, it was too late. He had made a deal with Vlad. And if he broke it, Danny was certain he wouldn't be the only one who would pay the consequences. No, he _couldn't_ risk everyone else. It was best to just do what he had agreed to do. And that was to submit to his enemy's will.

But something within him kept nagging at him. It kept asking him why he didn't protest against the man sending him with others to his home. It was the same voice that had asked him why he had let his _fears_ overcome him. It was the same one that kept telling him to get back up, to fight back…That he could still win. But… it just wasn't as easy to listen to that voice anymore. He couldn't fight anymore. He simply… couldn't.

"I just can't anymore!" Danny said painfully. He plopped down on a patio chair and lowered his head in defeat.

How could he fight back without any will? What was _the_ _point_ of fighting back when he had already lost? Vlad had won from the very beginning of all this! It had been stupid of him to keep denying it! All he had caused with his defiance was to hurt himself, and most importantly, those he cared for. The man had slowly stripped him of whom he was. And he himself finished the job for him by practically selling his enemy his pride and self-worth.

He no longer had anything to fight for. He didn't have anyone at his side anymore. Sure he was going to go see them, but then what? He would return to this fancy prison without his loved ones. To be alone. The moment he had entered Vlad's home he had been alone. But now… he didn't even have himself.

"It's not fair," Danny stated softly. Why did this have to happen to him? Why did he have to suffer like this? He was just a kid! He was a good person! It wasn't fair that these things happened to him. He didn't ask for any of it! He didn't ask to be Danny Phantom!

He didn't want ghost powers…. All he ever wanted was to be a regular kid. Without his powers he wouldn't be where he was now. They were the cause of all his problems. With no Danny Phantom, Vlad would have left him alone. After all, the only thing his enemy wanted was to get him to use his ghost half for _his_ own selfish purposes. All the man cared about was his ghost half…right? If he didn't have powers Vlad would not have even spared him a look. After all, what could _he_ want with an average teenage boy?

"He's just interested in Danny Phantom, not Danny Fenton," The teen sighed angrily, but right after, his head shot up and his eyes brightened with hope. "Wait! Maybe there is a way to give Vlad what he wants without having to sacrifice myself entirely."

Danny stood up and began pacing, liking his idea the more he thought about it. "Vlad wants Danny Phantom, right? So I could _just_ _give_ him my ghost-half! And since he would have no use for my human half, I could go home!" He suddenly paused, and frowned thoughtfully. "Is it even possible to split myself permanently? I'm sure Vlad could manage it. He has lots of stuff to do that with, right? He could just remove my ghost-half and then I would be…"

Danny went rigid and his eyes widened in fear as his words finally sparked several memories in his mind. His breathing quickly picked up, and he stared down at his glowing human hands. "W-What am I saying?" he whispered shakily.

Was he just really contemplating separating himself _permanently_? Didn't a similar decision lead him to a path he promised never to take? Wasn't Vlad the one who had helped him create his evil self?! And now here he was _with Vlad_, thinking of _removing_ his ghost-half!

Danny stumbled backwards until he fell back into the patio chair. He felt like he was about to be sick. But instead, he found himself sobbing into his hands.

"N-No…I-I… promised!" he shouted, before leaning forward and wrapping his hands around himself. His distressed face was hidden by his messy black hair while his form quivered as his nightmare replayed in his mind; as his evil self's words replayed in his mind; as that horrible future replayed in his mind. Had he truly prevented that dark fate? … Or had he merely postponed it?

At the moment it seemed like the latter.

His thoughts only caused more tears to roll down his cheeks. The fear of becoming what he promised never to become only filled him with more wrenching despair, and in turn, triggered his energy level to begin to rise.

Danny was so overwhelmed by his emotions, he didn't even realize that his body was glowing with a green hue, that quickly spread to the things around him. And it wasn't until he felt his body temperature fall drastically that he realized what was happening.

The young teen's wet eyes snapped open, and a gasp left him as he felt the effects of his unstable ghost-half double. But this time, the pain and pressure he felt within wasn't so painful that he couldn't notice what was happening around him.

He stared fearfully at the floating patio furniture before turning his gaze to his own human body. Pushing aside his emotions, he quickly concentrated on changing into his ghost-half, hoping that letting his energy 'out' would stop it from continuing to increase.

Faster than he could control, his spectral rings appeared around his torso and literally exploded away from each other. Danny gasped once more from the cold flash that spread through his body. And at feeling his lungs momentarily constrict, he panicked and fell off the chair he was in.

He didn't see everything fall back on the ground after his transformation; all he saw was that _he_ still had a green hue around his body. And that proved to him that he was still severely unstable. And that meant, if Vlad found out, he would not let him go today.

Danny took off towards the forest. His mounting panic shut down whatever rationality the teen had, and it showed in his erratic flight. All he knew was he couldn't let Vlad see him like this. He zoomed forward at a neck-breaking speed, desperate to burn off his elevated energy in some way. He continued at his dangerous speed even when he entered the forest. He winded around each tree, somehow managing to keep from running into any of them.

Danny wondered if he should release his energy by using ecto-blasts or his Ghostly Wail. But his mind was forgetting about the many dangerous risks he ran if he tried to use his powers like that in a forest. Not to mention there was no telling what using his Ghostly Wail could do to the teen while his energy was so high.

However, Danny was beyond logic. But just as the teen was going to try one of those two dangerous stunts, a voice shouted out his name.

"Daniel!"

The boy gasped at the sound of Vlad's voice coming from somewhere behind him. But instead of stopping, Danny accelerated his flight-speed to the point that the trees became nothing but passing blurs.

And this drained the color from Plasmius' blue face. The man had been so shocked by the Daniel's reaction to his voice that he had halted in mid-flight. What was the boy trying to do?!

"At that speed, he won't survive a head on collision with one of those trees!" he whispered fearfully.

But immediately, he pushed aside his mounting dread, and concentrated, knowing he had to time his next stunt just right. In a fraction of the second, Plasmius vanished in a puff of pink smoke.

* * *

Danny was so afraid of letting Vlad catch him, he couldn't even _see_ what he was doing. He **had** to see his family today or whatever sanity he had left would completely leave him!

The boy continued to dodge and weave through the trees, but it was proving more difficult by the second. There were just so many of them, and they were coming at him so fast!

He gasped when he barely missed the next tree. They were coming at him _too _fast! And so, he didn't see the next one until his face was a feet from it. All Danny had time to do was to widen his eyes in fear.

But then at that precise instant, Vlad appeared out of nowhere at the boy's side, and instantly grabbed him by his waist and pushed them both to the side before either could collide with the tree. However, the force of the speed of Danny's flight plus Vlad's violent shove sent both half-ghosts swirling forward and out of control. Luckily, Plasmius had quickly turned them intangible, preventing them from slamming into anything in their path.

In a matter of seconds, they impacted the brush-filled ground, and tumbled apart before finally skidding to a halt.

Covered in forest debris, Danny sat up and placed a hand on his spinning head, all the while, wondering what had happened. He was sure he had hit that tree. But it was obvious he had not, so how did he…

"HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!"

The teen's head shot up only for his eyes to meet with a pair of angry red ones that belonged to a leaf-and-twig-covered Plasmius. Danny shrunk under the man's gaze, but not out of fear; it was out of embarrassment. He was suddenly feeling really stupid for his actions.

Vlad's glare softened _a bit_ at seeing the boy's green eyes lower to his hands, saying nothing to defend himself.

"What happened?" Plasmius asked heatedly "I told you not to excite yourself!"

Danny wobbled to his feet, feeling a bit shaky after everything that happened. He wasn't about to tell Vlad what had caused him to freak out, so he choose the vaguest answer he could think of. "I-It was an accident," he replied softly.

His response only ticked off the older half-ghost even more.

"Oh, _really_?" he answered in sarcastic anger. "So, flying through a _thick_ part of a forest, _over_ a _hundred_ miles-an-hour, _with_ your powers going _haywire _is an _**accident**_?!"

Danny visibly cringed at the man's words, finally realizing _just_ how stupid his actions had been. The teen looked up at Vlad as he stammered out his reply, "Y-Yeah; I-I mean, no. I-I just wanted to, well, I-I was trying to-"

"What? **Break your neck?!**"

Danny sighed, and just silently looked away.

Vlad, in turn, took a deep breath, trying to control his anger. Or was it fear?

"Daniel…" he began, momentarily pinching the bridge of his nose, before looking back at the teen with a sober gaze. "You are _clearly_ not well. I don't think you should-"

"No!" Danny exclaimed fearfully, staring back up at the man. "I'm fine! You gotta let me go today!"

Plasmius' eyes instantly turned a brighter red, right before they narrowed into dangerous slits. "If you tell me you are _fine_ one more time, I'm going to blast you through a TREE!" he screamed out furiously, taking a step towards Danny.

The young half-ghost quickly took a few frightened steps back, and his breathing become shaky with said fear. But he wasn't backing down. He _needed_ to see them.

"Please, Vlad, I need to see them….Can't you understand that? I-I gotta know that Jazz is okay," Danny's plea fell into a whisper, and his gaze down-casted with his last comment.

The older half-ghost's ire extinguished, but his face held a stony expression as he answered the boy. "Jasmine is fine. In fact, she's been out of the hospital for over a week."

Danny looked up in disbelief as his mind momentarily wondered how the man knew that, but then he realized that the man _would_ know that. And he also realized his arch-enemy was keeping an eye on his family... The fact was frightening.

Vlad sighed once again, and began to pull off the many pieces of debris in his hair and clothing. He knew it would be more logical for him to simply turn intangible, but he was stalling for time. He couldn't decide what to do. He _knew_ it was unwise to send the boy to Amity today after this little _stunt_. Actually, it was ludicrous to send him at all until his condition improved completely. …There was no doubt in his mind it would be a huge mistake. The boy was severely unstable, and he wasn't referring to just his energy. But… refusing to let him go would be a bigger mistake…He didn't want to see the boy break down again like he had that night. Not _ever_ again.

Vlad finally turned intangible, quickly getting rid of the remaining twigs and leaves on him, before speaking again. "We've been out here long enough. Come, clean yourself up and let's head back. If you're going tonight you have to get some rest."

Danny gave him a relieved, but confused look. The relief was obviously due to the fact that Vlad was letting him go tonight. But he was confused with what the man meant by '_Cleaning yourself up_.'

Vlad soon made him realize what the comment meant when his enemy placed a finger on his shoulder, turned him intangible, and Danny saw a pile of leaves and twigs form under his feet. "Oh," the teen mumbled.

Plasmius shook his head, and murmured something about the boy's lack of common sense as he turned from him. The man was about to take off, but Danny's voice stopped him.

"Wait."

He looked back to the young hybrid with an expected frown.

The teen kept his eyes slightly averted as he stammered out, "I-I, uh, want to see Jazz…"

Vlad's frowned deepened with irritation. "Yes, I _know_, Daniel. We _just_ discussed that. And I _just_ said you're going. _And_ _that_ obviously means you will be seeing your sister. Is that clear now? Good." Vlad turned back around, but again, Danny stopped him.

"B-But how can I see her, if I'm going to hurt her?" the teen quickly pressed.

"What?" Vlad snapped angrily. "What in blazes are you—"

Danny pointed at the glowing white bracelet, stopping the man in his tracks. It was obvious by the look of surprise on Vlad's eyes that he had forgotten all about the device's affect on Jasmine. He had been so focused on planning the boy's visit that _that_ 'minor' detail had slipped his mind.

But his surprise didn't last long, and he rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Let me see that," he asked sharply, stretching a hand towards the teen.

Danny hesitantly complied and placed his hand in the man's own. He gave Vlad a curious stare at seeing him begin to press some random buttons on the bracelet. But upon catching his look, the older half-ghost paused in his actions, and glared at him. "It's not coming off; if that's what you're thinking."

The boy just slowly shook his head in response, and Vlad lowered his gaze back to the device. Danny's eyes, too, turned to the bracelet, but at finding it glowing red, his eyes snapped back up to Vlad in alarm.

"Relax," the older half-ghost said distractingly, feeling the teenager tense under his hold. "The red glow doesn't necessarily mean this device is going to hurt you. It's just programmed to react to my ecto-signature."

But Danny didn't calm down, and his heart thumped loudly the entire time the man worked on the device. Vlad could hear it, too. Still, he didn't attempt to calm the boy again. If Daniel wanted to freak out over nothing that was his problem.

Finally, after what seemed like hours—although it had only taken a minute—Vlad released Danny's hand.

"I deactivated the nanobot feature. But _**only**_ that," Vlad emphasized with a sharp look, before continuing. "The feature will, however, reactivate after twenty-four hours. And since by then you will be _nowhere_ _near_ Amity Park, you have nothing to worry about. So, now that we have made sure you can visit your _dear_ _sister_ without being a hazard to her health, think we could head back?" Vlad asked dryly.

Danny just stayed quiet.

Somehow, that just annoyed Vlad more than if the boy had retorted with some snide comment. But he said nothing himself. He just tuned from the Danny, and finally took flight. He didn't once glance back to see whether or not the boy was following him. He didn't need to. He could feel him flying right behind him.

Danny, however, paid no mind to Vlad either. He didn't even pay much mind to his own flight. Now that it was certain that he was going to Amity Park, his tormented mind calmed. That was all he cared about. And even better, Jazz was out of the hospital! She was at home! He would get to see her home alongside his parents.

A small smile ghosted across Danny's lips at the thought of his upcoming visit. He wasn't letting anything jeopardize it again. He planned to go straight to bed for a nap, and then eat all his dinner. Heck, he would even gladly go back into the simulation room if that's what it took to keep his plans on track. Nothing mattered today, expect for his visit. His troubles, his fears, his losses, all of it; he would push it all from his mind today. He would keep his focus on his loved ones. They were all that mattered.

* * *

"Keep to the outskirts, Jim. Make sure you are _not_ _seen,_" Vlad warned his aircraft driver.

"Yes, sir."

Vlad walked out of the pilot cabin and to the passenger area, where the thoughtful young hybrid sat, silently staring out the window.

"Daniel," he called, getting the boy's attention. "Remember, do not excite yourself, and do not allow yourself to be seen. Do I make myself clear?"

Danny just nodded before returning his gaze to the window.

Vlad rolled his eyes before walking closer to the boy. "I wasn't finished," he said annoyed as he grabbed a hold of the teenager's wrist containing the currently blue bracelet. He then said, "Morph."

Danny's eyebrows creased, and he looked at the man with a mixture of wariness, bewilderment, and even curiosity. He hesitated, but soon transformed.

"Pay _close_ attention, Daniel," Vlad said, lifting the boy's wrist so it was right at Danny's eye level. "_This_ device has a communicator in it. We'll stay in touch through it. To talk, push _this_ button. Now this other button is a silent distress call. If for whatever reason you cannot verbally tell me something is wrong, press it and I'll take the necessary actions. Now, if you begin to experience any problem with your powers, no matter how small, I want you to head back to the helicopter." Vlad paused to emphasize his order, before continuing again. "This bracelet allows me to see the slightest blip in your health and energy. There is nothing you can do that I won't _see_. So, **do** **not** try to pretend you are fine if you are not, got that?"

Danny nodded.

Vlad sighed deeply, before staring intensely at the boy. "Daniel… I cannot stress enough how important it is that you stay calm. Keeping your ghost energy stable falls mostly on your being able to keep your mind clear and your emotions in check. And like I told you before, your powers are your own, and they will only do what you let them. _However_, if your powers do spiral out of control, know that I will immediately take action. This device, Daniel, does not just mimic your parents' '_Specter_ _Deflector', _it can also mimic the Plasmius Maximus. If I must, I will short-circuit your powers through this device."

Danny went rigid, realizing he was right all along about the bracelet: It was a leash… A leash _and_ prong collar.

Vlad chuckled at the boy's reaction. "It also has a tracking system, little badger. So, I will know _exactly_ where you are at _all_ times," he finished in a smug tone, before releasing the teen's hand. Danny changed back, feeling the same heat swell in his chest as it had in the simulation room earlier today. But this time it was stronger. So strong, in fact, he suddenly wanted to punch the man in front of him with all his strength. Only that, as quick as the urge came, it left him. And the boy just stayed silent.

"Have fun, my little badger. And do not do anything you will later regret, hmm?" With that Vlad walked out of the helicopter and closed its door.

Danny sighed to himself as he watched from the window as the chopper slowly lifted off the ground. There were no words to describe how happy he felt from knowing he was going to see his loved ones again. But there were also no words to describe how afraid he was. Could he handle seeing them again as he was? Would he be strong enough to restrain himself from throwing himself on them in a hug, of calling out their names and telling them how much he missed them?

But then again… Did he _really_ want them to see him like this? Could he handle their disappointed looks if they knew what he had done?

No. He couldn't handle it. He couldn't let them see the empty shell that he was now. He couldn't let them see how weak he truly was. In a little over a month's time, he had completely fallen apart because he wasn't strong, at least, not without them…

Danny sighed once again, pushing his self-berating thoughts from his mind. It didn't matter anymore. All that mattered is that he would get to see them. He would get to see his home.

"Even if it's just for a little while," he whispered sadly as he watched the clouds move by.

* * *

Danny couldn't help but roll his eyes at seeing that the ghosts Vlad sent with him were those stupid ghost vultures. Sometimes, he questioned the man's _intelligence_…

Ignoring the gibbering birds, Danny changed into his ghost form and quickly flew a couple of feet off the ground, so to get his bearings. It didn't take him long to determine which way was home.

_Home_…

That little word put a smile on the teenager's lips as he took in his town. His long absence made everything feel so… distant to him, but he knew it all so well. And that comforted him greatly.

"_Daniel."_

The young half-ghost's attention went to the device, which was currently glowing green. He quickly recalled all the times he had observed it change to this color, and he soon concluded the green glow meant Vlad was linking to it.

"Yeah?" Danny replied, pushing the button Vlad had showed him.

"Those three have already surveyed the area, but I want you to keep invisible at all times."

Danny didn't respond, but willed himself invisible. However, he suddenly frowned at the three vultures, finally noticing one of them had a communicator clutched in its talons. Still, he didn't give it any further thought, and took to Amity's night sky.

Being back home rejuvenated his entire being. He knew this place. He felt safe here. This is where his loved ones were.

The boy breathed in the bittersweet air of his town and glanced at the star-filled sky. The sigh that escaped his lips said it all. With a more vibrant glow in his green eyes, Danny increased his speed as he headed to the place where he most desired to be.

* * *

Vlad stared at the computer frame in front of him. The boy hadn't replied to his command but he didn't need a reply. The band around Daniel's wrist registered he was invisible.

"You three, stay close. But remain outside when he goes into Fenton Works. The last thing I need is one of you setting off ghost-detecting devices."

"_No problem, boss!_" he heard one of them respond through the communicator he had given them.

Vlad pressed another button on the mainframe, and uttered, "Fright Knight, the boy has arrived."

"_Yes, my liege. I will await further command."_

Vlad released the button, before letting out an apprehensive sigh and walking over to another screen.

Skulker was right beside the half-ghost, silently watching as his employer checked and re-checked all the monitors. "You know, Plasmius…" the hunter began, unable to hold it in any longer. "You are _really_ taking some drastic measures."

"Of course I am!" Vlad suddenly shouted angrily, pausing in his actions. "I didn't get the boy to submit to me to risk losing him now!" The man glared at his ally, before resuming with what he was doing.

Skulker raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment on the matter. He knew it was unwise to talk to his employer when he was having one of his mood swings.

"_You better behave, Daniel,"_ Vlad thought darkly.

* * *

**Well, next chappie should be… fun… heh. By the way, I finally got that one-shot I promised you all done! It's what my lovely beta Truphan helped me decide to call a 'deleted excerpt.' So if you want a sneak peak/clues/ behind-the-scene explanation from the mind of Clockwork himself then check it out! I'm posting it in a few minutes. And ****I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on it! Also, ****I will reply to last chapters reviews tomorrow! So forgive me for that.**

**Okay, here is the latest fan-art from Bloodmoon on this story. Check it out!! And thanks a bundle, BM, for your awesome art work!**

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ht tp (:) /(/) bloodmoon14. deviantart. com/art/Checkmate-Surrender-85400798

**And also DannyTimmygirl1327 has started songfics based on this story and her own view on it! Check em out, too, kay? They are quite fun to read!**

Two so far:

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Title: I walk Alone: ht tp (:) / (/) ww w .fanfiction. net /s/4305753/1/IWalkAlone

Title: Nobody's Home: ht tp (:) / (/) ww w .fanfiction. net /s/4313959/1/NobodysHome

**Well, my readers, until next time! Don't forget to voice your thoughts! Take care!**


	31. Chapter 30: Unexpected Visits

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**Hey everyone…. I am SO sorry for the lack of updates lately. I was unable to access the internet for over a week! It's a very long story so I rather not even try to explain it. Sadly, this has caused me to get behind—obviously. And it means I am going to have to skip replying to your reviews for those past two chapters! I am truly sorry, and I feel bad. But I have gotten too behind to try to reply to everyone, especially now that I'm working, I have very limited time on the computer. I hope you guys understand. I will reply to this chapter's reviews however. And I thank each of you for all your wonderful reviews for those last two chapters! I really enjoyed each and every one! Thank you!**

So, enough delay; I give you chapter 30 of CM! Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

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Chapter 30: Unexpected Visits

Danny felt his heart flutter as he landed on top of his house. He would have thought he was dreaming if it wasn't for the almost overwhelming fear swirling inside him. But he knew this wasn't the time to let his doubts get the upper hand. He had to keep calm. He had to see them.

Taking a deep breath, he phased through the roof and landed quietly in his room. Suddenly, he was even more nervous, fearing he might set off his dad's ghost alarms. But just as quickly, Danny recalled that the device on his wrist masked his ghost signature and he slightly relaxed again.

Still invisible, he smiled at the all too familiar fluorescent stars on his ceiling. It was way past eleven at night; and on top of that, it was a school night, so he knew everyone was asleep by now…Or he hoped.

Danny decided to head for Jazz's room. He was determined to see with his own eyes that she was okay. But the sight on his bed stopped him cold.

His eyes widened. "Mom?" he whispered in disbelief. He slowly approached her before kneeling down on one knee beside her.

What was she doing in his room? It was obvious she had accidentally fallen asleep here since she was still wearing her hazmat suit. But Danny didn't ponder his question for much longer. Having his mother inches from him had sent his heart through a kaleidoscope of emotions. And they had him fighting the urge to grab her into a tight hug and never let go.

"_Mom,"_ he thought sadly, taking in her sleeping form as tears sprang to his eyes. If he weren't invisible, he would have noticed that his ghostly glow was becoming brighter.

Unable to resist his next urge, Danny leaned over and gave his mother a soft kiss on her cheek. But he quickly bit his lower lip when seeing her shudder in response to his ghostly chill.

"I love you, Mom," he whispered to her.

"I love you, too, Danny."

Danny's eyes widened in shock, and he quickly covered his mouth to suppress the gasp that wanted to leave him. He backed away, afraid he might have wakened her.

However, he soon realized it was not the case. His mother was still fast asleep. So then, how did she hear him?

The tears finally rolled down his face, instantly becoming visible the moment they left him. They fell like sparkling stars, only to shatter on the floor below. He just stayed there, staring at her for several minutes; and he would have gladly stayed longer if he wasn't sure he was about to break down. And so, with one last loving look, he phased out of his room, leaving his mom alone once more.

Danny turned to look at the shut door, the weight of his guilt unbearable. He wasn't so clueless that he didn't see how much his absence was affecting his mother. But there was nothing he could do. Absolutely nothing.

The teen ripped his distraught gaze from his room's door to continue forward. Or he would have if it wasn't for the medium-sized blur that suddenly shot towards him like a bolt of lightning.

Danny almost screamed in fright, but before he did, the blur halted in front of him and he instantly recognized it. The boy would have smiled joyfully if 'the blur' wasn't at that moment barking its head off or wagging its tail so excitedly that it was making loud 'thud' noises against the wall.

"Shhh! TJ, no!" Danny desperately pleaded, knowing his family would wake up if the dog continued. But how did the Dalmatian even know he was here to begin with? He was invisible!

The question instantly vanished from the teen's mind when he saw light leak out from under his sister's door right before it opened and she walked out. At that instant, Danny almost passed out from dread.

"TJ! Be quiet! You're going to wake up Mom and Dad!" Jazz said in an annoyed whisper, her room's light illuminating the entire hallway.

Now on the verge of panicking, Danny fruitlessly tried to back away from TJ, but the dog continued to follow him wherever he moved, friskily barking and whining after him.

"Fine, I'll let you out!" Jazz said, before yawning.

Danny took this chance to soar down the stairs. Quickly reaching the bottom of them, he flew up as far as he could and hovered. But TJ bolted right after him. The puppy wasn't the least bit discouraged that his master was now out of reach. To the young half-ghost's dismay, all he could do at this point was nervously watch as his dog ran around the spot above which he was floating.

Thankfully, Jazz was obviously too exhausted to pay much mind to the playful pup's crazy antics. She trotted down the stairs, covering her mouth as yet another yawn escaped her. Reaching TJ, she grabbed a hold of his collar and led him to the back of the house.

Danny watched how Jazz unconsciously grabbed her robe and huddle it closer to her as she passed right below him. TJ just whined as he was led away from his master. But at seeing his sister and dog vanishing into the kitchen, Danny ignored his best judgment and followed them.

Jazz opened the back door and headed outside. "TJ, chill out!" she scolded as the dog nearly attempted to bolt from her hold. "What are you so excited about anyway?" she asked, rolling her eyes as he continued to yap loudly.

Danny's eyebrows furrowed as he watched his sister place TJ within a fenced-in area. When did they get that?

"_Dad must have set it up,"_ he concluded.

Danny finally allowed himself to smile at the sight of his sister. She looked so much better than the last time he had seen her. And that fact alone made everything he had been through since he left worth it. He truly didn't regret sacrificing himself for her. He loved her too much to allow anything to happen to her.

But his smiled faded when Jazz let out a sigh and sadly looked up at the night sky. "Where are you, Danny?" he heard her whisper, before wiping her eyes with her robe's sleeve. She sighed again, smiled at TJ, and then went back into the house.

Hearing the door close, Danny landed on the grass, staring in the direction his sister had gone. "I'm right here, Jazz," he whispered sadly.

Danny turned towards TJ and walked over to him. He phased through the fenced area, and with a smile, he squatted beside his dog. "Glad you still remember me," he told the excited dog with a sad chuckle.

Danny suddenly glanced down at the bracelet before carefully scanning his surroundings. With a bit of hesitation, he became visible. And instantly, TJ pounced, throwing the boy back onto his bottom. TJ then began to excitedly lick his master's face.

"Man, TJ! You've gotten big and… _heavy_!" he grunted, trying to push the puppy off. TJ had to weigh about thirty pounds at least. And had tripled in size from the last time he had seen him. But obviously the two-in-a-half-month-old puppy still had _a_ _lot_ of growing to do before he reached a Dalmatian's full size.

"_I thought I told you to stay invisible,_" Danny suddenly heard Vlad's irritated voice say through the communicator.

"Alright, I gotta go," Danny sadly said to TJ, scratching him behind his ear. He gave the puppy a quick hug before turning invisible once more. And with one last smile at the whining TJ, he flew back into the house.

* * *

Vlad was certain his heart had skipped a beat when one of the ghost vultures told him that there was barking coming from inside the house and that a light had turned on soon after.

"Stupid mongrel!" Vlad growled, his hands fisting on the computer panel when he suddenly remembered the Dalmation. How could he not? The dog was there during the time he had gone to the Fenton house to bring Daniel back from the hospital. He still remembered vividly how the annoying thing had chased him around, playfully tugging at his pants while he had been trying to cook. He also remembered getting fed up with it and scaring him off by changing into Plasmius. The puppy had run away, fearfully yapping all the way to wherever he had fled to. He was glad he didn't see it again after that.

Vlad sighed in relief when his cronies informed him that the boy's presence had not been revealed by that filthy dog. But his relief turned into anger as his mainframe quickly alerted him that Daniel had turned visible.

"What the blazes is he doing?!" Vlad yelled through the communicator that connected him to the three vultures.

"_He's playing with some mutt,"_ a vulture replied.

Vlad rolled his eyes. The boy could act so childish sometimes. Pressing a button to link him to Danny, he said, "I thought I told you to stay invisible."

Seeing the teen comply, the older half-ghost rubbed his eyes, thinking, _"This is going to be a long night." _

* * *

Danny was having a hard time keeping himself from laughing at the sight of his dad's snoring form. His father currently held a teddy bear in his grasp. But he was also mumbling in his sleep. Danny realized his father was mumbling about him. It was something about fudge and sharing it with him once he found him. It was amusing, but more saddening really.

Despite his father's oblivious nature and his embarrassing behavior at times, Danny knew his dad cared about him; he cared about his family. But he wasn't just a great father and husband; he was also an honest and noble man. And Danny was proud of him.

Danny's smile turned into a large grin as his father brought his thumb to his mouth. "I better leave before I burst," he thought, before flying out of his parents' room.

The young half-ghost cautiously poked his head into his sister's room, and found she was still awake.

He carefully phased all the way through the door; and at that moment, Jazz let out a sigh, making Danny tense up briefly. She silently traced Bear Bert's mustache with her fingers, a thoughtful and sad look on her face.

At that moment, Danny wished he could read minds. Whatever his sister was thinking was causing her pain. But all he could do was sit on the floor and watch her. He felt so powerless.

"_If there was just something I could do, anything to make you feel better. But I can't...I'm sorry, Jazz," he thought sadly._

"It's all my fault," he suddenly heard her whisper, pushing him from his previous thoughts.

Danny tilted his head. _"What is she talking about?"_ he wondered, gazing confusedly at her. But when he saw tears begin to roll down Jazz's face, he looked away. He hated to see his sister cry. It made him feel horrible every time.

An hour later Jazz finally fell asleep. Danny stood up and slowly walked over to her. Carefully, Danny covered her up, knowing she would just think their mom or dad had done so. He moved his hand to the lamp on her nightstand. But when he did, he noticed the boomerang lying on top of it.

"_I told you not to look for me,"_ he thought sadly, turning his eyes back to her. _"I love you, Jazz… I wish I would have told you that more often."_

With that last thought, he quietly turned off her lamp, shrouding the room with darkness. He didn't dare look back at her, knowing he would not be able to leave if he did. So, he quickly flew up and phased straight through her ceiling until he was back outside his house.

Danny flew off the roof, trying his best to ignore TJ's whines in the background. He wanted to just leave without looking back, but he found himself hesitating. He ached so badly to stay.

The teen turned back, gazing sorrowfully down at his home. He wasn't going to see it again. And that truth made it even harder for him to leave than when he did over a month ago.

Danny's hands unconsciously fisted at his side as he tried to control his overwhelming emotions. He could feel his powers beginning to swell within him, but he couldn't move. He couldn't leave!

"_Look at it this way, dear boy, they will have a much safer existence without you."_

Vlad's mocking words were like a violent and painful shove, and Danny immediately took off away from his home. He didn't even want to think that the man's horrible words were true, but deep down inside he found himself believing them.

* * *

Some time later Danny landed on Sam's house. He wiped his eyes and calmed himself a bit, before flying into her bedroom.

The instant he landed inside he noticed her light was on but she was fast asleep, covered in a thick purple comforter. He drew closer. When he finally saw her face, he drew his breath in, not expecting the sudden bombardment of emotions that churned within him. He swallowed hard, but then smiled softly at her, his mind recalling so many of their adventures together. And just as suddenly, he blushed for reasons only he knew of.

At that moment, his gaze drifted towards one of her nightstands. He chuckled softly at the sight of one of his rocket models on it. What it was doing here, he had no clue; yet, something about finding it here made his heart constrict.

He moved forward and lightly touched the rocket before returning his attention to his female friend. _"I miss you, Sam"_ he thought sadly, wishing he could see her lavender eyes looking at him with their sarcastic and mesmerizing air just once more.

And with that thought, something seemed to open in Danny's mind. The look in his green eyes changed as he stared at his best friend. But that was just it; he was not looking at her as he had in the past. He wasn't looking at her like just 'a friend'.

Why had he never noticed before? How could he not have noticed before? Sam, his best friend, his _girl_ friend… She was so… beautiful.

But that's not all. She was smart, strong, caring, pure-hearted…She was everything he could ever need and more. She was perfect.

A tender smile graced the boy's lips at the realization, his eyes now as soft as her peaceful breathing. Danny was sure that if he ever saw Sam again, he would never be the same around her. His feelings for his other crushes, Paulina and Valerie, suddenly extinguished, becoming nothing but vague memories. They couldn't even compare to the affection he now felt for his best friend. An affection he had always felt… but had not truly realized he felt until now.

Danny suddenly wanted to get closer to her. He wanted to touch her face. He wanted to…

The boy took a step forward, swallowing hard as his cheeks brightened. But then his eyebrows creased and he stopped himself from getting any closer.

No, he couldn't. At least not now… But then when? He would never see her again. The fact nearly broke his heart.

"Sam…" he whispered, kneeling beside her. But he didn't dare touch her. He closed his eyes, promising himself at that moment that if he ever had the chance to be with her again, he would not let it be in vain. He would find a way to tell her. He would let her see just how much he meant to him. He promised.

He moved away, the intensity in his gaze unlike any other. He would let her know how he felt…someday.

With a small sigh, he turned away and left as quietly as he had come.

Danny quickly sped off into the sky, heading towards the last but _definitely_ **not** the less important person he wanted to see.

* * *

It hadn't taken him long to arrive at his friend's house. As he phased into the room, he rolled his eyes in amusement when the first thing he caught sight of was the picture clipped to Tucker's dresser. It was of one where Tucker had caught him sleeping with TJ on his bed. He glanced at his sleeping friend with a smirk, and thought, _"You're so wrong." _

Danny had no idea when his friend had gotten the chance to catch him in such an embarrassing pose; but he knew if it wasn't for everything that was happening, he would love to get Tucker back for it. He was sure his friend had taken the picture to 'blackmail' him when he got the chance… Tucker had probably been planning to force him into buying him lunch at the _Nasty Burger_ in exchange for it… That was so Tucker.

Danny sighed as he slowly began recalling all the fun he had with his male friend. They had been friends way before they met Sam. And that alone made his relationship with Tucker so much different than his with Sam. He could talk to him about anything…. They shared almost everything.

Suddenly, Danny leaned heavily against Tucker's dresser as he fought against the strong desire to wake up his sleeping friend. He wanted so much to tell him how much he missed him; how thankful he was for everything he had done for him. His childhood would not have been the same without him. Tucker had been more than his friend; he had been a brother.

The young half-ghost forced himself to regain his composure, and approached his male friend. For once, Danny found Tucker not holding his PDA in his sleep; rather, it was on his nightstand beside him. And for some reason that bothered Danny.

He pushed it away though, and smiled gratefully at Tucker. More than ever, Danny was glad he had met him. Tucker and his PDA had saved his hide more times than he could ever recall anymore. But most importantly, Tucker had always been there for him. He had always supported him in every way.

And Danny knew that, like Sam, Tucker _would_ _always_ be there for him. They were both his loyal friends. And he couldn't wish for better ones. But there was something Tucker could do that Sam could not.

"_You've always known how to make me laugh, Tuck; even when I'm down. I wish you could do that for me now. __I need that more than I could ever say." _

* * *

"B-Boss, we have a _big_ problem."

Vlad frowned quizzically at the birds' sudden announcement. It couldn't be anything related with the boy from what he could see on his mainframe. So then what were they talking about?

Pressing a button, he asked, "What kind of problem?"

"_**Ghost hunter problem!"**_

Vlad gasped, his face instantly paling as the realization dawned on him. "Ms. Grey!" he exclaimed, before rushing over to the screen that held Danny's information. The older half-ghost silently scolded himself. There had been an unknown variable, and he had forgotten to take it into account. How could he have been so careless?

"The hunter girl?" Skulker asked in disbelief, putting away a weapon he was working on. "But how did she track him? That cloaking device the whelp is wearing makes him undetectable to all devices!"

Vlad shook his head, his focus on the mainframe. "She didn't track _him_! She tracked those blasted birds!"

Skulker immediately frowned. "I see…Still, the cloaking device will keep the whelp off her radar, but if she _sees_ him…"

"Which is why she will not," Vlad assured, before pressing a button on the mainframe again. "You three, distract her! Keep her away from the boy at all cost!" he ordered the vultures.

* * *

Danny immediately looked down at his bracelet, noticing it was glowing green, but this time, it was tingling him slightly.

"_He probably wants me to hurry up,"_ Danny thought irritably.

But a slight rumble above him turned his gaze upwards. Luckily, Tucker—unlike Sam-- was a heavy sleeper, so the strange occurrence didn't stir his friend from his slumber in the least.

Sure that something was up, Danny had no choice but to give his friend a last parting look and leave the house to investigate.

But he didn't have a lot to investigate. It was quite clear what was going on.

Danny gasped as he was greeted by the sight of Valerie chasing after the three vultures, just before her well-aimed shots hit the ghosts and somehow made them all disappear with squawks of pain.

"_Daniel, head back to the helicopter! Now!"_

Vlad's voice quickly brought the stunned half-ghost back to reality, and he immediately took off in the direction of the aircraft.

However, his departure was not fast enough...

* * *

Valerie groaned in frustration when her scanner alerted her to more ghosts in the vicinity. Ghost activity had been so heavy lately, and with Maddie and Jack Fenton out of commission, it was giving her an extra load. Or at least that's all she could conclude.

It was almost three in the freakin morning and she had school tomorrow! Why was it that just when she was about to head home, more ghosts always decided to show up? And it wasn't just one this time, but **four**!

Her tracker indicated that three of them were in one area, and the other one was at another. "These spooks are going to get a good butt-kicking for keeping me up this late!" she growled out as she headed in the direction of the closer three.

Valerie soon found her ghost scanner led her to Tucker's house. Now bewildered as to why three ghosts were anywhere near there, she activated the invisibility radar on her mask, allowing her to confirm with her eyes what her scanner said.

She could see the outlines of what looked like ghost birds. And without a second thought, she fired at them. Instantly, the three ghosts were forced out of invisibility and they scattered in a mess of green feathers.

Valerie immediately pursued them as they flew off, but before the birds could get far, she shot all three with her weapon, instantly making them vanish into thin air. Only a few faintly glowing feathers, which slowly floated towards the ground, hinted of their former presence.

She grinned triumphantly as she said, "Well, that was easy." This weapon really made her job easier, since it sent every ghost it hit straight into the Ghost Zone.

Still keeping her invisibility radar on, she turned her jet board around, planning on heading to Amity's outskirts, which was where her scanner said the last ghost was. But then unexpectedly, her eyes spotted something several feet away.

The ghost huntress gasped as she barely caught sight of an indiscernible outline, flying speedily away from her. "What is that? It can't be a ghost! My ghost scanner isn't picking it up!" She mused out loud, curious about the phenomenon. She immediately gave chase.

As she got closer, however, the indiscernible 'outline' started to become clearer, and her heart began to thump faster from the familiarity of the entity's shape.

"It can't be," she whispered, before calling forth one of her ghost assault weapons and locking her aim onto the figure. She fired.

* * *

Danny's eyes widened at seeing Valerie look his way just as he had taken off. He didn't understand. He was invisible! She should not have been able to see him! But the way she followed his movements definitely indicated otherwise.

"Vlad, I think she can see me," Danny said through his communicator while continuing his retreat. His fear was immediately confirmed when he saw the ghost hunter quickly begin to chase after him.

"_Daniel, you are in no condition to go up against Ms. Grey. You must lose her!"_

But before he could even think of how to do that, Valerie unexpectedly fired at him.

"Ahh!!" Danny screamed in agony as a pink blast slammed into his back. A horrible, searing pain injected itself into his body. Suddenly, everything became black before his eyes, and the young half-ghost could feel himself losing consciousness.

From a distance, Valerie watched the ghost's motionless body, which had become visible, plummet towards the ground. "He...he is..." She was at a loss of words.

"_Daniel! Daniel!"_ Vlad shouted to the stunned teen through the communicator. _"Daniel! Focus! DANIEL!"_

"V-Vlad?" Abruptly, Danny's eyes shot wide open and his haze dissipated. He instantly remembered what happened; and realizing he was falling, the young half-ghost immediately covered his face, just a second before crashing head first into some bushes.

Danny somehow managed to quickly get back on his feet, although his body painfully protested every move he made. But the teen knew he had no choice. He wobbled a few steps forward, before slowly gazing upwards, only to be greeted by the sight of the stiff Valerie Grey staring down at him. He didn't need to see her face behind her mask to know she was utterly shocked at the sight of him. And obviously, this made him realize he was now completely visible.

"I-It can't be. I-I destroyed you," she whispered to him.

Danny could only stare back, just as frozen in place as she was. But he was stun from dread, not shock. This was one thing he had hoped to avoid, and he knew that Valerie would get over her shock very soon. And knowing her, she would as soon as her anger reached its boiling point.

_"What are you doing? Get out of there!"_

Vlad's shout startled Danny, but not as much as the next one that followed it.

"YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE GONE!" Valerie screamed in rage, willing out several weapons.

Danny instantly took into the sky, flying at top speed towards the outskirts of Amity, all the while trying desperately to lose the enraged huntress that had not hesitated to pursue him.

The half-ghost dived down to avoid several blasts that were coming his way. But Valerie did the same and positioned herself underneath him. Danny immediately propelled himself higher into the air, trying to avoid another volley of the burning ecto-blasts. He could feel the scorching heat as they flew past him, some of them coming way to close for comfort!

Valerie was firing like crazy at him, and although her aim was slightly askew from her burning rage, it was still difficult to dodge so many shots!

"_Daniel, listen to me,"_ Vlad's sober voice rang from the bracelet, sounding slightly defeated, _"Fright Knight is up ahead. Let him handle Ms. Grey. I want you back on the copter, alright?"_

Danny gasped at his enemy's words. Fright Knight was here?! His hands immediately clenched into fists and he mentally berated himself. How could he have thought for even a second that Vlad would send him with just those three sorry vultures? But that was beyond the dilemma he was now in. Valerie was no match for Fright Knight! Even with her new enhanced suit, she wouldn't be able to handle him, and that ghost definitely wouldn't hold back.

Abruptly, Danny did a sharp left, heading anywhere but towards the ghost.

"_Daniel…? Where are you going?"_

"He'll hurt her," Danny replied, docking another of Valerie's assaults.

"_THAT ISN'T YOUR CONCERN! GET BACK TO THE HELICOPTER!"_

But Danny ignored the man's demand, despite knowing all too well he would dearly regret it later. However, he couldn't let Fright Knight hurt her. If he would allow that to happen, he would regret it a hundreds time more than just disobeying Vlad. Valerie was his friend, even if she so happened to be trying to waste him at the moment. The ghost teen knew she deeply cared for Danny Fenton.

"I would never forgive myself if I just leave now," he murmured.

But then Danny gasped at hearing and then seeing an ecto-missile heading his way and closing in fast. He remembered vividly from their last intense fight that these dangerous weapons lock onto a ghost signature, and then follow their target relentlessly until they hit an obstacle along the way or...

The half-ghost shuddered involuntarily_._ Unfortunately, there was no forest nearby like last time. Only an open sky instead. So there was nothing he could use to deter these deadly projectiles.

And so, forgetting once more that the bracelet prevented his signature from being locked into, Danny did the only thing that came to mind. He quickly produced an ecto-shield, hoping it would prove strong enough to protect him.

He was wrong.

The missile exploded as it hit his shield, instantly shattering it and thrusting the ghost boy through the air. Momentarily stunned, he soon fell like an anvil towards the ground several meters below. But at the last instant, Danny regained enough awareness to push himself upwards just in time to roll quite painfully onto the ground.

"Are you sure you're not a cockroach, Ghost?!" Valerie screamed from above him, aiming another missile at her enemy. "This time I'm gonna make sure you turn into a puddle of green goo and that you stay that way!"

Danny gasped again as Valerie dived towards him, aiming the two sharp tips of her hover board right at him. Thinking quickly, he shot back into the air to get away. But the hunter was quicker. Activating her boosters, she instantly angled back up, effectively ramming Danny with her board in mid-air.

The young half-ghost would have cried out in pain if the collision had not left him choking for air. Luckily, he had managed to avoid the sharp tips and was now wedged in between them. However, the huntress soon made him recall that his position was not as lucky as he thought.

"Good bye, Spook!" she stated venomously, initiating the electric charge between the tips of the board.

Danny screamed in agony as the electric current began coursing through his body, somehow becoming stronger with each passing second. He desperately attempted to dislodge himself but to no avail; he was completely pinned in between Valerie's board. And he was currently in so much distress he couldn't even focus on using intangibility.

But his pain became less important as a terrible feeling began to swell inside his body. Danny knew that feeling all too well. A wave of fear washed over him, not because he was worried about his own safety, but rather, Valerie's safety. His ghostly energy had begun reacting to the strain and pressure her attack was inflicting on him. The young half-ghost soon found that he was fighting to resist the instinctual urge to defend himself. At this dangerous level, Danny knew his own assault would be deadly to his human friend.

"Val-erie! You ha-have to… St-op! P-Please! I- don't want- to….to hurt you!" he managed to choke out through his cries of pain, not realizing that a glowing green hue had surrounded his body, intensifying with each passing second.

"Keep dreaming, Spook! The only one doing the hurting is me!" she assured, increasing the strength of the electric charge even more, a dark look on her face as she watched her enemy wriggle in pain. She was so focused on him, in fact, she didn't see how her hover board was slowly being encased by a layer of ice…

Danny, however, also failed to see that **and** something else. He didn't realize that all the while he had been fighting to break free from Valerie's board, the bracelet around his wrist was quickly and randomly changing colors and modes…And the more his own energy--combined with the electric energy coming from the jet board--increased, the more the device's sporadic actions quickened. And soon, small puffs of smoke began to arise from it…

* * *

Vlad growled and slammed his fists against the control panel. "Foolish brat! When he gets back I'm going to..." Vlad didn't finish his sentence, but the way he trembled with rage said it all.

Skulker was now standing next to his employer, following the unfolding events with interest. He arched an eyebrow as he focused his attention on a graph displayed on the large screen, transmitting the child's energy readings. And to put it mildly...they were off the charts. "Plasmius," he began, slightly hesitant. "I assume you have seen those_–—"_

"Yes, Skulker! I'm quite aware what those readings are saying!" he answered in an infuriated tone, not taking his eyes of the control panel. "What in the blazes is taking Fright Knight so long?! If Daniel loses control of his powers above Amity Park the consequences could be disastrous!"

"Daniel!" he shouted into the communicator linked to the teen. **"Answer me, you little rat!"** he demanded into it. But he received no response. Vlad frantically pressed several buttons, but then suddenly slammed his hands on the panel again. The electrical charges currently raging through the teen and the bracelet was making communication with the young half-ghost impossible! However, Vlad still Fright Knight to fall back on.

The older half-ghost pressed a large red button before picking up a microphone besides him. "Fright Knight!" he yelled. "What are you waiting for? Attack! NOW!"

* * *

Danny's energy had now become so elevated that he felt like he had plummeted into a both freezing and burning river of lava. Even so, he continued to hold back his energy. But with his strength now quickly dwindling, he found himself on the verge of blacking out completely. The pressure inside him was simply unbearable.

He dizzily began wondering if he would explode or pass-out first. Though, he was sure both meant instant death.

Suddenly, Valerie screamed and Danny felt his heart stop as she was propelled away from him. But he also found himself screaming as his hands cried in agony from the ecto-blasts that had unwillingly escaped from them.

Breathing heavily, Danny cradled his burned hands while frantically looking around for Valerie, fearing he had shot her with his own energy! But he soon discovered both to his horror and relief that Fright Knight had forced her to release her assault on him.

The ghost boy cringed as he finally noticed the two gaping craters his blasts had made on the barren land below him. He didn't even dare to imagine what would have happened if this had occurred in a populated area of town…

The young half-ghost pushed away those horrible thoughts and forced his attention back to the other ghost. And what he saw filled him with fear.

"No!" Danny exclaimed, lunging forward and ramming into Fright Knight before he could plunge his sword into the dazed huntress.

The Sprit of Halloween glared viciously at the boy. "What are you doing, whelp? My master wants you back!" He pointed the Soul Shredder at the ghost boy, adding, "And I'll bring you back even if it's in pieces!"

"I don't care what you do to me! But I'm not letting you hurt her!" Danny exclaimed, suddenly aware of the aching throb in his side. He reflexively held onto it, concluding that it must have been due to his previously encounter with the ecto-missile.

Before the other ghost could respond, several balls of energy came their way, and they both found themselves propelled skywards.

"I knew it! I knew you were nothing but trouble, Ghost!" Valerie seethed, glaring at Danny at seeing the two ghosts together. Phantom _was_ in cahoots with that other ghost, the one she recognized from the whole 'Ghost King' incident! She remembered that the medieval spook had been serving the king, so that could only mean that Phantom was also involved in all that. She had known all along that the whole 'Phantom saving the world from the Ghost King' had been a bunch of lies!

"You're a big fake, Spook! And if it wasn't for the fact that I much rather disintegrate you into nothing right now, I would prove to everyone that you are just as evil and rotten as every other vile ghost!"

Flying backwards, Valerie immediately unleashed a torrent of energy blasts at both ghosts. But Danny quickly put up a shield, deflecting her attacks, while Fright Knight simply moved out of the way.

Valerie fired another round at Danny, but he quickly evaded it and flew away from her. The huntress immediately went after him, but also kept her guard up with the other ghost, firing at him to keep him at bay.

With a growl from her throat, she called forth several small green balls and threw them at her main adversary: the ghost boy. They instantly exploded around him; and he screamed in pain when they jolted him from his retreat.

Danny coughed from the cloud of smoke the tiny explosions had shrouded him in, his visibility instantly reduced to practically nothing. Ignoring his watering eyes, he was about to fly out of the gas when a small sharp projectile suddenly came from nowhere and grazed his shoulder. The ghost boy hissed in pain and clutched his injured arm, but his eyes widened when immediately afterward, several more of the sharp projectiles came his way. With a cry of alarm, he turned intangible and instinctively covered his face.

To his relief, his intangibility proved to be his life-saver and the sharp objects passed harmlessly through his body. But his relief didn't last long. Valerie suddenly appeared through the cloud of smoke.

This time Danny didn't hesitate, and flew out of the gas. He raised an ecto-shield as more blasts came his way. "Valerie! Stop! You don't know what you're doing!" he shouted at her as he fought to keep his shield up.

"Shut it, Spook! I've had enough of you! This fight isn't going to end until you are-Ahh!" the huntress suddenly screamed when Fright Knight suddenly came at her.

Fright Knight growled as the girl dodged his incoming fist. He was now completely fed up with this entire situation and decided to end it. Evading her attacks, the ghost effortlessly formed a small, purple crystal in his hand, and instantly fired it before the ghost boy could even react.

The sphere exploded in front of Valerie, throwing her higher into the air in a spinning motion. Having successfully disoriented the human, Fright Knight wasted no time and quickly teleported behind her. Ruthlessly, the Halloween spirit charged his sword and fired a beam directly at her. In turn, the girl cried in pain as the attack hit her on the back of her head, and she blacked out.

"VALERIE!" Danny screamed as he watched the girl lose consciousness and begin to descend rapidly back down to earth.

Fright Knight lowered his steaming sword and rolled his eyes as he watched the ghost boy take off after the human girl. He soon followed but was in no hurry to do so.

Danny increased his flight to its maximum speed, his eyes wide with fear as he desperately tried to reach his friend before she crashed into the hard ground below. The teen ignored his spinning head and his painfully swelling powers as he dived down and grabbed Valerie just in time to save her from a certain death.

He quickly laid her down on the ground, and attempted to wake her up, not noticing a helicopter approaching in the distance.

"Valerie," Danny called fearfully, shaking her slightly. But suddenly her suit retracted, revealing nothing more serious than a few bruises on her.

"Time to go, whelp," Fright Knight commanded, landing behind the half-ghost

Danny whirled around, glaring at the ghost. "What did you do to her?!" he yelled furiously, his aura turning bright green with his words.

"_**-aniel….Daniel! Get. Back. Here. Now!"**_ Danny heard Vlad's static voice demand through his communicator.

"Calm yourself, child, she is only stunned," the Halloween ghost replied uncaringly.

Danny looked back at Valerie's unconscious form, torn with indecision. He didn't want to just leave her like this. He in no way believed Fright Knight's words. But suddenly, his friend began to stir and she let out a soft groan.

The young half-ghost sighed in relief. He quickly stood; and with a sad glance at his friend, finally flew over to the helicopter that had just touched down.

As soon as Danny landed inside the aircraft, his bracelet lit red, and several painful electric waves followed right after, forcing him to his knees with a cry of pain. By the time it was over, he was breathing raggedly and human once again. Danny guessed that Vlad had short-circuited his powers, which Danny had to kinda admit was a good thing. His energy level had been so high after his fight with Valerie, he just knew he would have had a difficult time changing back to his human form. But the teen was also almost certain that his arch-enemy had not forced his powers away for only that reason.

Exhausted and sore, Danny crawled into his seat just as the helicopter began to ascend. He grabbed his throbbing shoulder and sighed as he rested his head back on the seat. He shut his eyes, not wanting to watch his home disappear from view a second time. But this also kept him from seeing when the blue bracelet flickered to black for a second.

* * *

Danny wasn't sure how long it took to get from Amity Park to Wisconsin, but he guessed it was at least an hour. Ironically, the dumb device around his wrist seemed to be capable of doing everything except tell time.

He didn't really care though. His pounding headache was truly all he could concentrate on. And so, when the helicopter finally landed, he dazedly stepped out and slightly staggered towards the mansion.

The teen had completely forgotten all about his 'small' disobedience act. Too bad Vlad had not. And he made sure the young hybrid also remembered the second the teen walked through the door.

Quicker than Danny's murky mind could process, a strong grip suddenly attached itself to his shirt and slammed him up against a hard surface.

"What the blazes did you think you were doing?!" Plasmius screamed, pressing the teen harder into the wall. "I told you to get out of there!"

Danny's eyes slowly focused enough to make out his arch-enemy's face inches from his own. He ignored his aching muscles as he desperately tried to reason with the man. "I-I know! But I had no choice! Fright Knight would have hurt Valerie!"

"Foolish boy! Why do you care? She obviously does not care about hurting you!" Vlad exclaimed angrily, squeezing the teen's bruised shoulder for emphasize.

Danny swallowed the cry of pain that wanted to escape him in response to the man's hold. He flinched instead, insisting, "Look, it's no big deal, Vlad! I'm fine! It's--"

The teen's words were abruptly cut off when Vlad suddenly threw him furiously across the room. He immediately followed that with a very strong blast right to Danny's chest, sending the boy slamming into the wall with such force, it cracked with his impact.

"ARE YOU _FINE_ NOW?!" Plasmius viciously screamed at him, his red glowing eyes burning with an intense rage.

For a moment, all Danny could do was hold his burning chest and gasp for air, trying with all his might to push back the black cloud that wanted to swallow him into unconciousness. He was stuck in between a haze of pain, fear, and disbelief.

How could Vlad attack him so brutally while he was in human form? And worse, was he going to continue? There was no way he could take another blow like that one!

With great difficulty, Danny got to his hands and knees, all the while trembling from weakness, pain, and above all, fear. He didn't notice that Skulker and Fright Knight were nearby, enjoying every moment of his misery.

"Stop," Danny pleaded through his heavy breathing, for a moment tasting something irony in his mouth.

Vlad's hands fisted at his sides as he fought with his raging anger. He wanted to beat the stupid boy to a pulp, but in the back of his mind he knew the teen could not take even one more blow in his current form. The fact just made him more furious.

He stomped over to the severely pale teen and squatted down next to him. Danny gasped out in pain from how roughly the man grabbed his face, forcing him to stare into his hate-filled glare.

"Do not **dare** disobey me again, you little rat," Vlad hissed out venomously.

Danny said nothing and just averted his gaze the best he could.

Seeing this, Vlad sneered in disgust and abruptly let go of the boy's face. He stood, and stared down coldly and disdainfully at Danny as he spat out. "Get out of my sight."

Danny didn't hesitate to comply with his enemy's order. But he couldn't find the strength to even get to his feet. Somehow though, with the help of the wall he had been sent slamming into, he wobbled to his feet and soon staggered past the man, heading towards the main stairs. He didn't realize his hands had fisted at his sides as he left.

Vlad watched the boy limp up the stairs, and as he did, his anger seemed to snuff out of existence. Suddenly feeling horribly ill, he leaned against a wall with one of his hands just as he changed into Masters.

Fright Knight and Skulker shared a bewildered look at the older half-ghost's odd action. But the Halloween spirit soon spoke up. "My liege? Are you-"

"Get out," Vlad ordered tiredly, not looking at either ghost.

Skulker frowned heavily, but then rolled his eyes in disgust. He walked off towards the lower lab, all the while thinking of how unbalanced humans truly were. Fright Knight, however, merely complied with his master's wishes, and followed after the hunter.

Feeling the two ghosts leave, Vlad let out a sigh, before whispering to himself, "I don't know how much more of this I can bear."

He lowered his hand from the wall, and momentarily pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to think of how he was going to keep Ms. Grey's sighting of Danny Phantom in Amity Park from complicating his plans. He took a deep breath, before turning towards the stairs and heading for his room. He would have to personally do some damage control .

* * *

Danny closed the door behind him, before leaning heavily on it, his face contorted with pain. He shut his eyes, before deeply inhaling and then slowly exhaling back out. The simple action almost made him scream in pain.

The teen staggered over to his bed, and carefully laid on his back on it. But even so, he still groaned in discomfort. However, his mind was past his pained body, and he was way beyond bothering to change his clothes.

He felt so relieved to have seen his loved ones and his home town. He was relieved to know that they all seemed fine for the most part. It was clear to him that they were missing him as much as he missed them. But they were all okay, and Jazz looked so much better. In fact, if he didn't know any better he would be certain nothing had ever happened to her.

He was glad… But now he was back. Now he was alone again.

"What now?" he whispered to his empty room.

But he found no answer to his question. All he knew was that he would never get use to this life without them. Never.

* * *

**Well, guys, I will try to get the next chapter of this story no later than a week's time, okay? Thanks for your support, and let me know what you guys thought of it! I will also be getting the next chapter of DoaS up, hopefully in a couple of days more! Take care!**

* * *


	32. Chapter 31: Changes

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* * *

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Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom

**Chapter 31: Changes.**

Danny had crashed into bed at almost dawn when he had gotten back from Wisconsin and slept until two in the afternoon. But it had not been a peaceful sleep. He got out of bed, and a good hour later, left his room and walked downstairs. But he wasn't hungry and didn't even think of getting anything to eat. He wanted to get some fresh air. He winced at this familiar feeling, the same one he had felt during his first week at his enemy's mansion. He felt cooped up, and he hated that.

Danny walked down the hallway, leading to the house's 'backyard'. And as usual, he passed several rooms, including two living rooms, and… the main dining room…

"Daniel."

The young half-ghost jolted to a halt, the voice of the other half-ghost sending a fear-induced sickness into his stomach. Danny turned towards the dining room, from where he had heard Vlad's voice come.

Hesitantly, he walked over to the room's entrance, and answered, "…Yeah?"

Vlad took a sip of his beverage, before addressing the teenager. "Why don't you join me for a late lunch, hmm?"

Danny sighed as he momentarily glanced towards the hallway. But then he turned back to the man, and emotionlessly replied, "No."

A heavy frown formed on Vlad's face. "Excuse me?"

The man's look almost made Danny regret his answer. But he had to draw the line somewhere. If Vlad thought they were going to be anything but enemies he was very wrong. He submitted to his arch-enemy. It didn't mean he liked it.

"I gave in to you. And I said I'd do whatever you want. But that doesn't change what we are. I never said we would be anything else but enemies." Danny voiced in the same expressionless tone.

Vlad raised an eyebrow at the boy's words. And for a moment, he was too taken aback by them to say anything as the boy turned to leave. But his shock didn't last long enough to allow Danny to _actually_ leave.

"Alright. Then, I _order_ you to join me."

The man's command froze Danny on the spot. So many feelings had exploded inside him from it that he couldn't decipher any of them. Well, except for one. That single statement made him feel worthless.

Danny turned back to the older hybrid, who was smirking at him expectantly. Without words, the teen walked over to the furthest chair from the man and sat down. His gaze remained lowered the entire time.

"Derek," Vlad called to his butler, who had been standing in the farthest corner of the room.

"Yes, Sir?"

"Get the boy his lunch," Vlad ordered nonchalantly.

"Right away, Master Plasmius," the ghost answered, and then vanished.

The room was dead silent after that. But neither half-ghost seemed to mind; only it was for different reasons. Danny was too upset to care. And Vlad just seemed to enjoy it. So much in fact, that he didn't even touch his plate; and was instead calmly studying his beverage, looking very comfortable.

After a few minutes of silence, Vlad finally spoke, "How long has it been?"

Danny slowly looked up at his enemy, confused by his sudden question. But he soon knew what Vlad meant when the man added, with a triumphant gleam in his eyes, "That you have been here, that is."

"I… don't know," the young half-ghost answered softly, glancing over to a random corner of the room. But he did know. He knew exactly how long he had been at his enemy's home. He knew the exact days, hours, minutes, and as he looked at the clock, seconds.

Vlad chuckled as if reading the boy's thoughts. "Sure you do, Daniel. But I won't make you tell me. I merely ask because I realized it has been quite some time. And in that time, you have not left the premises. Well, not counting your little trip last night. I suppose what I am trying to say, or rather, ask, is that if you would like to go somewhere _else_—I mean, _other_ than Amity Park, of course?" he ended, before taking a sip of his drink.

Danny blinked at him for a moment. "Huh? … Like, where?"

The older half-ghost gave him an amused smile. "That's what I'm asking you, dear boy."

Suddenly feeling uncomfortable, Danny looked down at the large table, and noticing a jar of water, quickly reached for it and poured himself a glass. Why was Vlad asking him this? It was… weird. Did the man expect him to believe that _he_ would take him out of this prison just out of the goodness of his heart? Sure, he wanted to completely leave the property, but if getting that privilege meant having to be around Vlad anymore than he had to, forget it. Besides, the only place he truly wanted to go to was home. And this jerk in front of him just made it clear he wasn't allowing him to go back again.

He took a large gulp of water, before answering, "I don't wanna go anywhere." Danny didn't realize how bitter his tone of voice had sounded as he said this.

Vlad shrugged uncaringly. "As you wish. However, I have been thinking quite a lot about this. And you, my boy, being the adolescent that you are, require _some_ form of stimulation, correct?"

Danny sighed. "Isn't that why you have me training?"

"No. I have you _exercise_ so that you won't blow up my house," Vlad stated in a matter-of-factly tone, but then in a teasing one added, "Besides it's not like you do not need it, considering how poor you are at using your powers."

Danny felt his eyes burn green in response, and he quickly lowered them. He hated that the man still kept messing with him. Why? He already got what he wanted. Why did he feel he had to torture him more than he already had by playing his mind games with him?

Vlad smiled at the tension the boy radiated. "So, tell me, Daniel, what are you 'out to'_,_ like you young folks say?"

If it wasn't for the current circumstances Danny would have corrected the man and said that it's '**in** **to**'. But instead, he just shrugged his shoulders.

Just then, Niane walked in, carrying Danny's lunch.

"Well then," Vlad said, abruptly standing up, "when you figure it out, let me know. I'll gladly get you anything you desire. All you need to do is ask, hmm?"

Danny barely heard the man's words. He was too confused by his sudden departure. Vlad hadn't even touched his food yet. "Where… are you going?" the teen couldn't help but ask.

Vlad halted, and turned back to his young rival with a coy smile on his face. "Little Badger, despite what you believe, I do want you to be content here. So much, in fact, that even though it _pains_ me, I will grant you your first request…" he said, with mocking sweetness. But then that was abruptly skewed. "_Nothing_ changes," Vlad ended darkly, before walking out.

Placing his elbows on the table, Danny buried his face into his hands, wondering where he was going to get the strength to go through with all this.

"Sir?"

Danny looked up at Niane, remembering she was in the room.

"Your lunch," she just said, but gazed sadly at him.

Danny moved his arms off the table and placed them back on his sides, allowing the maid to place his food in front of him.

"Thanks," he said in a quiet voice without looking at the ghost.

"You're welcome, Master Danny," she replied, before silently leaving.

Danny removed the cover on his meal, and a pleasant smell smoked from under it. Or it would have been pleasant if he had any ounce of appetite. Still, he picked up his fork, and began poking the piece of chicken in front of him.

But then suddenly, Danny paused in his actions as something else caught his attention. He frowned at the flickering bracelet on his wrist. It kept going from blue to black. However, before he could begin to wonder why, it stopped, and went back to its normal solid blue color again.

No longer interested in his enemy's device, Danny looked back at his plate, ripped off a piece of chicken with his fork, and half-heartedly placed it his mouth.

* * *

Sam and Tucker gasped as the school suddenly erupted into panicked and fearful screams. Technus was hovering near them. They watched in alarm when all the electrical devices Technus had just summoned orbited around him.

However, the ghost was not laughing evilly or going into one of his long-winded speeches. In fact, he wasn't even attacking anyone. He seemed to be looking for something…Or someone…

"Tucker, do you have the thermos?" Sam asked.

Ever since Danny had vanished, Sam and Tucker had taken up some of the load with ghost hunting. It had been oddly quiet for some time after Danny had left. But in the past week, things had picked up and they just kept getting worse.

"It's in my backpack," Tucker answered. "But how are we going to get pass all those things spinning around him? I doubt we can call to him and say, 'Hey, Technus, Danny's not here. Think you could just _let_ us capture you for old time sake?"

"Well, we have to do something, Tucker! He's destroying the whole school! And as much as I really wouldn't mind, we can't let him!" Sam exclaimed, pointing over to Technus.

But before Tucker could respond back, Technus noticed them. "Ah, the ghost child's friends! Is it true? Did that ghost hunter destroy him?"

"Tucker, the thermos!" Sam shouted, ignoring the ghost's question.

The boy quickly pulled out the thermos from his backpack. But before he could even aim it, Technus blasted it out of his hand.

The master of all gadgetry laughed full-heartedly at the two humans' feeble attempt. "So, it is true after all!"

Sam and Tucker screamed as a computer and other pieces of electronic equipment came charging towards them, but they quickly jumped out of the way in time. And without hesitation, Sam grabbed the ecto-lipstick which was also in Tucker's backpack and began firing it at the ghost.

Tucker didn't waste any time either and ran towards where the thermos had fallen. Even though Sam wasn't having too much luck getting a good hit on Technus, she was distracting him long enough for Tucker to get a good aim and trap him in the thermos.

"Now that the ghost child is gone forever, I, Technus, will rule at last!" the ghost exclaimed in triumph, not realizing he was about to be sucked into the Fenton Thermos.

But before Tucker could do that, Valerie arrived.

"Not while I'm around, Spook!" Valerie yelled, before blasting the ghost to the wall.

Sam and Tucker looked at each other and silently agreed that they needed to leave. They couldn't let Valerie see them ghost fighting, and it was best not to interfere with her, anyways. Without Danny, Sam and Tucker knew that Valerie was more equipped to handle Technus than they were.

Still, they went into a nearby class room and watched from within it as the huntress dealt with the ghost. But in the end, the fight ended as quickly as it started.

"Child! You have destroyed my enemy! Therefore, I will spare your life for now!" Technus declared, before suddenly vanishing through an electrical outlet.

"Darn it! He got away!" Valerie fumed. But then with a frustrated sigh, she flew out of the school.

Seeing her leave, Tucker and Sam left their hiding spot. The entire school was now deserted.

Sam looked down at the ecto-lipstick still clutched in her hand as she worriedly said, "Tucker, I have a feeling things are going to change really fast around here. And I don't mean that in a _good _way."

"You don't think Valerie can handle the ghosts?" Tucker asked, pulling his backpack in front of him and putting the thermos in it as well as the ecto-lipstick once his friend handed it to him.

"I don't know, Tucker," she answered with a sigh. She walked over to where she had lost her own backpack and picked it up. "Have you _seen_ her lately?" She asked, looking at him. "She looks completely exhausted! I'm sure she can probably handle it, but for how long? What's going to happen if a stronger ghost attacks? She wouldn't be able to do a thing to stop it. And the Guys-in-White stand even less of a chance. And we…" She sighed, not needing to finish. Her friend knew what she meant.

"Yeah…" her friend answered with a frown. "And Danny's parents haven't been ghost hunting since Danny disappeared. I mean, not that they would do any better… Or, maybe they would… I don't know." He shook his head and placed his hands in his pockets.

Sam bit her lip, trying to keep herself calm as she said, "Tucker, he's been missing for so long that…"

"I know, Sam," the techno-loving teenager answered, his face etched with an intense—and uncharacteristic—sobriety. "I don't know what to think, either. All I know is that we're not going to stop searching for him."

"I hate this!" Sam suddenly exclaimed angrily. "I feel like I'm just sitting here! I mean, I know we have been looking for him here and in the Ghost Zone, but there has to be more we can do, Tucker!"

Tucker sighed. "Like what, Sam? What else can we do when we don't have a clue on where Danny is? What else can we do when nothing is picking up his ghost signature?!"

"I don't know! But something!" She answered with frustration. But then she suddenly perked up. "Why don't we ask, Clockwork! Maybe he'll tell us something!"

"Uh, Sam, I don't think Clockwork will help. I mean, the last time we saw the dude he was trying to waste Danny!"

"Yeah, but Danny said, he helped at the end, or something, right?" Sam argued back.

"I guess…" Tucker mumbled. Their half-ghost friend had mentioned something about Clockwork being good, and helping him in the end of the whole 'jerky evil-self' thing. And also, Danny had said the time ghost had also sort of helped with the ecto-acne episode with Vlad…

"Maybe you're right, Sam. I mean, it wouldn't hurt to try," Tucker said with a weak smile. But then he frowned. "Wait. How are we going to get there? Danny took his laptop and that's where he had the map and all the information on Clockwork and how to find him! And I don't know about you, but I don't have a clue how we got there that one time!"

Sam sighed and shook her head, realizing her friend was right. "We still have to try, Tucker. Maybe we can find our way there, somehow. I want to do something! I want to find Danny!" she exclaimed.

"I do, too, Sam." Tucker sighed again, before pulling out his PDA. "Alright. We'll see if we can find him on our own, somehow. I just hope he'll help. But in the meantime, let's go. We need to get outside before Lancer calls role," he added, remembering where they were.

They silently headed out, and soon were outside, blending in with the other teenagers anxiously chattering and moving about.

"We're gonna have to tell Jazz to help us sneak into the Ghost Zone with the Speeder," Sam suddenly said.

"Yeah, only problem is that she's gonna want to come, and we can't let her. She might stress herself out or something, and get sick again. Remember how she was bugging us to help us ghost fight now that Danny's not here?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, and I told her she was nuts. But I still got her to realize she couldn't help, especially with her whole sickness thing. Look, don't worry. I'll think of something. All that matters is that we can get in there and find Clockwork. It's really the only option we have right now. We need some kind of clue as to where Danny is! And at this point, I'm willing to even go to his arch-enemy to find it!"

Tucker cringed, imagining the outcome of that. But Sam was right; they were desperate by now. "Speaking of him, it's weird he hasn't shown up to mess with Danny's folks now that Danny's not here."

"Tell me about it, Tucker," Sam said with a heavy frown. "Either he's planning something big or he knows something."

"About Danny?" Tucker asked with a raised eyebrow. "Jazz did say he threatened her into not telling her folks about Danny's secret. But it makes sense that he would, 'cause it would mean he'd get found out, too."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I buy that he doesn't care about finding Danny, Tucker. If anyone could find him, it's that money-loving jerk."

"So… are you saying you want to ask Vlad for help…?" Tucker asked with a nervous look.

Sam looked up at the sky. "If Clockwork won't help, then we have to find someone that will. Or _force_ someone to," she added with a scowl.

"Uh… you think we can force Vlad Masters, Danny's _arch_-_enemy_, the dude who is, like, _ten_-_times_ _stronger_ than him, to help us find _Danny_?"

Sam gave him a nervous smile. "Like I said, at this point, I'm ready to try anything. Vlad blackmailed Jazz to keep Danny's secret, right? Well, we could make it work _both_ ways."

Tucker gave her a 'you're nuts' look, but didn't try to convince her otherwise. After all, she was right. They needed to find Danny, and they wouldn't be true friends if they didn't try everything possible to do so.

"Well, I hope Clockwork does help, and we don't have to end up going to _that_ plan. But anything is better than having to believe Valerie's version…" Tucker said, looking worriedly at Sam.

"It can't be true," Sam whispered, a painful lump forming in her throat.

Tucker placed a hand on Sam's shoulder. But said nothing. He didn't want it to be true, either. But they still had yet to find anything that said otherwise. And that frightened them both.

* * *

Four days later, Danny's powers had finally stabilized to their normal level. He was feeling much better; or at least, physically, he was. But even though his ghost-half was no longer giving him grief, his arch-enemy still was.

Vlad was still forcing him to use the simulation room. But what made it worse than before was that the older half-ghost had decided to make his twice-a-day 'exercise' more difficult by increasing the room's training level. And that meant the teenager was no longer firing at inanimate targets; now, the targets were firing back.

Danny flew higher up in order to evade a blast that came at him. But immediately after, the assault weapon that had fired at him vanished from its current position and reappeared above him.

The teen didn't even have time to gasp in fear before the weapon fired another blast at him, which slammed him into the floor below. Danny quickly placed his hands over his head as he heard the ecto-gun fire at him again before he could get back to his feet.

Unconsciously, he produced a shield around himself, causing the energy blasts to ram against it instead of him. But that didn't last for long. His shield soon shattered, and he was blasted into a nearby wall with a loud 'thud.'

"Pause program!" Plasmius suddenly shouted just as he materialized in the room. His red eyes narrowed on the boy, who was slowly getting back to his feet. "Are you _this_ pathetic?" Vlad asked angrily, approaching the young half-ghost. "It's one weapon, Daniel! _One_! You're telling me you cannot outdo _one_ assault weapon?!"

Danny just looked down at his feet, unconsciously rubbing his aching arm. His silence only angered Vlad further, and he fisted his hands to keep his mounting frustration in check.

"Just…_ finish_ the program. I have more important matters to attend to," Vlad said with suppressed rage, before teleporting back into the control room.

"Resume program level ten," Vlad stated tiredly. He just silently watched as the boy continued to barely miss the weapon's attacks. But at seeing him get hit again, the older half-ghost let out an angry sigh, before whispering, "What is wrong with you?"

Vlad knew that the boy _he_ knew, the confident and headstrong boy he had first met and was used to, was still inside the pathetic child he was currently watching. The _real_ Daniel was still there, just below the surface….But the young half-ghost would not let him out. Why?

Sure the billionaire knew that the teen's new attitude was due to his loved ones' absence… But there was more. There was a further reason for Daniel's… _change_. And that's what Vlad couldn't figure out!

By now, the older hybrid had tried everything he could think of to get the boy's personality to return. He had tried to be kind by being tolerant and waiting for him to come back on his own. He had tried asking him what he needed, hoping he could find some reason why Daniel had become so reclusive. He had also tried to be firm, demanding him to end his foolishness. And when he tired of all those approaches, Vlad had messed with the child's head, knowing that before all of this, it would _always_ set Daniel off. But now… the young hybrid would just tense up and look away.

At some point, Vlad even insulted Danny's father to his face, and the only thing that did was cause the boy's eyes to change color. That's all it had done! Daniel didn't even say anything!

Vlad was at his limit with the boy's silence and withdrawn personality. He wanted the _real_ Danny to submit to him, not this _worthless_ scared little boy!

But then the sight of Danny backing against a wall, shaking in fear, passed said limit, and the man's rage exploded.

"I've had enough!" Vlad exclaimed, slamming a fist on the room's control system. "I am not tolerating this any longer! Pause Program!" he ordered, and then quickly teleported inside the simulation room. "Daniel, get up!" he shouted at the huddled teen on the ground.

Removing his hands from above his head, Danny quickly looked up, but didn't move as Plasmius walked closer to him.

"I said, _**get up**_**!**" Vlad threw an ecto-blast inches above the boy's head, snapping him out of his frozen state. With a startled gasped, Danny nervously got to his feet just as his enemy reached him.

Vlad didn't hesitate to grab the teen by his suit's emblem and slammed him up against the wall behind him. "Look at yourself, Daniel! Do you realize _just_ how disgraceful you've become?!" But at seeing Danny just look away in response, Vlad shook the boy, screaming, "LOOK AT ME!"

Danny slowly raised his gaze towards the man, his green eyes coated with nothing but fear. In turn, Vlad stared into them with his own red eyes filled will anger, and above all, disgust. The older half-ghost let out a growl and released his hold on the teen, causing him to fall ungracefully on his bottom.

"Very well, Daniel," Plasmius said angrily, his eyes narrowed down at the boy. "You do not seem to want to listen to reason, so then I'll just _beat_ _it_ into you!"

Danny's eyes widened in alarm as his enemy's hands lit with pink ghost energy. "V-Vlad, wait. I-I-"

Plasmius blasted the boy to the wall, cutting off whatever he was trying to say. "I suggest you defend yourself. It's the _only_ way you are leaving this place breathing!"

Danny scrambled back up, and his eyes darted around the room for an escape. Pressed against the wall, hoping he could just be swallowed up by it, his breathing became heavier and heavier as his helpless position sank into his brain. His enemy was going to waste him! And he couldn't do a thing about it!

Vlad grabbed the cornered boy's right arm, and flung him to the floor before shooting a pink ray at his stomach.

Danny let out a choked cry, and he clutched his stomach, trying desperately to regain the oxygen that had just been propelled out of him. "Please… s-stop," he whimpered, knowing his enemy was still towering above him.

"Maybe I was wrong about you, Daniel," Vlad sneered, condensing the energy in his right hand into a sphere, "You are just as pathetic and incompetent as your idiot father!" Ruthlessly, he blasted the young half-ghost once again, sending him tumbling across the room's floor.

Danny rose to his knees, trying to stand. But his spinning head and aching body didn't let him. He didn't know why he was bothering with trying to get back up, anyway. All he wanted to do was curl into a ball and hope the man would stop hurting him soon. But something in his mind kept screaming at him to fight back.

"I can't," Danny whispered to that something, wishing it would just go away.

Vlad didn't know what the boy's comment was for, nor did he care. Just hearing Danny's pitiful tone of voice made him sick!

The man quickly produced an ecto-rope and whipped it around the teen's leg, before sending an electrical surge through it. Danny screamed in pain just as Plasmius lifted the rope above him before snapping it violently and sending the young half-ghost flying across the room.

"Maybe Jasmine would have proven more useful," Vlad continued with spite, "I wonder if she would be willing to trade places with you…"

Danny felt something spark inside him response to the man's statement. "No," he pleaded, clutching his chest while his breathing came out in short gasps. "Leave her out of this."

Several more energy spheres hit Danny's body from all directions, tossing him like a rag doll all over the room. If he wasn't in so much pain, he would have noticed his throat wasn't handling his loud cries too well. Even after more than a month, his throat had not completely healed from the attack Vlad had dealt it the night the teen had snuck unto the man's secret lab.

"No, I don't think I will," Vlad replied to the boy's last comment. And using the ecto-whip still in one of his hands, he seized the teen by the throat and lifted him to his knees. "In fact," he continued, kneeling next to Danny who was fearfully attempting to dislodge the bind around his neck so he could breath. "I think I like the idea. With that silly sisterly-protectiveness for her _little_ _brother_, it will be so easy to convince her. And once she trades places with you, you'll be nothing but a pathetic, worthless trophy that I will keep until I get bored of looking at you." Vlad dissolved the rope wrapped around Danny's neck before firing an ecto-ray at close range towards his chest and sending him into a wall.

He then continued. "But before then, I'll kill your idiot father and marry your mother. Perhaps I'll even have Skulker hunt down those little friends of yours. I'm sure their heads would provide some form of condolence since he can't have yours. And since you obviously won't do a thing about it, being that you can't even defend _yourself_, I'll just let you sit back and watch it all unfold."

Danny who had been on his hands and knees, hearing his enemy's words, suddenly felt a darkness wash over him, and his eyes began to glow a deeper ominous green.

Vlad threw another blast at the boy. But before it even reached him, the young half-ghost eyes snapped upwards, and with a scream of pure rage, he sent a vibrant ecto-blast towards the approaching one. However, unlike before, Danny's energy attack completely disintegrated Vlad's own, and continued forward, slamming the older hybrid into the wall.

"YOU LEAVE THEM OUT OF THIS!" the teen screamed at the top of his lungs, after getting to his feet in less than a second.

Vlad slowly got to his own feet, his right hand placed against his chest where the young half-ghost attack had struck him. For a moment, all the man could do was stared at the furious and shaking boy in disbelief. Danny's hands were fisted on his side, glowing with green ecto-energy. But it was the deadly way the teen stared at him what truly astounded Vlad.

However, Plasmius soon got over his shock, and his next reaction was just as startling as the boy's. A devilish smile slowly spread on the man's face, before he said with amusement, "Ah, there you are, Daniel. Welcome back."

Danny's eyes widened in disbelief. He didn't understand! Had his enemy been messing with him again? This was another of his games? Vlad had purposely done all this just to set him off?!

The young hybrid looked away and closed his eyes, before taking a deep breath in order to contain the anger burning savagely in his chest. Slowly, his ecto-energy left his hands, and he then passed a hand through his white hair, asking, "I gave you what you wanted, didn't I? So why are you doing this?" Danny looked back up at Vlad with troubling desperation in his eyes. He needed to know why this man kept messing with him!

Vlad chuckled airily. "Dear boy, whatever do you mean? I wasn't aware that I was doing _anything_ to you," he answered with mirth, his right hand waving with disregard.

Danny's gaze lowered once more as his body began to tremble again. But this time it was from that foreign, yet familiar feeling rising inside him. This time, though, he didn't push it away, and his hands were soon glowing with ecto-energy once more. Danny returned his eyes back to the monster in front of him, this time filled with not just anger, but hate, and above all, defiance.

Seeing this, Vlad's grin reached his ears. He crossed his arms in front of him and tilted his head slightly, his amusement never wavering; but now, there was also expectancy in his face.

Danny just kept staring at his enemy while his mind screamed at him to blast the arrogant look off the man's face. He wanted to do nothing more at the moment…But… he could not… Vlad had his hands tied… And the jerk knew it.

With another scream of anger, Danny spun around, firing the energy in his hands at the weapon hanging above him, and blowing it up into metallic shreds.

The room then fell to silence, except for the sound of the boy's heavy breathing. But then Danny sighed, and his body relaxed.

"Are we done?" Danny asked tiredly, his back still to his enemy.

Transforming back into Masters, the older half-ghost answered, the smile on his face never leaving. "Yes, we are."

Not giving the man a single glance, Danny walked past him, and changed to his human side as he left the simulation room.

Vlad smirked, once the boy left. "Much better," he said, calmly placing his hands behind his back.

Meanwhile, Danny walked off to his room with an expressionless look on his face. Getting there, he walked over to his bed and sat down.

He just stayed there for some time, staring almost calmly at the ground. But he was anything but calm. And his next actions proved that quite well.

His eyes turned green as he abruptly grabbed the pillows on the bed and threw them across the room in bout of rage. More thrown things followed those before he finally leaned forward and pressed his elbows into his knees. He clutched his black hair and closed his eyes. Listening to his shaky breathing for a moment, he hoarsely whispered, "He's trying to drive me crazy!"

What was wrong with Vlad? Just when Danny believed the man couldn't be any heartless, he quickly proved him wrong. His arch-enemy had just practically physically tortured him just now! And for what? To play his stupid mind games?! **What the heck did he want more from him?! **

A pang of pain from his body made Danny release his hair and sit back up. But that only made him wince more. His sore muscles clearly were not agreeing with any form of his movement right now. The teen let out an angry sigh, before standing up and heading to the bathroom.

He needed a hot bath.

* * *

Jazz sighed at hearing her parents arguing again from downstairs. Her mom was becoming very distant with each passing day. And about a week ago, her mom woke up saying Danny had returned. That she had heard him!

Her dad tried to make her realize that she had been dreaming, otherwise Danny would have been there when she woke up. But all that did was cause her to blow up on him again, before she left to her room, sobbing. Jazz was beginning to fear for her mother's mental stability.

As for her father, he wasn't fairing too well either. Her once goofy and cheerful dad had become anything but that. He would search for Danny every day, only to come home tired, stressed, and empty-handed.

This time, her parents' argument had started with what dinner would be, before it slowly progressed into more serious things. And now, they were blaming each other for Danny's disappearance…

With every passing day, Jazz felt more and more compelled to tell her parents the truth about everything, regardless of Vlad Masters' threat, regardless of the risk it could bring to her brother's own life.

But something inside her told her that doing so would only make matters worse. Not just because the Guys-in-White might try to cause Danny trouble if they discovered his identity, but because of something else. Only that, she didn't know what that something else was. She just somehow felt her brother would not want her to reveal his secret, even now. Besides, in the end, telling her parents didn't guarantee Danny's return.

As she sat on her bed, Jazz leaned over and picked up the boomerang on her nightstand. As much as she searched her mind as to why her dad's equipment wasn't tracking down her brother, the answer could only reduce down to one. And that one answer was too horrible to accept. Although, logically, she knew how probable it was. But her heart refused to accept it. She just hoped that tomorrow Sam and Tucker would have some luck in finding this 'Clockwork', and that he would tell them where Danny was. If not, Jazz was already dwelling on Sam's second plan—which the girl had told her about a week ago. It would be dangerous no doubt. Blackmailing a powerful evil half-ghost could not be good for their health. But Jazz knew by her talk with Vlad a while back that the man wouldn't help them willingly.

Jazz sighed. "I guess we'll find out tomorrow if we're going to have to end up going to Vlad's…" she mumbled worriedly. Suddenly, the girl's attention went back to the tracking device in her hold. Her eyes slightly widened as she watched the solid green light on the Boo-merang turn red, and begin to beep and flicker.

She felt her blood start to drain from her face, knowing she had left it keyed on Danny's signature and the ghost device was saying it was picking it up!!

But before she could even react to it, the beeping stopped and the light turned a solid green once more. Jazz jumped to her feet and tapped on the device, desperately wishing it would do what it had been doing.

However, after ten minutes of trying to make it beep again and receiving nothing, she sighed with dejected resignation. "I think my eyes are playing tricks on me…." She suddenly glared at the device, and added, "Great! Now I'm delirious!" She angrily threw the device on her bed, before walking out of her room, hoping to get her parents to calm down and stop arguing.

* * *

Well, there you guys go! Shorter than my normal chapters, but I hope it was good! Next chapter should be fun! It one of my personal favorites! heh-heh! Until then!


	33. Chapter 32: Productive Day

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**Hey everyone! Sorry for the wait. Internet trouble again... Anyways, I haven't replied to everyone's replies from the last chapter, but I will do that by the end of the day. I just wanted to post this for you all. Also, I wanted to thank you guys for your support, and for sticking with me through this long story! I have over 700 reviews for this story, and I am just awed that it has captured you all so much! Thank you! Even my evil Vlad muse is happy! So much actually that his head has grown in size... but don't worry, I have a safety-pin somwhere! Okie-dokie! That's enough yapping! Here is one of my favorite chapters! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

* * *

**Chapter 32: Productive Day**

"Daniel?"

From where he stood on his room's balcony, Danny turned to face Vlad. The teen silently watched as the man closed the glass door behind him and walked a bit closer to him. Danny's gaze then went back to the morning sky.

Vlad calmly continued, even though the teen wasn't looking at him, "I wanted to inform you that I will be out on business all day today. And that means it falls upon you to do your normal exercise to maintain your ghost powers stable. So make sure you do it. Now, I don't know why it is, but every time I'm away you seem to get into trouble. So if you do run into a problem—and I mean one of _any_ form— or you need something, you know how to contact me."

Danny looked down at the wrist device he was wearing, knowing it also served as a communicator, and it was what his enemy was referring to. Suddenly, the teen's thoughts went back on what Vlad said regarding his exercises in the simulation room. How was he supposed to do them when he didn't know how to run the room?

But Vlad answered his mental question as he resumed speaking, "Oh, I almost forgot. I realize you don't know how to run the simulation room. It's why I programmed the room to recognize your voice. I'm sure you have heard me enough to know the commands. All you have to do is ask it to run the training program. I think Level 10 will be ideal for you." The man suddenly raised an eyebrow although the young half-ghost didn't see this, and add, "Daniel, the room _will_ listen to you, so you have _nothing_ to worry about, alright?"

Danny just nodded.

Vlad's eyebrows creased as he momentarily watched the boy quietly gazing at the sky, his arms calmly folded on top of the balcony's marble railing. But then the man let out a small sigh and turned towards the glass door to leave. Only that, as he placed his hand on the door to open it, the billionaire found himself hesitant to do so.

Vlad turned back around, his expression oddly different this time. "Daniel?"

This time Danny turned around. Something in the man's tone of voice had compelled him to look at him. There was something so different about the way Vlad had just called to him… But the boy just couldn't place it. Even the man's sober gaze looked different… Why?

"I know this is difficult for you… But…" Vlad sighed, before stating in a serious tone, "Try to do something productive today. It isn't healthy to stay cooped up in a room all day, no matter how big it might be."

All Danny could do was stare at the man. He somehow felt… frozen by his words, by his voice, and his look. Not from fear but from something else… The teen didn't understand why. And for a moment, he felt he needed to know **what** this difference in his enemy's attitude was. But as quickly as it came, it left the young half-ghost. And he told himself he didn't care to know after all.

Danny turned his attention back to the view beyond his room's balcony, before emotionlessly asking, "Is that an order?"

Vlad's eyes darkened significantly. "Yes. It is," he replied coldly.

The boy squeezed his eyes close, feeling them burn green. "Yes, Sir," he replied, mimicking the man's hard tone.

The older half-ghost couldn't help but cringe at the title the younger one had just used towards him. For some odd reason it disturbed him. But Vlad quickly pushed it away and frowned. The man opened his mouth and lifted a finger, ready to utter the retort that had already formed in his mind. Then suddenly, he decided against it.

Without a word, Vlad walked out.

* * *

"Mr. Masters, what a pleasant surprise! To what do we owe the honor of your visit?" Damon asked, shaking hands with the billionaire and owner of Axion Labs. It had been months since his employer had visited the facility. The billionaire usually just phoned in most of his orders to Damon, so having him show up in person was a true delight. But it was also nerve-wracking. Hopefully, his employer found everything to his liking…

"Well," Vlad began to answer him with a light, but completely, serious tone, "I have come to Amity Park to cover up some remaining evidence left from one of my latest plots, _and_ to also commence another. But I need to pull some strings to do so. And so, I decided to start here, in Axion labs."

Damon could only blink in response to his smiling employer's words. But then, suddenly, both men broke into a fit of laughter.

"Mr. Masters! You have such a great sense of humor!" Mr. Gray exclaimed, patting the other man's back.

"Ah, yes, I'm such a josher," Vlad agreed, wiping away a tear from his eye. His amusement had been genuine, but he was really laughing at the gullibility of those around him. Composing himself back into a calm smile, he asked about one of the reasons he was in this wash-down town. "So, tell me, Damon, how's that dear daughter of yours?"

"Oh, just fine! Thanks for asking," Mr. Gray answered, "She's at school right now, but will be coming by here afterwards. She always does before going to her part-time job. Maybe you'll be here long enough to see her." He smiled and added, "She is quite fond of you, you know."

"And I'm quite fond of her." Vlad replied, his grin widening. "I do hope I see her. We have lots to catch up on."

Damon continued to smile, but a curious look now edged his face. But before he could say anything, Vlad adopted a 'business face', and began a new topic, "Now, I would like to personally see the progressions of this facility's projects. And afterwards, I want to know about _certain_ 'happenings' here… I have heard about some ghostly robberies in the recent months…

* * *

After his morning 'training', Danny honestly didn't know what to do. Vlad wanted him to do something _productive_. And he had no clue what the heck that meant.

After an hour of pondering his enemy's command, the best he came up with was finding a form of entertainment. So he decided to watch a movie. But since Vlad had said something about not being cooped up in his room, he went to watch it in the large theatre on the bottom floor instead of the entertainment area in his own room.

However, he soon realized watching a movie wasn't a very good choice. Even with the latest releases and movies that had **yet** to be released available to him, he couldn't even sit through one. Watching movies just wasn't the same without friends to watch them with. Now feeling bitter and upset, Danny went back upstairs, ready to give up with trying to find something 'productive' to do. But suddenly, a thought hit him and he perked up.

Walking a bit faster to his room, he smiled at his latest idea. Lately, the weather had been quite pleasing. The Winter chills had long since been replaced by the newly arrived Spring. It was the perfect time to go swimming!

He actually enjoyed anything having to do with water. Something as simple as the calm droplets of a shower or as invigorating as the waves that engulfed him as he rocketed down the slides of Floody Waters was equally pleasing to him. Water was just something that had always attracted him since he was little, but even more so since he became half-ghost… It was just so refreshing, so… cooling…

Arriving at his room, Danny went to get his things, ready to have a few hours of distraction in Vlad's huge outdoor pool.

* * *

Danny placed his towel on a nearby pool chair, before removing his shirt. He had always been… modest of being seen without clothes; even being shirtless made him uncomfortable. But since he was alone, the teen decided a bit of sun would be nice today.

Without any hesitation, Danny climbed the diving-board's stairs and dived quite expertly into the pool. He soon came back up for air, and quietly treaded water. He relaxed in the movement, as the blend of the cool water and warmth of the beaming sun softly caressed him. But then, something below and around him caught his attention and he dived under.

He studied the fish aquarium surrounding him with much interest. By how colorful the fishes were, Danny was sure they were salt-water fishes. There were just so many varieties of them and even plant life…. And…

"_Wait… Is that a shark?"_ he thought, astonished upon seeing the four-foot animal swim by. He smirked in both amusement and weariness. _"Heh, I'm glad this glass wall is keeping him in there…"_

The half-ghost quickly left his thoughts at feeling his lungs burn in their demand for oxygen.

Propelling himself with his feet, he went back up. But upon breaking the water's surface, Danny's ghost sense went off.

With a jolt of alarm, he whirled around, trying to find the ghost. And he found it when his blue eyes locked into a pair of honey-brown ones.

Danny let out a loud gasp at the sight of Dazzler, and fearfully backstroked away from him, his eyes immediately diverting away from the evil ghost's.

"Good day, little one," Dazzler calmly greeted him, his hands crossed behind him, while he studied the scared child with amusement.

"W-What do you want?" Danny asked, still keeping his gaze averted. His heart was beating so loudly he felt it was going to come out. Why did this ghost terrify him so much?

The ghost chuckled at the boy's reluctance to meet his eyes. And Danny became even more nervous and instinctively glanced at the bracelet on his wrist. Vlad's words were ringing in his ears.

Catching the boy's actions, an evil smile spread on Dazzler's face. He didn't know what the blue bracelet did. But it was obvious by its expensive taste that the little half-ghost had acquired it from his employer. The poor child was so scared he was ready to call upon the man that forced him here…

It was time to see _just_ how much he could scare the little half-ghost…

"He will never get here in time, you know," Dazzler uttered, his ego boasting at seeing Danny pale even more at his words.

Danny had to fight with his every fiber to keep the ghost's words from paralyzing him completely. He couldn't allow that or he was done for. Swallowing his fear, but making sure not to make complete eye contact with the ghost, Danny addressed him with as much calmness as he could muster. "Look, I haven't done anything to you. So just leave me alone."

"_That's_ where you're wrong," Dazzler answered with a frown that turned into disgust and contempt as he added, "The very existence of you, _hybrid_, insults me, and just about every other ghost for that matter. But, let's just say you should also be careful who you pick fights with."

Danny didn't understand what the ghost had meant by his last sentence. But the teen knew he was going to have to use more force to get this ghost to listen.

Transforming into Phantom, he quickly hovered above the pool and willed ecto-energy into his hands. He glared. "I'm warning you, stay away from me."

The ghost exploded into a full-hearted laugh. "My, My, what bold words!" He smirked darkly at the boy as he uttered, "Yet… I wonder how you plan on backing up that threat when you can't even breathe…"

Danny suddenly choked and grabbed his chest, feeling his lungs painfully constrict and freeze in that state. He was unaware of Dazzler's glowing purple hands or the hue of the same color surrounding his white-haired form.

His mind now completely shrouded with panic, Danny plunged into the water below him, reverting back to his human self as he did. He instinctively struggled back to the surface, and upon reaching it, grabbed onto the nearest pool side and coughed violently, a mouthful of water coming back up from his lungs.

Dazzler approached him, and glared darkly down at the boy. "If I chose to, I can end your existence at this very moment, Danny Phantom."

"Then why don't you?" Danny wheezed boldly, still fighting to regain normal breathing.

"Ignorant runt," he sneered back, "The _only_ reason you are still alive is because—"

"Master Danny?" Niane's voice interrupted from nowhere.

Both Danny and Dazzler turned to the ghost maid, finding her approaching them with a tray in her hand.

Dazzler relaxed, and he gave the other ghost a dashing smile. "Good day, _Miss_."

"Good day," she replied with a frown, her eyes locking with his honey-brown eyes.

Dazzler suddenly broke his gaze from her, and looked back at the boy, still holding himself afloat by his grip on the pool's side. "Well, I have some business in the Ghost Zone. You have a good day, little one," he said calmly, crossing his arms behind his back, before turning and walking away towards the mansion.

With weak hands, Danny lifted himself out of the pool and sat on its edge. For a moment all he could do was grasp his chest, hoping the lingering pain within would soon fade to a bearable level.

"Are you alright?" Niane asked, looking concernedly at the clearly pained boy.

Danny took a deep breath, before nodding. He stood up, but at feeling a bit dizzy, went and sat down at one of the chairs around a pool table.

The ghost maid silently followed him, and with a bit of hesitation placed the tray in her hands on the table. "I brought your lunch."

Danny looked at the tray, before looking at Niane. "Thanks" he said with a small smile. He looked back at the lunch tray, his smile disappearing.

In silence, Niane just stared at the young half-ghost as he picked up the glass of iced-tea with shaking hands and took a drink of the beverage. She couldn't keep quiet any longer.

"Master Danny, you don't have to put up with Dazzler, you know… If you want I can inform—"

"NO!" Danny shouted, roughly putting down his drink, and glaring at the girl ghost. "I can take care of myself! Got that?!"

Niane lowered her gaze and silently nodded, before turning to leave.

But the boy stopped her from doing so.

Danny softly sighed, before whispering, "Who is he?" His question made the ghost turn back to him, confusion on her face. "I-I mean, I never seen a ghost like him before."

Niane understood now and nodded. "Yes, his ability to manipulate other beings is rare, _but_ _not_ unique. As a matter of fact, he has a sister with …similar abilities." Seeing Danny, look up with a questioning look, she added, "Her name's Spectra, I believe."

"Spectra?" Danny gasped in disbelief.

Niane showed no extra emotion towards the boy's surprise, but she still asked, "You know her?"

"Yeah, a little too well…" Danny replied with contempt, before picking up his fork and stabbing some chicken salad. He looked at it with a tight frown on his face, but then put it down, feeling anything but hungry at the moment.

Instead, he spoke up again, "Spectra feeds on misery and has an obsession with her looks. " Danny rolled his eyes, finally realizing just how similar Spectra's and Dazzler's true forms looked. But Niane's next words revealed they had even more similarities that just physical appearance.

"Yes… Just like Dazzler _feeds_ on life energies and has _an_ _obsession_ with controlling everything and everyone around him."

Danny nodded as he stabbed his salad out of frustration. "That explains everything," he mumbled angrily. That's what Dazzler had meant when he said something about '_watching who he picked his fights with_'. The ghost hated him because he was Spectra's brother, and so, he most likely wanted to avenge her or something.

Now that Danny knew what Dazzler was capable of, he knew what the ghost had tried to do the day at the barn when they first met face to face. The shadow-like ghost had tried to feed off his life-force! He would have wasted him if he hadn't gotten away! But how was it that the ghost kept him frozen long enough to try it?

Danny eyes' widened in realization and his hand went to his chest. Niane had just said the ghost was a control-freak. Was it possible that the ghost could _actually_ **control** his body? It was the only explanation as to what happened in the barn and how his lungs had just mysteriously become paralyzed!

"Niane," Danny called, his eyes filled with dread. "Can Dazzler, like, control things? Like, _really_ control things? Can he physically control _people_?"

The girl ghost nodded. "It's almost like a spell. All he needs is for any being to look into his eyes _once_ and he can manipulate the being's physical body to do whatever he wants afterwards. I know this wasn't your first encounter with him, Master Danny. Otherwise, Dazzler would not have been able to harm you without you looking at him."

Danny frowned. "You saw?"

Niane lowered her gaze and fiddled nervously with her apron, "Yes…" She looked back at him. "You must be careful, Master Danny…" She suddenly stopped and sighed. She really wished the boy would let her tell her employer about Dazzler. He would put a stop to him. She was certain of it.

The young half-ghost said nothing in response. He was clearly worried.

Niane smiled sympathetically at him. "But you don't need to worry about him now. When Dazzler goes to the Ghost Zone he doesn't come back for days."

Danny nodded, internally relieved by the news.

Her smile brightened. "Well, I must return back inside. But if you need me, don't hesitate to call, hmm? Enjoy your lunch, Master Danny."

Danny lowered his gaze as the ghost turned from him, but he suddenly stopped her when he called to her, "Niane?"

The red-eyed maid paused and calmly looked at the boy.

"Don't tell him," he uttered emotionlessly.

The girl sighed softly. "Yes, Sir," she replied, before finally leaving.

By now, Danny had figured out that Vlad had ordered his employees not to harm him. Why? He had no clue, and he didn't care to find out. He didn't need the man's protection nor did he want it.

Danny looked at his lunch and pronged another portion of the chicken salad. He pulled it up to his mouth, but then placed it back on the plate before pushing the entire tray aside. He wasn't hungry. He was still too upset about what happened. But then, the pool caught his gaze. That would do it. He instinctively went to it and dove in. The cool water easily soothed him, washing away the anxiety that had just consumed him only moments before. He also knew that the pool would return his appetite eventually…

He smiled, remembering that when he was little, his mom had always told him to never go swimming directly after eating, otherwise, he would get stomach cramps. He had believed it for so long, until one day, he realized it was not true. He did it all the time and he never had a problem. And he was sure that if he had eaten this time around, it would have been no different.

Chuckling a bit at his random musing, Danny dived under once more.

* * *

With his arms folded behind him, Vlad calmly studied the information on the large Axion mainframe. But he soon spoke again to Mr. Gray, "Make sure all data on the BS-NB 3501 product is secure. I do not want other companies somehow stealing even a small piece of information about it. The Bloodstream Nanobot project was a very important development for this lab, even if it was never perfected."

The billionaire turned, and headed out the door, followed by Damon, who asked, "Did you want us to continue developing it? Perhaps we can work to perfect it. We could make more?"

"No," he decisively declined. "Pause all research and development for now. At least until I get to the bottom of the ghostly robberies concerning the one and only sample of BS-NB 3501 **and **of NBN 3501. You mentioned they were taken from this lab at different times, but I suspect both robberies are connected. I need to make sure the nanobots and its component have not fallen into the wrong hands."

"Yes, Sir," Damon replied.

Vlad paused in the main area of the lab, looked at his watch, and then looked at the other man. "Well, Damon, I'm afraid my time has grown short. And I still have lots to do." He smiled. "I thank you for your attention. You are doing an excellent job here, and I can assure you that it will not go uncompensated," he guaranteed, winking for emphasis.

Mr. Gray shook Vlad's hand, smiling appreciatively. "Thank you, Sir! I am truly glad you have found everything up to your standards."

"Mr. Masters?"

Both men's attention went to the young teenage girl just walking into the room. And Vlad instantly grinned. "Why, Ms. Gray! Just in time! What a wonderful surprise!" he stated, putting his hand on her shoulder.

Valerie smiled brightly. "It's a cool surprise for me, too! How are ya?" she asked.

"Oh, just lovely! How about yourself, hmm?" the billionaire asked, giving her a look that stated he meant more by it.

"Pretty…good," she uttered, glancing nervously at her dad, before returning Vlad's significant look.

"I see," the half-ghost responded with a calm nod. "You know, I was telling your father we had not seen one another in so long, and that we have not had a chance to catch up. I wanted to talk to you about a scholarship that Dalv, one of my companies, is offering…Interested?" he asked with a smirk.

"I sure am!" she answered, her smile widening.

Damon placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder and smiled at his employer. "I'll let you two talk in private." He extended a hand to Vlad, and added, "Mr. Masters, it's been a pleasure seeing you. I hope you will be back soon."

Shaking his hand, the half-ghost uttered, "The pleasure is all mine. And I will return when time permits. But until then, I know I leave Axion Labs in capable hands."

"Thank you." Damon answered, before looking down his daughter. "Valerie, I'll be in the T.E.M. room when you finish, okay?"

"Okay, Dad," Valerie replied.

Both the half-ghost and the hunter watched Damian walk off, before looking back at each other and smiling.

"So, tell me, how are things, _really_?" Vlad asked, placing a hand on the teenager's back and escorting her to his private office.

Valerie sighed tiredly. "Honestly? Not too great, Mr. Masters. Lately there has been a lot of…" She paused, and looked around at the people they were passing by. "… _activity,_" she decided to say. "And it's not easy to deal with it, plus, school, _and_ a job. Not to mention I have to sneak out, 'cause thanks to that… _Ghost_ _Kid_," she spat out the name, "my dad knows about my other 'job'; and he doesn't want me to be doing it."

"You don't say," Vlad uttered as he unlocked his office.

"Yeah," Valerie mumbled, entering the office after the billionaire opened the door for her. Seeing the man close the door, she continued in a more direct manner. "The suit you gave me got destroyed by this 'Technus' ghost, but that same day, well, I got a new one…" Valerie quickly called forth her suit to show it to Vlad.

Vlad raised an eyebrow, mocking surprise. "Well, that's quite impressive, Ms. Gray. And how is that working for you, hmm?"

"The suit? It's awesome! It has so many cool features, like this one here…"

Vlad sat down at his desk chair, locked his fingers together on top of the desk, and calmly listened to the beaming girl rant. When she finished, she sat down on a nearby chair and retracted her suit.

"Sorry, I just really like my new suit," Valerie said with a blush, realizing she had overdone it.

Vlad chuckled. "No need for that, Ms. Gray. I found your demonstration quite interesting. And by it, I can see you no longer need my provisions of ghost equipment. But I still would like to help you. As I've said in the past, you are quite capable. And I know I can depend on you to keep Amity Park safe… among other things…"

"Thanks, Mr. Masters," she answered with a shy smile.

"Now, your father told me all about your part-time job…I assume it's for college?"

Valerie sighed. "Yeah… I mean, my dad is doing so much better, thanks to you giving him his job back. But when we were on a tight budget, I kinda realized it's good to work for your stuff. It's why I want to raise my own money for college. My dad has done enough for me, you know?"

"Quite admirable, indeed," Vlad answered, smiling. "But that's where I think I could help. The scholarship I mentioned wasn't a bluff. I want to give it to you."

"Really?!" Valerie exclaimed, but then, she backtracked, "B-But, my grades are not all that great, especially now…"

"Oh, no, dear girl. This scholarship is not based on your academics, but on your capabilities and accomplishments. I think you are the perfect choice for it. But, I'll give you more detail about the scholarship in just a moment. There's something else I want to offer you. I wanted to know if you were interested in working for me… I can assure you, I pay much better than the Nasty Burger."

Valerie was speechless for a moment. The man wanted to give her a job? But she had no experience!

"I…What can I do? I mean, I don't know anything about companies or all the other stuff you do. Plus, you, like, live in Wisconsin."

"Ms. Gray, just because I live in one place doesn't mean I am limited to it. I have investments all over the world. I'm a billionaire, remember?"

"Oh… right," she mumbled, mentally berating herself.

"However, my job for you has nothing to do with my enterprises or any of my other investments. I want to hire you as my personal ghost hunter. That is, you can continue to do whatever you please. But when I have a job for you, I would expect for it to take priority above everything else. So what do you say? You will be paid very well. And that means you would no longer need your part-time job…" Vlad raised an eyebrow, awaiting the girl's response.

Valerie lowered her gaze in thought for a moment. His offer was tempting, but she felt hesitant; only that, she didn't know why. After all, this was Mr. Masters who was offering her this; and all the man had ever done was help her and her father.

She looked at him, her eyebrows creasing. "I don't mean to question you, Mr. Masters, but why do you need a private ghost hunter?"

Vlad frowned, feigning worry. "I need one because of my position, Ms. Gray. I am a powerful man. And like all powerful men, I have enemies. But not only human ones, but ghost ones as well. It seems the news has gotten around that I am acquainted with many ghost hunters, and, well, you can imagine what that means for me. It does not bode well, Ms. Gray. Just take the ghost robberies in this lab. It has already started. Who knows what could happen next…. Perhaps they might come after me directly…"

"Yeah, well, I'm not gonna let that happen." She stood up and extended her hand. "You got yourself a ghost hunter, Mr. Masters."

Vlad shook her hand and grinned. "Excellent."

"So what ghost butt do you want me to kick first?" she asked with a grin.

The older half-ghost chuckled. "At the moment, not any. I'll let you know when I require your direct services. But for now, I need you to keep doing what you are doing here. It's quite strange that ghost activity has increased so abruptly… Do you know if anything has happened that would bring forth such a rise?" Vlad almost smirked, knowing to where his question would lead their conversation.

Valerie sat back down, and glared at nothing in particular. "I don't really know. I mean, Danny's parents have not been ghost hunting since he left…." She looked at the billionaire with a sad look. "Did you know about that?"

"If you refer to Daniel, yes, I did. But if you refer to Maddie and Jack, then, no. Although, I don't blame them. The disappearance of their son was quite troubling to all of us. Let's just hope he returns, or that he is found soon." Vlad shook his head in sadness. But then, his eyebrows creased questioningly. "But, is that all that's happened as of late? I ask because I have read the newspapers, dear girl, and knowing what I know, I can make out the facts from the rest of the nonsense. Tell me, Ms. Gray, did you truly destroy Danny Phantom?"

* * *

Vlad drummed his hand impatiently on the top of the small table he was sitting in front off. He looked around the coffee shop with more disgust than interest. But then he growled softly, and muttered, "Where's that fat imbecile?"

The 'fat imbecile' he referred to was, of course, Jack Fenton. He had called him up and was now waiting for him to arrive. Now that Daniel was out of the way, and more importantly, under his control, it was time to proceed to the next part of his elaborate chess game: get rid of the unwanted fat pawn and obtain the beautiful queen. With the young half-ghost toppled and conquered, it would be all too easy.

A smirk grew on Vlad's face when he heard a 'ding' from the bell on the door and watched his college 'friend' finally arrive. But his smile suddenly turned into true shock.

"Hey, V-man!" Jack said with a smile, grabbing the billionaire in a hug.

Vlad was still so startled, he didn't object to the affection, but when they pulled away, the older half-ghost finally found his voice to express his disbelief. "Jack….You…. Have you lost weight?" he couldn't help but blurt out. The ghost hunter was still on the heavy side, but it was obvious he had lost more than just _a_ _few_ pounds.

Jack's happy expression fell and he shrugged. "I guess fudge isn't as good when you don't have a son to share it with."

Vlad frowned, still a bit taken aback. But he soon shook it off and sat back down. He smiled. "I'm glad you could come in spite of the… circumstances."

Jack smiled again. "Well, thanks for calling me up, Vladdie. I really needed a pal about now. But, I gotta ask, why did you tell me not to mention our get-together to Maddie and Jazz? I, uh, don't feel comfortable keeping things from my family, V-man. I mean, it's you we're talking about, but… I… Why couldn't you just come over like always?" he questioned, confused.

Vlad sighed. "Jack, you know I care deeply for your family. And I, too, feel terrible with keeping things between us, but, my visit is not just a friendly one, I'm afraid. There is something I must tell you that Maddie and Jazz cannot know about. It would be too much for them to handle, Jack."

The orange-suited man frowned at his friends words. "What do you mean, Vladdie? It… doesn't have to do with Danny, right?" he questioned fearfully, knowing the billionaire was helping them in the search for his son.

Vlad lowered his eyes in fake sadness. "Well…" He looked back up at Jack. "Would you like something? A hot tea, perhaps?"

Jack looked at him for a moment, before slowly nodding. "Just a soda's fine."

Vlad looked around, before spotting a nearby waitress in her mid-forties. "Excuse me, you, there, come here."

The waitress frowned at the man's rude attitude, but came over anyways. "Yes?"

"Get my friend here a large fountain drink, and bring me a small coffee." Vlad pulled out a fifty from his wallet and handed it to the waitress. "Keep the change, and make it quick," he added indifferently.

The waitress smiled widely at the large bill in her hand and nodded. "You got it, doll!" she beamed, and walked off to get the beverages.

Vlad pushed away the urge to glare at the woman's pet name, and just turned back to Jack. "It does have to do with Daniel," he abruptly informed him.

Jack gave him an almost desperate look. "Something bad about Danny? Tell me you're joking, Vladdie!"

"I'm afraid not, Jack…" Vlad sighed, before continuing. "You see, the private investigator I hired said that he has found no traces of Daniel. It's like he vanished into thin air. And that led me to realize, or rather, fear something… Jack, you are a ghost hunter…Have you considered that perhaps a ghost could have something to do with Daniel's disappearance? I'm sure in your career of ghost fighting you have made ghostly enemies. If Daniel is nowhere to be found _here_, than perhaps… he's in the Ghost Zone."

Jack stared with wide fearful eyes at his friend, but before he could say anything, the waitress returned with the drinks.

"Here you boys are. Enjoy!" she said, before walking off.

Vlad calmly added milk and sugar to his coffee, awaiting Jack's response. And it soon came in a whisper.

"Why didn't I think of that before?" he said, staring blankly at his soda. "But… Danny said in his letters he was running away, so how could a ghost have kidnapped him?"

Vlad lifted the cup to his lip, answering, "He could have been overshadowed, Jack. The letters could have been a way of throwing us all off from the truth." He took a sip, but the instant the bitter and old-tasting coffee touched his tongue, he choked.

Jack was too deep in thought to notice his friend's actions, or how he pushed aside the coffee with a disgusted scowl.

"I have to go save him!" Jack abruptly exclaimed, jumping to his feet, drawing the attention of those around him.

"Just a moment, Jack," Vlad said quickly, frowning at the looks they were getting, before gesturing to his friend to sit back down. "There are countless of ghosts. I think it's best if we investigate this further, first. It's just a theory, after all. There is no evidence that says Daniel really was kidnapped by a ghost… Well, except for…" Vlad fell silent and bit his lip with worry, but inside he was eagerly waiting for Jack to take the bait.

The older half-ghost almost grinned when he did.

"Except for what, Vladdie?" Jack asked desperately, reaching across the table and grabbing his friend's arm.

Vlad just looked at him in silence for a moment, but then, reached into his jacket and pulled out a newspaper. "Jack, have you seen this?"

Danny's dad looked down at the newspaper spread out on the table. "What? The ghost kid's disappearance? Well, yeah, that's old news. It's been, like, over a month since no one has seen him. What about it?" he questioned, confused.

"You just said it, Jack. He has been missing for _over a month_. Tell me, how long has Daniel been missing…?"

Jack frowned. "…About the same amount of time… But I don't understand, V-man."

Vlad almost slapped the man across his face. Was he this stupid? Was he really going to have to spell it out for him?

Apparently.

"Do you not find that too much of a coincidence? Think about it, Jack. No one knows why the infamous Danny Phantom so suddenly disappeared. And Daniel just so happened to disappear around the same time? It's just a hunch, but I think that ghost left with reason. I think he has something to do with your son's disappearance. It's the only explanation as to why they both vanished around the same time," Vlad ended with deep sobriety.

Jack gasped. "You're right, V-man! That spook has been appearing 'round my family a lot! And he's always causin' trouble!" He fisted his hands on the table, true anger glowing in his eyes. "If he has anything to do with Danny's disappearance, he's goin' to regret it! I'll make sure of it!"

"Now, calm down, Jack," Vlad coaxed, acting supportive. "We must be sure about this. It is why you cannot, under _any_ circumstances, tell Maddie and Jasmine about this matter. They will want to get involved and it could be dangerous…. You wouldn't want anything to happen to them, would you?"

"Of course not, Vladdie. I'll deal with that Phantom kid myself," Jack assured him.

"How do you plan to do that? After all, Danny Phantom is probably hiding out in the Ghost Zone. If he has Daniel, he would be keeping him in there…Unless…" Vlad frowned thoughtfully, but then shook his head. "No, it's too dangerous…"

"What is it, Vladdie? Look, I don't care what I gotta do to get my son back! I have to find him! If something happens to him, I…" Jack sighed, trying to push away any negative thoughts. But the large man continued, "I said I'd find him, V-man. And I'm gonna do just that, even if I have to go to the ends of the world to get him back."

"Well, I do not think you would find him at its ends. But… perhaps we should check the Ghost Zone. But I'm unsure of this. As I said, it would be dangerous, and well, how would we even enter this place?"

"The Specter Speeder!!" Jack exclaimed. "It is meant to travel in there. I mean, I've never tried it, and actually, I've never been inside the Ghost Zone… But it's worth a shot, Vladdie! I'll go tonight!" he added with determination.

"Jack, I think you are getting ahead of yourself. We must plan this carefully…"

Jack finally noticed his friend kept using 'we'. "Wait, you're gonna come, too?"

"But of course, Jack!" Vlad assured with a large smile. "You don't think I'd let you go in there alone, do you? Daniel means the world to me. Why do you think I brought this to your attention? I think we need to cover all the ground possible, including this 'Ghost Zone'. And if Danny Phantom indeed has Daniel captured, we'll dispose of him… We'll get Daniel back together."

Jack reached across the table and squeezed Vlad's shoulder. "V-man, you are the best pal a guy could have!"

The billionaire patted his friend's hand, before calmly removing it from his shoulder. "You have no idea... Unfortunately, I cannot go with you right away. I need to check back with the private investigator and do a couple of life-altering things back in Wisconsin. I need a week, Jack."

Jack looked crushed at his friend's words. "A week? Vladdie… I can't wait that long. If that ghost kid does have Danny, then I gotta get to him as soon as possible! His life could be in danger."

"But going alone would place _you_ in danger," Vlad shot back with a frown.

Jack shook his head. "I don't care. All that matters is finding my son. You should see Maddie, V-man! She's doin' really bad! I can't even say anything to her without her getting upset!" He lowered his eyes to his soda and finally picked it up. "The other day she blamed me about Danny …" he said sadly.

Vlad was unable to keep a grin from forming on his face, which he hid by placing a hand over his mouth. Forcing the joy away from his voice, he soberly said. "I'm sorry to hear that, Jack. I'm sure she's just stressed." Vlad actually frowned in the end. The knowledge of the woman he loved being in turmoil panged at his heart again.

"And she won't be any better until we get Danny back," Jack continued sadly.

"I understand your position, Jack. But I still think you should not go alone. Wait for me. I'm sure the search will be more productive if we go together… alright?" Vlad asked, this time grabbing his friend's arm as a comforting gesture.

Jack nodded and smiled at his friend. But he didn't look convinced. And that's what the older half-ghost wanted. He knew Jack would become desperate and end up going into the Ghost Zone alone. And that's where the trap would lie in wait for the fat oaf…

"Look, V-man, I'd really like to stay and talk some more with you. But Maddie and Jazz are gonna start wondering where I went off to, and I don't want to tell them about all this, but I also don't want to lie to them. So I better just go now."

"I understand, Jack," Vlad said with a smile. "If you need to get a hold of me, don't hesitate to do so, hmm?"

"Alright, V-man." They both stood up, and Jack went over and hugged his college pal again. "Thanks, Vlad. Really," Jack said, his voice full of emotion.

Vlad frowned for a moment, but didn't say anything. He watched the orange-clad man leave the small coffee shop, before slowly walking towards the exit himself. He stepped out, then walked calmly towards an alleyway.

Once there, he looked around, and after making sure no one was around, he changed into Plasmius. He looked down at his watch, which had now changed into a glowing red device. The hybrid quickly pressed a few buttons, before uttering, "Skulker?"

A bit of static later, the hunter's voice responded. "_What do you need?"_

"I want you to inform Fright Knight that everything is set. Have him stay close to the Fenton portal."

"_Alright, I'll tell him. But are things as planned regarding the whelp's father?"_

Vlad hesitated in his response, but then confidently answered. "Yes, the instant Jack Fenton steps into the Ghost Zone he is to be disposed of--_permanently_. Tell Fright Knight I want no mistakes."

"_Very well." _

The billionaire terminated the link, before turning invisible and taking into the evening sky.

It was time to return home.

* * *

Danny had to admit that today--even with his encounter with Dazzler--had been one of the more tolerable days he had had in quite a while. Since the whole incident with his ghost powers, Vlad had been around more than what could possibly be healthy for him. Then again, being anywhere near the older half-ghost had _never_ been healthy. And his current state was solid proof.

But not having seen Vlad at all today had been great for Danny. It somehow made him feel better. It let him breathe easier. It was so hard to be around the man; not just because of the events with his sister, but also because of the deal he made with him. It was painful to even think about it.

"Yo-hoo! Earth to kiddo!" the Dairy King said, noticing the boy had dazed off from what he was doing.

"Oh, what?" Danny said, looking at the chubby ghost sitting beside him in the game room.

"I think it's bedtime for you," the ghost said amused, before pointing at the game screen and showing the teen his guy had just been blown-up.

Danny rolled his eyes, but then grinned at the ghost. "Are you kidding? I'm just getting warmed up," he answered back, standing up and putting in a new video game. "I found this one in one of the piles of games. I think this one might make you change your mind about playing."

The Dairy King laughed. He had finally had time to visit the child, and had spent a good several hours with him. The boy seemed to be content about it, and the ghost was glad for that. Sadly, the Dairy King had heard the rumors in the castle, and he knew the moment he had seen the young half-ghost that they were true. His dimmed blue eyes were enough proof.

But the Dairy King didn't mention a word of it, and he knew the child was glad for that. For the past two hours now, he had been watching the boy play video games, which was very interesting to see. All the noises and the bright lights were so exciting. But not enough to make him want to play himself… That is until now.

"Ooo! Is that circle thing eating a piece of cheese?!" Dairy King exclaimed, getting closer to the screen.

"Heh, yeah. But it eats other stuff, too. The point of the game is to get all the dots without being eaten by the other circle guys. And if you get the fruits and cheese, you get more lives and points. Wanna play?" Danny asked with a smirk.

The chubby ghost nodded excitedly and grabbed the game controller.

"Okay, all you really gotta know for this one is to use the left stick-shift. Just move it up to go up, down, to go down, and so on. Got it?"

The Dairy King didn't respond. He was too focused on getting all the dots and pieces of food on the screen. He almost jumped with joy when a cheese piece appeared. And, of course, didn't hesitate to go after it.

Danny chuckled and sat down on another game chair to watch the ghost play. It was a shame that the ghost couldn't hang out with him all the time. But the Dairy King always said he had royal duties to attend to.

At first, the teen had thought that was really true. Now, he wasn't so sure. The Dairy King had spent just about the whole afternoon with him, and now it was late evening. And what Danny noticed was that the ghost kept getting more transparent as the day went on. He wondered why that was, and guessed it had to do with why the ghost was only around every now and then. Danny had a hunch that the ghost couldn't hold his form for long outside the Ghost Zone. But by the ghost's carefree demeanor, it seemed like he didn't realize this… or wasn't bothered by it. It was really bizarre, but it also made sense in its own ghostly way.

But even though he wished the Dairy King would be around more often, he was glad he was around _at_ _all_. It was nice to have been able to spend the day with someone pleasant, even if he was an odd and overly-peppy ghost.

An hour later, Danny's theory about the Dairy King proved right. The boy watched the see-through ghost suddenly disappear out of existence, and the remote dropped on the game chair. The teen smiled sadly at seeing how far the ghost had come, and that he had been just about done with the round he was on. Danny decided to finish the round for him, before turning off the game.

He yawned as he walked out of his entertainment area, and towards the main part of his room. Yes, he had spent half the day 'cooped-up' in his room. But so what? Vlad wasn't around, and Danny _had_ tried to obey the guy's order. He didn't know what his enemy's definition of a 'productive day' was, but _his_ own definition of it was to have fun. And he had to admit that today, he had.

After changing and brushing his teeth, he got into bed. The young half-ghost fell asleep a few minutes after his head hit the pillow. Yes, he had done a lot. And it was nice to be exhausted because of it.

* * *

The next day, Vlad was in front of a full-length mirror, straightening his attire. He wasn't planning on heading anywhere today, so he decided to wear something casual. Calmly, he tied the straps on his white-and-red robe around his waist, his first name neatly imprinted on the top right of the attire.

A smirk grew on his lips as he inspected his appearance, but he was more pleased at his accomplishments yesterday than anything else.

At Axions', everything had worked out perfectly. He had gotten rid of any remaining evidence concerning the Bloodstream Nanobots… Not that he thought anyone would even suspect anything, but Vlad always planned ahead. Of course, he wasn't planning on investigating the 'robberies'. Both samples—the BS-NB 3501 and the NBN 3501—had been taken at different times from the lab by Skulker under his command. It had gone perfectly.

Then things with the young Miss Gray could not have gone better. Vlad had sent Skulker to keep an eye on Valerie until he was able to go to Amity Park. After all, the older half-ghost could not allow the girl to mention to anyone the appearance of Danny Phantom. It would have ruined everything.

And luckily her pride had kept her from saying anything…

"_My, that's quite a story, Ms.Gray. It must have stung to believe you had disposed of your adversary, only to discover he is still in existence…" Vlad commented, shaking his head._

_Valerie crossed her arms angrily, still sitting in the large black chair in the billionaire's office. "I'm gonna get him, I swear it! That spook is gonna be sorry for showing his butt around here again!"_

"_It's interesting… how Daniel's friends reacted to the news of Danny Phantom's supposed demise, do you not think?" Vlad commented off-handedly. _

"_Well, yeah, it's why I regret ever sayin' anything. I don't know what got into them, Mr. Masters. For a moment, I thought they knew who I was!"_

"_How could they know?" Vlad asked, raising an eyebrow._

_Valerie shrugged._

_Vlad tapped his chin. "Perhaps they were just confused. You know, what worries me is how they and everyone else in Amity could react if they discovered that Danny Phantom has returned, or at least sighted as of late. It could create a panic, or something much worse…" Vlad gave the girl an intense look as he leaned forward. "Perhaps, Ms. Gray, it is best if you not mention this to anyone. It will avoid… problems in your hometown."_

_Valerie nodded. "I wasn't plannin' on sayin' anything. I just rather waste that ghost without anyone ever knowing I didn't the first time."_

"_That's a smart choice, Ms. Gray…"_

…Vlad chuckled to himself. "Teenagers are so easy to manipulate," he commented, not believing how simple it had been to get the girl to do what he wanted…

And then there was finally Jack Fenton.

Vlad gave him three days at most, before he would crack, and head into the Ghost Zone on his own. Too bad for him he was not going to find Daniel, and he was not getting out of there alive. He knew Fright Knight would make sure of it. And that's when the older half-ghost would step-in to reclaim what was rightfully his.

With Jack Fenton out of the way, Maddie was as good as his. And to make sure of it was Daniel. Vlad knew that there was nothing that a mother cared for more than their child. And so, his plan would be quick and effective.

While Maddie mourned the loss of that pathetic excuse for a husband that was Jack, he planned to step-in and give her something that would make her forget the idiot: Her son.

Sure it would take some time; but in end, Maddie would return his affections. How could she not? She would be eternally grateful towards him when he returned Daniel to her. And he knew he could _make_ the boy play his part now that he was tied to him. He would finally have the perfect family that he deserved.

His plan was perfect.

And just days from being fulfilled.

Vlad grinned in delight, before finally stepping out of his room. He walked down a hallway, deciding to pay a visit to the young boy who was the center of his best plot yet. He wanted to see him. After all, he did not see Daniel all day yesterday.

Arriving at the boy's room, Vlad knocked on the door. Almost immediately, he heard another door open from within, followed by footsteps that got closer and closer. The boy soon opened the door.

"Good Morning, Daniel," Vlad greeted him with a smile.

"…Hi," Danny replied coolly, before moving away from the door and heading to the office room inside his dormitory.

Seeing that the boy had left the door open to allow him in, Vlad calmly walked in, following the teenager. The man paused at the entrance of the office, an amused smirk growing on his face as he watched the young half-ghost turn into his ghost form. Danny then flew up towards the top stand of the bookshelf and put away a book that he had been holding in his hand.

"You know…" Vlad drew out, mirth thick in his voice, "There's a ladder next to you for a reason."

Danny shrugged as he changed to his human self. He walked passed Vlad and sat down on his bed, his hands placed neatly on his lap. "What did you need?" he asked, looking at his shoes.

Vlad stared at the boy for moment, finally noticing he was a little sunburned… But he soon answered him, "Nothing much. I merely wanted to know how you were."

"I'm f--" Danny hesitated at the word, remembering what happened last time. He sighed, pushing away his nervousness, before saying what he was about to say, "I'm fine."

Vlad frowned, not missing the boy's hesitation. "I'm not going to attack you without you giving me a reason to do so, Daniel," he said seriously.

Danny bit his tongue to keep himself from snapping back that he had practically tortured him a few days ago _without_ any reason, and instead, just kept silent.

"So, doing something 'productive' means going swimming for you?" Vlad replied amused, changing the subject.

Danny finally looked up at the man and frowned. "I didn't know what you meant…" he lowered his gaze again as he added, "Besides, it's not like there's anything else to do around here."

A frown appeared on Vlad's face again. As much as he hated to admit it, the boy was right. One could only do so much in a house, even one as large as this one.

But the boy wouldn't tell him what his interests and hobbies were. And furthermore, Daniel had refused to be taken anywhere. So how was he supposed to solve the young half-ghost's problem of boredom?

He didn't know the first thing about caring for and raising a teenager, or any child of any age, for that matter. Vlad had nothing to go on. He knew physical activities were necessary for a fifteen-year-old, and there were plenty of those around his home—the boy obviously enjoyed swimming. But what was more important than physical stimulation was mental stimulation. And that was what Daniel needed. But what could that be?

Suddenly, it hit him.

"_I know how to keep him occupied,"_ Vlad thought, an unconscious smile growing on his lips.

"Uh…Vlad?"

The man snapped out of his thoughts, and looked at the boy, who was staring quizzically at him.

"Hmm?" he answered lightly.

"What did you want?" Danny asked again, not understanding why the man was in his room in the first place. Not to mention that the fact that Vlad had been smiling a second ago, for no apparent reason, had freaked him out.

"Did you use the simulation room yesterday?" Vlad asked, ignoring the boy's question.

"…Yeah…twice," Danny answered slowly.

"Good. But I think your powers are well enough now. Starting today, you only need to go in there once, alright? "

Danny nodded his response.

"Did you have any trouble?" Vlad asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, it did what I told it, like you said it would," Danny answered, looking at him.

"I'm not referring to the simulation room. I meant, _real_ trouble, Daniel," Vlad reiterated.

Danny tensed, and the man immediately let him know he noticed, "Is that a 'yes'? Vlad questioned, his eyebrows creasing downwards.

The young half-ghost lowered his eyes, but he kept calm and shook his head. He didn't want Vlad to get involved in his life anymore than he was.

Vlad slowly grabbed Danny's chin and lifted it, so that the teen's blue eyes were staring straight into his own. He asked in a calm voice, "Are you lying to me?"

Danny's heart skipped a beat, but he kept to his original answer. He shook his head the best he could when his chin was being held in place, and whispered. "N-No."

Vlad just stared at him for a moment more, before tilting his head and smiling at the boy. "You are such a terrible liar, little badger. But seeing that you are still in one piece, whatever you do not want to tell me can't be all too serious."

Vlad let go of the boy who just looked back at him with a sober expression.

"You know, I strictly ordered all of my employees to keep away from you, Daniel," Vlad uttered seriously.

"I know," Danny answered in the same tone, still staring at the man.

Vlad raised an eyebrow in surprise. He didn't think the boy had figured that out. "Oh…" was all he could respond.

The room took on an uncomfortable silence that Vlad broke by clearing his throat. "Well, I'll leave you to your affairs. I have a few of my own I need to take care of. I'll see you a bit later, Son," the older half-ghost said quickly, before turning to leave, but the boy's response froze him in place.

"I'm not your son."

Vlad slowly turned back around, confirming that the boy's expressionless tone of voice matched his facial expression. But suddenly the man chuckled lightly. "No, I suppose you're not. But then again, you lost your father the day you left Amity Park. I think that leaves us in similar positions, hmm?" he smirked at the silent boy, before finally leaving. He didn't see Danny's eyes turn bright green as he glared at his retreating form…

The second Vlad closed the teen's door behind him, his smile vanished. As he headed downstairs, he couldn't keep his hands from fisting on his side, and had to close his eyes upon feeling them burn red. The boy's last words had stung more than he could say.

* * *

**Well! That's all for now! I await your thoughts! Ta!**


	34. Chapter 33: Uncloaked

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Alright, I told myself I would update once more before starting school—I start school tomorrow... unfortunetly. But, here it is. Sadly, I wasn't able to get to replying all the reviews for last chapter. So, I hope those I didn't get to don't mind if I reply to you tomorrow. I wanted to post this for you guys tonight—instead of finishing reviews and posting tomorrow. Well, alright. I hope you guys like this one! I think you guys might…

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Chapter 33: Uncloaked

Jack sighed as he moved away from the Specter Speeder on which he was currently working.

Ever since his son and friends took the ghost-ship and wrecked it--he didn't know, of course, that Danny's friends had taken it to save Danny from Vlad during the whole 'cloning' incident--he and his wife had been fixing it up and improving it. But they still had a long way to go. And with his wife's not being on such good terms with him, he was working on it alone.

Jack knew it was better this way, though. If he asked her for help with the Speeder, she would ask him why he had such urgency to fix it. And then, he would have to tell her about his and Vladdie's suspicions of the Phantom kid's kidnapping their son.

Jack moved to a nearby bench on a lab table, and began to look through a tool chest, searching for a certain piece he needed. Once he found the tool, he moved back over to the Specter Speeder, and continued working on its motor. There was something wrong with it. The ship wouldn't move half as fast as it should. And in all honestly, he had no idea why.

This was usually Maddie's job. He would build and name his inventions and she would make them work. They were a team. A _very_ good team in everything they did. But now…

Jack paused and looked silently at the motor in front of him. Maybe his wife was right. Maybe Danny's disappearance was his fault. He should have paid more attention to him. After all, he was the father. And it fell upon him to guide their son and give him those 'fatherly speeches'.

Maybe he didn't give him enough of anything and his son felt unloved. Otherwise, why would his son run away?

Either that, or Danny was indeed taken. But both probabilities were equally as terrible. If his son did run away, it would mean he was a bad father. And if he was taken, it would mean his son's life was hanging in the balance. And if something happened to Danny…

Now alone, Jack didn't bother to stop the tears that began to form in his eyes. He looked towards the closed ghost portal, before turning back to the damaged Speeder. He couldn't waste anymore time trying to fix the ship when he knew he would never be able to without his wife's help. He would take it as it was—slow and without working ghost weapons.

He wiped away his tears with his arm as he walked over to the portal and pressed the 'open' button on the control panel. Immediately, the ghost portal's doors began to open.

"Sorry, Vladdie, but I can't wait any longer," he whispered sadly as he closed the engine hatch. He then jumped into the pilot seat of the ghost-ship, and turned it on. He had never used the Specter Speeder, so it took him a moment to figure out how to make it pull forward. The engines revved as Jack pressed the accelerator.

* * *

"Oh, Jazz, I don't know what to do! I don't know where to look anymore! How can a teenage boy disappear without a trace?" Maddie cried out, before burying her face in her hands.

Jazz cringed at her mom's words, but then rubbed her mother's curved back and smiled sadly. "We'll find him, Mom," Jazz said comfortingly, but the words were so over-played that it didn't bring comfort to any of the Fentons.

"Jazz, what if something happened to my baby boy. I-I couldn't bear it," she whispered, and then suddenly began to cry-- like she usually did nowadays.

"Mom, don't think that," Jazz replied, feeling her own eyes well-up with tears as everything regarding Valerie came back to her head.

But then, suddenly, a loud ruckus sounded from the lab, catching Jazz's attention. She immediately frowned, and said, "I'll be back, Mom."

Jazz moved off the couch, leaving her mother, who, in her grief, had not noticed the noises coming from the lab, or her daughter's exit.

When the teenage girl opened the lab door and went in, she froze in alarm, her eyes widening with complete shock.

Her father was angrily throwing everything off the lab tables, shattering several pieces of equipment and beakers in the process.

Suddenly, Jazz caught sight of the open ghost portal; and nearby, a smoking Specter Speeder that was crashed into a wall. But before she could wonder what _that_ was about, a loud bang from another damaged ghost device redirected her attention back to her father.

"Dad!" Jazz exclaimed, running up to him, hoping to calm him down. "What are you doing?!"

"I'm getting rid of all this junk!" Jack shouted angrily, heading for another table and throwing everything off of it as well. He couldn't believe he was so incompetent that he ended up crashing the speeder into a nearby wall, before he could even make it into the open ghost portal!

"What?! Why?!" Jazz asked, quickly stepping over all the broken ghost equipment and following him.

"Because it's worthless! _**I'm**_ **worthless!** I can't even help-- **I can't even find my **_**own**_** son**!"

Jack slammed his fists on the table. But his anger quickly extinguished, leaving him shaking and crying in front of his daughter.

"Daddy, don't say that," Jazz pleaded, wrapping her arms around his leaning form.

"You were right, Princess. Your mom's right," he whispered in a broken voice, "Maybe if I hadn't been so obsessed with ghosts, I would've paid more attention to Danny. And he would still be here."

More than ever, Jazz regretted the time she had blown up on her dad at the hospital, blaming him for her brother's disappearance. "Dad, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean what I said back then. I was just really scared. And I'm sure whatever Mom said, she didn't mean either."

Jazz grabbed her dad's face, gently coaxing him to look at her. "Dad," she stated with a loving smile on her face, "You're the best father I could have _ever_ wished for," she assured him from the depths of her heart.

"That's…That's what Danny said to me before he left," Jack whispered, more tears falling down his face.

"Because it's true, Daddy. Danny and I love you just how you are," Jazz replied with a sad smile.

Jack embraced his daughter, and began to cry harder on her shoulder. And Jazz soon found herself crying alongside with him. But then, suddenly, she felt a hand placed on her shoulder.

Maddie looked sadly at her weeping husband and daughter as they turned to look at her. How could she have been so selfish, and not realize they were suffering from Danny's absence as much as she was?

"I'm so sorry," Maddie whispered to both of them. And immediately Jack and Jazz embraced her.

All three Fentons cried in each others' arms as they finally showed one another how they truly felt, knowing this was something that they should have done a long time ago.

Eventually, they all calmed and headed to the kitchen, where Maddie made hot chocolate for all of them.

As she did, she thought about her son, about how much she needed to find him…. And turning into a 'water bucket' wasn't helping her do that. It wasn't helping anyone… Maddie's eyes suddenly lit with a new fire of determination as she poured the hot chocolate into three cups. She would fine her son, even if she had to search until the ends of the earth to do so.

But little did Maddie know that Jack was thinking the very same exact thoughts, except that he had decided about something else. He was going to tell Maddie about his meeting with Vlad. He never kept secrets from his wife before; and he wasn't about to start now, no matter how risky it was to tell her about this. In the end, he and his wife came up with better plans when they worked together. And finding their son was something they needed to do **together**.

"We're going find him, Maddie," Jack stated with determination, breaking the long moment of silence.

Maddie smiled at him as she gave him and Jazz their hot beverages. She grabbed her own and sat down. Reaching for her husband's hand, she finally answered him with the same confidence, "Yes, we are."

They smiled at each other lovingly, something they hadn't done for as long as Danny had been missing.

Jazz smiled, noticing the change in her parents' attitude towards each other and towards the problem with Danny. But she knew it was time for her to leave before they did something _embarrassing_ in front of her.

"I need to go do something that involves me not being _anywhere_ near this kitchen," Jazz said quickly, grabbing her hot chocolate, standing up, and exiting.

Her parents simply nodded, but not once did they take their eyes off their joined hands.

But at hearing Jazz leave, Jack finally spoke. "Mads, there is something I gotta tell you. And it's got to do with Danny…"

* * *

Jazz closed her bedroom door behind her and let out a bittersweet sigh. She was happy to see her parents' new-found determination, but she couldn't help but wonder if it would be enough to find her brother.

After all, Danny's friends and she knew more about what was really going on with Danny than they did. And _they_--Tucker, Jazz, and Sam-- had not had any luck, even with knowing about his ghost-half status, and about Valerie...

Since Danny had gone missing, they had searched Amity Park, and even neighboring towns for him. Sam and Tucker had searched the Ghost Zone without luck while she had been in the hospital. They had used all the ghost equipment they could think of to track Danny, and none of it worked. And most recently—just a few days ago to be exact--her brother's friends had gone to search for this 'Clockwork' ghost.

Then, she had originally planned to distract her parents while Sam and Tucker snuck into the lab. But in the end, there was no need, since her dad had _mysteriously_ disappeared that day, and her mom had spent almost all day in Danny's room.

And so, Sam and Tucker had ventured into the Ghost Zone. However, several hours later, they had returned empty-handed. They simply couldn't find Clockwork without Danny. And the map that their half-ghost friend had used to jot down the directions to get there was in his laptop. And Danny had taken his personal computer with him.

Still, Sam and Tucker had searched for Clockwork's lair, but the Ghost Zone was just too vast--plus, they were not aware that Clockwork's lair resided outside of time, making it almost impossible to randomy 'stumble' upon its only entrance. Besides, with a damaged Specter Speeder, they could only cover so much ground.

In the end, they—Jazz, Sam, and Tucker-- decided to hold off searching for Clockwork, and move to 'Plan B.'

Jazz was very nervous about trying to get Vlad 'involved' in the search for Danny. She had already _asked_ him to help when he came for his 'visit' that one time; and she realized that day he would not willingly help —although he was fooling her parents into believing he was.

That Jerk!

Vlad Masters would not help them find Danny unless they **forced** him to. And that's what she was nervous about, especially since she would be the one forcing him into doing so. If anyone stood a chance at outwitting the half-ghost billionaire, it was she.

Jazz knew she had to think this out carefully. If she and Danny's friends were to go through with this, they all knew they would have to use extreme caution in their plans. And, the first order of business was to figure out how to get there.

She knew Wisconsin was at least a-day-and-a-half away if she drove; and although with the Speeder it only took hours, it was severely damaged since Danny and his friends took it to Wisconsin. She was sure they had good reason, but she could never get them—mainly Danny-- to tell her why they had taken it and what exactly happened there… But there was nothing she could do about the Speeder's damage now…

Jazz erased that thought, and focused on her current dilemma. If they took the Speeder, it would probably take them almost as long as it would by car to get to Wisconsin. And although that wasn't really a problem, getting her parents to let her go was. After all, there was no way they would _not _notice that she, Sam, and Tucker had suddenly disappeared for a day or two…Besides, wouldn't Sam's and Tucker's parents also get suspicious?

Abruptly, Jazz's attention was brought towards the boomerang still on one of her night tables.

It was beeping again.

But instead of stopping after a second, it continued to beep steadily...

The cup in Jazz's hands slipped out of her hold and crashed to the floor as she stared at the device in disbelief.

Slowly, she moved towards it, as if her moments would make it stop doing what it was doing. But the beeping still continued, even when she picked up the device with shaking hands.

"It-It can't be," she whispered, looking at the boomerang and finding the light on it was blinking red—the color it turned when locked into a signature. But not just any signature! It was the signature she had left it keyed on! It was her brother's ghost signature!

But before she could react to this fact, the beeping stopped and Jazz gasped in alarm. She was sure her heart had just stopped with it as she stared at the light which had turned green again.

But seconds later…

"_Beep-Beep-Beep…"_

It started up again.

Jazz covered her mouth in order to muffle the sound of her excited scream. In a flash, she jolted towards her dresser, grabbing her purse and car keys, all the while her body shaking with fear and anticipation. She stashed the boomerang inside her purse as she ran down the stairs, and barged into the kitchen, instantly catching her parents' attention.

"M-Mom! D-Dad! I-I gotta g-go out!"

Maddie stood up with a worried look. "Jazz, are you okay? You're shaking!"

"I-I'm fine. I just _really_ need to go out!" she replied urgently, her eyes pleading to her mother.

"Honey, remember that the doctor said not to excite yourself…" Maddie stated, not liking the idea of her daughter's going out by herself, especially when she was shaking like crazy!

"Mom, Please! I'll be okay. I have my cell phone and I'll drive carefully," Jazz stated quickly.

"Okay, Jazz, but be care--"

Maddie didn't get to finish since Jazz raced out the kitchen at the instant she had said, 'Okay'.

Jack blinked in the direction her daughter had left, the entire time too startled by his daughter's strange actions to say anything. But finally, he moved his hand and scratched his head, mumbling, "I guess she just couldn't stand being cooped up in the house anymore."

Maddie nodded absent-mindedly, a still worried look on her face. But she then sighed it away, and looked back at her husband. With a weak smile, she continued where they left off in their conversation before their daughter's interruption. "You know, Jack, I'm so proud of you for wanting to go into the Ghost Zone by yourself. But don't you think it might be better if _we_ don't go in there blindly? It wouldn't do _us_ any good, especially since _we_ have no idea where to start looking. Besides, I think we should **first** try to _get_ some information out of a few of the ghosts that come here to regularly cause havoc. Surely, at least one of them would know where Phantom's lair is at, or at least know how to find him."

Jack stood and wrapped an arm around his wife. "You're right, Mads!" he beamed. He was so proud of her, too. She was so smart, and so good at knocking some sense into him. He was so glad she had taken the news about Danny possibly being taken by the Phantom kid fairly well. Now, with her at his side, he wouldn't feel so alone—and helpless—when they looked for their son.

But, suddenly, Jack had an urgent sensation. He wanted to get going right away, of course, but he surely couldn't go on an empty stomach.

He sheepishly asked, "Uh, sweetcakes, would it be alright if we can get a bite to eat before we go? After all, we don't know how long we'll be gone."

"You're right, Jack. In fact, I'll pack a good supply of food just in case, too!" his wife replied.

"Uhm, and maybe stop by the fudge shop on our way?" he gingerly added.

Maddie laughed, and nodded her head. "Of course, Dear." She quietly thought that this would be the perfect way to show him that all was forgiven on _both_ of their parts.

* * *

Danny rolled his eyes at the bracelet around his hand. He hated the stupid thing. Not just because Vlad was forcing him to wear it, but also, because just when he thought he understood it, it decided to do things that baffled him.

Lately, it had been randomly changing colors. Normally, it would stay blue when he was in human form, and white when he was in ghost form. The other colors he had seen it turn—green and red—usually had to do with Vlad doing something with it. But now… it wasn't following any of the rules. It would change colors for no apparent reason.

Currently, it was black and had stayed that way for a while, before it decided to turn blue again. The device changing to a black color was the weirdest for him, since he had only seen it a black color when he didn't have it on back in Amity.

For a moment, Danny had thought about telling Vlad about the bracelet's bizarre actions. But he then decided against it, certain that his arch-enemy already knew about it and that _he_ was causing its changes somehow. Vlad was probably trying to adjust the device to do worse things…

Danny cringed at the thought, but then sighed, deciding he didn't even want to know what was happening with the stupid device—or more correctly, leash.

With a frown on his face, Danny looked at the clock. He might as well get his 'exercising' session over with for the day. With that thought, he walked out of his room.

Silently, he walked downstairs, almost on autopilot from how many times he had traveled through the same hallways towards the simulation room.

His distracted steps came to a halt in front of the simulation room as he reached for the door, only to find it… locked.

Danny frowned, confusion on his face as he tried to open the door again. "Hey, what gives?" he asked out loud, somewhat annoyed with this new occurrence. Truth was, he kind of enjoyed coming here now; at least it gave him something to do.

The teen sighed and moved over to the next door, knowing that it was the simulation room's control room. But, suddenly, a voiced stopped him from entering.

"Do not go in there."

Danny turned, and gave Niane a puzzled look. Where had she come from? And also… did she just _order_ him not go into the control room?

As if realizing what she had just said, she gave him an apologetic smile, her tone of voice softening as she added, "Master Plasmius is occupying the simulation room. That is why it's locked."

Danny looked towards the locked door, surprised by her words. He didn't know Vlad trained… Suddenly, he realized how obvious it was, and he almost smacked himself in front of the ghost maid. Why else would the man have the room to begin with?

"Why don't you go eat while he finishes? It's almost lunchtime" Niane unexpectedly suggested, pushing him out of his thoughts.

Danny unconsciously rubbed his neck. The ghost maid's intense gaze made him oddly nervous. It was as if she were studying him carefully, waiting to see what he would do next.

It was creepy.

"I, uh, guess I could," he mumbled, slowly moving away from the room he was about to enter. Niane seemed to almost visibly relax at his decision, making the young half-ghost suspicious.

What was Vlad doing that had the maid acting so strange?

Danny suddenly paused, and Niane frowned. "So Vlad's training or something?" he asked, doing nothing to hide his suspicion of her.

"I would assume so…" she answered guardedly.

Danny looked back at the door, for a moment, silently contemplating something.

"Master Danny, he doesn't like being disturbed. Please, don't—"

"Why do you always act like you know what I'm thinking?" Danny suddenly snapped at her, feeling slightly hurt at the thought that the ghost maid could be trying to cover up something for Vlad. Of course, he shouldn't expect differently, since she did work for _him_. But he was starting to like the ghost… She was nice.

"I'm sorry… I just would not like to see you get into trouble with him," she answered worriedly.

Danny's expression softened, and he sighed. "Fine. I get it," he mumbled. He walked passed her, heading to his room.

But Niane quickly followed, "You are not going to eat?" she asked timidly.

Danny shrugged. "Yeah, sure. I'll be down in a sec," he replied lightly, walking down a hallway, towards the main stairs.

"Alright, I'll go tell George, then," Niane said, a calm smile returning to her features, before she vanished.

Danny paused and looked back at the now empty hallway. He felt torn by fear and curiosity at the thought of Vlad. Was he _really_ training in there?

The teen swallowed hard, and he didn't even realize he was moving back towards the simulation room until he was in front of it. Danny knew that from the control room, he would be able to see Vlad without his knowing. He could just take a quick look. His arch-enemy would never know…

Danny bit his lower lip as he turned the knob. Unlike the simulation room, its control center was not locked. He walked in, feeling his heart thumping loudly in his ears. Slowly, he made it to the viewing window, only visible from the control room in which he was.

His eyebrows creased in confusion at finding his arch-enemy in ghost form, standing in the middle of the training room. Danny could see from the controls that the room was activated and set to Program Level 31.

But what struck Danny as odd was that the entire simulation area was coated in blue ice. The temperature in the room Vlad was in was so cold, the man's breath was visible. What was he doing?

Danny's answer came in the form of red energy suddenly cackling to life in Plasmius' gloved hands. But it wasn't regular ecto-energy, but electrical energy. In an instant, Vlad aimed his hand towards a target and fired an electrical bolt towards it.

The young half-ghost gasped as he saw how the target was instantly obliterated. Since when could Vlad fire lightning bolts?—or at least that's what it looked like to Danny.

Sure, he knew the man could will some kind of ghostly electricity since he had felt the brunt of _that_ attack several times now. But the teen never knew his enemy could will it to this extent. He made the electric attacks Technus produced from his weird staff look like the mild static shocks you got from a metallic surface.

It was unbelievable!

Danny watched with fearful fascination as Plasmius continued to fire bolt after bolt towards the targets that the room threw at him. But each time the man did, he seemed to get angrier and angrier as if he wasn't getting the results he wanted.

Danny didn't understand _that_, since Vlad was totally nailing the targets with one blow. What more did the guy want?

"Curses! Increase Program by two levels!" Vlad suddenly shouted, after finishing another round of electrical attacks.

Danny watched as a knob on the control panel turned on its own until it had increased the amount Vlad had requested.

"**Program level 33 activated,"** the machine announced.

"_So that's how this thing works,"_ Danny thought, before looking back at his arch-enemy, and finding that the man had made a copy of himself.

He watched as both Plasmiuses turned to face each other, just as they began to call forth more electrical energy into their palms. Both had a look of pure concentration Danny had never seen before on the man. Usually, Vlad always acted like everything he did in ghost form was a breeze to him.

It annoyed Danny greatly.

So, seeing him actually focusing so hard on using his ghost powers only intrigued the teen more. He forgot his fear of getting into trouble as he watched his enemy continue with his…training?

It felt so weird to Danny to think Plasmius did something like that, even when he was watching him do so with his own two eyes.

Danny came out of thought just as the original Plasmius fired a bolt of energy right at his duplicate. This surprised the teen greatly, but he became further surprised when the Plasmius duplicate did not get hit with the attack.

Instead, the copy had lifted his gloved hands and the bolt was quickly absorbed within them. But almost immediately the bolt of red energy shot back out, towards the real Vlad.

The older half-ghost gritted his teeth as he lifted one of his own gloved hands and reabsorbed the energy-bolt like his duplicate had just done. Only, the real Plasmius quickly volleyed the energy-bolt into his other hand, before firing it back at his double. However, it had now turned a purple color instead of the original intense red.

A smirk formed on both Plasmius and his duplicate's faces as they continued with their deadly game of 'catch'. And each time the real Vlad threw the electric bolt back at his double, it became a different color, going from red to purple to pink, and finally to green.

By now, Danny was utterly amazed at the sight before him. He knew his enemy was powerful, but not this much. The man possessed abilities he had never seen any ghost use before. But why didn't the man ever use such power when they fought? Most of the time, Vlad would just use ecto-blasts and duplication against him. And although Danny wasn't complaining--since the man usually won using just those skills--he couldn't help but wonder why he didn't use his other abilities.

It was clear by Vlad's widening grin that he was accomplishing what he wanted—whatever _that_ was. But then suddenly, as the original Plasmius returned a blue electrical bolt back to his duplicate, it abruptly turned bright red, causing both Vlads to gasp, just as the duplicates hands came up to receive the red bolt.

This time, however, the double was not able to absorb the powerful attack and he was hit, instantly vanishing from existence.

The red bolt continued forward and smashed into one of the walls, instantly shattering the ice shield, before bouncing towards another wall and doing the same. Vlad quickly turned intangible as his own attack came his way, a distressed expression on his face as he watched the red bolt continue to ricochet off the walls over and over again.

Danny's mouth had gaped opened at this, but almost immediately his eyes widened in alarm as he watched the deadly lightning bolt coming towards him. With a yelp of fear, he instinctively dove to the floor just as loud 'boom' resonated through the room. He had forgotten the simulation room was ghost-proof, meaning it kept all ghost energy inside it. But the teen was glad he had forgotten, because this time, the room had not been entirely successful…

Danny hissed as he felt a mild shock run through his body, noticing how tiny flickers of red electricity traveled up and down his body, as well as the room's walls and its control panels. But they soon vanished, leaving him with a weird tingle, and his hair standing on end, literally. He almost felt like he just stuck his finger in an electric socket.

He was about to flatten his hair back down, when suddenly, Plasmius materialized in the room. Danny turned paler than he was in ghost form.

However, the distracted Vlad didn't notice the teen on the floor as he headed over to the control panel. "Curses!" he mumbled, checking to make sure the system wasn't damaged. Luckily, the ghost-proof walls had absorbed most of the impact. He quickly moved over to the viewing mirror, watching as the electrical bolt finally died out of existence after a few more encounters with the ice shield.

He sighed tiredly, not noticing he had an audience a few feet behind him. "I was so close…" he stated in a defeated tone, absent-mindedly snapping two of his right fingers and making small sparks from it.

He was silent for a moment, and Danny was sure he was going to pass out from fear before the lack of oxygen from holding his breath claimed him.

Suddenly, the man sighed again, this time sounding more uplifted. "Oh well, practice makes perfect, hmm?" he stated, his voice laced with amusement.

"Run Program level 40. Normal training. No ice sheild," he requested before vanishing out of the control room.

In that instant, Danny scrambled to his feet and dashed out of the room. He was so scared of being caught, he kept running until he reached the main stairway. What had he been thinking?! It was only by sheer luck Vlad had not noticed him!

"Idiot," he scolded himself, before sighing warily. Somehow, he felt that he wasn't supposed to have seen what he saw. Or at least, he was sure Vlad would have been severely ticked off at him for spying.

Danny shook his head as he slightly calmed down. He lifted his hand to his hair, which was no longer standing on end, but as his hand moved above it, his hair lifted towards it.

"Great, now I'm gonna be shocked by everything I touch. What was that about anyways?" he pondered, rubbing his hands together in hopes of getting rid of the weird tingle he still felt.

He looked back towards the general direction of simulation room and frowned thoughtfully. He had no idea how to feel about what he had just witnessed. But he knew it wasn't something he would be forgetting any time soon.

Recalling he had told Niane he was eating, he walked off towards the kitchen, noticing with relief that the tingling feeling was slowly going away.

"At least now I kinda have an idea of what the after-effects of getting struck by lightning feels like," he mumbled with a nervous smile.

* * *

After stationing her car at the student parking lot, Jazz hurriedly walked towards the Casper High School entrance. She knew the school day would not be over for another three hours, but this couldn't wait.

Jazz bit her lip as she quickly thought of what to say to the teacher at the front desk. "Hi, Mrs. Tailsmen. How are you?" she greeted the teacher with a warm smile.

"Jasmine!" The lady behind the counter came around and quickly hugged the teenager. "I'm so glad to see you are all better!" she beamed. "How are you feeling? And when will you be coming back to school?"

Jazz didn't want to chit-chat, but she needed to play this right. "Thanks for your concern, Mrs. Tailsmen. I'm feeling a lot better; and I should be back on Monday. I know I've got to at least catch up on my after-school service hours, since I've already did all my make-up school work—and more."

"Yes, you are a true model for the students here at Casper. And you know all the staff here appreciates all the help you give us after-school. Oh, it's going to be bittersweet when you graduate!"

Jazz chuckled lightly. "Don't worry; that's not for another two years! But, listen, I kind of need a favor, Mrs. Tailsmen."

"Well, of course, Jazz!" she answered her, going back to her desk. "What do you need?"

"Well, I need to see Tucker Foley and Samantha Manson. It's an emergency," she assured her urgently.

The teacher frowned. "Hmm… Well, I'm not really supposed to get them out of class unless it's a _guardian_ requesting to see them or check them out…"

"It's really important, Mrs. Tailsmen. I promise it'll be quick," Jazz pleaded.

The teacher smiled warmly at her. "But since it's you and you did say it's an emergency… I'll call them right away."

Jazz smiled brightly at the lady. "Thanks so much!"

"Well, it's the least I can do for you, Jazz" she answered with a wink, before moving off towards a file to find out what classroom the two younger teenager were currently in.

* * *

"Mrs. Tailsmen, I told you to call me Sam!" the goth girl exclaimed, walking into the room office, peeved at hearing 'Samantha' over the speaker.

Tucker walked right in after his female friend, noticing what she didn't. "Jazz?" he asked, confused at seeing her in the office. He was sure Danny's sister didn't start school again until Monday… so why was she here?

Jazz soon answered his mental question. "We need to talk," the older girl stated with a serious look on her face.

Sam and Tucker looked at one another, before turning to Jazz with a quizzical look. But at seeing the older girl mouth the name '_Danny'_, they understood.

Sam quickly looked over at the teacher, standing near them. And knowing they needed to get rid of her, she quickly came up with a way.

Sam fell to her knees, covering he face as she suddenly let out fake sobs. Tucker gave his friend a confused look, but at feeling her jab him discreetly on the knee, he quickly caught on.

"WHY?!" Tucker unexpectedly shouted, before dropping to the ground as well, joining his friend in her fake sorrow.

"What…. What's wrong with them?!" the teacher stuttered, clearly alarmed at the sudden chaos she now had in her hands.

Jazz, playing along, sighed sadly. "It's just, well, they get emotional when they see me …because of… _Danny_…." she explained, whispering her brother's name.

The teacher suddenly understood and she nodded sympathetically. "Oh, the poor dears," she said sadly, knowing all about Danny Fenton's disappearance.

"Is there a quiet room we could go to? Just until they calm down?" Jazz asked with a sad smile.

"Of course. There's an empty conference room you three can use," she said right away.

Silently, Mrs. Tailsmen helped Tucker up, while Jazz helped Sam.

"Why is life so cruel?!" Tucker continued to cry out as he was taken towards the conference room. "Who will I play video games with now?!"

"There, there. It's okay. I'm sure Danny will return soon," the teacher said gently, before glancing over at Sam who suddenly cried harder against Jazz's shoulder.

Jazz patted the girl on the head, smiling sadly at Mrs. Tailsmen. "It's really hard for them."

The teacher nodded in agreement, before coaxing Tucker to sit in a chair. "Perhaps, I should call their counselors..." the older woman stated worriedly.

"No, no. You don't need to do that," Jazz quickly assured her, after sitting Sam down in a chair as well. "They just need a moment. They'll be fine as soon as I talk to them."

Mrs. Tailsmen nodded. "Alright." She placed a hand on Jazz's shoulder as she added, "I'll be right outside if you need me."

"Okay, thanks," she replied, before watching her leave and close the door behind her.

Jazz turned her gaze back to Danny's friends, a smile forming on her lips. "Okay, you two can stop now," she said with amusement as she sat down.

Both younger teens immediately gazed up at her, looking like nothing had happened—or, at least, Sam did. Tucker pulled off his glasses and cleaned them against his shirt, a smug expression on his face, thinking how good an actor he was.

"What's going on, Jazz?" Sam asked urgently, not noticing her male friend's actions.

Tucker quickly sobered, remembering the matter at hand. "Yeah. Not that I mind getting out of Lancer's class, but what's so important that you came to talk to us _at school_?"

"_This_," Jazz answered, pulling out the boomerang from her purse.

Danny's friends stared at the instrument, clearly confused. "What about it?" Sam asked, looking back at Jazz.

The older girl frowned, realizing it was no longer beeping and the light had turned green. She picked it up and tapped it in hopes that it would start up again.

Tucker and Sam shared a bewildered glance, before looking back at the older girl. "Uh, Jazz, are you okay?" Sam asked, not understanding why Danny's sister was so interested in the device.

"Find Danny," Jazz ordered, ignoring the younger teens as she continued to fiddle with the boomerang. Why wasn't it beeping anymore?!

Tucker sighed dejectedly. "Jazz, we already tried that, remember?"

Jazz finally spoke to them. "No, you don't understand! The boomerang was—"

"_Beep-Beep-Beep"_

Sam and Tucker's eyes widened as they heard _and_ saw the device come to life.

"—beeping," Jazz finished softly.

"No way…" Tucker said just as softly, his tone of voice full of disbelief.

"Could it be…Danny?" Sam added, just as shocked.

"I don't know," Jazz answered nervously, "That's why I came. I needed you two to see this. It did this about five days ago. But it only lasted a few seconds, so I thought I had imagined it or something. But now… it's been beeping longer and more frequently.

"We gotta leave," Sam suddenly said, standing up.

"Sam, wait! How are you going to leave? I'm not your guardian, so I can't sign you out."

"Tucker, you up for skipping?" Sam asked with a devilish grin.

Tucker returned the look. "I thought you'd never ask."

"Alright, then I'll meet you two outside," Jazz said, standing up and stuffing the device back in her backpack.

"And then what?" Tucker asked, both he and Sam looking intensely at the older girl.

Jazz smiled. "We're going to follow it."

Tucker and Sam returned the smile, before making their exit and heading 'back to class.'

* * *

Plasmius quietly, but angrily, sighed to himself as he watched the depressed Danny Phantom hovering horizontally above the river, his face facing the water below him.

He knew that the boy wasn't aware of his presence. He was invisible and was careful not to make any noise which might give him away. Usually, he did his best to give the teen his space, but he still was interested in Daniel's everyday actions. And today, he was particularly curious. After noticing the countless times that the teen would go into the forest, spending hours there, and seeing him doing _that_ again now, he had decided to finally follow the boy. But what had the man currently upset was not Danny's seemingly meaningless wandering into the forest, but the boy's demeanor. He seemed so… _disconnected_.

It was like Daniel's mind wasn't even in half of the things he did. The young half-ghost's flight towards the forest had been so… robotic, Vlad had to wonder if the teen was even aware of his _exact_ location.

As Plasmius continued to look at the boy, his eyes narrowed with the unexpected thoughts that suddenly presented themselves to him. Why was he even troubling himself with _this_? Why the blazes should he even care?

After all, he had the boy at his side, and the rest of his plan was moving along perfectly. It was only a matter of days before his plan would successfully play out.

So then, if he was so close to victory, if he had Daniel right where he wanted him… than why did he feel so upset with seeing the boy like this…?

Was it… Was it possible to despise and care for someone simultaneously? It was the only way he could describe the emotions the young hybrid sparked within him.

Vlad knew he could fool everyone around him without even trying. But when it came to himself…He couldn't lie to himself.

If he had a chance to prevent what he had done, to stop himself from forcing Danny to come here, he would probably keep himself from going through with this. Even with his plan's success so close to fruition, he would definitely hesitate in doing all this if he could go back.

The boy had easily proven how much work had been required of Vlad to control him, more than the older hybrid could have **ever **imagined! So much, in fact, that even he, _Vlad Masters_, was starting to wonder if obtaining Maddie and fulfilling his revenge scheme was worth having to constantly deal with his problematic young enemy day-after-day.

But there was no turning back now.

Still, here he was, with the boy in his hands, seemingly in complete submission in both of his forms. True, there was this newest…development. But why did this even bother him? After all, the boy _was_ following his every rule without question. So, if he had the _real_ Daniel in his control now--just like he wanted--then, why wasn't it remotely satisfying? Why was he troubling himself with his young rival's 'disconnected demeanor' when it wasn't effecting his current plans?

Vlad's attention refocused back on the other hybrid, who let out a loud sigh just as one of his hands lazily moved the water about below him.

The man couldn't help but cringe when the boy's small, jaded actions confirmed his suspicions. Vlad did have an idea on how to remedy Daniel's…_**real**__ issue_ to some extent—an issue that, at this point, was more than mere boredom. But he still wasn't sure if he could find the right person for the job.

Of course, it would have to be a ghost. And he had, ironically, met one that fit the part some time back, during one of his trips through the Ghost Zone. However, Vlad didn't know if she would accept such a task when it involved a much hated young hybrid by the name of _Danny Phantom_.

But Plasmius knew he was good at bribing others to do his bidding; and if he decided on this ghost, he would make her see things his way…

What Vlad really wondered was if his solution would be enough to keep the boy mentally occupied. But, unfortunately, the answer to _that_ question would only be determined when he worked all this out.

If it did solve the issue, it would be of great relief to Vlad.

But if it didn't—

Plasmius sighed loudly, only to berate himself when he saw Danny's head shoot up. The teen gave his surroundings a wary glance as he righted himself back into a vertical position.

Deciding that he had only imagined the noise, Danny suddenly looked up at the sun. "Past two" the teen mumbled, before floating down and slumping tiredly against a nearby tree.

Vlad raised an eyebrow, having caught the boy's brief words. He looked up at the sky himself, and soon, a small smile crept into his face.

"_What kind of teenager knows how to tell the time by the sun?"_ Vlad thought amused. The man's smile only widened as he quickly realized several things about Daniel. Things, he had never bothered to notice, considering he was more interested in determining the boy's strength and weaknesses than what he liked and did.

Abruptly, Vlad turned and flew back towards his house, an idea quickly forming in his head. He would have to play this just right, since he knew the boy would not readily accept anything from him for obvious reasons. But he would change that.

The billionaire had a lot of things; and a lot of those things, he never used. He had originally designed some of the rooms in his house with a specific purpose in mind; but now, he really didn't care for them anymore, and he kept them closed. They were just… there. Like the swimming pool; he rarely used it. He only had it because it simply looked nice.

It was why he was glad when he learned Daniel was giving it some use. It was nice to see the teenager actually enjoy doing something in _his_ home. Perhaps, he could give him one more thing to enjoy…

Daniel might not want to tell him what he liked to do. But the boy's actions spoke louder than his words ever could. They were as transparent as the boy was when intangible.

* * *

**Okay, nothing much to say. If you didn't know, I updated 'Dawning of a Sun'. But, anyways, thanks for reading, and please let me know what you all think. And like I said, I'll be replying to last chapters remaining reviews tomorrow! Ta!**


	35. Chapter 34: Unknown Destination

**Hey, everyone! Sorry if I didn't reply to your review! I tried really hard to, I did! But, joggling school, work, and stories isn't the easiest thing, as I think many of you understand. Anways, I will try to do better this time around. Just know all your lovely reviews are greatly appriciated! Here's the next chapter. Short, but important!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

* * *

**Chapter 34: Unknown Destination **

Jazz let out a sigh of relief when she pulled up to the driveway and found that the RV was gone. Most likely her parents had gone to look for Danny; and since they had made-up, she was certain they were both out together.

"Jazz, it stopped again," Tucker said, as Sam, Jazz and he got out of the car.

Jazz frowned, but said nothing, and continued up the pathway towards her front entrance.

"Maybe it's just broken," Tucker continued, fiddling with the device in his hand.

Jazz nodded as she and the other kids entered the house, and headed straight for the lab. "It's very possible. But we're still going to see if it leads us somewhere," she replied with determination.

"What I don't get is why it started beeping now, after all this time, _out of the blue!"_ Sam finally spoke up. It was clear from her tone of voice that she was both confused and frustrated from the situation. She had a bad feeling about all this, but she was just as determined as Danny's sister to get to the bottom of it.

"It's crazy, I know!" Jazz said, sounding just as anxious. "But it doesn't matter, you two! Let's just see if it takes us anywhere, okay?"

"Sounds good to me. That is, _if_ it starts beepin' again," Tucker added, glaring at the boomerang. He hated how he couldn't figure out what was wrong with the ghost device. It was seriously smudging his techno-geek rep.

As they finally entered the lab, Sam quickly remembered something. Giving Jazz a concerned look, she said, "Hey, Jazz, listen, maybe Tucker and I should do this. We don't know how long this is gonna take. And, well, you're not supposed to, um… stress yourself, remember?"

Jazz rolled her eyes at her, before moving over towards the Specter Speeder that was still crashed into the wall. "You sound like my mom, Sam. This isn't a big deal. I'll be fine. So don't try to talk me into not going, 'cause you'll just be wasting your breath. I'm going with you two, and that's final," Jazz said, peeved.

Sam was about to argue back, but Tucker interrupted her. "Hey! What happened to the Speeder?" he questioned, finally noticing the crashed vehicle.

Jazz frowned as she opened the driver door. "My dad… I guess he was trying to do something, but it didn't work, or something…" She decided not to say anymore, not wishing to talk about what had happened earlier with her father. It was a family thing.

Both younger teens seemed to understand this, and didn't question the older girl further. Tucker walked up to the speeder, and looked at the front of it where it had impacted the wall.

"Uh… it doesn't look too bad. I think it's just a bump. But you better start it up to make sure," Tucker commented.

Jazz nodded; and sitting down in the driver's seat, turned on the vehicle. It quickly sputtered to life, but the Speeder was making an abnormal rumbling sound.

"That can't be good," Jazz said, feeling the ship vibrating strangely.

Tucker quickly opened the engine hatch to make sure the odd happenings were not going to cause serious trouble.

Meanwhile, Sam was silently watching her male friend. But she was clearly distracted by her own thoughts. She was thinking back to when she and Tucker had gone into the Ghost Zone to look for Danny with the damaged speeder. She recalled how they had gotten attacked by a ghost; and if it hadn't been for Danielle, things would have not turned out too well for them.

If the speeder was now more damaged than before, then she knew they had to take precautions, especially since they didn't know where the boomerang was going to take them. What if it led them into the Ghost Zone?

They couldn't make the same mistake as last time and go in there unprotected. Or, wherever it would lead them, Sam wanted to make sure they were prepared for any trouble. What could she say? She wasn't the most optimistic girl in the world. And she had learned from experience that it was better to be safe than sorry.

And with that thought, she walked off towards another part of the lab, unnoticed by her other two companions.

"Man! It's more messed up than it had been after our trip to the Rockies and the whole 'cloning thing'!" Tucker exclaimed frustrated, fanning away the small amount of smoke coming from the engine.

"What 'cloning thing'?" Jazz asked, frowning.

Tucker froze, before looking at the older girl with a frown. "Danny _still_ hasn't told you?"

"No!" Jazz huffed. She didn't understand why Danny still kept things from her, even after she knew his secret. Did he think she could not handle it, so he kept her involvement to a minimum? Or was it that he didn't trust her enough to tell her everything about his ghost-fighting side?

Jazz saddened at the latter thought. Why was her little brother so secretive with her?

He had hid everything about his ghostly enemies from her, as well as Vlad Masters' half-ghost status. If she hadn't sneaked out the information from his laptop, she wouldn't know about any of that! He had also refused to tell her everything that had happened with the speeder many months back. All Jazz knew was that Sam and Tucker had taken it to rescue Danny from Vlad at the Rockies. But her little brother refused to tell her any further details. And he had told Sam and Tucker not to tell her either. Why?

And then before he left….

_Danny looked at her with sad eyes. "What kind of hero can't help his own sister?" he whispered painfully._

"_Danny …why do you keep blaming yourself for this?" Jazz asked with a worried look. But her brother's response was silence. "Danny…please, talk to me; what's wrong?" she pleaded, seeing fear flash in his eyes._

But no matter how much Jazz had pleaded with him that night he took her flying—the last time she had seen him—he wouldn't tell her anything. Danny was always keeping things from her.

"Look, Jazz, Danny sometimes likes to deal with things on his own," Tucker spoke up, noticing Jazz's change in demeanor. "It's not just you, you know. There's stuff he won't talk about with us, too."

"But, I'm his older sister, Tucker. He should know he can talk to me about anything!" Jazz answered, looking even more upset.

"I'm positive he knows that," he said, supportively. But then smirked, amused, "He probably just forgets. You know how he is."

Jazz gave Tucker a small smile, the boy's words lifting her spirits a bit. "Yeah, I guess you're right…"

"Of course, I'm right!" he said proudly.

Jazz rolled her eyes, although she was smiling. "Just get this thing ready to go. We've wasted enough time already."

"That's an understatement," Sam suddenly cut in, walking over to the other teens with a large ghost gun in her hands. It had been the only working ghost equipment she could find. "What the heck are you guys doing? Tucker, is speeder working or not?"

"Uh, yeah, it should work enough to get us to wherever we're goin'" he answered, and then added, "But what's up with the ghost weapon, Sam?"

"It's so that we don't have another problem like we did in the Ghost Zone," she answered, walking over to the passenger side.

"But, we're not going into the Ghost Zone… are we?" Jazz asked, nervously. She had never gone in there…

Sam shrugged as she jumped into the back of the speeder.

Tucker didn't say anything, already used to his friend coming up with random ideas. _Ideas_ that usually worked.

After some quick tinkering with the ghost-ship, using some tools nearby, Tucker was finally done, and closed the hatch. "Well, it's still running on back-up power, and the defense system isn't working, and it only runs half as fast, but at least it's—Hey! It's beeping!" Tucker suddenly added, picking up the boomerang that he had placed to the side while he had been giving the speeder a quick 'tune-up'.

"Great! Then, come on; get in!" Jazz said, anxiously.

Tucker didn't hesitate to comply, and jumped into the passenger seat. He closed the door behind him, before handing Sam the boomerang.

Jazz pressed a button, and the speeder ejected through the backyard, hovering above the house.

"Here we go," Sam said with a nervous smile, and the other two nodded, clearly as nervous. The goth girl silently stood, and Jazz opened the Speeder's top hatch for her.

Sam took a deep but quiet breath, before narrowing her eyes in determination, and lifted the boomerang in her hand. "Find Danny!" she exclaimed, throwing the device through the air. And instantly, the device spun away, heading further and further from them. Unlike the past times, this time, it didn't return.

"Floor it, Jazz!" Tucker shouted excitedly, feeling overjoyed that they finally had some kind of lead they could follow—literally.

Jazz did just that, or, at least, tried to. But the speeder was moving so slow, they were quickly losing sight of the device!

"It's going too slow! We'll never be able to follow it like this!" Jazz said worriedly.

Sam bit her lip in nervous thought, but quickly an idea hit her. "Tucker! Maybe you can program the Real-World tracker to track the boomerang, like it does with human things in the Ghost Zone!" she suggested, hopeful.

Tucker frowned. "I can give it a try," he stated, before leaning over to the controls, connecting his PDA to the Speeder's computer, and then sending it commands.

After ten minutes, Tucker accomplished said goal, but before he could get excited about it, he realized something was wrong. "Uh… guys?"

"What is it, Tucker?" Jazz asked, confused.

"The Real-World detector says the boomerang is comin' _towards_ us!" he answered in alarm.

Everyone's eyes turned to the windshield, quickly confirming that the ghost device was closing in on them fast. "Jazz, open the hatch!" Sam exclaimed.

Jazz quickly pressed the needed button, and the hatch lifted, just in time for Sam to grab the device that was no longer beeping.

"This might take a while," Tucker murmured, before looking at his watch and seeing it was '11:24 a.m.'

Both girls just let out loud sighs of agreement, and slumped in their chairs.

They all stayed silent for a moment, but then Jazz broke the silence. "Maybe we should have left a note for our parents or something. We're already going to have to do a lot of explaining after they find out you two skipped school and that I helped you. Like you said, Tucker, this is going to take a while. But what if it's a really _long_ while?" she said, looking at both younger teens seriously.

Sam returned the serious gaze as she answered, "Look, Jazz, let's worry about that after this, okay? At this point, I don't care if it takes us days or more. If it means we find Danny than I'll gladly take being expelled or grounded for life."

"Same here," Tucker added, matching the girls' serious tones of voices.

Jazz smiled and nodded. "Well, as long as we are all on the same page."

"_Beep-Beep-Beep"_

Everyone looked down at the boomerang, and then smiled back up at each other.

"Round two?" Tucker asked, grinning.

"Round two," the girls said, also smiling.

Again, Sam threw the boomerang, and this time they immediately followed at the same slow pace. Although they could not see the fast-moving tracker in front of them, they followed it using the Real-World detector and Tucker's trusty PDA.

* * *

After arriving from his flight in the forest—never knowing that his arch-enemy had been spying on him for some of the time when he had been there--Danny decided to head to the simulation room, and do his 'work-out'. More than three hours had past since Danny had first observed the older half-ghost training. Surely, Vlad still couldn't be training, right?

He got his answer when he arrived and found the simulation room **not **locked, and vacant.

"Run Program Level Ten," Danny commanded, transforming into his ghost form.

"**Program Level Ten initiating..." **

Danny flew up just as ecto-weapons emerged from two sides of the room, followed by several metal walls that created a maze throughout the room. The teen didn't hesitate to move forward, zigzagging through the obstacles, so he could get to the targets the program had scattered through the room, all the while avoiding getting hit by energy-blasts.

Although, he no longer showed any fear for the simulation room, within, Danny was still wary of it. But it was more of a fearful respect for it, knowing how dangerous the room could be. And the fact that he could now control the room also put him at greater ease.

Danny avoided a blast to the head by ducking, and quickly flew in between two metal barriers. But immediately after, he angled back up and fired an ecto-blast at the offending weapon, effectively getting rid of it.

He phased through another barrier, blasted another ghost weapon away, and lastly destroyed the open target. Suddenly, two rays came his way, and he quickly produced a shield in front of him. But then, a third ray came out of nowhere from above him, and blasted him down towards the ground.

Thinking quickly, Danny spun himself in mid-fall and shot two energy-balls at the weapon that just hit him, successfully destroying it right as he impacted the ground. He grunted in pain, but didn't linger on his aches and got back up, knowing there were still weapons trying to get a hit on him.

Danny turned intangible to avoid several more attacks, and flew towards a row of targets. He got rid of the two guns protecting them, before getting rid of all the targets. But the second he did, the wall behind the targets opened and shot a missile towards him.

The teen gasped in surprise; and more out of instinct than anything else, he split his form in two, and the missile passed in between him and his duplicate. But the act only lasted a second, at most; and his forms merged back together, leaving him grasping his now dizzy head. After practicing for so long and not having any success, Danny had finally managed to make at least one complete duplicate. But it was brief. He couldn't hold the duplicate's form, let alone give it a life of its own. So, it wasn't that much of an accomplishment. In truth, all he had learned was to split himself in half, instead of learning **real** duplication.

Danny's head cleared, just as a line of bull's-eye targets lifted up in the middle of the room, and a clock began to tick, with the weapons momentarily holding their fire.

Knowing he was on a timer, the young half-ghost quickly placed his left hand, palm up, out in front of him. He formed ecto-energy in it, just as his other energy-filled hand hovered, palm down, above his left one, sandwiching his green energy in between them.

With a slick motion, he slid his right hand forwards, as if dealing cards without using his fingers. His act sent his ecto-energy flying towards the targets in the shape of flat disks that moved much more quickly than his regular ecto-blasts ever could. He repeated the move, quickly shooting down all the lined targets in front of him with perfect aim before the timer ran out.

* * *

Being told by George that Danny had skipped lunch today reminded Vlad that he had not checked the boy's health or energy status since the young half-ghost last went to Amity Park. As he left the kitchen, and headed upstairs towards the boy's room, Vlad debated whether he should make a stop at his private lab after he talked to Daniel.

The older half-ghost had felt that he had no need to check the boy's vitals, since the teen's ghost energy had visibly stabilized since his trip. But, now, he supposed, it might be a good thing to give Daniel's physical state a check—via the device around the boy's wrist, of course—just in case. But in the end, the older hybrid decided that this could wait until later or tomorrow. Right now, he wanted to find the young half-ghost to show him his idea that was sparked when he had been watching the boy in the forest earlier today. Surely, Daniel had returned since then.

But before the billionaire could even make the left at the stairs he needed to, he realized Danny wasn't in his room.

"Ah…" Vlad said as he turned and smirked in the direction from which he had just felt the boy's signature as it came to life. Calmly, he descended the stairs, and headed towards the simulation room. But when he arrived, the older half-ghost entered the control room instead.

Vlad walked over to the viewing window in order to observe the teen for a moment. As he got there, Danny had just raised an ecto-shield to block two incoming blasts. But then a third one came from above.

The older half-ghost crossed his arms and chuckled lightly as he witnessed how the boy had let down his guard, and was blasted towards the floor by the third attack. "Tsk. You still have much to learn, Daniel," Vlad said with benign amusement.

But then one of the billionaire's eyebrows heightened as the boy unexpectedly turned himself in mid-fall, and eliminated the ecto-gun that had struck him, just as he hit the ground.

Vlad smiled this time and added, "But that doesn't mean you haven't come a long way."

He continued to observe the teen. And as he did, Vlad realized how intriguing it was to watch the boy, without any purpose, use his skills. He had seen Danny fight others multiple times. He had even fought the boy himself just as often. But it was always with the purpose of either testing or finding out the boy's strengths and weaknesses.

But now, for the first time, he was watching Daniel just to… watch him.

And that filled him with a strange, but welcoming, sensation.

Vlad was pulled out of thought just when he saw Danny attempt to pull off duplication. And at this, he couldn't help but laugh.

The boy had split his form successfully, but it was obvious he didn't know how to hold or keep his duplicate stable, let alone control it. And by the way the boy was grabbing his head from dizziness, Vlad knew the teen still could not call forth enough energy from within to withstand the trick.

The more experienced hybrid knew that duplication required a certain amount of mastery of one's own ghost energy to accomplish it. Otherwise, it was impossible to perform, no matter how much practice was put forth.

Still, it was clear to Vlad that Danny had learned a few tricks he was not aware the boy knew until now, like the energy disks the teen was currently using.

Vlad nodded his approval, after he saw Danny successfully eliminate all the targets before the room's timer ran out.

It was then that the man decided to do what he really came to do. "Pause Program," he ordered, before turning into Plasmius and teleporting into the simulation room.

Danny was clearly startled when the room had suddenly stopped working, but what was more startling was seeing Vlad unexpectedly materialize before him.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, dear boy, but I need a moment of your time," Plasmius informed him causally.

A frown grew on the boy's face as he slowly let the energy in his hands fade away. What could the man possibly want? Still, he decided to keep quiet and let his enemy elaborate.

Seeing the boy wasn't _even_ going to ask him 'why', Vlad rolled his eyes in mild irritation. "It's about 4:30," the man continued, his voice still calm. "Think you could meet me at the main bottom-stairs living room in an hour?

Danny blinked at him for a moment, before slowly nodding. The man's unpredictable personality changes were disturbingly astounding.

"Good," Vlad said with a small smile, before vanishing out of the simulation room.

The young half-ghost stood there, trying to figure out what _that_ was all about. But understanding his arch-enemy was more impossible than his understanding math.

Danny shrugged it off, and asked the room to resume the program. But not before the word 'fruit loop' crossed his mind.

* * *

After finishing his exercise, taking a shower, and eating dinner—all which took about an hour--Danny headed towards the living room.

He walked in, and found Vlad reading a book on a couch. He hesitated a moment with getting the man's attention, but he soon spoke up. "Vlad?" he called, the man's eyes lifting towards his in response. "You told me to, uh, meet you here…?"

Vlad didn't answer, and instead, lowered his eyes back to his book, marked the page, and closed it. He placed it neatly on the table in front of him. Then, he stood up and walked out of the living room, passing by the boy without a single word.

Clearly, he expected Danny to follow. And the teen did just that, but not before rolling his eyes in annoyance.

As they neared the main entrance, Vlad suddenly halted in his steps, and turned to face the startled teen. "Did I ever give a tour of the house?"

Danny stared at him, clearly more confused than ever. "No…" he slowly answered.

The billionaire gave him a short nod, but then said with the same casual attitude, "Alright, follow me then."

Vlad turned, and continued forward. However, the lack of a second pair of footsteps alerted him that Daniel wasn't following him this time. The older half-ghost was forced to turn back to the boy. "Something wrong?" he asked in a calm and light tone, acting as if he didn't notice the completely befuddled look on the teen.

Danny knew Vlad was nuts, but now it was obvious the guy was nuttier than he had realized. "Well," the teen slowly began, his confusion also in his voice, "You're, like, telling me you want to give me a tour of your house, _**after**_ I've been here for _over a month_?"

Vlad looked at him innocently. "Um-hm. That's right. What's your point?"

Danny frowned at the man's disregard. How could he not find anything weird about what he wanted to do?

Danny sighed, deciding not to even try to reason with a lunatic. "Thanks for the offer. But I've already seen the house," the young half-ghost said with slight sarcasm and annoyance in his tone, as he moved passed Vlad and headed for the stairs.

"There is quite **a lot** more than what meets the eye, my boy," Vlad quickly answered, stopping the teen from leaving. "Come. We'll start with the bottom floor."

Danny watched the man walk away towards a hallway. And again, knew he was expected to follow. He also knew by his enemy's last words that his 'tour' _wasn't_ an offer; it was a command.

The young hybrid glared briefly at the older one's back, but then with a reluctant sigh, followed him like he was supposed to.

* * *

"I don't like this!" Tucker exclaimed, kicking the dashboard in front of him. This was the sixth time he and his companions had to halt in their travel because the boomerang had stopped functioning. "We're not even in Amity anymore!"

"No kidding, Tucker!" Sam stated, clearly annoyed. She glared at the device in her hands that had stopped beeping thirty minutes ago. But then, the goth girl looked down at her watch and read it was currently '5:30pm'. That meant they had been following the boomerang for six hours now! And not one of them knew where they were by now. The Specter Speeder might have been moving slow, but it was still moving faster than a car would, so at least they knew they were very far away from their hometown. But was the boomerang even leading them anywhere?

"Maybe we should head back," Tucker said with a sad sigh, clearly not liking the idea himself. "But I really think that thing is broken."

Sam sighed as well, knowing her friend was most likely right. "This has been the only real lead we have gotten since Danny left…" she added dejectedly.

"I know, Sam," Tucker answered her. "But how do we know it's a **real** lead? I want to find Danny just as badly as you, but it just makes no sense that the boomerang is goin' on and off at random intervals."

Sam didn't say anything. Neither she nor Tucker wanted to turn back home, but things were not looking up at the moment.

Jazz had remained quiet during Sam's and Tucker's conversation. And although she had been listening to what they were saying, she was mostly focused on her own thoughts. Only that, her thoughts were not helping her. She honestly didn't know what to do.

Jazz sighed, as she pressed her head back on her reclined seat. She always looked at things logically. And right now, her logic was telling her that following a half-working ghost device, to who knows where, while in a damaged air-craft, was a foolish idea.

The Boomerang **had** to be broken. Why _else_ would it be acting how it was now? Why _else_ would it have started to work after it had not been for weeks? What they were doing was completely irrational! Not to mention they were going to be in big trouble upon their return. And everything so far indicated that it would all be in vain. Everything logical indicated the Boomerang was not going to lead them to Danny.

But then…. Her heart was saying something different. It kept telling her not to give up. And she wouldn't.

Abruptly, the boomerang came back to life at that instant. And all three teens looked at one another.

They didn't need words to know they were all thinking the same thing. They were all aware that this was most likely a 'wild goose chase'. But they could not have a 'What if' in their minds. They would follow this lead all the way through. They cared too much about their friend and brother to do anything else.

"Let's keep going," Jazz stated, moving her seat back to a sitting position.

Sam and Tucker nodded, before resuming their same tracking strategy.

* * *

Bored, Danny leaned his back on the wall behind him, and yawned. Vlad had been showing him the house for almost two hours now. And since he had been getting tired of walking up and down the hallways after the first thirty minutes, it had helped that he had 'turned ghost' so he didn't have to anymore. Vlad had said nothing about it, but Danny didn't miss the man's eye roll when he did.

Danny was determined not to show it, but he was truly shocked by just how many things the mansion had that he had not yet seen, even after being confined to it for so long.

Like, for example, the billionaire had showed him this _huge_ garage filled with really—and he meant, _really_--nice cars, motorcycles, and limousines. The man also had a huge library of books that would put the public one in Amity Park to shame. Then there was the 'game room'—definitely a place Danny would be sure to remember—which had, **just** to name a few: a pool table, bowling alley, air hockey, and ping-pong tables.

Oh, and the young half-ghost couldn't forget the huge gym with every type of equipment imaginable. And, of course, another he knew he would have to check out later was the…what had Vlad called it? The 'Physical Sports' room? Well, whatever it was called, he couldn't help but notice the normal skating rink that could be converted into an _ice_ rink with just a press of a button! But the place also held separate areas to play basketball, soccer, volleyball; in short, any sport that existed! Well, minus football, since the billionaire had that field outside. Also, the place had an indoor swimming pool, but unlike the one outside, this one was more standard. That is, if you count an Olympic-sized swimming pool as 'standard'. But no matter its size, for Danny, it didn't measure up to the outdoor pool. Come on, nothing could beat swimming alongside sharks!

Much to the teen's dismay, however, not everything he was being shown had been appealing. In fact, for every one thing that had caught his interest, three more had caught his boredom. And as the clock ticked away and he grew weary, the latter seemed to be the only one happening.

Danny yawned again, and like before, Vlad noticed, but pretended not to. He knew the boy was growing bored. But, in a way, that was his intention. He had wanted to show the boy exactly what the castle contained; but his real reason for showing it in this round-about way was to lead Daniel to **one** specific room.

Sure, he could have just only shown him _that_ room, but Vlad was certain Danny would not have reacted to it like he wanted him to. So, the older half-ghost decided to take the less subtle approach, and 'pretend' to show him the house. It wasn't the most exciting thing for him to do, but the results should be interesting…

Danny had had enough of Vlad's tour when he watched the man make the seventh turn, going down _another_ hallway on the top floor.

"Vlad, are you almost done? I'm really tired," Danny almost whined, floating sluggishly behind the older half-ghost.

Vlad chuckled. "Just about," he answered, "There is _**one**_ more room I want to show you," he informed him calmly, making another right turn at next wing.

Danny slid his hand down his face. _"Great! I guess his latest scheme is to bore me to death,"_ he thought irritably.

_Eventually_, Vlad entered the intended room, and Danny floated inside after him. The teen looked around, frowning at what looked like a study room. Actually… it looked like a large and elegant version of Mr. Lancer's 'Geography' room… Perfect.

"This, my boy, is my 'Geographical', or 'Mapping' room. I can locate and track just about _everything_ from this room. You see, that computer there has a mapping system on it that…"

Danny sighed and tuned out the man. He felt like he was in a lame museum… No, wait… he had already been in Vlad's big lame museum. And this, at the moment, was even lamer than that had been. In fact, this whole thing was lame. Man, Vlad sure did know how to make him miserable. Seriously, what was--

"Daniel!"

Danny jolted a little, and his eyes quickly focused on Vlad. "Huh?"

"Are you even listening to me?" the billionaire asked irritably.

"Um…" Danny rubbed the back of his neck, trying to remember the last thing he heard Vlad say. "Mapping room?" he guessed.

Vlad rolled his eyes. "Come on," he said annoyed, before walking towards a far door in the room.

Once more, Danny tiredly followed behind. He sighed when Vlad opened the door, revealing a very long and high staircase. But the man didn't hesitate in climbing it; and so, Danny was forced to follow behind—or rather, float behind him. All the while they went up, the teen was wondering how Vlad was able to climb the stairs without losing his breath in the least. Danny knew if _he_ would have climbed them, he would have passed out before he reached the top.

At the end of the stairway, there was another door, and the billionaire opened it and entered. The room was pitch black, but since Danny was in ghost form, he could make out enough of the room to immediately noticed the main feature of the room: a **huge** star-gazing telescope at the far side of the large room.

Danny's jaw dropped and his eyes widened in astonishment.

Vlad, on the other hand, was in his human form, so he felt around the side of the wall for the light switch. "Oh, here it is," he mumbled when he found it, and turned the lights on in the room. He looked over at Danny, and smiled smugly at the look on his face. "I see you like this one," he said, his voice resonating smugness.

That quickly snapped the boy back to reality, and his cheeks lit up with a pink color, clearly embarrassed. "I-I't's…. nice….," Danny said quietly, looking down at his feet to avoid making eye contact with the man. Of course, it was more than 'nice' to the teen. But he didn't want to admit to his enemy _how_ _much_ he really liked this room.

"I suppose," Vlad answered causally, although his face was laced with amusement as he gazed down at the boy, who still refused to look at him. "Personally, I don't care for it. In fact, I don't even know _why_ I had this room made."

Hearing Vlad walk away from him, Danny looked up, and mumbled a response that was really not meant to be heard. "Maybe because you have so much money that you don't know what to do with it."

But Vlad did hear his words. "Hmm…Yes, I think you're right," he answered conceitedly as he reached a computer system near the telescope.

Danny cringed, realizing he had said that louder than he had meant to. However, his attention quickly went to the ceiling above him as a mechanical sound came from it. Danny watched on in fascination as the white ceiling split away, revealing a transparent glass dome that gave a clear view of the night sky up above. Right after, an opening appeared above the telescope, just as the telescope began to move, propelling outwards into the sky.

It was truly amazing. The piece of machine looked so advanced, Danny was sure it had to be something only astronomers who worked for NASA got to use. And if he went by Vlad's lack of interest with it, it had probably _never_ been touched, let alone, used. It was such a sheer shame.

But the room held even more things that Danny just itched to touch. There were maps and drafts that were more than likely meant to locate just about anything in the solar system. Then there was the computer system at which Vlad still was. It was huge; but more importantly, it was connected to the telescope, which meant it could easily be used to capture video or pictures of any findings. This was an aspiring—or even a professional—astronomer's dream come true.

But then, Danny's face suddenly saddened, his thoughts quickly triggering the memory of his birthday not too long ago and how Sam had taken him to the space center in Amity…. He had had so much fun that day with his two best friends. He had even gotten the original model of the Explorer Hartman as a gift during that trip…. He left it in his room back at home…He should have brought it with him…

Vlad gazed at Danny in confusion, not comprehending why the sudden change in his demeanor. He had looked amazed, excited, and almost happy when he had entered the room. Now he looked depressed again. Why?

"You know, Daniel, you are more than welcome to use any of things around here whenever you like," Vlad said seriously.

Danny nodded as he soberly gazed over at the awesome telescope. This entire place was great, but in the end, it was just another empty room. And it made him realize just how true the expression 'money can't buy happiness' really was.

Danny sighed softly, before looking at Vlad. "Can I go? I'm tired," he said honestly.

Vlad just looked at him for a moment, but then nodded, and silently turned from the boy. His attention went back to the computer system in front of him--or at least, that's what he pretended. The instant he felt Danny leave the room, the older half-ghost let out a tired sigh. He pressed a couple of buttons, so as to retract the telescope back inside and shut the room down.

The man gazed soberly at the closing ceiling as he tried to understand why the boy had not reacted like he thought he should have. Well, at first Daniel had, but then, his uplifted mood abruptly vanished. It was obvious that the boy _had_ liked the room. So, then, why didn't it make him remotely content?

"You're a lot different from anyone I have ever met, Daniel."

* * *

It was past nine at night now, and although they were still following the Boomerang—which had stopped working so many times, Jazz had lost count—they didn't seem to be going anywhere significant. There was mostly forest around than anything else. And yet, something about the place struck Jazz as familiar, like she had been here before or something. The inkling feeling had been with her for almost an hour, and she still couldn't figure out why.

That is, until now, when it hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Oh my gosh!" Jazz exclaimed, slamming the breaks on the speeder from shock.

"What's wrong, Jazz?" Sam and Tucker asked, alarmed by her sudden actions. Was Jazz feeling sick again? They hoped not.

"T-Tucker," Jazz began fearfully, "Do you know where we're at?" she asked desperately, wishing with all her might that she was just being paranoid. For once in her life, she was praying that she was wrong!

Tucker shook his head, although he looked confused. "No, but I think I could find out." The male teen looked down at his PDA and began to type in it.

"Why do you want to know?" Sam asked curiously, but then she frowned as she thought of a reason. "Have you been here, Jazz?"

But before the older girl could answer the other, Tucker gasped, his eyes wide as he stared down at his PDA.

"Tucker? What's up with you two?" Sam asked, becoming very anxious, now that her male friend was acting as weird as Danny's sister.

"Sam… We're less than an hour from Wisconsin," Tucker answered fearfully.

Sam's faced paled, knowing who exactly lived there.

Jazz's hands balled into fist as her suspicion was confirmed. "Vlad Masters," she spat out disdainfully.

Sam's anger quickly boiled to its peak, and she jumped out of her seat. "I knew it! I knew that egotistical nutcase was acting too casual about all this! He's known where Danny was all along!"

"Wait, back up," Tucker said, getting to his feet as well "Are we saying that Danny ran away to _his arch enemy_?" he asked, his voice laced with incredulity.

"No," Jazz said angrily, looking at the two young teens. "My brother would **never** go to Vlad's willingly."

"Okay, look," Tucker said, fiddling with his PDA from nervousness. "I think we're all getting a bit ahead of ourselves. Just because Vlad has been mysteriously absent since Danny left, and the dude is always after Danny, and the boomerang now seems to be leading us to Wisconsin, doesn't mean Vlad's behind all this… right?" he ended, smiling meekly at them just as _he_ suddenly put everything together, and realized that everything **was** pointing to the man.

They just looked at him with a frown. But then, Sam spoke up, sounding slightly calmer. "You are kinda right, Tucker. I think we all agree that Danny wouldn't go to Vlad's. But then, what about the letters and his stuff missing? We can't deny that he left on his own," she reasoned, but then gasped as a thought hit her. "Wait! What if Vlad really did look for Danny after he ran away, and he has been keeping him kidnapped, like that one time at the Rockies?!"

Tucker looked at his friend wide-eyed, as they both silently asked themselves the same question: What if Vlad was trying to clone Danny again? Would the man be crazy enough to do such a thing?

Unfortunately, they both knew the answer was 'yes'.

Jazz pressed the accelerator, bringing the younger teens' attention to her. "I don't know if this whole thing is a coincidence or not, or if Danny really is at Vlad's. All I know is that we are going to find out. And if that fruit loop has _anything_ to do with my little brother's disappearance, I swear I'm gonna make him wish he was never born," Jazz said darkly, her narrowed eyes focused forward.

Sam and Tucker stared at Danny's angry sister, feeling a tingle go down their spines at the dark assurance in her voice. They both knew that if the boomerang indeed led them to Vlad's home, things were going to get ugly for everyone.

* * *

**Well, guess what, everyone? We are offically half-way done with this story! Yes, half-way! What? Don't tell me you don't recall me saying this story is 68 chapters long, not including the Pro and Epi, hmm? But, yeah, halfway! --throws confetti-- Okay! Who wants to give the piñata a whack? I made it out of my Vlad muse! And don't worry, I strung him up with ecto-rope, so he's not going anywhere for a while. Heh-heh!**

**Well, I have to report that with school up and runnin' it looks like my updates are going to slow down for DoaS-- or more than usual. I will try my best to give you guys weekly updates of CM. But, I can't guarntee you guys quick updates for DoaS. Unlike, CM, DoaS I do not have it all completely wrote out. I have a good amount, but mostly all in condensed summary. So, as you can understand, it takes me a lot longer to get a DoaS chapter posted than CM. I'm sorry for that, but I hope you guys will still join me when I do update!**

**Well, let me hear your thoughts, kay? The next chapter is to die for! --grins evilly--**


	36. Chapter 35: Distortion

**Hello, everyone! Ready for an evil little climax? I hope you are! Heh-heh! Anyways, I wasn't able to get to responding to all the reviews again, but I'll work on them during the week, kay? I have a test on Monday which I still haven't finished studying for, but I just had to take a break to post this for you guys! I hope you enjoy it! ****But as you read, do put yourselves in Sam's, Tucker's, and Jazz's shoes. And think about everything that they know and do not know. Also, in regards to Danny… think carefully about what he has been through…and what he has stacked against him, hmm? ****See you at the bottom!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

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Chapter 35: Distortion

After having shown Danny the mansion, Vlad had retreated to his favorite living room for a game of chess. He had felt no desire to go to bed, which was unusual since he was very strict in his sleeping schedule: in bed by nine pm; awake by six am. The only time he broke his habit was when 'circumstances' arose. But on such an uneventful night like this one... why wasn't he remotely tired?

"Wonderful. Now, I'm suffering from insomnia. All I need now is Jack's eating disorder," Vlad grumbled, spitefully knocking down a pawn.

Speaking of that idiot, it had been days since he had gone to Amity Park to speak with him. And according to Fright Knight, Jack had yet to take the bait he had laid out for him. What was taking the fat oaf so long to bite? Perhaps that's what had him on edge. After all, how could he complete his plan if that crucial part didn't play out?

Vlad frowned deeply in thought. He just needed to be patient, that's all. Jack would play into his hands, if not by this method, than by another. If he, Vlad Masters, managed to topple his head-strong young enemy, then disposing of that overgrown buffoon should be a snap.

Returning his attention to his chess game, the billionaire paused as he realized his last move had placed him in a compromised position. He was two moves away from toppling the opposing king piece. However, in order to do that, he would have to sacrifice his queen. And that was always a move he hesitated in performing whenever he played chess. The queen was too important to let go of.

But he realized he had another option as he continued to analyze the chess board in front of him. He could delay his victory by engaging in several more moves. And in doing so, he could keep his queen and still take the opposing king. Only that, this strategy was risky. It would mean possibly putting his victory in jeopardy. There was a chance he would lose.

Vlad narrowed his eyes in concentration as he pondered what strategy to use. "Hmm… I could let go of my queen, and in doing so obtain the king…. Or I could try the other approach, thus allowing me to conserve my queen. But I would risk losing both my queen and the king if the plan proves unsuccessful in the end…."

He remained silent for a moment. But he then picked up his hot tea, leaned back on the couch, and took a sip while he continued to debate his next actions. He knew the best choice was to give up his queen and take the king. But he didn't want to give up his most important piece—after his king, of course. He didn't care about sacrificing all the other pieces. But he never sacrificed the queen. That was how he played this game. Otherwise, it didn't feel like he truly won. What was the point of winning if you had to give up something of equal value for that victory?

Vlad looked up at the large grandfather clock and saw it read ten forty-four pm. It was much later than he thought! Had he been playing that long?

"I should head to bed," he said out loud as he placed the tea cup back on the tray. He stood and straightened his attire, but his eyes were still locked on the chessboard. Perhaps he could lose the queen this once. After all, the entire point of this game was to take the opposing king…In the end that was what really mattered…

Making his decision, Vlad leaned down and moved his bishop forward, then made the only move the opposing side had left and that effectively took out his queen. But that gave him the freedom to make his final move. And he made it.

He took the opposing king off the chess board, and smirked at it as he declared, "Checkmate." He studied the piece with satisfaction; but then, he slowly frowned. Vlad looked back at the chessboard, and then back at the king in his hands again.

"Perhaps not as satisfying…," he said seriously, not wanting to admit the reasons that gnawed his mind. He placed down the king on the chessboard, and then silently walked out of the living room.

As he headed towards the main stairs, his thoughts went to a couple of errands he needed to get done tomorrow. He was meeting with the shareholders that had come to dine at his home some time back. Despite Danny's interference in that business matter, he had managed to get the deal back on track. And tomorrow he was closing it.

He had a couple of other small gatherings for some of his other companies to go to, but they were later in the day…

Vlad paused at the top of the grand stairs, his eyebrows creasing in contemplation. Didn't he have a press conference tomorrow? Or was it next week?

"I need to call Stephanie," he muttered to himself, knowing his secretary would be able to tell him. He looked at his watch again, and sighed. "It'll have to be tomorrow… I wouldn't want to--"

"_Crash!" _

Vlad turned towards the faint sound coming from the left hallway….the direction in which Daniel's bedroom was located…

"Now what?" the billionaire asked, annoyed. If he had heard the crash all the way out here, then whatever the boy had done was serious. With a roll of his eyes, he walked off towards the teen's room, grumbling, "Daniel is so clumsy. It's still a wonder how he has fought ghosts for over a year now and has managed to stay alive."

* * *

Sitting on a large sofa in his room's lounge with his feet stretched across it, Danny flipped to the next page of the mystery book he was reading. He hardly watched television anymore because it did nothing to keep his mind from thinking about his predicament; but reading did.

However, he wasn't just reading to keep his mind occupied. If one good thing came out of being at Vlad's, it was discovering reading again. It was quite pleasurable, when you found the right book... Jazz would be proud.

If he wasn't so caught up in his book, too eager in discovering what the next clue in the story meant, his subconscious thoughts would have bothered him. Danny's eyes widened a bit in anticipation as he flipped the page again.

And that's when it happened.

"CRASH!"

The boy's eyes jolted towards the sound, but not quick enough to register the object coming towards him.

"Ahh!" he cried in pain as the projectile hit him right on the forehead. His book dropped to the ground as he used both his hands to cradle his throbbing and spinning head. Slowly, he looked up, mumbling, "What the heck?"

A frown fell on his face as he stared at the glass doors that led to the outside balcony, and noticed one was broken. But upon remembering the fact that _something_ had hit him, he looked down trying to find the thing responsible for the large growing bump on his forehead.

He spotted it instantly.

Danny's breath caught in his throat and his face immediately paled. His hands lowered from his forehead, and they began to tremble as he picked up the item on the ground.

"The Fenton Boomerang," he whispered in disbelief and fear. In a flash, the teenager jumped to his feet and ran over to the glass doors. His hands—one still holding the boomerang--pressed against the glass door that had not been broken, while his eyes nervously scanned the star-filled night sky and surroundings. But he didn't see a trace of what he expected to find. That fact, however, did little to quell his dread.

"_Knock-Knock."_

Danny spun around towards the lounge's pull-down stairs upon hearing someone knocking on his bedroom door below. And he soon knew who that someone was.

"_Daniel?"_

"Oh no…," the teen whispered.

"_Daniel, open this door!"_ Vlad ordered, this time knocking a bit louder.

The man's words jolted the boy from his fear-induced shock. And without thinking, he took off towards his bedroom's main door, his mind only focused on preventing his arch-enemy from entering the room.

But when he reached for the door and was about to lock it—not that that would have done much good--he realized what was still clutched in his right hand. A panicked whimper left Danny's throat as his eyes darted around for a place to hide the boomerang. If he wasn't so scared, he would have smacked himself for not hiding the device before doing anything else.

However, his rational thinking was so far gone by this time that all he could think to do was attempt to phase the boomerang through his bed. But it was too late.

Danny froze when his bedroom door opened, but his instinct took over and he hid the device in the only place he could at the moment: behind his back.

"Daniel, I heard a--Are you alright?" Vlad abruptly asked, instantly noticing how panicked and pale the boy looked--not to mention he had a large red bump on his forehead.

"I-I…," Danny began, but couldn't get his vocal cords or mind to function properly. The teen was certain he had never been so terrified in his life. He knew that the ghost device's appearance could mean only one thing. And he knew that the outcome could only end in disaster. He began to feel both dizzy and sick.

It was then Vlad noticed the boy was hiding something behind his back, and he rolled his eyes. "Daniel, if you broke something, it's of no consequence. It can easily be replaced. Now calm yourself and let me see what you have there," he asked calmly, pointing at Danny's hands to show the boy he had noticed he was holding something.

Danny clutched the device in his hands even tighter and shook his head at the billionaire.

Vlad raised an eyebrow at the young hybrid's childish refusal. But then, the man sighed in irritation. "Really, Daniel, it's late. I'm in no mood for this. I already said you're not in trouble, _especially_ when whatever you damaged can fit in your hands. Now, let's see." This time, the older half-ghost moved forward and grabbed the boy's arms.

"No!" Danny exclaimed when he was unable to keep the man from forcing his hands forward.

The billionaire's eyes widened and his face turned five shades whiter when he found one of Jack's ghost devices clutched in the boy's left hand.

Danny's breathing escalated to the point that he sounded like he had just finished running a marathon. But then, a loud gasp escaped his throat when Vlad abruptly lifted his right hand higher and held it tightly in place.

Danny followed Vlad's shocked gaze and saw he was staring at the bracelet on his right wrist. The teen's own eyes also became glued to the device, noticing it was black again… At that instant, everything clicked together for Danny and he realized the true reason why the bracelet had been acting strangely.

It was damaged.

Vlad's eyes slowly narrowed and turned bright red as he lifted them to Danny's own, which gazed back at the man with nothing but fear in them. "You have no idea what you have just done," the man whispered in a dark and threatening voice.

Danny's eyes widened when his enemy roughly let go of his hands, before the man transformed and turned towards the lounge. Clearly, Vlad had pieced it all together as well.

"No, wait!" Danny cried out, grabbing one of the man's arms to stop him from going anywhere. The young half-ghost didn't need to ponder what his enemy's words implicated. And he didn't need further reasoning to understand he was powerless to stop his enemy; after all, he had submitted to him.

Vlad instantly looked back at him with a menacingly glare. "Let go!" he hissed dangerously.

The teen's contained panic exploded in response. "Vlad, I swear I didn't know! You gotta believe me! I—"

But Plasmius didn't let him finish. He turned his arm intangible, effectively dislodging it from the boy's hold, and continued without words towards the lounge.

The unexpected release of his enemy's arm caused Danny to fall back on his bottom, but he didn't let go of the boomerang still in his left hand, even as he frantically got back to his feet.

"Vlad, wait!" The teen ran after the older half-ghost who had just phased through the ceiling to get to the lounge.

By the time Danny made it up the stairs and reached Vlad, he found the man frozen in place, staring out the glass doors.

And teenager soon saw why.

He reflexively dropped the boomerang, covering his mouth in unspeakable horror as he watched the Specter Speeder off in the distance approaching the mansion.

Vlad quickly snapped out of his shock and his hands ignited with red burning energy. His mind was suddenly set on knocking the speeder out of the sky. He would get rid of Daniel's pesky friends—who else could it be?--before they could get here!

"NO! Vlad, don't!" Danny pleaded, getting in front of the man and grabbing his wrists, desperately trying to prevent him from using his energy.

Vlad didn't look or say anything to Danny, nor did he try to get the boy to let go of him. Truth was that behind his anger, the older half-ghost was just as panicked as the younger one. He didn't know how he was going to handle this. He never expected the teenager to be found. At least not now. Not like this! No matter how he resolved this, his plan would still go up in smoke...

The realization escalated Plasmius' anger to a new level. And his initial desire of getting rid of those in the speeder became stronger.

Danny's eyes grew larger—if that was even possible at this point—when he saw the red energy in his enemy's hands condensing into ecto-blasts. "NO!" the teen screamed, his hold on Vlad's wrists growing tight enough for the man to finally notice it. "You can't hurt them!"

Plasmius glared darkly at the boy. "You forget I only agreed not to force **you** to harm them. I, on the other hand, am free to do whatever I want. And if you _dare_ break your word now, if you _dare_ to oppose me, I'll make you regret it for the rest of your life!"

"They're my friends! You can't do this!" he cried back, not releasing his hold on his enemy. Suddenly he added in a desperate voice filled with conviction, "Vlad, you _can't_ hurt them! I won't let you!"

Plasmius instantly dispelled the energy from his hands, and having no difficulty pulling from Danny's hold on his wrists, slammed the boy against the glass door with a single hand. "Is that so? And how exactly will you stop me?" the older half-ghost growled.

Danny's once hard gaze fell. "I…I can't stop you," he admitted, knowing the man had Jazz's life in his hands… and he owned his.

Vlad's cold eyes bore into the boy's for a moment. But then he moved his gaze to see where the aircraft was, and noticed it was starting to descend from the sky, though it was still not low enough for him-- or those within it-- to make anyone out.

Cursing under his breath, Plasmius fisted the hand pressed on the teenager's chest and grabbed a hold of his white shirt. He roughly dragged Danny away from the door, knowing that whatever he was going to do about this latest predicament, he would have to do it now.

He could always hide the teenager and deny he was here. But that blasted instrument had already picked up on the boy's signature and led them here! It would be fruitless.

Vlad glared back at the visible night sky as he stopped with the boy beside the staircase, far enough from the glass doors to remain unseen by those outside. He really should just get rid of those two pests. It was the simplest solution to this mess. But was it also the wisest? Did anyone know those two brats were here? What could the consequences be of his actions?

Danny looked towards the balcony as well, before looking back at Vlad. He didn't like that the man was remaining quiet. Whatever he was thinking could not be good. Danny couldn't let his enemy carry out any plan against his friends. He needed to think of something, and fast!

"Vlad, listen to me," Danny pleaded, getting the man's attention. "They might know I'm here, but that doesn't mean they really know anything. I wrote them these letters. I practically told them I was leaving on my own. They have no reason to think otherwise!"

"What's your point?" Vlad snarled, his grip on the boy's shirt tightening.

"I-I can make them leave," Danny whispered.

Plasmius narrowed his eyes at him, clearly not trusting his words. Suddenly, the roar of the speeder resonated through the lounge, and Vlad turned his dark gaze back to the balcony.

"**Please**!" Danny screamed, his panic swelling with the roar of the speeder. "Don't hurt them! Please, I can make them leave! I can make them leave!" he pleaded over and over again.

Vlad suddenly pulled the boy closer by the hold on his shirt. His gaze pierced through the teen as he tried to find any traces of treachery in his pleading blue eyes. "For _their_ sake and _yours_ that _better_ be true!" Vlad said darkly, his face inches from the boy's.

Danny nodded vigorously. "I-It is. I swear. Just let me handle this. I'll make them--" The teenager froze as the bracelet around his wrist began to grow warm. The only time it had done that was around….

"Jazz…" Danny said softly, looking down at the bracelet and noticing it was now blue again.

Vlad let go of the teen, his composure returning as he, too, noticed the bracelet had activated once more. He touched the device on the young hybrid's wrist, and feeling it was warm, soberly said, "It seems Jasmine has decided to join us as well….All the more motivation—added to the fact that if you don't make them leave, _I_ will," he assured him. Plasmius gave the boy one last dark look, before vanishing in a cloud of pink smoke.

Now alone in the lounge, Danny gazed pitifully at the bracelet on his wrist as it flickered from black to blue until it turned black again. However, he knew it wouldn't stay off for long. The sounds of the speeder's engine cutting off to a low hum turned Danny's attention back to the glass doors, and he saw that the vehicle was now hovering alongside his room's balcony.

"Okay, calm down," he whispered to himself; but it didn't help in the least. "What do I do?!" He knew he had to get them to leave without them suspecting the truth… Did Jazz even know about her condition? Did they know he was forced to come here? Did they know what he had done?

No, they couldn't know. Or he hoped they didn't know… for their sake.

A bang on the glass door jolted him out of his thoughts.

"_Danny!"_ his friends' and sister's muffled voices sounded from outside. "_Danny! Let us in!" _

But Danny didn't move. He was so overwhelmed at the sight of them, he couldn't do anything. Hearing their voices… Seeing their eyes on him…. It was too much. Why had he told Vlad he could make them leave? He didn't want them to leave. He wanted them to stay! But if they stayed, Vlad would harm them. The bracelet would harm his sister. No, there was no other choice. They had to go. He had to make them go. They couldn't be near him. He was a danger to them.

But how would he convince them to go? ...He would have no other option than to lie to them. But could he? Could he do that to his best friends and his very own sister? He always had been a terrible liar. And they knew him so well, especially Jazz. How was he ever going to pull this off?

Meanwhile, Vlad watched invisibly from the staircase, and mentally cursed the boy. Why the blazes was he just standing there staring at his friends and sister? His hesitance was going to make the three teenagers outside suspicious!

"_I knew he wouldn't be able to do this,"_ Plasmius thought spitefully. But the truth was the boy's suggestion had been the most logical approach to this problem. It was why he agreed—for the time being, anyways. It would have been unwise to attempt anything before knowing what he was dealing with. He needed to know how much Jasmine and Daniel's friends really knew before he could act.

And at least he still had his most important playing card in his hands. Now, more than ever, he was glad he had programmed the bracelet he gave Daniel to excite the nanobots within Jasmine. Obviously the device was severely damaged since it kept shutting down. But it might be working well enough to convince Jasmine and those other brats to leave—quickly.

On the other side of the door, Sam, Tucker and Jazz were starting to get worried. They could see their friend and brother! They had found him! He was just a couple of feet from them! But he wouldn't let them in! Why?

Before they could decide to break in, Danny suddenly moved forward, and finally unlocked the door. He stepped back, bracing himself mentally for the next part. If he took what he had to do a step at a time, perhaps he could function enough to get through this.

But nothing could prepare him for the emotional agony that overtook him as his sister and friends quickly entered and ran to him.

"Oh! Danny!" Jazz cried out, throwing her arms around her brother and sobbing heavily on his shoulder.

Sam and Tucker came up alongside their friend, each grabbing one of his arms and hugging him from behind.

"Danny," Sam whispered as if she couldn't believe it was him. But the tears welling up in her eyes showed how glad she was to see him.

"Danny! Dude! You're okay!" Tucker exclaimed, relieved that Valerie's story was not true after all.

They were all so relieved, _so happy_ to see Danny after he had been missing for over a month that none of them noticed how unresponsive he remained to their words or affection.

Danny wanted so much to hug them right back, to tell his sister that everything was okay. But he couldn't. If he did, he would lose whatever little control he had left. He would shatter right in front of them. And that meant failing in protecting them. He couldn't fail, not with this.

"W-We thought something happened to you! I was so worried!" Jazz continued, hugging him tighter. "Mom and Dad are going to be so happy when--" She suddenly stopped speaking, and her eyes widened as she remembered where they were. "Danny, we have to leave before Vlad finds out we're here!" Jazz said urgently, letting go of her brother and taking a hold of his hand.

But when she tried to move towards the glass doors, she was met with resistance.

Jazz looked back at her unmoving brother, a confused and wary look on her face. "D-Danny?" she asked. Sam and Tucker reacted the same way as the older girl, having realized before her that something was wrong with their friend.

"What…." Danny paused, suddenly feeling the bracelet grow warm again. He swallowed hard, before trying again. "What are you guys doing here?" he finally managed to ask, his face so taut it almost looked emotionless.

Jazz gave her brother an even more baffled look, while Sam and Tucker stared at one another before frowning at their half-ghost friend.

"Hey, man, are you alright?" Tucker questioned, not understanding his friend's reaction …. Danny was acting like he wasn't even happy to see them…

Danny looked at Tucker, but his focus was just past him. "I'm fine," he answered, still sounding collected—almost robotic. "I just don't get why you're here," Danny elaborated. He then turned from them, and walked over to the couch he had once been sitting on while reading his book. His action appeared casual, but the truth was that he was trying to put as much distance from his sister as possible. The bracelet had grown so hot now that he was on the verge of panicking.

They watched him sit down on the couch, before Sam spoke up. "Danny, why did you leave like that?" she asked carefully, trying to decipher her friend's odd behavior.

Danny didn't look at her. He didn't know how to answer. Noticing the book he dropped earlier, he quickly picked it up, needing an extra second to stabilize his voice for an answer. "I left because I was tired…" he said vaguely, flipping through the book to avoid looking at them. If they saw his eyes, they would know he was lying.

Sam was taken aback by his response. But she quickly pushed past her bafflement, although it was still present in her voice when she asked, "_Tired_? Of what?"

"Everything," he said simply, still not looking at them.

Danny's words bothered them all. But Jazz knew this wasn't the time to question her brother about his reason for leaving or being here. "Danny, I think being here for so long has done something to your head. But we'll talk about it later. Come on, we need to go."

This time, the young hybrid looked directly at his sister and friends. "Then go," he answered, the intensity in his voice not going unnoticed by Jazz, Sam, and Tucker.

A heavy frown fell on Jazz's face as she finally understood _something_ was wrong with him. Had Vlad done something to her brother? Maybe he didn't believe they were truly here.

"Danny," Jazz said gently, grabbing his shoulders and leaning down to gaze into his eyes with her own worried ones. "It's _alright_. We came to rescue you. You're-"

Danny abruptly stood, and moved away from her as if she had burned him. "Who said I needed rescuing?" he asked, this time regarding her with a serious look. He needed them to leave now! But he could not think of a way to make them do that fast enough!

Sam and Tucker looked at him with large eyes filled with disbelief and shock. Did this mean their friend _wanted_ to be here? He came to his arch-enemy _willingly_?

Ignoring the sudden headache that had just surfaced, Jazz approached her brother again. "Danny…" she called, tears beginning to well up in her eyes from how much he was scaring her. "What's wrong with you?"

"Look, Jazz," he said, his sudden strong tone halting her approach. "There's nothing wrong with me. I just left, okay?"

"Are you crazy?!" Jazz exclaimed, her fear overwhelming her. "You are living at your_ arch-enemy's house_! The same person that has tried to kill Dad and steal Mom!"

Danny crossed his arms, stealing himself as he said, "Yeah, I know." How could he not know? He was confronted with that truth every day. And now, with those he cared for in front of him, it only made it even more painful.

Jazz fixed him with a steady gaze that only an older sister knew how to give. "Listen, I don't know what has gotten into you, Danny. But I'm not leaving here without you. We are going home this instant, even if I have to drag you out of here," she assured him.

Danny found himself silenced by her words. He realized he would _never_ be able to convince her to leave without him. What was he going to do?

"Jasmine, what a pleasant surprise."

Everyone spun around to look at Vlad Masters who was standing at the stairs. And Sam, who had brought the large Fenton's ecto-weapon with her and had it strapped behind her back, immediately brought it forward. However, Jazz, Tucker, and she were so focused on the evil man, they didn't notice the way Danny stared at the man with fearful and pleading eyes.

The older half-ghost completely ignored the boy's silent plea. Daniel would not be able to handle this on his own. It was time he took this matter into his own hands.

Tucker was the first to break the silent tension. "We're also here you know!" he said, annoyed that the man disregarded Sam and him all together.

Vlad turned his gaze to Danny's friends, immediately noticing the gun the teenage girl had pointed at him. "So you are," the man responded uncaringly, before turning his eyes back to the oldest of the three. "Jasmine… why are you looking at me that way?" Vlad asked, faking sadness and hurt.

Jazz's hateful glare didn't falter. "I'm trying to determine what kind of creep I have in front of me. I can't believe you have dropped so low that you had to kidnap my brother!" she yelled furiously, her hands fisting on her sides.

Vlad laughed full heartedly at her words, while Danny felt disgusted by how well the man could act like everything was under control. "Dear girl, I have not kidnapped anyone!" He calmly walked over to the young half-ghost and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Daniel's here by his own choice," he informed her with a smirk.

Danny had to suppress the shiver that ran through him from his enemy's touch when he saw his sister's eyes go to him. He knew Jazz was looking to him to see if the man was lying. His sister always saw through him, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"I don't believe that!" she snapped back, looking again at the billionaire.

Vlad shrugged, and uncaringly answered, "That's of no concern to me."

Jazz stepped forward and pulled her brother away from the man's hold, and then grabbed him tightly by the shoulders, forcing him to look at her. "Danny, listen to me. Whatever he's doing we won't let him get away with it. I'm not letting him keep you here any longer," she assured him, comfortingly.

Danny couldn't take it anymore. "Jazz, stop it!" he exclaimed, moving away from her hold. "I already told you, I'm here because I want to be! So just go!"

Jazz's composure snapped with her brother's words. And she immediately lunged at Vlad. "You monster!" she hatefully screamed. "What have you done to my little brother?!"

Vlad grabbed the girl's arms, preventing her from touching him. "Jasmine, do control yourself. You're going to make me forget whose daughter you are," he said with a sweet smile. However, the obvious threat that could be heard in his voice had Danny fighting with all his might to keep himself from attacking the man.

"I'll tell my parents _everything_," Jazz whispered threateningly, unfazed by the billionaire's words.

Vlad looked over at Danny, still smiling. "Do you hear that, Daniel? Your sister wants to expose you…"

Overwhelmed with what the consequences of that would be, Danny's eyes widened. "Jazz, no.…you _can't." _This time, he could not hide the desperation from his voice. "It's my secret. You can't tell them. You can't tell them _anything_," he pleaded, while adding mentally, _"Please, you'll just make things worse." _

"You know Daniel's right, Jasmine," Vlad said, bringing her attention back to him, "But we already discused this… _remember_? Can you live with those consequences on your conscience?" Vlad asked smugly, before releasing the girl's hands.

But Jazz's glare and conviction stayed firm. "If you think your little mind games work with me, Vlad, you are dead wrong! I _will_ tell them everything if it's the only way of keeping my brother away from you!"

Vlad raised an eyebrow at her words, though his calm demeanor stayed the same. He had to admit the sixteen-year-old girl was a lot more resourceful than her brother. But it didn't matter.. He could see through her all the same and knew that she was bluffing.

Jazz kept her spiteful gaze on the man, hating how sure he looked that she wouldn't say anything. But right now she didn't care about proving him wrong. And she didn't care about how ill she was feeling with every passing minute. All she cared about was getting her brother out of this place.

"I'm taking my brother. And don't try to stop me," she growled at Vlad, before turning to her younger sibling, who now stared at her with disbelief and shock. "We're leaving, Danny," she said with finality, not giving any room for further discussion. All Danny managed was a surprised yelp when she grabbed his hand and began to drag him towards the veranda.

Vlad frowned. "Now, Jasmine--"

"Stay back!" Sam warned, charging the gun in her hand, the second the evil half-ghost took a step towards Jazz and Danny.

Tucker also reacted. However, he realized that he didn't have any kind of weapon; and quickly looked around for something, anything he could use. He spotted it to the side of his feet, and reflexively picked up the Fenton Boomerang. He was too frightened at this point to remember that it would do nothing to protect them.

Vlad instantly glared at Danny's female friend, his patience with the trespassing teens reaching its end. "No one threatens me, girl! Especially not in my own home!" Vlad snarled menacingly, instantly changing into his ghost form. The black rings hadn't even disappeared completely when two violently burning ecto-blasts formed within his hands, leaving no doubt in anyone's mind that the man was pass the games and acts.

Danny panicked as his worst fear became a reality. If Vlad tried to harm his friends and sister, he would not be able to stand back and allow it. And that meant he would break his deal with Vlad. And if he did that, his sister--and even his friends--would suffer the consequences. He needed to get them out of here **now**! And there was only one way left to do that.

Danny roughly yanked his arm from his sister's hold, and in a flash of light, quickly changed into Phantom. He glared at his loved ones as he placed himself in between them and Plasmius, purposely keeping his enemy directly behind him.

"Danny, what are you doing?" Sam asked with disbelief, forced to lower her gun now that her friend was in her direct line of fire.

"Yeah, Danny, you're glaring in the wrong direction," Tucker added. He didn't understand why his friend was acting like _they_ were the enemy!

"It's time for you guys to leave," Danny said angrily, his glare not wavering.

Everyone just stared at the young hybrid in shock silence for a moment, even Plasmius. The man was truly astonished with the boy's sudden resolve and actions. He never thought Danny was capable of sounding so... cold. It was so surprising to Vlad that it took all in him to keep his lower jaw from hanging wide open.

Jazz was the first to come out of her shock. "Danny, why are you doing this?!" she exclaimed, although she sounded out of breath. But she still continued and approached her brother again. "You can't possibly want to stay here! We've been worried sick about you! _Everyone's_ worried sick about you!"

Danny quickly stepped away from her again, this time rising off the ground to prevent her from getting any closer. "Why don't you tell someone who cares?" he spat out, his gaze locked on his sister. Jazz's increasing ailments were not going unnoticed by Danny. And it was his notice of them that drove him to continue his cruel act. And it pushed him to take it to a darker new level.

"Dude, you can't be serious!" Tucker cut in, "I know that you don't mean that. We're friends! And your letters--"

Danny's mocking laughter stop Tucker cold; he and the girl teens were unable to keep from noticing just how similar to his evil-self Danny sounded.

"Oh, please," the young half-ghost said, his face falling into dark amusement. "I just wrote what I thought you wanted to hear. Don't tell me you guys fell for it."

"What?" Jazz asked in disbelief. Her brother had never been a good liar, but at the moment, he was doing a very good job of it. Unless… he **wasn't** lying!

Danny folded his arms, regarding all three teens with a cold look, although his main focus was on his sister. "I never thought I'd have to spell something out for you, Jazz. But you don't seem to get it. I'm here because I _want_ to be. I left because I _wanted_ to. I _wanted_ to get away from everything _and_ everyone, **including** you three. So, to make it plain and simple: leave. I don't want to see any of you again," he said cruelly.

Jazz, Sam and Tucker just stared at Danny with large eyes, stunned by his vocal blow. But then Jazz found her voice again. "Danny…I-I'm not leaving without you," she said softly, but her strength of mind had shattered from her brother's hurtful words.

Danny was panicking within. Why didn't Jazz and his friends just leave?! He _needed_ them to go before something happened to them, _especially_ his sister, who was looking worse with every passing minute! He had come here to keep her safe. And although it was tearing him inside that he was hurting her like this, he had no other choice. Better he hurt her than his ruthless arch-enemy…

The thought of the man behind him gave Danny the extra push he needed to do what he had to. He had to _make_ them leave.

His eyes closed briefly, before he opened them again; they now glowed a yellowish-green as he concentrated on every ounce of hate he felt for Vlad Masters.

"Yes. You. Are," Danny growled, igniting his hands with ecto-energy.

Jazz, Sam and Tucker gasped in disbelief, and for the first time in their lives, they felt afraid of Danny. But that didn't stop them from trying to reason with him. Or at least, it didn't stop Tucker and Jazz…

"Dude, come on, chill. You don't really want that, right?" Tucker said worriedly, his grasp on the boomerang increasing with his anxiety.

But before Danny could answer, Jazz added with tears in her eyes. "D-Danny, p-please. I-It's me, Jazz. I'm _your_ sister."

"Sister? I don't have a sister and I don't have friends!" Danny screamed, his fake anger masking the desperation in his voice. "Just leave! Forget I exist because I long forgot that you guys and everyone else in Amity do!"

"Y-You don't mean that, Danny," Jazz said sorrowfully, her eyes pleading at him. But all that did was hardened his glare, and his energy began to glow brighter. She was unaware of the agony that her little brother was feeling as he realized just how far he was going to have to take this in order to get through to her.

All Jazz saw was his unspoken dark threat, one she couldn't accept as true. "No, you would never hurt us. Please, stop this, Danny. You're not--" Jazz gasped as a green ecto-blast missed her head by only inches.

"Daniel!" Vlad exclaimed, the boy's actions startling him out of his stunned silence. He couldn't believe that Daniel was really pulling this off. But now the boy was taking it too far!

"Stay out of this!" Danny spat out, quickly shooting Vlad a hateful glare that silenced the man again. But Plasmius was now certain that the boy had snapped!

Danny glared back at his sister. "Consider that a fair warning. Leave, Jazz, and don't come back. Ever," he stated darkly.

Jazz shook her head at him in disbelief, her tears now freely falling down her cheeks. Her little brother's hateful and threatening eyes were breaking her heart. Was that why she was now feeling so dizzy and sick?

Tucker felt his heart break as well. The pain that impacted him when he realized that Danny had lost it was too much. Tucker looked to Sam, who had been unusually quiet for some time now, and saw that his goth friend was just staring at Danny with a sober gaze.

Seeing both girls so unresponsive forced Tucker to push back his sorrow and act. With a steal look on his face, the dark-skinned boy walked forward and placed his unoccupied hand on Jazz's shoulder.

"Let's go, Jazz. _That's_ not your brother," he assured her, his betrayed-filled eyes glaring at Danny. This had gone far enough. If Danny wanted to stay here so badly that he was willing to physically threaten his only sister, then Tucker wasn't wasting another word to convince him otherwise.

Tucker's words finally made Sam react. She slowly walked forward, and joined Tucker beside Jazz who was now sobbing loudly and looking very pale. But Sam said nothing to her former half-ghost friend; and instead, grabbed one of Jazz's arms.

"Come on, Jazz," she said softly, coaxing the other girl to move.

"No, I can't leave him!" Jazz cried out, but found she had no strength to hold her ground when the younger girl wrapped an arm around her waist and gently began to pull her away. As Sam walked away with the older girl in tow, she looked back at Danny with her saddened plum-colored eyes. But still, she didn't say a word.

Tucker stayed behind for a moment, finding himself unable to turn his back on his best friend and leave without him. But the expressionless way Danny gazed back at him, only strengthen the harsh truth: _this_ wasn't his friend.

"You might not believe that you're my friend, and right now I don't feel that you are, but I hope this is really what you want," Tucker whispered, his gaze lowering to the boomerang he still held.

But then he steeled himself, and looked up at Danny again. "If you think you're better off here, fine. I've never stood in the way of your choices before, I'm not gonna start now. But for the record, I don't think your letters are a total lie like you said. You really _didn't_ want us to find you…You really _did_ want us to forget about you…I get that now."

Tucker held his sober look as he added, "I hope you don't mind if I say what you never did in your letters… Good-bye, Danny." Tucker ended, his voice reflecting all the pain he felt within.

Danny's expressionless look didn't leave, even when Tucker turned from him, even when he watched those he loved get on the speeder. Even when the aircraft lifted and took off, Danny's unresponsive stare didn't falter.

It was only until the speeder had vanished into the night sky that he slowly floated back down and changed back. He walked closer to the glass door, and placed a hand against it and left it there without word.

The deafening silence that shrouded the room was so intense that Vlad couldn't bring himself to break it. He was still too shocked with what the boy had done. But it had worked. The teen had made them leave like he said he would. But at what price? Daniel's outer calm gave the billionaire an idea of what that price was. And he didn't like it.

Vlad hesitated, but eventually was the first one to say something, "…Daniel?"

Danny's response came instantly. "Get out," he commanded, his voice eerily calm and his gaze still towards the outside sky.

Again, Vlad hesitated, unsure if he really wanted to go through with this after all. But then, his resolve hardened. "No, I will not," he said angrily. "You have—"

Danny abruptly whirled around, his blue eyes radically becoming a yellowish-green again. "ARE YOU DEAF? I SAID GET OUT! LEAVE!" he screamed in rage, his hands fisted on his sides.

But the teen wasn't truly angry; he was in agony. He _needed_ to be alone. He had allowed his enemy to see him break down once; he refused to allow it again. But he was quickly falling apart, and if Plasmius didn't leave…

Vlad glared darkly at the boy. But for once, he felt compelled to obey him. However, that didn't stop the man from reminding Danny his place. "This is far from over. You _will_ answer to me," he assured him, before vanishing from the room.

Danny's glare instantly fell, and he began to shake as his resolve finally shattered. In that instant, he felt his legs weaken under him, collapsing the boy to his knees. His hands hit the wooden floor where they coiled so strongly his nails dug into his palms.

The horrible pain in his chest suddenly seemed to grow ten-fold. It was so agonizing that for a moment, all he could do was clench his teeth against it, unable to express it through his vocal cords. The horrible agony seemed to constrict his entire body.

The young half-ghost drew sharp breaths with every painful jolt, feeling as if a sharp dagger was plunged in his heart over and over again. And soon he could take no more. His mouth opened; and though at first no sound came out, when it finally did, Danny couldn't make it stop.

A cry of agony, so painful that it penetrated right through him, came from the young half-ghost, followed by another, and another. But then, his heartbreaking screams abruptly turned into loud sobs.

"C-Come b-back!" he began to plea through his cries. "Jazz, Sam, Tucker, please! I-I didn't m-mean any of it. P-Please…. P-Please, don't l-leave, d-don't leave me here!" Danny's body shook as violently as his voice; and as he continued with his pleas, it only intensified. "I-I'm s-sorry! I-I didn't mean it! He… He's m-making me d-do this! I-I'm sorry… Jazz… Come back! C-Come…. b-back…"

Through his sobs, Danny continued to pour out everything he had wanted to scream to his loved ones the second they had gotten here. The indescribable pain he felt seared him to his very soul.

* * *

From his place at the wheel, Tucker consoled Danny's crying sister the best he could. "I'm so sorry, Jazz," he whispered. He was a bit worried about her because the older girl wasn't looking too well.

"I-I can't believe it! He _hates_ me!" Jazz sobbed louder, unable to accept what had happened. Her body trembled both from her cries and the weak feeling that had begun sometime when she had been arguing with her brother.

If she wasn't so destroyed at the moment, she would be worried that all this was proving too much for her sick body.

Tucker didn't know what to say to that. After all, there was no misinterpreting the hateful glare Danny had subjected them all to. The boy was about to say something to Jazz when Sam's abrupt and hysterical laughter got his attention.

"Sam," Tucker said worriedly. He knew there was something wrong with her from how reserved she had acted back there. And now what he had been dreading finally occurred: Sam had fallen into a deep breakdown.

Tucker quickly stopped the speeder, and left it at a hover so he could get out of his seat and calm his hysterical friend.

"Sam," the boy called, squatting down in front of where she was sitting so she would look at him.

But Sam just continued to laugh.

"Sam, I know this is hard. But… you gotta pull yourself together. Seriously, you're scaring me," he told her, regarding her with deeper concern.

But his words only made her laugh harder. "Oh, Tucker!" she suddenly exclaimed. "Danny! I… never thought… he could…I--He's good! He--" Sam couldn't continue as she fell into another fit of laughter.

Tucker now looked severely distressed. His friend's attitude was worse than having her crying her heart out like Jazz was. At least, crying made sense. Sam's laughing was just disturbing.

"Sam, you gotta calm down," Tucker pleaded.

Sam shook her head in amusement. "I can't believe it, Tucker! He almost had me! I almost believed him!" she said, still laughing hysterically.

"Sam… what are you talking about?" Tucker asked, fearfully thinking his friend had _truly_ lost it.

Sam held up her hand, silently asking him to give her a moment to compose herself. In truth, she knew she shouldn't be laughing. There wasn't anything remotely funny about all this. But if she didn't laugh about it, she would be more broken than Jazz. And that's not what Danny needed right now…

Finally calming down, she looked up at Tucker with an amused yet sad smile. "I can't believe you didn't see it."

Tucker's eyebrows creased, but then he sighed. "I think you need to lie down," he told her seriously.

Sam sighed, casting her gaze downward for a moment. Now that her smile had disappeared, she looked severely distressed. But then, a heavy frown coated her face, and she abruptly stood up, almost throwing Tucker off balance.

"Jazz," Sam called, walking up to the older girl, while Tucker stood where he was. "Look, you need to calm down. Danny… He didn't mean it."

Jazz looked up at the girl through her blurry vision, but the confusion and pain in her eyes was visible. "W-What?" the older girl croaked out.

Sam looked over at Tucker as she asked, "Did either of you **see** anything different about Danny?"

"Yeah, he's lost his mind!" Tucker replied angrily.

"No, Tucker." Sam sighed sadly, and her arms wrapped around her waist, while adding, "He had a bracelet on his wrist."

"I didn't really notice. But what about it?" Tucker asked, confused.

"Tucker, it was the same one that he said _Valerie_ gave to him for **his** **birthday**!" Sam began to nervously pace as she continued to explain. "I didn't really notice the bracelet until he changed into a ghost and started using his ecto-energy. And the only reason it caught my attention was because it suddenly flickered. It turned into _that_ black bracelet we found on his dresser after his birthday. But then it turned back into a white device-looking thing."

Tucker stared hesitantly at her, still not following her completely, while Jazz, on the other hand, had silenced into small sniffs. A deep thoughtful look evolved on her face as she tried to make sense out of what the younger girl had said. But since Jazz didn't have all the information, being that she had been in the hospital up until Danny disappeared and that she knew nothing about this black bracelet Valerie had given her brother, she drew a blank.

"Okay, so he's wearing Valerie's bracelet…. I don't get it, Sam," Tucker spoke up.

"Tucker," Sam said, grabbing him by the shoulders. "Valerie didn't give him that--_**Vlad **_did!" she exclaimed, fear in her voice. This was why Sam had kept silent. She knew that what she had discovered was important. But she also knew she could not let Vlad Masters suspect that she had figured out this much. It would have made things worse for them, but most importantly, for Danny.

Jazz suddenly intervened. "If Vlad gave him some bracelet, some device, sometime around his birthday, then that means he was around **before **Danny left," the older girl concluded, her voice sounding strained and tired. "But what does that mean? What does that device do?"

"Oh man! What if it's controlling him or something?!" Tucker suggested. "I think his jerky arch-enemy is crazy enough to attempt mind control!" he exclaimed fearfully, not finding any other reason why the bracelet's presence correlated with his friend's attitude towards them.

"I…don't know, Tucker," Sam admitted, "Danny didn't look like he was being… controlled _like_ _that_…After I realized that stuff about the bracelet, I could see Danny was really forcing himself to act like he was. He looked desperate…" Sam said, saddening. "But I also noticed that you were holding the Boomerang, Tucker, and that it kept reacting to the bracelet. When it flickered black, the boomerang activated; but then when it was white, the boomerang would turn off again… I think that device Danny's wearing has to do with us not being able to find him."

Jazz gazed down at the boomerang on the ground, before looking back at Sam. "Are you sure?" she asked, feeling a ray of hope slowly filling her. She wanted to desperately hold on to it, to embrace it, but her brother's words still pained her heart. Danny had made it seem so real…

Sam frowned. "No, I'm not, at least not about _what_ the bracelet does. But I am sure that it's a big part of all this…" Sam suddenly became angry. "That's why Danny was so upset before he left!" she said, more to herself than her companions. "He knew Vlad was up to something! But what I can't figure out is why he didn't tell us! And why did he accept that bracelet thing from Vlad in the first place?!"

"Oh man, Sam…this is deep," Tucker said fearfully. "And Danny… He sounded so…"

Sam sighed again. "For a while I believed him, too, Tucker," she admitted sorrowfully. "But this is **Danny **we're talking about. A lot of this still makes no sense, but I refuse to believe he would say all those things and mean it." Sam's gaze lowered, but then, she sobered up, her amethyst eyes filled with certainty as she stared at both Jazz and Tucker. "This is another of Vlad's schemes and that bracelet is all the proof I need."

Jazz closed her eyes, her mind replaying her brother's cruel words, before remembering his letter. A letter Danny just said was a lie. But the words he wrote to her—the intensity that was in them—couldn't be faked.

"_I love you, Jazz. Never forget that…" _

Jazz's eyes narrowed in anger, forcing her other emotions to stop clouding her judgment. Sam was right. Her brother would _never_ look at her that way without being forced to. Vlad had planned all this out. And just like he had threatened her into keeping quiet about his and her brother's secret, that jerk was also threatening Danny into making them believe he joined him. Her little brother would _never_ willingly join that evil man. Her little brother would _never_ willingly abandon them and his home. But how was Vlad Masters forcing Danny to do all this?

They needed to find out. Without that piece of the puzzle, without getting rid of whatever the evil hybrid was using to control her brother, they had nothing. They could do nothing to help Danny if they didn't first figure out Vlad's scheme.

"There is something happening here that we don't know about. Vlad is holding _something_ against Danny." Jazz fisted her hands against the immense pain that filled her with the knowledge of what there only choice was at the moment. "And… until we find out what that is, we cannot help him…" Jazz finished sadly.

Tucker's eyes widened in disbelief at the implications of the older girl's words; while Sam, having already realized and understood what Jazz had, kept a sober gaze on her face. It was why she didn't say a word to Danny. It was why she didn't act on what she had discovered at that precise moment. The fact, as painful as it was, was that they could not help Danny. Not when they did not know what was going on. This wasn't like every other scheme Danny's arch-enemy had tried to pull off. There was something dark about the man's plot--more so than the whole 'cloning' plot. This plan almost seemed disturbingly perfect. And this time, they could do nothing to foil it if they didn't know the depth of this game the evil half-ghost was playing.

They needed their own plan.

Seeing that Sam wasn't going to object at Jazz's implicated suggestion, Tucker finally spoke. "Hold up. Are you saying we're just going to _leave_ him _there_?"

Jazz couldn't hold back the tears that returned to her eyes. "He will not come back with us, Tucker. There is nothing we can possibly do or say to get him to come home, not while Vlad is holding him there. Danny has to already be dealing with a lot, especially after what he was forced to do just now. We can't go back there until we figure this out. Otherwise, all we are going to do is force him to do something that is going to further destroy him both mentally and emotionally."

Jazz shook her head sorrowfully. "I can't do that to him again. I did that once to him at the hospital and now here… I will not do it again." She glared hatefully as she added, "I don't want to leave him with that monster. But we don't have any other choice. If we don't know how Vlad is controlling my brother, then we're just going to hurt Danny instead of helping him."

Tucker shook his head, feeling like he was turning his back on his best friend when he needed him most. "We'll just talk to him. We can wait until Vlad's not around. We'll tell him what we know, and that we're going to help him. Without his arch-enemy around, Danny will be sure to tell us what's going on. He's never let Vlad win before. I know he's not going to let him now," he said confidently.

"Tucker, don't you get it?!" Jazz exclaimed desperately. "Danny **threatened** _us_! He wants us to think he hates us! Do you realize how serious this has to be for him to have done that?! Do you realize how hurt he must feel right now?!"

"I know!" Tucker exclaimed back, sounding just as desperate. "But we can't just leave now! We can't leave him there!" The boy suddenly sat down and buried his face in his hands. "I don't want to leave him there, Jazz. I… said some awful things to him, things he didn't deserve from me… I'm such a jerk…" he said sorrowfully. He wanted to go right back there and beg his friend to forgive him. He shouldn't have said all that. Danny was his best friend. He should have known that his friend would never say what he said willingly.

"Look, Tucker, you didn't know. Like I said, I believed him for a while, too," Sam said, placing a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder. "I want just as badly as you do to go back there. But Danny **won't** say anything to us, even if Vlad wasn't around. He refused to tell us what was going on while he was in Amity, so I doubt he's going to start talking now. I'm sure Danny has his reasons for keeping us in the dark like this, but we still need to find out. And for now, we need to do it without him, Tucker. Whatever Vlad is threatening him with has to be bad, especially if Danny has allowed that evil jerk to control him like he is."

Tucker sighed in sad acceptance. "Then what do we do now?" he asked.

Sam sighed, but realizing Jazz had suddenly gotten quiet, she looked at the older girl. And what she saw turned her worry for Danny into worry for his sister. "Jazz, are you alright? You look really pale," she said fearfully, moving over to her.

Jazz nodded as she held her spinning head. "I think I overdid it a little," she said weakly.

Tucker, too, noticed Jazz's condition, and stood as well. "I think it's more than a 'little', Jazz," he told her seriously.

"You should get some rest," Sam suggested, "Maybe it will make you feel better."

"Yeah, and how about having something to eat?" Tucker added, reaching into his pants pocket. And trying to sound optimistic, he pulled out some jerky and said, "This always makes me feel better."

Both Sam and he knew Jazz was a very emotional girl, and even though they all now knew that Danny didn't mean anything he had said, it had still severely affected the older girl. And her physical deterioration proved it.

Jazz dimly smiled at them. "I think I'll pass on the jerky for now, Tucker. But thanks, both of you. We better head back. I think we're all wiped out from this trip… and everything else. When we get to Amity, we'll figure out what do, alright?"

The two younger teens nodded and smiled at her. Without another word, Jazz reclined her seat back and closed her eyes. She wanted to start thinking right now on a way to help her brother, but her body wasn't letting her. She was feeling not only physically drained, but emotionally exhausted as well. She just hoped that some rest was all she needed. She couldn't afford going back to the hospital, not now, not when her brother needed her most.

Tucker silently got back in the driver's seat, grabbed the control on the speeder, and continued their flight back to Amity Park. Noticing Sam had sat directly behind him, and that Jazz was drifting off, he whispered to his friend the question that was on all their minds, "How are we going to help, Danny?"

Sam gazed out the window for a moment, before answering just as softly. "I don't know, Tucker… But we have to find how to fast… Danny, even _he_ can't handle something like this for much longer…"

* * *

**I REALLY want everyone's honest thoughts on this chapter! And don't worry I got my umbrella ready to hear it all! Heh-heh! Thanks for reading! And, of course, your wonderful reviews!**

**--Vlad muse smirks evilly—**

**Ta!**


	37. Chapter 36: Nothing Left

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom**

* * *

**Chapter 36: Nothing Left **

Giving his bow-tie one last tug, Vlad lowered his hands, silently staring at himself in his room's full length mirror. The sober look on his face all but screamed the man's mood, and the soft sigh that suddenly escaped his lip only confirmed it.

His perfect plan…It was ruined. All the work, time, and effort that he had invested in all this had been wasted away last night. _Everything_ had fallen apart in an instant.

He couldn't proceed with his plan to eliminate Jack now that Daniel's sister and friends knew he was involved in the boy's disappearance. If something happened to Jack now, they would _know_ it was his doing. And Vlad was certain Jasmine would not keep quiet then. She would tell Maddie everything. And that would be disastrous.

That would ruin his life.

But if he couldn't get rid of Jack, how could he continue with the next part of his plan? How could he win Maddie now?

The events from last night wouldn't leave his mind. They almost tormented him. But to his confusion it wasn't the lost of his plan that bothered him most; nor was it the appearance of _those_ three teenagers…It was Daniel.

What happened last night had clearly affected the boy. It had driven him to an extreme the man never thought possible for the teen to reach. But how affected was he?

That's what Vlad _needed_ to know.

The billionaire no longer cared about questioning the young hybrid about the bracelet or about anything else now that he had calmed down and had some time to think about this whole mess. It was quite obvious that Daniel had been just as shocked by the sudden appearance of his loved ones as he had. The boy did not know anymore than he did. It would be pointless to question him. Besides, what good would it do now? It wouldn't fix his shattered plan.

However, Vlad had wondered all last night _how_ the bracelet became damaged in the first place. Sure, it was meant to withstand strong amounts of ghost energy, but it did have a limit. And with just a bit of careful deduction, he got a pretty good idea how: only a _very_ high amount of force could have caused the device to malfunction.

It was very possible that the previous spike in the boy's energy could have been partially responsible for the device's failure, but not fully. It was obvious that the bracelet's malfunctioning had occurred during Daniel's trip to Amity, since it had been working fine before then.

Daniel's high energy—which had sky-rocketed during his fight with Ms. Grey--combined with the strong attacks the girl hunter had subjected the boy to, had to have caused the cloaking device's damage.

He really should have checked the bracelet upon the boy's return. That had been his error…. An error that had cost him his perfect plan.

But there was nothing Vlad could do about it now. What was done was done. Right now, all he cared about was… Daniel. He needed to see the boy to ease the unsettling feeling inside him. It had made him restless all last night. And it was still tugging mercilessly at his mind. He needed it to go away.

With a louder sigh, the billionaire turned from the mirror and walked out of his room. His plans were on hold at the moment. They could wait. His revenge could wait…. Maddie could wait.

But making sure Daniel was okay could not.

The unsettling feeling seem to swell inside him when he found himself in front of the boy's room. The older half-ghost was not one to hesitate in his actions. But he was now. He just had this horrible notion that something was wrong.

Vlad lifted his hand to the closed door, and after a slight pause, he knocked. "Daniel?" he called, using everything within him to keep his voice calm and collected. But at receiving no answer, his voice almost wavered as he said, "Daniel, I'm coming in… alright?"

Not receiving an answer for the second time, he quickly walked in. What he first saw put a frown on the man's face. Daniel's bed was still neatly done…meaning that he hadn't slept in it.

In hopes of finding the teen asleep on the sofa bed above, Vlad walked over to the walk-in closet, and headed up the pull-down stairs. But when he got to the lounge, he found it as empty as Daniel's main bedroom.

Vlad's frown only deepened, and the unsettling feeling surfaced enough for him to realize what it was: fear.

Vlad quickly changed into Plasmius, before phasing out the still-broken glass doors, the ones leading to the balcony. He flew up, giving the morning sky and his surroundings a quick search. But he found no sign of the young half-ghost. And he couldn't sense him either, so he wasn't close by…

Vlad looked towards the forest, nervously contemplating the possibility of the boy heading out there in the middle of the night and not returning. Would he? There were…._creatures_ out there; and although it was springtime, the nights were still pretty chilly in Wisconsin. Daniel could get sick… or hurt…

Plasmius swallowed hard. But remembering he had not checked the other sections inside the child's room, he quickly teleported back inside.

"Daniel?" Vlad called as he appeared inside the study room. "Daniel, if you are in here, come out," he demanded as he headed over to the entertainment room. But it was empty.

"Sugar canes," he whispered, returning back to the main area of the room. "…Perhaps he's at breakfast…"

No longer feeling calm enough to walk, the older hybrid teleported into the kitchen, and quickly spotted the ghost cook making breakfast.

"George?"

The chef jolted in surprise with his employer's sudden entrance. "Sir!" He sighed, relaxing. "It's times like this I'm most thankful that I'm a ghost!" he said in amusement, holding a hand to his chest.

But realizing that Danny wasn't in the kitchen, Plasmius was still too unsettled to really pay the other ghost any mind. **"**George, have you seen the boy?"

"No, I haven't. In fact, I haven't seen the young halfa since dinner yesterday," he answered, giving his employer a curious look when he noticed the man's suppressed alarm.

"Thank you," Vlad answered quickly, before vanishing as quickly as he came.

He reappeared at the bottom of the main stairway, deciding to try a different tactic. From years of practice, the older hybrid had learned to increase the range of his ghost sense. Currently, the boy wasn't close enough for him to 'automatically' feel him, but if he intensified his inner sense, perhaps he could find the boy. That is, if Daniel was in ghost form.

Reaching inside himself for his ghost sense, he quickly increased that hot tingle, and was instantly aware of how close his servants were when their ecto-signatures overwhelmed his radar. But another instant later, the energy signature he was searching for touched him. It had taken a more conscious effort for the man to do that now that the boy's energy was no longer elevated like before.

Vlad released his elevated ghost sense, and it settled with his sigh of relief. Daniel was inside the house. He was just in a far area of the mansion. Walking in the general direction that he had felt Daniel's ecto-signature, he soon pinpointed the boy's exact location.

One of Vlad's eyebrows rose up in curiosity. What in the world was the teen doing in the simulation room so early in the morning?

"_Well, at least he isn't out in the forest,"_ he thought to himself, moving towards the control room instead of entering the actual simulation room. He had a gut feeling that he should observe the young hybrid before approaching him…

As he headed toward the viewing glass, he passed the control mainframe and quickly glanced at it. He did a double take, and immediately backtracked to it.

A gasp left his lips as he stared at the program level Daniel was running. "Thirty?! That's three-times the level I told him to train at!" he exclaimed, before quickly walking over to the viewing glass.

Vlad's eyes went wide as he watched the sweat-drenched and panting young hybrid inside the simulation room. The room was throwing more attacks at the teen than he could handle, but what worried the man most was that Danny didn't even _try_ to avoid being hit.

In ghost form, the boy was just firing away at the assault weapons around him. But the machine's own blasts were getting more hits on him than he on them

Unconsciously, the older hybrid cringed when he saw one of those blasts slam Danny into a wall across the room, sufficiently weakening him enough that he reverted back into his human self.

But seeing this wasn't as disturbing as seeing Danny getting back up, changing into Phantom, and continuing with his careless acts.

It was all Vlad could stand to watch.

"Pause Program," he quickly commanded, before whirling his cape around himself and teleporting into the simulation room.

Danny glared at him, angry with the man's interruption. "What?" he spat out.

The boy's look was enough to make Vlad pause for a moment. How long had it been since he had seen Daniel look at him like… _that_? Well, it definitely confirmed his suspicions on how much the events of last night affected the teenager.

Plasmius sighed away his slight hesitation, and calmly replied, "We need to talk, Daniel."

Danny scoffed. "That's a first," he remarked coolly, before addressing the room again. "Resume Program."

Danny flew up and fired several ecto-blasts at a couple of targets with an almost emotionless look on his face.

Vlad watched him from below for a moment, before letting out another sigh and following the teen up. As he got to him, the room fired a blast at the older hybrid, who instantly detected it and thoughtlessly placed a hand behind him and produced a shield.

"How long have you been here?" Plasmius asked as the attack struck his shield.

Turning towards the man, though his gaze wasn't really on him, Danny shrugged. "What time is it?" he asked indifferently, before firing a blast directly over Vlad's head and successfully destroying the weapon that had fired at the man just seconds ago.

"_Past eight_," Vlad answered, momentarily glaring at the teen after seeing how close his energy blast came to actually hitting him. Noticing several weapons suddenly appear around them, the older half-ghost turned intangible, his arms calmly crossing in front of him to show the boy he was awaiting a response.

Unlike Vlad, Danny didn't turn intangible; so when the guns fired, the energy rays didn't harmlessly go through him like they did Vlad.

Plasmius watched soberly as the boy was thrown across the room again. But this time, he didn't get far enough to slam against the far wall; instead, he fell a couple of feet before finally hitting the hard ground.

Again, Danny changed back.

Shaking his head, Vlad floated down next to the boy, watching him stand as if nothing had happened. In fact, aside from a few soft grunts, the young hybrid did not give any sign of feeling the brunt of that hit and fall.

Ignoring his spinning head, Danny forced his ghost form forward again, before finally giving his enemy a response to his earlier question. "I've been here since three this morning. You do the math, since you know that I'm no good at it," he said offhandedly, and then flew back up.

A loud gasp was Plasmius' response to the boy's comment, before he quickly shouted, "Systems off!"

Danny instantly glared at the man below, and just as fast, landed right in front of him, angrily asking, "What are you doing?"

"Daniel," Vlad began, just as mad. But then, he paused, and his anger melted into a deep worried frown. "Daniel," he said once more, and sighed yet again. "I'm… I'm very concerned about you," he said sincerely.

Danny raised a single eyebrow, a strange silence shrouding them both… One that the teen broke with his sudden cynical laugh.

"Systems on!" the boy ordered through his laughter. Danny flew back up, and resumed what he had been doing. "You know, Vlad, if I didn't know you, I would have believed that," the teen told him, his laughter dying into a sarcastic smile.

The boy's mocking tone instantly put a glare on Vlad's face again. "Systems off!"

"Would you cut that out?!" Danny exclaimed, his pretend mirth suddenly turning into heavy annoyance.

Vlad quickly floated up, right in front of him, and shouted, "I'm not going to stand here and watch you batter yourself!"

"There's the door," Danny quipped, pointing to where the door would normally be. "Systems on!"

"Systems off! Daniel you're being reckless! You have been here for over five hours! What in blazes are you trying to do?!" Vlad exclaimed, his frustration with the boy's attitude clearly ringing in his voice.

Danny rolled his eyes. "Look. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. _Thank you_," he added with sarcastic anger, before shouting, "Systems on!"

"Systems off! Daniel… I'm warning you," Plasmius said darkly.

But the man's threat only received another snide laugh from Danny. "Really?" he asked, crossing his arms in front of him and smiling smugly at the angered man. "And what are you going to do if I ignore your warning? Waste me? I don't see how that would fit into your elaborate schemes, _Sir_."

Vlad said nothing, and instead, ignited his hands with pink energy as his response. He didn't need to _waste_ the teen to get his point across.

"O-h," Danny replied slowly, his eyebrows rising in fake understanding with his simple word. His head slightly tilted for a moment as he regarded his enemy with a calm thoughtful look. But then suddenly, he turned from him and waved his hand dismissively, saying, "Go ahead. It wouldn't be the first time anyways. Systems on!"

Vlad's jaw and hands clenched in anger as he watched Daniel begin firing again, paying no attention to him at all. It took everything inside the older half-ghost to **not** follow through on his threat. At the moment, Vlad could see it would be pointless to physically punish the boy.

But that didn't mean he wasn't going to put him in his place. "Computer, terminate all running programs, and initiate complete system shut down," Plasmius suddenly ordered.

Danny whirled around and looked down at his enemy with creased eyebrows. He had never heard that specific command before. But his eyes quickly went back to his surroundings as he heard the room announce, **"Programs ceased. Initiating complete system shut down…Now."**

The young half-ghost's eyes widened slightly as he watched the room begin to revert back to its plain and empty appearance. "Systems on!" he quickly shouted; but this time, the room didn't obey him. A growl left Danny's throat, and he quickly looked back at Vlad. "What did you do?!" he exclaimed furiously.

"You are done here," Vlad responded with a calm, but angry tone.

Danny fisted his hands on his side, his eyes narrowing further. "_Fine_!" he spat out. "I don't need your stupid training room… The real thing is better anyways…" He hadn't meant to blurt out his last comment. Still, it didn't matter to him if Plasmius had heard it. He was going to act on that sudden idea just the same, and flew towards the now visible door.

And indeed, Plasmius had heard his extra comment, and what the man guessed it meant, didn't bode well with him. Immediately, the older hybrid materialized in front of the younger one, blocking his exit. "You're not going anywhere," the man assured him darkly, quickly glancing at the boy's bracelet and noticing it was white and, obviously, working.

"Try and stop me," Danny growled out boldly, before walking right through Plasmius. The teen had not caught his enemy's quick glance at the device on his wrist.

Ignoring the strange feeling caused by the boy's passing through him, Vlad looked down at the glowing red device around his own wrist, and quickly typed something into it just as Danny reached the door.

Vlad turned to face Danny just as the boy froze at feeling a sudden tingle coming from his white bracelet, and then seeing it turn bright red. Alarmed, the teen looked towards his enemy, "What did you- Ahh!" he abruptly screamed when the device on his wrist shot what felt like bolts of electricity through his entire body. By the time it was over, Danny was on his hands and knees, no longer in ghost form.

Vlad floated closer to the young half-ghost as the boy grabbed his head, and with a slow moan, slowly got to his feet.

"Well, at least it isn't permanently damaged," the man remarked causally to himself.

Danny looked up angrily at his arch-enemy, and noticing that he had changed back, quickly called forth his powers. But nothing happened.

The boy's hands coiled into tight fists, his breathing suddenly becoming irregular when he realized Vlad had short-circuited his powers. "You… " he whispered darkly, "You cannot imagine _just_ how much I _hate_ you!"

Plasmius ignored Danny's comment, and lightly took hold of the boy's right wrist. He was surprised to find the teen did nothing to resist him, but kept it to himself. And even when he lifted Danny's wrist to his eye level, and pressed a button on the white device around it, the boy did nothing to fight him.

Danny just continued to stare hatefully at Vlad, too consumed with internal fury to really care what the man was doing. The teen didn't care to notice how the white bracelet he wore turned red under his enemy's touch, or how it suddenly began to glow brighter. But he could no longer ignore the device when he suddenly heard a soft 'click' sound from it.

Startled by the sound, Danny quickly looked down, and saw the unclasped black bracelet just as Vlad removed it from his wrist. To say the boy was shocked was an understatement.

Changing into his human form, the older half-ghost turned without a word from Danny, the bracelet the teen once wore held lightly in his right hand.

It wasn't until Vlad reached the door and grasped its handle that he looked back at Danny, who was still frozen and staring at him in complete surprise.

"Go eat, Daniel," he stated, effectively putting a glare on the boy's face again. "And, _yes_, that's an order," Vlad added in mocking anger, before slamming the door close behind him.

Danny's teeth clenched so hard, his jaw ached. But without his ghost powers, he could no longer keep his exhaustion from overwhelming him, and he dropped to the ground.

Silently, he stared coldly at the white metallic ground. And aside from anger, nothing else _seemed_ to be hidden behind his icy blue eyes. How could there be, when all he felt was hollowness within his chest? His feelings--or at least those worth feeling --had left him sometime during his sorrow last night. He had cried for what seemed like hours, and his tears only stopped when he accepted what he did last night. And what it meant.

His loved ones had been taken from him the day he was forced to come here. _But_ last night, _**he**_ had pushed them from his life. They were gone forever because of his own doing.

He had _nothing_ left.

Perhaps his previous compliant and withdrawn attitude had been a way to protect himself from the darkness that had finally consumed him now. It was his way of conserving what little hope he had while finding himself in such a bleak situation… He knew now it was naïve to hope.

And when his weakening hope died, so did his protective emotions…so did the tears. Last night, everything had almost seemed to clarify itself right before him. He clearly _chose_ to work for his arch-enemy. The nightmare he had insisted he was in all this time had suddenly stopped being a nightmare. It wasn't a nightmare: it was his truth, his reality.

It was when he accepted all this that the empty feeling inside him had overtook him. He felt nothing anymore. Nothing…. except for darkness… It felt like **he** was…dead.

* * *

"You're kidding!"

"Not at all, dear sister. Danny Phantom is currently living at my employer's house," Dazzler said lightly, crossing his legs on the couch he sat on.

During his occasionally trips to the Ghost Zone, the controlling ghost would at times pay his sister a visit at her lair. And now that he had some rather interesting information to share with her, it definitely had called for a 'get together.'

Spectra broke into a full fledge laugh, and remarked through her amusement, "That's the funniest thing I have heard in a while, Dazzler! Everyone in the Ghost Zone thinks the kid's dead! _Amity Park_ thinks he's dead!"

Dazzler hands fisted, his anger unconsciously making him lose his humanoid appearance; he changed into his shadow form as he spitefully remarked, "If _only_ that was truly the case."

"Now, now," Spectra said brightly, also in her shadow form, "there's no need to get upset. After all, it isn't anything we can't _fix_, right, Bertrand?"

The shape-changing ghost, sitting beside Spectra and across from Dazzler, smiled evilly and nodded. "If the kid is as messed up as Dazzler here says he is, then it should be a snap to 'fix'!"

"Not to mention he's all alone," Spectra added, tapping a thoughtful finger on her lips, before squeaking in excitement, and adding, "I could only imagine how miserable he must be! Oh! We just _have_ to pay him a visit, Bertrand!"

"Not so fast, my sweet sister," Dazzler intervened, frowning at her and Bertrand. "Vlad Plasmius will not allow you to harm the child. Believe me, I would have already ended that little runt's life myself if I could. Consuming his life force would be more than satisfying," he added darkly.

"But didn't you just say the kid's the way he is because of _him_?" Bertrand asked the other male ghost, raising an eyebrow on his humanoid face. "Why would _he_ care when he is obviously out to make the brat miserable?"

Dazzler nodded. "Yes, that's all true, but he still will not let anyone near the child. And trust me when I tell you that my employer is a force you do not want to tamper with," he warned seriously. The controlling ghost knew firsthand what the older hybrid was capable of. He worked for him because of the benefits it brought, but his respect for the man was out of fear, **not** loyalty.

"So I've heard," Bertrand answered thoughtfully, but then his eyebrows creased, and he added, "But all this still makes no sense. Why hasn't he wasted the kid? Aren't they supposed to be enemies?"

Dazzler tapped his chin. He really hadn't thought about this. But now that Bertrand brought it up, it _was_ quite peculiar. "From what I've heard around my employer's estate, he did come close to killing Danny Phantom on more than one occasion since he arrived. But… his purpose for keeping him alive I cannot say."

Dazzler silently paused, again trying to figure out what the older hybrid could possibly be trying to do. But not coming to any conclusion, he shrugged. "You know, I'm fairly sure Skulker knows exactly what's going on. But I wouldn't even bother asking him." He rolled his eyes, and added, "Skulker would never betray my employer. If I didn't know any better I'd say they almost consider themselves _friends_."

"I'm not sure if I could picture Skulker having a friend," Bertrand said with a chuckle, "But he does have a strong belief in _honor_, or something as laughable," he added with a roll of his eyes.

"Let's forget about your freak-of-an-employer's motives and that midget-hunter-in-a-can for a sec, okay?" Spectra suddenly said, cutting into the conversation. "If we can't take care of 'this matter' directly, then why don't we take care of it indirectly?" Spectra asked evilly.

"Go on," Dazzler stated, an interested smile tugging on his lips, knowing that 'the matter' his sister referred to was the young hybrid.

"We'll just have _someone else_ do the job. Of course, I'd prefer to deal with the little freak myself, but I'm not letting this opportunity of revenge slip through my hands _only_ because 'your employer' is standing in the way."

Dazzler shook his head. "To get to the runt that 'someone' would have to face my employer. And _no_ _one_ is going to go up against Vlad Plasmius, Penelope. His reputation is very well known throughout this place."

"So is the kid's," Bertrand brought up with a smirk, "And because of '_his_ fame' I'm sure a lot of ghosts _would_ risk going up against that _other_ freak for the chance to get even with him."

Dazzler rolled his eyes at the other male ghost. "You don't understand, Bertrand. The amount of power my employer holds is not his _only_ playing card. Why do you think he barely has any enemies? He is a master of manipulation. He can practically bend anyone or anything to his will. It's almost unbelievable."

"Well, there is **one** ghost I know of who I'm sure has a few 'playing cards' of his own," Spectra said evilly. "Perhaps, even enough to counter your 'supposedly' all powerful employer. Not only that, but I _know_ _he'll _jump at this chance for revenge with or without that other freak in the way." Spectra silenced for a moment, her eyebrows creasing, before she smiled again, this time looking specifically at Dazzler. "But to play it safe, we could wait until he's not around to get even with the kid. And you, _my_ _darling_ _brother_, can help us with that," she cooed.

"You're asking me to betray my employer?" Dazzler asked with a heavy frown.

"Why not? What's so important about your work with him that you let him _control_ you?" Spectra asked, smirking at her brother.

"No one controls _me_!" Dazzler shouted, his eyes turning a bright gold. "I only work for him because it benefits me to do so! I could end my alliance to him at any time! I simply choose not to!"

"What exactly do you do for him?" Bertrand asked, interrupting the arguing siblings.

"Dazzler does 'jobs' for him here in the Ghost Zone," Spectra answered before her brother could. "You could say he's that freak's hit man—or hit _ghost_. You know, being that Dazzler can waste both humans and ghosts alike by feeding off their life or core energy." She shot her brother an innocent smile in response to the annoyed look he was giving her.

"And how does that benefit you, Dazzler?" Bertrand questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Can't you just find your own 'meals' yourself?"

Dazzler rolled his eyes. "Yes, and, no," he admitted. "I cannot take any being's life or core energy _unless_ I can _control_ them first. But the stronger the being is—physically, but more importantly, mentally--the harder it is to gain control over them. Still, if I want a 'good meal'--as you say-- the choice victim _would_ be the one who is mentally _strong_."

Bertrand gave him a strange look. "That doesn't sound right! Seems like if they were that strong, then, they would be able to keep you from doing anything to them."

Dazzler nodded. "In some ways, that is true. You would be amazed how practically impossible it is to control someone who has strong self-confidence. Still, it's not _impossible_, and they would be worth the fight. Once I had gained control over them, their energy would be the most _satisfying_ for me." He unconsciously smacked his lips at the thought.

"Is that why you are scared of Vlad Plasmius? Because you can't control him?" Spectra piped up, smirking wickedly at him.

But Dazzler was not bothered by her remark, and just shrugged. "I have no problem with admitting that I am wary of him, Penelope. And you're right, I cannot control him… I learned that the hard way several years ago. But it doesn't matter now. I so happen to _like_ my deal with Vlad Plasmius. He weakens the ghosts himself or has someone else do it, and I get to finish them off. I gain more power and he _permanently_ gets rid of unwanted ghost thorns in his side. It works perfectly."

"Yes, and on _your_ side you clean his stables!" Spectra added smugly.

Dazzler gave her a dry look. "Are you trying to be funny, or annoying? Because _neither_ is really coming through."

With a grin, Spectra quickly flew over to her brother and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "I'll stop if you agree to help me…. _Remember_ when we used to work together when you lived in the Ghost Zone?" she cooed.

A smirk grew on Dazzler's face as he flashed his gold eyes at her. "How can I forget? You would feed off our victim's misery, thus lowering their self-esteem, and I easily gained control of them and consumed what was left."

"Yes! Wasn't that fun?" she asked animatedly, unwrapping her hand from her brother's neck and clapping excitedly.

"Yes," he agreed with a chuckle, his sister's odd behavior amusing him--not that he wasn't use to it.

"Then you'll help?" Spectra said with a smirk, but seeing him frown, she added, "Come on, brother dearest! If your allegiance with _him_ means that much to you, then we'll just make sure he doesn't find out, okay? Besides, if doing this means getting rid of that _little_ _freak_ don't you think it's worth it?"

Dazzler tapped his chin thoughtfully, before nodding. "Alright, I'll see what I can do. My employer frequently heads out so it shouldn't be too difficult to get him out of the way."

"Wonderful!" Spectra beamed. "Oh, I'm so gonna enjoy this!"

"As I," Dazzler agreed darkly.

"And I," Bertrand added with a small chuckle. He smirked evilly at Spectra as he said, "So, tell us more about this _ghost_ you know of that has his own 'playing cards'. Exactly _who_ did you have in mind, Spectra?"

* * *

"What did you think you were doing?" Maddie asked angrily.

"I just wanted to see if I could find Danny," Jazz responded softly, sitting up on her bed. Danny's friends and she had not arrived back to Fenton Works until late morning, where the worried and displeased Jack and Maddie were waiting for them.

While Maddie dealt with Jazz, Jack immediately took Sam and Tucker to their respective homes to face the wrath of their own parents.

However, when the upset mother was about to demand an explanation from her daughter, the sixteen-year-old had suddenly fainted right in front of her.

Alarmed, Maddie had intended to take her straight to the hospital, but Jazz had come to a moment later and pleaded her not to take her to the emergency room. The girl insisted that all she needed was some rest and a hearty meal, and she promised she would do both if her mother would let her stay home. Maddie agreed only when her daughter made good on her promise, and _both_ of them were relieved in the end.

It was now early afternoon, and to Maddie _and_ Jack's relief Jazz had woken, looking _much_ better. In fact, it was as if her once weakened condition had never happened. And with their daughter's recovered health, they turned their direct attention back to what she had done.

"Jazz, you helped Sam and Tucker skip school! You took the speeder which is severely damaged! And you were gone for over half a day without our permission _and_ while in your delicate condition! Do you realize how dangerous your actions were?" Maddie asked, her tone elevated with anxiety.

"I'm sorry, Mom…" she said, tears welling up in her eyes as her thoughts drifted slightly away from their conservation. Her worry for her brother had resurfaced now that she was fully awake.

"Gosh, Princess, don't run off like that again," Jack said with a worried look, "For a moment, we thought that, well, we thought you wouldn't return, like Danny." Jack stared fearfully at her daughter, adding, "We don't want to lose you, too."

A deep guilt swelled in her chest at seeing how scared and worried she had made her parents by leaving like she had. "I'm really sorry," she said again. "I just miss Danny _so_ _much…_ I wish I could bring him home," she said truthfully.

Jazz wanted so much to tell her parents everything, but her brother's plea for her _not_ to played itself over and over again in her mind. And by the desperation in his voice, she knew that was one thing Danny had not faked.

But to make matters worse, there was also her fear of Vlad Masters' actually trying to hurt her father like he threatened. At this point, Jazz believed the man capable of anything.

"I know, sweetie," Maddie said, sitting beside her daughter, effectively pulling her out of her thoughts. The mother grabbed her hands as she added, "We all want him home. But risking yourself like you did will not _help_ him."

"_What can?"_ Jazz thought sadly as she embraced her mother. But that was what the teenage girl was determined to find out. There had to be a way to help her little brother.

There just had to be.

* * *

_Three days later…_

"So you say she wants to meet him _first_?" Vlad asked, turning his gaze away from the device he was working on in his secret lab, and regarding Skulker with a deep frown.

"That's right," his ally answered. "She said she has to see what she's dealing with before taking the job…. Or something of the sort," he added dryly.

Vlad rolled his eyes, annoyed with how bizarre ghosts could be. "Did you tell her I would reward her for her services?"

The hunter picked up one of the components belonging to the ghost device his employer currently held in his hands, and curiously inspected it, while distractingly replying, "Yes. I did. Twice, in fact. But she still refused to take the job without _meeting_ him _first_."

"And _why_ can't she come _here_ to _meet_ him?" the billionaire asked angrily.

Skulker shrugged, placing down the device, and looking calmly back at his ally. "You know she's very skittish about leaving her lair, Plasmius."

Vlad rubbed his temple with a hand. "I cannot send him into the Ghost Zone, Skulker."

"I don't see why not," the hunter shot back lightly. "The whelp always ventured into the Ghost Zone before coming here. And just to point out the obvious, he has managed to survive just fine _without_ you… A little _too_ fine." Skulker murmured the last part angrily.

"I suppose…" Vlad answered distractingly. "I have to give it some thought. The boy _does_ need the stimulation, but I still don't like the idea of sending him in there, even for a short time. Daniel might have fared just fine without my intervening before, but a lot has changed since he came here, Skulker. The boy…He's…" Vlad sighed before shaking his head. "I need to give this some thought."

Skulker rolled his eyes, but didn't comment. He didn't understand his employer's reluctance, or his odd desire to protect the child. The ghost boy was quite capable of fighting his own battles. He had never needed anyone's protection and rarely required help to stay alive. So, to the hunter, the man's hesitance was absurd. But if Plasmius wanted to stress himself over something so simple as that, that was his choice.

"I've been meaning to ask you to fix this," Vlad suddenly said, moving over to a table and picking up Danny's black bracelet.

One of Skulker's eyebrow's quickly rose before he accepted the device from his employer. "The cloaking device? What happened to it?"

"I believe it got damaged when the boy went to Amity Park."

The hunter frowned. "You do realiz—"

"Yes, I do. But it's a little too late to prevent it," Vlad cut him off, his eyes narrowing as he thought of what happened three nights ago.

The hunter couldn't help but be surprised by the news. "You mean—"

"Yes," the man interrupted again, "They know he's here. And before you ask me how _that_ went, let me tell you it's a long story. One I wish not to revisit. Just know that I talked to Fright Knight, and asked him to return to his lair. I can no longer have him do that _task_ I assigned him," he informed him, angrily.

Skulker threw his employer a confused look. "So, you have called off all your plans now that the whelp's—did you say his _friends_?--know he's here, but you still want to proceed with something as unimportant as finding the child something to do? I hate to tell you this, but your priorities seem questionable."

Placing the device in his hands down, Vlad crossed his arms, and leaned lightly against a table behind him. "I'm not completely pushing aside my plans. I just need to find a new way to go about them, Skulker. As for the boy, well, it's not as unimportant as you believe. More than ever, he needs this mental stimulation. It is why I want to take care of that before anything else. Meanwhile, however, I do need to buy myself some time, at least until I find a way to rectify this whole _other_ situation."

The billionaire paused in silent thought, but then he raised a questioning eyebrow at Skulker. "Have you seen those three vultures?"

The hunter smirked. "No, but I could _easily_ track them down."

"Good. I think I know just how to buy myself that time, and give Daniel's little friends and sister something to _occupy_ _their_ time with," Vlad said darkly, but then he smirked wickedly at his ally. "If anyone—or 'ones'--are good at spreading rumors, it is those three annoying birds. I'm sure most ghosts in the Ghost Zone are aware of the boy's absence in Amity Park. But if they are not, I want those vultures to make them aware of it. Furthermore, when you find them, tell them to also announce that I will be offering a reward to whatever ghost can take over Amity Park."

"Reward?" Skulker repeated, interested.

Vlad rolled his eyes. "This doesn't apply to you, Skulker. I need ghosts that those brats will not associate with me to do this. I don't really care if whoever does or does not succeed in taking control of that pathetic town, I just want those nosey children busy for a while."

"Alright, I'll find those three buzzards and relay your message for you." Skulker then smiled. "But, if you don't mind, I would like to relay this to _one_ _other_ ghost. I'm sure Ember would be more than interested to hear about your offer, especially when it involves taking over the whelp's hometown…."

Vlad shrugged uncaringly. "Tell your girlfriend what you like. Just make sure--like with all the other ghosts that take up my offer--that she doesn't mention my involvement in this."

"That shouldn't be a problem," the hunter replied, his smile widening. He looked down at the cloaking device and started to fiddle with it. "Hmm… It doesn't seem permanently damaged, Plasmius. I could get this fixed in a couple of days."

The billionaire nodded distractingly, his mind still on his plans. So instead of replying to his ally's words, he continued, "Skulker, I also want you to tell those vultures that once they have accomplished that first assignment, they are to head to Amity Park themselves. I need them to keep an eye on Jasmine and the boy's friends, but tell them not to be sighted by them." Vlad's eyes narrowed as he added, "Perhaps, this time, those birds will manage to do what I say without making a bigger mess of things."

Skulker chuckled, knowing the three birds were horrible at following instructions. "They definitely give the saying 'bird brain' a deeper meaning," he quipped, earning a smirk from his employer. Placing down the cloaking device on the table, but making a mental note to work on it at some other time, Skulker noticed the older half-ghost had a completed version of the device the man was working on laying on the table—its pair to be exact.

The hunter picked it up and with a raised eyebrow asked, "What did you say these instruments were for?"

Vlad, who had been silently thinking, slowly looked at the object about which the ghost had been talking. He immediately gave him a dry look. "I haven't told you what they are for yet."

Skulker resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Fine. I get it. It's one of your secret projects."

Vlad smiled slyly. "Not exactly." He grabbed the device out of his ally's hand and placed it back on the table. And without another word, he walked off towards the lab's exit, knowing his lack of explanation would irk the ghost.

And he was quite right.

The hunter finally rolled his eyes as he watched his employer leave without telling him what he meant or what the strange glove-looking devices he was working on were for. Although he knew the man would eventually fill him in, it still annoyed him to be left in the dark.

* * *

Danny was very surprised that Vlad had not spoken to him in three days. Besides receiving a courteous greeting from the man whenever he ran into him, his enemy had not uttered a single additional word to him--let alone had sought him out. In fact, Danny noticed the billionaire had barely been home—period--for these past three days.

Of course, the young hybrid could care less about the older one's reason for his sudden distancing. He was simply glad for it. Just the sight of the man since what happened with his sister and friends triggered a dark, swelling rage inside him. And still yet, it only seemed to freeze his heart even more. But more importantly, it made him feel like he would lose what little control he had built up around himself, the shell that would now keep his tender emotions, his weak ones, driven within him. He couldn't let them return. It would be too painful…

This was why Danny was going out of his way to **not** give Vlad a reason to come near him. He was doing everything that he had been told to do. He was eating three times a day. He went to the simulation room once a day, and kept his sessions at Vlad's 'advised' thirty-minute mark. And he was even being 'productive'.

It disgusted the teen how he was behaving like a 'good little boy' for his arch-enemy. But if that kept the man from speaking to him, he could bear it.

But Danny had wondered for the longest time why Vlad had removed the bracelet. It had been so shocking to see him do that. The teen thought he would never get that thing off again. In fact, he had gotten so use to having it on, he almost felt naked without it now. And that was just as disturbing as Vlad's having taken it off to begin with.

The teen had, however, realized that he shouldn't really be so surprised by his enemy's actions three days ago. After all, there really was no point in making him wear the device any longer. His location wasn't a secret anymore. And the man didn't really need the bracelet's 'extra pushes' to keep him in place. The jerk had his sister's life to serve him as enough of a push for him. And… there was his deal with him—not that Danny would really keep it if it wasn't for the threat on his sister. Yes…Vlad could now control him without even lifting a finger

Danny didn't really care, though. His enemy couldn't injure him anymore than he was. At this point, the teen didn't even care if all he was to the man was a prize to prove his victory over him. He had no problem with being the man's 'trophy' …just as long as Plasmius enjoyed him from _afar_.

"Hello, young halfa" the cook greeted him as the teen entered the kitchen.

"Hi," Danny replied coolly, walking right pass the ghost without any more acknowledgement. Having come for a snack, he placed the book he had brought down with him on the counter and headed right to the fridge. He pulled out the first thing he felt would satisfy his rumbling stomach, which so happened to be grapes and lemonade. He could feel George's eyes still on him, but he ignored them as he calmly pulled out a bowl and a glass. Once he had served himself his desired amounts of the fruits and beverage, he put everything neatly back where he had found it.

Without a word, Danny grabbed his book and then his snack, and finally left the kitchen.

The boy didn't see—not that he would have cared, anyway--George shake his head and sigh, before silently turning back to the tea kennel on the stove.

Sitting down at the kitchen table, Danny opened his book to the page he had left off at, and began to read. As he did, he snacked on his grapes and sipped on his beverage. For a good ten minutes, everything seemed to fade away, his focus completely on his book. It was why he didn't notice someone new entering the kitchen, nor did he notice his approach. It was only when a hand touched his shoulder that he noticed.

Danny tensed in surprise, but, almost as quickly, an angry scowl replaced it. "What do you want, Vlad?" the teen asked, not bothering to take his eyes off his book and look up.

"I believe you are mistaking me with someone else."

A fearful gasp left the boy's lips in recognition of the voice, and he all but jumped out of his chair when his wide eyes confirmed the entity beside him was indeed Dazzler.

The controlling ghost smiled kindly at the frightened teen who had not hesitated to put a few feet of space between them. But then Dazzler's eyes shifted to his surroundings, silently surveying the area.

Danny noticed the ghost doing this, and he couldn't help but do the same. Conclusion: they were alone.

The boy's eyes quickly narrowed, and with fisted hands, he transformed into Phantom. Danny was _sick_ of this twisted ghost. And he was _sick_ of being intimidated by him. He already had enough of that from Vlad. He wasn't going to have someone else messing with him. That was all going to stop _right_ _now_.

"We just keep running into each other, don't we?" Dazzler commented, a smirk tugging on his humanoid face.

Defiantly, Danny stared right into the ghost's currently honey-brown eyes. "Yeah," the teen icily responded. "I guess Plasmius must not be giving you enough to clean up at the horse stables." His eyes narrowed further as he growled out, "What do you want this time?"

To Danny's confusion, Dazzler paid no mind to his jab, and instead walked closer to him. It took everything in the young half-ghost to hold his ground and bravado, especially when the ghost began to circle him. Dazzler began to literally study him with the same intensity a judge would a stallion at a show competition.

"Hmm…" the controlling ghost said thoughtfully, "I can't help but wonder how a little runt like you causes so many hassles for us ghosts."

"You're going to find out if you don't back off!" Danny threatened, turning his head respectively with the ghost's circular movements.

Dazzler paused in front of the boy's face, and tilted his head, amused by his words. "I'm quite surprised you're _looking_ at me… Aren't you afraid I'll do…. _This_?" The ghost's eyes suddenly turned bright gold, instantly paralyzing the teenager.

Unable to move a single muscle to defend himself, Danny's eyes widened as he watched the same gold mist that he saw at the barn when he first met Dazzler begin to circle him. But it then turned into the shape of a clawed hand and stopped directly in front of his chest.

"Let go of me!" the young half-ghost demanded, but there was now unmistakable fear lacing his voice.

"But I'm not even touching you," Dazzler answered evilly, his eyes still glowing a deep gold.

Danny tried to move his eyes away from the evil ghost's as he felt that eerie attraction towards the entity grow inside him. He knew now it was being caused by that gold mist in front of his chest, and that it was seconds away from painfully plunging inside of him.

"Did I ever tell you how enjoyable the feel of your life in my hands is? …It would give me so much power," the ghost whispered evilly, letting a single claw on the mist-made hand push itself inside the boy's chest.

All Danny could do was let out a painful gasp.

"You're too easy," Dazzler said with a small chuckle. "I'm must admit, I'm surprised. I thought you would be harder to control. But in the end… I don't mind. To your fortune, however, you're my employer's new favorite toy. Otherwise…"

Danny cried out as the gold mist plunged inside him, but a hand against his mouth reduced his loud cry into a muffled sound.

"Like I said, _too _eas_y_." Abruptly, Dazzler's gold eyes changed back to their honey-brown color. And, instantly, Danny's body dropped to the ground, the gold mist vanishing from existence just as quickly.

White rings passed through the dazed teen as he panted heavily from fear and pain. But knowing Dazzler was still present, Danny quickly forced himself to his feet.

It was then that the young half-ghost realized he had lost his ghost form, and he growled. Danny was about to change into his ghost form again and blast the smirk right off Dazzler's face when a third presence made himself known.

"Dazzler… what a surprise to see you here."

Both Danny's and Dazzler's eyes jolted in the direction of the third voice.

"S-Sir!" the controlling ghost blurted out in surprise. He had been so focused on the young hybrid, he didn't even hear his employer come in!

Vlad walked closer to Danny and Dazzler, only halting once he was beside the boy. But he ignored the teenager all together, and instead, he raised an expectant eyebrow at the ghost. Clearly, the man was awaiting a response from him, one that Dazzler didn't hesitate to give.

"I just got back from the Ghost Zone. And I was on my way to talk to George when I so happened to run into the little hybrid here," Dazzler answered, sounding composed again.

Vlad placed a hand lightly on Danny's shoulder, without taking his eyes off the controlling ghost. And like he expected, the boy was too busy glaring at Dazzler to notice his actions.

"I see," Vlad answered with a calm smile.

"Yes. I just had to stop to greet him. He's such an intriguing little thing." At his last statement, Dazzler shot Danny a dashing smile.

Vlad momentarily frowned at the ghost's last comment, not really liking his choice of words. But he said nothing, and instead, looked down at the stiff boy beside him. Daniel was so tense, it reminded Vlad of a coiled up rattlesnake ready to strike.

But what the billionaire felt under the hand he had on Danny said much more to him. It was really why he had touched the boy at all. He needed to confirm his suspicions. And the teenager's shivering form was all the confirmation he needed.

"You know, Daniel," Vlad began, abruptly breaking the tense silence, his calm gaze back on the controlling ghost. "Dazzler here takes care of several pieces of my property a little further out. Although, his main focus is on the stables out back… Have you been there?"

Dazzler tensed with the question; though, what unnerved him more was his employer's piercing gaze on him. But he forced himself not to show it.

At being addressed, Danny finally became aware of the hand on his shoulder, and he dropped his fix stare on Dazzler. "No," the teen answered coolly, before shrugging off the man's hand and stepping away from both his enemies. He left the kitchen without another word, but made sure to glare at both of them before he did.

"Fiery, isn't he?" Dazzler stated with a smirk, his gaze towards the direction Danny had just exited.

"Yes, he is," Vlad replied evenly, although he was currently studying the ghost beside him with a serious expression on his face.

Dazzler returned his eyes to his employer and smiled calmly. "Well, I must be off. As you know, I have _things_ to take care of."

"Of course," Vlad simply said, although he continued to regard the ghost with an intense yet oddly serene look.

Not able to mask his discomfort any longer, Dazzler broke his eye contact with the older half-ghost, and turned from him without another word.

Vlad watched the ghost's retreating form for a moment. But then, suddenly, he called out to him, "Dazzler?"

The ghost froze, before slowly turning to face his employer. "…Sir?"

"You _dare_ touch the boy ever again and I will have him use you as target practice," Vlad said seriously, the calmness in his eyes now replaced by deep threat.

Dazzler's eyes widened, and he quickly stuttered in defense, "S-Sir I—"

But Vlad raised a hand, silencing him. And without any further regard towards the ghost, he turned and calmly walked off further into the kitchen, his hands held behind his back.

Dazzler glared at his employer's retreating form for a moment. But then he fisted his hands and sharply made his own exit.

* * *

**Well, gang, another crazy chapter executed. Yay! I gotta tell everyone, I'm having a hard time finding the time to reply to reviews, but I will still try. But if you don't get a reply, you'll know why. I'm in my last year of college and my science classes are insanely hard! So, it's either study 24/7--not really cause then how would I be updating, right?! LOL!--or fail! Can't have that! I want to graduate already! Blah! I'm so tired of school I'm not even sure if I want to go to med-school anymore. Perhaps after a nice long break… Meh. Anyways, let me apologize to you guys, and know I really, truly, appreciate all your support! Until next time! Perhaps the next time you hear of me will be with an update for 'Dawning of a Sun'. Won't that be fun? And a long chapter it is, let me tell you! Okay! That's enough blathering! As always, my muse and I await all your yummy thoughts! We sprinkle them on our badger-shaped cookies! Yum!**

**One final note! DannyTimmygirl has written two more one-shots dealing with this story! And Bloodmoon drew a picture of yours truly! Quite flattering, I must say! LOL! So, check em' out, kay?**

**--remove spaces and '()'**

**Bloodmoon's DA account:h t t p (:) / (/) bloodmoon14. deviantart. com/ **

**DannyTimmygirl's FF account: h t t p (:) /(/) w w w. fanfiction. net/u/1371399/**

**Thanks guys--er, girls--Heh-heh!--for your creative work! **

**Ta everyone! **


	38. Chapter 37: Arguments

**Hey, everyone. I know, I know. **_**'What took me so long?' **_**And, of course, my answer will be that school is evil! But I don't want to rant about it at the moment… maybe later… Heh. But sorry for the wait. I hope this long chapter makes up for it. And it is one of my personal favorites. So, hope you guys like it. And… no promises, but I will try my best to update again during the end of the weekend to make up for the long wait, kay? Well! On with the story!!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

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Chapter 37: Arguments

"Find anything?" Jazz asked, looking at Tucker through her computer's live web cam. They were all grounded. Danny's sister, however, only got a week's sentence, while Danny's friends got two—being that they had also skipped school….

But, of course, it had been worth it; since now, they at least knew where Danny was and that he was safe--for the most part, anyway. And it was because they were all grounded that the three teenagers were now forced to keep in touch through their computers until their punishment was over.

Then again, if their parents knew that they were currently on the computer, talking to one another, they would get in bigger trouble. After all, being grounded meant no interaction with friends outside of school whatsoever. And definitely no electronics-- and that went double for Tucker, much to his dismay. However, they could not wait for two weeks for Danny's sake, so they had no choice but to break one of their folks' grounding rules.

"Well, it depends what you mean by 'anything'," Tucker answered, raising an eyebrow.

"Tucker, you know what she meant," Sam interrupted, looking annoyed through Jazz's computer screen. And, of course, Tucker could also see through his own computer the look on the goth girl's face. "Did you find anything relating to Danny?" she asked.

"Geez, Sam, could you talk any louder? You're going to get me caught," Tucker said, now not only looking annoyed, but also nervous himself.

"Come on, you two, can we please focus? We can't stay on long, remember?" Jazz interjected, briefly wondering how her brother dealt with his two squabbling friends all the time. Of course, the girl knew that Sam and Tucker—and Danny, of course--rarely _really_ fought with each other. But she also knew that her brother was often the median, the _mediator_, of their trio whenever Sam and Tucker would get into their usual 'debates'. She now began to wonder how Sam and Tucker were holding up without Danny around…

"Okay, right. Sorry, Tucker, I'm just worried," Sam said with a small smile.

"Its fine, Sam," Tucker assured her, returning the smile, before looking down at something that Jazz, of course, could not see. "I ask what you meant by 'anything' because I did find a lot on Vlad—_and_ a lot _**more**_ pictures of him. Seriously, it was disturbing. But, anyways, I'm not sure if the stuff I found could be tied to Danny somehow." The boy's eyebrows furrowed, before a smile returned to his face; and when it did, several documents popped up on Jazz's computer.

"What's all this, Tucker?" Sam asked, clearly having received the documents as well.

"Okay, well, the first sheet is Vlad's personal info…. I got it off some private government website; you know, those that have everyone's stuff on them," he said sheepishly.

"Tucker, you hacked into the government's private database?" Jazz exclaimed, but quickly realized her tone of volume and lowered it. "You could get into _mega-_trouble for that," she added seriously.

Tucker smirked, and looked like he had shrugged as well. "Don't worry, Jazz. I know what I'm doing. Besides, it's just for our own use."

Sam didn't seem bothered by it, but rather, interested. "You seriously got everything on the guy, Tucker. I mean, his birth date, health record, his… He was born in _Florida_?"Sam said, creasing her eyebrows in wonder.

"I could have found most of that by just asking my parents," Jazz said dryly, not at all surprised as the younger girl had been at that bit of information.

"Not his private cell phone number," Tucker shot back, smirking_. "_From what I could see, the dude only uses it for business stuff. So, I doubt your parents have it."

"Yeah, Dad just has his house number," Jazz remarked, quickly scanning down the billionaire's profile, although she wasn't really **looking** at it.

"Okay, well, I don't really think we needed _this_ much information about Vlad. What else do you have?" the older girl asked, closing the private document, and going to the next one the teenage boy had sent her.

Sam had been silent during their conversation. She had been reading the information Tucker had sent, and she frowned deeply at whatever she was now reviewing. But Jazz's remark snapped her out of her concentration, and she closed the personal file on Vlad. Arching her eyebrow questioningly, she asked, "Are these all the companies he owns?"

"Yup," Tucker answered, still sounding quite proud of himself. "But I haven't even tried going through them. That's how long the list is. And this list doesn't even include the personal stuff he owns, like houses. Seriously, the guy controls enough stuff to take over the world!"

"Don't even kid about something like that," Jazz said with a shudder.

"I'm surprised he hasn't tried, though," Sam added with a roll of her eyes. "I mean, isn't that what all lonely, evil villains want? And yet, _he's_ never shown an interest to 'take over the world," Sam frowned thoughtfully at the end.

Jazz also frowned at Sam's words, silently agreeing and pondering why the man _so far_ had never shown interest in world domination.

"Let's just say the dude is wonky and leave it at that, okay?" Tucker said, not interested in arguing about the older half-ghost's behavior. He needed to get off soon, or he was going to get caught. But first, he needed to tell the girls what he had found. "Anyways, I've been trying to find everything Vlad has been up to in the past month-in-a-half. And all I really found was that he bought some shares from a company owned by some Vazier guy. It turns out that Vlad bought off the shares of every single board member in this company, which means the dude now practically owns enough of the company to equal the influence and rights of the actual owner."

"He's probably trying to steal that company," Sam said with a scowl.

"Yeah, I think so, too. But the thing is that everything looks, well, legal," Tucker informed her, somewhat perplexed.

"Not that this isn't interesting, Tucker, but what does this have to do with Danny?" Jazz asked, while scanning the documents on the business deal Vlad was currently working on.

"Nothing. At least, I don't think so," Tucker answered. "Like I said, I'm just trying to find everything he has been doing lately. Look, the thing is that whatever Vlad is up to against Danny isn't going to exactly show up on anything I could ever find by 'visiting' private sites', Jazz. I don't really see how 'researching' is going to help us find out what's going on."

Jazz got quiet for a moment. But when she did, Sam asked, "Well, what about his movements _here_. I mean, did you find anything that could suggest he has been somewhere _specific_ in Amity?"

"No, I didn't. I mean, if he was like any of us, er, well, not including you, since you're rich--" Tucker received an eye roll from Sam at this comment "—I could find out where he's been, since he would have to take some sort of transportation to get here from Wisconsin. But the guy has more private aircrafts and cars than probably everyone in Amity has combined!

Everything he does he keeps private. What he does as Vlad Masters is almost as big a mystery as what he does as Vlad Plasmius," he told her seriously.

"Tucker," Jazz suddenly spoke up, clearly an idea swirling in her head. "This company he's trying to buy. What does it do?"

"Uh…" Tucker said, clearly looking down at something. "I really didn't look too much into it. But its supposedly one of the world's leading communication providers."

Jazz bit her lip in thought, before she spoke again. "Vlad might be good at hiding what he does, but most of his schemes require…. technology or something that has to be made, like that bracelet Danny had on. He had to have gotten the supplies to make it from somewhere, right? Maybe if we find out where he got it, and what exactly he _used_ to make it, it could lead us somewhere."

"I guess I could try…" Tucker said, thoughtfully. "It might take me some time, though. As you can see, the dude owns a lot of stuff. His supplies could have come from anywhere."

Sam suddenly sighed. "Look, my parents are into all this business stuff. I'm going to ask them about these companies, especially this recent one Vlad's trying to buy. I'm pretty sure my parents would know _something_ about a money-hog like Vlad Masters," she said, sounding somewhat annoyed; probably by the thought of having to talk to her folks about money.

Tucker nodded. "While you're at it, ask them about this Vazier guy, just in case. I'll do a background check on the dude as well."

"Alright, and _I'll_ ask my parents if they have spoken to Vlad lately," Jazz added, but then she glared at nothing in particular as she further said, "That creep is pretending to help them look for Danny, so I'm sure he has talked to my parents." Her eyebrows creased. "We also have to look into the possibility of Vlad trying to do something against my dad, you two. Maybe he's somehow using him in all this. After all, Vlad's always trying to waste him. And after Danny, he's usually that jerk's target."

The younger teens nodded.

Jazz continued. "I'll look into--" A gasp from Tucker silenced Danny's sister.

"Oh man, my mom's callin'! I gotta go, guys! I'll look into that stuff and get back to you with it as soon as I can! See ya!" Tucker quickly said, before that part of the screen he had been on went black.

Jazz and Sam silently looked at each other's computer image for a moment, before Sam spoke up. "Jazz, I've been thinking…You know how we first thought Danny left because he felt bad that he took you outside of the hospital, causing you to relapse that night?"

Jazz just nodded.

Sam creased her eyebrows. "Have you thought of the possibility of your illness having to do with all this? I mean, you got sick like a week or so before Danny left. And he was acting really strange… and we now know Vlad was around at some point during the time _before_ Danny left…"

Jazz crossed her arms, a deep frown on her face. She sighed before answering, "I have thought about it, Sam. But how could Vlad possibly have anything to do with my illness? I mean, the doctors diagnosed it as some form of severe anemia. But in the end, it's a normal illness people get all the time. How can Vlad cause something like that?"

Well, he made Tucker and I sick once, too, remember?" Sam said with a frown of her own.

"Yeah, but he _sprayed_ you guys with _something_ to make you sick. He was _physically_ there to infect you guys with ecto-acne. Vlad has only been physically near me _**after**_ I already was in the hospital," the older girl responded.

Sam nodded, seeing that the girl had a point. "But we still shouldn't disregard the idea. Whatever is keeping Danny at Vlad's has to be something really bad that he can't do anything about. I know you are all better…. and, well, maybe, you getting sick before Danny left was just a coincidence, but, we still should look into it."

"Yeah, I agree, Sam. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow, so I'll ask if I can have more tests done or something."

Sam nodded, remaining thoughtful. But then she snapped out of it, and said dryly, "I better get off. I don't need another week added to my punishment. I already doubt I can survive two weeks of isolation with my folks without going crazy."

Jazz smiled at her in amusement. "Okay. Good luck. I'll see you at school."

Sam nodded, and the screen she was once on went black on Jazz's computer.

With a sigh, Danny's sister pulled up the file containing Vlad's private number. She leaned over towards her nightstand, grabbed a pen and notepad lying on it, and turned back to her computer.

"This might come in handy…" she mumbled to herself, quickly jotting down the number. After saving the documents, she closed them, and then tuned off her computer.

But a worried look had grown on her face. She really hoped that whatever Vlad was up to, it didn't _directly_ involve her family or Danny's friends… or herself.

Or worse….

What if what Vlad was holding over her brother had something to do with Danny himself? Was it possible that that bracelet was meant to harm him, or maybe _more_ than just…. harm him?

Dread filled Jazz at the very likely possibility. "Don't worry, Danny. We'll find a way to get you out of there," she whispered, staring sadly at her mattress. "I'll get you out of there, even if I have to tell Mom and Dad everything to do that."

**

* * *

**It had been a good thing that Vlad had gone into the kitchen for that hot tea when he had. He hadn't expected to see either Dazzler or Danny there, but he was especially surprised when he found the young half-ghost looking seriously ticked off with the controlling ghost. Luckily, he had caught the problem before it had gotten out of hand. And although Vlad hadn't known exactly what the ghost had done to the teen, he was certain Dazzler wouldn't try _anything_ further against Daniel. Dazzler feared him too much to not heed his warning.

Still, the billionaire needed to talk to the young hybrid about Dazzler. But while he had been drinking his tea, another more pressing matter took priority in Vlad's mind. And it was this that had made him put down his tea, leave the kitchen, and head back to his private lab. Luckily, Skulker had still been there, since he was working on some upgrades for his suit.

The older hybrid had thought about whether or not to send Danny into the Ghost Zone. And after some careful thinking, he decided that perhaps a small trip would not be too risky for the child, and possibly even good for him. But only if he sent someone with Daniel. And there was only one ghost Vlad relied enough on for such a task. Too bad said ghost wasn't very happy with the news…

"I won't do it!" Skulker said with finality, crossing his arms in front of him.

"Why not?" Vlad demanded angrily.

"_Why not?" _Skulker repeated, exasperated. "Do you even realize how many times you have asked me to degrade myself lately?" he questioned, remembering how the older half-ghost had him spy on—more like babysit--the whelp before bringing him here. Not to mention being forced to be the man's 'messenger boy' as of late.

"Stop being so dramatic, Skulker! It's not as if I do not reward you for your services!" Vlad snapped back.

"Not this time. I refuse to be seen with the whelp in the Ghost Zone! I have a reputation to uphold and the last thing I need is to be seen with _him_!"

Vlad sighed angrily, before rubbing his forehead and calmly saying, "Skulker, I would not ask this of you if it wasn't important." He looked at the hunter. "You know the Ghost Zone better than anyone else I know."

"_You_ know it just about as well as I do! Why don't _you_ go with him? " Skulker argued back.

Vlad turned away from the ghost, and looked over at the mainframe. There was a silent pause from the man, before he soberly answered, "Because… he becomes unstable around me."

"Oh, and sending him with me will be a soothing stroll in the park for him?" the hunter retorted in sarcastic anger.

Vlad turned back to the ghost, clearly losing his patience with him. "Look, Skulker, I need to get him out of this house. There are things I need to take care of, and I can only do them when he's not here, because if he finds out about all this beforehand, he'll refuse!"

"Then force him!" Skulker exclaimed angrily.

"**I do not want to force him!"** Vlad yelled back, stunning the ghost into silence. The man sighed, and regained his composure. "Skulker…" Vlad said seriously, placing a hand on his ally's shoulder. "You are the only one I have enough confidence in to do this for me. I can assure you, the compensation for this will be well worth your trouble."

The hunter remained quiet for a moment, before nodding and grumbling, "Fine, I'll do it… _But_ I will be taking a few back routes to avoid being seen," he added with a raised eyebrow.

Vlad smiled, removing his hand from the ghost. "That's precisely what I want," he answered, before smirking and raising an eyebrow of his own.

"Now, what do _you_ need from me?"

* * *

Lying on his back, Danny stared angrily at the ceiling above him. He had been silently fuming to himself for quite a while now.

He was so fed up of being around all these stupid ghosts; and even more fed up with being around a certain stupid half-ghost! How messed up was it that he couldn't even sit at a table without being harassed?! And then Vlad just _had_ to show up and stick his nose where it didn't belong.

A growl left his throat with his last thought. How long had the man been watching anyways? Plasmius had probably enjoyed seeing his lackey treating him like a puppet and on the brink of wasting him. Heck, maybe even the evil hybrid himself had ordered Dazzler to mess with him. … But then why did the controlling ghost tense with Vlad's presence?

Danny quickly decided he didn't care. What annoyed him was the fact that Dazzler didn't try anything else with the man around. The teen had _wanted_ that ghost to make a move; a small taunt, a flash of his eyes, and he would have gone at Dazzler--with or without Vlad present. That ghost might have thought he had the upper hand because he could control his body and do that other creepy thing, but Dazzler had no idea who he was picking a fight with, especially now. He might have shown his enemies compassion before, but there was no chance they would get it from him now.

At least not anyone related in _any_ way to Plasmius.

The teen's eyes flashed green, before he closed his eyes in hopes of quelling the dark emotions swirling inside him. He knew he needed to stop thinking about Vlad, but, lately, it was as if the man's presence was everywhere around him and everywhere inside him. The jerk was like a looming shadow that suffocated his being, his mind… his will.

The man's presence in his life was pure torture.

"_Knock-Knock."_

With a loud groan, Danny rolled on his stomach and deeply buried his face into his pillow. The absence of his ghost sense foretold who was at the door, and _his_ voice simply confirmed it.

"_Daniel?"_

"What?" the boy replied dispassionately, his voice muffled by the pillow.

"_May I come in? I would like to speak with you."_

Danny said nothing, knowing Vlad would come in anyways. The teen didn't even get why the man bothered to ask, when he would undoubtedly do whatever he wanted in the end. And the click of an opening door proved the teen right.

Vlad's shoes made soft taps on the wooden floor as he approached the boy lying on the bed. He silently looked at Danny for a moment, expecting the boy to sit up and look at him. But seeing that the teen had no intentions of doing so, he spoke up. "Daniel… you forgot your book."

Danny didn't show it, but that was the last thing he had expected Vlad to say to him. He came here just to give him his book back? Indeed, in his anger, the teen had forgotten the book he had taken to the kitchen on the table.

But Vlad, of course, had not come to the teen's room to just _nobly_ return the boy his book. Now that he had Skulker's cooperation, he needed to tell Danny about 'the trip'. But the book had been the excuse he needed to broach the topic of the trip and something else he needed to discuss with Daniel.

"You left it on the…" the billionaire trailed off when he saw one of Danny's arms lift upwards—which looked quite awkward since he still had his face buried in his pillow while lying on his stomach.

With a frown, Vlad placed the book into the teen's extended hand. But immediately after grabbing it, Danny carelessly let it go.

"_Thump."_

The billionaire's frown deepened as he looked down at the book at his feet; some of its pages were now wrinkled since it had opened during its fall and landed face down on the rug. The man felt a surge of annoyance swell inside him, feeling oddly insulted by such a trivial thing. But he pushed his irritation down, and, instead, decided to just do what he came to do. He picked the easier of the two remaining topics.

"Daniel, about what happened in the kitchen….Why did you not tell me you were having problems with Dazzler?"

"Should I have?" Danny muffled back, sounding bored.

"Yes, you _should_ have," Vlad replied pointedly. The boy's current posture was gritting on his nerves. He felt like he was talking to a blasted log! And Danny's disregard for the seriousness of the current topic was not helping the billionaire suppress his growing aggravation. Still, he managed to continue in the same calm, yet serious, voice. "Daniel, you know I strictly asked everyone to keep away from you. What you _do not_ know is who Dazzler is and what he is capable of. He's a very dangerous ghost."

"Weird. I would have never guessed," Danny answered sarcastically.

Vlad crossed his arms angrily. "You could at _least_ look at me when mocking me."

"Is that an order?" Danny asked flippantly through his pillow.

"That's _enough_, Daniel!" Vlad yelled, his irritation finally exploding. "I'm not doing anything to you, so stop being so hostile!"

The man's words ignited Danny's own anger; and using his arms, quickly pushed himself up into a sitting position. "How _else_ do you want me to act towards the person who destroyed my life?" he growled back with a dark glare.

"You don't think I know what this is about?" Vlad snapped back. "What happened three nights ago was your **own** doing! I didn't tell you to attack your sister, you little rat!" he yelled.

Danny's eyes flared green as he jumped to his feet in front of the man. **"No, you **_**forced**_** me to!"** he screamed back with all his pent up rage. This was why he had not wanted the man near him. The teen knew they would hit this topic sooner or later; and now that they had, he felt his control over his emotions quickly slipping away.

Vlad's eyes turned bright red, "I'm _sick_ of you blaming me for every one of _your_ **stupidities**!"

"**And I'm sick of you!"**

"**Ugh**! This is _ridiculous_!" the man exclaimed mostly to himself as one of his hands went up in anger. "We cannot cross one word without wanting to blast each other into a wall!"

Danny responded with a short cynical laugh. "Since when have we done anything else besides that?"

Vlad pinched the bridge of his nose in order to keep himself from strangling the boy in front of him. The man soon looked back at Danny, a cold glare on his face. "You might not like me; you might _hate_ me, but you _chose_ to submit to me, Daniel. And _that_ means you _will_ treat me with respect."

Danny crossed his arms in front of him, and for a moment simply regarded the man with a bitter stare, but then, he spitefully answered, "You think I don't know that? What else do you think has kept me from kicking your butt these past three days? _Why_ _else_ do you think I don't blast you in the face right now?!"

"You _want_ me to waste you, don't you?" Vlad whispered darkly, energy seeping into his now fisted hands.

"I don't _care_ what you do!" Danny spat back hatefully. "In fact…" The teen stepped back, spreading out his arms. "Go ahead. I'm wide open."

The older half-ghost's red eyes narrowed into slits, and his energy began to intensify within his hands.

An odd dark smirk tugged on Danny's lips, although his glare was still on his face. "Come on, fruit loop," he taunted, still holding his exposed posture. "…You know you want to."

The boy's words rang in Vlad's ears, but oddly, it didn't make him angrier. Quite the opposite. With deep sobriety, he silently stared at the young half-ghost in front of him. But then, the energy in his hands abruptly vanished and he turned to leave.

Danny's smugness vanished as he watched his enemy moving towards his room's exit. "Wait… Where are you going?" he asked, surprise in his voice.

"I refuse to play your childish games," Vlad answered emotionlessly, before opening the door and walking out, not bothering to close the door behind him.

Danny's eyes flashed green with anger. **"Oh, no you don't!"** he exclaimed, quickly walking after him. And upon stepping out of his room and catching sight of his enemy walking down the hallway, the teen demanded, "Get back here, Vlad! You started this, so now, finish it!" The teen couldn't believe the nerve of this jerk! There was _**no way**_ he was going to let Vlad get away with riling him up by coming into his room, touching the subject about his sister and making threats, _and_ _then_ just leave without doing anything!

Too bad the billionaire had decided to do just that.

"**PLASMIUS!"** Danny suddenly screamed furiously, his control over his emotions collapsing completely.

But his enemy didn't even flinch and still continued walking down the corridor with his hands calmly held behind his back…

Danny took off in a sprint, and quickly blocked the man's path by placing himself in front of him. **"Finish it! Finish it, you twisted coward**!" the teen shouted, his hands fisted on his side.

Vlad's sober look never left. And without even looking at Danny, he turned intangible, walked right through the boy, and continued towards his room.

"**No! NO!"** Past all logic, Danny lunged at his enemy's retreating form. But Vlad somehow sensed it, and turned intangible once more. This, of course, caused Danny to hit nothing but air, and he tumbled forward, fell, and skidded to a halt a few feet in front of the man.

Vlad finally halted, and with a collected and calm voice, assuredly told the boy, "You better get all this out of your system now, Daniel, because I will not tolerate it a second time."

Danny stood up, and without any hesitation, charged at his adversary once more with tight fists. This time, however, Vlad didn't turn intangible. Instead, he grasped the boy's wrists, his hold strong enough to keep the young hybrid from fully using the ghostly strength currently surging through his human form, but not enough to completely stop the teen's angry blows.

All the billionaire could do was silently watch the boy as he continued to growl and swing at him over and over again. Just the fact that Daniel had not even turned ghost and was currently attacking him with his mere fists said so much to the man. The older hybrid didn't have any desire to stop or defend himself against the younger one. How could he, when the one attacking him wasn't his super-powered adversary, but a mere, hurting fifteen-year-old boy? Vlad felt a sudden urge of sadness and… regret rise within him. And it took all his willpower to keep it from showing on his face.

From how much effort he had been putting into his punches, it didn't take long for Danny to tire. And when he couldn't even stay angry anymore, he finally stopped.

For a moment, all that could be heard were the boy's heavy pants. His eyes had lowered to the ground after his final swing at his enemy, so the sorrow that now filled them remained unseen by Vlad. The man didn't need to see it, though. It rang in the boy's next words.

"… I never did anything to you to deserve what you've done to me," Danny whispered, still not looking at the person holding his wrists.

Vlad couldn't keep his own emotions hidden any longer after hearing those heart-wrenching words. He gazed sadly at the teenager in front of him, before softly replying, "I know."

Danny slowly looked up, hoping to find an explanation to such a simple answer within the man's eyes. But above all, he wanted to know what the unmistakable regret in his enemy's voice had meant. Though, much to his disappointment, the teen didn't find it. In fact, looking at Vlad only confused him further, and Danny told him, "I-I don't understand."

The billionaire actually lowered his gaze from the boy's own until it was on his own hands around Danny's wrists. The man let go as he returned his sad gaze to the young half-ghost with a shake of his head. "You never will," Vlad answered sorrowfully, before moving passed him, and continuing to his room.

Danny just stared forward, feeling as if his enemy's words had just detonated a bomb inside his head. As the soft clicks of Vlad's shoes faded, the teen leaned back against the wall next to him and closed his eyes. He couldn't deal with all this anymore. His mind, his body, his heart… and even his soul were utterly exhausted with so much pain and confusion… It was too much.

As he slid down against the wall, Danny found himself pleading to someone he hadn't thought of in a long time; someone who he still couldn't decide if it had been he who had let the entity down, or if, instead, _he_ had let _him_ down…

"Clockwork… make this stop… Please," he whispered. But Danny knew that even if the ghost were listening, he wouldn't answer his plea.

* * *

Vlad's three maids, butler, and chauffeur were sitting at their usual lounge, ignoring the muffled shouts coming from upstairs, when the ghost chef phased through the wall adjoining the kitchen.

"They're fighting again, huh?" George asked with a shake of his head, not really expecting anyone to answer him.

Niane, who looked saddened by something, quietly nodded. But Derek and Carl looked at the cook, acknowledging his words with uncaring shrugs before returning to the domino game they were playing.

Sitting on the couch across the youngest maid, Patricia asked with perplexity, "Why did Master Plasmius even bring him here to begin with?"

Martha, who sat beside her shrugged. "Your guess is as good as--"

"Dazzler?" she suddenly said when the controlling ghost walked into the lounge. "What a surprise to see you here."

Everyone turned their attention to Dazzler just as the ghost rolled his eyes at the maid's surprise. "You know, that's the second time I've heard that today," he answered dryly. "Am I committing a crime I am not aware of by being here?"

"Of course not," Derek answered for Martha; and with a raised eyebrow, added, "It's just that we all know you dislike being indoors,"

"Yes, it's quite unlike you," Carl agreed, watching the controlling ghost sit upon a lounge chair."

"I just thought it was time to vary my surroundings," Dazzler said with a smirk, not noticing that Niane had been regarding him with a heavy frown ever since he had entered.

"_Or_ maybe, you're after a certain young halfa," George answered smugly, folding his arms in front of him.

"The young halfa?" the butler and chauffeur repeated curiously, momentarily pushing their game aside.

"I don't know what you are talking about," Dazzler replied carelessly, picking up a nearby newspaper, and ignoring Derek and Carl all together.

George chuckled. "Don't try to play it off. I've been in the kitchen all day up until now. I heard _everything_."

Dazzler shrugged. The fact that the chef had heard his earlier 'talk' with Danny Phantom and then with his employer held no importance to the controlling ghost. After all, not one of them got involved in the other's affairs. It was almost some unspoken rule between everyone that worked for the older half-ghost.

"I don't like him," Dazzler answered. "Last time I heard, _you_ felt the same way."

George nodded in agreement. "I'll give you that one. But to be honest, now that I've gotten to know him somewhat, the young halfa really isn't as bad as I had first believed."

"Funny. _I _dislike him even more _after _having met him," the controlling ghost said dryly.

But before George could respond, indiscernible, but increasingly loud, shouts interrupted his train of thought. This time, however, the only angry voice that could be heard was that of the young boy.

"Terrific!" Martha exclaimed angrily, "Now they're going to start destroying the house again and _we_ are going to have to clean up _their_ mess!"

The cook couldn't help but laugh heartedly at the female ghost's comment. "At least _you_ don't have to deal with the halfas afterwards! You should see them after one of their fights! Sometimes I could swear they are going to set the kitchen on fire with their looks alone!"

"I agree with George," Derek said, shuddering lightly. "Though, I worry more about the young halfa. Boy, does that child know how to give glares!"

Carl chuckled. "I suppose Dazzler and I are the luckier ones here, since we spend the least amount of time in the castle," the ghost chauffeur commented, sharing a smirk with the controlling ghost.

"Wait…. I don't hear anything anymore," Martha stated, and everyone looked up, trying to catch the slightest sound. But there was none.

"Odd. No blasts?" Patricia mumbled, confused. But then her tone turned into one of curiosity as she asked Martha, "Do you think Master Plasmius finally killed him?"

"Oh, I truly hope so," Dazzler answered casually, his eyes calmly scanning something in the newspaper he held, not caring about the curious stares Martha and Patricia gave him at his words.

Derek and Carl, however, looked at Dazzler quizzically before looking at one another. But then with a dismissive shrug, they returned to their game.

George rolled his eyes at Dazzler's comment, but he didn't respond to it. Instead, he glanced at Niane, who had her eyes glued to the ceiling and was clearly not paying attention to anyone in the room.

"Niane, why don't you go check on them?" George suggested with a calm smile.

The girl ghost startled, her eyes widening. She quickly looked over to George and squeaked "_Me_?"

The cook nodded, his smile widening. "Yes. The young halfa likes you--I think," he added under his breath, his eyebrows momentarily creasing, before he smiled calmly again. "Plus, you would be the least conspicuous out of all of us."

"I'll go," Dazzler offered, shooting the youngest maid an evil grin.

"I'm sure you would," Niane answered, frowning heavily again. "But you do not need to bother yourself; I'll go."

Dazzler raised an eyebrow when he saw the girl ghost actually glare at him, before floating out of the lounge via the ceiling. He could not recall ever seeing such an expression on her face before. But he dismissed it with a smirk, and mockingly remarked, "Well, someone has a little crush." And Dazzler really believed that, too. Why else would the maid get so upset with the thought of his hurting that runt?

Martha smiled at the controlling ghost. "Well, he **is** a cutie," she said, referring to Danny. "I wouldn't blame Niane if that's true."

"Yes," Patricia agreed, looking thoughtfully at the place her youngest sister had been sitting at. "But it's really a shame he's not full ghost."

George couldn't help but laugh at their comments, while Derek, George, and Dazzler just rolled their eyes.

* * *

"Master Danny?"

Still sitting at the spot Vlad had left him, Danny lifted his lowered head and looked at the ghost maid that had appeared so suddenly that his ghost sense barely had time to react.

She stared at him forlornly, before softly telling him, "Dinner is ready."

"I'm not hungry," he whispered back, before burying his face back into his hands.

Niane bit her lower lip as her eyes shifted toward the empty hallway which led to her employer's room. She was going to get in trouble for this; she knew it. But she needed to interfere if only for this distraught boy's sake.

"Listen to me," she suddenly said, looking back down at Danny who was now also looking up at her, a bit taken aback by her grave tone of voice. "I know this is going to sound a bit random, and maybe even absurd... _And_ I know it isn't my place to tell you this, but, maybe, it's time you thought a bit more carefully about what you are doing."

Danny blinked at her. "_What I'm doing?" _he repeated, confused. "...I'm just sitting here."

The girl's sober look didn't falter; and all but ignoring the boy's confusion, said, "Why do you not give him a chance? He is not exactly what you believe him to be."

Now he knew what she meant. She was talking about Vlad… Danny couldn't help but answer with a soft, bitter chuckle and a shake of his head. Although he knew he should be used to it by now, Danny couldn't help but feel resentful with the ghost for once again siding with the evil half-ghost.

Still, he managed to keep the anger out of his voice, and decided to reply to her question with another. "Can I ask you something?"

Niane just nodded.

"What would _you_ do if someone took away _everything_ from you?" he asked soberly.

Sadness now replaced the sobriety in Niane's red eyes and she lowered them from the teen's blue ones. She couldn't answer that.

But as far as Danny was concerned, he didn't need her to. Her silence was enough of a reply, and he nodded. "Exactly. Glad you get it," he told her bitterly, before burying his face back into his hands.

Niane stayed quiet for a moment as she mentally debated whether or not it was wise for her to continue. And her uncertainty reflected in her tone when she spoke again, "H-Have you ever wondered why?"

Danny sighed softly. He had hoped that had been the end of their 'little chat'. But he answered anyway; although, this time, he didn't bother lifting his face from his hands. "Why what?"

The ghost maid's eyes returned to the boy, even if he wasn't looking at her. "Why he does what he does," she elaborated, the insecurity now gone from her face and voice.

Danny couldn't keep his anger down anymore, and he looked up with a glare. "Does it matter?! Nothing justifies what he is. What he's done!"

"Quite true, Master Danny," she answered, her serious look not faltering. "But perhaps knowing that would at least help you find a way to end all this."

The young hybrid stared at the ghost, now too confused to stay angry. "What are you talking about?"

Niane sighed softly, before a mysterious intensity glowed in her eyes. "There is always light at the end of a tunnel, only sometimes, it takes a great deal of effort to find it."

Sadness spread on the boy's face, and he lowered his gaze with a shake of his head. "No…," he whispered. "Sometimes there is no light…. Some things are just…hopeless."

The girl's eyebrows creased in concern and sadness. "You do not truly believe that," she assured him. "But_ if_ that was indeed true and there is no light, then why not create your own? Vanish the darkness with your own light, Master Danny."

"What does this have to do with Plasmius?" he asked tiredly, wishing that everyone would just stop confusing him.

"Everything," she answered softly.

Danny sighed. "Niane," he said, looking up at her seriously, "I do appreciate that you're _trying_ to do help somehow, but I don't think you really know who you work for. And if you do, then you do _not_ know _**my**_ history with him. You have no idea what he _has_ done; what he has _tried_ to do to the people I care about and to me. Inside, I _used_ to feel sorry for him, and I'll even go as far as admitting that there was a moment when I _understood_ how easy it is to take the path he has. But all that is now gone," he assured her angrily. "Vlad doesn't _even_ deserve my loathing, Niane. He's a heartless monster, and that's all he will _**ever**_ know how to be!"

Niane just stared at him with wide eyes, making Danny momentarily regret saying all that to her. But then the ghost's eyebrows creased in sympathy.

"Master Danny," she said sadly. "Your resentfulness is clouding more than your judgment. It's _clouding_ your very heart. And isn't _that_ how people become…. _heartless_?"

"Niane, please, just stop," Danny suddenly pleaded. "Look, I'm _really_ tired. I don't want to talk, especially not about him." He sighed. "Please, I just want to be alone."

The ghost sighed herself, before nodding. "I understand." She gave him a sad smile, and added, "If you get hungry, you know where to go."

Danny nodded, returning her smile with a small but genuine appreciative one of his own. The boy watched the maid give him a small curtsey, before she vanished in front of his eyes. His eyes lowered then, staring blankly at the cold wooden floor he sat on. But it wasn't long before he reacted again and slowly got off the ground. He really _was_ tired--in more ways than one, of course. However, he had no interest in going to his room to sleep. He needed something else right now… He needed fresh air.

Changing into his ghost form with an expressionless look on his face, Danny floated upwards, phasing through the house until he was outside. The large trees a distance away from him marked his destination, and he silently flew towards it.

* * *

Sitting on his bed with his hands neatly placed on his lap, Vlad shook his head at the troubling thoughts going through his mind. After that argument with Daniel, the man realized _**just**_ how unstable the boy became in his presence. It would frighten the older half-ghost if he wasn't so worried… and exhausted.

Vlad had been trying so hard to avoid Daniel just so that he didn't have to deal with _his_ own instability caused by the boy. But there was always something that prevented the man from staying away for too long. And it seemed that with every encounter, things became worse between the teen and him.

He wished he could co-exist with the boy, if only because they were living under the same roof. But as much as he wanted this to happen, it wasn't. Whenever he would try to show any form of kindness towards Daniel, the boy would spur it away. Not that he could blame him, however. After all, Vlad knew what it was like to have everything taken away from you by a single person. He knew the pain that came with having your life destroyed without doing anything to deserve it.

And the dark emotions that came with it….Vlad knew just how it felt to deeply hate the one responsible for ruining your life…

The boy's words had hurt him more than his strongest physical attack ever could. Vlad knew he wasn't a person of morals… they had died a long time ago…. But even without them, the boy's words tormented him, playing themselves over and over again in his mind…

"_I never did anything to you to deserve what you've done to me."_

He felt no better than his enemy, Jack Fenton.

Vlad suddenly glared at nothing in particular, and his hands fisted against the bed's mattress. He _hated_ feeling sorry for the boy. Why did he keep forgetting that Daniel was Jack Fenton's brat and _his_ enemy?

The man saddened again. Why did something inside him have to constantly remind him that Daniel was _**also**_ Maddie's son, that he was the _only_ one _like_ him… that the boy could be _his_ son if it wasn't for Jack…?

The truth was Vlad never really considered having kids for a reason he didn't want to recall... But meeting Danny made him want to. Sure, his interest for the boy sparked only after discovering he was also half-ghost. But now….after over a year of knowing the teen, his interest for the fifteen-year-old was due to _so_ _much_ _more_ than that.

The boy's personality, his determination, his… _glow_…. and even at times, his stubbornness, attracted him in a fatherly way towards the child. Though there were many times when Daniel's quaint morals _did _annoy him, there were still other times when some sort of admiration for the young hybrid inadvertently surged within him.

With a deep sigh, Vlad hung his head, his eyes closing as he whispered, "I'm losing it." His mixed emotions for Daniel confused him greatly. He just couldn't sort through them. He couldn't decide what it was that he _really_ felt about the boy. And even as these confusing feelings had troubled him before, now, with the boy near him so often, they undoubtedly **tortured **him.

"_Knock-Knock." _

Startled, Vlad quickly looked towards his door. He was a bit bothered that he had been so overwhelmed by his thoughts that he didn't sense the entity now outside his door before it got there.

"_Sir?"_

With a soft sigh, the billionaire relaxed, and in his usual collected tone of voice, answered, "Yes, Derek?"

"_Dinner is ready."_

"Thank you, Derek. I'll be down in a moment," he answered without missing a beat.

"_Very well, sir,"_ the ghost answered, before Vlad felt him retreat down the hallway.

The billionaire stood from his bed, and headed to his bathroom to make sure he looked acceptable. It didn't take long for the man to exit his bathroom and then his room. Even though his face was expressionless this entire time, his thoughts were on how he would have to confront the young half-ghost again sometime today if his plans on having Skulker take Daniel to the Ghost Zone tomorrow were to stay on schedule.

By the time Vlad reached downstairs, he had decided he wasn't hungry; so instead of heading to the dining room, he went to the kitchen. He wasn't feeling well and hoped a calming cup of tea would fix that.

Vlad walked over to a cabinet and took out a tea kennel. After filling it with water, he moved over to the stove, placed the kettle on top, and turned the knob on the range. It was obvious that throughout his actions the man was thinking again because he didn't notice that his chef had walked over to him, until that ghost spoke.

"Sir, you're not dining?" George asked, curiously.

This time, Vlad didn't startle and just shook his head at the ghost without looking at him.

The chef sighed, and regrettably remarked, "Ever since the young halfa came here, so much food has gone to waste."

Vlad sighed himself at the mention of Danny. Placing an empty cup on the counter, and still not looking at the ghost, he answered, "A lot more than just food has gone to waste since he got here."

George just stared at his employer, suspecting that underneath Vlad's poker-face façade, the man was severely distressed about something. And after the shouting that went on above a moment ago, it didn't take a lot of pondering as to what that something was.

Knowing his employer usually took honey with his teas and seeing he had not grabbed it himself yet, George went to retrieve it for him. But as he did, the chef spoke. "If I may be so bold to say, sir, maybe you're approaching him the wrong way."

Vlad sighed once more. He was aware that Daniel and he had been arguing loud enough to be heard by anyone in the house. So, he knew George was referring to the boy. For some reason, he couldn't get himself to tell the chef to drop the subject. Instead, as he watched the ghost place the jar of honey on the counter beside him, he responded soberly. "Tell me, George, how can two enemies possibly co-exist?"

George crossed his arms on his chest as he stood in front of his employer. "Honestly? They cannot," he answered with a light shrug. But then he raised an eyebrow and added, "That is, not _until_ 'they' stop seeing each other as such."

Vlad calmly nodded, before moving over to an upper cabinet. "That's what I thought," he answered, pulling out a tea pouch and some other odd glowing jar. "But that will never happen between Daniel and I."

"Not if you don't try," the ghost chef evenly shot back without missing a beat.

Vlad instantly turned to George with a piercing glare. "You don't think I have?!" he exclaimed angrily. He stomped over to the ghost as he continued, "The second I even attempt to show him anything but **hate** he attacks back with **twice** the effort! Daniel is _**the**_ **most** stubborn person I have ever **met**!" The man slammed the items in his hands on the counter, causing the chef to jolt in surprise. But Vlad was too furious to notice it; and unable to hold it in any longer, the man exploded. "**I cannot **_**stand**_** him, George! I cannot stand **_**anything**_** about him! He's such a hard-headed, reckless, **_**inconsiderate**_**, disrespectful, **_**immature**_**, arrogant, **_**defiant **__**little**_**--"**

"He's just a child, sir," the cook interrupted soberly.

Vlad scoffed in anger, although he seemed to deflate somewhat. "Oh, please_,_ George. Daniel is not some fragile, little defenseless boy. Believe me, _I _would know better than anyone."

George shook his head. "From what I've heard _and_ seen he is beyond something weak. But whatever he might be, no matter how _strong_ he might be, he is _still_ a child. And like _any_ child--even though he does a very good job of hiding it-- he's afraid of being alone."

Vlad just stared at the ghost, clearly silenced by his words. But suddenly the whistling of the tea kennel gave the man the excuse to look away. He picked up the kettle and began pouring the water in the mug, before he finally spoke in a thoughtful voice. "Daniel isn't… I don't believe he's afraid of something so…."

"Simple? _Insignificant_?" the ghost supplied with a raised eyebrow. "Is it so hard to believe that he is? After all, aren't we all to some extent afraid of finding ourselves alone, with no one to aid us, support us… love us?"

Vlad, who had been about to add a dose of the odd glowing powder in the jar to his tea, briefly paused in his actions upon hearing George's last words. "I… suppose," he answered evenly, adding the dose and watching how the tea briefly glowed bright green before it vanished.

George nodded, before adding, "And that fear is many times stronger in a child. Now imagine _how_ _much_ _stronger_ it must be for a boy who is as unique as the young halfa, who faces danger more times than most of us… and who has to cope with the unending possibility of losing not only his life, but of those around him."

Vlad looked at George. The ghost didn't know of everything he did to the boy, or anything else in his ghost and human lives for that matter. And that wasn't surprising, really, since the chef didn't involve himself—nor did Vlad want him to-- in any affairs outside of, well, being a chef for him. So, George did not know how much his words were cutting through him. If indeed Daniel was afraid of… being alone…. The billionaire couldn't keep a small pang of guilt from surfacing.

But then, Vlad shook his head at his chef, before going back to making his tea. "There is nothing I can do about that."

"Perhaps not," the ghost answered with a frown, "_Or_ perhaps you could. Perhaps you could alleviate it…." Finding his employer's eyes back on him, George crossed his arms again, continuing, "You see, sir. Before the boy can look at you as something else besides his enemy, you have to stop seeing him as _your enemy,_ and see him for what he is."

Vlad crossed his arms himself, tiredly asking, "And what's that?"

"A child with amazing abilities, strength, and vigor. But…. a child nonetheless."

Vlad sighed sadly. "George, I know that."

"But you forget it."

The man could find nothing to say to that, so George spoke up again. "You know, from what I've heard, the young halfa works very hard to do good, to save those in need…I find it quite admirable." The cook suddenly chuckled lightly. "Not that _that_ means I have changed my disagreement about his fighting against other ghosts."

But upon not receiving any reaction from his employer, he quickly sobered up. "Sir, perhaps, for once, it is the young halfa who needs saving. From what? I'm not sure. But I've noticed that behind his defiance, there's something else in his eyes, something that shouldn't be there…." The ghost eyebrows creased. "He needs help. And I honestly can't think of anyone better to do that than the only other halfa: _**you**_, sir. Maybe you could be able to _see_ what no one else can; maybe you could _understand_ what it is he needs to be saved from."

Vlad shook his head sadly. "No, George. That cannot be. Even if I wanted that to be true…" He sighed once more. "There are things that you do not know," the man assured the chef with deep gravity. "And it's because of those things that we cannot and will not ever see each other as anything but enemies." Vlad's eyebrows creased in sorrow again. "I understand everything you are telling me. I know what I would have to do to have things… change. George…I know what he wants. But… I cannot give it to him. I **must** **not** give it to him… For doing so would be a _betrayal_ to _**myself**_."

The ghost lowered his folded arms, an unsure look in his face. "I might not know the extent of your problems with the young halfa, but nothing is irreparable, sir."

"_This_ is," the man assured him, a look of cold acceptance overcoming his face. He seemed to truly believe that things were…irreparable.

The chef shook his head. "At _least_--"

"George," Vlad suddenly interrupted, a neutral expression returning to his face. "I appreciate your words. I appreciate your attention. I…." His eyes lowered as he whispered, "I needed to get that off my chest." He looked at the ghost again, this time with decisive blue eyes. "But this ends here," he told him in a definite voice.

George knew that when his employer decided on something, there was nothing that could sway him from it. And the man had just decided this was the end of their conversation…. The ghost had to admit he was surprised that his employer had allowed him to go on about this in the first place. But now it was time to stop.

"Yes, sir," George replied calmly. And noticing that the older halfa had finished making his tea, added, "I'll return everything to its place for you."

Vlad smiled and gave him a thankful nod. He then turned his gaze to his prepared tea, grabbed it, and without another word, left the kitchen.

Now alone, George silently moved over to the cabinet to return the jar of honey and the other glowing jar to its place. As he did, he let out a calm sigh, before remarking to himself with a quiet chuckle, "The young halfa the most stubborn person he has met? I personally find _him_ to be _just_ as stubborn,"

* * *

A few hours later found Danny in the 'telescope room'. Ever since Vlad had shown him the place, he had been itching to return to do more than just _look_ at the things there. He wanted to touch the mainframe, the star maps, the… grand and expensive _telescope_. But he had refused himself that. He would not give Vlad the pleasure of knowing how much he liked this room. But, with boredom as his catalyst, he could no longer ignore the strong temptation of the room… So, he sinned.

As he adjusted a lens on the state-of-the-art telescope, the teen realized that it was a very good thing that he knew a lot about telescopes. Otherwise, he would have never figured out how to work an advanced one such as this one. Fleetingly, the boy wondered if _Vlad_ knew how to work the star-gazing device. For some reason, Danny doubted that he did.

Lifting his eyes from the eye piece on the telescope, Danny's blue eyes gazed past the large instrument and to the visible sky through the clear glass dome above him.

He wasn't looking for any ordinary constellation that he could view with _any_ common telescope. No, he was searching for a galaxy in deep space, one he had only seen in photographs. And now that he had the chance to see it with his _own_ eyes, he was determined to find it.

Currently sitting on a wheeled chair, he pushed himself towards the mainframe, and looked down at the controls. He still hadn't figured out how to use everything on it, but he was quickly getting it. And after two hours of being here, he had learned enough to search for what he wanted to see. Watching the large screen that showed the section of the sky currently in the telescope's view, Danny rotated a remote attached to the control panels shaped like a black ball. He moved his chair over to the planisphere from which he was getting his bearing, and traced something along the map with his finger, his lips wordlessly counting as he went.

A small smile tugged on his lips when he finished, and he quickly rolled back to the screen he had been viewing. He rolled the sphere-like remote under his palm, and behind him, the telescope moved to its indicated position.

"There," he whispered, his smile growing.

Danny quickly rolled his chair back to the telescope and looked into the lens. Slowly, he began to adjust and enhance the many lenses that had to be perfectly aligned as he took the telescope's view deeper into space. Ten minutes later, he hit Pluto. He grinned.

But, he was not done yet. He was looking for a galaxy, so it was obviously past the planets that were found in the galaxy Earth belonged to. But the sight of Pluto indicated to the young half-ghost he was moving in the right direction.

The boy continued with his actions over and over again, moving from the telescope, to the mainframe, to the map, and so forth. It wasn't until an hour later that he hit his prize. And a gasp of amazement escaped him.

Danny knew the galaxy was beautiful; but it wasn't until now that he was looking at it with his own eyes, able to admire the slow moments of the burning stars and dark planets, that he could _truly_ see and know _just_ how beautiful they all were. It was truly one of the most awing things he had ever seen.

With a smile, he looked back at the screen on the mainframe that reflected on a larger scale what he could see directly through the telescope. He was going to have to learn how to work the camera system on the computer if he was to take pictures of the galaxy. And he was _definitely_ going to take pictures of it!

He looked back at the telescope and returned to looking through it. Never in his dreams did he ever think he would have the chance to see something so important to him this early in his life. After all, only those who were professional astronomers got their hands on such a sophisticated telescope. For once in quite some time, he felt…. happy.

It was hard, however, to escape the memories of all the times his friends and him would sit up on the roof of the Op Center at Fenton Works and star-gaze. Of course, the telescope he had back at home compared nothing to this one, but he always had fun--_they_ always had fun. And he never got tired of looking at the constellations and planets they would find in the sky. But most importantly, he never got tired of simply relaxing below the night sky with his two best friends….

His two best friends who now hated him…. Not that he could blame them….

"I'm glad to see you've finally found something to entertain yourself with."

Danny briefly tensed with the appearance of Vlad's voice, but then quickly relaxed, while bitterly thinking, _"Perfect timing."_

However, the teen didn't look at the man, and continued to look through the telescope as he answered with a shrug, "You said I could use it, right?"

"That's right," Vlad replied causally without missing a beat. However, the man was wondering how the teenager had figured out how to use the instruments in this room so quickly _and_ without asking him… Not that he would be of much help, since he didn't _really_ know how to use these instruments himself….

The man's eyebrows suddenly creased with intrigue when he noticed the mainframe's screen. There was an image of some sort of star cluster; but the colorful gases moving along it showed it wasn't just any ordinary star cluster. Maybe a galaxy? Was the boy really _that_ knowledgeable in astronomy to the point that he was capable of finding something as complex? Or maybe it was merely a picture Danny had brought up on the screen…. A very _vivid_ and _life-like_ picture….?

If Vlad wasn't so utterly shocked, he would have realized he was just standing there, staring. He was having a hard time believing it. Was it even possible that _this_ clueless, C-average teenager could actually know enough astronomy to carry on a decent conversation with a seasoned astronomer? It had caught the man completely off guard.

Unlike Vlad, Danny was aware of the silence in the room. And it wasn't long before the teenager had enough of it.

Danny lifted his eyes from the telescope, but didn't look at Vlad. Instead, he glared at the stars above him. "Did you _want_ something? Or did you come to keep your threat?" the teen snapped, clearly annoyed with the man's seemingly purposeless presence. Why couldn't the guy just leave him alone for a few freakin' hours?!

The boy's hostile tone of voice returned the billionaire to his senses, and he quickly felt his anger begin to rise. However, he suppressed it, determined to not get into another argument with the boy.

"Neither," Vlad answered coolly with much effort. "I merely came to inform you that tomorrow you will be going to the Ghost Zone with Skulker. Good night, Daniel," he ended in the same voice, before turning and walking back towards the door.

Instantly, Danny spun around in the chair he was sitting on, a look of pure disbelief on his face. "Wait, what?" he barely managed to ask.

But either the man ignored him or didn't hear him, because Vlad closed the door behind him without another word, leaving the teenager alone in the room once more.

Danny jumped to his feet, and quickly ran towards the door. But, suddenly, he halted, remembering the telescope. He looked distraughtly between his hard-earned finding on the mainframe's screen and the closed door. If he left now, he'd have to start from scratch again. And since he still didn't know how to use the camera system on the mainframe, he couldn't even take pictures of the galaxy that had taken him almost two hours to find.

With an annoyed groan, he quickly moved back to the control panel, and shut the entire system down. As he ran out of the room, the telescope slowly retracted back into the room and the glass dome changed back into a normal ceiling.

"Vlad, wait!" Danny exclaimed, after running down the long staircase and finding the man just about to exit the mapping room.

Vlad paused, but didn't turn to look at the boy as he tiredly asked, "What is it, Daniel?"

Although he was a bit out of breath, Danny's bafflement was still evident in his voice. "I don't think I heard you right. Did you say I'm going to the Ghost Zone with Skulker?"

"Yes. I did," Vlad answered evenly, before stepping out of the room without closing the door behind him. Somehow, he knew the boy was not done.

Danny's mouth gaped open as he watched the billionaire's form retreat down the hallway. But he soon shook off his shock, and ran once more to catch up to his enemy. Now overwhelmed with curiosity, the surprise in his voice vanished. And as he fell in step with Vlad, he tilted his head slightly with interest and asked, "What for?"

"To meet someone."

Danny instantly halted in his tracks, and just stared at the older hybrid like he had grown an extra head--or something that would qualify just as bizarre. However, his incredulity quickly melded into something else. Something that got Vlad to stop his retreat and finally turn to look at the boy…

"Ha-hah-ha-ha-ha!"

Vlad just raised an eyebrow at the hysterical teenager. And the boy called _him_ loopy…

"L-Let me get…t-this straight," Danny managed to say through his laughter. "You want me to go into the Ghost Zone…. with Skulker to… m-meet a ghost, r-right?"

"Yes. Why is that amusing?" the man asked with a frown; but upon seeing the boy just laugh harder, he began to feel his patience slowly start to shatter.

"Oh man! That's rich! You want _**me--**_" Danny said, jabbing a thumb towards his chest. "--to go into _the Ghost Zone_--" He lifted a finger. "--_with_ _Skulker--"_ He lifted a second finger, marking his words, "--to _meet_ some _ghost_!" Danny lifted a third finger, before grabbing his sides with his hands and laughing heartedly again.

"Are you done?" Vlad asked annoyed, a scowl now on his face.

"Wait," Danny answered, lifting a finger, and then continued to crack up some more. He soon took a breath and smiled as he said, "Okay, now I'm done." But then, his face instantly turned to a heavy frown as he added, "And my answer is 'no'." Without another word, Danny walked right passed his enemy, heading towards his room.

This time, it was Vlad's turn to catch up. "I'm sorry. I don't believe I ever said it was an option," the man stated matter-of-factly.

Danny paused to glare at the man beside him. "I _am_ _not_ going into the Ghost Zone with _that_ maniac!" he exclaimed, his arms going up in anger. "If you want to waste me that badly, then just do it yourself!"

"What the blazes are you talking about, Daniel?!" Vlad snapped back, now sounding as angry as the teenager. The billionaire found it _ridiculous_ how the boy seemed to always believe everyone was out to get him. Seriously, was he _that_ paranoid?

"_No_ _one_ is going to waste you!" the man continued. "So enough of your absurdity! It's _merely_ a short trip; in fact, consider it your first task for me."

Danny crossed his arms with an angry huff, and his eyes lowered from the man for a moment, before he looked back at him again. He was still mad, but it was clear the boy had deflated somewhat.

"Who am I meeting?" Danny asked crossly, though his voice was back to its normal volume.

Vlad waved a hand dismissively as he resumed walking towards his destination. "You'll find out when you get there."

"Oh, okay," Danny answered with sarcastic anger, following after the man towards the now visible main stairs. "Will that be before or after Skulker tries to _**skin **__**me**_?!" Danny shouted, his hands fisting on his sides.

Vlad, who had been descending the stairs, paused on a middle step and looked back at the boy with a glare. "I'm not arguing with you again, Daniel. I think _once_ is enough for a day," he said with restrained anger, before continuing his descend.

"Hey, _**you're**_ the one who started this!" Danny exclaimed, stomping down the stairs after his enemy. "You're _**forcing**_ me to go into the Ghost Zone, _**where my enemies**_ _**live**_, accompanied by _**one of those enemies**_, to probably meet _**ANOTHER ENEMY!"**_ Danny screamed at the top of his lungs.

In an abrupt motion, Vlad whirled around and grabbed the boy by the collar of his shirt, effectively stunning the teen into silence. "You can kick and scream; you can throw all the blasted little tantrums that you want; but none of it will change _**one**_ _**single thing**_!" the man growled in the Danny's face. "It _**will not**_ change the fact that you are here; it _**will not**_ change the fact that you are bound to me; and it _**will not**_ change the fact that you are going to the Ghost Zone whether you want to or not! "

"Then you're going to have to _**drag**_ me in there!" Danny snarled back. "And then I'll _**show**_ you kicking and screaming!"

"You want to challenge me, you little rat?" Vlad whispered vehemently, pulling the boy closer. "Go ahead. I _**dare**_ you. But rest assured. You **will** lose, just as you _always_ have, and just as you _**always**_ **will**!"

Danny's eyes only narrowed further with his enemy's words. "You don't get it, Plasmius," he growled spitefully. "I _can't_ lose anymore; not when I don't have anything _to_ lose!"

"You overestimate my patience, boy, and _that_ is a dangerous mistake," Vlad assured him darkly. "Have you _thought_ about all I could make you do? I haven't made you hold your word to its full extent, but _do not_ make the mistake of believing I will not. If to _humiliate_ you is what you want, then I **will** **not** hesitate to fulfill your wish! I will _**degrade**_ you, until you are lower than _dirt_, until you are _**nothing**_!" The man's voice had dropped to a quiet, but even darker tone than with what he had started. But the young half-ghost was not intimidated in the least.

Danny's lips slowly spread into a cynical smile, before he chuckled in the same way right in the man's face. "_Degrade_?" he asked amused. "Oh please! What are you going to do, huh? Kick my butt? Put me in a cage?" The teen's mocking look suddenly turned into one of bitterness as he continued, "Take a good look at me, Plasmius. Can't you _see_ it? Can't you see that I don't care anymore?!"

Danny paused as he saw a flash of red in the man's eyes, betraying the sober look with which his enemy now regarded him. A dark and smug smirk slowly began to tug on the boy's lips. "What's wrong, _Uncle Vlad_?" Danny teased, his eyes narrowing with the same eerie amusement showing in his smile. "Aren't I what you expected? Aren't I the perfect, submissive half-ghost pawn you've always wanted?" He raised an eyebrow at the silent man, and added. "**Or…** is it that I'm _not_ and you've finally lost at your own _twisted_ game?" Danny suddenly chuckled. "That's it, isn't it?" The young hybrid grinned cruelly, before whispering at the man, "You're pathetic, Vlad Masters."

Vlad's sober look never left him, even with the boy's last words. However, the man suddenly seemed inclined to let go of the teen's shirt, though he still simply stared coldly and silently at him. But the older half-ghost's eerie calmness vanished all too abruptly. And faster then Danny could comprehend, Vlad lifted a hand and slapped the boy hard across the face.

Danny yelped in both surprise and pain, and stumbled backwards. However, he managed to keep his footing, but then quickly froze in place. His eyes were as wide as could be, while he held his left hand against his red, throbbing cheek. The boy's shock, however, didn't last long. And his blue eyes quickly narrowed. "Why you--"

"Master," Vlad cut off coldly, "_That's_ what you will call me from now on."

A dangerous look appeared on Danny's face, and he suddenly switched to his ghost form. It was clear the boy was on the verge of striking out against his enemy, obviously not caring about whatever consequences it might bring.

But Vlad seemed unfazed by the young hybrid's threatening glare, and he calmly crossed his arms. "No, that won't do," he continued, thoughtfully tapping his chin, before regarding the boy with a clever smirk. "Ah, I know: _Father_. You will call me 'Father'. I find _that_ more appropriate, don't you?" he asked cruelly.

Danny's defiant glare abruptly changed into a fearful gaze; even his aggressive posture vanished with the man's words.

And Vlad noticed it. "What's wrong, _Son_? I thought you didn't care what I did?" he mocked with a smile.

The teen's eyes lowered from his enemy's own, his white rings quickly changing him back to his human self. "You're not my father," he whispered fearfully.

Vlad chuckled uncaringly. "That's _beyond_ the point. I'll be what I want; and _you __**will**_ be and do what _I_ want."

"Y-You're not my dad," Danny restated once more, this time his voice filled with barely restrained emotion. "Please, don't ask me that."

The man forced himself to maintain his cold demeanor after hearing Danny's pitiful plea. Was calling him 'father' _that_ horrible for the teen?

Ignoring all the emotions that the question had brought, Vlad grabbed the boy's chin, forcing him to look at him. "You will go tomorrow. And you will do so willingly. For if I hear another word of protest from you on this, I promise you, Daniel, that I will reveal to you a side of me you cannot even _begin_ to imagine," the man vowed darkly, before roughly releasing the teen's face.

Danny just gazed back with angry eyes, although the defiance in them was no longer there. But then, without a single word, he turned from the man and quickly retreated towards his room.

Vlad watched the boy climb the stairs with a stern look, but when Danny vanished from view, the man's eyes lowered. "No, my boy, I didn't finally lose… I finally won," he whispered sadly, the hand with which he had struck the teen coiling into a soft fist.

Knowing that sleep was now the last thing he would be able to do, Vlad retreated to the mansion's library, hoping that a book would occupy his mind enough so that he wouldn't think.

* * *

Closing the door behind him, Danny leaned heavily against it, before lifting a hand to his still hot cheek. Who did that jerk think he was? He had no right to treat him like this! He had no right to force him to…

The boy hung his head, his hand dropping to his side. No, Vlad had every right. _He_ had given him the right to control his life…. The man was right, too. His reluctance to go to the Ghost Zone had not been because he was worried about the many enemies in there. After all, he had gone to the Ghost Zone countless of times, and he was quite capable of defending himself against any hostile ghosts. No, his reluctance was due to the fact that he hated how he had to do everything the man said. Vlad could have at least _asked_ him to go to the Ghost Zone. Instead, his enemy just _informed_ him of the decision _he_ had made _for_ him, as if rubbing in the fact that he didn't have a say over himself anymore.

With an angry sigh, Danny moved over to his bed and sat crossed leg on top of it. His blue eyes glared down at his hands resting in between his legs. As much as he didn't want to admit it, the teen knew this had been his own doing. He had no right to complain. How could he when he made this choice?

But…. what else could he have done when it had been his only choice? From the _very_ _beginning_, Vlad had just given him this _one_ choice: submission.

"He planned all this out," Danny realized, his eyes flaring green. "And I fell right into it!" he shouted, his hands fisting against the mattress.

But he knew it was too late for regret. His word was binding, especially with his sister's life acting as the cohesive. He could never retract the deal he made with Vlad. And that left him with no other choice but to pay the consequences of his mistake. And he was indeed paying dearly for it.

Danny stood up from his bed. The anger on his face had snuffed away, revealing what he kept trying to hide: sadness. But for the moment, he was too tired to mask his true emotions.

Suddenly overcome by the need to sleep, Danny went to the bathroom to change into his pajamas and get ready for bed. He didn't know what time it was, though he knew it was late since he had been star-gazing for a couple of hours. But even if it wasn't time for bed, he wouldn't have cared. He felt too drained to try to stay awake any longer. He just hoped that tonight he didn't have to suffer through nightmares. Ever since he came to his enemy's abode the teen had been plagued with disturbing dreams. And most seemed so real, he couldn't help but be frightened by them.

* * *

Seeing that it was the end of the day, Vlad's ghostly employees had returned to the lounge in which they liked to relax. Well, all except Derek and Carl. This time, they were not there.

But Dazzler was present, much to the maids and the cook's surprise. In fact, they suspected the ghost had not left the room since he had first arrived several hours ago. The maids and the chef had been sure that the controlling ghost would have long since become sick of the confinement of the lounge. But they were clearly wrong. However, they said nothing to Dazzler about it. The ghosts were too busy trying to ignore the shouting going on to really care about anything else.

"Can ghosts get headaches?" Martha asked, rubbing her temple.

George shrugged at the maid's question.

"Because I'm almost certain I feel one with all the screaming that's going on!" she said, annoyed.

"Martha, I don't think you feel a headache," Patricia said calmly, her eyes and hands currently occupied with crocheting.

Martha glared at her sister. "How are you going to tell me what I can and cannot feel? I _know_ what _I_ feel. And I feel a headache."

This time, Patricia regarded the other older maid with a frown, and halted her knitting as she said, "It's just not possible."

Niane rolled her eyes when she heard her sisters start arguing about why ghosts could or could not get headaches. The girl ghost hadn't noticed that Dazzler, too, had rolled his eyes at the two older maids.

The controlling ghost wasn't very thrilled with being indoors, but he knew he had to tolerate it so that he could find the 'opening' his sister needed for her plan. And to do that, Dazzler needed to keep an eye on his employer and Danny Phantom. The ghost knew it was only a matter of time before the older hybrid left the house to attend to one of his many business dealings.

Pulling himself away from the book that he had been reading after hearing the voices of the two arguing hybrids, Dazzler turned his attention toward the door. They were getting closer since their words were now distinguishable. The ghost smirked, realizing that could only mean they were coming downstairs.

"_Will that be before or after Skulker tries to __**skin me**__?!" _

"_I'm not arguing with you again, Daniel. I think once is enough for a day,"_

"_Hey, __**you're**__ the one who started this! You're __**forcing**__ me to go into the Ghost Zone, __**where my enemies**__**live**__, accompanied by __**one of those enemies**__, to probably meet __**ANOTHER ENEMY!"**_

Dazzler eyes widened in utter surprise, but he quickly lifted his book in front of his face, covering his expression from the other ghosts around him. Did he hear right? Was his employer making Danny Phantom go into the Ghost Zone? If so, then this was even better than waiting for the older hybrid to leave the house! The runt could come _to_ them!

Now anxious to hear more, Dazzler pulled away from his thoughts and focused back on the arguing half-ghosts. This time, he could hear his employer's angry voice...

"…_.it will change __**one **__**single thing**__! It __**will not**__ change the fact that you are here; it __**will not**__ change the fact that you belong to me; and it __**will not**__ change the fact that you are going to the Ghost Zone whether you want to or not! " _

"_Then you're going to have to __**drag**__ me in there! And then I'll __**show**__ you kicking and screaming!"_

Dazzler's eyebrows creased when he was unable to hear his employer's response to that comment since the man's voice had fallen into a whisper. However, Danny Phantom continued speaking loudly, and the older hybrid soon did the same….

"_You don't get it, Plasmius, I can't lose anymore; not when I don't have anything to lose!"_

"_You overestimate my patience, Daniel, and that is a dangerous mistake. Have you thought about all I could make you do? I haven't made you….. "_

Meanwhile, the older maids continued their squabble, too focused on one another to take notice of the hybrids. However, George and Niane _were_ listening intently to Vlad and Danny. But their interest, of course, was not for the same reason as Dazzler's. They simply couldn't help but be amazed--in different ways-- with the fact that these two similar beings could actually dislike each other as much as the half-ghosts did. The things they were telling each other were, well, terrible!

Dazzler, however, found it quite comical. If he knew that the two hybrids' arguments were _this_ interesting, he would have begun spending more time indoors sooner.

"……_.__**Or…**__ is it that I'm not and you've finally lost at your own twisted game? That's it, isn't it?_

The three listening ghosts knew the boy had said something more at the end…. something that made their employer fall silent…. And they knew that was not good.

"_Master. That's what you will call me from now on…. _

While George winced at his employer's words, Niane shook her head at them, her saddened red eyes lowering to her hands.

"_No, that won't do….Ah, I know: Father. You will call me 'Father'. I find that more appropriate, don't you? …What's wrong, Son? I thought you didn't care what I did?" _

The grin that had crawled into Dazzler's face after hearing his employer's degrading command towards the young hybrid momentarily faltered. How was the title 'Father' more demeaning than 'Master'? And why in the world would the man even want Danny Phantom to refer to him as such?

But the controlling ghost didn't get the answer to his question. The boy's response to his employer's words had come in a whisper, preventing him from hearing it.

The three ghosts heard the older hybrid chuckle uncaringly before saying, _"That's beyond the point. I'll be what I want; and you __**will**__ be and do what I want."_

Again, the young hybrid's response came in a whisper. But before Vlad's servants could wonder why, their employer spoke again, this time, in his darkest tone of voice yet.

"_You will go tomorrow. And you will do so willingly. For if I hear another word of protest from you on this, I promise you, Daniel, that I will reveal to you a side of me you cannot even begin to imagine."_

Dazzler's eyes widened once more as the house finally silenced. But then slowly, a sinister smile spread on the ghost's lips, one that remained covered by his book.

Surprised, George commented to the young maid, "I can't believe he's sending the young halfa into the Ghost Zone.

Niane didn't look at the ghost, much less give him a response.

George gave her a quizzical look upon noticing her dejected demeanor, but the chef soon quickly dismissed it with a sigh. "Well, I hope he knows what he's doing," the chef added with a shrug. Without another word, he stood and phased back into the kitchen.

Crossing her arms, Niane sighed, for once in agreement with the chef. She ignored her sisters continuing quarrel, preferring to just stare gravely at nothing in particular.

Meanwhile, Dazzler was so engrossed with what he had discovered that he had not heard a word of George's comments; and he had long since blocked the voices of the still arguing Patricia and Martha.

His mind whirled with the numerous ways to take advantage of his employer's little idea. And deciding on one, Dazzler placed the book in his hands on the coffee table, before calmly standing, and making an inconspicuous departure.

As he headed towards the bottom-stairs ghost portal, a quiet chuckle escaped the controlling ghost's lips, while thinking, _"My employer just handed us that runt on a silver platter."_

* * *

**Pearl: Just wanna say thanks for all the reviews! As always, I will try my best to reply to them, but I might not be able to. Depends if I have tests or HW… Blah. Still, know that your reviews are my chocolate! Makes me very happy inside! Heh-heh! And, man, I just gotta say I am awed by the number of reviews I have for this story. I'm approaching 1,000. Holy Smokes! But I don't mind at all!! So, send more of your thoughts my way! And maybe I'll reach 2,000! Heh! I'm kidding … Although that would have to be some sort of record… hmm. Okay! Until next time!**

**Vlad muse: Yes… until next time… **_**Son**_**. –laughs evilly and disappears-**

**Pearl: Don't ask, because I don't get it, either. –goes off to find muse to put him in an asylum.-- **


	39. Chapter 38:Vengeance

**Well, not exactly the weekend, but at least I updated earlier than usual! So, here it is! Short chapter, but pretty important for what's to come! And what's to come is another big climax that will take CM into a new direction! Heh! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom**

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* * *

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Chapter 38: Vengeance

"You're trapped, Daniel. Trapped, helpless, and alone!"

Danny glared at his laughing arch-enemy. "You can't keep me here forever!" he shouted back.

"No?" the man whispered back evilly.

Danny gasped when he found himself suddenly inside a small cell. "No!" the teen screamed when his enemy slammed the door closed and locked him in. "No, you can't do this!" he continued in desperation.

But Plasmius just laughed as he melted the key to the lock in his gloved hands.

Danny pulled fearfully at the bars in front of him, trying to break them. "Let me out!"

"Never," the man answered darkly. And coming closer to the trapped boy, added, "You are mine, remember?"

"No, you forced me to!" Danny answered in denial.

"Did I, really?"

Danny shut his eyes, and pleaded, "Please, let me go."

"...Alright."

The young half-ghost's eyes snapped open in disbelief, and he stared at his smirking enemy.

"---But you must answer a question…," the man added.

The teen could only nod.

Plasmius stepped closer; and as he leaned down to look into Danny's eyes, the teen felt a cold shiver run through him.

"Who are you?" the evil hybrid whispered.

Danny stared back, confused. "What?"

"Who are you?" the man suddenly demanded angrily.

"I'm… Danny," the boy answered back, feeling his heart speed up.

"No. Who are you?" Plasmius asked again, glaring.

"I just told you!" Danny shouted back, starting to panic.

Vlad suddenly grasped one of Danny's hands, and roughly twisted it until the boy cried out in pain. "You are running out of time, Daniel. Answer me!"

"Stop! I don't know what you are talking about!"

"Yes, you do! So, tell me before it's too late!"

Danny didn't know how, but the man suddenly spun him around, slamming the back of his skull against the cell bars. "Who are you?" Plasmius asked again, holding him in place by his hair. The man moved closer behind him, before whispering in his ear. "Are you…me?"

"No!" the boy shouted back. "I'm nothing like you!"

"Then are you… _him_?"

Danny's eyes widened in true fear when his future, evil self suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Hello, Danny," Evil Phantom sneered, his hands glowing with green energy.

Danny screamed in horror, and began to struggle harder against his arch-enemy's hold. "No! I'm not him! I'm not him! Let me go!"

"You must answer the question," Plasmius answered in his ear.

Danny gasped when his evil self suddenly wrapped a hand around his throat, and began to squeeze. The boy could take no more, and in a panicked voice screamed, "I'M DANNY!"

"Time's up," Plasmius sober voice rang behind him. And he suddenly vanished.

Evil Phantom laughed loudly, before unexpectedly bringing his hand forward, and in one swift motion, phased it right into the boy's chest.

Danny screamed in pain as he felt a hand wrap around his beating heart and squeeze. "Maybe you will answer me…" his future self said darkly. "Last time, who are you?"

"I-I don't know," the teen answered back, tears now streaming down his face.

"Wrong answer."

Danny gasped when he saw Evil Phantom suddenly become Clockwork.

"Clockwork?" the teen whispered fearfully.

"You have forgotten who you are," the Time Master said soberly, easing the grip that was now his own around the boy's heart.

The teen looked completely distraught. "No, I'm Danny."

"Wrong answer."

Danny cried in pain as Clockwork began to squeeze his heart, before crushing it to a halt. And then, the boy knew no more……

Danny sat up on his bed with a jolt, his breathing on fire. But then, suddenly, he noticed a pair of glowing red eyes staring at him, and he screamed, "NO!!"

Niane gasped as she turned intangible to avoid the ecto-blast the boy shot at her in his panic. "Master Danny!" she cried out.

The maid's voice seemed to bring the teen's senses back. And he quickly looked around his room, realizing he had been asleep and everything that had happened moments before had only been a nightmare.

He looked back at the maid, fear still in his eyes. "What are you doing here?" he whispered.

Niane became even more nervous at the question, and quickly gave him an explanation. "I-I'm truly sorry! George wanted me to ask what you wanted for breakfast. I knocked, but you didn't answer… And you were screaming, so I…" She trailed off. "I'm sorry," she said sadly, averting her gaze from the teen's own.

Danny swallowed as he tried to calm his breathing. It was at this moment, he realized his hands were clutching his sheets and he had turned into his ghost form after seeing Niane's red eyes when he first woke.

He slowly let the covers go, and as he pushed back his sweat-soaked hair, he became human again. "I-I… You…" The teen sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. But when he opened them again, calmly said, "Just tell George to make me whatever he wants."

Niane slowly nodded, and without a word, left for the door. But the boy's sudden voice stopped her before she could leave the room.

"Niane?"

The ghost looked back at Danny, and sadly asked, "Yes, sir?"

A look of regret was on his face as he told her. "I didn't mean to shoot at you."

A small, warm smile grew on the maid's lips, but her eyes seemed to reflect the boy's same remorse. "I know… And I really am sorry."

Before Danny could tell her she hadn't done anything for her to be sorry for, Niane left his room, closing the door behind her.

The boy buried his face into his hands as the images of his nightmare suddenly flared inside his mind, and he then realized he had a headache. "It's not real…. They are not real," he whispered to himself as he recalled his other nightmares featuring his evil self.

With a deep sigh, he pushed his thoughts away and looked up at the clock. It was seven in the morning… And then he remembered…. what he would be doing today.

Danny groaned as he pushed himself off the bed, and murmured, "This is going to be a long day."

He sighed again, and moved to the closet to get a change of clothing. A deep frown grew on his face at his next thoughts. But as he turned to head towards the bathroom, the boy tried to shake those thoughts out of his head.

"This isn't a big deal. I've been to the Ghost Zone dozens of times," he reasoned to himself as he undressed. "And if Skulker tries anything, I'll blast him," he added, darkly, before finally stepping into the shower.

Honestly, Danny wasn't worried about going to the Ghost Zone. He just hated having to go only because it was _Vlad's_ idea. And it made his blood boil that he had to obey the jerk.

Once finished with the usual morning routine, Danny went downstairs for breakfast. But he didn't want to eat in the dining room. Now that it was eight, the 'official' time for breakfast, that would mean that Vlad--if he was home--would be there. And he was **not** about to eat with the guy. Still, he also didn't want to eat in the kitchen for various reasons, but foremost because he didn't want to see Niane right now. He knew he would feel uncomfortable being around her after she had witnessed his reaction to his recent nightmare.

Then he thought of eating breakfast at the outside pool patio—that would work. It would certainly reduce the chance of running into his arch-enemy and any other ghost---for the most part.

Unfortunately for Danny, once he had finished breakfast and went back in, he did end up running into Vlad; and ironically, at the main stairs again. Danny was starting to hate those stairs, and he seriously began considering flying _into_ his room via the roof from now on…

"Good morning, Daniel," Vlad greeted him calmly, pushing the teen out of his thoughts.

Danny just glared, before moving pass him and heading up the stairs. But Vlad's voice stopped him.

"Daniel, I do not want you going to the simulation room today."

The boy halted, and regarded his enemy with a quizzically look. "Why not?"

Vlad sighed tiredly. "Just don't, alright?" he answered, his tone of voice sounding a bit pleading.

But Danny didn't notice it; and with an uncaring shrug, replied, "Whatever," and then continued up the stairs.

Vlad rolled his eyes in annoyance as the boy left, before looking away from him and continuing towards the kitchen. But as he passed his employee's lounge and saw Dazzler step out from it, one of the man's eyebrows rose questioningly.

Vlad had felt that Dazzler was a very peculiar ghost from the day he met him. Dazzler rarely used his powers and hardly showed his abilities to others. And even more unusual was that he preferred to look and act human. In fact, he seldom took on his true appearance, as if he wanted other to believe him to be truly human. And he drove home that point by actually opening doors—like the lounge door just now—instead of phasing through them as most ghosts did.

But the billionaire knew it was all a ruse. The ghost was very inhuman---not that Vlad cared, since it often benefited his plans. Tricking others into believing he was a mere human, or a harmless ghost, was just a way to catch his victims off guard. It was this deceiving, obsessive and controlling nature that made Dazzler all the more dangerous.

Vlad had thought it especially odd at seeing Dazzler indoors, and he wondered why. The ghost refrained from being 'contained' in small places because it made him feel like _he_ was being controlled. And Vlad knew if there was one thing that this ghost couldn't stand, it was having his sense of control being taken from him. It was Dazzler's only weakness.

Dazzler was obsessed with the belief that his environment and everything inside it was in his complete grasp. If proven otherwise, he quickly lost control of _himself._ Vlad had used this very weakness against him to put the ghost under _his_ control when they first met. Once the older half-ghost had made it clear to Dazzler that he was no match for his power, the ghost never again dared to challenge him. The ghost feared him, just like he feared anyone else he could not control.

"Good Morning, sir," Dazzler greeted him with a calm smile, pulling the man out of his thoughts.

"Good Morning," Vlad replied curiously.

But the ghost seemed to not notice, or just ignored, his tone of voice. He simply continued towards his destination, which so happened to be the stables.

The billionaire frowned at Dazzler's retreating form, but then turned back and resumed to where he was going. He already had _far_ _more_ important matters currently nagging at his mind. He had no time to ponder on the uncanny actions of an _already_ uncanny ghost. So, he dismissed Dazzler all together.

As long as the controlling ghost remembered his place and orders, Vlad could care less what the ghost did.

* * *

"So, you say that punk is still alive, huh?" Walker said thoughtfully as he reclined in his chair, his fingertips tapping together. His last fight with Danny Phantom happened just over two months ago and had left him with the dark need for revenge. After all, that little criminal had had the nerve to outdo his guards and himself by using some strange power that had come from his mouth.

Walker hadn't known that Danny had been returning from Clockwork's lair that eventful day. The boy had been under a lot of stress. His last hope against Vlad's ultimatum had just been shot down when the Time Master denied his plea for help. The Warden merely crossed the young hybrid at the wrong time, which had led to their brutal fight.

Walker had hoped to get his revenge with the teenager in his own world after that. But the Warden's plans had been cut short after learning of the punk's mysterious disappearance. He was especially pleased when rumors of Danny Phantom's being wasted by a ghost hunter had reached his ears.

Of course, Walker would have preferred to execute the punk himself. But it was satisfying enough to know that the teen had gotten his rightful punishment, no matter how it came to him. Like all criminals, the law eventually caught up to them. And in the kid's case, he finally found justice in his own territory.

…Or, so, the ghost sheriff had thought.

"That's right, Mr. Walker!" a small, green-eyed ghost girl answered, cutely fluffing her red dress and smiling. "He's going to be in the Ghost Zone today. So, I thought the correct thing to do is tell you, since he's a bad ghost."

"That, he is," Walker agreed with a nod. "But you do not need to worry; I'll deal with him and make sure he does not break any more rules," the warden assured her with a smile. But then, it suddenly vanished, and he leaned forward against his desk, giving the ghost in front of it a suspicious look. "Now, tell me, how do you know all this?"

"I work for Vlad Plasmius," the green-eyed girl answered innocently. "Danny Phantom is currently living with him." The ghost suddenly became a bit shy, and she fiddled with her hands as she added, "And, well, I kinda overheard them talking about a trip today, and, um…"

"I see…" Walker stated, catching the girl's drift. The warden stood from his chair and walked around his desk, towards the ghost as he said, "Well, I'm not aware of Vlad Plasmius' whereabouts. As a matter of fact, I've never formally met the other half-ghost. _However_, I tolerate misconduct from _no one_. For his sake, I hope he's not protecting a criminal."

"I couldn't say," the girl replied with a light shrug.

"Alright," Walker said, an evil smile spreading on his lips. "When and where?"

"Um… I don't really know the exact details," she answered with a sheepish look. But upon receiving a frown from the warden, quickly added, "But I'll find out, and send you word right away! I promise you'll know with enough time to set up what you need to!"

Walker nodded in acceptance, before calling for one of his guards to escort the little ghost girl out. "If that is all, then, you may go now. And thank you for coming to me with such valuable information, Miss…?"

"Bertra Ann," she stated with a cute smile, her green eyes blinking innocently at the warden.

"Yes, of course," Walker quickly said with a dismissive tone. But then, he raised an eyebrow, a serious look focusing on his face. "Before you leave, let me warn you that if this is by any means untrue, I will have no choice but to lock you up for breaking the rules. And it would be such a shame to have someone so young in my prison. Do you understand?"

"Oh, of course, Mr. Walker!" Bertra Ann said with an assuring smile. "I know better than to break _your_ rules!"

"I'm glad to hear it," the warden said with a calm smile.

Without further words, the little ghost girl was escorted out of Walker's office and jail. And once outside, she flew straight home.

Reaching the door she wanted, she knocked. And just before the door opened, the ghost girl suddenly changed. When Spectra appeared from behind the door, she saw a green blob with red eyes before her: Bertrand.

Allowing him in, Spectra asked excitedly, "Did he buy it?"

He smiled smugly; and with a dismissive wave of a hand, answered, "Of course!"

Spectra squealed in delight, "Marvelous! Dazzler is a genius!" But when she saw her partner frown in response, she added, "And so are you!"

Smiling, Bertrand sat down on a couch as he changed into his preferred human look and crossed his legs. "As are you," he complimented back. "It was clever of you to think of Walker. He is the perfect ghost to carry out our revenge for us! That ghost sends shivers down the spines of some of the bravest ghosts! The kid doesn't stand a chance!"

Spectra sat beside him in her human appearance as well. "Exactly! And what luck that Dazzer's freak-of-an-employer is sending that little freak in here! It's perfect, Bertrand!"

"Almost," Bertrand said, tapping a finger on his lips. "Skulker will be with him…." But then, he smirked evilly again, remembering, "But Skulker is one of Walker's escapees. I've seen the wanted posters. So, I doubt he is going to risk his freedom to help the kid out when they are face-to-face with Walker!"

Spectra nodded. "And even if he did risk it, Skulker is not going to win against Walker and his troops. That sheriff's playing cards come in numbers. It's like you said, very few do not fear Walker. …Danny's not getting out of this one," she added assuredly.

"Oh, Vengeance is sweet!" Bertrand beamed.

"_Very_ sweet," Spectra corrected, before they both broke out into an evil laugh.

* * *

It was one in the afternoon when Danny and Skulker glared at each other, having accidently come across one another at the bottom of the stairs. Yes, the teen really hated these freakin' stairs!

"I'm not happy about it either, whelp," Skulker said angrily, wanting the teen to know he was not looking forward to spending time with him without being able to blast him.

Danny was about to respond, but Vlad's entrance into the foyer cut him off.

"Oh, good. You have saved me the trouble of looking for you, Daniel," the man said calmly as he approached the teen and hunter. "Skulker is here to take you to the Ghost Zone."

Danny just shot his arch-enemy a hateful glare, before crossing his arms and lowering his angry gaze to the ground.

Ignoring the silently fuming boy, Vlad looked at his ally. "Now, Skulker, make sure this is as quick as possible. You know how to reach me if you need to."

"Yes, I _know_," Skulker said, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "We have already talked this through _several_ times, _remember_?"

Vlad rolled his eyes, but didn't reply to the ghost. Instead, he looked back down at Danny with a stern look. "Daniel, _do_ _not_ wonder off. You are to go only where Skulker takes you and make sure you stay _close_ to him at all times. Understood?"

Danny kept his glare focused on the floor, but still nodded in acknowledgement.

Skulker's irritation vanished and his eyebrow arched with interest after he saw the hybrids' interaction. And soon an amused smile crawled on his lips, before he commented, "I see someone finally managed to tame you, pup."

In a flash, Danny's eyes snapped up towards the hunter, his facial expression going from complete shock to complete affronted fury. "_Tame_?! **I'll **_**show **__**you**_** tame!"** he screamed, quickly firing an ecto-blast at the ghost.

Skulker cried out in surprise as the attack struck him in the chest, sending him slamming backwards into the stairs. But the hunter quickly recovered; and with a killing look on his face, he jumped to his feet, several guns sprouting out of his suit.

"**You're head is mine!"** Skulker screamed, firing at the boy. But Danny quickly went ghost, and turned intangible, preventing the attacks from harming him.

"**Skulker**!" Vlad shouted angrily, stepping in between the teen and the hunter, and blocking a strong blast the ghost had just sent at the young hybrid with his own shield.

But sensing Danny had also fired an attack of his own, the man instantly raised his other hand, and stopped it just as quickly. "That's _**enough**_, Daniel!" the man scolded angrily,

Danny, his hands still ablaze with green energy, stared heatedly at Skulker. But upon hearing Vlad's command, he turned toward the man.

"I'm warning you _**both**_," Vlad continued, lowering the shields, and glaring from Danny to Skulker. "Do not start this stupidity! I will not tolerate it from either of you!"

With an angry huff, Danny let the energy die from his hands. He then crossed his arms in front of his chest again, and silently turned his glare towards some random hallway.

Vlad sighed deeply at the boy's response, and momentarily rubbed his temple, hoping to ease the headache he now had. But realizing it wasn't working, the man looked over at the hunter, who had now retracted his weapons and held a heavy frown on his face.

"Are you sure about this? I will not be able to carry out what you ask if he doesn't cooperate," Skulker said, anger lining his tone of voice.

"Do not _provoke_ him, and _that_ won't be a problem," Vlad replied with a pointed look. "I've already talked with him, Skulker, and he…"

Danny blocked the voices of his enemies as they talked about him as if he wasn't there. Ignoring them was the only thing he could do to keep himself from lunging at both of them. But the teen at least supposed that it was better that he would be going with Skulker and not Vlad. _Anyone_ was better than _Vlad_.

Upon catching a sudden movement in his peripheral vision, Danny's attention was quickly diverted to another nearby hallway. Slowly, the boy's eyes narrowed and his hands dropped to his sides when he realized the movement had been Dazzler.

With a smug grin, the ghost waved at him; and Danny responded with a growl, while his hands began to glow with ecto-energy. No one was worst than Vlad, but Dazzler came very darn close. Danny only growled more with the thought, wanting nothing more at the moment than to blast the freakin' smirk off that ghost's face. And his growl had also grown loud enough for _someone_ to notice it.

"**Daniel**! **Would you control that blasted temper of yours for two seconds?!"** Vlad exclaimed, abruptly redirecting his attention to the boy.

Finally realizing what he was doing, Danny bit his tongue and did as he was told. But knowing that looking at Dazzler would tick him off even more than he was, he turned away from the ghost, and settled with silently sulking in another direction.

Seeing the green energy leave the boy's hands, Vlad turned back to Skulker, and continued where he left off. "Look, Skulker, don't make this more complicated than it is. Get him there; let them meet; and then get him back. _That's_ _it_."

"I do not complicate anything, Plasmius. _That_ whelp does!" the hunter said, pointing and glaring at Danny, who shot him a hateful look right back.

"Didn't I _just_ tell you not to provoke him?" Vlad snapped, about to lose his patience completely.

Skulker glared briefly at his employer, but then with a sigh, calmed, and nodded. "Alright. Let's just get this over with."

Vlad calmed himself, before looking down at Danny. "Come, Daniel," he ordered, before turning and heading towards the bottom lab entrance a few feet away.

Danny watched as Skulker wordlessly followed after the billionaire, neither looking back to see if he was indeed following them. They expected him to. And that only angered the teen even more.

But knowing there was nothing he could do about it, Danny just sighed angrily. He was about to follow his enemies when he remembered his newest enemy, and the teen's eyes darted over to where he had seen Dazzler.

The ghost was still there, staring at him.

Danny narrowed his eyes with threat again. But then realizing there was not much he could do about this _either_, he looked away from Dazzler; and with fisted hands, trudged after Vlad and Skulker.

Danny entered the lab in time to see Vlad activate the portal, the metal doors slowly revealing the Ghost Zone's eerie environment.

And noticing the teen's entrance, Vlad began, "Daniel, this---"

But Danny didn't let him finish. Already in ghost form, Danny quickly flew through the portal without so much as a word or glance back at his arch-enemy.

Vlad glared after the teen. He was tempted to turn into Plasmius and drag the boy by his messy hair right back inside and punish him for his rudeness. But knowing the action would just add more trouble, the man pushed down his anger, and turned to his ally.

"Skulker," he called, stopping the ghost from entering the portal. "Keep an eye on him. I do not want the boy harmed. Am I clear?" the man said with complete seriousness.

"Explicitly," the hunter replied dryly. But then he raised an eyebrow at his employer, and added, "But I suggest you worry more about the ghost child attempting _something _to decieve you while in there_..._"

Vlad frowned deeply as he watched Skulker turn from him, and then disappear through the portal. The billionaire had to admit that he had not thought of that possibility. What if the boy tried to trick him somehow? Daniel did not have the bracelet on, so the teen was practically free to do anything he wanted…

But the billionaire quickly shook his head at the thought. No, even without the bracelet Daniel knew that if he misbehaved, there would be consequences. The boy would never dare to risk his sister's welfare by attempting something, _even_ if he was given the chance. Besides, Skulker was with him. And the hunter would immediately tell him if Daniel did something he should not.

Vlad had nothing to worry about. Almost. He couldn't deny that he was still a bit antsy about the boy being in the Ghost Zone. The young hybrid had so many ghostly enemies it was truly unbelievable! However, most ghosts respected Skulker _and_ **him**. As long as the boy stayed close to the hunter, he shouldn't have a problem. And furthermore, Daniel was capable of holding his own. After all, it wasn't as if the teenager had never gone into the lion's den and not returned still breathing---maybe at times a little worse for wear; but Daniel always had returned all the same. That's what mattered.

Feeling somewhat calmed by his logical thoughts, Vlad left his lab, and headed to his _other_ lab on the second floor. As he told Skulker, he needed to get a few things done now that Danny was gone.

For one, he needed to set up a spying cam and a few sensors in the boy's bedroom. Not to spy on the boy himself, but to make sure to keep others out. Now that the child's sister and friends knew of Daniel's whereabouts, Vlad couldn't risk having them return and attempt to sneak in without his knowing. If any other human besides Daniel and himself attempted to enter the teenager's room, the sensors would immediately alert him of it via his 'watch'.

But that wasn't the only thing Vlad needed to do before Danny returned. He also had to set up a few things in another room. And this time, this had to do with the reason as to why the boy was currently in the Ghost Zone…

The billionaire suddenly frowned as his thoughts triggered another. "It would be wise to take a few aspirins before he returns as well…" he mumbled, walking up the main stairs. Vlad was certain the boy would be peeved when he discovered _why_ he was meeting who he was meeting. However, the man was determined to do what he had to, to make sure the boy did this. And after his last 'chat' with the young hybrid last night, Vlad doubted Danny would attempt to go against his wishes. Or he had better not.

But the truth was that what Vlad was going to have him do was for the boy's own good. Daniel _needed_ something _significant_ to do now that he was here. And what the man had planned was _very_ significant. It would be a healthy stimulation and distraction for Daniel. …Not to mention, the boy _needed_ this for one other, perhaps even, more important reason than simple mental stimulus.

Vlad couldn't help but chuckle at his last thought, and with an amused smirk, turned down the right corridor.

The billionaire was so wrapped up in his musings that he never noticed that someone had been watching him since he had stepped out of the bottom lab…

Dazzler chuckled evilly after seeing his employer's form vanish down a hallway. He then turned away from the main stairs, and continued down the corridor he had been hiding in, retreating to the stables. His part was done. Now, his sister would take care of the rest.

Dazzler smirked darkly at the fact.

* * *

Danny looked around his greenish surroundings, aware of how his anger seemed to leave him as he did. He had to admit, it felt good to be somewhere that wasn't part of his arch-enemy's property, even if that somewhere just so happen to be the _Ghost_ _Zone_.

"Come on, whelp, keep up. I doubt you know the area we are heading into," Skulker suddenly said, his condescending voice pulling the teen out of his thoughts.

Danny glared at the hunter as he watched him fly off in a specific direction. But his look quickly melted into a mischievous one, and he realized just how much more light-hearted he felt at being away from Vlad. He almost felt like himself again.

Catching up to Skulker, a nearly evil smirk tugged on Danny's lips as he teasingly asked, "Hey, Skulker, aren't you worried your 'Ghost Zone's greatest hunter' rep will be ruin if someone sees you with me?"

Skulker scoffed at the teenager beside him, and answered, "My reputation is far too sustained for your presence to ruin."

"Uh-huh…" Danny said mockingly, his smirk growing, "And I'm sure not being able to hang my head on your wall does wonders for it, too."

With a growl, the hunter instantly halted his flight. "_That_ can be easily corrected _right_ _now_!" he said dangerously.

Danny's smile didn't falter as he slowed to a stop himself. "Hmm…," he said thoughtfully, while playfully tapping his lips. "I doubt that. I mean, you wouldn't want to _upset_ your employer, now, do you?"

Skulker's eyes narrowed further. But then suddenly, he calmed, and a clever smile spread on the ghost's lips. "Last time I heard, _you_ 'work' for him, too."

Whatever cheerfulness Danny had been feeling completely vanished with the ghost's comment. The teen growled at the hunter, his hands coiling at his sides; but he said nothing, and just resumed his flight.

Skulker smirked at the Ghost Boy, before following after him. But as he came up alongside the teenager, he smugly remarked, "Plasmius and I have a strong alliance, ghost child; one that you could never comprehend. And while _I_ get something out of my agreement with him, _you_…" Skulker chuckled, receiving a darker glare from Danny. "Y_ou_ not only 'work' for him, you _serve_ him. You _actually_ let him break you, whelp. And if that's not bad enough, you allowed it in exchange for _nothing_."

Danny's rage exploded, and faster than Skulker could react, the teen fired a strong ecto-blast at the hunter, jolting the ghost away from him. "Maybe," Danny answered with a dark look. "But unlike you, I don't care if he gets mad!"

The young hybrid fired another energy blast at his enemy, but, this time, Skulker was ready, and he dodged to the side. The hunter glared dangerously at the teenager, his hands coiled into tight fists on his side. Skulker had to fight with everything inside him to keep from willing out all his available arsenal, and using it to blast the Ghost Boy across the Ghost Zone's cold atmosphere.

But Skulker had a task to complete. And he couldn't let his own personal desires interfere with it. If the whelp ever escaped his employer's current trap, or if Plasmius let him have another go at the child like he had during the pup's first week at the mansion, Skulker would make the Ghost Boy regret today. But for now….

"Do not talk to me, whelp. I'm already having a hard time keeping down the urge of skinning you from having to look at you," Skulker stated darkly, before resuming his flight.

Danny just glowered at the hunter's retreating form. And with a grumbled curse, the teen let his energy fade from his hands, and reluctantly followed after Skulker; this time, keeping two feet behind him.

* * *

Bertrand and Spectra had been invisibly watching Vlad's portal from a distance away when they finally saw Skulker and Danny come through it.

"Oh, look, here they come!" Spectra whispered gleefully.

"About time," Bertrand said, somewhat annoyed. But then, he smirked, and added, "Come on, time to follow them."

The two ghosts silently and invisibly flew after Danny and Skulker, always making sure to keep a _very_ **large** distance away from them. Despite that the Ghost Zone's own free energy and the fact that there were ghosts everywhere here provided a natural camouflage for their ghost signatures, they still didn't dare to risk being detected.

After all, Skulker wasn't called a 'hunter' for no reason. And Spectra and Bertrand knew all about Danny's ability to sense ghosts—although, they didn't really know if it worked in the Ghost Zone.

But, no, they couldn't take such a risk. It would ruin everything if they were discovered.

And to their luck, Skulker and Danny looked to be providing each other enough of a distraction to even notice them if they could.

It was truly amusing to Spectra and Bertrand to watch the hunter and the young hybrid's quarrel. But they pushed down the urge to laugh in order to maintain their low radar.

"That's very clever," Bertrand whispered to his partner as they continued to follow their targets. "Skulker is using the less conspicuous paths to wherever he's leading the kid."

"Yeah, I noticed," Spectra answered, watching how Skulker took them down, and entered a dark, uninhabited tunnel.

"Too bad it isn't going to help him any. You can't exactly keep hidden when you have already been spotted," Bertrand added evilly.

Spectra smirked, but then she slowed to a stop. "I think this is good enough, Bertrand." She turned to look at her invisible partner. And knowing he could see her as well as she could see him, since they were both invisible, wickedly said, "Go get Walker. I'll continue to follow them to find out where they are headed. When you are done, I'll meet you right over there," she said, pointing to a small patch of abandoned land. It would be the perfect spot to safely view the results of their plans...

Bertrand quickly changed into the same ghost girl that had visited Walker: 'Berta Ann.' And _she_ nodded excitedly. "Alright. I'll see you in a bit."

Spectra watched Bertrand fly off into the distance, before turning, and following once more after Danny and Skulker. With a dark grin on her face, she thought, _"I'm gonna make you regret ever crossing my path, you little freak."_

**

* * *

**

If you do not remember the fight that occured between Walker and Danny in the earlier chapters of this story, then it would be good to re-read that part. it's not necessary, but it would be good ref. You'll find it in _chapter 4: A Cry for Help._ Okay, I'll be working on reviews for this chapter and the last through the week--or, I'll try to at least. I got a couple of activities this week and a trip as well. But I'll try! Well, thank you all for reading! And for your responses! Until next time!

**Pearl.**


	40. Chapter 39:Death Trap

**Vlad muse: **_***clears throat***__**Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday, my dear paw-Pearl! Happy Birthday to you!**_

**Pearl: *smiles uneasily* …As I told you the first time you did that, you sound good, but **_**really**_** creepy… Heh. but, thanks, I suppose.**

**Vlad muse: **_**Well, you deserve it, dear girl! After all, you did let me choose the ending to this nice little piece below… *smiles evilly***_

**Pearl: Yes… and now that everyone knows that, they can strangle you and not me!**

**Vlad muse: **_**No one heard me…*stares around* Oh… I didn't realize we had company…. Hmm… Hello, there… *grins nervously* Did you all know it's Pearl's Birthday today? Yes, she's twenty-four. And her wish is that you **__**do not**__** strangle her muse for writing this next chapter, yes?**_

**Pearl: *rolls eyes* Nice try, cheese head. You wanted to be evil, so you better be ready to accept the consequences.**

**Vlad muse: **_***shrugs* Very well. At least I'll enjoy their reactions *laughs evilly, and then hands Pearl another piece of cake* **_

**Pearl: Ooo! Thanks! *grabs cake* **

**Vlad muse: Of **_**course! Cake and 'a movie'! There's nothing better! *winks wickedly at readers* Happy reading…**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

**

* * *

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Chapter 39: Death Trap

"Whelp? Whelp! I'm speaking to you!" Skulker said, annoyed.

Danny, who had been lazily floating on his back, jolted and floated upright as he answered, "Huh? What?"

Skulker looked even more annoyed and repeated what he had already said two times before, "We're here."

The young half-ghost yawned loudly in response, before looking past Skulker and observing the door behind the ghost.

Really?" the teen asked, raising a surprised eyebrow. This had taken a lot less than he had anticipated, only about a little over an hour. The teen had long since given up on trying to keep up with how they got here after all the twist, turns, ups and downs they had went through before they arrived. All he knew was that this was a place in the Ghost Zone to which he had never been.

The hunter just gave the young half-ghost a condescending look, but then spoke again, "Pay attention, Ghost Child."

Danny just yawned again.

Skulker decided to ignore him, and continued, "The ghost that lives here already knows that you were coming; she is _expecting_ you. But get one thing clear, pup. She will _**not**_ attack you; so, _**Do.**__**Not.**_ attack her, got it?"

But the hunter didn't give Danny time to answer, and he suddenly glared threateningly at the boy. "You try anything against her, and I'll tie you down and beat you senseless. And then, _you_ can explain to Plasmius why this meeting didn't go as he wanted it to, because I will not."

"Love the motivation there, Skulker," Danny deadpanned.

Skulker rolled his eyes, but calmed again. "Just get moving, pup. I'm going to wait out here until you are done."

But the teen didn't move an inch from where he floated. Instead, Danny frowned at Skulker, before looking past him again, and asked with something between curiosity and wariness, "Who is she?"

"Stop running your mouth and get in there!" Skulker demanded.

Danny glared. "Who do you think you are? Plasmius? I'll go when I _feel_ like it," he growled, crossing his arms defiantly.

"Then let's get you in the _mood_," the ghost answered darkly. And faster than the teen could react, Skulker pulled out a weapon and fired it at him.

Danny cried in surprise as a green net encased him. "Hey! What the heck are you doing, Skulker?!" he exclaimed angrily.

"My job," the hunter answered, approaching the trapped Ghost Boy. "And by the way, no, I do not think I'm Plasmius, child… _Plasmius_ doesn't want your pelt as a rug…," he said with dark smirk, before throwing the trapped teen in the net over his shoulder.

Danny quickly brought ecto-energy into his hands to escape, but a sharp shock from the net quickly stopped him from doing that. "Oh, come on!" the boy protested, "Geez, Skulker, I thought you would at least let me meet this 'mystery ghost' _before_ we started with the whole 'skinning thing'."

The hunter actually laughed at the teen's banter. "I have to admit, whelp, I am starting to miss our fights."

A deep frown replaced Danny's irritated look. "You helped Vlad set this whole thing up," he answered seriously. "How does this help _you_ now that you can't hunt me?...Not that I want you to. _I_ don't miss having you chase after me with your guns," he added dryly.

Skulker, who had floated over to the door and was about to open it, stopped. He brought the young hybrid in front of him and kept him suspended at eye level as he answered truthfully, "It's true that my aiding Plasmius does not help me when it comes to making you one of my displays, Ghost Child. But you fail to understand that I believe in honor and loyalty. I might not be able to hunt you anymore, but I have gained other more important things in return. I would never betray Plasmius; not even for _your_ head."

Danny glared. "Then it's too bad that he wouldn't hesitate to betray _you_. You're just some helpful _pawn_ to him!"

Skulker glared. "Speak for yourself, Ghost Child. And how could you possibly know _anything_ about someone you consider a mortal enemy? Plasmius might not hesitate to betray _others. _But he would never betray me, whelp," he said without a speck of doubt. Then, suddenly, the hunter smirked again, adding, "But now that you are speaking of _pawns_, I realize that perhaps my aiding my employer does help me get you after all."

"This is where I ask 'how', right?" the boy asked sarcastically, his eyes narrowing further.

Skulker grinned wickedly. "Plasmius is only interested in you because you are still useful to his plans---whatever they may be now. _You're_ the pawn, pup. And once he is done with you, he'll discard you, and guess who he'll discard you to…"

"I hope you don't expect me to just let that happen," Danny said angrily.

Skulker chuckled as he finally opened the door. "Whelp, you were doomed from the moment I agreed to my employer's plans. And it's too bad for you that said plans are nowhere near finished. The proof is right behind this door…. Enjoy your meeting."

Danny gasped in alarm as he was thrown into the entryway, before the hunter closed the door, leaving him alone inside the mystery ghost's lair.

Not liking this one bit, the teen began to struggle for a way out of the net, but this one was one of Skulker's ghost-proof nets. But before the young hybrid could really panic, the net suddenly disappeared, returning to the teen his freedom.

With a sigh of relief, Danny stood and looked around the lair for its owner. He resisted the urge to bring ecto-energy into his hands, remembering Skulker's words. The boy didn't want trouble if he could avoid it.

"H-Hello?" he called out warily when he realized there was no one here---or he didn't see anyone, at least.

But as he continued to look around, he couldn't help but notice the room itself. Its bright yellow and blue walls practically screamed for attention, making the somewhat normal entry way and living room disturbingly cheery. And then there were all those bizarre artwork on the walls, and the tacky decorations… Who ever lived here was weird.

Danny glanced over at a very large bookcase at the far side of the wall, before rolling his eyes and angrily murmuring, "Why the heck am I here?"

"You must be Danny Phantom."

Danny's eyes darted to the opposite side of the room from where the voice had come. And he nervously noticed the female ghost that had just come out from behind a closed door. He didn't like the fact that she already knew who he was, considering that most ghosts hated him.

But the teen still answered, "Y-Yeah, I am."

Danny carefully watched the ghost approach him; her curious green eyes studied him with calm interest. She wore small glasses on her oval blue face, and had her ginger-colored hair up in a bun. On her thin and average-height frame, she wore a casual light green dress printed with multi-colored apples and…letters?

Danny's expression instantly changed into a quizzical look. Gazing at his surroundings more carefully this time, he quickly noticed further details about the things he had already seen. This place… its bright colors, the _meaningful_ artwork, the tacky but _inspirational_ decorations, the bookcase with not just reading books… but textbooks…

The hybrid slowly turned his eyes back to the female ghost, who was now standing a few feet from him, smiling calmly. She was the cliché version of an elementary school teacher…

Danny rolled his eyes as he finally comprehended why he was here. "You're a teacher, aren't you?" Danny stated more than asked as his arms crossed in clear annoyance.

The ghost tilted her head at him, now looking even more interested, but, also, somewhat, confused. "Why, yes. How did you know?"

With a condescending look, Danny jabbed a thumb in the direction of the bookcase as his response.

"My bookcase?" she asked, not following what he was trying to indicate. "I'm sorry. I do not… OH!" she said brightly, finally catching on, and lightly laughing. "Yes, I sometimes forget about my numerous collections of books!"

"_For a teacher, she's not very bright,"_ Danny thought dryly.

"Oh, where are my manners?" the ghost suddenly said with a warm smile. "Please, come with me and have a seat in my office. We have much to discuss!"

Danny gave the ghost teacher an unsure look as she moved over to a closed room. She might be a teacher but she was still a _ghost_. Still, she really had not shown any hostility towards him—at least, not yet…

The teen sighed in defeat and followed after the female ghost. When he entered the room, he immediately felt like he had just entered _Mr. Lancer's_ vice principal office. It was freaky.

The teen shook his head resignedly. But then, his eyes darted back to the ghost when he heard the click of a closing door. She either ignored or didn't notice the boy's nervousness as she wordlessly offered him the seat in front of the large desk in the now **closed** room.

Danny swallowed before slowly sitting down. Even the pressure that came with being in Mr. Lancer's office was present in _this_ office---just ten-times worse.

The teacher floated around the desk to sit at her chair as she calmly asked, "How old are you? Twelve?"

"Twelve?!" Danny exclaimed offended, his wariness momentarily vanishing. "I'm _fifteen_!"

The ghost shrugged lightly. "That's close enough," she remarked, sitting down with a perfect posture. She intertwined her fingers on the desk; and for a moment, silently stared at the boy.

But before Danny could ask what was with the 'look', the female ghost spoke again, "Mr. Vlad Plasmius contacted me just over a week ago requesting my services. However, I do not extend them until I am first allowed to determine on what level of education my future student is. Furthermore, I need to see if I will be able to give my pupil what she or _he_ requires. You see, not all educational providers have the same style of schooling. And I am one that believes that the pupil has to be compatible with their instructor's teaching style in order for the schooling to have a successful outcome. Do you not agree?" she finished with a small smile.

"Uh, yeah, I guess," Danny mumbled, although he had not caught everything the ghost had said.

The teacher's smile widened. "You seem quite clever Danny Phantom. But I would like to learn more about you. Let us start with your academic goals. Please, tell me a few."

Danny stared at the ghost in disbelief. Was this whole thing for real? He wasn't even done with high school and he was being subjected to some formal interview. Wasn't that supposed to happen in college, or _after_ it?

Danny let out a sharp sigh before forcing himself to speak with a calm tone of voice, "Look, Mrs.…"

"_Ms_. Thomas," she informed him, still smiling.

Danny nodded. "Ms. Thomas, right. Listen, I'd _love_ to stay and chat about my big future plans and all that fun stuff, but I think there's been a mistake." Danny stood as he continued, "I'm not interested in…"

"Advanced private schooling and career development," she supplied, seeing he didn't know what she did. But noticing the boy give her a slight incredulous look, she grinned and added with a wink, "Do no let my dress and appearance fool you, Danny Phantom. I am quite capable of teaching various levels of pupils."

Danny nodded again, and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure. But what I'm trying to say is that you don't need to decide whether or not to the take the _job_ Vlad has offered you. I'm not _available_ as a student as he made you believe." The teenager turned for the door, adding, "I'm sorry for wasting your time. I wouldn't have come if I knew. So, I'll just---"

"Alright, you have my services," she suddenly interrupted, standing up.

Danny whirled around, a startled look on his face. But seeing the ghost smiling brightly at him, the boy frowned; and this time, irritation laced his voice. "No, you don't _understand_. I don't want your services. You don't need to take the job because I don't _want_ a teacher."

"Yes, Mr. Plasmius said you would say something like this. And the answer to it is simple: you might not want an academic instructor, but you do _need_ one," she assured him with a soft smirk. "It's understandable that you are a bit shy of telling me what your goals are since we just met. However, what's most important is that I can _see_ a lot of potential in you. I noticed it from the moment I saw you! And I would just _love_ the chance to turn it kinetic!" she beamed.

"O-kay," Danny said slowly, clearly confused. "I have no idea what _that _was supposed to mean; so, I'm just gonna ignore it and go."

Ms. Thomas calmly followed the young half-ghost out of her office as she brightly answered, "Alright, but we still have much to determine about your education level. But, at least, I am now quite certain you will benefit from my teaching style. I'll send word to Mr. Plasmius of the finer details." She opened the front door for him, before he could do it himself; and with a smile, said, "I'll see you again soon, Danny Phantom."

Danny looked at her and opened his mouth to argue against everything she had said. But he then decided better of it and closed his mouth again. He would argue… just not with her.

Without a word, he stepped out, and the door closed right afterward.

"How did it go?" Skulker asked with amusement, noticing the angry look on the young hybrid's face.

Danny just looked over at him and silently glared, before flying off.

Skulker chuckled softly as he quickly following after the boy.

* * *

Vlad smiled in satisfaction as he inspected the rearranged mapping room. The place already had all kinds of scholastic supplies, so he knew from the start it was the best place to have Daniel take his lessons. And if anything else was needed, he, of course, would easily acquire it.

The man was quite proud of his idea. After all, there was no better mental stimulation than schooling. It was the perfect solution to the boy's constant negative musing and unproductive wanderings.

And if not, it would, at least, provide the boy with a distraction for a _few_ _hours_. Then there was the fact that the boy _needed_ a bit of tutoring… or, more like _a lot_ of tutoring…

Daniel's grades were nothing to be proud of. Vlad always found the boy's "C" grade point average unacceptable; especially, when he was sure the young half-ghost was capable of much more. There was no doubt Danny had a lot of potential… if only he would a least put a small portion of it to some use.

"He will now if I have anything to say about it," he commented to himself with a small smirk.

He looked down at the large table that was now in the center of the room, before grabbing the black dress jacket he had taken off and placed on it while he had been fixing the room. As he draped his coat over his left arm, he gently pushed in a chair beside the large table.

He was done.

He gave the room one last glance, and then turned away to leave. As he shut the mapping room's door behind him, he looked down at his watch. He still had approximately an hour before Daniel and Skulker would return. Luckily, he had already finished his other task. There was now a sensor in Daniel's bedroom entrance and one on the glass doors leading to the balcony. As for the cameras, the billionaire had decided that only one in the main part of the room would be sufficient. And, of course, he made sure the devices remained completely undetectable to the untrained eye.

Daniel would never suspect of the additions to his room.

Feeling quite content, the billionaire decided to sit down and watch some television until the boy and his ally arrived.

* * *

"Whelp! For once, I'm not chasing after you! _Slow down!_" Skulker exclaimed angrily, trying to catch up to the young half-ghost who was several feet in front of him.

But Danny did the opposite of what the ghost demanded, and increased his flight speed even more. All he wanted was to get back so that he could punch his arch-enemy for his little idea.

"_To heck with the consequences!"_ he thought in his moment of fury. What was Plasmius trying to do? Take _his_ life--which the man had already destroyed--and rebuild it into some twisted version of what the jerk believed it should be? Vlad was sick! How dare the man assume he knew everything about him? How dare he believe that he could decide what _he_ needed or what was best for him?

How _dare_ Vlad pretend to _care_?

Skulker growled in anger, but also anxiety. What was the Ghost Child doing? Didn't he realize how foolish it was to be flying out in the open and at that speed? He was going to attract unwanted attention!

Throughout the entire trip, Skulker had been keeping an eye out for hostile ghosts. But the child's speed was making it _impossible_ for him to properly survey the area as they went.

"Pup! I had us flying low and through hidden tunnels for a reason! You are exposing yourself to every ghost in here at this altitude!" the hunter shouted from behind, still unable to catch up. But when the young half-ghost ignored him, Skulker growled louder, and added, "Do you _even_ know _where_ you're going?!"

Danny rolled his eyes, but still ignored the hunter. The truth was he didn't know… _exactly_ where he was going. He really hadn't paid much attention to their trip. But at the moment, the teen didn't really care if he did get lost---Skulker probably wouldn't let him, anyways. Or maybe it would be better if he _didn't_ get lost, since it would delay the beating he wanted to give his arch-enemy.

The thought only fueled his anger more, and the teenager moved faster.

"That's it! I'm sedating him!" Skulker grumbled, quickly pulling out a weapon to do just that. But when he was about to aim his gun at the boy, Skulker saw something up ahead that made him gasp in fear.

"**Ghost child, **_**stop**_**!" **

Not having noticed what the hunter had, Danny looked back and shot the ghost a quick glare. Clearly, the teenager had misinterpreted Skulker's sudden forceful warning for a forceful command. But the instant the speeding boy turned forward again, he realized his mistake.

Utter surprise exploded within Danny's green eyes as they snapped into focus on Walker, who was a distance away, with a gun aimed directly at him.

The ghost sheriff fired.

"AHH!" Danny screamed as he got propelled backwards by the perfectly executed shot.

"Whelp!" Skulker exclaimed, watching the young half-ghost unwillingly being propelled towards him, just before he slammed into him. The force of the collision effectively pushed them both back some more before they managed to come to a halt.

The attack severely dazed Danny and he let out a soft groan, while squeezing his eyes shut in the hope of easing his now throbbing head. He attempted to hold his spinning head, but for some reason couldn't. And before he could ponder why, one of his enemy's voice got his attention.

"Surprise, Ghost Kid," Walker said smugly, halting in front of the young half-ghost with a restraining weapon in his hands; while the guards with him spread out along side of the warden; the troops also held weapons themselves..

Opening his eyes, Danny's blurry vision quickly cleared; and when he saw the restraining device Walker held, he gasped and looked down at himself. His hands and feet were tied with glowing green bonds!

The teen's alarm rapidly melted into deep annoyance. "Just great! Another bossy jerk!" he growled to himself.

Skulker, on the other hand, was too distraught to be angry or irritated. How did Walker find them? They were nowhere near the prison to say it had just been a simple coincidence. It just wasn't possible! How did the ghost sneak up on _him_?

"Skulker," Walker called, looking over at the hunter, and effectively pulling him out of his shocked state. "I believe you owe me some time…," he said with a smug grin.

The hunter swallowed thickly. There were _very_ few ghosts who he feared, but Walker was one of them. With the arsenal the ghost sheriff had in his possession, plus the number of guards under his power, the warden was a threat to almost anyone.

As Skulker watched several more guards being led by Bullet approaching Walker and the troops already with him, the hunter questioned the warden in an attempt to stall for time, "W-Walker… How did you find us?"

"It's my specialty to find _and_ arrest criminals like you, Skulker," Walker answered, while his guards held the weapons in their hands aimed at both Danny and Skulker. "But to find you with _another_ outlaw… That's against rule number one-hundred-twenty-seven…"

"I'm not _with_ the Ghost Child; I was just trying to capture him as usual," the hunter lied as he slowly began to back up, until he was right behind the young hybrid. "Whelp?" he whispered so only the teen inches in front of him could hear. "We only have one shot at this… I suggest you run…"

"Where are you going, Skulker?" Walker asked, noticing the other ghost's slow movements. "You don't think you can escape me, do you?"

Skulker smirked in an attempt to cover his nervousness. "I suppose we're about to find out…" Instantly, the hunter brought forward a small gun and fired it at one of the guards. But what came out of it was a silver sphere that quickly exploded when it hit the guard, encasing the entire area in a thick white blanket of smoke.

The hunter didn't think twice, and shot away from Walker and his guards. **"Ghost child! **_**Move**_!" he shouted back at the teen. However, the thick smoke was making it almost impossible for Danny to breath, let alone, see through it.

Still, the boy knew he had to escape. There were just too many guards. He wouldn't stand a chance against all of them.

Coughing heavily, Danny blindly jolted to the right, his need to get out of the thick smoke fueling him to fly as quickly as possible. But, unfortunately, the bonds on his legs were dragging him down, as if he was carrying a ball and chain on them.

**"No! Don't let that punk get away!" **Walker furiously shouted at Bullet and his guards, before vanishing from the spot.

It felt like forever to Danny when he finally began to see the smoke thinning out. But it had really taken a couple seconds. Only that, it had taken a couple of seconds _too_ long...

Just as Danny pushed past the blinding and stinging gas, he slammed right into a ten-foot Walker.

"Where are you going, ghost punk?" he sneered, before pushing the teenager into Bullet.

Being that his hands and feet were tied, all the young half-ghost could do was grunt as he felt a gun jabbed into his back. He looked over in the distance, and noticed Skulker had halted his retreat and was staring at him with a deep frown.

Danny was not at all surprised when he then saw Skulker turn from him, and leave. They were enemies, after all. And the only reason they had ever aided each other was because they were both getting something out of it. Skulker wouldn't risk himself for him.

And the teenager was right, of course. The hunter knew when the odds were against him. Even if he wanted to risk his own skin for the whelp, Skulker knew that all he would do is get himself trapped right along with the child. There was nothing _he_ could do. But perhaps… someone else could… _perhaps_.

Seeing several of his guards attempt to fly after Skulker, Walker quickly ordered, "Leave him!" And the guards halted their retreat. "I'll deal with him later…Right now, we have a bigger criminal to fry," the ghost sheriff added, smiling evilly at the young half-ghost. Obviously, Walker's main objective had been to capture _him_.

Danny glared back at Walker, but kept an eye on the numerous guards surrounding him. There were, like, twenty-five of them! But he still kept his angry bravado, and demanded, "Let me go, Walker! You seriously have the worst timing!"

Danny gasped as he felt something sharp jab against his back again. And it was then he noticed that the weapons Walker's guards held were not the usual restraining sticks. They were small cross-bows with sharp glowing green arrows that were already loaded and pointed at him.

"Don't be frightened, Ghost Kid," Walker said with a vicious grin. "I'll make your sentence quick and painful."

Danny winced as he felt the arrow aimed in between his shoulder blades poke him harder. He briefly wondered where Walker got his arsenals. But one thing was for sure, everything the ghost sheriff had was very painful. Danny knew he didn't want to stick around to find out how painful these new weapons were.

"Uh… don't you mean quick and _painless_?" Danny squeaked, giving the warden an uneasy smile as he got ready to make his move.

Walker's eyes narrowed. "Not for you."

"Then, I think I'll pass up on that," Danny said seriously. And quickly, he spun around and pushed Bullet, who was still holding a weapon at his back, away from him before the ghost could fire it. But as he did this, Danny inhaled, and didn't hesitate to use the quickest—and, really, only---solution to his 'outnumbered problem': his Ghostly Wail.

Walker remembered the attack quite vividly from when the teenager had first used it against him almost two months ago. He wasn't getting caught off guard by it again.

The instant the strong waves of green energy came at him, Walker vanished from their direct path. But that didn't stop the warden from feeling like his ears were going to explode.

With the release of his wail, came the release of Danny's bounded hands and feet. The powerful attack had instantly disintegrated the green bonds. But before Danny could get rid of even half the ghosts around him, something forced him to cut off his Ghostly Wail. And it wasn't that he had already depleted all his energy from it…

Danny's eyes squeezed shut as he clutched his throat with both his hands. His teeth clenched against the agony in his vocal cords that felt like it was on fire. The teen knew his throat had been sensitive ever since Vlad had left him speechless after his brutal punishment for going into the man's private lab. But he didn't think it had caused him this kind of _permanent_ damage!

All the boy could do was mentally curse his arch-enemy. But upon feeling something skim pass his head, Danny snapped his eyes open, only to gasp in fear.

The guards that had been with Walker were already surrounding him again. But what had his eyes wide open was the other approaching guards in the distance. There were now like fifty of them! How was he going to defend himself against so many armed ghosts when he could not use his Ghostly Wail? And using it for the short time he had, had left him feeling a little weak?

"What's wrong, punk? Out of energy already?" Walker asked with a smirk, approaching the young half-ghost after realizing he couldn't use that powerful attack anymore. The waves had not even lasted for more than two seconds--- much to his ears' relief.

Danny glared, this time to mask his fear. "We're in the Ghost Zone, Walker. That means you can't hurt me when I'm human, remember?" he said, quickly letting his white rings turn him into Fenton.

But Walker's smirk didn't falter. Still staring fixedly at the teen, the warden extended a hand towards one of his guards, and the guard quickly placed one of the glowing green arrows in it.

Danny could only tense as Walker approached him. "You're right. _I_ can't harm you," the ghost replied calmly, stopping in front of the teen before trying to futilely grab his arm for emphasis. "…But _this_ can."

The young hybrid cried out in pain when Walker abruptly used the tip of the arrow in his hand to slash the boy's right cheek, leaving a thin but visible cut on it.

Danny's right hand immediately went to his face, and his eyes broadened in alarm when he brought the hand back down and saw his blood on it.

"Wha.." The boy couldn't form a complete word as he looked back at the evil ghost in front of him. His fear-induced shock made him ignore the sharp sting coming from his cheek and the warm red liquid that was slowly dripping from it.

"As you can see, _this time_, I came prepared, Ghost Kid." Walker stated evilly. "This is the end of the line for you."

Danny instantly reacted. Turning back into Phantom, he fired several energy blasts at the guards closest to him. And making himself a clearing in a random direction, he quickly took off, flying as fast as he could away from Walker and his guards.

"What are you all waiting for?!" Walker screamed at his guards, whom were either stunned from the teen's quick escape or one of his energy blasts. "**After him!"**

Danny didn't dare look back at the numerous ghosts he knew were right on his tail. All he focused on was not getting caught; he would think about _where_ he was going once he escaped.

But when he saw several arrows shoot right pass his head, he let out a gasp, and instinctively turned intangible. He finally looked back, energy ready in his hands to fire at the guards. But his eyes widened upon finding that the number of guards pursing him had multiplied.

How was that possible?

Danny didn't have time to ponder the question and quickly fired energy beams at his pursuers, before turning forward again; only to gasp once more.

The young half-ghost halted in alarm, his already heavy breathing picking up as he stared at the ghost guards waiting for him in the distance. At that moment Danny realized that this wasn't a random attack.

This was an ambush.

"Oh, man…," Danny whispered fearfully, still paralyzed in place. But the wave of arrows coming towards him from the ghosts ahead, forced him to move. Picking another direction, he flew forward, blasting away the guards that were in his path.

Unfortunately for the teen, he was having a hard time keeping his intangibility, using his ecto-energy, and flying at full speed all at once, while trying to avoid Walker's guards that now numbered somewhere in the seventy's range. And as he twisted toward yet another direction in still another attempt to evade a large group of guards, he momentarily lost intangibility.

Danny fired two ecto-blasts at two guards that were closing in. But the ghosts had already fired their weapons at him. Fortunately, he reacted quickly and blocked the arrows with an ecto-shield. But the boy didn't see the third guard at an angle who had also closed in and didn't hesitate to fire at him. He soon felt it, though.

The young hybrid instantly hissed as the sharp arrow grazed the side of his ribcage. Danny ignored the ectoplasm that leaked from the shallow cut, and focused on turning intangible once more. But before he could, Walker unexpectedly materialized in front of him, reeled his fist back, and punched him right in the face.

Danny screamed as the punch pushed him back, briefly making him tumble head over heal. Quickly, though, he righted himself, threw a quick blast at Walker—that the ghost effectively dodged--and darted towards another direction.

The fifteen-year-old realized that he needed to use his dwindling energy on flying at full speed. He wouldn't last long if he attempted to fight his way out of this mess. The problem was that the guards kept appearing from everywhere, effectively cutting off his escape route over and over again.

But Danny knew that he had no other option but to keep moving. He focused on remaining intangible and prayed he could maintain it long enough to out fly his enemies.

* * *

Vlad raised an eyebrow at the newswoman reporting on Amity Park's local television station. He had to, of course, make a few arrangements to receive the station in Wisconsin, but it did serve its purposes. Mainly, of which, was to keep himself updated on what happened in the town where Maddie lived and Daniel _used_ to live…

The anchor woman was presently covering the disappearance of the son of local ghost hunters, Maddie and Jack Fenton. It didn't surprise Vlad to hear that his college friends had not given up the search for Daniel. But he did find it… interesting how the police were now focusing more on finding…'forensic clues' than an actual runaway. Clearly, after more than a month-in-a-half, the police no longer believed the teenager to be alive. But Jack and Maddie had not lost hope.

"And people wonder why so many children go unfound…Authorities give up so easily," the billionaire murmured, slight distaste in his voice. Of course, it didn't _really_ bother the man at the moment. Even if the authorities _did_ try, they wouldn't find the young half-ghost. The truth was that outside of Amity Park, no one knew—and most didn't care---about Daniel's disappearance. What was one more lost teenage boy?

Vlad suddenly frowned at the thought. If they only knew that Daniel was not just one more of the lot. The boy was more special than they—the police—or even the child's own parents knew. The billionaire, on the other hand, was sure he knew how special his young rival was. He wouldn't have gone to such an extreme to obtain Daniel if he did not.

Finally having the young half-ghost at his side, however, was not enough for Vlad. He wanted Maddie, too. And he wanted Jack out of the way. And… he finally had a new plan to do just that.

He would make Jack willingly abandon his family.

It was a simple idea, although it sounded difficult and almost impossible to accomplish. But once he obtained the main piece that was needed to do this, it would be anything but that. _This_ plan would be flawless. In fact, he would have gone with this idea the first time around if it wasn't because of the missing piece he needed to find. But he had Fright Knight searching for it; and if the rumors were true, the ghost would be successful in bringing back what he needed to move forward in his plans.

Vlad smirked as he used the remote in his hand to type in a password to lock the Amity Park Local News channel. After all, he couldn't have Daniel finding it in the programming when the teen watched TV—if he ever did. The billionaire didn't really recall ever catching the boy enjoying anything on it. It was odd. After all, didn't teenagers use TV as their main from of entertainment nowadays?

"_Beep-Beep."_

Vlad's eyebrows creased as he looked down at his beeping and vibrating watch. Turning off the TV and then lowering the remote, the man quickly changed into his ghost form. He activated the now red glowing device on his wrist, so that whoever was trying to get a hold of him would be able to get through.

"_Plasmius! Can you hear me? Answer me! "_

Vlad felt his heart skip a beat at the unmistakable anxiety in Skulker's voice. It was so rare to hear the hunter so wound up. It took a lot to scare his closest ally. "Skulker? What's wrong?" he asked, now very apprehensive himself.

"_Plasmius... there's been some…complications."_

Vlad felt his blood drain from his face. And he dared to question, "Skulker…what are you talking about? _What_ complications?"

"We ran into Walker," the hunter answered in a deep serious voice.

"What?! _Walker_?!" Vlad exclaimed in disbelief, all but jumping to his feet.

"_I attempted to buy the pup some time to escape, but…I think he got him, Plasmius."_

"You _think_?" the distressed billionaire questioned, confused by the hunter's lack of assurance on the issue. But it quickly hit Plasmius why that was, and his worry abruptly changed into anger. _"YOU __**LEFT**__ HIM?!" _

"_What else was I supposed to do_?!" Skulker yelled back angrily. It was clear the hunter was as edgy as his employer. _"We're talking about __**Walker**__, Plasmius! I'm lucky to have escaped __**myself**__! If I would have stayed I wouldn't be telling you this right now!"_

Vlad's other hand had balled into such a tight fist his whole arm was shaking with suppressed rage. But he didn't have time to argue right now.

"Where did you last see Daniel?" Plasmius asked soberly.

"_Plasmius… I don't know if you will be able to aid the whelp. There were several guards and they—"_

"Tell me _where_, Skulker!" Vlad insisted, cutting the ghost hunter off. It was clear from the intense gravity in the man's voice that he didn't care to hear about anything but what he had asked.

The hunter sighed, before telling his employer what he wanted to know.

* * *

Danny really _loved_ flying, and he loved testing how fast he could go. But all that lost its appeal when there was an army of ghosts chasing him with deadly cross-bows. And after a good fifteen minutes of doing just that, it was becoming more taxing.

By now, the teen was feeling light-headed and his whole body was drenched in a cold sweat. As much as he tried, he could not lose Walker and his guards. They were practically one step ahead of him in every attempt he made to throw them off his trail.

But Danny's worst disadvantage was that he had no idea where he was. He had never been to the place Skulker had taken him. And the teen had made so many frantic turns, he didn't even have a clue in which direction Vlad's portal could be!

He was lost. Unable to hide. And weakening fast…

The outcome of it all did not look good for the young half-ghost.

Danny groaned as he lost intangibility again. But when he forced the power forth once more, he felt his body tire more and begin to slow down.

"Just give up, Ghost Kid! You have nowhere to run!" Danny heard Walker's amused voice shout at him from behind.

Momentarily surrendering his intangibility for speed, Danny narrowed his eyes in concentration and increased his pace. He ignored Walker's jab all together, knowing the ghost was just trying to distract him.

But just as the boy managed to add several feet of distance between his pursuers and himself, several ghost guards unexpectedly came at him from his right. With a cry of alarm, Danny fired at them before they could attempt to tackle him into submission. Unfortunately, it distracted him long enough to miss the five guards about three feet in front of him. And it was only when they fired their arrows that he noticed them.

The impacts violently penetrated his body, and although the pain was biting, all he could manage was to utter a loud grunt. The boy stumbled back, his spinning vision staring down at the arrow embedded in his abdomen. He was too shocked by the sight to notice that two more were in his left arm.

But hearing the loading of more arrows forced the teenager to react again. He instantly made a shield to avoid six more arrows from striking him. And then, Danny abruptly made a sharp U-turn, surprising Walker and the guards beside him as the boy came right towards them. The teen instinctually used their shock to his advantage; and before they could react, the young half-ghost dove downward, heading straight for some floating land masses below. He could only hope that the trees there would make him a less susceptible target.

Squeezing his eyes close for a second, he grasped the arrow still lodged in his stomach. He needed get rid of it and the others which were now throbbing with undeniable pain. Not wanting to cause anymore damage than the embedded arrows already had, he forced himself to turn intangible long enough to get rid of the glowing green arrows.

Danny didn't know—and at the moment, didn't _want_ to know--- what kind of injury he had sustained. But the freely oozing ectoplasm from the wounds didn't give him a positive diagnosis.

Reaching one of the land masses, the teenager moved into the trees, weaving through them, while he attempted to search for some type of cover. But his doubling vision was making it difficult to navigate through his surroundings, let alone, focus on the details of where he was.

An arrow embedding into a tree beside him alerted Danny that he had company again. And he forced himself to speed up, unaware that he was staining the ground green as he went.

* * *

Now in the Ghost Zone, Plasmius had been cursing himself throughout his entire flight for not getting Skulker to fix the bracelet quicker. If he would have done so, the boy would be wearing the device right now and he would know exactly where Daniel was at the present moment!

But now, he had no idea. The boy could be anywhere in the Ghost Zone!

"Blast! Why did I send him in here?!" Vlad shouted angrily as he stared around the deserted place to which Skulker had given him directions. Of course, the man had not expected to find Daniel or those pursuing the child here anymore. But he had hoped to find something that could point him in some direction.

Looking down at the device around his wrist, he activated the communication link, and shouted, "Skulker!"

"_Did you find him?"_ the hunter questioned in response.

"Of course not!" Vlad answered back crossly. "Are you sure he was captured?"

"_I don't know, Plasmius! The child was bound when I last saw him. How could he possibly break out of ghost-strengthened bonds?"_

Vlad was silent for a moment. The man was sure the teen was more resourceful than even _he_ gave him credit for; so, he didn't know what to think. If Skulker was wrong and the young half-ghost wasn't captured, then, Daniel had to have gone somewhere around here. But if Walker had indeed captured the teen, that would mean Daniel had been taken to the Warden's prison. But that was nowhere near here!

"Skulker," Vlad said soberly into the communicator. "Head to Walker's prison. If you see any unusual movement there, call me back."

The hunter remained silent for a moment, and the older hybrid knew it was because the ghost was apprehensive of going anywhere near the jail. But Vlad didn't care if his ally was comfortable or not with the order. He wanted Daniel back! And if he had to break into that blasted prison to do so, then so be it!

"_Alright,"_ Skulker answered evenly, before disconnecting without another word.

Vlad lowered his hand and stared around, his distressed red eyes scanning his surroundings indecisively. Perhaps the boy was close by…

The older hybrid quickly concentrated on his ghost sense. Although it was more difficult to use it here because of the infinite number of ghostly energies inside the Ghost Zone, he knew he was still capable of it. But, regrettably, he did not feel even a hint of Danny's signature.

Vlad growled, this time sounding more nervous than angry. Reduced to searching blindly for the boy, he quickly created five duplicates; and while each of them took a random direction, the real him continued forward. His anxiety made him move quickly, but he still managed to study his surroundings, hoping to find something that would give him some sort of clue of what had happened after Skulker had left the boy.

A moment later, the original Plasmius came across a small barren piece of land. And on it, he found the hint he needed.

Vlad landed on the small island, and quickly picked up one of the many glowing green arrows that littered the place. As he studied the projectile, his eyes widened with some kind of realization. And to confirm it, he turned human.

"This is designed to hurt ghosts _and_ humans," Vlad mused out loud as he continued to feel the sharpness of the arrow in his _human_ hands. The man's eyes quickly darted over at the distance towards another island, and he noticed there were more arrows there, too; some were even suspended in midair, although they were slowly sinking into the dark abyss below.

With a hard swallow, Vlad realized that Walker had unintentionally left him some sick and twisted version of breadcrumbs to follow.

But the trail of projectiles also allowed the older half-ghost to deduce that Danny had _not_ been captured as Skulker had believed—or at least not without a struggle. Walker and his guards had clearly chased after the teenager… Vlad didn't know if the boy's escape eased or increased his worry.

Now having a specific direction to follow, Vlad changed back into Plasmius, called back his duplicates, and rejoined. _"I hope you out flew them, Daniel_," he thought anxiously as he took off in the directions of the arrows.

* * *

Danny stumbled forward into a tree, his hands wrapping around its trunk in order to keep himself on his feet. He squeezed his eyes shut and managed to become intangible long enough to dislodge the arrows that had just pierced his back. The sound of them lightly thumping on the ground at his feet went unheard from the sound of his loud heartbeats ringing in his ears.

A second later, he unwillingly solidified, but did nothing to try to reactivate his intangibility. He felt so weak, he was having a hard time even keeping his eyes open. But upon hearing footsteps approaching, he forced himself to slowly turn, pressing his back against the bark behind him. It made his injured back scream in protest but it was the only way he could remain standing.

He couldn't take any more of this.

Danny lifted his arms in front of him in surrender as Walker stopped a feet from him. The warden now held a crossbow of his own and had it leveled at the teen's forehead.

"Alright, I get it, Walker," Danny said tiredly, lowering his arms to hold his burning sides. "You win. I'll let you take me in." The teenager knew if he continued to resist capture he wasn't going to make it out of this breathing… Too bad his enemy had other ideas.

Walker just smiled evilly, and Danny fearfully noticed that the guards who were circling him in were not lowering their weapons.

"Who ever said I was going to take you in?" Walker questioned with mirth. Then, abruptly, the ghost's eyes narrowed and he added darkly, "You have broken too many of my rules for your punishment to just be imprisonment now."

Danny's eyes widened in utter fear as the meaning of Walker's words washed over him, instantly triggering his survival instincts to an extreme level that he had only felt once in his life before—in his fight with his evil self.

A surge of adrenaline gave the young half-ghost the energy to quickly send a strong blast right at Walker. The ghost was shoved back into a couple of his guards with a cry of pain and alarm as Danny shot straight up, abandoning the trees which had seemed so safe a refuge.

The truth was that the cover wasn't as helpful as he had believed it would be. Although the trees did make it harder—but not impossible--for the guards to get a hit on him, it made it easier for the guards to sneak up on him. And it was when they got close enough that Danny had the most trouble. The new wounds on his back were proof of that.

Danny didn't look back to see if Walker was chasing him. He was certain that he was. Besides, every time he diverted his gaze away from where he was headed, ghost guards would manage to surprise him from the front or sides.

If the dawning of just how much trouble he was in wasn't so prominent in his mind now, he would be wondering just how he was managing to ignore his injured body and continue to flee for his survival.

Danny knew he couldn't keep this up forever. But he had to hold out as long as he could. His life depended on it.

* * *

Vlad let out a small shout of frustration when he found his trail of breadcrumbs end at a forested island. The arrows were now scattered everywhere, no longer showing any definitive direction where the chase could have gone from here.

"Daniel!" the man shouted as he floated through the trees, his eyes scanning for anything that could give him some form of hope. Unfortunately, he found the opposite.

Plasmius squatted down with wide eyes and touched the green liquid staining the forest floor in front of him. He didn't realize that his breathing was slowly becoming faster as he followed the stains until he was staring at a tree with two green hand prints on it.

Vlad's black gloved hand reflectively covered his open mouth. "That can't be Daniel…" he whispered fearfully. But the quick way he got back to his feet and the frantic way he shouted the boy's name once more said he believed the very opposite.

"Daniel! I implore you, if you're here, answer me!" the man yelled as he flew further through the island. But at seeing that the area he entered did not have arrows anywhere, he halted. "He's not here!" he mumbled, a distressed hand going to his forehead.

Plasmius quickly pushed off the island and took to scanning the distance beyond it. And to his dismay, he found that there was only empty space. There were no land marks; no doors; **no arrows!** Just void empty space! If there had once been any floating projectiles they had been lost to the abyss below. What was he going to do?

"_Plasmius?" _he suddenly heard Skulker's voice call from his communicator. But the man didn't even look at it. Vlad seemed to be on the verge of panicking as his eyes darted around the empty space. He didn't know it was possible to feel as helpless as he did now. He never knew he could feel so… afraid. For once in his life he couldn't think of anything. He didn't know what to do!

"If something happens to him…," Vlad whispered, but didn't finish as the possibility of not ever seeing the young hybrid again panged painfully at his heart. What had he done? It was never his intention to put the boy in this kind of danger. This was supposed to have been a simple trip. A simple **harmless** trip!

"_Plasmius, if you can hear me. I'm near Walker's jail. I don't think the Ghost Child or even Walker himself is here. In fact, my radar shows there are barely any guards here… I think he took almost everyone with him…"_ Vlad heard the ghost silence for a moment, but then added, _"Watch yourself, Plasmius…"_

The older half-ghost showed no emotion towards his ally's concern for him. The man was just staring fixedly ahead. "I must find him," he said soberly. "I _need_ to find him!"

Vlad suddenly shut his eyes, something he only did when he required a deep form of concentration. He _had_ to sense the boy. It was the **only** way he would ever find him.

Talking a deep breath in order to calm his shaken nerves enough to focus, the older hybrid called on his inner ghost sense, quickly intensifying it to the point that it was uncomfortable. Not only was using his sensing ability in the Ghost Zone difficult, but it was also overwhelming.

There were just so many ghost signatures which blurred into the Ghost Zone's own natural free energy. And having to sort and push through all these energies to find a specific one was like searching for a needle in a haystack. It was worse, really, since he couldn't use his eyes to find what he was searching for here. Vlad knew what he was trying to accomplish was almost impossible.

And it indeed seemed to be just that. Try as he might, Plasmius could not feel Danny. And the fact had the man on the verge of panicking again. Daniel was too far away! That, or…

Plasmius clenched his eyes, his hands fisting on his side as he forced his ghost sense to search deeper into the cold abyss that surrounded him. He couldn't give up! It didn't matter how many ghost signatures there were here, he knew Daniel's unique signature all too well. He knew _exactly_ how it felt. He knew it as well as his own!

Furthermore, he had over twenty years of experience under his belt! If that did not come to use now, _at this moment_, when he needed it _most_, his years of practice and acquired skills would all be in vain! He wouldn't have it! This was the moment that his powers had to be put to the test. It was now that he had to prove that he was indeed one of the most powerful ghosts in existence!

A pink hue suddenly encased Plasmius entire body, becoming so bright that if anyone would have been watching, they would have surely had to shield their eyes from it. But as quickly as the burst of energy came out of the older half-ghost, it vanished. And Vlad eyes snapped open with a gasp.

"Daniel," he whispered, his eyes darting towards a specific direction. Instantly, Vlad took off towards his decided course with a burst of speed. He had felt the boy's signature! It had been brief, meaning he was far, but it had unmistakably been there!

With narrowed eyes filled with determination, he continued to move as fast as he could towards the boy. He didn't know what he was going to find once he found Daniel, but he was ready to fight Walker and his entire fleet if it was the only way to get the young hybrid back.

Vlad knew that this overpowering fear and unexplainable need to protect the boy had to mean something. But he didn't care to ponder on it now. All Vlad knew was that he wouldn't…. he _couldn't_ let anyone harm the boy…

* * *

Danny didn't want to think about what would happen when Walker and his crew finally managed to trap him. But he knew it was now inevitable.

He couldn't just give up, though! His life depended on him to keep going. If only his body had energy to do that. He felt so weak that he was on the verge of being ill. And he was feeling very cold, too. He didn't know at this point if he was shivering from fear or from the cold.

Unfortunately, the sensation was doing very little to numb the pain throughout his body. Clearly, the adrenaline that was acting as painkiller was dwindling fast.

His speed was also dwindling just as quickly. And he realized it when he saw two ghosts come up along side of him. "G-Get away!" the teen weakly growled out, before blasting the two ghosts right in the face.

With a scream they recoiled away, only for two more to take their place. Only, this time, Danny couldn't summon ecto-energy quick enough to get rid of them.

"Ahh!" the boy yelled as one of the guards rammed against him, throwing him off balance. And before the Danny could recover, the other blasted him from the other side with ecto-energy; and right after, slammed his elbow against the young hybrid's back.

The force sent Danny spiraling downwards, but he had no energy to do anything to prevent his fall. However, another guard 'fixed' that problem by flying down below the teenager and punching him in the face with such force that it jolted Danny's direction, sending him tumbling back up.

In an instant, the young half-ghost got assaulted by more fists and tail kicks. The guards were nothing but blurs in Danny's eyes making it impossible for him to even attempt to strike back. And in a sudden moment of desperation, the boy summoned energy that wasn't there and released it in a scream.

But all that came out was two green waves, before he was left grasping his throat and whimpering at the horrible pain that exploded from its usage.

Danny hovered tiredly, unaware that the two short waves of energy he had managed to make had bought him a few seconds of rest. Despite his wildly spinning head, he looked up and vaguely saw how the numerous guards were circling around him. But for some reason, they were now wary of approaching him.

Too bad they soon remembered they didn't need to get near the boy to harm him. But the moment Danny saw their weapons rise, he darted down and flew away from them again. He was able to evade the incoming arrows as he fled. This time, however, the ghosts didn't let him get far.

Danny forced himself to unwrap his hands from his throat, knowing he needed them to at least _attempt_ to defend himself. As a guard came at him from the front, Danny swung and managed to hit the ghost hard enough to get him out of the way. But five more ghosts suddenly came at the teenager; but when he tried to bring energy into his hands, all he produced was weak fizzle of green.

Danny gasped just as one of the ghosts punched him in the face, sending him back a few feet. And before he could even recover something worse hit him.

A strangled cry left the boy's lips as an arrow hit the right side of his chest. He grasped the tail of the arrow sticking out of his flesh while his breathing came out in sharp gasps. He didn't know how he did it, but he was able to flicker intangible long enough to remove the projectile from his body.

Dull and unfocused green eyes slowly gazed at his assailants. He couldn't run anymore. But he was determined to fight with whatever strength he had left.

Not having the energy to speak, Danny glared weakly at his opponents. He didn't see Walker in his direct sight at the moment, but the teenager knew the warden was somewhere close by, enjoying every second of this. The ghost sheriff was really one of the most ruthless enemies he had. And if this brutal ambush didn't prove that, nothing did.

Dodging several arrows, or at least dodging enough to avoid any _direct_ hits, the young hybrid somehow was able to produce an energy ray, and shot it at the guards that had just fired their crossbows at him. Danny reacted once more by punching two more guards in the face.

But almost instantly, the teen felt someone attack him from behind, just as two more came at him from the front again. The boy grunted as his arms were painfully restrained behind him.

"We're going to chase you to the ends of the Ghost Zone if we have to, kid," he heard a ghost in front of him say; and when the teen looked at him, he realized it was Bullet. "You're struggles are just delaying the inevitable, you know. But, of course, we don't mind," Bullet added evilly, before punching the boy in the stomach.

Danny doubled over, winded from the brutal attack; but with a defiant look, the boy quickly used the leverage of the ghost that was behind him holding his arms, to lift himself and kick Bullet in the chest. And right after, the teen roughly jabbed his elbows into the ghost restraining him, forcing the guard to let go. Danny then managed to dodge in time to avoid two more guards that had lunged at him from opposite sides.

The two ghosts painfully collided with each other at Danny's quick action. The boy then spun around as an arrow grazed his ear, only to receive another blow to the face by a guard's fist.

But as the teen stumbled back, something unknown slammed him from behind; and with a wheezy scream, propelled him like a spinning volleyball in midflight.

"Give it up, punk. You are past your limit," Walker's smug voice rang in his ears. It wasn't a surprise for the fifteen-year-old when he found Walker standing right in front of him again, the crossbow in his hand swung back leisurely on his right shoulder.

Danny was about to lift a fist to pound the ghost sheriff in the face when he realized _what_ exactly had hit him from behind a moment ago. The boy's blurry vision focused on Walker's other hand and found it held a restraining weapon. But then the teen looked down at himself, confirming he was indeed tied with glowing green bonds. He had been hit by the restraining weapon again.

"You are a complete mess, Ghost Kid. If only you would have not attempted to escape, I really would have really made your sentence _quick_ and painful," Walker said with a sinister smile, while handing over the restraining stick to Bullet floating beside him, but the warden kept the other weapon in his hands.

Danny was too busy trying to breath to really hear what the warden had said. It felt like every breathe he tried to take in burned his lungs. And the constricted feeling in his chest wasn't helping either.

Still, the boy managed to open his mouth, and respond, "I…I haven't done anything, Walker," Danny wheezed tiredly, knowing that if he had any strength to raise his voice he would be angrily shouting the fact, and also, his next words. "J-Just l-leave me a-alone."

Still holding the crossbow, Walker unexpectedly brought it forward; and without hesitation, fired it towards Danny's right upper leg.

The poor boy let out a small cry of pain, and instantly grasped his leg with his bound hands. But to his further dismay, the bonds on his hands and feet were keeping him very much solid. So, he couldn't even try to turn intangible to get rid of the painful projectile.

"Rule number one-hundred-and-forty-two: do not speak unless given permission, first," Walker said with a sneer.

Danny could only clench his teeth in pain, before summoning the courage to get rid of the agonizing arrow in his leg the only way he could now: he pulled it out.

Walker smiled evilly, enjoying the sound of his enemy screaming and then whimpering in pain as the boy got rid of the projectile. The warden was almost tempted to shoot at the teenager again, just to invoke more pain on him. But, instead, he decided to proceed with his 'duties', and took out his law book.

"You claim you haven't done anything?" the warden stated calmly, flipping through his rule book's pages. And finally stopping at a specific page, he continued, "My book _and_ memory say otherwise, Ghost kid. According to both, you have brought in contrabands; escaped from my prison; assisted in the escape of every other prisoner there; have repeatedly resisted arrest; assaulted my officers on several accounts; assaulted _me_ on several accounts… the list goes on, punk." Walker said with a glare. "I was going to let you live out your sentence in isolated confinement, but your constant law breaking is far more then I can forgive."

Unable to do anything but float un place, Danny could only watch with fearful eyes as Walker signaled to his guards; and they immediately surrounded the teen and sheriff in a circle, but when they raised their deadly weapons, they only aimed it at Danny.

Walker continued smugly. "But being that I am an upstanding doer of the law, and as such, believe that even the lowest of criminals like yourself should be told their punishment before receiving it, I am going to be fair and read you your sentence."

Walker began to flip through his book again; and when he found the page he wanted, he started reading from it, "Danny Phantom, you have been found guilty by the jury and judge—which are all me--- of several criminal offenses and multiple infractions of the rules. It has been decided on this day that you pay for your transgression with the highest of punishments. Danny Phantom," Walker said in chilling dark voce, pointing a dooming finger at the teen. "I sentence you to be **executed**… _immediately_!"

If even possible at this point, Danny's breathing accelerated even more when the horrible outcome was spoken. Though he had known it all along, hearing it mounted the boy's fear to a horrible new level… He didn't want this to be the end. But he was too weak and terrified to do anything but stare at the ghost sheriff.

"Speechless?" Walker teased cruelly, before shrugging, "You should be. We both know your judgment day would come. It's easier on the criminals when they accept their fates. A fate that has been delayed long enough for you." Walker stepped back two feet as he said with a self-satisfied grin, "I really can't say it's been nice knowing you, punk, because it hasn't…"

Danny finally found his voice when he saw Walker give Bullet a nod of his head, before the ghost general shouted to the other guards, "Load!"

"W-Wait…," Danny pleaded, but his voice was barely above a whisper. And the sound and sight of the scared boy only widened Walker's evil grin.

The loading of the crossbows served to drive what was about to happen to him home. And the soft sigh that came from the boy clearly indicated his acceptance of it.

Danny lowered his head, his eyes closing as he focused on something else, on a moment in time that wasn't this one. And finding the faces of his loved ones smiling back at him in his mind filled him with a wonderful feeling of peace.

"_I'm sorry…,"_ he told them in his mind, and they all gave him their reassuring looks that had always filled him with strength; that had always made his darkest times brighter; and that had made him hang on just a little longer. And today, the memory of their loving smiles served him once more; only this time, by washing away his fear of what was to come and replacing it with warming comfort.

"**Fire**!" Bullet commanded loudly, but in the boy's ears it was only an insignificant whisper. It didn't matter. Just like the sound of his own halting breath and the echoing scream that followed it didn't matter.

Even the sound of the speeding arrows that drowned out everything else around him was lost to Danny.

* * *

Vlad's heavy breathing was laced with panic and exhaustion, but he still continued to fly faster than he ever had. He could feel it! He could feel the boy's ghost signature closing in fast.

He was almost there.

But that did little to comfort the man. Danny felt really weak to him, _too_ weak. The feel of the boy's dying ecto-signature was like a dying heart with its beats slowing down with every second that passed. Vlad feared it would stop before he could get there.

But the sight of numerous small specks ahead that quickly grew larger as he continued forward had Vlad gasping in alarm.

Plasmius was now close enough to see how over a hundred of Walker's guards had surrounded a very badly beaten and restrained Danny Phantom. But Walker was also within the formed circle, clearly speaking to the teen.

Vlad's eyes narrowed, his hands growing a blaze with red energy as he moved even faster towards the sight in front of him. But when the older half-ghost saw all the guards raise their deadly weapons towards the boy, the man jolted to a horrified halt.

Vlad's eyes grew wide just as Walker stepped out of the center to give his guards full access to Danny, before a commanding voice boomed, **"Fire!"**

"NO!" the older hybrid screamed, unaware that his voice echoed across the distance, reaching the younger one's ears.

* * *

**I promise I will try my best to not make you all wait for more than a week for the next chapter! And thank you all for your last reviews; sorry I was unable to reply again!! *looks around for Vlad muse* Gone… why am I not surprised…? *shrugs* Until next time!**


	41. Chapter 40: Aftermath

**Alright, gang! Here we go! Thank you SO much for your reviews!! And for all your best wishes on my B-day! And lookie here, my Vlad muse is still alive after that last chapter! Now, _that's_ surprising! --recieves glare from muse--- Heh. I better stop. Okay, on to the chapter; short, and angsty, just how you all like it! ...or not... Well, enjoy, anyways! I think you will! Heh-heh!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

* * *

**Chapter 40: Aftermath**

His response was as quick as a lightening bolt striking the ground.

In an instant, Vlad vanished from his current spot, then reappearing in a blink of an eye in front of Danny. And _just_ before the arrows hit their mark, the man grabbed the teenager in a tight hold and enveloped them both in a dome of pink energy.

Eyes and teeth clenched together, Plasmius could only grunt painfully as over a hundred arrows, traveling at probably that same speed, struck his ghost shield in their attempt to pierce right through and reach their _true_ target.

Meanwhile, Danny didn't understand in the slightest what was happening, being that his eyes were still closed. He was certain the arrows fired; so, then, where was the pain? And what was this suffocating hold around him? It wasn't helping his hurting body in the slightest—quite the contrary. And, yet, it felt… nice. It was comforting. He almost felt… _protected_…

Feeling the terrible assault on his shield finally end, Vlad opened his eyes, and looked down at the boy in front of him.

"…Daniel?" he whispered fearfully as he slowly released his hold on the boy. The young hybrid looked worse closer up. And it worried him so much that the man didn't realize that his shield had just vanished…

Hearing the soft sound of his name, Danny's own eyes slowly opened. But when he looked up, his blurry vision couldn't distinguish the person's face in front of him. The teen didn't need to, however. He knew who it was by his voice.

"V-Vlad?" he uttered weakly.

The older half-ghost was about to respond when a deep, foreboding voice interrupted him.

"You must be Vlad Plasmius," Walker said, a small smile on his lips as he stepped back inside his guard-made circle around the half-ghosts.

The ghost's words quickly returned Vlad to reality. And with one last worried look at Danny, his body straightened as he quickly adapted his normal pose. With a calm smile, he glided towards Walker as nonchalantly as possible, making sure he was now between the warden and the helpless boy. It was only then that he addressed him. "Good day, Warden… Walker, is it?"

"That's correct…," Walker answered with a calm nod, though that small, eerie grin was still on his face. "I don't think we've ever formally met… But I have heard a lot about you… Vlad Plasmius."

Vlad's smile grew. "Is that so?" he replied with mocking interest. "Well, then, I must say that I've heard a great deal about _you_ as well. And may I add that all of it has been in the highest regards…?"

Walker raised an eyebrow before commenting in a casual tone, "You may. And it gives me great pride to hear it, too. Now, from what _I've_ heard, you are a law-abiding fellow…"

"You have heard right, Warden," Plasmius replied smugly, placing his hands behind his back.

Walker nodded, before silently pulling out his rule book and flipping through it. "And according to the rules," the Warden began again, stopping at a specific page, and looking back at Plasmius, "_that_ entitles you to get two seconds to explain to me why you feel you have the right to intervene in _my_ duties, before I execute _you_ as well." Walker's smile had now faded, and his eyes were narrowed in threat.

Hearing the loading of weapons around him, Vlad carefully moved up about a foot, but purposely kept Danny directly behind him. The guards wouldn't dare fire at the billionaire when he was so close to their leader. And Plasmius' hands, strategically resting against his back, would easily create a shield around the young half-ghost if they tried harming the boy. However, the man knew he was on one side of a delicate balance, and he would have to use caution in order to prevent it from tipping towards the ghost sheriff's side.

Vlad sighed dramatically, before answering, "I apologize for this horrible offence; but, you see, Warden, I simply could not bear to witness an upstanding officer such as yourself commit an offence far more unspeakable than my own."

Walker suddenly grew twice his real size as he angrily exclaimed, "I do not break the rules! I **enforce** them!"

Plasmius didn't react to the menacing figure towering over him, and continued in the same calm tone of voice. "I am in no way implying anything different, Warden. I am well aware of your excellent contribution to the safety and fairness of the Ghost Zone. But we both know that there are just so many laws; and although they are all as equally important, some, at times, can be overlooked by even the best of their enforcers…"

Walker's eyes narrowed further, but he now looked calmer. "Explain yourself," he demanded.

The older half-ghost nodded. "There is a law that states _no one_ can touch what is of someone else's property unless directly authorized by the owner. You see, Warden, the boy here made a binding agreement with me." Plasmius gestured to the young hybrid using his head. "Danny Phantom _belongs_ to _me_; therefore, _any_ punishment that is bestowed upon him has to come by _my_ hand." The man ended with a completely serious look.

Walker was actually silenced by Vlad's claim, and the ghost frowned as he contemplated it. But not coming up with any retort to the older hybrid's words, Walker looked back down at his book and began flipping through it.

If the current situation wasn't so precarious, Vlad would have laughed at the ghost sheriff's gullibility. Instead, the man used his cleverly acquired time to scrutinize his surroundings and assess the situation. He had jumped into the fray so quickly that the billionaire had not been able to do so yet. Of course, it had not been the wisest of moves. But if it wasn't for his rash reaction, the world would now be one half-ghost short…

That fact more than justified what would otherwise be deplorable actions on his part.

As Plasmius discreetly observed the location of Walker's guards, he found his gaze lock on one in specific. The ghost had his eyes narrowed suspiciously with his crossbow aimed at him. But the older hybrid just gave him a challenging smirk in return. The man knew this was Walker's top officer. What was his name again? Bullet? Yes, that was it. Bullet was good at what he did; and by the look on the ghost's face, he obviously knew that the older hybrid was up to _something._ But Bullet wouldn't act unless given the order to, and the ghost couldn't know just what the man had in mind…

Truth was, Vlad himself had not yet decided on his course of action. He preferred to get out of this current situation without having to resort to a physical confrontation with Walker and his troops. But even though Plasmius was sure that he could hold his own against the guards despite their numbers, he was also sure he wouldn't come out unscathed either—at least, not when they held weapons meant to harm both his forms.

But he also had Danny to consider. The boy could barely keep his eyes open, let alone defend himself. The man would seriously risk the teenager by getting into a full-fledged fight as things currently were. Sure, he could protect him; but with so many guards, distractions were inevitable; and it would only take one mistake to give Walker an opening to get to the boy.

Vlad shifted his eyes back to Walker, who was still distracted with his book. The billionaire hoped the ghost would fall for this---or one of his other persuasions. If not…well, there were other ways of handling this dilemma. They were just less appealing…

Vaguely noticing the sudden silence, Danny made an effort to lift his hanging head towards the sight in front of him. His mind was too murky to follow what Vlad and Walker were talking about, but he had managed to take in words here and there---like the fact that his arch-enemy had called him 'his property'. Danny would have glared at the man if he wasn't so occupied with keeping himself from passing out.

But the boy's head hung down again, feeling it was just too heavy to keep leveled. He decided it wasn't important to attempt to find out what was going on, after all. He had a bigger problem at the moment; a problem that had his white gloves stained bright green…

"Hmm…," Walker finally said, though he was still looking and flipping through his book. "I don't see anything of the sort in here…" He looked up at Plasmius. "But if what you say is true, it does say here in my rule book that I am entitled to void _any_ legal bindings and contracts if the charges against the criminal in question are severe. And _that_ Phantom punk's are **past** that!" Walker assured him angrily, pointing an accusatory finger at Danny.

"Oh, come now, Warden," Vlad answered with a friendly voice. "Whatever damage the boy has done I'm sure can be remedied…" A suggestive smirk tugged on the billionaire's lips as he added, "I'm sure one of the things you have heard about me is how I'm a _very_ influential figure, both in here and in the human world, hmm? I'm certain we could work something out…"

Walker suddenly slammed his book shut, before it vanished out of his hands. "You dare try to buy me?" he asked heatedly, his eyes narrowing again at the older half-ghost.

"Of course not," Vlad dismissed casually. "Just a fair bargain, Warden."

Walker nodded "Alright, you want to bargain?" he asked off-handedly, his glare vanishing. The Warden extended a hand to his closest guard, and a crossbow was placed in it. "_Here_ is your bargain, Vlad Plasmius," Walker said, a dark glare returning to his face as he leveled the weapon at the older half-ghost.

Vlad just stared back calmly at the ghost sheriff. And although he knew that he was wide open if Walker chose to fire his weapon, the man's hands remained behind his back. Bringing them forward would be a sign of fear, and that was the last thing he intended to show this ghost. But moving his hands would also remove his own means of protecting the teen behind him.

He decided his words were his best choice of 'action' at the moment. "I fail to understand how _this_ can be considered a bargain, Warden. Though I'm sure I could come up with one that would be of interest to you. After all, there must be something you want, hmm?"

"Actually, I do want something," the Warden replied, an evil look on his face that told Vlad he wouldn't like what the ghost was going to say. "I would like to disprove one of the many rumors about you… Are you invincible, Vlad Plasmius?" With a quick squeeze of the trigger, Walker fired at the older half-ghost, purposely aiming at his shoulder.

Vlad grunted as the arrow struck his shoulder, but managed to keep from crying out. Ignoring his instincts, the man kept his arms in place; and with a sharp sigh, pushed aside his pain.

"Obviously not," Walker said with a vicious smirk. "So, now that we both know I could easily waste you were you stand, I'm going to tell you _your_ _bargain_." The Warden's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Since this is your first offence, I'm going to _let_ you live, but _only_ if you step aside within the next five seconds. And I'll even be more lenient by cutting down your sentence in half, and just imprison you for one-thousand years for breaking my rules. Is that a _fair_ enough bargain for you?"

Vlad raised an eyebrow at the ghost's undeniable threat, but then adapted an indifferent look and nodded. "Very well… sounds fair to me," he added, a hint of mirth in his voice, before finally removing his hands from behind him. Looking at his injured shoulder, he quickly grabbed the arrow embedded in it, turned the projectile intangible, and then tossed it aside as if it were nothing.

Plasmius' red eyes gazed back at Walker. "Mind if I use those five seconds now?" he asked, gesturing at the boy behind him while giving the Warden an innocent smile.

Walker stared suspiciously at the older hybrid, but reluctantly nodded. "I will have my guards shoot you if you take more than that," he assured the man darkly.

Vlad raised his hands in mock surrender, before facing the young half-ghost. "Daniel?" he called, getting the teen's tired eyes to slightly look up. "It was truly a pleasure knowing you. Be a brave boy, hmm?" he asked, gently patting him on the head. Vlad looked back at Walker, and with a wink, quickly said, "All yours." And in a cloud of smoke, Plasmius vanished, leaving the boy alone once more.

Danny had not really understood what his arch-enemy was saying, but he did completely grasp the fact that the man had left him, that he had _abandoned_ him to his fate. And it became obvious once again what that fate was when Walker stepped out of the way once more.

"Continue" the Warden calmly ordered to Bullet.

Danny's heart stopped as he watched for the second time the crossbows pointed towards him. Even at his end, Vlad was cruel to him. If the man wasn't going to do anything to stop this, why did he bother to stop Walker the first time? Danny had been ready for it before… but now, he wasn't… If it didn't take so much energy, he would have cried from the unfairness of it all.

Bullet grinned evilly as Walker gave him the nod to fire the weapons. But just as he opened his mouth to utter the command to the lower ranking troops, a large ecto-blast came from above, striking several ghost guards to the right of the commander.

A gasp rang from Walker and his guards as they all quickly looked to their right. But a second ecto-blast striking several guards that surrounded Danny on the left, redirected everyone's attention again, effectively splitting the troops focus between the two sources of the attacks that were floating at opposite sides.

Walker stared furiously between the two Plasmiuses, who were floating above his troops and him, wearing smug grins on their faces. But while the ghost sheriff looked ready to explode, his troops were dumbfounded, clearly not knowing how to react to this unexpected turn of events.

"My apologies, Walker," the Plasmius on the left said, gathering more red energy in his hands. "But I cannot let you harm the boy," the one on the right finished, just before he and his counterpart fired a powerful blow of their own energy right at the Warden.

With a startled cry, Walker was jolted back by the two strong energy-balls that instantly stunned the ghost. But the attack on their leader also jolted the rest of the troops to finally act.

"Destroy him—_them_!" Bullet stuttered his angry command. And the guards immediately aimed their crossbows at the two Plasmiuses and fired.

In an instant, Both Plasmiuses extended their hands forward, quickly creating pink shields that spread across; and upon reaching each other, merged into one. But instead of the arrows slamming against the energy wall and falling uselessly into the abyss below, they penetrated the wall halfway, like darts on a dartboard.

Everyone stared, confused by the occurrence-- expect for Walker, who was still dazed from the hard hit he had directly taken to his person. But when the troops saw the two Plasmiuses suddenly flip the large energy-shield 180-degrees, so that the pointed ends of the trapped arrows on it were facing them, their eyes widened in alarm.

"I believe these are yours…," one of the two Vlads said darkly, before his counterpart and himself thrust the entire pink shield towards the troops. And when it was about a foot away from the two Plasmiuses, their merged shields vanished, effectively freeing the now speeding arrows.

Several cries of pain sounded across Walker's troops as they were hit by their own arrows; some of the ghosts suddenly extinguished out of existence, while others were pushed back by the force of the hit.

Bullet somehow managed to dodge the flying projectiles; and with a snarl, lunged at the older half-ghost on the right. The uninjured troops quickly followed suit, and both Plasmiuses suddenly found themselves surrounded by several guards.

The fight that ensued after was utter chaos, but the two Plasmiuses seemed to be amused by the fact as they taunted their various attackers.

"You should have minded your own business!" Bullet growled, pulling out an ecto-rope and whipping it towards the face of the Plasmius he was battling.

But Vlad quickly reeled back, avoiding the green whip, and grinned. "I could have use for someone as determined as you…," he commented to the ghost, before blasting him away. The man quickly turned intangible as several arrows came his way. But the second he solidified, he was forced to dodge two troops' fists, before using an ecto-ray against them that ended up pushing them back against some more troops. But then, suddenly, a metallic claw came at Plasmius and painfully grasped him around the chest. The man soon noticed the device was connected by a green cord to a control in Bullet's hands.

"If you haven't noticed, I'm already taken," Bullet finally answered the older hybrid, smirking smugly at the fact that he had caught the man off guard. Without hesitation, the ghost pressed a button that quickly sent jolts of green electricity down the rope and towards the other end still attached to Vlad's chest.

But Vlad instantly reacted by grasping the rope and quickly sending his own pink electrical charge through it. The charges met in the middle and rammed against each other, the green one fighting to reach its target, while the pink one fought to reach the weapon's control to destroy it.

Vlad narrowed his eyes as he watched the troops with Bullet quickly take advantage of his compromise position by raising their crossbows to openly shoot him. And his counterpart was too occupied fighting off other guards to aid him. He needed to get rid of this cumbersome device right now.

"I hope you don't mind if I destroy your little toy," the man stated, before intensifying his electrical energy, and quickly overcoming the device's green one.

Bullet cried in pain as the remote exploded in his hands, and the deactivated claw released its host. And just as the arrows fired at Plasmius, the man created a shield, rendering them useless.

Bullet glared at the Plasmius he was fighting, before glancing at the other one not too far across from them. "I don't know which of you is the _real_ you," he said darkly as he pulled out a strange-looking gun. "But I plan to find out…" Faster than either Plasmiuses could react, the ghost fired his weapon at the unsuspecting one a distance away.

The Plasmius that had been battling Bullet was startled as his counterpart was extinguished out of existence, clearly not having expected the gun to be _that_ powerful. But he then quickly narrowed his eyes back at Walker's commander as the ghost growled out, aiming the gun at the remaining Plasmius, "I guess you're it…"

Bullet fired. But Vlad suddenly disappeared, only to reappear right behind the ghost. "Don't be so sure…," the man whispered darkly as the startled commander turned to face him. With a flash of black light, Vlad split again, and both his halves quickly created a pink energy sword in their hands.

Both Plasmiuses narrowed their eyes as they simultaneously uttered, "As I said, you could have been of so much use to me… too bad I much rather _destroy_ you…" In an instant, one of the two Vlads mercilessly thrust their sword forward, running it right through the center of Bullet's chest.

The horrified ghost could only stare at the Plasmius in front of him with wide, disbelieving eyes, and a gaped mouth expressing his unspoken pain. Then, like a sudden, dissipating fog, Bullet vanished out of existence, leaving only tiny specks of green energy where he had once been.

The troops all froze as they watched the specks slowly descend to the dark green abyss, before they stared back at the two Plasmiuses, who had their eyes narrowed darkly at the spot that Bullet had once been. They looked back at the troops, raising their sword in front of their faces. "Who's next?" they growled.

But before anyone could react, a furious scream echoed through the entire area, redirecting both Plasmiuses and the troops' attention.

Recovered from the blow and having witnessed the demise of his best guard, Walker grew to ten feet, quickly towering over both Vlads. "YOU!!" he screamed furiously, "I'M GONNA DES-"

Walker suddenly froze in mid-sentence as he quickly remembered something—or someone. And with a startled gasp, he quickly looked back towards were he had left the young half-ghost.

Both Plasmiuses mentally cursed as they saw the Warden's eyes broaden with the realization…

* * *

Knowing that a full-fledge fight was not the way he wanted to handle the situation at hand, Vlad had decided to pull off one of the oldest, yet masterful moves in any game book: a diversion tactic.

Leaving Danny by himself in order to make Walker and the others believe he had heeded to their threat had been Vlad's first move. But in the next instant, and remaining invisible, he had duplicated into four a few feet way. He then sent two of his copies to tower at opposite ends above Walker and his troops' close knitted circle around the young half-ghost while the real Vlad and his third copy stayed behind. They watched in stealth as the other two duplicates attacked the ghosts, making them believe that his intention was indeed a full-fledged battle. But, in reality, the frontal attack was just a clever play meant to disperse the numerous troops and distract them long enough to give the real Vlad and his third duplicate an opening to act on their true plot.

As soon as the older half-ghost saw his assaulting duplicates momentarily take out Walker, followed by the troops charging at the two responsible, the real Vlad made his move. In an instant, Vlad and his duplicate teleported back to Danny, before regaining visibility once more. The older half-ghost knew he would eventually be noticed, so he had to act quickly.

"Hold still, my boy, we need to take these off," Vlad murmured to the dazed Danny, while his duplicate beside him watched the battle taking place a few feet away, creating an energy shield whenever a stray arrow or blast came towards the real half-ghosts and himself.

Grabbing a hold of the restraint on the teenager's hands first, Vlad carefully sent a surge of blue energy through it in order to destroy the green bond. And with another surge later, the other restraint on Danny's feet was disintegrated just as easily.

Vlad looked back at the boy's face, but his more-messy-than-normal hair covered his eyes, since his head was drooping towards his chest. It was obvious Danny was out of it; but it was also obvious by his irregular breathing that he wasn't unconscious.

Feeling even more nervous—and not just because of the teenager's poor condition—Vlad grabbed a hold of Danny's shoulders, and began to send his energy into the young half-ghost to prepare him for what the man planned to do next. Unfortunately, Plasmius didn't get enough time to do that.

"**THEY'RE DISTRACTIONS**!" Walker suddenly screamed.

The real Vlad growled in irritation, having hoped for just a few seconds more. Quickly sharing a glance with the duplicate beside him, the man just as quickly grabbed a hold of Danny, and turned the boy and himself intangible as a wave of arrows came towards them. His duplicate had also done the same, but unlike the real Vlad, he quickly regained tangibility once the attack had passed. But soon another wave, this time in the form of Walker's troops and not just their arrows, flew towards the duplicate and the half-ghosts.

The duplicate narrowed his eyes as he lifted his arms above him, joining his hands at the fingertips to create the shape of a circle, before letting his energy surge through his palms. Quickly, he moved his hands apart but his energy remained in the form of a ring between them; and just as Walker and the troops were a feet away, the duplicate expanded his hands outwards, and the ring became a speeding, water-like ripple that spread in every direction, savagely pushing all the ghosts back a distance away.

As soon as the ecto-ripple passed them, the real Vlad made the young hybrid and himself tangible again. The man knew he was out of time. And that if he was going to make his exit, it would have to be now, before Walker and his troops recovered. He didn't have time to prepare the boy for the final dangerous stunt.

"Daniel, hold your breath, and don't move," the man pleaded softly in the boy's ear, hoping the teen was conscious enough to understand him. With his heart thumping loudly, Vlad closed his eyes, before pulling Danny into a firm hug. And with a whirl of his cape around both of them, he made them vanish in a blink of an eye.

Not a second later, Walker managed to overcome the force that had thrust him back. And quickly righting himself, the ghost sheriff looked at where he had last seen the Ghost Boy, only to growl when he found the child was no longer there. His gaze then immediately went to Vlad's three remaining duplicates. But they soon disappeared in puff of pink smoke as well.

Realizing he had just lost both half-ghosts, Walker screamed in rage, while his troops cringed away from their leader.

* * *

Vlad had **never** attempted teleportation with another being—neither human nor ghost. But he had done it several times with inanimate objects of all shapes and sizes, and had no trouble doing that. After all, teleportation was just a trickier form of physical manipulation, while intangibility and invisibility were simpler forms. Intangibility was merely the manipulation of solid matter, while invisibility manipulated the light reflected on the surface of said matter. But teleportation was the manipulation of all that and more. It was taking matter and completely converting it into spectral energy that traveled _faster_ than the speed of light, and then returning said matter back to its natural state.

Theoretically, then, since all these powers were similar, it should be possible to transfer teleportation to other beings, just like intangibility or invisibility. The same basic steps that were required to teleport inanimate objects should also work effectively on living or spectral beings… But then again, theory was one thing, and fact was another…

Finding himself at the intended new location and realizing that he had not accidentally killed the boy or himself, Vlad let out a sigh of relief. The billionaire knew they were still very far from his portal, but with such dangerous a stunt as first-time teleportation with another being was, he had not dared to take them any further than the location they were now. If it wasn't for the circumstances, he would have been quite pleased with his accomplishment as well as the fact that he now knew for certain that he could use teleportation on others.

But, instead, he directed his attention to the boy still secured in his arms. Now that they were out of danger, Vlad focused solely on him, and instantly realized just how weak Danny looked. It was enough to say the older hybrid was amazed that the teen was still conscious. But Vlad prayed that he would stay this way; at least, until he could get the boy back to the castle.

Normally, losing consciousness in the Ghost Zone for either of them didn't revert them back to their human selves. Their bodies instinctively clung to the form that best suited their 'environment'. However, that all changed if their ghost energy was completely spent. And by the looks of it, Danny's own was beyond that. But it wasn't until Vlad finally noticed the bright green stains on his black gloves that he realized _**just**_ how injured and _**just**_ how imperative it was that Danny remained in his ghost form.

"Daniel?" the older hybrid called worriedly, releasing the teen. But not receiving any sort of response and wanting to get a better look at him, the man gently lifted Danny up so that one of his arms was under the teenager and the other was supporting the back of his head. Sadly, the boy whimpered in pain from that movement, in spite of how careful Vlad had been.

Not wanting to waste time, Vlad began to fly them back to the castle, but still kept his gaze on the young half-ghost. "Daniel?" he called more urgently, lightly tapping one of his cheeks in order to get some reaction out of his clouded green eyes.

Vaguely hearing his name, Danny stared up towards the voice, but his vision was too hazy to make out any features except for the bright red eyes looking back at him. Like before, he recognized the voice as Vlad's. And wanting to respond, the fifteen-year-old opened his mouth, only to find he didn't have the energy to get his voice to work. He didn't have the strength to do anything anymore…

Vlad gasped when twin white rings suddenly formed around the boy's waist. "Daniel, no!" he exclaimed in panic. "You must stay in your ghost form! I need you to stay awake!"

Hearing the urgency in the man's voice, Danny somehow stopped his body from changing back. But the truth was that the teen knew why Vlad wanted him to stay in his ghost form. He could feel it.

Unfortunately, the action had greatly cost the boy. And Vlad noticed it when the young hybrid's dulled green eyes began to close.

"Daniel, look at me," the man pleaded, taking a hold of the teen's face, feeling ill with fear by how abnormally pale and cold it was—even for his ghost form.

Danny did his best to keep his eyes focused on his arch-enemy, but his vision was darkening just as quickly as he was losing the battle to remain conscious. The boy didn't want to embrace the darkness that beckoned him; he was scared that he would remain in it forever. But his tired and hurt body was not giving him any other choice…Danny couldn't hold back the fear-induced tears that leaked out of his eyes.

"Oh, Daniel," Vlad said softly, his voice laced with so much fear and regret, while he tenderly wiped away the tears from one of the young hybrid's cheeks, only to smudge more ectoplasm on it. "I-I never meant---I'm…Come, little badger, we're almost there… You're going to be alright, I promise. Just stay awake for a little while longer..."

Danny just stared at him, the man's voice now a hollow echo in his ears. But there was something about it that he wished he had the reasoning to understand. He just vaguely realized it was comforting. And it made the fact that his body was shutting down easier to accept. It felt like he was finally going to get the much needed rest his being longed for…

The last thing Danny saw was Vlad's worried eyes.

"NO, DANIEL!" the older hybrid screamed when the boy's eyes rolled back and his body went limp. Vlad halted just as Danny's transformation rings returned, this time quickly changing him back to his human self.

"No, no…," Plasmius whispered fearfully, shaking the unconscious teen in his arms, clearly becoming more hysterical by the second. "Daniel, wake up! _**Please**_, wake up! For the love of---" The man suddenly choked on his word as he saw something far worse than ectoplasm beginning to stain his own hands and clothing.

Vlad swallowed his panic at the sight. And quickly grabbing the boy's unmoving body closer in his arms, the older hybrid took off, forcing himself to focus on just flying as fast as he could. It was the only way he could keep himself from looking down. If he focused on how the oval in the middle of the young half-ghost's white shirt was now unnaturally expanding, he just knew he would lose it.

* * *

"DEREK!"

The older half-ghost's desperate scream resonated through the entire castle for all to hear as he exited his bottom lab and headed straight for Danny's room.

Looking completely alarmed, Derek flew out of the lounge and into the foyer. And soon George, Carl, and the two older maids were floating right beside him, looking just as startled. They had absolutely no doubt that something was terribly wrong, for they had never heard such fear in their employer's voice…

"Oh, my goodness! Where did he go?" Martha exclaimed, not seeing any sign of the older half-ghost.

"The boy's room," Niane's voice suddenly answered as she unexpectedly appeared beside them.

Too eager to get to their employer than to question the young maid just how she knew that, they ignored her, and all quickly flew towards Danny's bedroom. Only Niane stayed behind, though she gazed gravely towards the main stairs. And for split moment, her eyes seemed to glaze with tears. But, then, with a shake of her head, they were gone, and she slowly headed up towards the second floor.

Meanwhile, Vlad had arrived at the young half-ghost's dormitory, and had placed Danny on his bed. And as a set of black rings changed the billionaire back into Masters, he leaned down, and attempted to wake the boy.

"Daniel, wake up," Vlad pleaded, lightly patting the side of his face. But not receiving any sort of response, he leaned further down, aiming his ear just above the teenager's mouth. The man didn't hold back a sigh of relief when he found that Danny was breathing; it was shallow and somewhat irregular, but at least, it was there. Moving away so that he could glance up at the clock, Vlad then placed two fingers against Danny's pulse on his neck. But this time, he didn't like the end result: the boy's heart rate was dangerously weak.

"Sir? What's wrong?" Derek's voice suddenly asked, after having burst in at his employer's panicked call. But the sight of the unconscious and battered Danny, quickly answered his question. And when all the older half-ghost's employees filed in, all they could do was gasp in horror.

Although Vlad was too busy inspecting the young hybrid's injured body to look at his employees, he still quickly uttered his commands to them. "Bring me the medical supplies from my first-floor laboratory, several towels, and a large bowel of warm water."

But the two older maids, the butler, chef, and chauffeur were still too shocked to react. And upon realizing that the ghosts were still there, the billionaire's shaken nerves made him explode at them, "WHAT THE BLAZES ARE YOU ALL WAITING FOR?!"

The ghosts jolted at the sight of their employer's fierce glare, and they quickly scrambled to retrieve what the man had asked for. But before the ghost chef could fly off, Vlad suddenly stopped him.

"George, wait!" the man urgently commanded, before shifting his gaze from Danny to look at the ghost. But right then, Niane appeared beside the chef, and silently, but worriedly, looked at the unconscious young half-ghost.

Either Vlad didn't notice the girl or he ignored her, since he continued without hesitation, "George, go to my room. Inside the bathroom, there is a bottle of the Ives Ghost Plant. Bring it to me." But then, the billionaire, who had actually noticed Niane all along, finally regarded her and ordered, "The ghost vitamins in the kitchen. Get them."

Both Niane and George nodded, but they hesitated to leave as they watched their employer look back at the hurt boy. It was the ghost chef who dared to ask the question everyone was wondering, "Sir… what happened?" he asked cautiously.

Vlad just stared worriedly at Danny, but he then lifted a hand, and momentarily caressed the young teen's hair. And just when Niane and George thought the man wasn't planning on answering, Vlad shook his head as he withdrew his hand from the boy. "I… don't know," he replied in a fearful whisper. The billionaire then looked at the ghost chef with pleading and distressed eyes, and said, "I need that medicine, George."

"Yes, sir," he replied before leaving with Niane close behind him.

Vlad gazed at the teenager again. And he knew if it wasn't for the fact that he had checked, the older half-ghost would believe Danny wasn't breathing---his chest gave no indication of it. And his completely unmoving body and pale complexion did nothing to ease Vlad's worry. But it was the boy's slow heart rate that scared him the most.

"Be strong, little badger, please…," Vlad whispered before he took off his jacket in preparation for what he needed to do.

* * *

An hour later, the older half-ghost had finished treating and bandaging Danny's injuries. The man then grabbed a sterile syringe from his medical kit, filled it with a liquid mixture he had quickly made out of his ghost vitamins and something else, and proceeded by injecting it in the teenager's left shoulder. He had, of course, previously injected the boy with regular antibiotics and another ghostly dose of what he was giving him again now. That had been the first thing he had done in order to stabilize Danny's vitals. But the down side of the 'ghostly meds' was that they were quickly absorbed and used up in any spectral body. It was why the man was giving the teen another dose of the ghostly concoction. And as said liquid traveled throughout the young hybrid's entire circulatory system, a green glow followed closely behind, before it soon vanished, leaving the unconscious teen as pale as before.

Having done everything in his power to aid Danny, Vlad finally covered him up with several blankets. All the while, his sober gaze stayed on the teen's face. The cut on his cheek, which had only required minor treatment, was the least serious of Danny's injuries. But most of the other ones… Well, it was enough to say that they were not going to heal with just the young half-ghost's powers.

Vlad passed his thumb lightly over the cut on Danny's face, but there wasn't so much as a cringe or moan from him. As cruel as it sounded, the man had hoped for such a response. He just wanted the boy to show some sign of life! But the entire time he had tended to the boy's injuries, there wasn't a single movement or sound from him.

But although Danny had not given any sign of waking any time soon, Vlad found some relief in the sound of his soft, more regular breathing, and steady, though still weak, heartbeats. The man prayed that they would at least stay like that. He couldn't help but be just as apprehensive as he was when he first got here. The young hybrid's injuries were still bleeding and he had already lost an unhealthy amount of his vital life force.

With a soft sigh, the billionaire turned from the teenager. He quickly gathered his medical kit and the ghost medicines; and since he would have to use them again, placed them in the room's bathroom. After throwing away his used gloves and any other unclean supplies, he then emptied the bowl of the now soiled water.

Leaving the bathroom, Vlad then grabbed Danny's shoes and placed them in the closet. Lastly, he picked up the soiled towels, as well as Danny's stained shirt and pants, and placed them all inside the same large bowl within which the warm water had once been. Cradling the bowl within one of his arms, the billionaire looked around to make sure he had not forgotten anything, before finally dimming the room's lights. And with one last glance at the unconscious young hybrid, Vlad at last left the teen's room.

Catching sight of his employees at the bottom of the main stairs, the billionaire tiredly addressed one of the older maids, "Patricia, throw these things away, would you?" he asked, handing her the bowl with the soiled towels and clothing.

Patricia quietly nodded, and took it from him, though it was clear she was a little reluctant to grab the items.

Without further regard, Vlad turned from the ghosts and started to head to the living room. But Derek quickly stopped him as he did.

"Sir, perhaps you would care for a tea?" the butler asked, reflexively responding to George's urging jab to his side. None of them wanted to mention to their employer that he did not look too well himself… He was clearly in a lot of stress, …and then there was that bleeding shoulder. Had the man even noticed it?

Vlad gave his butler a quick glance, before nodding, and resuming his destination. The man's employees watched him walk off, so unsettled with their employer's appearance that they had completely forgotten to mention to the man that Skulker had just arrived and had gone to Danny's room looking for him …

And indeed that's where the hunter was. The instant Skulker noticed Danny, his eyes widened in surprise. However, the sight of his favorite prey's being so injured quickly put a deep frown on the ghost's face.

"What in the Ghost Zone…?" the hunter murmured, sounding confused and perturbed at the same time.

Skulker quickly turned from the teen, and phased back out of the room, heading back down stairs. Whatever occurred, there had been a serious fight, and the pup had gotten the losing end of it. Somehow, it didn't please the hunter in the least. He felt a bit… guilty, since it had been his primary job to bring back the teenager alive and well. He had failed his mission. But his employer had to understand that there had been nothing he could have done to change the outcome of what had occurred.

It wasn't his fault that something had gone wrong. Still, Skulker couldn't figure out how Walker had found them.

The hunter let out a small growl of aggravation at his last contemplation. But his thoughts quickly shifted back to his employer. He hoped Plasmius wasn't in a similar condition as the whelp. Although Skulker knew his employer was very powerful, that didn't make the older half-ghost invincible.

But Skulker was at least glad to know that both half-ghosts were back at the mansion, and not locked up in one of Walker's jail cells. If that had been the case, the hunter wouldn't have hesitated to get his employer out. After all, Plasmius had once done the same for him; well, not directly. But he had sent others to break him out. Furthermore, they were close allies. Skulker might not care to risk himself for his favorite prey, but for Plasmius… he would take such a risk---to a certain point, of course.

* * *

Sitting on a couch in his living room, Vlad sighed tiredly, before leaning forward and burying his face in his hands. He wished his spinning head and the queasy feeling in his stomach would cease. Truth was, Vlad just wanted to pass out on his bed from how utterly exhausted he felt. After all, his display of power in the Ghost Zone had not come without a cost. He had used a lot of energy in his fight with Walker and his goons. And teleporting **with** someone else for the first time, had robbed him even more of his energy.

But he refused to give into his impulse. He had to keep an eye on Danny. He hadn't built up over twenty years of endurance for nothing. And, really, his ghost half had long since recovered its lost energy. No, it was something else that had him feeling so awful. Perhaps it was his bleeding shoulder that he still didn't seem to be aware of… Or…, perhaps it was the overwhelming guilt he felt inside…

The billionaire lifted his head when he finally felt something wet and hot slowly running down his arm. It was even more obvious when he could see the reason oozing through his white shirt.

The man just stared at his arm for a moment, now aware of its painful throb. But his thoughts were barely on himself.

"_I shouldn't have sent him in there,"_ Vlad thought regrettably, before absent-mindedly unbuttoning his shirt. He removed it completely and looked at his shoulder, a brief glare suddenly appearing on his face.

If it wasn't because he needed to get the young hybrid out of there, he would have stayed until he destroyed Walker for what he had done. Just like he had destroyed the ghost's prized commander. Vlad knew Walker had seen what he had done to Bullet, and the older hybrid couldn't be more pleased about it. Vlad hoped it left that rule-loving freak a bitter taste in his mouth. No one ticked _him_ off and got away with it!

Looking back at the shirt in his hands, he began to rip it a bit more forcefully than necessary. He then grabbed a piece of adequate length and carelessly wrapped it around the site of his injury. He cringed when he firmly tied it. But he then sighed his pain away. It wasn't anything compared to the ones the young hybrid had sustained. Still, he knew he would have to give it proper attention eventually.

"Sir?" Derek called, walking into the living room. "Here's the tea," he added as he placed it on the coffee table.

Vlad just nodded, though he was internally glad to see the hot beverage. As his butler left, the billionaire placed his destroyed shirt beside him, before picking up the cup of tea. But he hadn't realized just how shaken his nerves were until he saw his hands. They were trembling so much that he was having a hard time holding the tea cup without spilling the beverage on himself. But the man somehow managed to bring the cup to his lips, silently hoping it would calm him somewhat.

Despite his overwhelming emotions, Vlad had figured out that everything that happened had not been some unfortunate coincidence. The second he had discovered that those arrows were made specifically for the young half-ghost, the billionaire knew it was no longer just a fluke. But it wasn't until Vlad was confronted with the number of guards that had attacked Daniel that he truly realized _just_ how far it had been from a random attack.

"It was an ambush," the older hybrid whispered, placing his tea on the table once more, though his eyes stared fixedly at it. Walker had known exactly where to find Danny. But how? …_Someone_ had told him of it---it was the only way. But the _only_ other person—besides himself, of course---that was aware of the details of the boy's trip into the Ghost Zone was Skulker...

Would Skulker betray him?

Vlad sighed.

"Plasmius!"

Vlad's distant gaze instantly vanished. And he slowly looked up at the last entity he wanted in his sight at the moment. The man's suddenly crimson eyes made that clear...

But Skulker was too relieved to have finally found his employer to notice the man's suppressed rage. "I've been looking all over for you!" the ghost quickly said, sounding annoyed. "I called you several times, but---"

The ghost didn't get to finish. The older hybrid's anger suddenly exploded. And in a blink of an eye, Vlad was on his feet, instantly releasing a red energy blast directly at the hunter's chest.

Skulker only managed a loud gasp before the powerful red sphere slammed against him, jolting him back into a large entertainment center a few feet away. A loud boom echoed across the room the instant the hunter impacted the piece of furniture, its large shards of glass and wood quickly trapping the hunter beneath them

The hunter groaned, though he somehow found the strength to push off the heavy debris on him. Dazed, he looked down at his damaged chest plate, before he remembered what, or, _who_ was responsible. Skulker's eyes widened with disbelief as he looked up at his employer. The ghost was so stunned, he couldn't do anything else but stare. Plasmius had **never** attacked him before.

But Vlad was anything but lost for words. "_**You fool!**_ You left him there! I told you not to let him get hurt!" the man screamed furiously, more energy gathering in his hands.

Skulker finally reacted, quickly looking just as enraged as his employer as he got to his feet. He narrowed his eyes dangerously. "I was not going to risking my after-life for _THE WHELP!_" he shouted back.

Vlad quickly approached the ghost threateningly, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "It was you, wasn't it? _**You**_** set all that up!**"

"What are you talking about, Plasmus?!" the ghost demanded. "This whole thing was YOUR idea! I never wanted to go on that ridiculous trip with the Ghost Child! I told YOU to go! So, don't try to blame me for this now!

"You're lying!" the man growled back. "You know perfectly well what I'm talking about! Walker knew where Daniel was going to be! **It was all planned out!** Or don't tell me you failed to notice all the BLASTED guards armed with SPECAILIZED WEAPONS?!"

Skulker stared at his employer, completely appalled as he finally realized what the man had been thinking. "How _dare_ you accuse me of playing dirty?" the ghost whispered vehemently, before his voice grew steadily louder. "I'm a ghost of honor! When have I ever given you reason to doubt in my word?! WHEN HAVE I EVER BETRAYED YOU?!"

"JUST HOURS AGO WHEN YOU _PURPOSELY_ LEFT THE BOY WITH A HUNDRED GUARDS SHOOTING ARROWS MEANT TO _KILL_ HIM!" Vlad screamed back, pointing at his injured shoulder for emphasis.

Skulker's hands fisted in response, and he didn't hesitate to reply, "**You've lost your mind**! If I wanted to waste the whelp, I WOULD HAVE DONE IT MYSELF!"

Vlad suddenly turned into Plasmius, and quickly threw another energy-sphere at his ally.

But this time, Skulker managed to turn intangible, and the red energy made a hole through a wall instead of the ghost's suit.

"You couldn't waste him even if he was in front of you, dangled on a stick!" Plasmius growled out, his glowing hands cackling with his fury

Skulker glanced at the damaged wall, before quickly looking back at the older half-ghost, and pulling out a large weapon. "_Watch it,_ Plasmius, because you are about to make me forget why I don't hang _your_ head on my wall," the hunter threatened darkly, leveling his gun at his employer's forehead.

Vlad answered the threat with a short, mocking laugh, before his eye narrowed again. "You're pathetic threats don't faze me, Skulker," he assured him. "You and I both know why you have not—and _never_ will--- attempt such a thing. I'm more powerful than you will _ever_ be! But if you refer to our alliance, consider it over from this moment forth," the man stated darkly.

Skulker's eyes widened with disbelief. "What? Y-You can not be serious?! You're willing to throw away our accord, our dealings, what benefits we offer each other for that---that _mere_ _child_?!"

"That _mere child _is worth more than eighty of you!" Vlad whispered angrily.

The hunter's eyes turned back into hateful slits as his hand tightened on the gun he held. The man had gone too far. "You might win in a battle with me, but I'm going to make sure you remember it for the rest of your existence," Skulker said in a deadly tone, trading his gun for a large glowing sword.

Plasmius' hands just glowed with more deadly energy, his narrowed red eyes waiting for the ghost to make the first move.

Skulker stepped forward, determined at first to carry out what he had in mind. But then, suddenly, the ghost froze when he noticed something that he had not before.

"_He's afraid…?"_ the hunter thought in wonder from the undeniable smell of fear on his employer. But the emotion had nothing to do with their arguing… Then, what was the man afraid of…?

Skulker slowly lowered his raised sword, and though his eyes stayed narrowed, there was a hint of realization in them. "I get it now. _All_ of it; everything you have done; all these 'tasks' you have had me do…" The hunter scoffed in bitter amusement. "And here I thought this whole thing with the Ghost Child was just another of your ridiculous schemes. Actually, I started to believe you where going crazy… But now, it all makes perfect sense…." Skulker shook his head in disgust. "You _actually_ _**care**_ for him."

The ghost had clearly struck a nerve by the older hybrid's violent reactions. "THAT'S NOT YOUR CONCERN!" he screamed, enraged by the underlying revulsion he detected in the ghost's words.

The hunter just stared silently at the man for a moment, but then, nodded. "Very well," the ghost said in a low growl as he quickly sheathed his sword. "You want to throw away everything for the pup? Fine. But mark my words, Plasmius, you will regret it. That whelp is going to be your downfall. You side with him and you will be going against just about every ghost in the Ghost Zone. And you can then be sure that no amount of _power or money_ will save you from the same fate that awaits him."

"Get out," Vlad suddenly demanded hatefully, the energy in his hands vanishing. "Leave, right now. And do not return."

Skulker's glare fell into a serious look as he answered, "I didn't plan to." The ghost turned away as he added, "But when you realize what you have just thrown away; and more importantly, that I'm right, _you_ know where to find me."

Vlad's own glare vanished the instant Skulker had left him alone, and he fell back on the sofa. His face buried itself once again in his hands, as his black rings changed him back into Masters.

His alliance with Skulker was one of the most, if not, _the_ most beneficial relationship he had with anyone… And he had just destroyed it. But he was just _so angry_ with everyone responsible for the boy's current condition! He was furious with Walker, with Skulker. But above all, with HIMSELF!

His now former ally was right, though. The ghost was right about everything he had said…

He did care for Danny. But Vlad had not realized _just_ _how much…_ until now.

Now that he was on the brink of losing the young half-ghost in the worst way possible, he finally understood how important the boy was to him. Vlad finally understood what his real feelings were for him.

He cared so much about him that it was painful. It was _weakening_. And he hated the boy for instilling such a flaw in him. Vlad knew that Maddie also had this grasp on him. She was his weakness. But she was a weakness he had long since accepted and embraced. But the man couldn't bring himself to do the same for her son. Daniel was a weakness he **didn't** want!

But the billionaire's thoughts quickly made him understand that he **didn't** hate the boy as he always told himself. He _wanted_ to despise him. But couldn't. The truth was Vlad hated _himself_. He hated himself for not being able to get rid of these hindering feelings. Telling himself he hated Daniel was just a desperate attempt to gain some control over his slowly growing weakness. It was disconcerting to the older half-ghost that he, one of the most power beings in all existence, was rendered powerless against something so…insignificant.

If only his heart didn't make it so **significant**.

Vlad didn't know what he would do if the teen didn't make it out of this. He didn't want to lose him. He couldn't lose him. Whatever kind of life the man had would fall to pieces without Daniel. Not even Maddie would be able to fill the void that would be left in him. If the young hybrid died, so would he.

The thought made Vlad leave his living room and head back up to Danny's room. _"You have to be alright, Daniel,"_ he thought fearfully.

* * *

**Tissue anyone?**

**Well, I hope ya liked it! I'm not sure if I will be updating CM next week... I need to give my other poor story some attention! 'DoaS' is lonely! So, I'm going to try to update that one next week. let's see how it goes. I have Thanksgiving break coming up, so I hope to use those few days to work on stories... and reviews... and replies. Yeah, I'm really short with time at the moment, especially with finals just around the corner. But the good news is that after that I'll have few weeks off from school! YES!**

**Once more, thank you so much for your support and your thoughts! I promise I'll start answering to reviews as soon as I can again! I mean, it's the least I can do for all the love you guys show my stories and me! And my muse when he's not down-right evil! Heh-heh!**

**Oh, on a side note, if you are wondering, yes, Vlad did waste Bullet. Or, destroy him, actually, since you can't actually kill a ghost. But I do think they can be wiped out of exsistence, and that's what Vlad did!--epp! But I added this 'cause it bugged me how Bullet doesn't show up in 'Claw of the Wild' in third season. So, my muse came up with a morbid reason! Ha!**

**Ta, my readers!**


	42. Chapter 41: My Enemy

**Hi, Everyone! Did you guys miss me? I sure missed all of you! And I feel bad for making you all wait so long for another update! But my Christmas break was very busy-- more busy than when I'm in school! I couldn't believe it! But I had a lot of events and things happening due to all the holidays, not to mention I was working during my break. But I am back in school, and back to trying to fit everything into my crazy schedule! But I did work on a chapter for each of my stories during the break. it was slow progress, but I am now finished. And so here is the next chapter of CM! Not one of the longest, but it's one of my personal favorites! I hope you guys agree! I should go back to updating weekly for this story again--if nothing comes up. So, keep a look out for another chapter in a week or so. Thanks for waiting!**

**Oh! One last thing. I was going to reply to reviews before posting this, but I have to work tomorrow, so I'm not sure if I will have time to post this tomorrow. So, I'm posting it now, and replying to reviews later! Sorry gang! But thanks so much for your wonderful thoughts! They mean so much to me! **

**On with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

* * *

**Chapter 41: My Enemy**

"_D……?...an …m…?" _

The incoherent whisper vaguely caressed Danny's comatose mind, but without effect. Still, the whispers continued, fighting to be noticed, to receive a response… to do anything that would bring about… a change. And after a long moment of persistence, they finally did.

"_Daniel?"_

Although the sound still seemed distant, this time, it penetrated Danny's consciousness enough for him to recognize it as a voice. …But whose?

Needing to know the answer, the boy's brain forced a command upon his body, and Danny's eyes slowly began to open.

"_Mom?"_ the teenager mentally wondered, thinking of the first person that came to mind---or perhaps the one that he most longed to see…

In reality, the voice Danny heard was that of the older half-ghost. But the boy was still too out of it to really understand that, or to hear Vlad's sigh of relief when he began to stir.

Wanting to encourage Daniel's progress, the billionaire lightly tapped the side of the teenager's face, causing the boy's unresponsive gaze to sluggishly lock on his own.

"Come on, Daniel, wake up," Vlad commanded softly, his eyebrow's creasing with worry when he saw that the boy was so dazed that his normal bright blue eyes looked a dull grey.

But the man's actions eventually did the job, and Danny slowly realized it was Vlad at whom he was looking. Again, he didn't notice his arch-enemy sigh in relief when he finally blinked and began to look around.

"You gave me quite a scare, little badger," Vlad said in a sincere voice as he watched the teenager's lost gaze continue to wander. "I was about to call my private doctor…," he added when Danny finally looked back at him.

But the comment received no response from the boy. Danny didn't really capture what the man was talking about. He also had no idea how worried Vlad had been with his unresponsiveness. Indeed the man had been on the verge of calling a doctor, fearing the boy had sustained permanent injuries. How could Vlad _not_ think that when Danny had been unconscious for a little over two days now?

The boy had no idea the immense relief the billionaire felt at the present moment.

The only thing really stirring around in Danny's mind was trying to figure out where he was. For some reason, he didn't recognize his surroundings. But upon remembering he had a voice, he opened his mouth to ask the man currently looking down at him.

"……?

The second Danny attempted to get a word out of his vocal cords, his face scrunched in pain. His voice hadn't come through…but a horrible burning sting had.

Seeing the boy's discomfort and what he was attempting to do, Vlad moved over to one of the nightstands and picked up a small jar of water and a glass cup resting on it. He poured some water into the glass, before placing the jar down, and then moving back to the teenager.

With a small pause to make sure Danny didn't protest, Vlad slightly lifted the young half-ghost's head, and placed the glass against his mouth. The actions were enough to encourage the boy to drink a bit of water without any verbal prompting.

The moist and cool liquid running down the teenager's dry and throbbing throat felt like pure bliss. However, the glass was soon pulled away from him---much to his disappointment--- and he was left with a mild discomfort. But the slight stinging was forgotten when his now spinning vision---caused by that mild movement of his head---was now foremost than any of his other injuries.

Danny closed his eyes again, suddenly feeling really tired once more. "…Where am I?" the teen finally was able to ask in a hoarse voice.

Vlad's worried frown returned as he placed the cup on the night stand. The young half-ghost was still very much out of it---or, at least, the teen had to be to not recognize the room he had occupied for a little over two months now. But not wanting to say anything too significant---like for how long he had been unconscious for---which could upset the boy, Vlad paused in thought, before answering, "You are in your room, Daniel."

But the billionaire once more received no response….Danny had fallen senseless again.

Vlad sighed, before carefully inspecting the boy's injuries. "…At least you are no longer bleeding," he stated to the unconscious teenager. Continuing with what he was about to do before the young hybrid had stirred, Vlad grabbed one of the three already prepped injections on the night stand.

Being that Danny had been out for so long and hadn't exactly been able to consume anything during that time, the man had double the medication and tripled the vitamins he had injected into the boy. But, hopefully, now that the boy had finally begun to come to, the medicines could soon be taken away. At the moment, however, Vlad was a bit thankful that the teenager was unconscious again. The billionaire wasn't sure how cooperative Danny would be when it came to getting any shots, especially when they were being administered by _him_.

Once he had cleansed the area on the boy's right shoulder that the needle would penetrate, Vlad removed the protective cover on the syringe, before injecting Danny. In spite of the neutral look on the man's face, he did not like doing this in the slightest. The older half-ghost hated dealing with needles or anything that had to do with… hospitals. The reasons were obvious if one considered his past. Even so, the man could push aside his dislike for medicine when necessary. Not to mention, it would be a crime to ignore the amount of knowledge he had gathered on such things. After all, they were beneficial… in more ways than one.

But although the young half-ghost was out of it again, this time---and for the first time since he had lost consciousness in the Ghost Zone---Danny winced at the pinch of the needle entering his arm. And when Vlad administered the third---and final---injection, the boy began to shift slightly, subconsciously feeling the side effects of the ghostly meds in this last one.

The billionaire was glad for the reactions. It was definitely a positive sign of the boy's recuperating. Before now, the young hybrid had been so still in the past days that he had appeared…

Vlad shook his head, dismissing the thought as he finished up and put everything in its place. He still needed to clean and re-bandage Danny's injuries in a few hours… Perhaps this time, the boy would be awake for it. It would definitely make the process much easier.

Giving Danny one last look over, Vlad finally moved away, closing the door behind him as he left the room.

* * *

What took you so long? It's been, like, two days!" Spectra snapped when she found her brother at her door.

Dazzler gave her a sharp glare, before pushing past her, and entering her ghostly home. "I know how long it has been, Penelope! I couldn't risk coming any sooner! Do you know how suspicious it would have looked if I had come here right after the runt returned half-dead?! If my employer finds out I had something to do with what happened to Danny Phantom, he'll waste me!"

"You're a ghost. He can't really waste you," Bertrand interrupted with a smirk.

The controlling ghost just shot the shape-shifter a dark glare. He knew Bertrand was just trying to annoy him, since they both knew what he had meant. Sure, Plasmius couldn't _really_ waste him--- he was a ghost after all. But the man could easily wipe him out of existence… Dazzler had no desire of losing his after-life any time soon.

"So what happened? Did we get rid of the kid?" Spectra asked with bated breath, ignoring the males' interaction.

Dazzler's eyes flashed a golden color with his burning fury. "_No_, my employer kept him from going down the deep end," he answered spitefully.

"_What?"_ the female shadow-ghost hissed. "But the beating he took was enough to waste him four times over!"

"She isn't exaggerating, either," Bertrand added, looking as angry as his partner. "We followed the fight for a pretty good while, up until your freaky employer came along. We had to leave after that 'cause things got too hot."

Dazzler growled, before focusing on his sister again. "Why did that runt even come back? I thought you said Walker would take care of him, Penelope!" he exclaimed, getting so angry that he lost his humanoid appearance and turned into his shadow form. Truth was, the ghost was more nervous than anything else. He was on very dangerous grounds. In fact, Dazzler was surprised his employer had not discovered of his treachery yet….

"And _you_ said Plasmius would be out of the way!" Spectra growled back.

"How was I supposed to know he would actually stick his neck out for the runt?!" the gold-eyed ghost angrily defended himself. "They're enemies, Penelope! It makes as much sense to me as it does to you!"

"So, there's no chance that Danny will be done in from this?" Spectra asked, crossing her arms in frustration.

Dazzler sighed angrily, but he calmed enough to regain his humanoid form. "According to what I've heard around the mansion, the runt is recovering. But after returning half-dead from the Ghost Zone, he cannot possibly be out of the woods just yet. But even so, if he didn't die then, I doubt he will now."

"If he's passed out and still hurt, then why don't you take the opportunity to finish him off yourself?" Bertrand spoke up, the idea putting an evil grin on his face. "It would be so easy."

"That's actually a marvelous idea!" Spectra agreed, perking up with the suggestion.

The male shadow-ghost's eyes darkly narrowed at nothing in particular at he replied, "You can be sure I've thought of it myself. But my employer has been like the runt's shadow these past days. He hasn't even left the house for a minute!" The ghost let out a frustrated growl. "And that's really all the time I would need, too. If I could only get him alone for _one minute_…"

Spectra fell back on a couch, and silently began to drum her fingers against its armrest. "I suppose this means we are back to square one…," she murmured with irritation.

There was a long silence, but then, Bertrand spoke up, his voice suddenly very perky. "Well! You know what they say, if at first you don't succeed, go back to 'Plan A'!"

Dazzler just rolled his eyes at the other male ghost. "I was not aware of us having a 'Plan A'. And doesn't that phrase end with_, try, try again_?" he asked dryly.

"Same thing!" Bertrand waved off. "And we did have a 'Plan A'---at least, Spectra and I did. We go after the kid ourselves. It's how we've always done it! And this time, we have the odds in our favor! The little freak is still ripe for the picking! It would a crime to let him spoil!" the shape-shifter said wittily, directing a hungry smile towards the female ghost in the room.

That same grin slowly grew on Spectra's lips. "You make a good point, Bertrand."

But the controlling ghost immediately frowned. "I thought we already talked about this, Penelope. You are not getting past Vlad Plasmius!"

Spectra narrowed her eyes at her brother. "_That_ freak isn't going to stop me from getting what I want, Dazzler." A dark smirk then curved her lips as she added, "My specialty is teenagers, but adults do make tasty treats every now-and-then… And with this particular one being half-ghost, he should be even sweeter!"

Bertrand tapped his chin thoughtfully, before grinning again. "I've always been up to trying new things!"

Dazzler just shook his head and looked away towards an empty part of the room.

Bertrand rolled his eyes at the other male ghost's apparent apprehension. "You know, you give Plasmius more credit than you give us---_and_ yourself, Dazzler. It's three of us against some half-freak that is two quarters short of a dollar---at least, the guy has to be nuts to risk his own skin for some kid that he's always trying to waste himself." The shape-shifter rolled his eyes again."The point is that _we_ can take him."

"Right," Dazzler said sarcastically. "That is precisely what you and Spectra said about Walker being able to outdo him." But he then sighed at the unconvinced frowns he received. "_Alright_. Could you two at least let things cool down, first? Give _me_ 'some credit'. Maybe I can take care of the runt myself without my employer's involvement."

Spectra gave him a sweet smile. "Of course. If you really think you can pull it off on your own, then I'm willing to give my _only brother_ a bit of time and trust. _But_ if you get wasted by the 'big bad half-ghost', don't say we didn't try to help you."

Dazzler scowled at her teasing remark. But he said nothing, and turned away.

Bertrand smirked, clearly amused as he asked, "Heading back to work already?"

"Yes, unlike you, Bertrand, I do more than sit around all day being my _caring _sister's useful toy," he replied calmly without looking at the other male. The truth was, though, that the controlling ghost needed to return before anyone realized he was gone.

The shape-shifter could only scowl as Dazzler left without another word. But then, Bertrand looked at his partner still sitting on the couch. "How did you ever survive growing up with him?" he murmured annoyed.

Spectra just innocently smiled and shrugged.

* * *

The young half-ghost was utterly confused to find himself in a place he had not been to for months: Clockwork's lair.

And the Time Master was right beside him.

But Danny wasn't the only one with the spirit. Two Observants were also there, standing in front of Clockwork.

"You must put an end to this now, Clockwork! Even those who cannot look into the future would be able to easily see that the outcome of all this is disaster!" the young teenager heard one of the Observants say to the Time Keeper.

"If it is, then so be it."

Danny looked over at Clockwork when he spoke. He still felt very disconcerted by what was happening. He had this odd feeling that he wasn't supposed to be here, like he was witnessing some personal conversation between the ancient ghosts. But he couldn't bring himself to interrupt.

"What is that you are trying to do? At least answer us that," the other Observant continued. "You know nothing good can come of their being together. The timeline has proven that to be a fact time and time again!"

"Was that a pun?" Clockwork asked, a smirk growing on his face. "It was actually a decent one."

The two Observants just looked soberly at the Time Master, before shaking their heads in helplessness. Danny almost felt bad for them. But he was still too confused to do anything but stare between his mentor and the two other ghosts in the room.

Clockwork quickly returned back to his neutral demeanor as he spoke again. "Sometimes risks need to be taken to let fate choose its course. Although, perhaps, it already has chosen its path… Otherwise, why does the time stream keep looping around itself?" the ghost asked calmly.

"Then if this is fate's chosen path, then you must put an end to it. Danny Phantom cannot be allowed to turn evil!" one of the Observants exclaimed in a severe voice.

The young hybrid's eyes widened. Wait. They were talking about _him_! He really _wasn't_ supposed to be here. No wonder they were speaking like he was not around! But he was! …Didn't they know he was?

But Clockwork soon proved to Danny that _he_ at least was aware of his presence. As if reading the teen's thoughts, the Time Master looked over at him; and with a small smile, commented, "You have not said a word."

Danny was about to answer, but the Obervants began to speak again. "What are you going to do about this, Clockwork?"

The ghost in question turned his attention back to the other ghosts in the room. "I thought we already discussed this. I will do nothing," he answered, his voice laced with thick annoyance. "Danny must make his own choices. Isn't that what you all have always said yourselves?"

The Observants sighed, obviously frustrated. And when one of them spoke again, they decided to change the subject somewhat.

"What of the other half-ghost. Are you going to allow him to do what he did in the alternate timeline?"

The new topic received a surprise jolt from Danny. What did Vlad have to do with this? And _what_ exactly had his arch-enemy done in the alternate time line that they were now referring to in their conversation? Could it have something to do with _his_ future, evil self?

Danny shuddered at the very likely possibility.

"There is no alternate timeline," Clockwork replied evenly, much to the boy's building uncertainty. "Just one. And that one can have many paths."

"You keep avoiding our questions, Clockwork. How can we understand your reasons for allowing all this to occur when you are not fair with us?" the other Observant said just as irritated as his partner.

"If you must know," Clockwork said with a sigh. "This path will bring him towards a few lessons he needs to learn. Mostly, though, a lesson in fate," he added with a mysterious smile.

Danny just continued to gaze at the Time Master with bafflement--much like the Observants were now doing themselves. And here the teen thought it was just him who didn't get half of what Clockwork said…

"You realize that at this point in time, it is obvious that the boy has forgotten the things he has already learned. What makes you believe he will not just forget these new 'lessons' like he has the others?" an Observant asked, after sharing a look with the other one beside him.

"Yes, he has forgotten…," Clockwork surprisingly agreed. But then the ghost looked down at the young hybrid standing beside him, and added with a sure smile. "But he will remember again. So, in truth, he has not _really_ forgotten."

Danny creased his eyebrows as he stared back at his mentor. But wanting to get an answer to all this, the boy opened his mouth to speak, only to freeze up again.

The teenager was so shocked when he saw the Observants turn to look at him, that he forgot whatever he was going to say. The Observants were aware of his presence, too! So, then, _why_ did they continue to talk like he wasn't there?

"What is your opinion on this?" they both asked him at the same time.

Danny wanted to point at himself and say, _'Who? Me?'_ but he suddenly couldn't find his voice. He wanted to grab a hold of his throat but he then found his body was not responding, either. And… wait, why was he wearing a red hooded-cloak?

But before he could continue to question himself, Danny heard Clockwork speak again. "I think it's time for you to go."

The words received an unhappy stare from the two Observants, clearly not liking that the Time Master had not allowed their previous question to be answered.

But Clockwork ignored them, and leaning a bit closer to Danny, added in a whisper, "And don't worry, he will remember."

Even more confused than ever, the young half-ghost wanted to speak to the Time Ghost. But everything suddenly began to turn murky, until all that was left was a grey fog in front of his eyes. Then that, too, soon vanished into complete darkness…

Slowly opening his eyes, Danny blinked as he stared at his surroundings. He had had the strangest… dream? …Although, at the moment, his mind was too hazy to really remember its details. And… where was he, anyways?

It took the boy a moment to realize he was in his room at Vlad's mansion, lying on his bed. Forcing his mind to start working again, Danny slowly began to recover his last memories before falling unconscious. And he soon recalled that he had passed out in the Ghost Zone. But… he wasn't there anymore.

How did that happen?

The last thing he remembered was being chased by Walker until being caught, and then being told he was getting executed… But, obviously, that latter didn't happen. He was still alive… He was now safely back in his room…

Suddenly having the urge to get off his bed, Danny slowly attempted to sit up, but his weak limbs were making it very difficult. And when a wave of agony unexpectedly shot through his torso, the teen fell back against his pillow, his eyes squeezing shut. He quickly grabbed his chest as an inaudible gasp of pain escaped his lips. But the former action only confused the poor boy again.

The young half-ghost looked down at his torso the best he could in his horizontal position. But he managed to see enough to realize that the strange material he felt under his fingers was gauze. His entire chest and abdomen was wrapped in white gauze. And….

He looked at his right arm, quickly confirming what he felt. There was another similar dressing wrapped around his right shoulder and upper arm.

Slowly, the rest of Danny's memory came back to him. Walker did not execute him because Vlad had shown up. The man had been there …and he had… saved him?

Danny blinked in bafflement, before turning his attention to his other arm. It wasn't wrapped like the other injuries he had previously noticed, but there was still a large bandage on the upper part of his left arm.

Noticing the feel of more wrapping somewhere lower, the boy lifted the sheets a bit and confirmed that he had his left leg dressed in gauze, too. But he also noticed one other thing… He was only in his boxers.

The teenager blushed as he lowered the sheets against his body once more; but his embarrassment was quickly forgotten when another of his murky memories surfaced. Danny slowly began to realize that the last thing he remembered was not Walker nearly wasting him, but Vlad's voice after they had somehow gotten away from the ghost sheriff. The man had kept telling him to stay awake… He kept saying not to change back….

"Click."

Danny's eyes darted over to the door in time to see the person currently occupying his mind walk in. Talk about irony.

Vlad paused in surprise when he noticed the boy's blue eyes were open and gazing at him. But the man quickly pushed aside the emotion, and calmly asked, "How are you feeling?"

It took a moment for Danny to register the billionaire's question, but when he did figure it out, he didn't answer it. Instead, the boy found himself looking away, his focus going to the clock hanging on the right wall. He tried to ignore the fact that his eye movements were starting to make him dizzy, but it became quite obvious he couldn't do that for long. He had to acknowledge it when he realized he could not make out the clock's numbers or where its hands were.

"…What time is it?" Danny suddenly asked in a hoarse voice, only to grasp his throat at the painful stinging that resulted from using it.

Vlad sighed; whether it was from having his own question ignored--or from the realization that the boy was still out of it---it was hard to say. Still, the man acknowledged Danny's question as he finally began to move closer to him. "It's eight at night, Daniel. You woke up about three hours ago…. do you remember?" Vlad asked carefully, halting about two feet beside the bed.

Danny slowly shook his head, before trying to sit up again, but it was even more difficult this time around. Still, the teen was determined to lift himself up.

Taking notice of the boy's strong efforts, Vlad, who had been holding a tray in his hand since he walked in, quickly placed it down. He moved closer to help the young half-ghost; and it was only with his help that Danny managed to finally sit up.

But the boy's success did not go without any consequence. A groan came from him when his body screamed in pain. And feeling like the agony was going to overwhelm him, Danny closed his eyes and placed a hand on his chest again as he waited for his torture to end.

"Daniel…I brought you some tea. It should help your pain," Vlad stated, before picking up the tea from the tray and offering it to the teenager.

But Danny made no motion to accept the drink, and, instead, just kept his eyes closed. But then, just when it seemed like the teen wasn't even going to respond, he hesitantly asked, "Is it going to make me sleep?"

A small amused smile ghosted Vlad's lips. Out of the all things to be worried about… "No, my boy, your own body is already forcing you to do that."

The young hybrid finally opened his eyes and silently looked at the lightly glowing tea in his enemy's hand. But then, slowly, he reached for the hot beverage, and took it from the other hybrid.

Securing the teacup by grasping it with both of his slightly shaking, weak hands, Danny carefully began to sip on the hot contents. Even when he had felt the sensation before, it still made him nervous when he felt the tingling reaction of the ghostly liquid course through his body. But when he then felt his pain begin to slowly ebb into a bearable level, he ignored the sensation all together and took a few more sips.

In the end, however, the boy didn't drink even half of it before deciding he didn't want anymore, and pushed the cup away from his mouth. It was nice to feel a bit better. But he never really liked tea.

As silent as he had been the entire time, Vlad took the teacup from Danny's hands when he saw he was not planning on having anymore of it. The man slowly placed it down on the tray, but his gaze stayed on the tea even after he did---although, obviously, his real focus was not on it, but on thoughts of which he only knew.

Although Danny had many times before shared uncomfortable silences with his arch-enemy, this one was like no other he had experienced. There was something radiating off the man that he couldn't put his finger on, but it made him uncomfortable enough to keep his gaze anywhere but on Vlad. However, when the boy noticed in his peripheral vision how the man suddenly moved away, he quickly looked at him.

Danny frowned at the sight of the billionaire stopping in front of the room's large window and looking out of it as his hands moved to rest behind his back. Even for Danny, who could be very clueless at times, it was obvious that the older hybrid wanted to ask him something, but for some reason he couldn't...

Deciding he wasn't interested enough with finding what Vlad wanted, and not wanting to be the one to break the tense silence, Danny just turned his attention back on himself. Now that he was sitting up, he could more carefully study the handiwork---obviously his enemy's own---that covered his body. Of course, he knew _what_ was hidden under the wrapping; he could feel the dull, throbbing pain. But he still wondered just how bad they were----especially when he knew the wounds were caused by speeding arrows…

A bit curious, Danny carefully rested his hands flat against the white dressing, and was bit relieved when his actions didn't cause him anymore discomfort than what was present. Maybe his injuries had already healed, and he was just sore? He got the courage to test that theory by poking his stomach…and he immediately wished he hadn't.

With a quiet hiss, he placed his hand against the sharp pain in hopes of soothing it. Alright, so maybe they were not healed just yet. But, he supposed, he _should_ have expected that much. After all, he had gotten a pretty bad beating and that surely had to mean that it would take him some time to heal. And since his fight with Walker had only occurred a few ….

Wait.

When had his fight with Walker occurred? …How long had he been unconscious?

"_Probably a few hours…right?"_ he thought, only to get a nervous flutter in his stomach when he found himself unsure of that.

"Daniel…?"

The young hybrid's eyes jolted upwards to meet the older one's own. The boy blinked at man for a moment, realizing he had completely forgotten that Vlad was still in the room.

The older hybrid was now facing the teenager. And although there was a sober look on the billionaire's face, his light blue eyes were silently searching the young boy's brighter blue ones. If he eventually found what he was looking for, it was hard to say; but what the man did find was his voice again as he walked closer to the boy.

"I need to know… What happened?"

Danny's eyebrows creased in confusion when he saw something akin to worry---because the teen could not bring himself to believe it was _real_ worry---appear on his enemy's face. But the young half-ghost knew full well what Vlad was asking, even when he had worded it so subtly.

The boy paused as he thought of what to say---and how to keep the tightening feeling in his chest that the question brought from surfacing. He finally decided to answer with an uncaring shrug, before giving the man any verbal response. Or at least, that had been his intention.

Danny's face quickly scrunched up in pain and another louder hiss escaped his throat from the jolt of agony his brief shoulder movements had caused.

"I would not move so much," Vlad advised in a soft voice, his eyes still carefully watching the boy.

The young half-ghost slowly sighed as the initial swell of pain diminished, and his mind returned to answering his enemy's question. "Walker attacked me," he said calmly, focusing his gaze on Vlad again. But then the boy paused, and added, "Actually…it was more like an ambush." Danny wanted to shrug, just for effect, but he resisted the urge knowing what would come of it. Instead, he decided to focus back on the white gauze on his torso. For some reason, he was having a hard time keeping his eyes on the man in front of him.

Vlad frowned, realizing the boy had figured out that much as well. The attack was set up---clearly. But…

"How did he know you were there, Daniel?" the man asked, repeating the question that had been plaguing his mind for days now.

The question instantly caused the earlier tightening in the teen's chest to return; but, this time, it was twice as strong; and it was enough for the boy to realize that what he was really feeling was resentment. He was so angry at the man in front of him that he had not been able to initially express it. But now that he knew how he felt, he had no trouble showing it.

"Hmm, let's see…," the teen began lightly as he pretended to think really hard about the question. But the angry sarcasm was not hard to miss. "Obviously, someone told him. So, I think the trick question is 'who'. I mean, it could have been anyone. Skulker, that teacher, who else…?" Danny tapped his lips, before suddenly looking enlightened. "Oh, yeah! Every other ghost that works for _**you!**_" The boy glared hatefully at the billionaire, before once again finding himself unable to hold his gaze on the man. So, he just silently lowered his angry look towards his bed.

As a result, the teenager didn't see the neutral expression on Vlad's face, change into a mixture of sadness and regret. The man knew the boy was right. One of his employees had betrayed him. And the thought made him more furious than he could put into words. But it wasn't really _that_ that had him troubled or had him feeling so miserable ever since the young half-ghost almost died in his hands.

Vlad turned his gaze towards his medical supplies that he had kept on the nightstand next to the teen's bed for quicker access. He needed them again, since the reason he had come to the boy's room was to change his bandages. The man sighed tiredly as he moved to retrieve the supplies, but as he did, one of his inner thoughts leaked out through his lips.

"This wasn't supposed to happen."

His enemy's voice had been barely audible, making it clear to Danny that the comment had not been meant for his ears. But he heard it. And the ridiculous remark just fueled his anger even more.

He couldn't keep it bottled in any longer.

"Yeah, because everything is supposed to go as you want it, isn't it?" Danny said spitefully, his glare back on the man who quickly turned to look at him. "But here's a news flash, Vlad. _This-" _He pointed at his chest_, "---did_ happen. You know why? It's simple. You don't care what happens to anyone but yourself!"

The billionaire frowned, but not in anger. "Daniel… You are being unfair. I---"

"And since when have _you_ been anything but _unfair_?" Danny quickly interrupted, sounding even more ticked off. "You're the _last_ person that needs to talk to me about what's _fair_, Plasmius!"

Vlad had been trying to keep calm, knowing that the boy had every right to be angry. But the man couldn't keep the boy's last comment from rubbing him the wrong way, and he lightly glared back.

"Look, Daniel, I did what I did with the best intentions. You have been moping about for weeks!" he told him sternly. But then remembering what he still needed to do, he turned his attention to the medical supplies on the nightstand, and began sorting through it. Still, he continued to speak, sounding a bit calmer this time, "I had to do something. You obviously needed stimulation, _something_ to do. _That_ is why I sent you in there in the first place."

"_Need_?!" the young-half-ghost repeated in outrage, quickly getting the man's full focus on him again. "You want to know what_ I_ need? I _need_ my family; I _need_ my friends; I _need_ to be in the place I grew up in; and _most_ importantly, I _need_ to be away from **you**!" Danny shouted, before suddenly gasping in pain.

This time, Danny words did more than rub Vlad badly; they downright ticked him off, and the man's anger instantly flared to match that of his young rival. "You really are something, you little rat!" he yelled, slamming down the alcohol bottle that he had just picked up. "I save your neck and all you can do is spit this in my face?!"

"I didn't need or want your help, Plasmius!" Danny exclaimed furiously, ignoring the swelling pain in his throat.

"Oh, of course you didn't!" Vlad retorted with sarcastic anger. "You _clearly_ had everything under control! I could see Walker and his troops quaking in fear as they shot their weapons at you!"

"Well, they would have been, if it wasn't for you!" Danny answered defensively, while quickly snuffing out the part of his conscience that said the man's words held some truth. "It's your fault I couldn't even defend myself! You messed up my freakin' throat!"

"Well, you shouldn't have been trying to destroy my house!" Vlad snapped back as he angrily grabbed a pair of sterile gloves and slipped them on, the action going unnoticed by the angry boy.

"I wouldn't have, if you hadn't attacked me **first**!" Danny quickly retorted, continuing to ignore the increasing pain his efforts were causing his body.

The man pointed an angry finger at the boy. "And I wouldn't have attacked you_ at all_ if _you_ had not been snooping around in my lab, even after I _told_ you not to go there!"

"Oh, so you expected me to sit around and let you waste my sis---What are you doing? Don't touch me!" the teenager suddenly demanded, startled by his enemy's nearing hands.

The billionaire paused, but mostly because of the boy's first remark. "Don't be absurd, Daniel. Why would I _waste_ your sister when you were already here?" he asked crossly, before adding in a calmer voice, "And hold still; I need to change your bandages."

But when Vlad tried to take hold of the wrapping on his torso again, Danny verbally lashed out. "I said don't touch me! I can take care of myself!"

"Daniel, I need to change those bandages!" Vlad exclaimed, sounding more annoyed than angry now. He lowered his hands once more to grab the clips keeping the gauze on the boy's stomach in place, but Danny all but slapped his hands away.

"_Everything _is your fault, Plasmius," Danny accused with all his spite as his hateful blue glare momentarily flashing a ghostly green. "I have been close to getting killed----_Don't touch me!_----more times than I can count in just your stupid house alone!

"Daniel, hold still!" Vlad shouted, trying to ignore the angry boy's rant and just do what he came to do. But the young hybrid wouldn't let him!

"No! ----And now that I think about it, _you_ are also responsible for my powers going all crazy, a few weeks after you forced me to come here!"

Vlad stopped trying to get Danny to cooperate upon hearing his last words. The man narrowed his eyes, his hands fisting at his side to keep himself from using them against his weakened rival.

"You can blame me all you want about Jasmine. I'll even tolerate your blaming me of the injuries to your vocal cords---_even_ when you had it coming!" he added spitefully, before his eyes narrowed further and his angry voice steadily grew louder. "But **do not **_**dare**_ blame me for things that you have bestowed upon yourself! **You** are the one who has chosen to make enemies all over the blasted place! And as for your powers, maybe you should learn how to use them, you ignorant boy! Or better yet, why don't you blame your father? Have you forgotten it was _**his**_ foolishness that gave them to you in the first place?!"

Vlad grabbed the boy's arm, perhaps a little rougher than he should have. But he was getting fed up with the teenager's prideful tenacity. And when Danny pushed him away **once again, **the man suddenly had a good mind to pin his young rival down and _force_ him to cooperate.

"Leave my dad out of this, Plasmius!" Danny growled darkly. "You just can't stand that he's better than you in every way! _He_ is more of a man than you'll _ever_ be!"

All his angry thoughts instantly left the billionaire, and he just blinked at Danny, surprised that the boy had actually hit so low below the belt. But instead of getting angry again from Danny's insult, it amused Vlad. A lot.

Danny just glared even more at the sight of his laughing enemy; although inside, he was at a lost to what was so funny.

"Oh, I will give you that one, Daniel," Vlad finally said once his laughter died into a smug grin. "You are _absolutely_ right. Your father _is_ more of a man than I'll _ever_ be. He is four times my size!" The man laughed some more, before going back to what he kept attempting to do.

Danny was past boiling by now; and his reaction to his enemy's trying to change his bandages remained the same. "Are you freakin' deaf?! I said stop touching me! I want you to get out---**get out and leave me alone**!" he angrily shouted, now that he was both irate and starting to feel physically bad again.

"Daniel, these injuries will get infected if I do not treat them!" Vlad said, exasperated.

"**I don't care!"** Danny exclaimed, trying to raise his hands out of rage. But the agony that resulted left him gasping in pain, and even close to tears.

"Will you stop that?!" the billionaire yelled furiously. "You are going to reopen your wounds!"

Danny's teeth had clenched, and he was now clutching his badly throbbing right shoulder. "L-Li---Like you care," the boy managed to say in a pained whisper.

Vlad felt ready to explode with ire at this point. The boy was just being plain inconsiderate! Or was it _that_ hard to accept that maybe he **did** care? Otherwise, why would he be standing in front of him past eight at night, with gloves on, and a medical kit in hand, when, _instead_, he could be in bed---somewhere he had barely visited in almost three days now?!

Vlad closed his eyes, and took a calming breath. Getting into a dispute with the teenager was pointless---and even dangerous. That couldn't be more obvious than when the man looked back at Danny and noticed how pale he looked; not to mention, he was clearly in pain from the sound of his heavy breathing.

The billionaire sighed once more. "Come, Daniel, this will only take a moment," he said calmly, before leaning down to grab the bandages on the teen's torso again.

Despite his mounting agony and weariness, Danny used all his efforts to stop his enemy from laying a finger on him. "Get away. I don't _need_ your help," he growled venomously.

"Whatever you say, my boy," Vlad dismissed off-handedly, and tried getting close once more.

This time, Danny roughly jerked away from his enemy's touch, only to bring about another wave of agony. And this one was so strong that the young hybrid couldn't keep himself from falling back on his bed and whimpering.

"**Daniel! Stop it!"** Vlad demanded angrily to the writhing child, before trying to get the boy to sit up again.

"Stop touching me! Don't you get it? I don't want you near me!' Danny said through a pained and cracked voice as he did his best to wrestle away his enemy's hands on his back.

"Daniel, I need you to sit up!"

"No!"

"Curses, Daniel! _**Sit up!"**_

"Do. Not. Touch me!"

"**Sit up!" **

"**No!"**

Vlad's hands clenched furiously, his own heavy breathing now rivaling that of the boy in front of him. It was at this instant that Danny noticed that the billionaire had taken a step back, so he slightly sat up. And just when the teenager pinned his hateful glare on him, the man suddenly exploded.

"WHY ARE YOU SUCH A STUBBORN BRAT?!" Vlad yelled at the top of his lungs, he's eyes turning blood red. But the man's burst of anger, only triggered the boy's own.

"WHY ARE _YOU_ SUCH AN ARROGANT JERK?!" Danny didn't hesitate to shout back, his eyes, too, glowing with ghostly fury.

Vlad's last grain of patience shattered at that instant; and as he turned away, everything that he had been holding in for days---no, since _this brat_ stepped into his home almost three months back---came out in one desperate and furious scream.

When it was over, the room took on an eerie silence in which the only noise that could be heard was both of the hybrids' heavy breathing.

Danny refused to drop his glare from his enemy's back. He knew what was going to happen next. The man would try to hurt him somehow and he knew he would be able to do nothing to stop him. But the teen didn't care. No matter what this jerk did to him next, this time, he refused to submit. He wouldn't give in anymore. Not ever again!

As the younger hybrid braced himself, Vlad just stared at the ground hatefully. He was _so_ _tired_ of this. Since Daniel arrived, all they had done was go at each other, constantly trying to find the worst ways of hurting one another. And now, even after everything that happened a few days ago, it was still all they could do….

Did they really hate each other _that_ much?

The man sighed tiredly, the mental question only leaving him feeling more miserable. But it had also pushed something else into his immediate thoughts. His conversation with George.

Although Vlad had snuffed the words from his mind since he heard them, the older hybrid couldn't keep them at bay any longer. His conversation with the ghost chef, not even two weeks ago, would forever be ingrained in his memories.

"…_Not if you don't try…He's just a boy, sir…You have to stop seeing him as your enemy…"_

"Danny… Please…," Vlad said softly, before turning around, a pleading look on his face.

Danny's glare instantly vanished, and surprise etched his entire face at the sound of his enemy's voice. Was the man actually pleading to him? And… wait.

Did Vlad just call him _Danny_?

"Your wounds are serious," the billionaire continued in the same voice, but now worry was also there. "Please. Allow me to treat them so they will heal properly. I _promise, _I'll leave you alone afterwards, alright?"

The young hybrid critically studied the older one as he found himself at a loss for words---and everything else, really. This was one of his arch-enemy's twisted tricks. It _had_ to be! But the boy couldn't figure it out. This was just beyond disconcerting. What was the man trying to do?

Danny knew he should just glare again and retort back with some snide remark… But, he found himself unable to. He almost didn't want to.

The young half-ghost stared into his enemy's pleading eyes for a moment longer, and it was enough for Danny to… give up. With a soft sigh, the teenager fully sat up, and his gaze silently dropped to his relaxed hands now resting on his lap.

Seeing the boy's changes, Vlad slowly approached him. He hesitated for a moment to make sure Danny wouldn't suddenly strike out at him again; but seeing the teenager keep completely still, he finally leaned forward, and carefully grabbed the white wrapping. Luckily, it was a lot easier to remove the bandages than to put them on thanks to his being half-ghost.

Danny could not keep from shuddering when he felt Vlad turn the bandages on his chest and torso intangible and phase them right through him. The teen hesitantly looked down at his now exposed upper body and quickly wished he hadn't. How was it possible that he could get so hurt when he was in ghost form? It served him as grim reminder that he wasn't invincible.

Vlad, too, took a moment to look at the boy's injuries, but then quickly turned to pick up the alcohol bottle on the stand. He poured some of it on some sterile gauze, before looking back at Danny. "This is going to hurt," he warned calmly.

Danny just met the man's eyes, but didn't say anything. However, when the fifteen-year-old then felt the stinging liquid touch his skin, he instantly tensed. The teen lightly dug his fingers into the bed, and bit his tongue to refrain from making any pained noises. He didn't want to show weakness in front of his arch-enemy.

But the boy's actions were noticed, and Vlad couldn't stop a small amused smile from tugging on his lips. Daniel's display of pride was as annoying as it was comical.

With that thought in mind, the billionaire continued to clean the young half-ghost's wounds. Since Danny had several of them on his chest and stomach, the man had decided to wrap Danny's entire upper body to prevent infection as much as possible.

"What's so funny?" Danny suddenly asked hotly, his eyes narrowing on the older half-ghost when he finally noticed the man was smiling. It had taken the teen a moment to see it since he had been busy trying to withstand the pain from the alcohol, but now that he had noticed, Danny instantly became defensive.

Vlad kept his focus on what he was doing as he off-handedly answered, "Not a thing, dear boy." The man now knew better than to react in any way to the boy's hostility. Ignoring it was his best bet.

Danny briefly scowled as Vlad calmly turned from him to get more gauze from his medical supplies. But without any more 'fuel' to add to the teen's fiery temper, he quickly calmed again.

"I need you to turn," Vlad said when he faced Danny again.

The young hybrid quietly complied; this time, since he was facing away from his enemy, the boy closed his eyes as he once more felt the stinging sensation---but on his back, this time. A moment later, just when the teenager was sure his torture would never end, Vlad stopping using that horrible liquid on him.

Surprised---though mostly relieved---by this, Danny turned his neck to see what the man was doing. But the older hybrid's body was in the way, so the teenager couldn't see that Vlad had grabbed a small tub filled with an ointment made from a ghost plant. It was only when the man turned with some of it spread on a gauze and the open container still in his hand, did the young hybrid see it. And Danny immediately tensed again.

"It's alright, Daniel," Vlad assured him when he caught the boy's wary stare locked on the glowing white ointment. "It reacts with your ghost half, enhancing your healing ability."

Danny didn't say anything, nor did he unlock his eyes from the ghostly cream. What was it with the man, and using freaky glowing things on him?

His question was quickly forgotten when he felt something wet and cold---_really_ cold—unexpectedly touch his lower back. With yelp and a small surprised jolt, Danny's eyes darted to his left, and he realized Vlad had already closed in and was applying the ghost medicine on his back.

"My apologies. I suppose it is a bit cold," Vlad mumbled out as he continued to add the ointment on the wounds. But Danny didn't really pay attention to the man's comment since he was focused on his glowing green hands. The boy could feel a light coldness spreading through his body, though it remained mostly concentrated on the places the ointment was directly touching his skin.

The green glow vanished a second after Vlad stopped adding the ghost cream on his back. However, Danny barely noticed, and he barely heard the billionaire ask him to turn forward again so that he could apply the ointment on the front of his torso. The teenager had been trying to ignore the weariness with which his exertions during his recent arguing had left him; but now, his fatigue had become overwhelming.

After coating the wounds on Danny's chest and stomach with the glowing ointment, Vlad finally wrapped the boy's upper body with new, clean wrapping. The man then grabbed hold of the young half-ghost's right arm, and phased off the dressing on it, so to start the whole treating process again.

But Vlad quickly noticed Danny was oddly unresponsive this time around, and the man curiously looked up at the boy's face. He instantly paused what he was doing at the sight of the half-asleep fifteen-year-old.

"Daniel," Vlad called softly, bringing the boy's hazed eyes towards his own. "I need you to lie down…It will make this easier for me," he said calmly, his last comment not really true. But the man knew if he had said anything else, the stubborn boy would indubitably refuse.

Danny sighed tiredly before complying with the man. The teen had no intention of dozing off with his enemy present, and definitely not when the older hybrid was _this_ close. But the feel of his soft pillow against his spinning head was more powerful than any sleeping drug or relaxant the boy could be given.

By the time Vlad had finished treating the rest of the teenager's injuries, Danny had fallen asleep.

The man soberly stared at the resting young half-ghost, but his blue eyes then slowly lowered to his gloved hands, and he began to remove them. Turning away, Vlad quietly put everything back in its place, before turning off the light and exiting the room.

The billionaire was far too drained to even think at the moment. And although a quick glance of his watch told him it was fairly early---8:40 pm---he still headed straight for his room—and bed! After more than two days of hardly any sleep, he knew his being would more than welcome his decision. And now that Vlad felt sure that Daniel would be alright, he could hope to have a restful night.

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	43. Chapter 42: Just Below the Surface

**Okay! Not a week, but at least not as long a wait as last time, right? And, I replied to reviews! Yay! I hope I got everyone, if not, let me know, kay? Okay, one thing before we start, let me remind you guys that this story takes place AT THE END OF SEASON TWO. Season three has not happened at all yet! So, everything below is based off the first two seasons. Well, actually, everything in the first two seasons EXCEPT 'Reality Trip'. That episode had not aired when I wrote this. I don't know how it was with those who are outside the US, but RT aired as the last episode in season two over here. In other words, they ended up airing 'Kinderd Spirits and Master of all Times' before RT when, originally, Mr. H. had RT before KS and MoaT in his plot. But, nick messed it up. So, for the sake of this story and my sanity we are going to go with how Nick aired the episodes in the US, okay? In short, this story takes place after KS, but RT has not happened yet. It will happen after this story. And after RT, we continue on with third season, get it? If not let me know, and I'll explain better! Well, with that said, enjoy this chapter! It was one of the hardest to write, but I'm pretty proud of it. And special thanks to Truephan for making it nice and sparkly for me! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

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**Chapter 42: Just Below the Surface**

It was now the next day—almost noon, actually---and Danny was currently sitting up with his back resting against some pillows. His head was pounding. But it was not what bothered him most at the moment.

"Why the heck is it so cold in here?" Danny murmured, huddling his bed's sheets and comforter closer to his body. The poor boy looked like he was trying to bear through a blizzard in the middle of the Antarctic.

The teenager wanted to focus on something else besides his ailments, but that meant he had to sort through his muddled mind. The thoughts and uncertainties running through his brain were so overwhelming that he was sure they were responsible for his headache. But since he woke up, he had found that in spite of his aching head, he was unable to ignore his thoughts all together. And now was no different.

Despite the strong anger he threw at the older hybrid, the truth was that the emotion couldn't compare to the confusion he felt. And maybe it was _that_ that drove his anger more than his actual scorn for his arch-enemy.

Now that he had had a full night's rest---and he could _definitely_ feel a big difference between being unconscious and sleeping, mind you--his memories and judgment were not so impaired. He finally remembered what had exactly happened in the Ghost Zone with Walker. And, speaking of which, he had _also_ remembered to find out just how long ago _that_ happened. And he got his chance when the ghost butler showed up this morning with breakfast. Derek had not been at all eager to tell him when he had asked him, but the ghost had quickly and reluctantly agreed to do so after Danny had shot him an irritated look. The news that his harrowing incident had occurred _three days ago_ stunned the teen so much that it took him a whole ten minutes to realize that Derek had quickly left his room right afterward.

But now Danny remembered everything that had happened in the Ghost Zone---or at least, what his mind had been able to process while he was on the verge of passing out. In a way, his memories were like a broken image, but now that he could think about them, he was slowly putting the missing pieces together.

He had not understood how Walker had not succeeded in wasting him. He just recalled thinking he was about to die one second and then in the very next, finding Vlad in front of him. The older half-ghost must have teleported to him and somehow kept the arrows from reaching him. And since the teen now remembered that he had his eyes closed the entire time, he tried to guess how Plasmius might have blocked the arrows. It was possible that the man had used an energy shield.

However, his deduction did not explain the suffocating hold around his body. Yes, he did comprehend it was Vlad who had took hold of him, but he did not understand _why. _Couldn't the man have just as easily created the assumed shield around them without _touching_ him? If the boy didn't know any better he would say the man had actually shielded him with his own body in case his barrier didn't hold…. But the possibility was too much for his mind to consider, so he pushed it aside.

Walker had not sounded bothered at first by Vlad's interruption. But Danny knew the ghost enough to instantly know—even when half-conscious---that his outer calm was a ruse. The teen had noticed that both his enemies had been talking to each other like two friendly people talking about the weather. But his barely-working mind had not been able to follow just _what_ they had said. He only had picked up bits and pieces, but not enough for the boy to connect the dots and figure out their exact 'chat'.

The young half-ghost decided it didn't matter too much. After all, he _knew_ the most important part of Walker and Vlad's conversation: its results. And they had become clear when the older half-ghost left him---_abandoned_ him….? Why did he even think of it as _abandonment_? Usually, you use the word to express when someone you trust, care, or have some kind of _bond_ with, has left you---betrayed you…. And furthermore, why had the thought of Vlad's 'abandoning' _scared_ him? He had been terrified when the man made him believe he had left.

Why?

Danny deeply frowned, but then quickly tossed this, as well as his other unanswered questions, aside. If the billionaire's actions had been unexplainable when the man had first intervened in his execution, then there was definitely no word to explain the older hybrid's actions _after_ he had 'abandoned' him. Even Walker had been surprised with Vlad's bold return.

The teen smirked as he recalled Walker's angry shouts. The Warden so had that coming to him. Too bad he was too dizzy to really see anything. It would have been nice to have seen the ghost's irate and stunned face at that moment. Actually, now that he thought about it, Danny wouldn't have mind seeing two of his enemies fighting each other instead of him for once. But soon his conscience got the better of him and he snuffed out that desire. After all, his arch-enemy had been fighting one of the most dangerous ghosts in the Ghost Zone on _his_ behalf…

Vlad's smug tone as he did whatever he did was unforgettable. Even when faced with a grave situation, the man was his usual arrogant self. It annoyed the teen just thinking about it now…

Overconfident fruit-loop.

But there was one part of that whole incident that Danny just drew a blank on every time he thought about it. How had Vlad managed to defeat Walker and his troops? The teen was sure there had to have been like a hundred or so guards. How the heck did his arch-enemy do it? Was… Plasmius really _that_ powerful?

Danny suddenly couldn't keep his insides from jolting in fear.

Or maybe… Vlad outwitted them. That sounded more typical of the man---as well as easier for the boy to swallow. But still, who could come up with such a well-executed escape plan in such a short time? …Somewhere in the back of his mind, the teenager acknowledged that his arch-enemy was one of the most brilliant—if not _the_ most brilliant---person he had ever met.

However Plasmius had pulled it off, he _had_ pulled it off. He had somehow returned to him in the middle of the fight---judging by the angry shouts of Walker's troops---and had gotten rid of the bonds. Then at another moment, Danny had heard Vlad tell him something about not moving. His exact words had been lost to the teen's dimming mind. The aftereffects, though…

When Plasmius grabbed a hold of him and everything just suddenly went dark for several seconds, Danny was sure he would have panicked if he hadn't been so weak. But what had scared him more was that he felt like he had lost his lungs, and, in turn, the ability to breath. He had never felt anything like that before. He was sure of it. But what would have caused it? He knew he had been badly hurt and his breathing had been difficult. But he was also certain that the feeling of his lungs' being in a vice could not be due to his ailments. No, the feeling had been _too_ intense and _too_ sudden. There had to be another reason…. What could explain Vlad's holding him, the sudden darkness, and the lost of breath? …And how did it lead to their escape?

It took only a moment for Danny to figure it out; and then another to be certain. Vlad had used teleportation again---only on the _both_ of them that time!

It was amazing to think so, but it was the only way they could have put such an indefinite distance between themselves and Walker and his guards as quickly as they had. Danny knew that some ghosts---including Plasmius---were capable of teleportation. What the teen didn't know was that one with said ability could teleport _others_.

It captivated the young half-ghost---though it also repelled him in some ways, too. Still, he could not help but linger some more on the sensation of being teleported. But much to his disappointment, he found that due to his deteriorated state, he could not remember anything more on it. All he knew was that the sensation had been anything but pleasant. And that as cool as the ability was, he was sure he had not liked it being performed on him.

Danny didn't want to think about the teleportation thing anymore, yet he didn't want to let it go, either. If he did, that would mean diving right into his next, more troubling and confusing thoughts and memories.

Unfortunately, he knew he couldn't ignore them forever… He just couldn't make his mind stop flashing the sight of his arch-enemy's face before he finally passed out.

Vlad had kept telling him to stay awake… but it was almost a plea…. Could that be right? Maybe he imagined it. He was barely conscious, after all. But…. the man had used that same voice just last night...

No, he had not imagined it.

Hearing the man actually _ask_ him to do something instead of forcing him had greatly startled Danny. He had not even been able to stay angry anymore. It was like the man had grabbed a needle and popped his resentful bubble with the simple action of _asking_ him to let him treat his injuries. Plasmius had even kept his promise. He had left him alone. Danny had not seen a trace of the man since last night… Since when did his arch-enemy keep his word?

In the end, though, Vlad got him to do what he wanted---not surprising, though _very_ annoying. Perhaps it was some new twisted approach he had conjured up in that 'brilliant' brain of his. It sure had worked. The man had sent the boy's brain reeling to the point that he could not bring himself to do anything but give in. But it was not Vlad's promise that had made him stop fighting last night; it was the man's tone of voice, his _actually_ pleading.

Danny closed his eyes and sighed tiredly. How much more of this mental stress could he bear? Was he just losing it and simply imagining things? Or, worst, had his arch-enemy brainwashed him so much that he was starting to get _use_ to being manipulated and bossed around by him? Or maybe Walker's arrows had something in them that distorted his perception at the time and he was actually seeing the exact opposite of what was really happening?

If only.

As much as Danny wanted to pick any of those reasons and be done with his mental turmoil over Plasmius, something inside him would not let him. And the persistent image in his mind of Vlad in the Ghost Zone didn't help, either. It was Vlad's eyes that haunted the young half-ghost; or more specifically, what he saw _in_ his eyes.

There was no mistaking the_something_ in the man's eyes…something that could not be faked. But Danny's problem was that he could not figure out what that _something_ was. All he knew was that he recognized it—it was _familiar_. He had seen it **once** before in Vlad's eyes, but… when?

It was this that had his mind spinning since he woke up. He needed to figure this out or he was going to lose it. The nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach would not let him toss this mystery aside like he usually did when something regarding his arch-enemy stumped him. And if this wasn't enough for him to mull on, his brain kept kicking out yet _another_ question to add above the ones already in hand.

_**What**_ was it that he recognized in Vlad's eyes? _**When**_ did he see it? And…

"Why did he risk himself to save me?" Danny whispered as his still closed eyes finally opened again, uncertainty coating his blue irises. But when he then thought of the torture the man had been putting him through, his voice grew bitter. "Why would he even try? Why _bother_?"

Isn't that what Vlad wanted? To get him out of his way so that he could freely go after his parents---in different ways, of course. And, really, wouldn't Vlad have wanted to make sure he would never be in the way of any of the man's other plans again? Walker would have without a doubt wasted him if his arch-enemy had not intervened. Wouldn't that have solved all of Vlad's problems?

After all, wasn't that how the man dealt with those he hated? Plasmius would get rid of them. Or, at least, hire someone to do it _for_ him.

And Vlad hated _him_… right?

Danny wasn't so sure anymore.

Danny shuffled through his past memories, trying to find the answer to this other mystery. If Vlad really hated him as the man portrayed then, why had he not wasted him a long time ago? His arch-enemy had had plenty of chances to do that fifty times over.

The thought brought the teenager back full loop to the question of why Vlad had saved him three days ago. And now that Danny was diving into his memories and acknowledging that his enemy had indeed saved him, a past event---one that he had buried because it had been too disturbing---surfaced. This was not the first time Vlad had saved him from a grim fate.

During the entire thing with Pariah Dark, his arch-enemy had stepped in to aid him. But then again, the whole thing had been the man's fault…

Danny suddenly scoffed bitterly. It seemed every time he faced death, his arch-enemy was not too far behind pushing him into its grasp…. only to then pull him away. It was like he was Plasmius' living yo-yo…

What a sick jerk.

But as messed up as Vlad's' actions were, it still did not take away from the fact that the man had kept him from meeting his end a few times now. When Danny had put on that ecto-suit, he knew he was putting his life on the line. And for a moment, he had been afraid he would not keep his promise to his friends about coming back. In fact, he would not have come back if Vlad had not stepped in. Even so, Danny had been certain that the man did what he did that day for his own selfish benefit. But _now_ the boy wondered. Could there be more to it? If there had been nothing in it for the man, would he have still helped him lock away Pariah Dark? Would he have kept him out of Death's grip?

And another thing, why had Vlad brought him home safe and sound after he had passed out in Pariah Dark's castle? Why not just take the suit and leave him there? Surely, his other enemies would be quick to take advantage of the fact that he wouldn't have been able to defend himself then.

Had it really been to just impress his mother?

If so, it hadn't exactly worked. His mom only tolerated Vlad for his father's sake. No, he couldn't have possibly taken such a risk as intervening in his battle with Pariah just to look good in front of his mom. Even the man had more sense than that. And it had to be more than just trying to get the suit and crown, too. If it had just been for the items, Vlad could have just waited for the suit to finish the job of wasting him, and then take the things.

Danny shook his head. He did not know what to think about Vlad's motivation that day. And he would probably never know. But this time, he _needed_ to know what had driven his arch-enemy to intervene in his fight with Walker three days ago.

The boy's eyebrows creased as he thought, _"Walker is so obsessive and over-confident that there is no doubt he wouldn't have hesitated to waste Vlad, too. Vlad had to have known that…. So, why risk himself like that for me?" _

And even if Vlad had not known what he was getting himself into, he had to have realized it when he finally got there and saw the number of guards. Walker gave the man a chance to retreat without harm....Why did Vlad come back when he could have escaped like Skulker had? Darn it! _Why_ did his arch-enemy even come at all?

He couldn't be looking at his enemy all wrong, could he? Vlad **was** evil. There was no doubt about that. The man had done far too many terrible things to not be seen as such. But then, why did his arch-enemy occasionally do things that were completely out of character for him, _for a_ _villain_?

"…What evil villain saves someone, _especially_ their enemy?" Danny mumbled as a shiver ran through his body. He quickly grabbed one of his pillows and hugged it under his covers to gain warmth from it.

"_Just because he's evil in your eyes doesn't mean he's evil in everyone else's."_

Danny let out another troubled sigh as Niane's words suddenly rang though his mind in response to his comment. The ghost maid had all but justified the older half-ghost. It's as if she saw something that the young half-ghost was failing to see. She had said so many things to him in the past that made no sense. And although it had made him think, in the end, her words never meant anything to him. But now...

"_Have you ever wondered why he does what he does?"_

Niane's question had been deeper than what the boy could understand. However, if applied to Danny's current thoughts, wasn't that the same underlying question he was now asking himself? But the teen finally found himself digging deeper, and he suddenly began questioning far beyond just the man's actions three days ago. He began wondering why Vlad did the terrible things that he did…. Wasn't Plasmius aware of how cruel his actions were? Didn't it make him feel the least bit guilty?

Danny's memory jogged to the incident with Danielle, his cousin… his clone. Honesty was almost taboo when used anywhere near Vlad's name. It was why the young half-ghost had a hard time believing the few times when he _thought _he had seen the emotion on the man's face. It was why Danny turned a blind eye to _any_ show of his arch-enemy's having a heart. The teen couldn't ignore all that now, though. Especially not what the man had said to him _that_ day.

"…_I'm not a villain. All I ever wanted was love."_

Danny could only sigh again. So Vlad really _didn't_ think what he did was bad. The man probably thought his actions were justifiable somehow. And he didn't believe himself to be a villain….

What…What made someone a villain? Perhaps the answer was not as black-and-white as the teen had believed all this time. Danny had to admit that everything his arch-enemy had done so far was for one purpose: obtaining this 'love' he supposedly wanted. There were no take-over-the-world schemes like with most of the villains Danny faced; and the man seldom went on power-hungry quests.

The incident with Pariah had been the only time Vlad did something that did not involve the teen and his family. And even then, when the man got the ecto-suit, what did he ever do with it? Why, spent a lot of time perfecting it into some secret weapon, only to use it on his sister.

So then, if the answer to Niane's question was that Vlad did everything that he did _because he wanted love_, then would he stop hurting others if he got what he wanted? If the teen had not destroyed Vlad's 'perfect clone' that day, would the man have left him and his family alone?

And that brought up another question. Why clone _him_? Why not his mother? Wasn't she what Vlad wanted more than anything else?--_than anyone else? _As disturbing as the thought was, the teen was sure the man would have had a much easier time cloning his mother than him. He could have even had his own kids---gross! But it was true. Truly, having your own kids had to be better than raising the kids of the guy you hated with every fiber of your being because you believed he had destroyed your life.

So then, why clone him?

Was… Was he more to the man than some pawn? …Did Vlad …_care_ for him? Was _that_ why he saved him?

Danny bit his bottom lip, his heart beating a bit faster at just how deep his thoughts were going. But…how could anyone say they cared for someone when they constantly hurt that person?

It reminded the teen of the time he went back in time to stop Vlad from becoming half-ghost. The man had married his mother. Though, oddly, they didn't have kids…

The teen dismissed the random thought with a shake of his head. What he was trying to get at was the fact that the Vlad in _that_ timeline had acted like the perfect, loving husband. It seemed the man had been content with being an almost-average guy---minimum riches and fame---as long as the boy's mom was by his side. He had seemed so different in that timeline…. But, then again, Danny knew he was not. If that Vlad loved his mother so much, then how could he even bear tricking and lying to her just to get her by his side?

The truth was Danny's mother did not love Vlad. Even in that timeline her heart belonged to Jack. Maybe deep down the man knew this and it was why he kept up his lie; he kept it up so that he could have 'love' in some sad way. In the end, his arch-enemy in that timeline had not stopped hurting others. He never stopped _being_ Vlad. He was as deceitful as he is now.

Danny was sure that his arch-enemy was not who he was because of his father. His father hadn't caused Vlad to become evil, even if Vlad was completely convinced otherwise. To Danny, that alternate timeline had proved it. So, then, why so much…evil?

….Maybe Vlad's problem was not as hard to figure out as Danny was making it. Maybe in the end, his arch-enemy really did just want love…. but didn't know _how_ to love. Plasmius could not possibly hope to receive such a powerful emotion from another when he couldn't give it---when he couldn't express it first himself. Didn't he know that? Didn't Vlad understand that you cannot force someone to love you?

Danny was not about to act like he was some expert on love. He was only fifteen, after all. But, come on, it wasn't that hard to understand that you had to give something before receiving it back.

The teen might not know too much about the love between a couple---expect for what he saw. But he knew what it was to love in general. He loved his family and friends more than he could ever express in words.

The thought made Danny sigh sadly. He could relate to Vlad when it came to wanting to feel loved. But why couldn't the man see that loving someone meant giving everything for that person? When you loved someone you willingly sacrificed yourself if it meant their happiness or safety.

The boy knew that firsthand.

Yes, Vlad was smart; maybe even a genius in many ways. But when it came to love and care, Danny was sure he didn't know anyone more ignorant than Vlad Masters. Either, his arch-enemy feigned ignorance towards said emotions, or… he really did not know what loving someone really was. Either way, it was pitiful. But that sprung another question.

Could the man learn?

Danny's mind suddenly jolted with the thought, and his eyes widened as he realized something.

Vlad_ had_ learned what love really meant once.

"In alternate future with the evil me…," Danny said, enlightened. "I mean, sure, it took for him to lose everything first, but Vlad did finally get it in that timeline..."

Danny had never felt so much pity for the man like he did that day. Just the look on his---

"Wait…" the teen whispered, his eyes widening further as everything suddenly clicked together.

The look in his arch-enemy's eyes just before fainting in the Ghost Zone… He finally knew _where_ he had seen it before on the man! He had seen _that_ _look_ on the Future Vlad; the only difference was that the eye color had been different. But even in Plasmius red eyes, the emotions in _that look_ were deep enough to forever be engrained in the teenager's mind. Now that he remembered why the man's eyes looked so familiar, deciphering the emotions within them came more quickly for the boy.

At both times---in the Ghost Zone three days ago and in the alternate future----Vlad had stared at him with true, _genuine_ worry and fear… and even… regret?

Danny buried his face in his hands, feeling completely torn with the revelation. The man regretted forcing him into the Ghost Zone; that was why he had sounded so pleading when he was rescuing him _and_ last night! It was _regret_ that had been flowing off his arch-enemy back in the alternate future _and _in these two more recent times. _That_ was why the teen wasn't able to look at him. He didn't know how to react to the emotion _coming from_ the evil man.

But Danny was certain it was regret that he had seen. He was certain because there was no mistaking _that very same_ emotion in the 'Future' Vlad's eyes. _That_ Vlad had been completely different from the one he knew now---or had ever known. There were no more evil plots, or revenge schemes peeking from behind his eyes. The cruelty was gone, and so was the deceit. The man had truly changed in that future.

But what caused the change? Was it the lost of Danny's mother? Or the lost of his ghost half? Or… the lost of something else?

The teen would never forget the Future Vlad's tale of himself---No, of the future Danny. He had gone to his arch-enemy for help, for… understanding.

The young half-ghost pulled his face away from his hands, his troubled blue eyes staring forward. He had never imagined it in his wildest dreams before. Was he really _that_ desperate in the alternative timeline that he would have been so willing to go to the man who had made his life miserable since they met? And…would he ever find himself in such a situation again?

The thought sent a shiver of dread down the boy's spine.

Or maybe he _already_ found himself in a similar situation. Maybe that was why Danny had been so terrified when he believed Vlad was going to let Walker carry out his cruel intentions. The teen had unconsciously realized that his fate at that moment rested in his arch-enemy's hands. But had this been the first time? How many more times had his fate been in Vlad's hands?

In that alternate timeline for sure. But for once, the man had not been looking to harm him. At least, from what that future Vlad told him…. And the teen could not bring himself to say the guy was lying. Why would he when the man had no reason to do so any longer?

The formation of his evil self had never been intentional. And the teen knew that if he did want to point fingers, he would have to point them at himself first. The Future Vlad could have turned the boy's future self away when he came to him for help. But the man did not. He took him in when he was left all alone. Vlad had actually cared enough about him to do _anything_ to end his suffering…

Too bad it did not work. It was some cruel irony that the only time the man actually did something for someone other than himself, it would blow up in his face.

Just like he had blown up in Vlad's face last night after the man had saved him.

Danny slightly cringed, feeling a small pang of guilt at the realization. But the boy sighed as his thoughts returned to the future timeline. Even after his future self had turned evil, even after his future self's ghost side had taken away the man's ghost half, the Future Vlad had still been willing to help the present Danny---_himself_---when he had gone to him for answers—_and for help_.

Danny would never forget the pain that he felt when the Future Vlad had removed the time medallion fused inside him. But it was nothing compared to the fear that came with the Future Vlad's informing him that the man could fix the destroyed future simply by getting _rid of him_. And, yet, he had not. Despite the fact that Vlad could have _easily_ wasted him to prevent that dark future, he didn't. The man _trusted_ that he could prevent it himself. He _believed_ in him…

Why?

Had _something more_ happened between his future self and the Future Vlad before the horrible day he ripped out his humanity? How long had he been living with the man before that happened? As strange as it was, Danny could not imagine the two future half-ghosts being at each other's throats like he and this Vlad were now. Not after what happened to his family in that future.

The Future Vlad _had to have_ _felt_ Maddie's death _at least_. But maybe he also felt Jack's, too? The man _had_ finally forgiven his father in that timeline, after all. But _when_ exactly did he repent his evil ways and mistakes?

How deep had his future self and the Future Vlad's relationship gone before that tragic day?

Deep enough for the Future Vlad to be _sure_ that the present version of Danny would prevent both of their tragic fates.

Danny shook his head as his mind was sent reeling again. His head was going to explode by the time he made sense of all this. If he had not experienced it first hand, the teen would not believe that the same person could be so different in two timelines. Too bad the Future Vlad could not be _his_ Vlad. But then again….wasn't he?

Timelines didn't change people. The Future Vlad _was_ Vlad. And as much as he hated to admit it, the Future Danny was him, too. What changed were the events that occurred in their lives and their choices regarding them. Could….Could it be possible to change the present Vlad by simply changing his choices?

Was it possible that _the Future __Vlad_ was buried somewhere inside _his_ arch-enemy and all it would take to get to 'him' was a bit of digging?

"_All these years without ghost powers has made me realize what a fool I've been."_

"_Maybe that's all everyone needs. A second chance." _

"A second chance…," Danny whispered, his eyes squeezing close at the memory of his own meaningful words. But…. they had also been uttered by someone else, just a bit differently…

"_You've given everyone else in your life a second chance, why not you?"_

Clockwork was right. He **had** given himself and his loved ones a second chance. But that was not what the Time Ghost said. He had said '_everyone_ in his life'. He gave **everyone** in his life a second chance. Clockwork was not just referring to his loved ones, he was also referring to his enemies.

The teen's enemies were also part of his life. He had given all of them a second chance after he prevented that dark fate. Ember could now sing again, Jonny Thirteen wasn't paralyzed, Skulker and Technus were not so damaged that they had to share a body, and… who knows what ever happened to the rest of them. Danny had the sinking feeling that his evil self had gotten rid of a good lot of them.

But what about Vlad?

He had given him a second chance that day, too. The man now had a chance to change, to realize that a hate-and-vengeance-filled life would never let him obtain love. Vlad still had time to mend his ways, to understand how foolish—as he had said in the future---the things he did were before he ended up as alone and miserable as the Future Vlad.

But how could his arch-enemy take advantage of his second chance when the man had no idea he had gotten one?

How could the teen have forgotten something so important? Danny had been so busy consuming his energy in hating Plasmius for blackmailing him to come here that he had tossed _everything_ else aside. He had thrown out everything he had _learned_…

And that was the very thing Clockwork had warned him **not** to do.

Danny opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling. The Time Master's words the day he had sought him for help before coming here made sense now. He now knew why he had warned him. The ghost knew this would happen…. But he had to have also known he would remember at this precise instant.

The young hybrid scoffed, sounding both annoyed and amused. Clockwork was probably giving him _that_ knowing smirk from wherever he was at the moment. Sometimes…. the teen couldn't help but wonder just what went through the Time Master's head.

Danny clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth as he returned to the matter at hand. So, he had learned to give others second chances no matter how terrible the things they had done had been. After all, Clockwork himself gave _him_ the chance to fix his dark future despite the unspeakable things he had done in that timeline. The powerful time ghost could have just wasted him---but did not.

But learning that everyone deserved second chances was not all he had learned that day. He had also learned that not everything is set in stone. The teen had changed his fate and that of everyone else's in his life by choosing differently, by doing things differently this time around. Who said Vlad could not do the same?

Danny had learned that negative emotions could only lead to one's own destruction. Maybe if Vlad realized _this_, he would make different choices, _better choices_ in life. But the question was how to make him realize it? What would make his arch-enemy reconsider his choices?

How do you melt someone's frozen heart---specifically, Vlad Masters' own--when Danny had very often believed the man did not have a heart to begin with?

The question pushed him to consider something even more disturbing for the boy. Clockwork always assured him that everything had a reason… If that was true, then… what was the reason for his being here?

Why would Clockwork let him come to his arch-enemy when a similar set up had led to the birth of his future evil self? Why warn him not to forget who he was or what he had learned when the ghost knew he _would_ forget, only to remember again at _this_ precise moment?

Did…. Did the Time Master believe that _he_ could save his own arch-enemy from the darkness the man had shrouded himself in?

"Why _me_?" Danny asked angrily to his empty room.

How could he possibly be asked to save his own enemy? How, after all the man had done to him and his loved ones? Why should he even lift a finger for the evil jerk? Plasmius had taken _everything_ from him; he had hurt him in the most horrible of ways. Surely the man knew just how much the absence of his friends and family ripped his heart.

And now here the boy was, with the answer to his _purpose_ of being here---or, at least, that was what Clockwork's actions and words pointed to. But Danny did not want _this_ answer. He did not want _this_ purpose. He did not want _this responsibility_.

But if he ignored it, if he turned away from someone who needed help---because Vlad _did_ **need** help---where would the teen then stand? His friends and sister believed him a hero---although, he wasn't so sure himself anymore… And Clockwork seemed to believe he could do this. If he said no, if he let his burning resentment for his arch-enemy overcome his morals and his past lessons, then how could he ever judge Vlad Masters again?

By forcing him away from his loved ones, Plasmius had done the same exact thing to Danny that the man believed the boy's father had done to him. Vlad had taken away his family and friends, in turn _taking away_ their love from him. Danny was almost literally in his arch-enemy's shoes. Now what was he to do? Take Vlad's path of hate and vengeance? Or…a better path, _a path of_ _his own_?

"This is so unfair…," Danny whispered painfully. But deep within, Danny knew _why_ it was he who had to do this. He was the only one that could. Vlad **did** care for him to some unknown extent and in his own twisted way---or more lightly put, in the only way the man knew how. But he had to care. It was the only explanation he could come up with for the man's behaviors; it even explained his evil schemes to some revolting degree.

It was hard for the young hybrid to accept that his arch-enemy cared about him. Even thinking about it now made his throbbing head ache more. But the sooner he swallowed that fact, the sooner his confused mind could have a small break.

But then there was the boy's nagging conscience. And it would not let him dismiss _helping_ his arch-enemy. Everything Vlad did was proof of how lost he was; it proved just how much he needed to be shown that he could change. It proved Vlad needed to learn what love really meant. Unfortunately, everything seemed to say that the teen _was _the perfect person for the job.

…Danny decided that fate was very twisted.

Lowering his head, the boy placed his hands against his wrapped abdomen and looked indecisively at it.

Maybe if he tried to not focus on the fact that the man was his enemy, and instead, focus on the fact that Vlad was a person who needed help, then maybe that could at least make his supposed 'purpose' for being here just a bit more bearable and easier to accept. In the end, what else could the boy do but accept it? After all, he had bound himself to the older hybrid; and even if he had not, he couldn't leave, anyways; so then, what choice did he really have?

"_You always have a choice, Danny,"_ the poor boy heard his conscience remind him of all the times he had heard Clockwork say that to him. It was under the list of 'the Time Master's favorite things to say to him to confuse him'. And the 'everything has a reason' thing was also on that list…

Danny pushed back his black hair and sighed. "I know what the 'right choice' is, but I…. I just…_can't_."

The teen just felt too lost, too hurt to be of help to _anyone_. He just wanted to go home! He wanted all this to end! He feared that all his confusion and angst would lead him to make some kind of desperate choice that he would regret for the rest of his life. He had promised his loved ones he would never follow in his evil self's footsteps. Each stressful day that passed made him question if he would really keep his word after all. His uncertainty was almost maddening…

No. He was barely handling his own emotions of self-doubt and loneliness. He would irreversibly buckle if he attempted to also carry his arch-enemy's problems, _especially_ when doing so meant having to turn a blind eye to all the suffering the man was causing him by keeping him here.

Danny was about to seal his decision by pushing away all thoughts of Vlad Masters when the boy felt a pull coming from his heart, commanding his eyes to turn to his left.

The boy stared for a long moment at the picture of his family and friends standing on the nightstand. It had been there since he placed it there the first morning he came here. But…how long had it been since he looked at it?

After what he did to his sister and friends, Danny had had a difficult time looking at the picture. It filled him with unbearable sorrow and guilt. So, he had just stopped looking at it. Since then, it had become easier to focus on his hate for Vlad Masters and ignore the other 'weak' emotions. What would they say if they knew he was following his arch-enemy's footsteps by letting such a negative emotion freeze his own heart?

The boy slowly reached for the picture and the moment his fingers touched the picture frame, he felt the dark wall he had been building around himself crumble, and his 'weak' emotions came flowing out, all but washing away his building hate.

Danny moved it to his side, his saddened eyes studying everyone in the picture. He didn't even notice the hot tears that slowly began rolling down his cheeks.

His parents… his cheerful and optimistic parents. They had taught him so many good things. Their moral values were so strong in him; it was from where his need to do good came. Their love and care had taught him how to give those same emotions back to others. And they had always encouraged forgiveness. They would assure him that resentment would only harm him.

And his loving sister… Ms. Nosey, know-it-all, and overbearing Jazz… He wouldn't have her any other way, though. His sister's over-protectiveness fueled _his_ drive to protect those around him. Her focus and determination made him strive to be better. She was his inspiration. And although he acted like it annoyed him greatly, she had taught him a lot of things, too---most importantly, to always do the _right_ thing.

And his friends…. Where would he be without them? It was their strength that kept him going. And it was their belief in him that gave him the confidence _in himself_. They had taught him not to give up, no matter how impossible something might seem. They taught him to always find a way.

If he loved them, how could he ignore what they had taught him? If he wanted to keep his promise to them, how could he forget the things he had learned through all of his experiences?

"Okay…I'll do it for you guys," Danny whispered lovingly at the picture in his hands. He silently stared at the frame in his hands for a moment longer. But then, with a more peaceful look on his face, the boy's eyes drifted over to the wall clock. It was 12:32pm. Perfect timing…

His blue eyes returned to his picture and he gave it a sad smile, before returning it to its place on the nightstand. He then removed the mountain of covers wrapped around his body, immediately sending his body into a fit of shivers. Geez! It really was cold in here!

He ignored it, though, and slowly moved off the bed, and to his feet. He had to quickly steady himself with the bed and nightstand as his weak, unused legs almost caved under him. But a hiss quickly followed his actions when several jolts of pain shot through his body, though mainly from his right leg. He quickly remembered that _that_ leg had had a particularly nasty encounter with Walker's crossbow…

"Maybe I should go ghost," Danny murmured, knowing it was going to be very painful to walk on his hurt leg. But he quickly dismissed the idea when a wave of dizziness hit him, and he quickly grasped the nightstand again.

He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. Opening his blue eyes again, his eyebrows creased in determination before he slowly began limping towards his closet.

Maybe if he got some actual clothes on---he was still in his boxers---he could get his trembling body to settle down. But he quickly noticed a slight snag when he entered his closet. When he had left home, he had brought some clothes with him in a duffel bag, and had kept his clothes in there ever since. He would use them, have them washed, and then stick them back in. It was the only way to keep _his_ clothes from mixing with the _other_ attire in the closet---clothing Vlad had gotten him. His problem now was that his duffel bag was on the ground, right at his feet, and he would have to bend over to get it. Oh, and then there was also the fact that he would have to lift the large, heavy bag and put it on top of his bed so he could find something to… _accommodate_ his hurting body.

Danny wasn't sure how well his wounds would react to the strenuous work, or if he could _even_ _try_ when all the wrapping on his body all but impeded his movements.

The boy gave the duffel bag an annoyed look as if it was its fault for being where it was. He then sighed and passed a hand through his hair as his eyes turned to the clothing nicely folded or hanged right at his chest level. _How_ _convenient_.

With a sigh of surrender, the teen walked closer to one of the racks and shifted through the clothing. He only had two simple demands for whatever he was going to wear. One, it had to be loose; and, two, it had to be warm---_very warm_.

The sight of a red and white jogging outfit promised both things.

Danny grabbed it without a second thought and went over to a tall chest cabinet, knowing there were socks—again, not his own---in the third drawer. Yes, he knew every inch of 'his' large room. It was amazing what boredom led a person to do…

He shook his head, before moving back to the bed. He placed the attire and socks on it, before grabbing the top part of the jogging suit and slowly and painfully slipping it on. The pants then followed and that was surprisingly easier to get on. The boy looked himself over, and suddenly with sarcastic excitement said, "Oh, look! A perfect fit! How _nice_!"

Danny rolled his eyes in annoyance as he sat on the bed. Could it get any creepier than having your arch-enemy know your exact clothing size? Only if he kept thinking about it. He quivered with nausea at the thought and then firmly snuffed it out. Now it was time to do the hardest part of his dress-up: put his socks on.

"_It can't be so bad. I mean, it's not like I broke something,"_ he thought nervously, before sucking it up and just getting over with it. The boy decided he would rather bear the pain of folding his leg than have to bear the pain of leaning down to slip on the socks.

He started with his uninjured leg first and brought it up to rest on the bed in a crossed position. He hissed at the biting pain in his lower abdomen when he did that, but he still managed to slip on the sock. He let his leg slowly fall back over the bed's edge, before bringing up his right, _injured_ leg. This time, he had to bite his lower lip to keep from crying in pain.

"Did I really get _that_ hurt?" Danny asked himself in a pained voice, his watering eyes shutting for a moment as he waited for the agony to ebb away somewhat. He had briefly seen the injuries on his torso last night. They had not been bleeding, but they were not a pretty sight to behold. In fact, the boy was almost certain he had seen _stitching_ on one or two of the arrow wounds.

The young hybrid shuddered as he briefly imagined what they had looked like when he first got them. He had been too busy trying to stay alive and conscious than to have really seen all the damage the arrows had done to his body…. The teen decided it was better that way. He would not have wanted to see them, anyways.

Danny suddenly cringed. His train of thought had led him to recall that _Vlad_ had seen his injuries when he had first gotten them. …Was that why the man had been so scared? Danny knew the wounds had been bleeding; the ectoplasm all over his hands was hard to miss no matter how out of it he might have been. But had they continued bleeding even after he changed back? The boy knew from experience that if he got _really_ hurt in ghost form, to the point that his ghostly healing abilities could not heal him quickly enough, then his injuries _would_ cross over to his human half. That meant the answer to his last question was a definite yes.

Yikes.

Danny quickly shook his head, not wanting to think about that any longer. He stood up, limped towards the door, and finally headed out. From having looked at the clock a moment ago, the teen knew where he could find Vlad. After all, the guy was very punctual about a lot of things, and his eating schedule was one in particular…The man would be having lunch right now. Danny sighed in irritation. He had been here so long now that he was starting to unintentionally notice some of his enemy's habits! At least it meant that he was certain where Vlad would be.

"Man….this walk is a lot longer than I remember," Danny said tiredly as he traveled down the corridors towards the main dining room. It wasn't long before the teen had to stop and lean against a wall to keep from passing out right then and there. He shut his eyes, mentally willing his head to stop spinning just long enough to get him to where he needed to go.

The boy slowly opened his eyes again when he finally felt strong enough to continue. But before he could actually move, he noticed something up ahead. The sight of the main staircase some feet in front of him almost made him turn right back around. He groaned in trepidation, before pushing off the wall and moving towards the stairs.

Getting there, Danny looked down at the numerous steps, and weakly glared. "I officially hate these stairs." But not having much of choice, the teen tightly grabbed the rail and began to descend, slowly, but successfully.

Although it was taking some effort, his body was managing his continuous moments. It was quite an accomplishment, really, considering that he had been bedridden for three days and that his first actual meal had been this morning. But when Danny finally reached the first floor hallway, leading to the dining room, he felt his body shut down. However, it had nothing to do with his weakened condition.

The boy's stomach suddenly began to lurch and his hands perspired from nervousness. What he was about to do seemed to finally sink in as he stood a few feet from the dining room entrance. The boy quickly found himself in an internal struggle with himself over what he was doing.

Danny shook his head. "I-I can't do this," he whispered fearfully. The boy quickly turned away, but he couldn't bring himself to leave. He turned back around and took a step forward again, only to backtrack once more.

If one of the ghostly servants in the mansion would have ran into the teenager at that very moment, they would have thought the child had finally lost it by the way he kept mumbling to himself while pacing back and forth.

A moment later, Danny had had enough and he left out an irritated sigh. "Come on, Fenton, get a grip," he chastised himself. He pushed back his hair and closed his eyes a bit to calm his nerves. Then, finally, with one last determined sigh, he walked forward and entered the dining room.

But Danny instantly froze again at the sight of Vlad Masters. The man was absentmindedly stirring sugar into a glass of ice tea. His enemy had not yet noticed his presence…

The young hybrid bit his lower lip as his heart began to pound so loudly in his chest that the teen was amazed that Vlad did not hear it. Danny swallowed roughly, willing his breathing to stay under his control as he slowly approached the billionaire.

Vlad was so deep in thought that even when the boy was standing about a foot from him, he still did not take notice of his presence. Ironically, the man was thinking of the young hybrid and what had happened in the Ghost Zone three days ago. The memory tormented him, especially when it came in his dreams; and in them, he never made it to the boy in time…

"…Vlad?"

The billionaire violently jolted in his seat, barely suppressing a gasp when he finally realized there was someone right next to him. "D-Daniel!" he said in surprise. But just as quickly as he lost his composure, the man regained it, and soberly added, "You… startled me."

Danny looked away, suddenly finding his white socks very interesting. "…I-I didn't mean to," he replied softly, his gaze still lowered.

One of the older hybrid's eyebrows instantly hitched at the tone in the boy's voice…It sounded peculiarly different somehow…

But Vlad quickly dismissed the odd tone of voice, and also the boy's words. "Don't worry about it," he said off-handedly; but then, as if suddenly recalling the boy's condition, the man frowned worriedly at him. "What are you doing out of bed?"

Danny slowly looked up at the man's concerned face, and had to snuff the side of him that said his enemy was faking the emotion before thinking of how to answer. "Well, I, uh…" Realizing he couldn't think of anything to say, Danny's eyes nervously darted over to the first thing they could find that would stall for time.

He noticed the man's food.

"What…What are you eating?" Danny asked meekly, while mentally slapping himself from how stupid he sounded. He really needed to learn to plan ahead. Really, he could have at least thought of what he was going to say before coming down here. And now that he thought about it, _why_ _did_ he come down here? It's not like he couldn't have waited for the man to eventually show up in his room. But, still, what was he supposed to say to him?

Vlad blinked at the boy for a moment, before slowly looking down at his food. For some odd reason, the man could not remember for the life of him what he was eating.

"…Chicken soup," the man answered, once his eyes had confirmed it; but he then questioningly looked back at the young hybrid. "Are you hungry?" he asked slowly.

Danny timidly nodded, his eyes lowering again. Now that the man brought it up, he realized he was hungry. He had not eaten since breakfast. Then again, even if he had not been hungry, he still would have nodded. Doing otherwise would mean having to answer why he was here... Sure, theoretically, he knew the answer, but in actuality….not really.

A small smile curved the billionaire's lips, but the boy didn't see it. "Alright, I'll have Derek take your lunch up to---"

"A-Actually," Danny quickly interrupted, looking up when he realized what the man was going to say. "I-I, uh, kinda want to eat h-here." Danny rubbed his neck, slightly averting his gaze again as he nervously added, "That is, if you, uh, don't m-mind me, you know, s-sitting with you."

Vlad's lower jaw all but fell off his face; but he quickly brought it back to its place when the teen looked back at him. Even so, the man's utter surprise was etched all over his features. Danny couldn't help but slightly blush at the sight.

Remembering himself, Vlad quickly blurted his answer, "O-Of course I don't mind." But the sound of his stuttering voice made the man mentally cringed. His embarrassment didn't show, though; and just as easily as before, he brushed off his surprise.

Without a word, the billionaire stood and walked over to an intercom. "Derek?" he called calmly into the device.

"_Sir?"_

"Would you bring Daniel's lunch to the main dining room?"

"_Right away, sir."_

Danny had been openly staring at the billionaire, but when the man slowly turned back to face him, the teen's eyes quickly darted to another spot in the room. There was a brief silence as Vlad wordlessly regarded the boy, before calmly speaking again, "Have a seat, dear boy."

The young hybrid complied, sitting two seats away from the man, who soon took his own seat. The teenager quietly hissed as his pain intensified, but he was still glad to have sat down. He was sure if he had stayed standing any longer, he would have collapsed in front of his enemy.

Vlad noticed the boy's discomfort and made a mental note to make him one of those 'special' teas later. The older half-ghost took a drink of his own iced-tea, before commenting, "We will need to change your bandages later today."

Danny just nodded. But at that moment, Derek suddenly appeared in the room… That had been quick.

"Here you are, young sir," the ghost said sounding a bit nervous as he usually did around the young half-ghost. "Would you like anything else? A beverage, perhaps?" he added when the teen looked down at the soup that had been placed in front of him.

"No, thanks. I'm good," Danny answered. The teen put on a forced but benign smile on his face, remembering how he had scared the poor ghost this morning into telling him how long he had been passed out.

Derek blinked in surprise, not recalling when the child had ever smiled at him. Feeling more nervous, the ghost quickly looked over at his employer. "A-Anything for you, sir?"

Vlad just shook his head, and let the ghost leave. It was…. interesting to see his servants interact with the boy. The man rarely saw it. This was the first time he had seen how Derek acted around Daniel…. The ghost was scared of him. Vlad couldn't say it surprised him, though. For all that the butler was quite buff and tall, he was still a very edgy ghost. If you added that and the boy's hot temper, it was no mystery as to why Derek was so tense around the teenager. But that at least ruled out the butler as a suspect when it came to who had betrayed him. Derek was too fearful to even contemplate getting on his or the boy's bad side.

"How long?"

Vlad's eyebrows creased when the boy's sudden question pushed him out of his musings. "How long?" he repeated in puzzlement, not following what Daniel was asking exactly.

"Till this heals?" Danny clarified as he absentmindedly swirled his spoon in his soup, while pointing at himself with his other hand.

"Ah," the man said, now understanding that the boy was talking about his injuries. "In about two or three more days. It really depends on _yo_ur not moving about so much." Vlad suddenly chuckled lightly as he added, "But by the sight of your being here, it seems keeping still is not the easiest thing to ask of you …,"

Danny frowned, but otherwise ignored his arch-enemy's light teasing and just went back to eating his food. There were a couple of snide things he could have said—and had _wanted_ to say---to that comment. But… he was trying to get along, right? Now if he could only keep reminding himself why… Otherwise, he was going to end up throwing this hot soup in this annoying man's face…

Vlad had not meant his words in a mocking way, but by the look on the boy's face—even if he wasn't looking at him at the moment---the billionaire could tell Daniel had taken them the wrong way. How…typical.

In any case, the man was surprised that the boy had actually suppressed his annoyance instead of expressing it, like he commonly did. But Vlad was not about to look a gift horse in the mouth. He was in no mood to argue with Daniel. The man just didn't have the energy for it at the moment.

There was an extended silence as Vlad also returned to his meal. But by the way he kept looking back at the young hybrid, it was clear that he was more interested in the boy than his food. There was just something about Daniel's… tranquil attitude at the moment that just demanded Vlad's undivided attention. What in the world had come over the boy?

The warm, soothing feel of the tasty soup caressed Danny's tender throat as it traveled downward. Even his irritation towards Vlad melted with the warm soup's slow thaw of his freezing body. But his thoughts were not centered on his discomfort. The teen didn't understand why it was so cold inside the house. He was still shivering in spite of the thick jogging suit he was wearing. Had Vlad noticed? He knew he should just tell the billionaire to turn down the AC…But his pride would not let him… He just didn't feel comfortable asking his enemy for anything.

As Danny continued locked in his own head, Vlad was also doing the same. Even with the boy sitting two chairs away, the man's thoughts about what had occurred returned. But what made these disturbing thoughts more intolerable were that he _knew_ why they plagued him. It was due to the same emotion that he had kept bottled up since he forced the teenager here. It was the same feeling that he had buried under his supposed hate for Daniel, that same thinly-veiled hatred which had promised to keep him firm every time he saw the child shatter a bit more under his undeserved misery.

But now…. Vlad could no longer keep the emotion buried; he couldn't hide it; and he could not make it go away in any way. It was eating at him. And he knew that it showed in his eyes—and had been showing since three days ago---every time he stared at the boy. If Daniel _saw_ it, the man did not know. But Vlad was certain if the teen had noticed the emotion, he would simply believe it was faked---not that Vlad could blame him.

Sometimes, when the billionaire was alone and didn't have to play the 'masking game', he would amaze himself on how flawless his acting had been when he did have to play that game. He was very good at what he did and who he was---or who he wanted everyone to believe he was, anyways. But all that right now had been thrown out the window by this unforgiving emotion inside him.

As much as he wanted to dismiss his foolishness as he had always done in the past---after all, Daniel was fine now—he couldn't**.** He knew he really _should_ just move past all this, but he…. **couldn't.** When the image of the young hybrid dying in his very hands sprung to his mind, the emotion he felt, **the guilt** he felt, would just swell inside him, burning his very heart---and core.

He really had just wanted to help the boy. But now that he was forced to admit it, everything he had been trying to do for Daniel was really for himself. It was his_ guilt_ that was fueling his need to find a way to give back to Daniel some of which he had taken away. It was his remorse for hurting the child in the same way Jack had hurt him that had him needing to find a way to compensate the boy. He had to give him something to fill that hole, something that could stimulate him…

But instead of his actions relieving some of the heavy weight of shame on the man's shoulders, they had only made it worse. He had not realized that he was forcing the fifteen-year-old into obvious danger until it was too late…. He silently groaned. If he would have just listened to the boy in the first place, this would have never happened. He had already admitted this to himself a while ago. Still, he also wanted the teenager to understand that he had never intended for what had happened. But he just couldn't. He had really tried last night, but for all his intentions, it still resulted in another verbal fight. Why didn't they know how to talk to each other without having it always end up being an insult-filled showdown?!

The thought quickly switched Vlad's mood, and he suddenly shot a glare towards the boy, who had no clue that he now had an angry observer. Daniel made him so furious sometimes. The child was completely uncivilized. Was it that hard to just speak to him every now-and-then? And why should he feel guilty? Blast! He hated such a weak emotion!

The man's hands fisted as his anger grew; Why? Why was this one teenager able to do what no else could? Daniel had made him loose control of his emotions more times than he could recall. And, curse the child for doing it to him again right now!

He was suddenly aware that the spoon in his hand was beginning to bend from the blow of his angry thoughts. He relaxed again, and took his eyes off Daniel, focusing on his soup instead. The truth was that no matter how upset he got or how much he tried to deny his feelings, they were not going to go away.

Much to his chagrin, he cared for his young rival. And it was why his guilt was not going to leave him alone until he did something that his pride completely stood against. Enemies or not, Vlad could not deny he had messed up. And because he had, he had almost lost one of the two people he cared most for in his life... His pride could not argue against the fact.

The silence had now begun to get to Danny, forcing him to rethink just what he was doing. Who was he kidding? There was no way he was ever going to be able to look at Vlad as anything but his arch-enemy! Just sitting this close to him---which, actually, wasn't even _that_ close---was making it increasingly harder to suppress the urge of shooting the man a hateful glare, or even more alluring, blasting him out of his nice little chair.

Seriously, what was he doing here? Vlad was a jerk! The man did not deserve a thing from him. He didn't deserve a thing from anyone! Danny would even go as far as saying his arch-enemy deserved all his misfor---

"Daniel?"

The boy's angry mental rant dissipated like sun-kissed fog, leaving him a bit disoriented as he slowly looked up at the older hybrid. But meeting Vlad's eyes only confused him more than his tone of voice had. The man had that same odd aura around him again; but this time, he also seemed uncomfortable...or even, nervous? If so, then, the teen was sure it was contagious because he was beginning to feel nervous as well, especially when his arch-enemy was now just staring at him, as if he could not get his voice to work or something…

Vlad sighed when he found himself hesitating over his next words. Why was this so hard for him? It was just a few simple words. Really, it was pathetically inexcusable!

Vlad slowly placed his spoon down so to buy himself the second he needed to mentally compose himself. He then calmly cupped his hands in front of him, his once insecure look becoming casual, almost business-like. He spoke and his tone indeed sounded as if he was conducting a serious negotiation.

"Daniel, I would like to apologize to you."

An indescribably shocked look came over the boy 's face. Was he dreaming again? Was his arch-enemy really trying to apologize to him? No… no, that just couldn't be! The man was never sorry for anything!

"_What's he up to now_?" Danny thought warily as his heart began to beat faster.

Vlad sighed, noticing how the young hybrid's shock---which he had expected---turned into apprehension---which he also had expected. But the latter was still annoying. However, the man stayed calm and continued. "You were right. I should not have sent you into the Ghost Zone."

Danny just stared at the man as he tried to figure out if Vlad was trying to deceive him somehow. He sounded serious enough about what he was saying. But the look on the older hybrid's facial expression wasn't very convincing. The guy looked as if he was talking about money or something just as insignificant. Heck, Plasmius had shown more emotion the day the teen had willingly submitted to him than now---and that was saying something, since Danny was sure that that had been one of the man's most heartless moments.

A knot of disgust towards his arch-enemy twisted in Danny's stomach, but he didn't show it. However, he did not respond, either. Instead, the boy just looked back at his food, not caring that Vlad had raised an eyebrow at his silence. The man made him sick! He couldn't even properly admit that he had almost gotten him killed. Really, what kind person talked about something this grave as if he were talking about the ingredients in their soup? The teenager's thoughts quickly turned his disgust into anger, and it quickly escalated to the point that he couldn't keep his mouth close any longer. He couldn't do this.

"Man…You don't get it, do you?" Danny said with loathing in his voice, though his eyes remained on his food.

Vlad could only stare back quizzically, unsure of what the boy meant. But the anger lacing Daniel's voice did not go unnoticed by him. And because of it, the older hybrid knew just where this was going. Another fight. Another hate-filled argument. However, this time it would only be on Daniel's part. Vlad refused to play into this any longer. He was too tired of it.

Not receiving a response from the billionaire only incensed Danny more, and he finally looked up at the man, his glowing green eyes coated with resentment. "Do you really think that's it? _Simply_ telling me that I was right? I _know_ I was right! I don't need you telling me that, Plasmius!" the teen spat, his hand fisting around the spoon in his hand. "Don't you get it? It's not about you sending me in there! You out of all people should know I was doing fine on my own before you brought me here!" he continued, remembering all those times the man must have spied on him.

"What this is about is _you_ trying to assume you know more than me when it comes to _my_ life! This is about _you_ trying to pretend to know what's 'best' for me when you haven't a clue! You think that just because you spy on someone suddenly makes you an expert on their life?! Well, _**not**_ _mine_!" Danny shouted spitefully. "You have no idea! And you know what's sadder? It's that even when I've been under the same roof as you _for over two months_, you haven't even _tried_ to understand because you _think_ you already know! But you **don't**! You say I have enemies all over the place; well, then, if you _know_ _that_, then could you have at least bothered to think that _because of that, _I have to be on my guard twenty-four-seven? If you had a clue, you would _see_ that _that_ hasn't changed just because I'm was with you! In fact, it's been worse _in_ your house!"

The boy quickly glanced over to the doorway, and glared briefly in its direction, feeling all the ghostly signatures inside the man's castle. "_You_ might trust your ghost lackeys, but _I_ don't," Danny continued, directing his angry gaze back at his arch-enemy. He pointed at the bandage on his cheek as he added, "And you _can't_ even say I'm being paranoid, either! You _know_ they don't like me, and you just ignore it! Actually, no, you've done something _worse_! You have forced me over and over again to hang with them like they were my best pals, but **they're not**! Most of your lackeys are my **enemies**! And just because they work for you, will not stop them from trying to waste **me**, _**their enemy**__**!**__" _

Danny sighed when he realized he had been shouting. He was just so angry, but he didn't want to get into another fight. The boy creased his eyebrows as he continued in a serious but calmer voice. "You don't _listen_, Vlad. You can't keep dangling me like some worm on a hook without expecting someone to take the bait."

The young hybrid's eyes suddenly lowered and he shook his head as sadness replaced all his previous emotions with his next thought. "Or maybe that's just been your intention all along," he stated tiredly, swirling the spoon in his soup.

Vlad had not been able to bring himself to interrupt the boy's angry rant. And even now, now that he was done and the room had fallen silent again, the man still had _nothing_ to say. What _could_ he say to something like that?

The older hybrid just lowered his gaze back to his meal. Honestly, he had never thought about it in the way the teen had just said. Sure, all his servants and allies were ghosts, _ghosts_ that at least disliked Daniel… but they did what Vlad ordered them… or did they?

He had told everyone to keep away from the boy… but many had done the contrary. Now that he thought about it, how many times had he left Daniel by himself while his established enemies, like Skulker or Fright Knight, had been roaming around the caste? And furthermore, the man knew that a good portion of his servants didn't even like the young half-ghost, and yet, he trusted them to tend to the child without a care. All this time, Daniel had been living in a lion's den, and Vlad had thought nothing of it!

How could something so obvious have escaped his notice?

Or maybe it had not. After all, isn't this what he had always done since he met the boy? Put him in danger without any regard for his safety? But never had Vlad given the fact a single regard---not even when he had practically sent the boy to his death during the incident with Pariah Dark. For some reason, the older hybrid simply could not see the boy ever getting into _real_ trouble. The man threw him into danger believing Daniel would always come out on top. In the billionaire's eyes, his young rival was all but invincible. At least, that's how he had always seen it.

Until now.

Seeing Danny so close to death jolted something in Vlad's mind. And he realized at that moment…the boy _really __**could**_ get hurt. Just because Daniel had always come out victorious in his battles didn't mean that one day he would not….Ghost Zone aside, how many times in the past months had the young hybrid almost been killed in this very home because of the man's own inconsideration?

The guilt Vlad had been feeling all but overwhelmed him as he finally understood what the boy was saying to him. Everything that had happening to Daniel since he came here **was** _his_ fault. And even when the teen had been telling him this over and over again, he ignored it. He really had not been listening. If he had, what happened in the Ghost Zone would have never happened.

How could Vlad have thought that Daniel would be safe in a house full of obsessive ghosts who hated him beyond reason? He had sent him to places with Fright Knight and Skulker… How could he have thought they would lift a finger to help the boy if he ran into trouble when they had tried to waste him many times before?

_No wonder_ the boy has never wanted anything to do with him. _No wonder_ he had refused to join him in the past. How could anyone believe that someone cared about them when they kept placing them in so much danger?

But Vlad did care. He always had. If only it had not taken almost losing Daniel to realize it.

The older hybrid's eyes closed in sorrow as he softly voiced just what he felt burning inside him for the past three days. But his voice was more than hushed. It was mournfully quiet, as if the sound eerily echoed the torment of his guilt…as if with his own breath, the man were beating his breast in sorrow.

"I'm sorry, Daniel."

The boy's eyes jolted towards his enemy, instantly going wide with astonishment. The man's words were not empty this time. Danny had no doubt… Somehow, he could actually _feel the emotional power _behind his whispered words! _Vlad Masters_ had apologized to _him_ and _truly_ meant it!

Danny's heart suddenly began thumping loudly in his ears, but he didn't know why—and at the moment, he didn't care. All that ran through his mind were the simple words Vlad had just uttered to him. Not even that part of him that always said his arch-enemy was up to something could bring itself to say Vlad's regret was faked. In fact, that part of the teen was not saying a thing now! It had gone numb from shock!

Danny lowered his own gaze that fell upon his quivering hands. What could he say now? What should he say now? The boy knew that his next answer—his next choice would determine the path he took from here. This was his fork in the road. He could let everything he was going through be in vain. Or he could give it meaning.

The boy knew the correct choice. Could he make it?

Danny closed his eyes, trying to remember everything he had learned in the past up until now. And that made him decide. He _could_ do this.

The boy's blue eyes looked back at his arch-enemy, who still had his own eyes lowered in sadness. There was a bit of fear in Danny's next words, but mostly, complete honesty.

"I forgive you," he whispered.

Vlad's eyes snapped up, unknowingly mimicking the same astonishment Danny had shown just a moment ago. The man could not believe his ears. But deep inside _both_ hybrids knew there was something deeper to their exchange of such simple words. And it was why they both could only stare back at one another as if it were the first they really _saw_ each other.

The older half-ghost was the first to finally break out of whatever trance into which they had both fallen. And although Vlad did not say anything, the small appreciative smile that etched his face before finally ripping his gaze from the boy's own said enough.

Vlad's heart was pounding in his chest; he did not understand what had just happened; and the fact made him severely uneasy. The man had not apologized with the expectation of being forgiven. He had done it because his guilt had been consuming him. But… Daniel had forgiven him… But to what extent? …And why?

Danny had lowered his gaze himself after the man had broken their eye contact. There was such an intense silence at the moment, but the boy knew there was nothing more for either of them to say. In many ways, the teen was frightened. He did not know what his decision would bring and if he would be able to face what came… Oddly, his thoughts made him recall something Niane had told him.

"_There is always light at the end of a tunnel…"_

The boy hoped she was right, because he did not know what he would do, otherwise. After all, you could only walk forward in complete darkness for so long before you stumbled and fell…

A strong shiver running through his body broke Danny out his thoughts. Why was he so cold? The soup was helping him a bit, but just not enough. And he now realized his headache had terribly intensified. He couldn't take it anymore. It was _way_ _too_ cold.

"Vlad?"

The man looked up, only to frown at the sight of the shivering boy.

"Do you think you could turn off the AC, or lower it, or something?" Danny asked pleadingly as he rubbed his injured arms the best he could.

A brief look of confusion flickered in the Vlad's eyes, only for them to quickly widen at the next instant as realization triggered his alarm. Abruptly, the man stood and approached the boy, not realizing that the sight of his sudden nearing almost triggered Danny's fight or flight response from how loudly the teen's mind was screaming _danger_ at him_._

"W-What's wrong?" Danny asked fearfully as he looked up at Vlad. But instead of replying, the man placed his hand on the teen's forehead.

Danny instantly tensed, but Vlad's next sudden exclamation made the poor boy jolt in his seat.

"Daniel, you're burning hot!"

Realizing the billionaire's words, Danny's alarm instantly became confusion. Hot? The boy frowned. He didn't feel hot; he felt cold!

"Come, you are going back to bed," Vlad commanded, pulling the young hybrid's chair outwards so he could stand up.

Danny slowly stood, though not without protest. "B-But, wait, I don't...." His train of thought came to a halt when his dizziness returned full force. The teen quickly grabbed a hold of the chair beside him to keep himself from collapsing where he stood.

Noticing the child's dazed look, Vlad let out a loud sigh that sounded both concerned and annoyed. "Hold on," he murmured, before suddenly picking Danny up.

The young hybrid squeaked in surprise when, abruptly, the floor seemed to literally move from under his feet. He soon realized that his vertigo had been caused by his enemy's lifting him off the ground.

"I can walk, you know," Danny stated annoyed. Geez, the jerk could have at least warned him first.

Vlad scoffed, before dryly replying, "I'm surprised you made it to the dining room without passing out."

Danny just sighed, feeling too tired and lightheaded to argue.

In a flash of black light, Vlad turned into Plasmius and flew up, quickly phasing himself and the teenager through the ceiling. Now on the second second floor, he just as quickly turned human again. The entire time, Danny just kept his eyes averted, all the while glad that he was shivering from cold. Otherwise, the man holding him would have noticed the shivers that ran through his spine both times he had felt his arch-enemy change forms. It was such a weird feeling. The teen briefly wondered if his friends and sister thought the same thing whenever he would change while touching them...

Finally arriving at the boy's room, the billionaire placed the teen down on the bed. But then, without a word or glance at Danny, he moved away and headed into the bathroom. The boy himself, however, was watching the man like a hawk. He soon blinked at the sight of Vlad coming back out of the bathroom with a medicine bottle, a thermometer, and some hand towels.

"Here, drink these," Vlad ordered calmly, giving two pills to the teenager, before grabbing the pitcher of water on the nightstand. He poured some of the clear liquid in one of the three glasses also on the stand, and then gave it to Danny.

Like with the pills, the boy silently accepted the glass of water. And after briefly looking at the capsules, he popped them into his mouth before washing them down. His eyes quickly returned to Vlad, who had once again moved away, this time towards the intercom in the room.

"Derek?"

The teenager cringed at hearing the billionaire call the poor ghost again. Did the ghost butler ever get a break? …Danny made a mental note to cross out butler off his 'what to be when I grow up'. Seriously, it was way too much work.

"_Yes, sir?"_ Derek soon answered, not sounding bothered at all.

"Would you tell Martha to bring up a bowl of ice water to the boy's room?" Vlad ordered, gazing at the thermometer in his hands as he turned it on.

"Of course, sir."

The older hybrid walked back over to Danny, and silently gave him the thermometer. As the young half-ghost placed it in his mouth, Vlad placed the hand towels on the opposite nightstand on which the water jar stood. It didn't take long for the instrument in the boy's mouth to beep, announcing its completed task.

Vlad grabbed the thermometer, a worry frown appearing on his features as he read the results. He was still looking at it when he absentmindedly placed a hand against the boy's left cheek as if confirming by touch what the instrument said.

"We need to bring down your fever and fast," he told the boy seriously, although he was still looking down at the thermometer. Unfortunately, there was nothing of the ghostly type that he could do to lower Daniel's fever---ghost didn't exactly get fevers, after all. The boy's body's rise in temperature was just a natural reaction to infection. The man had expected it at some point, since the teenager had been bedridden for three days, and that never boded well with deep wounds. The effect was a drop in a person's immune system.

The real problem was that Danny had a below average body temperature, obviously due to his ghost half. It wasn't by much. But oddly enough, the boy also didn't tolerate high temperatures very well. The man knew that by how quick Daniel weakened whenever he would use his electrical energy to attack the child…. Therefore, it was more of a problem for Daniel whenever he had a fever than the average person.

Feeling eyes on him, Vlad looked up at Danny; and for a moment, they both just silently stared at one another. Ironically, at that instant, they both had briefly wished that they could read the other's mind.

Suddenly feeling uncomfortable---though he didn't show it---Vlad looked away and placed the thermometer down for a moment. "Allow me," he said, before grabbing Danny's left arm. And before the teenager could question his actions, the man added, "This should have healed by now."

Feeling Vlad removing the gauze around his left, _less hurt_, shoulder, the young half-ghost quickly realized the older one was referring to the injury from an arrow grazing him there. The man calmly inspected the site for a second, before nodding to himself.

Vlad then moved around the bed and again removed a bandage off a cut, but this time, it was on the boy's lower right arm. The teen paid him no mind, though, since he was still busy inspecting the shoulder from which the billionaire had just removed the gauze from. Where there used to be an unsightly scratch, there was just his smooth white skin. There wasn't a single hint of a scar.

Danny couldn't hold in a sigh of relief.

But his attention went back to Vlad when the man suddenly grabbed his chin, before removing the bandage on the cut there. As the older hybrid let go of his face, Danny looked at him, while placing his hand against his face, feeling only smooth texture under his fingers.

Danny opened his mouth, clearly about to say something to Vlad, when a knock on the door interrupted the boy's train of thought.

Vlad didn't hesitate to move away from the young hybrid and went to open the door.

"Here you are, sir," the older ghost maid said, handing the bowl of water to her employer.

"Thank you, Martha," Vlad said, and the ghost nodded before vanishing from the doorway. The man closed the door again, before returning to Danny's side, and placing the bowl on the stand beside the towels.

Without a word, Vlad grabbed one of the small towels, and then sat on the edge of the boy's bed to make his next actions easier. He soaked the towel in hand with ice cold water, before twisting it a bit to removed the excess liquid. He then finally looked at Danny and placed the wet towel against the teen's neck.

Not having expected the water to be that cold, Danny jumped in surprise. But then, he quickly reached forward, immediately _wanting_ the warmth of his thick covers. Too bad Vlad stopped him.

"Don't," the man said, pulling the covers out of the boy's grip.

"B-But i-it's c-cold and I-I'm… f-f-freezing!" Danny protested through chattering teeth.

"You cannot cover yourself up with a fever this high, my boy. It will only make it more difficult for me to help you lower it."

Danny could only sigh shakily and continue to shiver.

Vlad left the cold towel wrapped around the teenager's neck, before grabbing another one, and using it to slowly begin dabbing Danny's face with it. As he continued in his attempt to bring down the young half-ghost fever, Vlad kept his gaze averted from him the best he could. But much to his growing discomfort, Danny was determined with doing the exact opposite.

The billionaire could feel the teenager's penetrating gaze on him; it was _so_ unnerving. The man seriously felt like Daniel was trying to dissect him with his very eyes. _What in the world_ had gotten into the boy?

"_Maybe his fever is making him delirious," _Vlad thought, as he attempted to find some reasoning for the child's… odd change in demeanor. Instead of doing his usual impersonation of an angry rattlesnake, Daniel was now almost the perfect image of a docile little rabbit…. All the child really needed were the whiskers…

But the billionaire guessed that, in the end, he could, for the moment, ignore the boy's behavior.._But his gaze…_

_Why_ did he keep looking at him like that?!

"Daniel? …Are you alright?" Vlad asked slowly, finally meeting the teenager's eyes in an attempt to find the answer for his bizarre behavior in them. But for once, the man could not interpret what he saw in his young rival's eyes; and it only confused Vlad more.

Danny really wasn't aware of the intensity in his blue eyes right now. The teen was so caught up with his trying to figure out the man in front of him. How could someone have such a contrasting personality? At the moment, his arch-enemy looked _so different_ than what he was use to seeing. He looked, well, _human_. It was as if his personality had suddenly flipped poles. For the first time since he met this man, Vlad looked like he _cared_. Danny couldn't help but be captivated by the sight.

"Daniel? Did you hear me? I asked you if you were alright….," Vlad repeated again, his eyebrows now creasing with concern.

Danny nodded, but his analyzing gaze remained on the man, who just returned his attention to what he was doing again. The boy had to admit he liked this side of Vlad…And dare he say it was almost comforting? At least, that's how it had felt when he first saw this caring side of the older hybrid just three days ago in the Ghost Zone…

"Vlad?"

"Hmm?" the man replied distractingly as he pushed aside a wet strand of black hair before continuing to press the cold towel against the boy's flushed skin.

"Thanks," Danny said softly.

Vlad paused in surprise, but he quickly recovered and let out a soft benign chuckle. "Well, I can't just let you burn up, little badger."

"No, not this. I-I mean, I do appreciate it, but…" Danny trailed off as he steered his eyes from the man's quizzical gaze. But then, the boy's eyebrows slightly creased with some unknown emotion, and he looked up at Vlad again.

"Thank you for saving me," Danny uttered sincerely---or at least as honest as his shivering voice would allow. Enemy or not, Vlad had saved his life back there; and even if the older half-ghost was partially responsible for what happened, the teen couldn't be so selfish as to continue to act like the man had not risked himself for him.

Vlad stared at Danny as he tried to read his face again. The boy was expressing his gratitude to him? Daniel _had_ to be delirious. Then why didn't he look like he was? No, the young hybrid was really being sincere…

The fact finally curved the billionaire's lips into a small smile. "You are welcome, Daniel," he answered with the same sincerity.

They both moved their eyes away from each other, and neither said another word after that. However, this time, the room hardly held any tension. There was _almost_ some form of peace radiating from the half-ghosts, though that could have been mostly due to the fact that Danny was drifting off again.

But unlike last night, the teenager did not fall asleep in the man's presence. He was still awake, but barely, when Vlad finally deemed to have cooled him off enough to allow him to place a cover over his still trembling form.

The man could now only wait for the child's body to finish dissipating his fever. The aspirins would hopefully lower Danny's temperature, while his jogging suit should speed it up by making him sweat the fever off.

Still, Vlad left the cold towel on Danny's forehead to keep him cool, before finally rising off the bed. "Get some rest. I'll be back a bit later," the man said calmly.

Danny made no gesture or said anything in acknowledgement. He felt too cold and too tired to use any energy, even in something as small as a nod. But Vlad was not bothered at all by this, and just silently left the room.

As he walked down the corridor, Vlad let out a drained sigh. Daniel's attitude unnerved him to no end. He really was not sure what to make of it or how to feel about it. The man could not even pretend for his sanity that he was imagining the boy's… strangeness. It was hard to imagine Daniel thanking _him_ for anything. That had not even occurred in the man's wildest dreams. But then again, not even in his wildest dreams, had Vlad ever thought he would apologize to his young rival. They were both acting so unlike themselves that the billionaire briefly wondered if there had been _something_ in Walker's ghostly arrows….

But whatever was happening, Vlad was sure it was temporary. After all, it was natural to experience spontaneous emotions after being shaken by what almost happened three days ago. They were both still just a bit overwhelmed and disconcerted.

But the older hybrid could not deny that something inside him was allured to this unexplainable change in the younger one's behavior. Internally, he hoped this _wasn't_ temporary, but something more. Sure, the unfamiliar territory made the man feel awkwardly uncomfortable; but the attraction for whatever Daniel was suddenly radiating, drew him in like the moon beckoning the ocean towards it, as a result, creating its soft night tides. It was comforting.

Vlad suddenly frowned, but then quickly shook his head, dismissing his thoughts. What was he thinking? He was more sleep-deprived than he thought. _Of course_ this was just temporary. This was _just until_ the boy was right back to his usual, healthy, _hot-tempered_ self.

Everything would return back to normal soon. They would be the same mortal enemies as before. And while Daniel would go back to loathing and defying him, he would….

He would return to his plans.

* * *

**Phew! What a ride! Well, this marks the beginning of, heh, a new story arch... I'm sure you guys see what I'm talking about! I hope everyone likes it! Well, I have a few test this week and the next; I'm not sure how my updating 'schedule' will be affected, but I think I will be alternating my updates between this story and DoaS. So, you can expect an update on that story first.**

**Oh, and I got two new cool things for you guys to check out! A fanart by E-Dante and a sonfic by Zahava!---Thanks so much guys! I'll add the links below for you all to see them!**

**Ta for now, my dears!**

**---remove '()' and spaces---**

**Fanart by E-Dante:**

**h t t p (:) / (/) e-da ntes . dev iant art. c om/art/DP-A-Brother-s-Sacrifice-110435729**

**Sonfic by Zahava:**

**h t t p (:) / (/) w (ww) .fan fiction .n et/s/4833907/1/What_Ive_Done**


	44. Chapter 43: Ripple Effect

**Okay! Next chapter! I actually had this done by Sunday night, but this site decided to go---as Tucker would say---wonky. But it's still an accomplishment to post now. I honestly didn't think I'd post an update for CM until next weekend, but I got through the editing for this one quickly! Plus, with a super-fast beta like Truephan… Man! She awes me each time!**

**Well, this is a filler chapter, but it's still important! And I really enjoyed writing it, especially the first part since it was _a first_ for me. It was… an interesting scene to write—though, a lot easier than I thought! Heh. **

**But speaking of the first scene, you'll find it has a relationship that we didn't find out about until third season. But this is just me again trying to tie this story to the show; besides, I got the impression that the 'couple' below had been dating before we---and Danny---found out in third season. It's a minor thing, so it's not a big deal, anyways. I just wanted to mentioned it before you guys started reading to make sure I didn't confuse anyone!**

**And by the way, I think our two _boys_ need a break... catch my drift? *winks***

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom**

* * *

**Chapter 43: Ripple Effect**

"What's up with you? You've been all up-tight lately," Ember questioned her boyfriend with a heavy, almost-annoyed frown.

Skulker, who was still beside her on the couch, stayed silent for a moment, but then shrugged off her question. "I'm fine," he answered calmly, before reaching for the TV remote in her hand and switching the station.

Ember scoffed, ignoring the fact that he was switching the show she had just been watching. In any other occasion, she would have snapped at him for it, but she was more interested in figuring out what was wrong with her guy. Even if she hadn't been dating him for a few months now, she would still know something was bugging the hunter. It was that obvious.

"Right. That's as believable as that bratty Young-Blood and his pretend games," she replied dryly.

"I just haven't had the time to gather all the preys I let loose in Amity Park a while back. It bothers me," he murmured, still focused on the TV.

Ember gave him a quizzically look. "Why even release them in the first place?"

"Because I did," Skulker answered curtly, starting to get annoyed with her questions.

Ember raised an eyebrow, but then, a knowing smirk tugged on her lips. "Oh, I see. Another job for _the Man_, huh?"

The ghost diva knew her boyfriend worked for the older half-ghost. And that every time she ever asked about it, he always refused to answer, saying it wasn't any of her business. Apparently, Skulker did not like to share the details of his employer's dealings with anyone. Not even her. She always internally gagged at his sense of honor.

Skulker grumbled something under his breath about his girlfriend being too nosey, but, otherwise, did not reply.

Ember was not discouraged, though. In fact, now she was even more intrigued. "Speaking of Vlad Plasmius, is his offer still up? You know, about _rewarding_ the ghost who can take over Amity Park?"

The hunter shrugged again. "I don't know. Most probably it is," he answered off-handedly.

Ember now looked irritated. "How can you _not _know? You're, like, the one that told me about it! Besides, the dipstick's disappearance is the latest talk in the Ghost Zone; and most ghosts—especially me—don't want to waste such a freebee!"

Skulker finally looked at the female ghost, but he was glaring at her. "Look, I do not know and I do not care. _And_ I do not think it really matters. The whelp is no longer there to protect his territory; so if you want to go run havoc on the place, you are not getting a better chance than this. Now, can you please just let me watch this pointless contraption in silence?!"

"It's called a television, Mr. I-Know-All-About-Hunting-But-Haven't-A-Clue-About-Normal-Stuff," Ember answered with a smirk.

The hunter just glowered at her a little longer, before looking back at the TV.

Ember rolled her eyes, but then, also, turned her attention to the screen again. However, remembering he had switched what she was watching, she quickly reached over and snatched her remote from him.

Skulker sighed in annoyance, but didn't protest when his girlfriend put the channel she had been watching back on.

There was a long silence when, out of the blue, Ember asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

The hunter slowly turned to look at her; but, this time, it was she who kept her eyes on the TV. "About what?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "And correct me if I'm wrong, but since when do you care to hear about other's problems?"

Ember finally looked at him and grinned smugly. "Ha! So you _do_ admit somethins' eatin' ya. And just in case you've forgotten, we're, like, dating, so that means I gotta at _least_ pretend to care, right?"

Skulker rolled his eyes at her last comment, before snatching the remote from her again. He was about to turn his attention to the TV once more when a hand being placed on top of his own stopped him.

The male ghost looked back at his girlfriend. The smugness and amusement was gone from her face. She was actually looking seriously at him.

"Look, I might not be good at the whole listening bit, and you might not be good at the sharing thing, but that doesn't mean I don't care that you are all down in the dumps," Ember told him soberly, but then she smirked again. "Come on, tell me what's up? I'll let ya have the TV control for the next week if you tell me…"

Skulker couldn't help but smirk in return. "Well… if it means I can have control over this nosey contr—_television_---then…" The hunter sighed, sobering up again. "I'm worried," he mumbled, sounding uncomfortable with his 'sharing'.

"About….," Ember asked slowly, raising an eyebrow.

Skulker was silent for a moment, before shaking his head. "I'm not certain. But it's what I feel."

"And that makes you angry?" the ghost diva asked confused. Her boyfriend was making no sense. He had been all edgy lately and sometimes even upset, and all of it was because he was worried about _something_ _he_ _didn't_ _know_?

He was lucky she found him interesting or she would dump him right now because of how off-his-rocket he sounded.

"No, _Plasmius_ makes me angry!" Skulker answered, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes when he thought once again of how furious he got at the mere mention of his name.

Ember blinked in surprise. But then suddenly, everything made sense. The hunter had been spending more time with her lately. That was a drastic change over the past months when he barely came over, all due to his doing stuff for the older half-ghost. Then there were his angry bouts every time she said anything relating to Vlad Plasmius. And his lack of knowledge on the older hybrid's doings…

"You two fought?" she finally managed to ask, disbelief still in her voice. Her boyfriend and the older halfa had been doing business far longer than she had been with Skulker. And she had never heard of them getting into a fight before. She was sure the two were, like, inseparable. Heck, they _had_ to be when the hunter went over Plasmius' house more than he came to hers!

Skulker was _so_ lucky she wasn't the clingy-type and liked her space.

"And all because of the Ghost Child!" The hunter growled. "How could Plasmius just throw everything away like this? How could he betray me? _Me_! And for _the_ _whelp_?!"

Ember raised an eyebrow, realizing he was talking more to himself than her. But although she did not really know what he was talking about, his resentment for whatever happened was as clear as day.

"But I can guarantee you one thing: he _will_ regret this!" Skulker continued to seethe. "There will come a day when Plasmius regrets what he has done! And if it does not come soon, then that'll be the day when I stop hunting for all eternity!"

"_I kinda hope he doesn't see that day, so __**I**__ can see the day that he really would stop hunting,"_ Ember thought wryly. But then her thoughts returned to the matter at hand.

"So, you're gonna get even with the dude?" the ghost diva questioned, trying to keep her growing boredom at bay. She was starting to regret even asking him what was wrong. This is what she got for trying to be _nice_.

"Of course not!" Skulker snapped. "I would never stoop that low!"

"Hey! Don't take it out on me!" Ember snapped back. "I don't see the difference between him and the dipstick! You're always runnin' your mouth about how you're gonna get even with the dipstick by slicing off his head! How's it any different with the older weirdo?"

"It's different," Skulker murmured angrily. "Besides, I do not need to do anything. Plasmius has dug his own hole; and he can fall head first into it for all I care!"

Ember sighed as she stretched her arms across the couch. "Sounds to me like ya do care. I think that worry that you were takin' about is that you're worried about him," she said, shooting him a knowing smirk.

Skulker looked completely affronted by her claim. "That's absurd!" he protested angrily. "It's only business! I'm angry because now I have no one to provide me with my needs, that's it! That's always been it! And he knew that, too!"

"Oh, I don't know, _Skulky_…" she said, her teasing smirk growing. "You have been around way before the guy was even born and you survived just fine without him. You're obviously worked up about this. And the only reason I see for that is because you saw him as more than just _your_ _boss, _even if you don't want to come clean with it…"

"Maybe I should get started on capturing my loose prey," he said annoyed, getting off the couch with the intentions of leaving his girlfriend's house.

Ember sighed, this time with a bit of regret. "I was just trying to help, you know."

Skulker halted and sighed himself, his irritation melting away. He looked at her with a calm look and nodded. "You did help."

Ember tilted her head and smirked, "Anytime."

The hunter smiled in amusement. "I really must go, though. I'll return tomorrow," he then said.

The ghost diva nodded. "See ya then, Baby Pop!"

Without another word, Skulker turned again and headed for the door. But just as he got to it, Ember called to him again.

"Hey, Skulker?"

"Yes?" he answered, looking at her curiously.

"You said the dipstick is gone from Amity Park. Why did he leave?" she asked seriously.

The hunter hesitated in his response, but then remembered that his telling her the truth did not matter anymore. First of all, the whelp's helpers were already aware of his whereabouts; and secondly, and most importantly, he no longer owed his employer _an ounce_ of loyalty.

"My empl--Plasmius forced him to leave," Skulker answered, a grave look on his face. But his eyes then narrowed as he added, "And I helped him."

Ember was a bit surprised with the news. Sure, she had expected that Danny Phantom had not left out of his own free will. There was no way the kid would ever abandon his hometown without being forced surprised her was that her boyfriend had something to do with it. And now that he said this, his previous words about his employer betraying him for 'the whelp' made a bit of sense now. For some reason, Plasmius had dumped her boyfriend for Phantom.

Ember inwardly cringed. No wonder Skulker was so touchy about the subject. That really had to have hurt more than her boyfriend's pride---even if he would not admit it.

The female ghost decided not to say anything about it, though. Instead, she regarded his words. "So, this is one of _his_ schemes, then? But, come on, Skulker. We both know he can't keep the dipstick under his thumb for long."

She rolled her eyes as she continued. "As much as I hate to admit it, the kid has spunk. He'll be back to Amity Park sooner or later. And…" Ember hesitated as she added, "…And things will then go back as they were between you and Plasmius."

Skulker shook his head. "You have no idea how extensive this 'scheme of his' is, Ember. _I _would know. As I said, I helped him set the whole thing up. The whelp will not and cannot return." He paused as he mentally added, _"Especially not as broken as he is." _

The hunter sighed, before continuing. "He is bound to Plasmius in more ways than I care to explain. But let's just say that the main reason the whelp cannot return is because Plasmius has his sister's life in his hands. And the only way to snatch the human girl out of them lies in a single antidote---_an antidote_ that _I_ personally delivered to Plasmius. It was the _first_ thing he made sure he had in his possession before starting this whole thing."

Skulker paused again, remembering his trip to Axions before his former employer had set his plan into motion. Ironically, the whelp had discovered the hunter at Axions and had tried to stop him from taking the antidote—not that the child knew that that was what Skulker had been 'stealing' that day.

The ghost boy was not aware that the nanobots had a neutralizer. But there was only one vial, and as Skulker had just told Ember, Plasmius had it.

However, the hunter was certain the older half-ghost destroyed it. The ghost saw no reason for him to have kept it. And if he had, he knew the man enough to know that he had hidden it where no one would ever find it. The pup had no chance of ever getting out of this one.

"Whoa… that sounds deep. Maybe more deep than I care to know," the blue-haired ghost said with a shake of her head. Man, she would have to make a mental note to never tick off her boyfriend's ex-employer. The guy had some serious issues. Then again, if she did ever run into the guy, she would have to thank and congratulate him. Thank him because now she could mess around Amity without the dipstick cramping up her style. And congratulate him for being the first to beat the kid in some way.

"I'm sure it makes you happy to know the whelp is permanently out of the way," Skulker suddenly said, pushing his girlfriend out of thought.

Ember noticed the slight bitter note in his voice but decided not to comment on it. "Sure am! Reward or not, I think I'm gonna go have some fun out there! Hey! I have an idea!" she quickly said, an evil grin forming on her face. "Why don't we go there together? You can round me up all the people of Amity Park, and I'll use my powers to put them under my control! Before the day is over they'll be sayin' my name all over that town!"

Skulker gave her a dry look. "Is that your idea of a date?"

Ember nodded, her grin expanding. "You bet! It'll be our best one yet! What? You don't think it'll be fun?" she added, noticing his bored look.

"No, I'm sure it would be quite the experience," Skulker said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "But I hope you don't mind if I decline to this one. I have my own plans---which revolve around finding my lost prey. Besides, I'm sure that, like myself, you work better alone."

Ember pouted. But then nodded, remembering when she had worked with Young Blood. Talk about a complete disaster!

"Yeah, I guess you're right." She gave him a playful look as she added, "But you'll wave at me if ya see me out there, right?"

Skulker smirked as he opened the door. "I'll even say your name."

Ember grinned brightly. "You rock, Baby Pop!"

"Glad to hear it," the hunter replied, his smirk growing. "Good-bye, Ember."

"Later!" she said with a wave, before her boyfriend finally left. With a grin, she reached across the couch and grabbed the remote Skulker had placed on the nearby coffee stand. She stretched her legs across her couch and turned up the TV volume.

"Well, now I got somethin' to look forward to. But, first, I gotta finish my show! And then, I'll be giving Amity Park a show of my own!" She giggled wickedly, her flaming blue hair growing longer with her excitement.

* * *

Sam and Tucker were standing at the Fentons' doorway when they saw two white fighter jets zoom by.

"Those 'jerks-in-white' need to find themselves another place to terrorize. We already got enough of that from all the ghosts lately," Sam murmured with deep irritation.

"Hate to be the one to tell you, but I don't think they're goin' anywhere. I was hearing the news on my computer last night. They are expanding their headquarters here in Amity Park because of the increase in ghost attacks. They're permanently movin' in, Sam," Tucker replied, looking worriedly at her.

The goth girl sighed and crossed her arms. "Great. That's all we needed now."

Tucker rubbed his neck. "I guess it's kinda a good thing Danny's not here right now. I mean, he already had enough trouble with the government dudes' visiting every-so-often. Now, to have them permanently around… "

Sam didn't reply. She knew that neither she nor Tucker really thought anything good could come out of Danny's leaving. But she knew her blue-eyed friend would be devastated if he knew how bad things were getting in his hometown. The Guys-in-Whites were just _one_ of the problems around here lately.

The door opening quickly pushed the teenage girl out of her thoughts, and she smiled at Danny's sister now standing in the entrance.

"Hey, you two. Sorry it took me so long to answer. I was upstairs. Come on in," Jazz said, gesturing them to enter.

"Wait, I thought we were gonna go to the park so that your parents wouldn't accidently overhear us," Tucker replied, confused.

Still, he and Sam went into the house all the same.

Jazz sighed as she closed the door behind her. "That's until I found out a few hours ago that my parents are not home. They left me a note saying they were going to see if they can find anything about Danny around neighboring towns, and that they won't be back for a few days."

"Oh," was all Tucker could say, while Sam just frowned.

The three teenagers went to sit in the living room, before Jazz continued, "I'm really worried about them. They have practically abandoned everything to find Danny. And although, it's understandable, I do wish they'd also realize that Amity Park could really use their help right now."

"That reminds me," Sam said, before grabbing her spider-shaped backpack and pulling out a Fenton Thermos. "We caught two more ghosts last night," she told her, handing her the thermos.

"Yeah, and, like, five escaped," Tucker added, annoyed.

"I really wish I could be out there helping you guys, but I'm more useless than I was that one time I tried to help you two and Danny," Jazz said, crossing her arms sadly.

Sam and Tucker shared a look, before the goth girl forced an encouraging smile on her face. "Come on, Jazz. That's not true."

"Yeah," Tucker agreed. "I mean, you have been helping us by getting the ghost weapons we need without your folks findin' out."

But Jazz didn't reply.

The younger teens shifted uncomfortably in silence. But then, no longer able to bear the depressing feeling now hovering over them, Sam spoke up, "What was it that you wanted to talk about, Jazz?"

Jazz looked down at the Fenton Thermos, but then stood up without a word and headed out of the living room.

Danny's friends looked at each other again, before following after their friend's sister. The red-haired girl entered the lab and inserted the thermos into the releasing unit as she finally spoke.

"It's been a little over two weeks since we went to Vlad's. And we haven't found anything to gives us the remote idea just what forced Danny to leave." Jazz turned to look at them with a serious face. "We need to go back."

Sam and Tucker's eyes widened, but it was Sam who quickly replied, "Go back? I thought we agreed that that would only make things worse for Danny!"

"It's why we got to do it without being seen," Jazz clarified, handing Sam the thermos back. "Look, I think that by now it's become obvious that we are not going to find out whatever the fruit loop did _here_. I mean, Tucker's looked up more stuff about Vlad than I think even my dad knows! Also, you've been cornering and interrogating ghosts to the point that they think you're crazy; and even then, you've still found out nothing. And all I found out from my parents is that Vlad did show up before Danny left. But that doesn't tell us how he convinced Danny to leave!"

"Okay, but how are we supposed to sneak into Vlad's without getting caught, Jazz?" Tucker questioned, raising an incredulous eyebrow at her.

"I…don't know," she replied, dropping her head, feeling discouraged that _she_ had not thought up something by now. But then she looked back up at them with assurance. "But I just _know_ we would find something if we could do this! Vlad keeps records of all his evil schemes at his house. He obviously covered his tracks really well, but he couldn't possibly have hidden them all in his own home!"

Tucker frowned in thought. He then said, "Maybe we could also find out more about that bracelet. If Vlad gave it to Danny, it has to be for somethin'," he said. "Maybe Vlad really is somehow threatening Danny himself with that thing."

Sam and Jazz didn't reply. At this point, however, they knew that they really couldn't throw any possibility aside. Even now, in the back of their minds, they still toyed with Jazz's illness as still having something to do with all of this. Sure, they could not deny that Jazz was all but cured from its effects, but the coincidence of Danny's leaving and Jazz's sudden illness just could not be _completely_ ignored. Still, what more but pure concurrence could the whole thing be when they didn't even have a hint of the evil billionaire somehow being involved with Jazz's all-but-nonexistent condition?

Unfortunately, there was no way for the kids to know about the untraceable nanobots in Jazz's bloodstream and how the man could fully control their activation level and effects.

Sam, who had just finished putting the ghost thermos back in her pack, spoke up again, "I don't mean to drag us down or anything, because I do think your idea is good one, Jazz; but we still have the same problem to think about. How are we going to do that with Vlad around?"

The three remained silent for a moment as they tried to find a solution to that. Finally, it was Jazz who got an idea.

"Well, thanks to you two, we have already found out pretty much everything that Vlad does as Masters," Jazz began, a small smile forming on her face.

"Just one of the many miracles of technology," Tucker interrupted, giving his PDA a kiss.

Sam rolled her eyes as she sarcastically added, "Yeah, as if having billions of dollars has nothing to do with his life being advertised like an overplayed commercial!"

"Still have technology to thank for that," Tucker replied with a clever smirk.

"Come on, you two, focus," Jazz quickly interrupted when Sam was about to argue back.

Danny's friends cringed. "Sorry, Jazz," Tucker said, meekly.

"Keep going," Sam said, smiling her own apology.

Jazz smiled again as she continued. "Okay, so, since we know what Vlad's up to when he's _trying_ to act normal, all we need to do is to take advantage of a time when we _know for a fact_ that he won't be home. All we would need is a few hours."

Sam's smile widened. "He's always going to press conferences and things like that. It would give us plenty of time."

"I'm sure I could find out when he's next big events' goin' down," Tucker added. "But… what about Danny? I think we all remember how he reacted when we showed up last time…"

"And we are all sure it was just an act," Sam retorted with a serious frown.

"But that doesn't mean he won't give us that same act again, if he finds us there." Tucker countered, also frowning.

"You both are right," Jazz intervened. "But that's something we are going to have to risk. I really think that without Vlad around, Danny will be less likely to react that way. But we still have to try the best we can to not have him see us." Jazz saddened significantly as she added, "I don't want to upset him again if we can avoid it."

The other two teenagers soberly nodded their agreement. But, then Tucker quickly smiled again.

"Sweet! We got a new plan!" he beamed, pumping a fist in the air. "I'll go work on finding us an opening as soon as I get home."

Sam and Jazz smiled, also feeling a bit of hope surface within them. But the feeling was forgotten when a blaring alarm went off throughout the house.

"Oh, man, not more ghosts!" Tucker moaned. This was just plain crazy! He was already sore from their last encounter with all the ghosts last night. And what was more annoying was that out of all of them, they had only managed to catch Klemper and some ghost griffin!

What was going on around here?!

**"EEEE!"**

The three teenagers covered their ears at the ear-splitting screeches coming from outside, their force shaking the house down to its foundation. The three teenagers did not know that the ghosts responsible for the screeching were some of Skulker's 'pets'. Ironically, Danny had fought and captured this same particular group of ghosts before he had left Amity Park. But, obviously, these ghosts had somehow found their way back to the human world.

"WHAT IS THAT?" Jazz shouted, not aware of the volume of her voice since she had her ears covered.

"I DON'T KNOW! BUT I THINK THOSE GHOST EAR-PHONES WOULD BE VERY USEFUL RIGHT NOW!" Sam yelled back, remembering how the ghost devices filtered out spectral noise.

"I THINK THEY'RE OVER HERE!" Jazz replied, before slowly making her way to a cabinet. She frantically searched for the devices and soon found a few pairs. She tossed a pair each to Tucker and Sam, before she grabbed a pair for herself and slipped them on.

"Man! I think my brain just exploded!" Tucker exclaimed, cradling his throbbing head after slipping on the Fenton Phones.

"Then you're gonna have to learn to function without it for a while," Sam said seriously, quickly walking to a nearby stand and grabbing the Fenton Bazooka off it. "We need to go find out what that was."

Tucker nodded, sobering up again. He pulled out a ghost weapon from his own backpack and headed back upstairs with the girls.

The screeching could still be heard outside, intermixed with another type of chaotic screaming. Luckily, the former sound was no longer pounding on their eardrums, thanks to the ghostly devices in their ears.

"Wait, you two!" Jazz exclaimed as Sam opened the door.

Danny's friends turned to look at her, and frowned at the worried look on her face.

"Be careful, alright?" She gave them a sad smile, adding, "Remember Danny's not around to get you two out of trouble…"

"Like it's hard to forget," Sam said bitterly, before leaving without another word.

Tucker sighed at his female friend's reaction. But he then looked at Jazz and smiled, "Don't worry. We'll be fine. I think we've been fighting ghosts with Danny long enough to hold our own."

Jazz nodded, and then waved as Tucker left. The girl walked over to the doorway and stepped out, watching the two teenagers as they took off after a large group of ghost bats terrorizing everyone in sight.

But then with a bitter sigh, she turned and went inside. She wanted to help so badly, but her now fragile body would not let her overexert herself. She could do nothing but sit under her home's ghost shield and watch as her town was slowly overrun by ghosts, while hoping that nothing bad would happen to its people.

Jazz had never felt so helpless in her entire life.

The girl quietly slumped into a chair and leaned forward with her hands in between her knees. She let out a sad sigh as she whispered, "Danny…How can I bring you home?"

To her growing dismay all she could do for now was hope against hope that her little brother stayed strong. She was certain that he could. But… _would_ he?

"_You have to, little brother. You __**need**__ to,"_ she thought as she closed her eyes in sorrow.

* * *

_"Valerie!"_

Fully geared up, the girl hunter sighed at the sound of her father's angry voice calling her from outside her closed door. She grimaced as she looked down at her suit's scanner telling her there were several ghost in the vicinity.

_"Valerie, open this door right now,"_ Damian ordered when her daughter didn't acknowledge him.

"Okay! I'm coming!' she replied, sounding a bit annoyed as she pressed a button and her suit disappeared. Sometimes her father had the worse timing. But she knew _exactly_ what he was angry about.

"Yes, Daddy?" Valerie asked, opening the door with an innocent smile.

"Don't 'Yes, Daddy' me, young lady!" Mr. Grey said sternly, his displeased gaze quickly melting his daughter's smile. "Mind explaining to me why you have a 'D' in American History and an 'F' in Biology?" he said, entering the room and holding up her report card for her to see it.

Valerie sighed and gazed at her feet as she murmured her reply. "I've just had a lot of extra stress lately."

Damian sighed himself, his anger fading with her response. But then, he gently grasped her arm and coaxed her to sit on the bed with him. "Valerie, I told you that I don't want you ghost hunting. It's dangerous, and, well, just look at what it's doing to you," he said in a worried, fatherly voice.

Valerie looked up at him with creased eyebrows, but also with a small assuring smile. "I'm fine, Dad. Really. It's just that it's been really active lately, but I'm sure it's just temporary."

"Temporary or not, it is still taking away from your study time---and your sleep time, by the looks of it," he added, frowning at the large black bags under his daughter's eyes.

"Dad, you gotta understand! Now that Danny's missing, his parents are no longer ghost hunting If I don't do it, no one else will!" she exclaimed.

Damian sighed again, secretly admitting she had a point. But he refused to allow his daughter to be the one to take such a precarious burden. It was that thought that steered him to another, one that had been on his mind more often than not lately. And that was of Danny Phantom.

"Valerie," he began, looking seriously at her. "Have you ever considered that the reason for the increase in ghost activity is because Danny Phantom has… _disappeared_?" he asked.

Mr. Grey knew what his daughter had done. It had been all over the news about how the 'Red Huntress' had eliminated Danny Phantom. And ghost or not, he had not been happy when he found out. He knew that his daughter's rivalry with Phantom went beyond just trying to protect the town against ghost attacks. It was revenge. And he had taught his daughter that that was never the solution to anything---no matter how much someone or _something_ had hurt you.

Damion did not know if Danny Phantom was good or bad---nor did he care. But whatever way that went, there was no denying that that ghost kept other ghosts at bay. And that was not more obvious than it was now.

Valerie's anger flared and she jumped to her feet. "That spook is—**was**--nothing but trouble! I wouldn't be surprised if all **this** is his doing somehow!"

"Valerie," her dad stated with a heavy frown, getting off the bed himself. "Now you're just being illogical. How can he be responsible for the increase in ghost activity when he no longer exists?"

Valerie bit back a response and just looked away. She had promised Mr. Masters she wouldn't let _anyone_ know she had seen Phantom and that he was still alive---so to speak. The billionaire had said that her discretion would avoid a mass panic in Amity Park.

And yet…Valerie couldn't help but wonder why the man would care. But he had been so adamant about making sure she kept Phantom's reappearance to herself….

The girl quickly brushed the thought aside. After all, it was wrong of her to doubt a person who had shown nothing but kindness towards her and her dad. Besides, she had to remember that Mr. Masters was a close friend of the Fentons. They were very important to him. She was sure the billionaire was just worried, and wanted to avoid the family anymore stress, even the ghostly kind.

"Look, Dad," Valerie spoke up again, pushing away her thoughts. "I don't know what is causing the increase in ghosts lately. But I _do_ know it's _not_ because the ghost kid's not around. The point here is that Amity needs me more than ever. You gotta let me do this," she pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Valerie," Damian said firmly, "but I don't care that you have the latest technology at your disposal. You are still just a teenage girl. _And my daughter._ I will not allow you to risk your life like this."

"But it's my responsibility!" she exclaimed desperately, her hands going up.

"No, it is not," the father replied, not swayed in the least. "There are professional people out there who do this for a living. And most importantly, they are _adults,_ Valerie---not some teenager who has enough stress as it is."

"But, Dad!" his daughter began to protest.

"No, 'buts'. And no more ghost-hunting for you. I want you to focus on studying from now on. And don't think I won't know if you are disobeying me; grades don't lie. Do you understand me?"

Valerie sighed sadly, but nodded her head. She silently watched her father leave before slumping down on her bed.

She knew 'the adults' her dad was referring to were Danny's parents and the Guys-in-Whites. But her father couldn't expect Danny's parents to focus on the ghosts around here when their son was missing! Not to mentioned they were not very good hunters, anyways.

And as for the Guys-in-White…

"Whack jobs," she murmured in disgust.

Valerie's eyebrows creased as she bit her bottom lip with uncertainty. Could….Could her dad be right? Could the rise in ghost activity really be because Phantom wasn't showing up anymore?

After their last encounter, she had not seen him again. She had no idea what happened after the ghost knight had shot her down that night. And more disconcerting yet…How did she survive falling from that height?

The girl had no idea what had happened. But it had been obvious that Phantom and the ghost knight had gotten together to take her down. That rotten ghost kid was just playing everyone for a sap with his 'good ghost' act.

The thought had Valerie dismiss all her doubt. Phantom was nothing but trouble. If her father's belief had any truth, it was that the ghost **was** somehow involved in Amity's ghost increase. He was somehow behind it all. He had to be. Why else would he be hiding like a coward?

**"EEEE!"**

Valerie suddenly gasped at the horrible sound, her hands quickly going to her ears as her room began to shake like in an earthquake. But then she growled as she managed to faintly hear her suit's ghost detector alert her of nearing ghosts.

_"Valerie!"_ she heard her father's alarmed voice shout to her from somewhere within the shaking house.

The girl stood as she stared indecisively from her window to her doorway. The sounds of screams, however, quickly helped her decide.

With a frown of determination, she activated her suit and then called forth her glider. Opening her window, she looked regrettably back at her door.

"Sorry, Dad. But some things are more important than grades," she said gravely, before flying out her window to do her job.

* * *

***grins* ****Well, my loyal readers, shower me with your thoughts, kay? My Vlad muse says he'll share his badger-shaped cookies with you all if you do! Oh, and he takes full credit for the good stuff in the story and blames me for the bad.**

**Go figure.**

**Ta for now!**


	45. Chapter 44: Building Tension

**Hello, everyone! Here is the next chapter of CM—obviously! Heh-heh! Sadly, I will not be able to reply to reviews this time around---Sorry! I am leaving to Puerto Rico in a day—for ten days---and I am really short on time! I am really surprised I was able to get this chapter up before leaving! But I am glad I did; I just hated to leave you guys hanging and wondering why I wasn't updating. Well, now I can tell you! I'll be back on the 23****rd****, and you can expect an update on DoaS by that week's end. I wanted to also leave you with a DoaS chapter, but I didn't manage to finish with the editing; so, it'll have to be until I return. If you are wondering, I have never been to PR. I am going with my Pastors---they are like second parents to me! I love them! But, yeah, I'm really excited! Perhaps I'll post some pictures up on my DA page when I return! Anyways, please pray--or wish—for me to have a good trip, kay? I love ya all! And I hope **_**you**_** guys love this chapter! I look forward to reading all your thoughts on my return! Ta until then!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

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* * *

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Chapter 44: Building Tension

Having finished removing the bandages from Danny's body, Vlad took a step back, and remarked with mild amusement, "Good as new."

Danny, who was standing beside his bed, absent-mindedly nodded and smiled as he inspected his abdomen. Where there had been some very nasty injuries---a few even having required stitches---there was nothing but smooth, healthy skin. There was not a trace _anywhere_ on the teenager's body that spoke of the deep wounds that had been there a couple of days ago. In actuality, it had been _five_ days since the teen's encounter with Walker; and two days since his fever…

Placing a hand on his healed abdomen, Danny sighed in relief; he couldn't remember the last time he felt this glad of being half-ghost. But as the young hybrid inspected his healed leg, he remembered that Vlad had estimated the wounds would take two or three more days to heal. The man had been right.

"It took two days," Danny mumbled, his eyes traveling to his right arm.

Vlad replied with a small chuckle, "Perhaps your fast recovery is mainly because you slept away _most_ of those two days."

The billionaire didn't say it out loud, but it had been clear that the boy had not been sleeping well at all before his encounter with Walker. If anything good came out of what happened in the Ghost Zone five days ago now, it was that the teenager had been forced to give his body its much needed rest.

"Well, it's not like I had much of a choice," Danny grumbled, remembering how painful it had been to move or do anything.

Obviously, Danny had stayed in his room for these past two days. But when he was awake, the young half-ghost had not even had the excuse to come downstairs to eat. Derek or one of the maids kept bringing up his meals to him. It would have annoyed Danny if he had not been so tired and pained to want to leave his room, anyways.

"True…" Vlad replied with an amused smirk, before turning from the boy and heading into the bathroom to put away the first-aid kit and throw away the used bandages.

Danny watched the man walk off, but then quietly sighed when he finally disappeared into the bathroom.

The past two days had been…calm, yet…tense—if the combination was even possible. After Danny's fever had broken a few hours later on the same first day---and much to the older half-ghost's relief it never returned again---the boy had not seen much of the billionaire after that day.

What the young hybrid didn't know was that Vlad would come to check on him; it just wasn't as often as before and his visits would be brief as well. Most of those times, the man had found the boy asleep. And the times Daniel _had_ been awake, they hadn't spoken much, anyways.

Danny couldn't blame Vlad for keeping his distance from him, though. After their _interesting_ exchange of words two days ago, the awkwardness that ensued whenever they were anywhere near each other was almost unbearable. The few times the boy had found himself shrouded in that deep tension with his arch-enemy, he almost wished he had never had _that_ conversation with the man. Almost.

Most of Danny's unease with Vlad was due to his uncertainty of how to act towards the man now that he had decided to _help_ the guy. It had been so much easier to see him as his arch-enemy. But now that the teen was trying to move past that, he had no idea _what_ to see him as. Not to mention he still did not have a clue on how he was supposed to make the man grow a heart…

Banishing his thoughts with a shake of his head, the teenager grabbed his shirt and pants on his bed and quickly slipped them back on. At least he could wear his own clothes again. But that didn't mean he still wasn't sore. Sure, his injuries were healed, but his unused muscles were still pretty achy. However, Danny knew his discomfort would go away soon enough. Right now, he was just glad that he no longer had to be wrapped up like some sort of mummy.

"_Or cooped up in here,"_ he thought, a smile spreading on his face with the realization. Not thinking about it twice, Danny turned into Phantom for the first time after his ordeal in the Ghost Zone. And feeling no weakening side effects from doing so, he quickly turned intangible and shot straight through the roof.

Meanwhile, Vlad, still in the bathroom, suddenly froze when he felt the boy's ghost signature spring to life. But the man's surprise didn't last long, and he then rolled his eyes with slight annoyance.

"He really can't stay still, can he?" he murmured, gathering his ghostly remedies, before leaving the bathroom. Now that the boy was healed, Vlad didn't need to keep the ghost meds here any longer. They were going back to his own bathroom.

The billionaire sighed when he found Danny was indeed gone. He figured that much. Still, the man would have preferred for the boy to stay in the house for another day. But asking the young hybrid to stay indoors without anything forcing him to do so was like asking a dog to recite the alphabet. Impossible.

Vlad shrugged off his slight concern. Daniel should be fine now. His injures had healed nicely; he was now well rested; and according to George, he was eating well. There was no reason for his body to not be strong enough to maintain his ghost form. And the fact that the boy had not used his ghost powers for five days now was indication enough that his ghost side had had more than enough time to recover its lost energy.

Yes, Daniel would be fine.

The older half-ghost headed towards the room's exit, planning on heading to his own room, when he unexpectedly paused. His hand lingered on the door handle as he tried to figure out why he suddenly had an odd nagging in his chest. What made it even stranger was that it wasn't the first time he had gotten this… feeling. He didn't understand it. But he recognized it enough to know not to ignore it.

Quickly placing the meds inside he jackets' pockets, he switched into his ghost form. Plasmius was indeed certain the boy was fine now. But it never hurt to be _double_ certain.

* * *

Danny let out a blissful sigh as he flew under the mid-day sun. The warm rays penetrated his seemingly cool ghost body, regenerating him down to his very core and heart. He flew a bit higher, before turning on his back, wanting to feel the sun's caresses on his face.

As he closed his eyes and crossed his arms behind his head, he drifted forward. He didn't care for a fast flight at the moment. Besides, even he had the common sense to not overexert himself when he had almost…

The teenager squashed the thought before he could finish it. All he wanted right now was to enjoy the cool breeze and sun. He just wanted to enjoy the fact that he was outside. Thoughts of what had been happening these past days could wait till later. What was to come was still some time away, so that could also wait. Even his thoughts of Vlad could be put on hold.

For a couple of minutes, Danny felt _free_. It had been so long since he felt like that, which made it all the more meaningful. Nothing existed at the moment. Not his arch-enemy or his forcing him to be at his castle. Not his yearning for his family and friends, or his worry for his hometown. None of it had any notion in the boy's mind right then.

All that existed at that moment in time for Danny was only he and the heavenly sky through which he flew. He felt lighter than the clouds beside him…Warmer than the sun above him.

He felt like himself again.

But, sadly, the feeling was never meant to last. _Although,_ it would have lasted much longer if it wasn't for the purple hue that suddenly engulfed the teenager's body. But it vanished before Danny—or anyone---could see it. However, its effects were instant and very much noticed by the boy.

The young hybrid's green eyes snapped open, a sense of panic overwhelming him the instant he felt himself lose his grip on his ghost powers. It was as if his mind had suddenly blocked they even existed at all!

Faster than Danny could react, the white rings washed over him, unwillingly turning his body into its gravity-obeying, human side. A scream ripped from his throat as the distance between himself and the sun above quickly expanded. But then, the force of gravity turned his body's position in mid-air, so that now the poor boy was plummeting head first, allowing him to easily confirm he was nearing the ground at a rapid speed.

Terrified, Danny squeezed his eyes shut, his mind still too shut down to attempt to call back on his powers. But, then, just when the teen was certain he was going to know how it felt to hit hard earth while human, a sharp pain erupted from his right shoulder-blade as he abruptly jolted to a stop.

"**Daniel!** **What the **_**blazes**_** is wrong with you?! Do you get a kick out of near-death experiences?!"**

The teenager snapped his eyes open, immediately noticing Plasmius' furious, red glare on him. But he also realized that it was the man who had kept him from falling the last few feet; Vlad's tight grasp around the his right wrist was proof enough.

"I-I…," Danny tried to reply, but he was so shocked and scared, he couldn't form another single word. He looked down at the ground below, his heavy breathing so loud that it muffled his hearing.

What had happened? Danny had not felt too weak to stay in ghost form. In fact, he didn't remember the last time he felt so physically well. So why did he change back? His body had given him no warning or reason for doing so. It had just changed on its own!

Furthermore, he was feeling well even _now_. Aside from shaking in fright at this moment and from the pain traveling down his right arm with his being suspended by it, the boy did not feel ill it all!

And as if to prove it to himself, Danny called forth his ghost half and it returned to him as if nothing had happened. His powers _were_ fine.

Vlad slowly let go of the boy when he began to float on his own again. Behind his anger, the man was just as confused as the teenager. He had spotted Daniel just when the boy had switched into his human self and began to plummet…Vlad was now really glad he had come after the child.

But the billionaire had not expected to just see him fall out of the sky like that! Daniel really shouldn't be having any trouble with his ghost powers at this point. So, then, what had happened? Maybe the boy wasn't as fully recovered as he had believed…

Regaining _some_ control over his own heavy breathing, Vlad calmed a bit, but a set frown stayed on his face nevertheless. "Daniel, I think you should wait a little while longer to use your powers," he said seriously, before sighing and getting his breathing under his full control again. The boy really gave him a fright…

Hearing the older hybrid's voice again pulled Danny out of his own shock, and he looked up at Vlad with pure confusion. "I-I don't know what happened. I-I felt fine." Danny looked himself over, trying to find some explanation for what had just happened. "I _feel_ fine," the teen assured the man, gazing back at him with a now worried look in his green eyes.

"And you _appear_ _fine_ to me, too, Daniel," Vlad replied, studying the child with an uncertain and worried look. "But judging by the fact that you unwilling lost control of your powers and just fell several feet, it is more than obvious you are not _truly fine_."

Getting what the man was saying, Danny sighed dejectedly, before floating down to the ground and landing on the castle's pool patio. Plasmius, on the other hand, simply teleported, appearing on the patio himself just as Phantom became Fenton again.

Becoming human himself, Vlad frowned as he watched the boy stuff his hands into his pockets and slowly begin to walk down the pathway, towards the house's back entrance. The poor child might as well have a rain cloud over his head from how miserable he now looked.

Feeling somewhat responsible for shooting Daniel's spirits down, Vlad walked forward, quickly catching up with boy. "Daniel, why don't you go eat something first?" he suggested, looking down sympathetically at the teenager beside him. "Maybe that's all you need, my boy."

Without looking at the man, Danny silently nodded. But as he continued towards the house, the teenager unconsciously wrapped a hand around his throat. Although his vocal cords had been feeling _much_ better since he _tried_ to use his Ghostly Wail on Walker, it had still felt a bit irritated. But now… it was hurting _badly_ again; obviously from the screaming he just did.

It didn't take long for Vlad to notice the boy's discomfort. The man deeply frowned and with surprise clearly in his voice, immediately asked, "Is your throat still bothering you?"

"Yeah…," Danny replied quietly, still not looking at the billionaire.

The older hybrid's eyebrows creased and he unknowingly bit the inside of his mouth as he mentally debated something with himself. But the man soon spoke again, obviously having made his decision.

"Daniel? Why don't you come with me to the greenhouse? I may have a way to remedy that for you there..."

Danny halted, and finally looked up at the man, who calmly stared back at him. "Seriously?" the teen questioned, raising an incredulous eyebrow.

"Of course," Vlad said, a slight frown returning to his face. Why in the world would he not be serious?

The teenager rubbed his neck as he shot a fleeting glance towards the castle for some reason. "I guess…Are we, like, going now?" he questioned, looking timidly at the man.

"Unless you have something already planned, I do not see why not," Vlad replied, tilting his head in amusement.

"_Of course I don't,"_ Danny thought, the bitter reply reflexively coming to him. Luckily, he kept it to himself and just shook his head.

"Shall we, then?" Vlad said, raising a teasing eyebrow and gesturing for them to switch directions.

Danny just nodded, before walking with the billionaire towards the greenhouse. A slight blush tinted the boy's cheeks through their awkward, long, and silent walk there.

* * *

Dazzler slammed the stable door behind him, startling the horses within the barn.

"**Unbelievable!"** the ghost screamed as he began to pace in front of the black horse that had caught Danny's attention the only time the boy had come to the stables.

"Just _**how many**_ lives does that runt have?!" the ghost continued to seethe, ignoring the horse's nervous snorts beside him, and not realizing he was so angry he had lost his human appearance.

"I do not even remember how many times I have tried to get rid of him anymore! I tried wasting him here the first time he saw me, but he managed to escape!" Dazzler began to mark off, his voice becoming louder and angrier as he rattled off each fact. "Then I try drowning him and _that spirit girl_ shows up before I can! I get him alone in the kitchen, my employer shows up. I get him ambushed in the Ghost Zone, and Vlad Plasmius shows up again. And now I try knocking him down from the sky, AND _HE_ SHOWS UP YET AGAIN!"

The scream put all the horses in the barn on edge and their scared neighs finally caught Dazzler's attention. He glared briefly at the animals, but still calmed enough for the horses' to settle back into nervous snorts. The ghost tapped his chin rapidly as he began to realize something, but it only confused him further.

"I do not understand. Why does Vlad Plasmius keep saving him?" Dazzler murmured angrily, his eyebrows creased deeply. How in the world did his employer even have such _perfect_ timing, anyways? It was almost creepy.

The boy had come out by himself. Dazzler had made _sure_ no one was around before using his powers to control the boy's body and make him become human again. But then just when the ghost was sure he would succeed in getting rid of Danny Phantom at last, his employer had suddenly appeared, saving him from his sure death---_again_!

Dazzler had to admit that it was very fortunate that Vlad Plasmius had been too occupied with the runt to notice his presence a couple of feet away; otherwise, the man would have easily put two and two together. Dazzler was still nervous about his employer realizing that _he_ was responsible for the ambush in the Ghost Zone. But aside from the man knowing the male shadow ghost disliked the child, there was no other reason for Plasmius to figure out the truth. After all, he wasn't the only ghost employed by the older hybrid that disliked that runt.

Still, Dazzler did not want to press his luck. It was why he had been staying outside for these past five days. He needed to give this whole thing a bit more time to cool down before he even attempted to show his face inside the house again. Otherwise, if Vlad Plasmius even got the slightest suspicion of him, the man was sure to figure everything out. And Dazzler was certain it would mean his demise.

"My respect for Vlad Plasmius is beginning to wane with his constant interference. As of late, every time I get a chance to waste Danny Phantom, he shows up! …He is _very_ fortunate that I cannot match his powers," Dazzler whispered darkly, referring to Vlad.

There was nothing the shadow ghost hated more than to have his_ control _of things ripped away from him. He only tolerated it from the older hybrid because he couldn't do a thing about it. But that didn't mean it did not make the ghost furious. The man kept helping the runt continue to escape his fate, and Dazzler could not have that.

In actuality, the controlling ghost would prefer to get rid of the child in _his_ own way, and not by the means he had been trying as of late. Making up annoying ploys was his sister's thing, not his. He preferred _his_ own perfected, _direct approach _method. It was quick and effective to control his victims and then simply rip out their life-force. But in the case of the child, the older half-ghost was just too much of a threat to Dazzler for the ghost to go after the runt the way he wanted.

Unfortunately, the only shot Dazzler had gotten at taking Danny Phantom's essence out had been foiled by the young hybrid himself. But the controlling ghost still remembered their first encounter quite well. It had just been too irresistible to not play at bit with the naïve boy the day that he wondered into the stables. Dazzler had heard the rumors of the child's coming to castle from other ghosts, so the shadow ghost had known he was staring at Danny Phantom the moment he saw him back then.

But his toying with the runt that day had been mainly to test how strong he was---both physically and mentally. After all, the controlling ghost had already once underestimated a half-ghost before---namely, his employer---and had almost paid his mistake with his after-life. Dazzler wasn't about to make the same mistake with the younger one.

But, that day, it had been so enjoyable when he felt his controlling powers easily wrapping around Danny Phantom's will and power; drowning it all out until the boy's every fiber had succumb to _his_ control. And what made it so much more interesting was that the child did not realize what he had done to him until the little half-ghost was completely under _his_ power.

And yet, that wasn't even the _climax_ of their first encounter. The best part had been when Dazzler had _reached out_ for the little hybrid's life-force and seized it in his grasp. The power behind Danny Phantom's essence was far stronger and far more desirable than any the controlling ghost had felt before. It had shocked Dazzler to have been able to control the child so easily, considering the amount of power the runt held. But the ghost's shock had not lasted long because the boy _did_ manage to break his control of him in the end, proving to Dazzler that he was not as easy a victim as he had first thought.

Ever since then, Dazzler _craved_ Danny Phantom's _life_. Since then, his seeking out the child was not just to avenge his sister or simply because he hated the runt. No, he had been waiting. He had been testing out the little half-ghost's resistance to his power, to his _control_, every time they met outside or around the house. And what Dazzler had found each time pleased him very much. And that was that Danny Phantom's power was remaining strong, but his _will_ was slowly being snuffed out.

The shadow ghost knew, however, that _he_ was not responsible for the child's inner weakening. Ironically, the person responsible for it was the same one that kept saving the young hybrid from death. Or at least, Dazzler _believed_ it was his employer who was to blame—_or thank_--for the child's fading. Every time the shadow ghost used his powers on him, Dazzler could feel the runt's loss of control over himself and his will.

And there was no easier victim than the one who was confused and doubtful of himself.

Indeed the child's essence was ripe for the picking. And if Dazzler could only get another chance at picking it right out of him, the ghost knew he would be able to do so without _an ounce_ of effort this time—that's how ripe the little half-ghost was. And how Dazzler would enjoy claiming such a prize, _such power._ There was no doubt in the ghost's mind that absorbing the runt's life-force would make him so powerful that he would very likely be able to control beings far stronger than himself. He would become unstoppable. No one could then escape his control.

No one.

A hungry smile spread on Dazzler's face as his thoughts triggered a new one, one he had never thought of—or at least, never lingered on.

"I wonder if my employer's essence is just as delectable as the runt's…."

Dazzler had concluded that the immense power behind the child's own essence had to do with his being half-ghost. After all, the ghost had fed off both human and ghost life-forces alike in the past, and either kind nowhere near matched the feel or the power behind the child's own. And that could only mean that his guess was right… _And that_ meant Vlad Plasmius would also make an equally delectable meal of power—maybe even more so, if judging by the man's physical and mental strength.

Sadly, Dazzler's curiosity could not be satisfied. He knew for a fact that he could not control the older hybrid. So, there was no way to even get close enough to try. But….the ghost at least had Danny Phantom. And Dazzler was determined to waste him in _some_ way. But if given the chance, he would not hesitate in ending the child's life in the way he desired most.

In any case, the controlling ghost still needed to wait until his employer wasn't around. Without him, Danny Phantom was an easy target---especially now that he could _fully_ control the little hybrid.

"My employer won't be able to protect him forever," Dazzler said with a dark smirk.

* * *

Danny let out a small gasp as his ghost sense was triggered the moment he stepped inside the green transparent dome over the ghost plants. He paused and looked back past the dome----which served to isolate the ghost plants from the _normal_ plants also within the greenhouse.

There were various types of _normal_ plants; some he recognized---like the roses and orchids. But most, he had never seen before. Still, the place where the normal plants grew, was very warm; and the smells from the flora, soothing. Even those like him who moderately enjoyed the outdoors could become addicted to a place like this.

But now that he had stepped inside the ghost dome where the ghost plants resided, the entire feel of the greenhouse had drastically changed. It was very cold under the shield and the atmosphere felt… energized, sending a strange yet pleasant tingle through his body. Actually, now that the teen thought about it, it reminded him of how the Ghost Zone made him feel. If he didn't know any better, he would be say he was currently in the ghost realm instead of inside Vlad's greenhouse…

After his ghost sense escaped his lips again, Danny once again redirected his gaze and studied the transparent green dome---which he now believed to just be a weird-looking ghost shield. He looked over at Vlad who had gone off to a nearby garden cabinet; obviously, searching for something within it.

"How do _plants_ become ghosts, anyways?" the teen asked bewildered, shivering slightly when his ghost sense triggered yet again.

Vlad chuckled at the boy's question, but his attention remained on what he was doing. "They do not. _Normal_ flora and ghost flora having nothing to do with each other. Ghost plants _arise_ in the Ghost Zone, you see. _How_ they do is one of life's—or rather, one of the _after_-_life's_---many mysteries."

The billionaire pulled out the flashlight he had been searching for and slipped it into one of his pockets. He then turned to another drawer and continued, "But what's truly intriguing about ghost plants is their makeup, Daniel. They have the same exact mechanisms and composition--- including an energy core---as any other type of ghost. That is why you can sense them."

"Really?" Danny asked surprised, looking around at the ghost plants. "But they don't look very, uh… alive to me. I mean, they aren't moving or anything…" Danny trailed off his words when he suddenly realized that just because the ghost plants weren't moving didn't mean they _couldn't_.

The teenager instantly gave the plant closest to him a wary look, before taking a slow step away from it. This was why he had never gotten this close to the ghost plants when he came to the greenhouse that one time before. And now that he thought about it, Danny had to acknowledge that he never really had any _experiences_ with ghost plants—including in his travels to the Ghost Zone. They just all seemed like any other normal plant---well, not including, of course, the fact that they glowed. But he had never seen any ghost plants move, let alone give him trouble as other ghosts did. Heck, maybe ghost plants _didn't_ do anything after all, and he was feeling wary of them for nothing….

"Daniel," Vlad said, pushing the boy out of his thoughts. "Plants _are_ living organisms." He finally looked at the teenager and raised a questioning eyebrow. "You know that, yes?"

"Well, yeah," Danny answered, sounding a bit defensive. Of course he knew that! He just didn't… remember. Still, there was a difference.

The billionaire turned back to what he was doing, and only then did he roll his eyes at the boy's response. If Daniel really knew plants were _living_ organisms, he wouldn't have been so surprised to be told that ghost plants were like any other ghost---even when they didn't supposedly move.

The boy's lack of such common knowledge reminded Vlad of Mrs. Thomas. And he made a mental note to himself about her.

Now that Vlad had gotten everything he needed, he closed up the drawers. He then turned to look at Danny again; but this time, he approached him as well. "You know, Daniel, just because something does not _visually_ move does not mean it is _dead_. As I said, normal plants are living organisms, even if _most_ are immobile. And that same concept applies to spectral plants, my boy. Difference is that these plants," he continued, gesturing to the ghost flora around them, "—are _alive_ in another sense. They do not have a life-force, but, rather, an energy-force. Do you understand?"

Danny nodded, though he wondered if that meant that he and Vlad had _both_ of these 'forces' the man was talking about since they were human _and_ ghost. But the teen decided to keep the question to himself.

"What's with the gloves?" the teenager asked instead, noticing the _glowing_ garden gloves the billionaire had slipped on while he had had his back to him.

Vlad just silently gestured for Danny to follow; and with a slight frown, the teen did just that. The man soon halted in front of a medium-sized fluorescent-green plant that resembled an aloe plant.

As the older hybrid squatted in front of it, he looked back at the young one and finally spoke, "This spectral plant, Daniel, is called an Ives Ghost Plant. And I am wearing these gloves because I do not wish to touch it; or rather, I do not wish to touch what is _within_ it."

"What's within it?" Danny questioned, now feeling a bit wary; and the smirk he received in response did not help the matter, either.

"You'll see in a moment," Vlad replied, pulling out a craving knife. But when he retracted the blade, he suddenly paused, and frowned at the item.

Studying the blade, he said to himself. "Hmm…Too thick." He quickly stood; and as he walked away towards the cabinet again, he inattentively said to the boy, "Stay there."

Danny frowned again at the man's retreating form, but then, turned his attention to another plant close to him and got a bit closer to it. This one was actually really colorful. It almost reminded him of the colors you find on large tropical parrots.

For one, the ghost plant had large, tulip-shaped flowers, some orange, others red. But up from their middle were little sticks filled with green pollen.

"You like that one?" Vlad suddenly asked, having come back beside the teen.

Danny jolted slightly; but quickly relaxed, and nodded. "Yeah. It's really pretty."

"Yes… but it can also be deadly. The red flower petals are poisonous….And the orange petals are _acidic_." Vlad suddenly leaned a bit closer, and calmly whispered in the boy's ear. "And just so you know, the latter is what I used to make that_ orange goo_ you found in my lab…"

Danny visually cringed; but before he could say anything, Vlad moved away from him and returned to the Ives Ghost Plant.

The boy had to admit that dumping that goo on his arch-enemy had been a bit too harsh on his part. Then again, the guy had ruthlessly attacked him the night before, that time injuring his throat. But much to Danny's annoyance, now that he saw the plant and was forced to recall what he had done, he felt his stomach knot with guilt.... Jerky Fruit-loop.

"Why even have the plant, then?" Danny questioned with irritation in his voice, his eyes turning to the man who had squatted down again.

"Because it is useful," Vlad said in a matter-of-factly voice; but when he could practically feel the boy tense with his comment, the man added with a sigh, "The green pollen. Do you see it?"

Danny glanced at the plant again as the man continued, "If you were to shake the flower, it would release the pollen, which contains sleeping spores. Those spores are what I use to make the relaxant that I, on occasions, have added to your teas, Daniel."

The boy raised an eyebrow. "So, then, all of those weird meds you have---the vitamins, the pain relievers, all of it---comes from these… _plants_?"

"Correct," Vlad replied, shifting carefully through the thick leaves of the Ives. "Although, the vitamins are really a _combination_ of a ghost plant enzyme and _actual_ human vitamins. The enzyme I'm referring to comes from that blue and black plant on your right," he informed him without even looking in the boy's direction, "It simply speeds up a ghost body's absorption of nutrients, vitamins, and whatever else you combine the enzyme with. The result: an instant physical 'pick-me up' for your body. Almost like a _natural_ energy drink without the unpleasant and unhealthy side effects."

"Hmm…," Danny replied absent-mindedly as his attention had gone to another plant, one close to the blue and black plant Vlad had mentioned. The teen walked over to it, now feeling a lot more comfortable around the harmless 'ghosts'. What really intrigued him about this one was how it reminded him of a four-foot Venus Flytrap, only that the plant was completely transparent, as if it were a diamond.

"_Is it even real?"_ Danny thought curiously as he reached out to it.

The billionaire frowned when he realized the teenager had become quiet---_too quiet_. Instantly, the man's head snapped over in the young hybrid's direction, only to gasp out, "No, don't touch it!"

"GAHH!" Danny screamed as the plant suddenly turned bright red and something that looked like its mouth came to life, forcing the boy to jolt back in order to keep his hand from being snapped off.

Vlad jumped to his feet in alarm as the boy lost his balance and fell onto his bottom. Right then, a set of black orbs popped up above the ghost plant's feeding apparatus and seemed to lock its menacing sites on Danny. The teen immediately yelped and scooted away when the plant then bent down and just barely missed sinking its sharp little teeth into one of his legs.

Danny could only stare, his eyes widened in fear and disbelief as he watched some of the red liquid ooze out of the plant's snapping 'mouth', drip to the floor, and make a sizzling noise on contact. But the boy was jolted out of his stupor when a hand grabbed him by his upper arm and lifted him to his feet again.

"**I thought you said they didn't move!"** Danny yelled angrily at the man, his heart racing in his chest.

"I said _most_ do not," Vlad corrected calmly, though he raised a condescending eyebrow at the boy.

Danny fell silent as the billionaire moved a bit closer to the angry ghost Venus. Its beady eyes stared threateningly at the man, but he didn't appear bothered by it. He raised a hand above the ghost's eyes before waving it slowly.

The teenager frowned quizzically when he saw the creature's eyes follow the hand movements almost hypnotically. But the plant was completely unaware that the man was slowly approaching it and was about to place his other hand under its lower 'jaw'.

"Wait… it can't see? …It just senses movements," Danny realized, his eyes widening when he saw the man successfully place his hand on the plant's lower mouth apparatus.

"Um-hmm," Vlad replied unconsciously as he lowered his raised hand to his side, watching as the ghost plant's sensory orbs vanished back inside it now that it had sensed no more movement.

But the weirdness did not end there. Danny's head tilted in pure bafflement when he began to hear a very familiar sound coming from the plant. "Is that thing…. _purring_?"

Vlad shrugged. "I suppose you could call it that. It produces the sound when it begins to settle back into its dormant state. Come here and touch it; you'll see what I mean," the man added, looking back at the teen with an encouraging smile.

"Uh, no, thanks," Danny said warily, not moving from his spot.

Vlad smirked as he teasingly remarked, "Oh, Daniel, you cannot possibly be afraid of a mere plant, can you?"

"No!" the boy replied defensively, before approaching the man and the ghost plant.

"With these types of spectral plants, you have to touch the underside of its feeding opening," Vlad began to explain, once the young half-ghost was beside him. "Raising your hand above it triggers its sensory receptors---its 'eyes'---and therefore, its defense response. And touching it on the _upper side_ of its feeding opening will make it believe you are food. You just did _both_," the older hybrid ended, a smirk back on his lips.

Danny briefly scowled at him, but then looked back at the plant. The red color had just about drained away from it, but it was still purring. With a bit of hesitation, the teen finally placed his hand against the plant's lower 'jaw', and then instantly understood why simply touching the plant settled it down. It seemed to like the warmth from their human hands.

But Danny could also feel the ghost plant's rumbling as it relaxed more and more. It was kind of neat. And he smiled a bit as he said, "I see what you---" The boy's words choked into a gasp when the plant unexpectedly returned to life, forcing both him and Vlad to jump back when it tried to snap at them again.

"Hmm… It has never done that before," Vlad murmured quizzically. The billionaire knew that although ghost plants resided in the Ghost Zone's chilly environment, they kept themselves warm by using their ecto-energy. It was why the warmth of his hand relaxed the plant in front of him. Like with normal plants, the cold was damaging to ghost plants as well. They naturally disliked even the _smallest_ sensation of coldness.

It made Vlad wonder about the boy next to him. But the young hybrid's next words quickly pushed the man out of his thoughts.

"Great. Even ghost _plants_ hate me," Danny grumbled angrily as he crossed his hands over his chest.

Vlad just blinked for a second, but then burst into a full-hearted laugh. The boy's comment was simply too amusing for the man to contain himself. As he quickly settled down, the billionaire replied teasingly, "Maybe I should let you carry around a thermos in here."

Danny rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help but chuckle, especially when the older hybrid's mirth contained no provocation.

"Come, let's do what we came here to do. It is already past lunch, and I am sure George is beginning to grow concerned," Vlad said with a smirk, before heading back to the plant. He squatted back down again, and then glanced up at the teenager, who had just stopped beside him.

"As I told you earlier, Ives Ghost Plants hold a substance within their leaves. This substance reacts with a ghost's _natural_ healing ability and temporarily enhances it---hence the gloves you see," Vlad explained, lifting a gloved hand, so the teen could better see the glow it gave.

The man then gently took hold of one of the thick leaves on the ghost plant, before continuing, "Now, the plant itself uses this substance as a regenerating asset. Observe."

Danny watched as Vlad used a thin carving knife to cut off the thick leaf in his hand. As a result, a white glowing liquid began to drip from the cut site on the _Aloe vera_-looking plant; and Danny quickly noticed that the white substance looked just like the healing cream Vlad applied to his wounds not too long ago.

But before the boy could ask, he suddenly turned his full attention to the white dripping liquid as it abruptly became a bright green and its glow intensified---just like it had done on his skin. Danny could only continue to watch in fascination as the glow soon faded away, revealing a regenerated leaf where the severed one had been; the leaf now looked as if Vlad had never touched it.

"That's what that healing cream is made from, right?" Danny asked when he managed to pull out of his awe.

"Correct," Vlad replied, standing up while still holding the leaf he had cut off. "The Ives Ghost Plant is _very_ hard to find; it's a very rare specimen. But, as I am sure you can agree, it is very useful to have one around. That is why I have gone through great lengths to make sure I keep it---and the other ghost plants I have here---healthy. Being that they are adapted to the Ghost Zone's environment, I had to make sure I kept them in that same type of environment _here_---in the human world."

"So, the green dome isn't a just a ghost shield?" Danny asked, surprised.

"Oh, no. It is nothing like a ghost shield, Daniel," Vlad answered. "It would not do ghost plants any good, now, would it? _This_ _dome_--to put it in simple terms--separates the ghost plants from the external environment and creates their _needed_ environment. You can say that we are standing under an artificial Ghost Zone. See? The control panel is right over there," the billionaire added, pointing at the panel at the far end of the room.

The teenager genuinely looked impressed. It was amazing what things the man beside him could come up with. If only he would put _more_ of it to good use, and less for the purpose of hurting others….

"Open your mouth for a moment," Vlad suddenly told the boy, pulling out a small flashlight from his pocket, and then turning it on with his free hand.

"What?" Danny gasped, quickly jumping to conclusions after hearing the man's 'request'. "Am I going to have to _**eat**__ that_?" he asked, looking both disgusted and fearful as he stared down at the leaf, its glowing white liquid still oozing out from its severed base.

"Would you?" the billionaire asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Heck, no!" the teen answered quickly, looking even more grossed out.

"Good. I would not, either," Vlad replied, smirking; but he then quickly became serious again as he added, "I just want to look at your throat."

"Oh…," Danny murmured, slightly averting his gaze. But then he took a small step towards the older half-ghost and did as he wanted.

Using his free hand, Vlad grabbed the boy's chin; and even with the ghost leaf in his other hand, he still somehow managed to use that same hand to fully control the flashlight. The man then slightly tilted the teen's head back far enough for the light to reach the back of his throat.

"Hmm… How odd," Vlad finally murmured, after a few seconds of awkward silence for Danny. "Your throat should have healed a _long_ time ago..." He suddenly released the teen's chin as he asked him, "Remember the teas I sent you _that_ entire week? They were meant to reduce the inflammation in your throat, _inflammation_ that you still _very_ _visibly_ have. …Did you drink those teas, Daniel?" the man asked, raising a questioning eyebrow, even though he already knew the answer. The boy's blushing and silence merely confirmed to him that the child had **not** drunk them.

Vlad rolled his eyes; but because Danny was looking away from him, he did not see it. "Be that as it may," the man continued with a sigh, "Your body---_even_ without your ghost half's healing abilities, in fact---should have mended the damage by now."

The billionaire fell silent, his eyebrows creasing as he pondered the thought. In spite of how angry he had been with the boy that night---and Vlad had been _very_ angry---his intentions had never been to cause Daniel any permanent injuries. Not that he hadn't had the urge that night to do just that, but that did not mean he had wanted to act on it.

If there was one thing the older hybrid prided himself on, it was his self-control when it came to his powers. He was aware that emotions, especially anger, could disrupt a half-ghost's grasp on his ghost energy, even make him lose_ complete _control over it. That was why, with years of practice, Vlad had learned to create a barrier between his ghost powers and his emotions. In this way, even when his emotions clouded his judgment, he was still in control of his ghost powers.

So, then, that returned him to the question at hand. Vlad was certain his attack had not been so intense that it should have caused permanent injury to the young hybrid's throat. In fact, he had estimated that with the teas it should have completely healed within a week---and two weeks without the teas. But it had been months now…. What could have possibly caused the boy such a delay in his body's healing?

The answer came to the billionaire almost instantly.

"Ah," Vlad said, before looking down at the boy with an odd look, and his voice sounding even stranger. "When your powers had been acting up….The _night_ that they peaked… you used that…um…"

"Ghostly Wail," Danny said, finishing the sentence for him when he saw the man point at his throat, at a loss of what to call the boy's strange ability. But the teen almost regretted telling him.

"Really? Is _that_ what you call it?" Vlad asked, his lips curling with mirth; but when he saw Danny respond with a frown, clearly not sharing his amusement, the billionaire quickly sobered up. "Well, as I was saying, you used your _Ghostly Wail_ that night in your room. Do you remember?" Vlad resisted the urge to say '_I_ most definitely do' as he recalled how the attack had thrown him clear across the room that night. He had been sore for days after that.

Danny shook his head, his arms crossing on his chest when he looked away from the man. There was a lot he didn't remember about _that_ night. It had been in part because of the amount of agony he was in; but, the main reason had been because of the amount of fear he had felt that night. He did not clearly remember the destruction his powers had caused; he even did not remember everything he had said to Vlad in his state of panic and fear. But he still vividly remembered the dream from that night months ago as if it were today. He remembered how real it had been; how he had thought for a horrifying moment that he had become his evil, future self….

Vlad frowned, noticing how the young hybrid had suddenly tensed up. It was obvious that he had recalled something significant. The man had always wondered what had triggered the boy's complete breakdown that night. Somehow, the older hybrid had a feeling it was more than just the stress of being kept away from his loved ones and the stress caused by his build-up of ghost energy.

The instant that Vlad had realized the boy was asleep in his ghost form that night, he knew that the child was having some sort of nightmare. And then his odd exclaims of his 'not turning into _him'_ and 'you can't make me' just confirmed it. To this day, Vlad still wondered who was this 'him' the boy had spoken about; and just _what kind_ of nightmare could the boy have possibly had to have shaken him up to such a drastic point?

The billionaire was certain that he would never know. But he also knew this was not the time to think—or ask--about it, either.

"You see, my boy," Vlad continued lightly, effectively pushing Danny out of his own thoughts. "---your built-up energy, in turn, intensified your powers. So, when you unknowingly forced such raw ghost energy through your vocal-cords, it further damaged your _still_ healing throat." But the man then mentally added, _"Not to mention all the unnecessary screaming you kept doing almost every day since then…"_

Ironically, Danny all of the sudden had a very similar thought. _"Well, that makes sense. But then there's the fact that my enemies---including you---seemed to enjoy making me scream almost every day after that."_ But the boy then quickly remembered trying to use his Ghostly Wail five days ago… That had to have made his throat worst, judging by the amount of agony he had felt when he had tried.

"I tried using my Ghostly Wail twice in the Ghost Zone… But it just messed up my throat even more," Danny murmured sadly. "I…tried to hold it long enough to escape… but I just… couldn't."

Vlad sighed, feeling his previous regret for having sent the boy there, return. "Daniel… I never---"

"If I don't have to eat that, then what do I have to do?" Danny asked, abruptly changing the subject and cutting of off whatever the man was going to say. The boy did not want to, or could not, deal with hearing another apology from his arch-enemy. It was just too awkward for his mind to bear. Once was enough. He already had enough on his plate with his confused thoughts and uptight feelings whenever he was around the billionaire since their 'heart-to-heart'.

For a brief moment, Vlad did not reply, and just stared at Danny. However, not interested in adding any more to the already tense air around them, the man quickly ignored the teen's obvious subject change, and spoke again.

"I need you to turn into your ghost form," the older half-ghost said forwardly. But when his request received a questioning and confused look from the boy, the man elaborated.

"This substance is really strong, Daniel. The kind that I used to treat your injuries is a diluted version. Even if the results are almost instant, I prefer never to use this substance in its pure form because of how…uncomfortable it is. However, in your case, I think making an exception is the best option. We need to _permanently_ heal that throat of yours. Otherwise, you are risking irreversible damage to it if you continue to unintentionally hurt it anymore."

Danny nodded, but his questioning look remained. "Okay, but why do you want me to change?" he asked.

"Your ghost form will make the effects of the plants' regenerating chemicals easier for you to bear," Vlad replied seriously,

"So… it's gonna hurt?" the young hybrid summarized, a bit a fear in his blue eyes, while he shifted nervously on his feet.

Vlad's eyebrows creased, his voice taking a calmer, almost comforting tone. "It is not exactly the type of pain you are imagining, Daniel ...It will feel cold…. _Painfully _cold."

Danny just stared wide-eyed at the man, while feeling his heart quickly begin pounding loudly in his ears. He wasn't sure he wanted to do this anymore.

This time, the older half-ghost's voice really did take on a gentle tone. "I know that this does not sound very appealing, my boy. And I am _certain_ it will not _feel_ very appealing, either. But I would have never even brought you in here if I had another more pleasant solution for your problem. And I would not be _suggesting_ it to you, if I had not already used this on myself before."

Vlad frowned when he realized Danny looked as fearful as ever---not that the boy's lack of trust surprised him. He then sighed and asked, "Would it help if I ran you through what will happen, before going through with it?"

"I…guess," the teenager replied, still sounding unsure.

Vlad did not immediately reply. Instead, he slightly extended out his hand with the leaf, so the boy could see it. He then placed the flashlight held in his other hand inside his pocket, and pulled out the knife from it. "I am going to apply this directly to your throat," the billionaire began to explain, his eyes focused on the leaf as he grabbed it and began to cut it horizontally, splitting it apart like a peapod.

Danny's eyes widened a bit as he saw that the glowing liquid that oozed out of the leaf was even more condensed within the leaf, now looking more like white jelly than liquid. He also noticed how Vlad was careful not to let that glowing substance touch any part of him that wasn't his gloved hands.

"As I explained, this regenerating substance will temporarily enhance your ghost half's natural healing abilities," Vlad continued, now looking at the teenager. "Therefore, you will feel the effects throughout your body---just much stronger on your throat, since that is where the substance will physically touch your skin. You will see your body begin to glow, as it did with the diluted version I used on your injuries. It is a normal reaction. And it will dissipate once your body absorbs the ghost plant's chemicals."

The older hybrid paused, and leaned in a bit closer as he got into the more serious part of the process. "I am going to need you to focus forward at all times, Daniel. Let me warn you now that the intensity of the effects might momentarily impede your breathing. But just for a moment. Whatever you do, Daniel, just try not to panic, alright? The effects _will_ go away."

Danny looked a few shades whiter by now, and he unconsciously took a step back. "I-I'm not sure about this… I-I don't think I can do t-this."

Even when the teenager believed the man was telling him the truth, it did little to inspire any confidence---or trust. How was he supposed to go through with something that he was being told would not be a pleasant experience for him? How could he be sure it wouldn't have a worse effect? How was he supposed to _allow_ Vlad, out of all people, to try something as dangerous-sounding as this on him?

Danny took another step back. Maybe he should just let his throat heal on its own…

"Daniel, you will be fine," Vlad assured him, interrupting the teenager's thoughts. "I told you, I have used it. And the process will be quick." The man paused when he saw the boy just stare back with fearful eyes. Vlad looked away for a moment, but he soon focused back on Danny again, and spoke in a serious voice, "Daniel…I cannot stress enough how much _you_ need to do this. However…I am not going to force you to do so. If the idea of this bothers you _this much,_ then, I will not use this on you. It's as simple as that."

Although the billionaire had not expected the boy to agree right away to this---hence the man's hesitation in suggesting it---Vlad had _hoped_ Daniel would push aside his distrust in him for a moment, in favor of curing his throat's injury. After all, it was not as if _he_ was benefiting from wanting to help the boy. It was for _Daniel's_ own good. So, then, if he didn't care for his help, Vlad wasn't about to waste _his_ energy in forcing the teen to accept it.

"It will be quick, right?" Danny suddenly asked when his arch-enemy looked as if he was about to turn away from him.

"Less than a minute," Vlad replied calmly.

Danny's eyebrows creased with uncertainty again, but then he sighed loudly. "Fine. Just do it already."

The billionaire raised a surprised eyebrow, but then his eyes shifted to the closest wall to them. "Alright. But we need to do this somewhere more…accommodating."

Danny gave the man a confused look, but the older hybrid just answered by gesturing for him to follow. The teen did as he was told, but he quickly frowned when Vlad took them to the greenhouse's closest end.

"Stand against the wall," Vlad calmly ordered.

"What?" Danny replied, not liking the idea of being cornered into a wall by his arch-enemy.

"Just stand against it, Daniel. Trust me, you will understand why in a moment," the billionaire said seriously. However, internally, he berated himself for telling the teenager to trust him. Talk about awkward slip-ups.

The boy hesitated, but then he moved around the billionaire, until he was directly facing him and had the glass wall behind him.

"Now, morph. And then place your hands on your side and focus forward," Vlad continued.

The young hybrid quietly complied, swallowing thickly as his ghost form's green gaze fell on the man's black suit. But at seeing his arch-enemy come closer, the boy had to push down the urge to take up a fight stance. He was already regretting agreeing to this and they had only started!

Unaware of the teenager's internal struggle, Vlad placed the carving knife back into its case, before slipping it into his suit's pocket, leaving only the cut opened leaf in his hands. He finally took his final step closer to the boy and lifted a hand towards his throat. But when Danny instantly tense completely, the man halted his actions.

Vlad stared at the young half-ghost for a second, before calmly saying, "Close your eyes, Daniel."

Danny stared up at him with wary green eyes, but then his gaze focused forward again. He hesitated again. But he still closed his eyes. However, now Danny looked so apprehensive, he was close to shaking in fear.

Vlad sighed, internally regretting having even suggested this to the boy from all the trouble it was giving the man. Still, he continued onward. "You need to calm yourself," he said, his voice taking a worried and gentler tone. "I want you to take a deep breath... Good," he said when he saw the boy comply. "Now, let it go, slowly."

Danny exhaled shakily, but he now looked a lot calmer. Vlad decided it was now or never.

"_Do_ _not_ try to breath. It will be quick."

Danny clenched his already closed eyes when he felt a cold wetness touch his throat; and right after, a hand wrapped lightly around his neck to hold the leaf pieces in place against his skin.

Feeling that the coldness was not so bad, Danny began to relax, as he thought with relief, _"That's it? This isn't so…" _

But Danny mentally spoke too soon. A choked gasp escaped the boy's mouth and his eyes snapped open the instant an overwhelming wave of coldness expanded across his throat. And to his growing dismay, it quickly began to spread down his chest, and the rest of his body. But the effects, as Vlad had said, were more potent on his throat were he could feel the numbing chill clawing its way inside him, its icy scratches reaching as far down as his chest.

The feeling was horrible.

It was like he was being frozen alive, like he had been dipped in liquid nitrogen and was slowly drowning in it. The fact that the whole thing fearfully reminded him of the cold flashes he had experienced when his ghost energy had been acting up, just made his growing desperation increase. And when he felt his lungs constrict, depriving him of the much needed oxygen his rapidly beating heart needed, he couldn't stand it any longer and did just what Vlad told him **not** to do: he panicked.

Danny instinctively tried to jerk away, only to feel something hard against his back holding him in place. As a result, the boy immediately grabbed Vlad's lower arms, unsure of which was the one wrapped around his throat; he just knew he needed to get his arch-enemy away from him!

The young hybrid's peaked survival instincts called forth all his ghostly strength in his attempt to rip the man's hands away from him. But it did him no good.

Vlad knew the boy would attempt to 'fight' him the moment he was hit with the plant's full effects, so he had been ready for it. Luckily, even when he was in his human form, the older half-ghost had no trouble with tapping into his ghost half's strength so as to counter the child's own ghostly strength. He kept his wrapped hand firm around Danny's throat, knowing the leaf needed to stay against the boy's skin for a few seconds more. But he used his other hand to hold the boy firmly against the glass wall to minimize his struggles. However, even with all his efforts, Vlad couldn't help but flinch against the fingers digging deeper into his arms.

"Daniel, calm down. It's almost over," the billionaire said softly as he stared worriedly into the boy's fear-filled eyes. Indeed he had expected a reaction like this, just not _this_ badly…

Danny clenched his eyes shut again as he felt his head spin and his legs turn to jello underneath him. And in the back of his mind, he realized he would have collapsed by now if it wasn't for the wall behind him and Vlad's hold on him. But the teen was also still holding onto the man; however, with his strength quickly ebbing away, his now quivering hands slowly lost their grip and fell slack against his sides again.

The teen was unaware of his glowing green ghost body or that behind his closed eyelids his pupils had been swallowed up in green light. All he knew was that he was a second away from passing out, unable to bear the feel of his frozen body or his inability to draw in air any longer. His wavering awareness made him question what his arch-enemy was doing to him…Had he really done this with the intention of helping him…. Or was it to hurt him? Or….to waste him?

Just when the boy had been certain it really was the latter one, Vlad unwrapped his hand from around Danny's throat and removed the sticky leaf slices. His other hand still held the teenager in place as the man watched the remaining liquid on Danny's skin absorb into it, like water into sand. A second later, the bright green glow surrounding the young hybrid's body faded, leaving behind only his natural white glow.

Vlad grabbed a hold of the Danny's chin; and by his grasp on it, he slowly lifted the teenager's slumped head. But just as he did, Danny's body lost its grip on its ghost form and switched back. And his eyes remained closed.

"Daniel, open your eyes. Are you alright? " Vlad asked, lightly patting the boy's right cheek in hopes of getting him to respond. The boy was pale white, leading the man to briefly believe Danny had fainted from the effects of the ghost plant.

But the boy soon responded to the older half-ghost's insistence, and his eyes slowly opened. He looked very dazed, as if he had no idea where he was or what had happened to him. But a few more pats to his cheek helped Danny regain his focus.

Danny groaned as he brought up a hand against his spinning head. He squeezed his eyes close again, before blinking a few times. "Geez, that plant packs a punch," the boy murmured, before looking back at the older half-ghost.

Seeing the boy had come around, Vlad smiled and let go of him completely. "How's your throat?"

Danny took a step forward as the last of his clouded head cleared. He then wrapped a hand around his throat, feeling how it was still slightly chilled. But what amazed him more was how he felt. Not only, did he feel like he had just taken a very, very powerful cough-drop, but his once achy body from his encounter with Walker had also disappeared! He felt completely rejuvenated!

A small smile curled Danny's lips as he answered with slight surprise. "It's great… I feel great." But he suddenly shivered as he remembered the horrible effects of the plant, and he quickly added more seriously, "But I am still _never_ doing that again."

Vlad lightly chuckled as he rubbed one of his bruised arms. "Hmm, I do not think I would let you, anyways."

The boy cringed. "Oh, uh… sorry about that," he mumbled, rubbing his neck.

Vlad shrugged. "It's nothing."

Danny nodded before pushing his hair back, and looking away. Now, that they had nothing else to say to each other, the tension came back ten-fold. The teen swallowed. Man, how he hated this awkwardness!

Vlad frowned at the young half-ghost, noticing his intent to look anywhere but at him. But the man could not find anything more to say to the boy; and he found himself looking around his greenhouse as well. The billionaire was starting to really despise how often these uncomfortable moments kept springing up when he and the boy were alone as of late. The awkwardness made Vlad feel like he was not in control somehow…. It bothered him a lot. And, so, like he did with everything else that did, he quickly got rid of his current bother.

"Daniel, why don't you go eat lunch?" the billionaire calmly suggested as he removed his gloves. "I have to finish up a few things in here, so I won't hold you any longer."

Danny frowned when Vlad did not even give him a chance to answer and walked off towards the drawers to put away the things he had taken out. The boy hesitated, but then quietly sighed and headed towards the greenhouse's exit. He wasn't about to lie to himself and say he wasn't glad that the man had given him the chance to escape the apprehension that formed the moment they were anywhere near each other. It was just so strange to be next to his arch-enemy without expecting some sort of fight to ensue from it. It produced so many unwanted feelings for the boy that he could not help but be relieved every time his encounters with the older hybrid ended.

And yet… he couldn't bring himself to take his much needed escape, and his steps slowed down. The boy's eyebrows creased as he shifted through choices within his head. Maybe….Maybe he could survive a moment more with the man. After all, he had to show his gratitude for the guy's healing his throat somehow, right?

"Hey, Vlad?" the teen called, turning around.

The billionaire, who had been inspecting a small potted plant in his hands, turned around. "Yes?" he asked, raising a curious eyebrow, wondering why Daniel had not left yet.

"Aren't you gonna eat, too?" Danny questioned casually.

Vlad almost dropped the plant in his hands out of utter surprise, but he quickly managed to catch it before it crashed to the floor. But his reply was not as quick or as smooth as his save. "I--Well, I-I suppose. Yes, but---"

"Cool. See you at the dining room, then," Danny interrupted in his usual demeanor, before turning back around and finally heading out. But as he exited the greenhouse, a smirk slowly formed on the boy's face. _He_ had actually made Vlad Masters stutter…The accomplishment was nothing short of amusing.

Danny chuckled softly and shook his head. Well, at least, he could get a laugh or two out of this whole thing. But he still hoped he could get---or, rather, _do_---more, much more. The teen sighed, his eyes shifting to the blue sky above as he stuffed his hands in his pocket.

How long had it been since he had felt hope for anything? Still, it was nice to feel it. It felt like he had at least something to call his own, to hold on to, after being taken away from everything. But, ultimately, Danny knew he would need more than hope to pull him through this. He would need a miracle.

The young hybrid was now glad the walk back to the house was a bit long. He needed the time to quell the fear and doubt in his chest. If he didn't keep himself together, there was no way he could even _try _to do this.

* * *

Vlad wore a firm frown on his face while he sat at the dining room having lunch with Danny. This was completely absurd. Why was the boy going out of his way to act so… nice? It was obvious the tension bothered Daniel as much it did him. So, why in the world was the teenager willingly putting up with it? Why was he willingly _placing_ himself _into_ it? And why was Daniel acting like they were not rivals, as if they both didn't _clearly_ _know_ that he was being forced to be here?

The billionaire could not come up with a remote answer to the boy's odd behavior and it was driving him up the wall. No, it _already_ had. He _could not_ deal with this any longer!

"Daniel," Vlad called to the boy, a serious look on his face as he placed down his fork with a little more force than necessary. "What is going on?"

Danny quickly looked up at the man, noticing his almost harsh voice. But the teen knew by the suspicious look on Vlad's face that his question was deeper than he let on. And Danny instantly looked back down at his food, his heart quickly picking up its nervous pace.

The boy moved around his vegetables as he tried to buy himself some time to come up with an answer. He couldn't find a very good one, though.

"W-What do you… mean?" he replied quietly, keeping his eyes averted.

"Don't give me that," Vlad snapped, his irritation now clear in his voice. "You know perfectly well what I _mean, _Daniel. You have been behaving… strangely for the past few days now. And you are going to tell me why right now," he said sternly.

Danny just sighed. He really didn't know what to say to the man. Then again, what _could_ he say to him when even _he_ did not know what exactly he was doing? Sure, the teen did know what had _led_ to his change of attitude towards Vlad, but Danny was not about to share his reasons with his arch-enemy. Still, he had to tell the guy something…

"I'm just… tired of fighting all the time," Danny replied, his voice not at all sounding convincing, especially since he was still not looking at the older hybrid.

Vlad silently studied the boy. It was obvious he was lying. But why? What was Daniel keeping from him? Why had he changed his attitude towards him so drastically, so… suddenly?

The older half-ghost's eyes quickly narrowed when he realized the answer. It was so obvious! Why did he not see it sooner? _Daniel was up to something!_ It was the only reason he would act this way. He was trying to trick him; and in the same way he had done so once before when he had forced the boy and Maddie to come to the Rockies—no less! The little rat was trying to butter him up so that he would drop his guard, and be fooled again by one of his pathetic little plans! Well, **not** this time! Daniel was more _stupid_ than his father if he really believed he would fool him again with his 'good boy' act twice.

"Do you _truly_ expect me to believe that _you_ are tired of fighting?" Vlad replied, angrily. "Do you think me _that_ foolish? _What_ are you really up to, Daniel?!" the man demanded to know, his voice taking on a dangerous tone. "I warned you from the very beginning that I would not tolerate any of your little tricks! I swear that if you have as much as---"

Danny unexpectedly slammed down his fork, cutting off the man's threat before he could finish it. But the teen didn't need him to finish. He knew just what was going to come out of the jerk's mouth! But he wasn't about to sit here and take it---especially when he had done nothing to deserve the threats!

"**Not everyone is like you, **_**Plasmius**_**!"** Danny spat out disdainfully, glaring at the man with glowing green eyes. "Just because everything _**you**_ do has to have some twisted plot hiding behind it doesn't mean that _**I**_ do, too!"

"Spare me your theatrics, Boy!" Vlad growled back, his eyes flashing red. "Why should I believe a word you say when days ago you were fighting me tooth and nail, assuring me you couldn't hate me more?!"

"Maybe because I'm **not** up to anything!" Danny shouted back.

The billionaire's hands fisted with ire, looking close to blasting the boy where he sat. "Enough of your tricks, you little rat! I know you are lying to me! Your infantile act of trusting me cannot be a greater proof of that! Now, you either give _me_ one good reason to trust you, or I am going to give _you_ a good reason to regret even thinking of tricking me! "

Danny stood up in utter rage. What the heck was he thinking? This jerk didn't deserve a single effort from him! To _heck_ with second chances!

"I'm not gonna tell you anything!" Danny growled back. "I'm not asking you to trust me, and I don't _care_ that you don't, either! And I don't know where the heck you got that I'm acting like I trust you or something. Because, dude, I _definitely _don't trust you! But you know what?" the boy continued, his eyes narrowing even more. "You're right. Why should _I_ bother trying to get along with you when I can't even _look_ at you without wanting to blast you in the face for being the biggest _jerk_ on the planet?!"

Vlad's eyes slightly widened in shock when he watched the boy storm towards the dining room's door. He had not expected the boy's reaction! He was sure that once the teen's trickery was discovered, he would have become even more nervous. Unless he had _no_ _reason_ to be nervous. Unless… he _wasn't_ lying. Was Daniel really just wanting to get along with him?

The urge to stop the boy from leaving suddenly exploded out of the billionaire. "Daniel, hold on! Just…wait a moment…"

Surprising himself, Danny instantly stopped. There was something in the man's voice that prevented him from leaving. And upon hearing Vlad sigh deeply, the teen turned back around, though his angry gaze was still on his face.

"What?" he snapped, crossing his arms in front of his chest, internally asking himself why the heck he was even still talking to the guy.

But Vlad was not looking at him. He was silently staring at his plate, as if trying to find his next words written somewhere on it. "Daniel…," the billionaire finally murmured, his eyebrows creasing with some unknown emotion. He sighed again, before looking back at the boy.

This time, the teen could see what the emotion was, as it clearly rang in the man's next sincere words.

"I am _tired_ of fighting as well."

Danny cast his angry gaze to his feet, not wanting to see the honesty in his arch-enemy's face. He did not _want_ to believe a word of what he had just said. The teen wanted to be angry at him right now! He had every right to be!

"I do not understand why the sudden… _change_," Vlad continued, his voice turning mellower with his every word. "But if you _really_ _are_ willing to co-exist, then…. so am I."

Danny's resentment immediately deflated, and his glare and arms dropped. His arch-enemy's voice was just so docile that if the teen wasn't there in the room with him, Danny would be certain it couldn't be Plasmius who had said them. But he _had_ said them. And he really meant his words of truce.

The young hybrid sighed, before looking up at the older one, and nodding his response. The boy did not understand _why_ he felt so _compelled_ to do this. But he wanted to see how far it would go; or if he could accomplish something by it.

"Truce, then, Daniel," Vlad said with a small smile. But, then his voice took on an even lighter tone, a tone of amusement, as he added, "Now, would it be too much to ask if I asked you to sit back down?"

Danny rolled his eyes at the smirk on the billionaire's face, but the teen himself, couldn't help the small smile that curved on his own lips. He then silently made his way back to the table and sat back in his seat.

For a long moment both hybrids remained quiet as they returned to their eating. However, their focus was more on their own thoughts, then the food in front of them. Ironically, they both found themselves questioning just how much of their relationship would the agreed upon truce change.

Danny wasn't sure. But _Vlad_ was _certain_ it would not change it too much. After all, just because they were going to try to live without trying to waste each other ever other day couldn't possible mean anything too significant. Then, again, the billionaire was still not sure if Daniel was really serious about this. The boy could really just be trying to trick him….

However, since Vlad had no proof of such, he decided it was wiser to reserve judgment and just play along for now. In the end, if the boy really was up to something, the billionaire was certain he would discover it sooner or later. Although deep inside him, Vlad really hoped this wasn't just another trick. Maybe… if he played this just right, he could bring Daniel to see things his way; maybe he could get the boy to grow fond of him enough to realize that he could be no place better than where he was now: at _his_ side.

Vlad suddenly frowned. He was reading too much into this. Daniel could never possibly grow fond of him, especially not after forcing the boy to come here in the way he had. It was impossible. It was foolish to even think it.

Pushing aside his thoughts, Vlad decided to focus on the now, and leave the 'what is to come' for another day. He still had a lot to worry about. Surely, he was not about to drop all his hard work just because of this truce. After all, the boy's and his 'agreement' just now was _between_ _them_. It had _nothing_ to do with those back in Amity Park---namely Jack and Maddie. But even the billionaire's plans with Danny's parents were on hold for the moment; they would be until Fright Knight retrieved for him what he needed to continue forward with this. Until then, he had more… _normal_ matters to tend to…

"Now that you are well, I will be heading to my offices tomorrow to attend to a couple of business matters," Vlad spoke up, looking at the boy, who also lifted his gaze at the sound of his voice. "Do not worry about running into any of my allies while I'm away. I am not expecting any of their presences for the time being. But just in case, I will be locking the ghost portals before I leave. No one will be able to come in, so you should be fine."

Danny nodded, feeling a little relieved by the news. But just a little. The boy took a sip of his beverage before finding something to say. "How long will you be gone?" he asked, half curious, and half to just extend the conversation to avoid the still uncomfortable silence.

"All day most likely," Vlad replied casually, before placing a fork of food into his mouth.

Danny just nodded dejectedly, but quickly raised his drink back up to his mouth to hide the emotion. He could not figure out why the news bothered him so much.

Vlad raised an eyebrow, having caught the boy's reaction to his words, even when he tried to hide it. As he turned his gaze back to his food, he frowned in thought, debating a sudden idea that had sprung into his mind.

The billionaire swallowed his food, before speaking again. "…If you want, you can come with me, Daniel," the man offered off-handedly, before taking a drink of his beverage.

Danny almost choked on the food in his mouth, but he quickly swallowed it, and stared up at the man with wide-eyes.

"_Really?!_" he asked excitedly. But right after, he quickly realized his mistake, and he looked away as his face turned bright red. "I-I mean… you'd let me go with you?" he asked shyly, fidgeting with his food again.

The boy had not meant to react like he had. But after being cooped up in the mansion for _so long_, Danny couldn't help but to become excited with the possibility of getting out of the place, and going somewhere, _anywhere_. True, his arch-enemy _had_ once offered to take him out. But he had declined right away, having been too depressed, but also, too wary of the man's motives to accept the offer back then. But, _now_, the teen had come to the point that he absolutely _needed_ to go out---be it with his arch-enemy or not! However, he had not realized _just how much_ his e_ntire being_ needed to get out of his 'large prison' until now---now that he found himself unintentionally reacting to the offer in the way he had!

The teenager's outburst amused the billionaire; but he still mentally berated himself for not realizing sooner just how much Daniel needed an outing. The man was glad he had not declined to the offer as he had the last time.

"Of course, my boy. As I said, if you _want_ to come along, then I'll take you," Vlad replied, making sure to keep his voice casual to avoid anymore discomfort between the two of them. But he then raised an eyebrow as he added, "Although I should be fair and warn you, it might get a tad dull for you, especially since I have to go to several places."

"I don't mind," Danny answered also using the off-handed approach; but, internally, he was grinning.

The billionaire gave him a small smile. "Alright. We will be leaving right after breakfast so make sure you're ready, hmm?"

Danny just nodded, before standing up. But Vlad frowned in surprise at the boy's action.

"You're done?" the man inquired, giving the boy's half-finished meal a quick glance.

"Yeah…" Danny replied curiously, not understanding the man's surprise.

"Very well," Vlad said with disregard, but then subjected the teen to a significant look as he added, "But you really _should_ start eating more."

Danny shrugged off the billionaire's comment, before moving to leave. However, just when he was about to walk out, Vlad stopped him.

"Daniel?"

The young hybrid turned around, and raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Do not use your powers today. You need to give yourself at least one more day," Vlad said with a serious look, though a bit of concern leaked from his voice.

Danny sighed dejectedly, but he still nodded in agreement before finally leaving.

Vlad stared after the boy for a moment longer, before looking back at the glass in his hand.

A knowing, multi-faceted smirk tugged on his lips as he uttered, "Hmm…This should prove interesting."

Meanwhile, Danny soon made it up the stairs and back to his room. He closed the door behind him before going over to the vanity mirror. With a smile, he quietly inspected his throat, even going as far as to opening his mouth and sticking out his tongue. It was such a relief to know he could now use his vocal cords without worrying about hurting them or being in horrible pain.

But the boy's smile was due to more than just his healed throat. He was also thinking about the conversation he had just had with the older half-ghost. He actually had something to look forward to tomorrow. It was exciting, even when it felt strange to know he was actually going to do something with his arch-enemy that didn't include beating each other to a pulp. Talk about improbable scenarios!

"Heh. At least it should be interesting," the teen remarked with a smirk.

Turning from the mirror, Danny went over to his bed. And with a wistful sigh, he fell back on it. He silently regarded the white ceiling above him for a moment, though he was thinking of how utterly scrambled his thoughts had been these past few days. He was sure this was the most, or at least, _one_ of the more confusing times he had had since he came to the castle.

Danny knew he needed to reorganize his thoughts, and figure out just what he was going to do about… everything. And it needed to be soon. But… he didn't want to get into that right now. Maybe he could do it later…

The teenager suddenly rolled onto his side and reached over to his nightstand, grabbing his family's picture. He moved on his back again and held the frame above him, staring at it with a sad smile.

"I really miss you guys… But maybe something good can come out of all this. I feel that this is the right thing to do…I hope I'm right…" Danny sighed deeply before bringing his picture down and hugging it against his chest. "But if I'm not, then, it's not like things will be any worse than they are now…" he added in a whisper.

* * *


	46. Chapter 45: A Day with My Enemy

**Hey, gang! Yes, it's CM! But sorry to say this isn't a chapter… *looks at raised pitch forks* Epp! No, I'm JUST kidding! Of course, it's a chapter, and a long one at that! On another note, I'm very thrilled 'cause I'm out of school and won't be back until late in August! Hopefully that means more updates for you all! Enjoy the chappie! And sorry for such a long wait! I will be replying to last chapter's reviews while you guys read this one!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

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**Chapter 45: A Day with my Enemy**

Danny muttered in annoyance as he ran into his closet, where he quickly grabbed his usual sneakers. But as he began to put them on, he hopped towards the vanity mirror at the main part of his room-or at least he tried to do that. He ended up falling face first on the ground after losing his balance-he had forgotten to tie the first shoe he had put on _before_ attempting to slip on the second one.

"Darn it!" he exclaimed, grabbing his aching head. But remembering why he was in such a hurry, he quickly pushed his pain aside and sat up. Then, after tying his shoe-laces at record speed, he jumped to his feet, and finally reached the vanity. The teen ignored the brush in front of him and just combed his hair with his fingers. But all the while, he quickly went through everything he had done that morning, wanting to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything.

"_Shower? Check. Teeth? Check. Clothes and shoes? Check. Hair…?" _Danny lowered his hand and tilted his head at the sight of his still messy locks, before shrugging and muttering, _"Whatever, and check!"_

He glanced over at the clock on the wall, only to cringe at the time, and say, "Out of all days to sleep in…" But he didn't give it anymore thought; and instead, he changed into his ghost form before phasing through the floor, and then zipping towards the main dining room.

Meanwhile, Vlad was already at breakfast. In fact, he had been there for almost an hour and was about to leave in ten minutes. However, the fact that a certain young half-ghost had agreed at lunchtime yesterday to go with him and had yet to come down, did not seem to bother the man. Either he was indeed indifferent to the boy's not showing up and just planned to leave without him, _or_ the billionaire had forgotten all about it.

But as the older half-ghost calmly continued to read the Wisconsin newspaper, he suddenly smirked when he sensed the young hybrid's newly awakened ecto-energy closing in fast. No, he had not forgotten about the boy. And he wasn't exactly indifferent, either. He was more curious to see if _he_ remembered about the outing-obviously, Daniel did.

As he _felt_ the teenager enter the room, Vlad didn't bother to lower the newspaper from his face, and barely contained his amusement at his next remark, "Sleep in?"

Nosily plopping down in a chair across from the man, Danny rolled his eyes, before becoming human again, and then irritably pointing out, "It's kinda hard not to when I don't have an _alarm_ clock."

Vlad chuckled under his breath, but still seemed to favor whatever he was reading over the boy. "Alright, I'll be sure to make a mental note of it," he replied as he flipped to the next page of the newspaper.

Danny didn't say anymore, partly because he did not get what the billionaire had meant by the comment, and partly because his attention had gone to the sudden appearance of his breakfast. He had not even noticed Niane bring it in…

But instead of starting on his food, he frowned quizzically at it. He did not know what it was; although it did resemble a mixture of things he did recognize. While it had the appearance of pudding bread, it smelled like a cinnamon roll-or maybe he should say it smelled like a _pecan_ roll, since his unknown breakfast had pecans covering the top of it as well. But surrounding the soft, brown, and thick square were slices of strawberries and bananas. All of it was finally topped with syrup and a touch of white powder. It looked so presentable that he almost didn't want to lift up his fork and ruin the nice-looking plate.

Still, Danny began to poke at his food, debating if he should just try the thing, or first find out what it was. But being that he usually avoided eating-and drinking-things that he didn't recognize-especially _now_-he decided on the latter.

"What's this suppose to be?" the teen suddenly asked as he continued to probe his breakfast.

The unexpected question caught enough of Vlad's attention for him to finally lower the paper in his hand. He frowned when he saw the boy playing with his food, but it also made him understand to what the teen was referring. However, that did not mean that the man understood _why_ he was asking it.

Lifting his gaze away from the plate in question, the billionaire looked at Danny with a raised eyebrow, and calmly answered, "French Toast. Why?"

The blue-eyed teen immediately gave the food in front of him a skeptical look, before regarding Vlad again with the same expression. "_That's_ French Toast?" Danny asked disbelievingly, while pointing at his plate.

Vlad rolled his eyes before returning to his reading. Even so, he still replied to the boy's comment; but this time, his casual voice had just a hint of condescension in it. "It is simply made differently than to what you are accustomed. But, really, Daniel, you should learn to _try_ something before judging it."

Danny frowned at his arch-enemy, not appreciating his tone or lecture. But, ultimately, he didn't say anything; certain that if he did, his words would be anything but positive. Rolling his eyes again, the teen turned his gaze back to his breakfast. He gave it another poke with his fork, before stabbing a slice of strawberry, and finally sticking it into his mouth.

As he ate the fruit, Danny began removing the pecans—obviously not favoring the nuts covering the top of his 'French Toast'. He then cut off a piece of it with his fork and at last tried it. He chewed on his breakfast thoughtfully, but he then quickly shrugged to himself. It really didn't taste like _French Toast_ to him. However, it was very sweet—and he liked _very sweet_.

All the while, the boy was unaware that Vlad was actually watching him from just above his newspaper by the use of his peripheral vision. But the billionaire eventually turned his full attention to his reading again. Still, the hidden, amused smile on his face didn't leave him.

Like lunch and dinner yesterday, the two hybrids didn't cross many words at breakfast today, either. However, this time, the silence was interrupted by a familiar sound...

"_Ring!" _

Danny looked up from his breakfast, just as Vlad reached into his jacket and pulled out a cell phone.

"Vlad Masters speaking," the man said calmly into the phone. There was brief pause as the person on the other line spoke up; right before a small smile touched Vlad's lips. It was obvious that he knew and liked the person on the other end.

"Good Morning, Stephanie. I'm quite well; thank you for asking. But how about yourself?"

"…"

Danny's eyebrows creased with a mixture of confusion and curiosity when his arch-enemy's smile grew with whatever he was being told. The teen couldn't help but think, _"The cheese-head's startin' to creep me out-again! And who the heck is __**Stephanie**__?"_

Vlad leaned back against his chair, mirth still in his face as he said, "Ah, yes… Well, at least she keeps you on your toes, hmm?"

"….."

The man suddenly chuckled, "If it will make you feel better, I can always talk to her-not that I can guarantee she will listen to me. She can be fairly stubborn when she wants to be…"

"…."

The older half-ghost chuckled again, before saying, "You. Who else?"

The teen just blinked silently at his arch-enemy as he continued to hear him talk to this 'Stephanie' person; the man was so engrossed with his conversation that Danny had to wonder if Vlad even remembered there was someone in the room with him, listening.

However, the man's light-hearted demeanor eventually faded, and was replaced by mild curiosity when his caller changed the subject, and he answered, "I'm about to leave. Why? Is something wrong?"

"…."

A frown quickly grew on Vlad's face. Still, his voice remained calm. "Yes, I'm sure they have an agenda to keep. But, then, so do I. Call them back, Stephanie, and tell them to switch it to a later time. Also, be sure you remind them that it is _they_ who requested my audience."

"…"

"Um-hmm. I'll wait," the man said flippantly.

Vlad lowered his cell phone for a moment, but he didn't close it. He then picked up a cup of coffee in front of him; but as he brought it to his lips, the man casually uttered, "It is not polite to stare, Daniel."

The boy jolted in surprise. He didn't even think Vlad was paying him any attention-much less notice his gaze. But the comment quickly annoyed the teen, and it showed.

However, before Danny could retort to Vlad's comment, the man suddenly brought up his cell phone again, and said into it, "Yes, I hear you…."

Danny mentally scoffed and turned his full attention to his breakfast. But before he could even take another bite of it, Vlad's voice recaptured his focus again when it unexpectedly became angry.

"Absolutely not!" The billionaire placed his coffee firmly down as he closely listened to his caller's reply. But Vlad only became angrier, and it sounded in his next words. "I do not care for their excuses, Stephanie! They are not _my_ concern! I already have a meeting scheduled for that time. You tell them that if my presence is so _imperative_, then they can _wait_ for a few more hours. I refuse to change my own agenda simply because they are too inept to learn proper time management!"

Danny raised an eyebrow. _"Wow…Plasmius __**really**__ needs to enroll in anger management classes,"_ he thought wryly, before continuing his breakfast.

Vlad continued without missing a beat. "Yes, I want you to tell them _exactly_ what I said!-Well, maybe not the 'they being inept' part; you can leave that out... But, yes! Tell them my answer is, 'no.' I will arrive at our agreed time-no sooner, no later… Alright, _perhaps_ later. But they do not need to know that, either."

"…"

"Very well. I'll be there in about an hour." Vlad quickly terminated the call and placed his phone back into his suit pocket. He then briefly closed his eyes, before taking a calming breath in order to dispel his frustration. However, the moment the billionaire opened his eyes, he pinned his blue gaze on Danny, who was staring at him again, somewhat taken aback by his arch-enemy's behavior.

"Are you almost done?" Vlad asked calmly, his face showing indifference towards the boy's look.

"Huh?" the teen replied; but then remembering himself and realizing what the man was asking, he quickly added, "Oh, uh…" Danny immediately grabbed his full glass of orange juice and began to down it, finishing it in two seconds flat.

Vlad raised an unimpressed eyebrow when Danny put the empty glass down, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and finally said, "Yeah, I'm done."

But the billionaire didn't answer, though he dryly thought, _"He desperately needs etiquette classes."_

Dubious to the man's look, Danny asked, "What?"

Vlad just shook his head, before grabbing his napkin on his lap, and placing it on the table. It was then that Danny finally noticed his own unused napkin sitting perfectly folded beside his plate. The teen just blinked at it; however, his attention quickly returned to Vlad when he saw him stand up.

"Come. We must leave," the man said causally, before grabbing his briefcase beside his chair.

Danny nodded, before frowning back at his napkin. He quickly shrugged it off, though, and stood to follow Vlad out of the dining room.

**

* * *

**

Although the car ride was about an hour long, the silence that accompanied the time wasn't as uncomfortable as expected. While Vlad seemed to be fully focused on reading some legal documents, Danny was busy staring out the window at the passing scenery.

The teen had never seen much of Wisconsin. The only times he had come to the state, his destination-_unfortunately_—always turned out to be to a _certain_ billionaire's castle. And with Vlad living in some isolated part of the countryside, most of what Danny got to see in his past 'visits' were trees and…pastures. Not exactly the most interesting thing for a fifteen-year-old.

But as the current drive took both half-ghosts towards civilization, the youngest one immediately found his curiosity sparked by the new sights and, especially, by the… _people_. It was odd. Since when did _crowds_ excite _him_? After all, Danny had always considered himself more of an introvert than an extrovert. He liked his space and was _usually_ happy just blending in… Although, for an introvert, he sure got involved in things a lot! Sure, it had been thrust upon him. And he was more than willing and able to take on Dash, Vlad, and all those ghosts on more than one occasion. And there was also that crazy thing about always trying to be part of the 'in' crowd at school... All that didn't quite fit the pix of an introvert, either. But then again, once he did get any of that kind of attention, he didn't like it. He preferred the company of his few friends instead. So, ultimately, he wasn't painfully introverted; but maybe the right blend of both personality types.

But after being literally confined and isolated for over two months now, the teenager could barely contain his excitement. To finally _see_ that he and his arch-enemy _weren't_ the only two people on the planet was enough to make him as jumpy as a puppy on its first car ride. Nevertheless, he wasn't going to embarrass himself in front of Vlad and quickly brushed off all thoughts on how he was feeling.

The only thing that would make this even better was if the windows were down. Unfortunately, he could not take in any of the rich smells of the city as he rolled by. And although he could _vaguely_ hear the sounds of traffic, his ears could not pick up any hum of voices belonging to the people on the nearby sidewalks. But, at least, he could _see_ the curious faces on those people as they watched the limousine in which he and Vlad rode slowly cruised past them. It didn't matter that those outside couldn't see him like he could see them, though it was a bit disappointing. Even so, the boy's mood remained a lot lighter than what it had been in a while.

Eventually, the hybrids reached their destination. But Danny did not need to be told that. In fact, he knew that they had reached their first stop even before they began pulling into the building's parking lot. He couldn't miss the _hint_ he got from the giant gold letters that practically screamed out 'DALV'; and smaller, similarly-colored ones directly below displaying the word, 'Corporation'.

Danny's eyes widened and his mouth slightly parted as he stared at the looming building and its name. He had no idea that this _DALV_ place actually existed! The teen had always believed that it was some company that the evil billionaire had made up to trick his mother into falling for his little ploy at the Rockies…

Danny's shock melded into a deep frown when he recalled all those events in the Rockies. But the sudden appearance of Vlad's voice just as sudden kicked away those memories.

"Daniel, pay attention. Do make sure not to wonder off, understand? The last thing I need is for you to get lost," the man said seriously as he put away his papers.

Already feeling a bit bitter from the recent unpleasant memories, Danny did not exactly appreciate Vlad's order.

"I'm not gonna get _lost_, Vlad," the young hybrid replied, his voice and face filled with annoyance. "I'm not _exactly_ two years old."

"You're sure?" Vlad said under his breath, referring to the age comment, clearly irritated by the boy's reply.

"_Excuse me?_" Danny demanded, his eyes flaring green with anger.

Vlad cringed, forgetting that the boy's ghostly side would allow him to hear his private comment. But the man quickly reacted, and held up his hands in surrender as he said, "_Alright_." Vlad sighed as he lowered his hands. But he then raised an eyebrow when he calmly added, "Just… behave yourself."

Danny now openly glared at his arch-enemy. Luckily, though, the chauffeur's opening of the door saved the man from the teenager's wrath.

"Sir?" Carl asked curiously when neither hybrid made any movement to step out.

If Danny had not been so focused on his arch-enemy and so used to ignoring his ghost sense by now, he would have noticed that his ghost sense had been triggered by the ghostly driver, who at the moment looked very much human…

Vlad just silently gestured at the boy sitting across from him to go first. And to the man's relief, Danny abided without a word. Then again, the unwavering scowl on the child's face said it all.

The older half-ghost just sighed again before following the younger one out. However, at that moment, Vlad had to ask himself exactly why he had thought bringing the boy with him was even a remotely good idea. He must have had one tea too many yesterday…

Danny's anger slowly melted away as he looked around where he was. By the dim lighting and lack of cars, he deduced it was some inside, private parking garage. And although he had not noticed when they had pulled into it, something told him it was located under the tall 'DALV building'.

"Daniel."

The teenager's eyes quickly darted in the direction of Vlad's voice, only to see the man already walking off without him. But not interested in being left alone in some gloomy garage, Danny quickly followed after the man. It was only when Vlad stopped in front of a single elevator and pressed the 'up' button, did he manage to catch up.

"After you," Vlad said when the elevator opened, though, for some reason he sounded somewhat amused.

"_Thanks_," Danny replied, unable to keep all the sarcasm out of his voice-nor did he really want to.

As Vlad pressed the elevator button for the top floor, Danny's eyebrows creased with his next thought. He had been wondering about something ever since the billionaire had offered to take him along. And as the elevator took them up and the silence became denser, the teen's unease and curiosity swelled to the point that he went against his better judgment and voiced his thoughts.

"Uh… Vlad?"

"Yes?" Vlad answered absently.

Glancing up at the man, Danny rubbed his neck, unsure on how to word his question. "Aren't you, like, _worried_ to be seen with… me?"

"No," Vlad replied without missing a beat; but then, without even sparing the boy a single look, he causally asked, "Why should I be?"

Danny opened his mouth to reply; but quickly thinking better of it, he closed it again, and just shrugged. If the man wasn't worried about it, then why should he be? Still, the teen remained curious of just exactly how the billionaire planned on explaining who he was to others. And was there a chance of someone recognizing him as the 'Fentons' missing son?'

"_I guess I'll be finding out soon…"_ Danny thought with a deep frown.

Vlad briefly glanced down at the teenager when he didn't answer. Even when the billionaire had given the boy's question little regard, he did understand it. After all, he had long since thought about it himself. However, Vlad did not lie when he told Daniel he was not concerned about others seeing him. He would just introduce the boy as his nephew and the man knew no one would dare question him about it.

As for Daniel's parents looking for the child, Vlad honestly could care less. After all, they were in a completely different state. Furthermore, who would care—or know-about some missing _teenager_, especially one that lived in some pathetic little town? But if that didn't say enough, then the fact that he was _Vlad Masters _did. No one would ever suspect _him_ of anything…

At last, the elevator dinged and its doors opened on the top floor. Vlad was the first to step out; and as if he were by himself, he glided forward and began to reply almost robotically to the sudden bombardment of greetings.

"Good morning, Mr. Masters!" a couple of well-dressed men said with a nervous smile as they passed by their boss.

"Good Morning," Vlad replied without looking at them.

"Mr. Masters, how good to see you!" someone else said.

"Likewise," he answered, although he still didn't bother to see to whom he had just said it.

"Mr. Masters, how are you doing this morning?" a lady asked.

"Quite well, thank you," the billionaire continued.

"Mr. Masters, good morning! Would you care for anything? Coffee, perhaps?" a late-twenties man asked eagerly.

"No, thank you."

"A cold beverage, then? How about breakfast?" the same guy continued, actually following after his boss.

"No, thank you," Vlad answered in the same, almost bored, demeanor.

"Oh…," the young man finally said, looking a bit disheartened. But he suddenly perked up again, and asked, "Would you like me to polish your shoes?"

The billionaire instantly halted and regarded the young man with an impassive raised eyebrow. "Let me guess, you are new here, correct?"

"I sure am! I started a few days ago, and let me tell you, sir, it is such an honor-"

"I'm sure it is," Vlad said, cutting him off with a wave of his hand. "And since you are so eager to please me, then, yes, I would like something of you."

"Anything you want, Mr. Masters! You can count on me to do it for you!" the young man replied, looking thrilled.

Vlad didn't react to his employee's enthusiasm, and just continued, "Have you heard of the Rosemary Coffee Store over in Lakeview City?"

The young man hesitantly nodded. "Yes, sir. That is more than an hour away from here."

"I know," Vlad answered with disregard. "I want you to go there. Bring me a small British cream tea… and a scone." The man paused and then quickly added, "And while you are at it, ask your co-workers if they want anything. Think you can handle that?"

The young man hesitated, but then grinned brightly and said, "I sure can. You can count on me!"

"I'm sure," Vlad replied flippantly. He then turned; and as he continued for his destination, he muttered in annoyance, "That should keep him out of my sight until I leave."

As the older half-ghost continued exchanging greetings with those around him, the man remained unaware that he had lost the young hybrid just a couple steps after they had gotten off the elevator...

The instant Danny had seen the billionaire just walk off without him, the teen had tried to follow after him. But when his arch-enemy began attracting people like light does bugs, Danny hesitantly began to back off and just followed the man at a distance, feeling more and more out of place. Just why had he believed that this could be any fun? Being at work with Vlad felt even more awkward than being alone with the guy.

Wanting to get his mind off his growing regret of coming here, Danny looked around the building, focusing on everything but the strangers around him. The floor they were on was without a doubt an 'office floor'. There were about a hundred cubicles with people working vigilantly on stacks of papers or their computers.

The place was almost chaotic with the sounds of voices coming over the speakers almost every minute and the sight of people running around, passing files and paperwork to each other. At one end of the room, there were large plasma screens busily showing digits and graphs. Danny was amazed at how the people staring unblinkingly at the screens could even stay awake, let alone look genuinely interested in what they saw; and then _still_ be able to quickly write things down or excitedly bark into the phone pieces in their ears.

Still keeping his distance, the teen glanced at Vlad, only to find he had stopped to talk to some young-looking guy. However, it was then that the boy noticed something of interest on another side of the room.

There was a large semicircular desk with several clear tubes connecting from it to the ceiling above it. It reminded Danny of the tubes used to make deposits at bank drive-ins. But this one looked _far_ more complicated. And definitely far more advanced. The robot behind the desk, working the system, said it all.

Danny gave Vlad a quick look, and seeing him still where he last saw him, the teen decided it would be okay to get a closer look at the high-tech robot while he waited for him to finish talking. The teen made his way past the people and stopped in front of the desk, quickly noticing how some of the employers would drop off letters or folders into specific bins and walk off again. Obviously, this was some kind of a mailing system. The tubes probably traveled to different parts of the building, allowing the transfer of any form of paperwork.

Now completely fascinated with the whole thing, Danny smiled as the robot extended one of its four hands into one of the bins and pulled out the stack of things to be delivered. Its red eyes quickly began to 'read', or more like, scan each individual delivery before depositing it into the correct holder, where its second pair of hands made sure to press the needed buttons to have the documents suction away to their corresponding locations.

Danny stepped a little closer, trying to see past the desk; but the instant he had leaned against it, the robot's eyes seemed to focus on him; and in a robotic voice, it said, "Step away from my workplace."

The teen quickly recoiled and stared-up at the creepy robot; however, it was no longer paying attention to him and was back to its busy routine. Curious about what else the human-like machine could do, Danny waved a hand in front of it, and hesitantly said, "Uh… Hi?"

"Hello," the robot answered much to the teenager's surprise. But immediately after, it added, "What is my allotted task? Send or Receive? "

Danny frowned quizzically, "Uh… receive?"

"From what division?" it replied, not once slowing down in its tasks.

As the teenager tried to figure out how to respond to the robot, Vlad had finally moved pass all the commotion and had entered another section on the far-side of the busy office floor. As he passed through the automatic doors, the change in atmosphere in this area was everywhere. The place was all but library-silent. There were only a handful of people moving around the area, though most of them only seemed to be here to drop something off. The area itself was very spacious, considering that there were only doors leading to private offices around the periphery, with a single, but large, circular desk in the middle. And located behind that desk was a set of very large doors. In fact, they were the largest in this section. That was Vlad's office.

However, the billionaire didn't head to it just yet. He, instead, walked up to the center desk, his eyes almost immediately capturing the pair of green eyes belonging to the lone person seated behind it.

"Finally here, I see," his private secretary said as one of her curved eyebrows rose above the thin frames of her glasses, while her thin painted lips curled into a warm smile.

"I'm not _that_ late," Vlad replied, a similar smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he watched his secretary stand up. But then, finally recalling the young half-ghost, he waved behind him and added, "Stephanie, I would like you to meet Daniel. He is my nephew."

Stephanie jolted with the news for some reason; but she quickly looked behind her employer, only to gaze back at him with a mixture of curiosity and confusion.

Vlad quickly noticed the look, and turned around, confirming with his own eyes that Daniel was nowhere in sight. The man sighed deeply, before glancing back at Stephanie, and muttering, "Give me a moment."

The billionaire briskly walked back out through the automatic doors, and looked around for the teenager, before quickly spotting him at the robotic mailing system. He rolled his eyes as he made his way through the cubicles and crowd.

"Daniel!" Vlad called out, annoyance thick in his voice.

The teen spun around, staring at his arch-enemy with large eyes. "Uh… I was just…"

"What do you have in your hands?" the man asked with a frown, pointing at the bin filled with a huge stack of sealed letters and folders in the teen's hands. It was then that Vlad noticed the robot's arms reaching out towards the boy.

"Last warning: Return my division four tray now," the robot said, its red eyes locked on Danny.

The billionaire immediately looked back at the teen, who just as quickly jumped into an explanation, "It wouldn't stop giving me this stuff!" Danny said, lifting up the tray in his hand to show the man the stack of letters and folders in it. "I kept trying to give it back, but it just gave it right back; so I grabbed-"

"Just be quiet, Daniel," the man abruptly muttered, snatching away the tray and giving it back to the robot.

"Return all documents to their secured locations," Vlad ordered.

The boy's blue eyes blinked in surprise as the robot quickly began to resort all the papers back into its storage compartments. "Hey… how did you-Hey!" he suddenly protested when his arch-enemy suddenly grasp his right wrist and pull him forward.

Vlad just ignored the objection and continued to pull the boy after him. However, that did not keep the man from irritably thinking, _"I should have gotten a blasted child-restraint!"_

Danny finally managed to reclaim his wrist back as soon as they stepped through a pair of automatic doors. He quickly glowered at the man in front of him, but before he could say anything, a voice jolted him out of his thoughts.

"Oh! He's so adorable!"

The teen's eyes darted to the voice's owner who was approaching him and Vlad. She was an older woman. Well, not _too_ old. Probably around Vlad and his parents' age; maybe a few years younger. She was wearing a professional suit-and-skirt that complemented her slim, petite figure quite well. Her slick, jet-black long hair was held up with Chinese hairpins, which complemented her large oriental-shaped eyes, small nose and face structure.

Danny then blinked when he suddenly took in what the woman had said; and just as quickly, his cheeks tinged red, while thinking, _"Wow… an older woman that's not my mom thinks I'm cute…"_

Just as he glanced back at the woman, she had stopped right next to Vlad. Her head only reached the height of the man's chin. Then again, the billionaire was taller than average, anyways. And now that she was right next to him, Danny finally noticed her light green eyes, which went well with her light skin tone. But he didn't think much of that, or the fact that she spoke with no accent. Then again, he figured he would find out soon enough.

"Daniel, this is my secretary, Stephanie Huì ," Vlad said in introduction.

The young hybrid quickly glanced at his arch-enemy, who, in turn, raised an expectant eyebrow at him.

Danny looked back at the woman; and with a shy smile, he finally greeted her, "Hi."

She placed a hand on her hip, and quietly studied him for a moment, making Danny feel uneasy enough to begin rubbing his neck. But she then suddenly lifted her eyes to her boss, and asked calmly, "You did say he was your nephew, correct?"

"Yes," Vlad replied, staring right at her.

Danny creased his eyebrows in confusion when the two adults just silently stared at one another for what seemed like forever. But once again, Stephanie abruptly turned her attention back to the teenager. However, this time her lips curled to a small smirk; and that, combined with her large, curved green eyes, reminded Danny of a cat: a cat that had just eaten its' owner's canary, that is…

Surprisingly, the look suited her fine; if only it didn't make the boy blush even more. But the thought was completely forgotten with the secretary's next words.

"He looks like you," Stephanie commented, smirking back at her employer.

Vlad instantly moved in front of Danny and placed his hand over the boy's mouth, muffling his angry protest. He gave their surroundings a quick glance before looking back at his secretary with a forced smile, and replying, "Yes. We get that a lot."

Having kept her eyes locked on her employer the entire time, Stephanie just raised an eyebrow at Vlad's reaction, and looked about to comment on it, when a ring from the front desk caught her attention. She quickly pressed against a small phone piece in her ear and the ringing stopped before she said, "DALV Cooperation. This is Stephanie Hui, how may I help you?"

She placed a hand on her hip as she listened to whatever was being said to her. But then she suddenly nodded and replied, "Alright. Give me a moment, then. I'll transfer you."

As the woman walked off towards the desk, Vlad used the opportunity to spin around and look down at the anger teenager. "Not here, Daniel," he whispered sternly.

Danny finally managed to rip away his arch-enemy's hand from his face. He glared fiercely at him and his hands curved into fists as the urge to blast the idiot suddenly reawakened inside him; but luckily, the return of the man's secretary pulled him out of his dark thoughts.

As if there had been no interruption in their conversation, Stephanie bent forward a bit to meet the boy's eyes. "How old are you?" she asked, staring once more at him like a curious cat.

"Fifteen," Danny murmured, trying to keep his anger out of his voice.

"Truly?" she asked excitedly, her smile widening. "Well, isn't that something! My daughter is fourteen! Oh! I'm just sure she would _love_ to meet you!"

Danny's mouth gaped open with the woman's last words. Was she trying to hook him up with _her daughter?_

"You know my daughter," Stephanie continued, standing up straight and smirking at her boss. "Do you think your nephew would like her?"

Vlad laughed heartedly with the question, while Danny turned a bright red. But the man quickly smiled again and playfully tapped his chin in thought. "Hmm… You know, I think he would," the older hybrid replied, looking devilishly down at the boy.

Danny just glared back at his arch-enemy, although his face was still bright red with embarrassment.

Stephanie lightly ruffled the teenager's hair with her slim manicured fingers. "All joking aside, Daniel," she said, though she still lifted an amused eyebrow. "My daughter is a pretty, and more importantly, a very nice girl. Maybe your uncle can bring you over on his next visit," she ended with a playful wink.

"I… uh…," Danny tried to reply, but was at a lost as to what to say.

To his fortune and dismay, Vlad answered for him, "But of course I'll bring him over! And I'm sure he'll agree with you completely when he meets your daughter," he added with a mischievous smile. "But, let's leave Daniel alone for a moment. I wouldn't want him getting the wrong impression of you, Stephanie."

"_Too late,"_ Danny thought with thick annoyance. _"This lady is almost as loopy as the fruit-loop!" _

"Oh, that's alright," the green-eyed woman replied, grinning herself. "I'm sure I'm not the first eccentric person he meets!"

"_At least she's a bright one,"_ the teen thought dryly, crossing his arms and looking away from the two adults.

Vlad just glanced down at Danny and chuckled. But when he looked back his secretary again, he had regained his business face. "What do you have for me today?"

"Mmm, hold on; let me get your agenda," Stephanie replied, also regaining her professionalism.

Vlad just nodded and followed her over to her desk, but not before making sure the teen kept up this time.

Stepping back into her large, circular desk, she grabbed an agenda from off the counter and flipped through it. "Now, considering that you have not been in for several days now, you are significantly behind schedule."

"Ah, well, at least it's nothing new," he said with mirth.

Stephanie just gave him an unimpressed glance from above her small glasses, before continuing to flip through the agenda. She didn't see Vlad smirk with her look, but Danny did, and he found it peculiar. He couldn't figure out what kind of relationship his arch-enemy had with this lady. He had introduced her as his secretary, but their…friendliness with each other made Danny wonder. Maybe this Stephanie person had just been working for so long with the billionaire that they both felt at ease with each other. It was the only thing with which the boy could come up.

Danny suddenly shook his head; why the heck was he even thinking about this? He already had enough unwanted info about his arch-enemy's personal life to last him a lifetime. He didn't need any more weirdness to add to the list. Suddenly, he remembered about the secretary's comment about him and Vlad, and he quickly scowled again.

"Let's see…," Stephanie mumbled, pausing only briefly. "Well, first thing is your meeting with the DALV board members. That starts in about ten minutes."

Vlad looked down at his watch, and nodded. "What else?"

"You then have a conference with Cardona in regards to the telemarketing branch they want to open for the T.T.A. Company."

Vlad sighed tiredly. "What time is that at?"

Stephanie glanced at him with an unsure look, and answered, "Twelve-thirty."

The billionaire frowned as he commented, "That company is two hours from here."

"I thought it was a bit of a stretch, too. Did you want me to reschedule it, then?" she replied, raising an eyebrow.

Vlad paused in thought. "No… That should not be necessary. Just call him and have him know that I might be-no, _will be_-late." The man rolled his eyes as he added in annoyance. "I do not know when this board meeting here will end; but considering how much _Steve_ likes to talk, I know I will be in there for at least an hour."

With a small chuckle, Stephanie nodded her agreement, before she looked back at her desk and wrote a note to herself to call this 'Cardona' guy. "Alright… where was I? Oh, yes. Today is your inspection of the M.V.I. Wisconsin branch," she informed him with a knowing smile.

"Is that so?" Vlad replied rhetorically, smiling himself.

"And now that we are talking about Mark Vazier's Industries, all the documents and transfers with his board members have been completed. I have the signed contracts and share titles…right… here," Stephanie finished, handing her boss several sealed folders.

"Excellent," the billionaire replied, happily accepting the documents. "All that's left is to make Mark Vazier an offer he cannot refuse…" He smiled triumphantly and added, "M.V.I. is mine now, Stephanie."

The secretary raised an eyebrow, and mildly warned, "Don't count your chickens too soon, Mr. Masters."

Vlad quirked an eyebrow back, and retorted, "Then let's make them hatch, hmm?"

Stephanie scoffed lightly in amusement, before sitting down and pulling open a file cabinet. She quickly found the folder she was looking for and offered it to the billionaire with a slight smirk. "I had a feeling that would be your answer; therefore, I took the liberty of getting everything set up for you. Vazier has agreed to meet with you. You have a little over two weeks."

Vlad took the folder and opened it. "Two weeks," he mumbled thoughtfully.

"Too soon?" his secretary asked.

The billionaire sighed, before slowly shaking his head. "No, it's perfect…. I just have a small snag…at the moment," he replied slowly, giving the teenager beside him a quick glance.

However, Danny didn't notice it, since he wasn't really paying attention to his arch-enemy's boring conversation.

Stephanie looked at the boy herself, before turning her green gaze to her employer again. "I could reschedule it for a later date, if you wish," she suggested.

Vlad closed the folder. "No. I want this finished as soon as possible. Don't worry. I'll work something out. Until then, let's focus on that inspection of the M.V.I. Wisconsin branch. What time is that at? I might need you there. I plan to do a lot of 'refurnishing', as you can understand."

Stephanie nodded. "It's at three. I should finish by one here; so I should have no trouble being there. Did you want Clare and Gomar to meet you there as well?"

Vlad nodded. "Yes, it wouldn't hurt to have my attorney and head engineer present during the inspection."

"Okay," she replied, quickly jotting that down. "Also, I called back the 'Gideon' crew. I told them what you told me tell them over the phone."

"Oh?" Vlad replied curiously.

"As always they spend half-an-hour apologizing and pleading for your audience. They, and I quote, 'Anxiously await your arrival at the time that is most convenient for you." The secretary shrugged. "They also mentioned something about sending you … gift baskets and balloons..."

Seeing her employer roll his eyes, Stephanie quickly pointed out, "Hey, at least they are not sending you piñatas like last year."

Vlad groaned in disgust. "Remind me again why I have _any_ association with these half-baked people?"

"Because the owner of 'Gideon' is a close relative of the owner of the company that inspects DALV's safety regulations; and it's smart to be on their 'good side," she answered back in a matter-of-factly voice.

"Right," the billionaire replied dryly.

She smiled. "Don't worry. It's just a photo-shoot. You will be out of there in no time. That's at five-thirty, by the way."

Vlad rubbed his temple. "Anything else?"

"Just a couple of quick 'errands' along the way," she answered with a light shrug. She then quickly picked up a couple of more folders already set out on the desk. "Everything I've told you, plus those other extra things, are all listed in here. The second folder has everything you will need for each of your destinations. And finally, the third folder has a few things that came for you, including the papers for the TM deal in Canada," she ended, handing him everything.

"Never a dull moment, is there?' Vlad commented sardonically as he accepted the folders.

"Of course not," she replied with a calm smile. "And by the way, you now have… two minutes before the board meeting."

Vlad sighed, but otherwise just nodded his head. He finally regarded Danny, who had his arms crossed, looking half-annoyed and half-bored. "Come, Daniel," he said off-handedly as he began to move away.

"_Oh, look, I exist again," _Danny thought irritably.

"Let me know if you need anything... _little jié,_" Stephanie said to the teen with a friendly wink.

Although he was a bit confused with her last unknown word, Danny smiled appreciatively, before following after Vlad towards the pair of large office doors in the back of the room.

The billionaire, however, had tensed but then quickly rolled his eyes at his secretary's pet name for the boy. He knew exactly what it meant. Luckily, Daniel didn't know Chinese…

Unlocking the doors, Vlad allowed Danny to enter before doing so himself. But at the instant he closed the door behind him, the expected occurred.

"Dude! I _do not_ look like you!" Danny exclaimed angrily.

The teen had been dying to get his enemy alone so he could give him a piece of his mind. How dare the guy embarrass him like that? But that wasn't what had him ticked off the most. And he was going to let the man know it, too!

"I can't believe she said that! I mean, seriously! What is that lady on? And what are _you_ on? _We get that all the time_? Are you serious? What kind of lame reply is that? Or were you just joking? Because I didn't think it was very funny, Vlad! There is _no way_ you and I…"

As the boy continued with his peeved rant, Vlad just rolled his eyes and went over to his desk. He calmly set down the folders in his hands, before placing his suitcase on top of his desk as well. But feeling that Daniel's voice was beginning to give him a headache, he could no longer ignore his protest and finally spoke up.

"Would you just calm down?" he said, his pointed look silencing the teenager.

Danny scowled for a moment; but he eventually crossed his arms and angrily muttered, "I do not look like you."

Vlad rolled his eyes again before opening up his suitcase and replying with annoyance, "You are so touchy, Daniel. Don't you realize that people say that all the time when someone introduces a relative to them? They seldom mean it. _Besides_, Stephanie was just…" The billionaire suddenly stopped talking, but then shook his head in annoyance.

But Danny caught this, and immediately said, "She was just _what_, Vlad?"

Having pulled out some papers from his briefcase, the older half-ghost closed his briefcase with a little more force than necessary as he snapped back. "Why are you making such a fuss over mere words, Daniel? Who cares what she said. We are not related, _remember_?"

"_Like I would __**ever**__ forget that,"_ Danny thought crossly, but, otherwise, didn't comment further. However, when the boy saw the billionaire grab a folder and a stack of papers and then began to head towards the door, he quickly spoke up again. "Wait. Where are you going?"

Vlad halted right in his tracks. "Were you not paying attention? I have a meeting!" he said, now completely exasperated with the boy.

"Uh… no; I think I zoned out," Danny said with a shrug, but he quickly added in a peeved voice, "But what about me?"

"Daniel, I cannot bring you to a board meeting," Vlad explained impatiently. "Just stay here, alright? I'll return in about an hour."

"_An hour?_ Are you serious?" Danny exclaimed angrily. "What the heck am I suppose to do for an hour?"

"Daniel! Stop shouting!" the man hissed back. "I told you I had a lot to do today. I'll come back as soon as I can. In the meantime, just keep yourself occupied."

"With _what_?" Danny asked angrily, watching the billionaire grab the door handle.

Vlad sighed irritably. "I don't know. You're the teenager. Can't you make up something?" But seeing the boy glare at him, he quickly glanced over at his desk, and added, "Look, there's a computer. Play cards or… something." He waved with disregard, before finally opening the door and exiting.

Danny huffed; but, otherwise, just stared spitefully at the marble floor. However, before he could even begin to mentally curse his arch-enemy, the man unexpectedly poked his head back into the room, his face for some reason tinged red. The teen soon found out why.

"Oh, by the way, the computer's password is 'Maddie Masters'," Vlad mumbled out, before quickly exiting again.

Danny's mouth and eyes opened in disbelief, but his face quickly twisted into a disgusted expression. "That's definitely an 'Eww'," he mumbled, before shuddering in revolution. The teen then glanced over at Vlad's desk, before sighing and walking over to it. With an angry pout, he slumped into the large leather seat and crossed his arms.

He stared around the large office for some time. Unlike his home, the man's office didn't say a lot about the guy. Well, not on a personal level, anyways. As the billionaire he was, Vlad had not held back on any expenses. The office was beautifully decorated; and everything-from the sofas at the far side of the room, to the desk, to even the circular window in front-was made with the finest materials. But there were no _Packers _displays; there was no paintings; there was not one single personal touch. It was a bit strange, really.

Danny sighed again before turning his attention to the computer in front of him. He half-heartedly sat up and pulled out the compartment holding the keyboard and mouse on it. This was sure more hi-tech than any other computer he had seen. But with a quick look at the mainframe, the boy found the start-up button; and as expected, it requested the man's password.

"That's so gross," the teen muttered as he typed in 'Maddie Masters'.

Now in, he didn't have a lot of trouble finding the games on the computer; since, for the most part, the system was set up basically in the same manner as any other computer out there. Danny ended up opening a chess game first, but only out of curiosity. He knew his arch-enemy was a master at the game; and his dad seemed to know a bit about it-though, he usually preferred checkers. But as for the teen, he barely knew what each piece could do, let alone be able to play the game. Danny knew he could learn how, of course. But it had never interested him. Spending hours staring at a board with medieval figures on it was not exactly his idea of entertainment. So, then… why did he want to play it now?

Danny frowned in confusion. However, he quickly shook his head and closed the game. He pulled up a game of solitaire and began to play that, instead. But to his dismay, he got bored of it ten minutes later.

The teen groaned as he looked over at the clock and realized the billionaire had not even been gone for fifteen minutes! He stared back at the computer and closed the half-finished game. He randomly began clicking on files, just to see what they were. But they all required a second password, and Danny quickly found out it was not 'Maddie Masters' this time. He began trying a few that came to mind, though he didn't really know why he cared to open the file, anyways. But, ultimately, the teen wasn't able to guess the password. At least it wasn't 'Danny Masters'. That would have been more than he could bear.

The teen suddenly froze. Wait. Vald didn't call him 'Danny'. The boy slowly typed in 'Daniel Masters.'

"_Please don't work,"_ he pleaded repeatedly in his head as he pressed the 'enter' tab.

Too bad it _did_ work.

Danny gasped in horror as the computer accepted the password and opened up the mystery file. With a groan, he dropped his head on the desk with a dull 'thud', and uttered, "I am never going to unsee this."

The teen eventually lifted his head off the desk and looked back at the computer. He blinked in confusion at the opened file.

"Mark Vazier? Who the heck is that?" Danny wondered, realizing the entire file was about the guy. There was everything on it. From the companies he owned to his personal information, like, his 'single' status and even his social security number. Was Vlad even allowed to know all this stuff?

Danny rolled his eyes, before closing the file. He tried another random file; and after retyping 'Daniel Masters' again, it opened for him. This one was a letter to some company. The teen began reading it; but when he quickly got lost with what the billionaire was talking about, he also lost interest in it, and closed it. He picked another file, only to raise an eyebrow in surprise when it turned out to be another written document; only this one was written in another language. Danny had no clue what language it could be.

The boy looked up at the clock again, and saw that less than ten minutes had passed since he last checked the time. He propped a hand on the desk and leaned his face against it as he began clicking on files again, boredom showing in even the way he clicked on the mouse. As he began to zone out, he accidently clicked on an icon on the screen instead of the file beside it. The teen blinked when the man's internet page popped up.

"Vlad has access to the internet on this computer…," Danny whispered as an idea began forming his head. Why had be not thought about that in the first place? He had been so used to not being able to get online at the mansion ever since Vlad had locked it from him that it didn't even occur to him to check.

The teen looked over at the closed door. This was his chance to check up on Amity Park. But what if his arch-enemy found out? Would Plasmius be angry? Why should he be? The man never said he couldn't just check up on his town through the papers, right?

Danny frowned deeply when he had to admit the older half-ghost had not banned the internet from him without reason. Still, he needed to know about his home.

The teen felt a strong pang in his heart as his family and friends came to mind. And their memory was enough for him to take the chance. He quickly began typing in the website for the 'Amity Park Times', his unease making him sit up right.

Even when the internet in this building worked the fastest he had ever seen, it still did not feel fast enough for Danny; and as he nervously glanced at the clock, he could have sworn time was now racing forward. But when he finally got on the page, his lungs constricted with foreboding as he began to read the title of the newspaper's top story.

"_Amity Park calls in the Guys-in-White to….."_

"_**Knock-knock!"**_

Danny jolted with the sudden rap on the door and he swirled around in his seat in time to hear who was responsible for the interruption.

"Daniel?" Stephanie called through the door, before stepping in.

"Uh… H-Hi," he answered shakily, staring at her with large eyes.

She gave him a confused look. "Is something wrong?"

Danny glanced at the computer screen, and realized he still had one of Vlad's files open, plus the Amity website. He quickly looked back at her and gave her a nervous chuckle. "No, of course not. I was just, uh, spacing out…. Guess the knocking kind of surprised me."

"Oh," she replied, laughing lightly. "Sorry about that." She walked over to bar-like counter and placed a tray down. The teen took the chance to quickly close the internet page and Vlad's file, and pull up a card game.

"Your uncle asked me to bring you something to munch on while you wait for him. He also said he might be in there a little longer than an hour." Stephanie turned to face the boy, and added with a smirk, "But I could have told you that last one."

Danny weakly smiled. "Okay. Um, thanks."

The secretary nodded and the room fell silent. The teen fiddled with his hands while wondering why the woman hadn't left yet. Her sudden question gave him the answer.

"So, how long will you be in Wisconsin?" she asked, her arms crossing lightly in front of her while she leaned against the counter behind her.

Danny looked up at her and answered with uncertainty, "Y-You mean at… my uncle's?"

She raised an amused eyebrow. "Yes, that's another way of putting it. After all, I know you do not live here, Daniel. You are obviously just here to visit your uncle."

The teen frowned nervously. "How do you know I don't live in Wisconsin?"

Stephanie laughed for some reason, but she then shrugged lightly and answered, "Simple. I have never seen you here before. You must live some distance away from your uncle if this is the first time you visit him."

"Oh, right," Danny answered, rubbing his neck. "I…uh, don't know how long I'm gonna be staying with him…" The realization made the boy inwardly frown. How long _would_ he be with Vlad? Would his arch-enemy keep him captive for the rest of his life?

"Well, I do hope you stay for a bit longer," Stephanie continued, pulling the boy out of thought. "I don't care what he says; living alone in a house as big as his is not healthy. At bit of company will suit Vlad just fine."

Danny blinked at the woman. Did she just call _her boss _by his first name? The teen could no longer keep his curiosity at bay.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. But, uh… what about you? You're Vl—_my_ _uncle's_ secretary, right? I-I mean, I know you are. But… how long have you worked for him? You guys seem kinda… uh, I don't know, close, I guess."

Stephanie laughed again, and the teen really started to think she was missing a screw. But she quickly settled back into a grin again, and finally replied. "I'm sorry. You're curiosity is simply adorable."

"Thanks?" he guessed, giving her an unsure look.

She chuckled lightly again. "Well, to answer your questions. I have been working for your uncle much longer than I can remember anymore. And, yes, I suppose you could say we are close."

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Sooo you guys are friends?"

Stephanie shrugged nonchalantly. "We've known each other since high school, Daniel. I'd say that's pretty accurate."

The teen's eyes widened. "You two go back _that_ far?"

"You sound surprised," Stephanie replied, tilting her head with interest.

"Well, yeah. I just didn't know he had other, I mean, a friend as old as you…," he mumbled, rubbing his neck again; but suddenly realizing his last words, his eyes widened and he quickly added, "I mean! I'm not saying that you're old; 'cause you're not! You're very pretty and not old at all. I mean, compared to me, yeah. But compared to…" The teen suddenly grabbed his face. "Can we just forget I said anything?" he asked miserably, his cheeks bright red with embarrassment.

The secretary laughed again. "Now, I understand why your uncle's been so distracted lately! You're truly delightful, little jié!"

Danny frowned in confusion at hearing that weird word again. "What does that mean?"

Stephanie's face fell back into a small smile. "What, 'Jié'?"

The teen nodded.

"It's Chinese, which is my heritage. Or half, anyways. From my father's side. My mother was Australian."

"Whoa, cool," Danny replied, genuinely smiling at the woman. "So, you can speak Chinese, right?"

"Yes, that's right," she said warmly. But she suddenly glanced over at the clock and jolted. "Opps! I need to get back to work! I have to get several things down before one," she said mostly to herself. She quickly waved over at the tray on the counter. "Help yourself, okay? If you need anything, use the phone on the desk to call me. Just press the transfer button and then dial '2246'."

Danny, a bit taken aback by her sudden retreat, slowly nodded and replied, "O-kay." However, he suddenly remembered that Stephanie never answered his question. "Oh, wait!"

The secretary spun around and curiously asked, "Yes?"

"You never told me what that Chinese word meant…"

Much to Danny's surprise, Stephanie gave him her that 'cat-ate-the-canary' look again and she secretly replied, "I've taught your uncle a bit of Chinese. Ask him." She winked. "See you later, little jié."

The young hybrid frowned in confusion as Stephanie finally left him alone in Vlad's private office again. He slumped against the large office chair and shook his head in complete bewilderment. But then a second later, he glanced at the computer and quickly sat up. He clicked the internet icon but when he tried to get online again, a message popped up saying it was temporarily unavailable

"Hey, what gives?" he whispered in confusion.

"RING!"

Danny jolted in his seat and stared at the ringing phone. He blinked uncertainly at it as it rang two more times. But on the fourth ring, the teen impulsively picked it up. "H-Hello?"

"_Daniel, I forgot to tell you,"_ Stephanie's calm voice said over the phone. _"Your uncle also called me and asked me to call networking and tell them to run a diagnostic test on the building's computers. I hope it did not interrupt anything you were doing. But if it did, I can always call them back and tell them to run it at a later time. I'm sure your uncle wouldn't mind." _

Danny's eyes flashed green with repressed anger, and he forced a calm tone into his voice as he replied, "No, don't worry about it. I'm fine."

"Oh, good. Well, then, call me if you need anything."

"Yeah, okay," the teen answered before hanging up. Danny glared towards the door as he muttered, "That jerk did that on purpose." He looked back at the computer and scowled at it before quickly shutting it down. He stood up and walked over to the tray Stephanie had brought in. He looked on in irritation at the fruits, Danish, and juice served just for him. But Danny was too upset to want the food.

With a sigh, he leaned up against the counter and sighed angrily. "This reeks," he grumbled. "I should have just stayed at the stupid house! But, no, I had to be an idiot and come."

Danny turned his sulking gaze over to the large circular window, suddenly feeling more sad than angry. He was so worried about his home. Why would Amity call in the Guys-in-white? Was something bad happening? Darn it! Why didn't he get online sooner? Now, he would never know!

The teen could only shut his eyes in despair and helplessness. He didn't want to think about this now. He knew that even if something was going on at his home, there was nothing he could do about it in his situation.

Danny sighed once more as he shook his head. No, he had to stay focused; focused on what he _could_ do; and trust that those back home could handle whatever was happening. Then again, for all he knew, maybe he was worried over nothing and the government's lackeys had just been called in to do their usual inspections.

The teen suddenly growled in anxiety. Why did Vlad have to go and leave him alone in here? Now, he was all stressed out again! And with nothing to do, his troubling thoughts just became more prominent. At least at the mansion he had those annoying ghosts to take up some of his time. And he could always go find things to do to keep his mind off his despair and loneliness. But here…

Danny suddenly paused in thought. "Wait….who said I _can't_ find something to do here, too?" he said, the realization slowly pushing back his bleak mood. He quickly lifted up his head and looked at the clock. Vlad still wouldn't be back for a while.

"He said to entertain myself. He never said it had to be in _here_," Danny stated mischievously as he strolled over to the door. He silently opened it and peeked out. The teen quickly frowned when he saw Stephanie at her desk. She would definitely spot him…. unless…

Danny closed the door again and stared around Vlad's office for cameras. As he expected, there was not a single one. He smirked as he turned invisible and then quickly phased through the door.

He walked right past the unsuspecting secretary and continued forward until he was back out into the chaotic part of the office floor. But the people running around were the last thing on the boy's mind. Instead, he looked around, trying to spot the cameras. But realizing there were a lot, he began to search for a hiding place.

Danny smiled when he found a large, metal storage cabinet close to the elevators. He quickly phased inside. Now that he was away from any prying eyes or camera lenses, he quickly regained visibility; and with another quick ghostly trick, he unlocked the cabinet's doors and finally jumped out. Danny's lips curved into a cocky smile as he walked over to the elevator. All the while, he remained oblivious to the confused look a random worker gave him after having seen the boy come out of a storage cabinet.

Danny pushed a random number on the elevator, which just so happened to be the seventh floor. If he had to wait for Vlad to return, he might as well look around the place. Surely, there had to be something of interest in such a huge building.

"Or I could be wrong," Danny mumbled when the elevator opened on the seventh floor, and another office place like the one he just left came to view.

Danny didn't even bother to step out. Instead, he sighed and randomly pushed the number ten, hoping he had better luck on another floor. The elevator soon dinged and his eyes widened with interest when the doors opened on the new floor.

"What's this place supposed to be?" Danny quietly wondered as he stepped out of the elevator and began looking around. The first thing he noticed was how large the place was. But what really had captivated his attention were the number of monitors and the various experiments running. It reminded the teen of a chemistry lab you find in some mad scientist's basement; only this one seemed state-of-the-art and looked very clean. There were also several doors around him, leading to who knew where-although he did intend to find out.

The teen raised a curious eyebrow at a small bench with bubbling beakers on it. But they had a clear plastic cover over it to keep the fumes in. Danny was about to walk closer to it when something else caught his attention; and he, instead, headed over to that. He stared closely at the large machine behind the protective glass windows. The machine had a large metal claw at its end that reminded the teen of the metal claw you see inside a toy machine at the arcades. But by the flickers of electricity coming from _this_ claw, he knew it was nothing like it. The metal claw moved back and forth, sending constant streams of electricity to the glass slides below it, each of which contained an odd purple gel.

But as it went along, a metal rod also moved back and forth, but in the opposite direction as the claw. When the claw was on the left, the rod was on the right. The electrified gel on the slides was attracted to the needle-thin rod. But as the gel lifted up towards the rod, it came out in thin strings just barely visible to the naked eye. The whole process looked like a spider spinning its silk web. It was an amazing sight.

Danny continued to observe the strange 'silk-weaving' machine, remaining oblivious the whole time of the curious looks he was getting from the few workers in the lab with him. Eventually, the teen walked off, and went into one of the doors he had seen earlier. He stopped in front of a large microscope that was three times his height.

"Whoa," he said as he tilted his head back to stare at the whole instrument. His eyes then moved down the microscope's cylindrical shaft and stopped at the painted initials near its end that read, 'T.E.M.'

"I wonder what that stands for," he thought curiously as he continued to study the large instrument. Luckily, the teenager never once touched the microscope. After all, it would not have been smart to touch an instrument as delicate as a 'Transmission Electron Microscope' without knowing how to use one, especially when the microscope was worth over two million dollars…

Danny eventually left the microscope alone and walked further down a hallway. He smiled in interest as he passed by a completely glass room and saw another kind of robot within, working on some electrical wiring. But, this time, he decided to let the machine just do its thing. He didn't want another robot to go crazy on him today.

As he finally came to the end of the large area, he found a smaller elevator, hidden from view. Not thinking anything of it, the teen went inside, only to find that this elevator serviced only ten floors and not thirty, like the elevator he had used before. But this didn't worry the boy too much, either, since one of the floors on this new elevator was the top floor. He could still get back to Vlad's office just fine.

Some time later, after going to different floors and looking around, Danny found himself inside a room that contained miniature models of different aircrafts. By now, Danny could conclude that Vlad's company was involved in all forms of technological and scientific advances.

"Now this is some cool stuff," he uttered, eyes glowing with wonder as he slowly passed by the different stands holding the detailed models. The entire time he had been looking around, he had been resisting the urge to touch anything. He wasn't a small kid, after all. He knew better than to touch things that were not his, especially when these things looked either delicate or expensive. But when the boy's eyes fell on a model of a spaceship, his curiosity dropped his reasoning down several years.

"Oh, man!" Danny said as he carefully picked up the small intricate spaceship. "I know this type of model!"

He carefully began to study it with a wide grin, loving how the tiny model had every detail down, even the proportions were perfect! Did Vlad's company make this type of rocket? This looked like an engineered model, but didn't they have the larger models? Unless…

Danny looked under the small space-craft and found the number he was looking for. He quickly scanned the room and realized that there were several doors with barcodes on them. He soon spotted the code that matched the model in his hand. The real-size model had to be in there.

"Now this I gotta see," he said to himself, placing the miniature model back in its place, and walking towards the door in an almost hypnotic state. However, the connection was lost just as he reached the door.

"Can I help you?"

Danny jolted in surprise and quickly spun around to face a tall and large security guard, walking closer to him with a suspicious frown on his face.

"Oh… Hi, there," Danny greeted the man with a nervous smile; but remembering the man's question, he added, "No, I'm fine. I was just looking around."

The guard stopped right in front of the teen; and crossing his arms above his large belly, he replied, "Really? And who authorized you to be here?"

Feeling the man's eyes taking him in like he was some kind of criminal, Danny quickly averted his gaze and anxiously rubbed his neck. "Um… No one really. I didn't know I, uh, needed… authorization." He looked back at the guard and gave him a small smile. "Sorry. I'll just leave, then. Vl- _my uncle_ is probably waiting for me, anyways."

"Uh-huh," the guard said as he uncrossed his arms, obviously not believing a word of what the teenager was saying. "I think you should just come with me."

Danny felt his throat constrict with dread, while his heart began to thump loudly in his chest. He nervously stared around the room as he all but squeaked out, "Wh-Where to?"

"To the security department, of course," the guard answered firmly. "If you are not authorized to be here, then, you are trespassing. Not to mention that _this_ floor is a highly restricted area."

Danny laughed meekly as he slowly began to edge his way around the guard, so that he could escape his cornered position. "Oh, man. I'm really sorry. I didn't know this place was off limits."

"How can you not know? It's written on the elevator doors that you used to get here. All the floors that that elevator takes you to are highly restricted."

Danny's eyes widened as he glanced over at the elevator and finally saw the large yellow sign at the very top of the doors saying, 'Restricted Zones.' The teen looked back at the guard; and with another nervous laugh, said, "Heh, look at that. Where did that that even come from?"

But the guard was not amused.

Now out of his cornered place, Danny began to slowly back up, an uneasy smile still on his face as he continued, "I'm really sorry again. Really. But you don't gotta take me anywhere. I'll just go back up. My uncle's probably spazzing out by now."

"Hold on there, boy," the guard quickly demanded, grabbing Danny's wrist to avoid him from moving any further. "I said, you are coming with me."

Danny gasped when the guard pulled him forward, and began dragging him towards the elevator. But getting over the initial shock, he instantly began to protest, "What? No! Let go! I wasn't doing anything!"

"Don't make any more trouble for yourself, kid. You best come quietly," the guard warned severely, yanking the teen forward to stop his struggles.

"But I wasn't doing anything!" Danny exclaimed, sounding almost panicked as he tried to get his hand free from the man's strong grip without success. But suddenly remembering Vlad again, the teen quickly spoke up once more. "Look, my uncle is Vlad Masters! Just call him! He can explain everything, I swear!"

The guard halted right in his tracks and looked back at the boy. "Your uncle is _Vlad Masters_?" he asked suspiciously.

"…Yes," Danny lied with great difficulty, especially when he hated to refer to the man as such.

The guard rolled his eyes, before pulling the boy towards the elevator again. "Really. You punks need to start coming up with some new lies," he uttered with boredom.

Danny instantly glared at the guard. "Hey! It's not a lie!" he exclaimed. "_Well, actually it is,_" he mentally corrected himself, before quickly protesting again, "And I'm not a punk!"

"Alright. Let's go see _your uncle_, then," the large man said sarcastically.

Danny's eyes flashed green, before he performed one of his boldest tricks. In a blink of an eye, the teen phased his arm out of the guard's grip; and just as quickly, sprinted towards the elevator.

The guard stared at the fleeing boy in absolute shock . How had the punk gotten away? The man quick shook off his surprise, and quickly went after the teenager. "Hey! You get back here!"

Danny ignored the guard's demand and quickly got into the elevator. "Come on! Close!" he said nervously to the doors as he saw the angry man coming closer. But to his immense relief, the elevator doors shut just before the guard could reach him.

The teen placed a hand against his forehead as he nervously watched the numbers on the elevator ascend. "Okay, this was not the kind of entertainment I was looking for."

It had felt like forever, but eventually the elevator stopped on the thirtieth floor. Danny quickly stepped out, and began to walk hurriedly towards Vlad's office, all the while glancing back anxiously, fearing that the guard would somehow catch up to him. He was so paranoid with the possibility of being arrested that he didn't realize he was about to walk right into someone until it was too late.

"Oof!" the boy grunted as the force of the collision send him painfully down on his bottom. He ignored his body's protest, however, and quickly looked up, only to gasp when he just saw into whom he had bumped.

"Vlad!" he exclaimed in alarm; but when he realized that Stephanie was right next his arch-enemy, he quickly corrected himself with a nervous smile. "I mean, _Uncle_ Vlad!"

The billionaire ignored the teenager's slip, and quickly asked with a mixture of anger and worry, "Daniel, where did you go? I was loo-"

The man violently jolted into silence when a blaring alarm suddenly went off through the entire building. And while the secretary gasped in surprise and the rest of the workers froze in their duties, Danny cringed, somehow knowing he was responsible for the siren.

Vlad was the first to get past his shock. He quickly looked down at the very scared boy, and demanded with restrained fury, "What did you do?"

Before Danny could answer, the guard that he had 'met' a moment ago marched out of the elevator; this time, however, he came accompanied by four other guards. It didn't take long for the known guard to spot the teenager in the crowd of adults.

"There he is!" the chubby man shouted, pointing at the boy on the ground, before he and his comrades came after him.

"Yikes!" Danny yelped, jumping to his feet and quickly running behind his arch-enemy.

The guards quickened their pace after seeing the boy's quick movements. But when they realized behind whom their 'criminal' had just taken refuge, they halted right in their tracks, which just so happened to be a few steps in front of Vlad.

"M-Mr. M-Masters!" they all stuttered in surprise, before the guard who had alerted everyone of the 'intruder' quickly jumped into an explanation. "We apologize for the ruckus, Mr. Masters. But I found _that_ kid in section 'C' of the Aero-and-Astronautics floor."

"I was just looking around!" Danny quickly defended himself, though he stayed behind his 'Vlad-shield'.

The billionaire sighed in annoyance, but then calmly uttered, "It's alright. The boy is with me."

The same guard blinked at the news. "Oh…," was all he could say. He glanced at the other guards; and seeing them looking at him like he was an idiot, he quickly cleared his throat, and looked back at his boss. "Well, in that case, no harm done. You have a good day, Mr. Masters."

The guard quickly signaled to the other guards to follow; but before he left, the chubby guard shot Danny a hard look, effectively putting a heavy frown on the boy's face.

The room still remained frozen even after the guards left. But, now, everyone was staring at the teenager responsible for the still ringing alarm. It was Stephanie who finally broke the tension.

"Well, today was eventful!" she said with a meek laugh.

But Vlad didn't share her sentiment; and instead turned to glare down at the nervous boy behind him. "Come, Daniel. We are leaving," he said sternly.

Danny just looked away and nodded.

At that moment, the blaring alarms silenced, but everyone else still remained in place. Noticing this, the billionaire gave his employers a quick glance and seriously uttered, "Did you all need something?"

Everyone but Stephanie and Danny jolted to life, quickly replying with nervous apologies before returning to what they were all doing.

Vlad then looked at his secretary and soberly said, "I'll see you at three. We can talk about those contracts, then."

Stephanie just nodded, before looking down at the teenager, and smiling warmly at him. "Have a good day, little jié. Hopefully, I'll see you later as well," she ended with a wink.

Danny forced a smile on his face and nodded at the woman, while Vlad shook his head in disapproval at his secretary. But she merely raised a teasing eyebrow back at him.

The man just sighed quietly before walking off without any further word. The boy slightly hesitated; but after a quick wave to Stephanie, he followed his clearly angry enemy. The two half-ghosts soon headed back down the elevator; and for a significant moment, a suffocating tension closed in on its occupants. Danny wasn't sure if he was exactly thankful that the billionaire eventually broke the intense silence.

"Let me ask you something, Daniel," Vlad began, the thick irritation in his voice quickly putting a heavy frown on Danny's face. "Is there a day when you do not get into _some form_ of trouble?"

Danny's eyes immediately narrowed. "Look, I wasn't doing anything, alright?"

Vlad stepped out of the elevator before tersely answering, "Perhaps not. But you wouldn't have gotten into trouble in the first place if you would have just stayed put. I told you not to wonder off, Daniel! Did you think I told you that just to hear myself talk?"

Danny resisted the urge to answer, 'Yes' to that question and instead argued, "Yeah, well, you're the one that dumped me inside your freakin' office and left!"

Vlad glared as he and boy stopped in front of the parked limo. "Oh, so then, that little commotion back there was some revenge scheme of yours, Daniel? You think embarrassing me at my own company was a good way of getting me back for not being able to take you into some board meeting, even after I warned you I had a busy schedule today?"

"What? No!" Danny exclaimed in exasperation. "I told you, I was only looking around, Vlad! I was bored, okay? How was I supposed to know that I would run into some paranoid guard?"

Vlad rolled his eyes, but now looked a lot calmer. It was then that he finally noticed Carl, who was standing beside the open car door, staring wide-eyed at him and the teenager.

The billionaire just ignored his driver and went back to arguing with the boy. "He's not paranoid, Daniel," he said annoyed, before he gestured to Danny to get into the car. He watched the teenager comply as he continued, "That is his job. Any decent officer would have stopped you, especially when you were in a highly secured area."

"How was I supposed to know?" Danny snapped back as he watched Vlad get into the car himself. "Besides, he acted all suspicious the second he saw me! The guy didn't even believe me when I told him I was with you!"

Vlad scoffed. "_Of course_ he didn't believe you! You're a _teenage boy_! What you say to _any_ legal law enforcer has as much validity as a cheap tabloid!" The man suddenly paused to give the boy a quick look over, before adding with slight disgust, "And let's not forget the way you dress."

Danny's lower jaw fell open. But getting over the initial shock, he quickly looked himself over, before glaring back at Vlad, and hotly asking, "What's wrong with my clothes?"

Vlad raised a finger. "Well, it's- Never mind," he quickly dismissed his comment with a waving hand when he realized how ridiculous their arguing had gotten. He turned his attention to the now passing sights through the window.

But Danny was not about to let the man drop this 'discussion' that easily.

"No. I want to know what's wrong with my clothes!" the teen pressed angrily. "You're the one who brought it up, so now you better tell me!"

"Cinnamon sticks!" Vlad cursed, glaring back at the teenager. "Would you just let this go? I'm not arguing with you over your clothes preference!"

"Then maybe you shouldn't have said anything about them in the first place!" Danny snapped back.

Vlad pinched his nose in utter frustration. "Listen, Daniel, just forget I said anything, alright? _It's over_," he said seriously before looking back out the window.

With a scowl on his face, Danny crossed his arms and stared out his own window, while angrily thinking, "_There's nothing wrong with my clothes. He's the one that needs a fashion makeover."_

* * *

About two hours later, Danny and Vlad were still driving towards the billionaire's next stop. And although the time had been spent in utter silence, both of them were now a lot calmer, and had all but forgotten their heated argument.

Danny yawned as he vaguely took in the world outside his limo window. He was so bored it was making him tired. If it wasn't because his arch-enemy was in the car with him, he would have already dozed off. And speaking of the guy, what the heck was he reading? Throughout the whole ride, he had had his eyes glued to a stack of papers from one of the folders Stephanie had given to him. Danny didn't know how the man did it. He would have gotten carsick by now from all that reading!

The teen supposed it was better that the man was occupied. It kept Vlad from bugging him. Still, just _being_ with the man for so long was gritting on his nerves. The guy couldn't do anything right! Of all things, even the fact that his arch-enemy was _not _paying attention to him was irritating him now! And geez! Would this ride never end? All that his boredom and this long trip were doing was making him testier. And currently it was directed towards the only person with him. The teen could just feel the tension in the air, and he didn't even know at this point which made him edgier: Vlad's talking or not talking to him.

His thoughts prompted the teenager to glance over at the distracted billionaire; but seeing nothing had changed with the man, Danny returned his gaze back to the window. His eyes dimmed again; however, it wasn't long before he couldn't take the growing dullness any longer.

"What time is it?" Danny asked tiredly, his bleary eyes to the window.

Vlad barely gave his watch a glance before causally replying, "Five till one."

Danny sighed, drifting back both into his seat and into his half-thoughts. Where the heck were they going that was taking so long? Alaska? Okay, maybe that was a bit of a stretch, but this car ride was still taking too long. He wasn't use to such long trips in the first place, let alone such a long one with nothing to do! He was so restless! And not to mention…. he was regretting not eating back at DALV. He was really hungry-but he wasn't about to tell his arch-enemy that.

As if sensing the boy's agitation, Vlad suddenly but detractingly said, "Relax, Daniel. We will be arriving shortly."

Danny just yawned once more, before slouching further down in the leather seat.

Vlad finally glanced at the boy and his eyebrows unwillingly creased with mild sympathy. With slight hesitation, he then uttered, "I'm sorry that this is so dull for you, my boy. But in all fairness, I did warn you."

For some reason, the man's empathy jolted Danny's heart with bitterness. But he kept the emotion at bay; and instead, he shrugged, before replying with indifference, "It's not like I would have been better off at your house."

Vlad, who had returned his attention to the papers in his hand, almost visibly cringed from the unexpected blow of guilt. He quickly snuffed out the feeling, before coolly pointing out the truth, "Well, I do recall asking for your interests, child. Contrary to what you may believe, I cannot read your mind. If you refuse to tell me what it is that you like to do, I cannot help you, now can I? "

Although he wanted to be angry with the man's comment, Danny felt something completely different. And he had to hastily turn his eyes back to the window to hide his sadness. What he 'liked' was simple. It just couldn't be found in Wisconsin, so how could Vlad _help_ him? There was _nothing_ the billionaire could do for him. Even if he answered the man, it wouldn't help in the least, since the man would never understand just how much he liked _being with his friends…_How much he liked hanging out at Floody Waters or at the carnival with them; getting on roller coasters until their heads spun! He even _liked_ hearing his sister's weird psychoanalysis blathers even when they also annoyed him! He liked hearing his parents silly squabbling over his father's goof-ups or their enjoyment and excitement over their latest invention. Heck! He even liked all the craziness at school sometimes! And most recently…. he liked seeing his new puppy, TJ, jump on his bed and snuggle up beside him…

But what good would it do to tell his arch-enemy any of that? Vlad was one of the richest men, and definitely the most powerful man in the world! And yet, the billionaire could not give him anything that he liked. How could he ever give him Amity Park? What _would_ Vlad do if he told him how much different this place felt compared to his own home? He didn't just like his town, he _loved_ it. And he loved it because everything he liked, everything he _needed_ was there. And there was nothing he liked more than flying high above, besides the twinkling stars, and taking in the sight of _his_ Amity Park. He _liked_ his sanctuary…

Vlad looked up in confusion when the boy didn't reply. But the man frowned the moment he noticed Daniel's slumped shoulders and lowered head. The boy's gloomy demeanor was obvious even when he was looking away. And it didn't take a lot of brainpower to understand why Daniel was upset.

Vlad's eyes drifted over to his window just as a pang in his heart stirred an idea. Still, he hesitated with it. His last suggestion could have been a disaster, with his practically inviting the boy to discover things he did not want him finding out-like the growing ghost problems in Amity Park. But luckily, he realized his slip in time and had quickly called Stephanie to check on Daniel and also had her call networking to stop all computer connections. The man, however, was almost certain that Daniel had **not** discovered anything. Otherwise, the teen's temper would have definitely let him know.

But even though he wasn't very sure about his latest idea, the sight of the gloomy child was enough incentive for him to decide in favor of it.

With a reluctant sigh that quickly got the boy's attention, Vlad set down his papers on his lap, and spoke up, "I'll tell you what: the place we are heading to is located in the downtown area of this city. Why don't you look around while I take care of things at this company?"

Danny stared at the billionaire with incredibility. "Are you serious?"

Vlad raised an eyebrow at the boy. "Well, if you prefer to just sit in another off-"

"No!" the teen quickly cut off, sounding a little too desperate for his liking. "I mean… I don't mind looking around while you do your thing," he elaborated in a calmer voice, while an appreciative smile tugged at his lips.

Vlad showed no reaction to the teenager's outburst or smile, and just continued in the same even tone of voice. "Alright. Then, that's what we will do… _on_ one condition.

Danny's smile melded into a frown at the unexpected addition to the man's words. "Condition?" he repeated, a bit disheartened. And here he thought Vlad was actually just being nice… What a silly thought. _Of course_ the man had a condition. He _always_ had conditions to _everything_.

"I want Carl to drive you around," Vlad said seriously without missing a beat. "You might not be two-years-old, Daniel; but you still do not know a thing about this place. Furthermore, I do not want you to be mistaken for a trouble-making adolescent again. I don't have the time or patience for it. And with Carl with you, it insures me that that won't happen again, understand?"

Danny's frown deepened, but he nodded anyways.

"Good," the man said almost flippantly. "Now, you'll have to forgive me, but I can no longer entertain you. I need to finish reading this contract before we arrive; and by the looks of our current location, that gives me about ten more minutes to read… seven pages."

Vlad didn't bother to see the boy's reaction to what he had said and just returned to his reading. Although the reasons he gave Daniel for having Carl drive him around were true reasons, they were not his _only_ reasons for sending the ghost along. The older hybrid might have a soft spot for the child, leading to moments of weakness on his part; however, that did not mean that it also led to moments of stupidity. He wasn't foolish enough to trust Daniel to roam around on his own.

Danny, who had dismissed his arch-enemy's cold treatment with a shake of his head, had returned to his sightseeing. But the sights were now the last thing from his mind. Even if he didn't have any friends with which to hang out, the teenager was at least grateful for the chance of walking around. He needed to see new things and new people. And better yet, people that were not connected to Vlad Masters in any way. Sure, he would have preferred to roam alone, but having Carl along didn't bother him too much. He was kind of relieved that that had been the man's only condition. He had expected something worse. Danny couldn't think of what that could be at the moment; but after everything else the man had done to him, he wouldn't put it past Plasmius...

As Vlad had said, the limo soon came to a stop ten minutes later. The teen curiously scanned the place they were parked by, and saw that this was a smaller cooperation than DALV. However, this one wasn't just one building, but several buildings joined together, almost like a hospital. He couldn't be sure; but by the look of all the different hotels in the vicinity, the teen believed that this corporation was at the hub of the business complex.

"Daniel?"

Danny shifted his eyes over to Vlad in time to see him pulling out his wallet from his suit's inner pocket. The billionaire quickly took out an uncounted amount of money and then extended it towards the boy.

But Danny didn't move a finger; and instead just stared at the offered cash with confusion. His eyes then slowly lifted to the billionaire's as he asked with the same emotion, "What's that for?"

Vlad rolled his eyes, before tersely replying, "What do you _think_ it's for?"

Danny quickly looked away, feeling very uncomfortable with accepting money from his arch-enemy. "I-I don't need it," he said hesitantly.

But not in the mood for the boy's reluctance, Vlad quickly reached over and grabbed one of the teenager's hands. He shoved the money within it as he annoyingly said, "I really do not have time for this. I'm already late."

Jolted by the man's unexpected actions, it took Danny a moment to calm enough to look down at the cash in his hands. But the instant he did, his mouth fell open at the several hundred dollars now in his possession. "Jeez, Vlad! Do you want me to buy a car or something?"

Vlad, who had been gathering his things, rolled his eyes once more; but, otherwise, he ignored the teen. Right then, the door opened-courtesy of his driver-and the billionaire moved to get out. However, as soon as he got out, he turned right back around and pinned the young hybrid with a stern look as he said, "Get lunch. Do not get into trouble. And do not, by _any means,_ use your ghost powers. You have one hour."

The billionaire got out and shut the door before Danny could even uttered a single word. But the boy instantly looked out after the man, and could see that Vlad had begun to talk to Carl just outside of the car. However, to the teenager's annoyance, he couldn't hear anything-nor could he read lips. Danny briefly scowled down at the cash in his hands, only to suddenly jump back in his seat, startled by the car door suddenly opening again.

Vlad raised an eyebrow at the boy's odd behavior; but he quickly dismissed it, and continued with what he was about to say, "On your return, we will be taking my helicopter to our next destination; so you'll need to meet me at the top floor of building 'A', on the north wing. Carl will take you. Oh, one last thing, get that alarm-clock you need. If you require any more money, just let Carl know; I gave him one of my cards. He'll know what to do." The man suddenly leaned closer as his serious look transformed into one of his annoying smirks. "I think that covers it. Be a good boy, hmm?"

"Sure. Do I get a biscuit now?" Danny replied sardonically, crossing his arms as he watched his enemy's smile change into a frown.

"You can buy it," the billionaire retorted coolly, before briskly turning and closing the door.

Danny glared as he watched the man walk off; but then his anger melded into a devilish smirk with his next thought, _"He's lucky I'm trying to get along with him; otherwise, I would so top out his credit card just to make him mad." _

"Sir?"

Danny looked towards the front of the limo and realized Vlad's driver had just rolled down the tinted window that had been separating him from view. But at that same instant, the teen's ghost sense went off. This time it didn't go unnoticed by him.

Danny's eyes widened as he stared back at Carl, a stream of painful memories suddenly flooding his mind. And his ghost sense had merely hammered it home. The young hybrid had completely forgotten that Vlad's driver was a ghost! Since he met Carl, the ghost had always held his human-like appearance; but now that the chauffer was inside the limousine where no one could see him, he obviously didn't mind dropping his disguise. The teenager was now _alone_ with his arch-enemy's red-eyed, green-skinned ghost driver!

Danny slowly began to reach towards the door, while his eyes darted from the ghost to his surroundings, in an attempt to find the quickest escape route. He did not want to stay to find out what evil things this ghost had in store for him.

Carl's eyebrows creased in bewilderment; but then quickly realizing why the child was so apprehensive, he smiled and calmly said, "Sir, you don't have to worry. I have nothing against you."

Danny froze, before he suspiciously replied, "Really?"

The ghost chuckled. "As our common friend often says: 'not all ghosts are evil', sir."

The boy's eyes widened a bit in surprise. "You're friends with the Dairy King?" he questioned, already feeling himself relaxing with the thought.

Carl's smile just widened in response. But he then asked, "Where do you wish to go?"

Now certain that he wasn't evil, Danny finally grinned at the ghostly driver, and replied, "Know any good burger places?"

Vlad's chauffeur nodded. "I know the prefect one," he answered with mirth, before lifting up the window again.

* * *

Danny sighed blissfully when he finished slurping on his soda. "Now that hits the spot," he said with a grin, as he leaned back against the seat at the burger place and stared at the remains of his lunch. He had been craving a greasy and fattening fast-food meal for a while now. But he had been craving a carbonated beverage _even more_! For some reason beyond the teen's comprehension, Vlad did not believe in 'normal' food or drinks-which for Danny was defined as junk food and soft drinks. Okay, maybe the young hybrid could let it pass not having chips around your house, but _soda_? Who in their right mind would deprive themselves of the most perfect beverage known to Man?

"_Oh, right,"_ Danny thought with a smirk. _"I almost forgot Vlad's a fruit loop. Well, he's not turning me into one."_

With that thought, the boy stood and went to discard his trash, but made sure to keep his cup so he could refill it with some more of that bubbly and sugary liquid on his way out. He stopped right outside of the burger place when he saw Carl, who had been waiting for him outside of the car, and was now currently being cornered by three young women. Danny chuckled quietly at the annoyed look on the ghost's face as they attempted to flirt with him, with the ruse of trying to find out who owned the slick limousine he was driving.

The teen decided to help the poor guy and went over to him. The three women immediately frowned in disappointment when they saw that Carl's 'employer' was just a mere child. They quickly waved off the ghost-not that they knew he was one-and left.

"That happen a lot?" Danny asked, looking after the women.

"_A lot_ is an understatement," the driver replied dryly. "At least Mr. Masters isn't here this time. That's when it gets troublesome," he added as an afterthought. But before the boy could react to his words, Carl smiled at him, and said, "You look happy."

Danny placed a hand against his abdomen. "My stomach is," he answered before taking another gulp of his soda.

The chauffer chuckled before opening the passenger door. "How about we go find that clock now?"

Danny nodded, but he didn't make any movements to get into the car just yet. He instead looked down the street and at the people walking along it, most of them in a hurry to get somewhere. Even if the heavily trafficked and populated downtown was a bit overwhelming, especially since Amity's small downtown didn't compare to the vastness of this one, the boy really wanted to walk around. He was tired of being confined and isolated from the world.

"Hey, uh, do you think I could just…walk to that store," the young hybrid asked, looking up at the ghost driver with an almost pleading look.

Carl immediately frowned. "But that store is several blocks away. It would take at least half-an-hour to walk there."

"Well, isn't there a closer place I could go? No offense, but having to get back in a car, after being in it for over two hours, doesn't sound very appealing to me."

The chauffer looked down a particular street, though he now looked unsure, even a bit nervous. But with a reluctant sigh, he nodded, and looked back at the boy. "There is another electronics store about a block from here. I had preferred that you would not go to that one because of its vastness. However, if you really prefer to walk…"

"I do," the teen said with a small smile that finally convinced the ghost.

"Alright. But I'm going with you. Mr. Masters would waste me if something was to happen and I don't return with you," Carl said seriously as he activated the limo's alarm. "It's down in that direction."

Danny nodded and quickly got into step with the driver. But he noticed that the ghost looked worried for some reason, which quickly prompted the teen to ask, "When you said Vlad would waste you... were you being literal?"

Carl shrugged. "I don't know. I don't intend to find out. And now that we are on the subject, how about we keep this little walk to ourselves? You're alright, kid. But I'm not ruining what I have here for you," he said seriously.

The young hybrid looked curiously at him. "And what is it that you have with Vlad? I mean, you drive him around. I don't understand how…"

"It's more than that," Carl replied calmly as he pressed a 'walk' button at the corner of the street. "It has to do with the very reason many of… _my kind_," he stated carefully, aware of the number of people around them, "-are always looking for ways to leave our 'natural home'. Now, don't get me wrong, my kind—including myself-hold a strong connection with our home. It is why we are always coming and going. We could never break out ties to our home completely. It almost calls to us, you see."

As they finally crossed the street, Danny continued to listen to Carl with much interest, especially when he heard his next words. "You are half of what I am; so, then, I'm sure you feel that attraction, too. The other part of you surely must feel more at home in the…_Ghost Zone_," the ghost said, whispering the name of the spectral realm. "Or am I wrong?" he added with a raised eyebrow.

Danny looked away for a moment. He wasn't very comfortable with admitting that the ghost was right. Part of him indeed felt attracted to the Ghost Zone. But was that even right? He was foremost human, after all. He shouldn't long for a place that wasn't natural for him. Or was it? Didn't the ghost realm become part of his nature the day he became half-ghost?

"It's alright. You don't need to answer. I know that you feel it, too," Carl said with a shrug. "My point is that even if my natural home is important to me; even if it holds wonders that you would never find anywhere else, it still cannot provide for me what _this place_ can. I am not sure what that is exactly. But there is just something special about this place-_your _natural home. It feels so much different than my own. The air. The sun. The sights. I can tell you that even with all its wonders, my home does not compare to yours. The sky above us alone surpasses the most stunning sight _my_ natural home could offer."

"I couldn't agree with you more on that one," Danny said, smiling up at the clear blue sky. But he then looked back at the ghost driver with a small frown. "I never thought of it that way. I mean, I always thought that gho—_your kind_ just came to cause trouble. Okay, yeah, not all of you are evil. But I guess I just never thought this place was as important to you guys as it is to, well, my kind."

"Your human kind, you mean," Carl with a smirk. For some reason the child was uncomfortable with accepting the fact that he was as much ghost as he was human. He had two natures now; and they were equally part of him.

But seeing the boy's frown deepen, the driver continued with what they were talking about. "Although plenty of my kind indeed just come to cause havoc, I'm not one of them. And neither are many of those employed by Mr. Masters. It's simple, young sir. While we provide our services to him, he provides us with a safe haven. We do not need to worry about being hunted down and captured. We have no necessity of restlessly roaming around because we have a _solid_ place to call home. We get to live a peaceful after-life here on this plane, doing what we like. And in our own spare time, we can do as we please. We even have access to our natural home any time we want. So, you tell me, what more could we ask for?"

Danny sipped thoughtfully on his soda, before replying, "Well, if you are not evil, then doesn't it bother you to work for someone that is?"

Carl shrugged. "I don't know what he does outside of my duties towards him. There are always rumors in my natural home, of course. But I don't take much interest in them. So, then, I couldn't say that he's evil. But even if that were true, it isn't my business. Sure, he's a very demanding person, but he respects us and we respect him. He doesn't ask questions about our personal doings; and we don't ask him of his. It's how it works."

The ghost paused and then added. "I'm sure you have your reasons for believing he is evil-just like it doesn't take any inner knowledge to see that you are here against your will. But there is more to Mr. Masters than you realize. There's more to him than _anyone_ realizes, I think."

The teenager stayed quiet for a moment, unsure if he really wanted to dive any more into this sort of conversation. But something inside his being urged him to continue.

"What makes you say that?" Danny asked quietly.

Carl gave him a confused look. "Well, isn't it obvious? He keeps everyone at a distance and only shows them what he wants them to see. It's an amazing ability. I don't know how he does it. But he's really good at making himself a mystery to others…. It sure looks exhausting, though," he finished with a thoughtful look. But, suddenly, as if realizing everything he had said, he startled a little, and frowned down at the quiet teenager beside him. "I shouldn't be telling you this..."

Danny's eyebrows creased. "Why? I'm not gonna tell him."

The chauffeur nodded, "And I appreciate that. But you're his enemy," he said warily, placing an odd look on the boy's face. "And talking about him to you is practically betraying him." The ghost's eyes widened a bit with his own realization. "We need to change subjects… So! After you get that clock where else do you wish to go?" he asked, smiling calmly again.

But the teenager didn't return the sentiment. He didn't even answer the question, and instead continued with their topic despite the ghost's obvious desire to end it.

"I don't get it. Why are you guys so… protective of him?" Danny asked, getting exasperated. Sure, he now understood why they worked for the man. But why did they shield the billionaire so much?

Carl gave the aggravated child a wary look; but he then frowned at him again. "We have been with Mr. Masters for more than a decade; we see him every day. We interact every day. Of course we are going to protect him. He's practically family."

"But you just said yourself he keeps everyone at a distance. And I have seen the way he treats you guys. He's… indifferent; cold with you all! Do think he would lift a finger to protect you guys back?" Danny retorted seriously.

Carl immediately halted and his eyes flashed with anger, startling the teenager. "What would you know? You've only been here for a couple of months! How could you _possibly_ understand? We _need_ him! If something were to ever happen to him, we would be left without a home; without our duties! He is important to us. And if he has kept us at his side for all these years, then we hold some importance to him, too! And that's all I care to know! That's why I and everyone else are loyal to him! And will always be!"

Danny just stared at the ghost, frozen by his words and abrupt change in demeanor. But, somehow, even when it was he who was being yelled at, the teen felt a wave of guilt hit his stomach. Who was he to question these ghosts' relationship with Vlad? He was practically an intruder in their lives. Carl was right. He didn't know anything about what their life with the man. And if they had been with him for so long, then Vlad had to be doing something right.

"You're right," the teen said with a sigh. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. It isn't any of my business what you guys do with him."

The ghost driver's anger instantly snuffed away, and he frowned when he realized his shouts had attracted the attention of bystanders. He sighed himself before moving forward again; and seeing Danny fall in step with him, he spoke again in a worried voice, "I knew this walk was a bad idea… I apologize. I had no right to speak to you in such a way." He gave the teen a weak smile, and added, "I often get testy when I spend too much time away from the vehicle I'm driving."

Danny gave him an unsure look. "But it's only been, like, ten minutes since we left the car behind."

Carl nodded. "I know. It's a long time," he said seriously.

The young hybrid just stared at the ghost for a moment. Did all ghosts have some kind of obsession? If so, he just found out what Carl's was.

"You know, George and Niane said something similar to me when I asked them about Vlad," the teen continued, this time choosing his words more carefully.

Carl raised an eyebrow. "Niane? She talked to you about Mr. Masters?" he asked, confused.

This time, Danny shared the sentiment as he replied, "Yeah. She's told me more about him than anyone else….It's sometimes kinda creepy _the way_ she talks about him."

The chauffer frowned, but he then turned his eyes back to the street, and uttered. "Huh. That's strange."

The boy's interest quickly sparked. "What is?"

"What you said," Carl replied in a slow and thoughtful voice. "Niane rarely interacts with Mr. Masters. In fact, it's almost like she goes out of her way to avoid being anywhere near him. So, I fine it strange that she would talk to you about him at all. Don't get me wrong. She's loyal to him, as are we all. But… she keeps her distance. Maybe she's intimidated by him. I don't understand it," he finished with a dismissive shrug.

"I don't know," Danny replied in a pondering voice. "She doesn't seem to be scared of him. And I have seen her plenty of times around Vlad."

"But that's only because you're around," he ghost retorted. "Before you came to the castle, one would rarely find her in the same room as Mr. Masters, let alone speak to him. Would I be wrong if I said that when you have seen her near him, she attends to you and not him?"

Danny jolted. Carl was right! Niane never attended to Vlad. It was always either Martha or Patricia who did. And now that he thought about it, he had never seen the young maid speak to the man. The only time had been when Skulker tried to harm her the day after Vlad had put him in a cage for messing up his dinner with those rich men. But it could have just been out of fear that she had jumped to her apology to Vlad. Maybe she really was scared of him? But that would make no sense. You don't defend someone you fear!

"I wouldn't waste my energy trying to figure out that mystery, young sir," Carl said when he noticed the boy's thoughtful look. "We have been trying for years now and we have not been able to solve it yet. And I don't think we ever will."

"Well, why don't you just ask her?" Danny retorted, feeling even more curious over the whole thing.

Carl chuckled. "She won't tell us. All she says is that she has her reasons. I think she's just intimated by him. I don't blame her, though. He has that effect on plenty of people."

The young hybrid didn't say anything. He didn't know what to think. But so far, this outing with Vlad was revealing that not only was the man himself a mystery, but so were a lot of those around him.

"_Great. Just what I need. Detective work,"_ Danny thought with mild annoyance.

The boy turned his full attention to his surroundings, not finding more to say; but he was glad for it, because all this weirdness was giving him a headache. He stared at the several clothing shops they were walking by, while Carl seemed to relax again, thankful that the child had finally dropped their conversation regarding his employer. He didn't feel comfortable talking about the older halfa to the younger one when they were supposedly enemies…

"Hey, let's go in there for a sec," Danny suddenly said, getting the ghost's attention.

Carl looked at the candy store the boy was pointing at and nodded. "You go. I'm going to wait out here for you."

The teen frowned. "I don't mind that you go with me, you know."

The ghost smiled. "No, it's not that. I just rather look around at all these cars. Aren't they something?" he asked, his smile widening when his gaze went from a very nice looking car to a particularly unusual parked car to the left of him.

Danny briefly gave Carl a 'you're nuts' look as the ghost stared admirably at a rusted-out, obviously abandoned car—flat tires, broken windows and all! But the teen then shrugged it off. "Okay. Whatever," he replied dismissively, before walking towards the candy shop. The teen halted just as he grabbed the shop's door, and looked back at Carl.

"That's not normal," the teen muttered as he watched the ghost driver slowly walking around the junk car, inspecting it as if he were a customer at a dealership.

Danny sighed before finally entering the store.

* * *

By the time the young hybrid had returned, he was in a much better mood. So much, in fact, that when he met up with Vlad at the helicopter pad and saw that the man's pilot was the same ghost pilot that disliked him, the boy just ignored him-even when the evil spirit openly glared at him when the older hybrid hadn't been looking.

Danny didn't understand why this ghost didn't like him. But the teen knew why _he_ didn't like him. It was hard to forget how the evil pilot had forced his mother and him out of the plane, which had landed them right into Vlad's little ploy at the Rockies. Still, the teen just went aboard the copter without a glance at the ghost. He had too much sugar currently in his hands to care about anything else.

Since they met up, Vlad had just kept staring at the boy with an odd look. But when he had eventually asked the teen how his outing went, all he had gotten as a reply was a distracted, 'It was fine,' before the child continued to slurp on what the billionaire assumed to be some kind of soft drink. Just exactly how many cups had the boy had?

Ultimately, the man didn't say anything else; and instead took his own seat and quickly went back to the folders in his hands. As he began reading through some more papers again, Jim, his ghost pilot, and Carl, who Vlad had asked to accompany them to their next destination, went up front to sit. In a few minutes, Jim had the helicopter airborne, and he then began conversing with Carl.

Back in the passenger cabin, the two half-ghosts were doing the exact opposite. Although there was no noticeable tension in the air, the two were still ignoring each other and doing their own thing. That is, until the rustling of a bag turned Vlad's attention to the boy in front of him.

The man raised an eyebrow as he watched Daniel unwrap a chocolate bar and begin to munch on it in between his intake of the liquid chemicals in his cup. The teen remained oblivious to his enemy's staring since the boy was transfixed with the fluffy clouds moving by just outside his window.

The billionaire finally frowned when he next saw the teenager search through the large bag in his hands and pull out more candy: this time, a bag of gummy bears. The man quickly scanned the boy's immediate surroundings, hoping to find another bag somewhere. But, no, the only bag Daniel had with him was the one in his hands.

Vlad tried to go back to ignoring the boy. He really did. But when he watched Daniel pull out a bottle of soda from the same bag, open the top, and pour it inside his now empty cup, the man couldn't hold in his thoughts any longer.

"I'm sorry. But do you mean to tell me that all you managed to buy was candy and soda-pop?" Vlad asked in disbelief.

Danny startled a little with the sudden sound of his enemy's voice. But he quickly relaxed and looked over at the man with a confused look. "What?"

"Is that all you bought?" Vlad questioned with a bit of annoyance, while pointing at the bag.

The boy looked down at his candy, before retuning his blue eyes to the older half-ghost and shaking his head. "No… I got the alarm clock," he said slowly, not understanding the man's aggravation.

"Well, where is it?" Vlad almost snapped back.

Danny popped in a gummy bear into his mouth before calmly replying, "In the limo. Why would I bring it with me when we are coming back to the car later?"

The billionaire briefly looked out the window, in hopes of pushing down his growing frustration. It didn't exactly work.

"Let me get this straight," the man began, looking back at the boy. "I give you several hundred dollars; I allow you to walk around in one of the most famous downtowns in the U.S.; and all you can manage to buy is _candy_?"

Danny gave him a confused look. "I told you I got the alarm clock."

"Only because I told you to buy it," Vlad retorted dryly.

"Well, yeah, but…. What else did you want me to get?" Danny questioned, still not getting what the man was so worked up about.

"Something _besides_ candy, Daniel."

Danny shrugged; but he then quickly pulled out another chocolate bar; and with an innocent smile, he teasingly asked the annoyed man. "Do you want some?"

The teen didn't know why, but Vlad's frustration over something so trivial amused him. Then again, maybe it was because Danny was feeling much more lighthearted after his hour of 'freedom'. Or it could just be all the sugar.

Vlad rolled his eyes at the boy's mocking offer. "Do you realize how unhealthy that is?"

"I'm fifteen. I don't really care," Danny retorted in matter-of-factly voice, before gulping down some more soda.

Vlad coolly brushed off the boy's words, but still answered his initial question, "Uh-huh. By the way, I appreciate the offer, but I rather not. I already had lunch."

Danny took a bite of his chocolate bar, and calmly answered, "So did I."

The billionaire shot him a look of disgust, before lowering his eyes back to his papers. There was a moment of silence, before he distractingly said, "I hope all that sugar does not have you bouncing all over the place later."

Danny immediately glared at him. Why that Jerk! He just couldn't let things go, could he? The man just _had_ to have the last word! He _always_ had to say the last deprecating or double-edged comment! It infuriated the teenager to no end! But not this time. Danny was not letting him have the last say!

A clever smirk ghosted the teen's lips as a retort sprung to his mind, and he casually voiced it. "Nah, sugar doesn't do that to me. Well, _actually_, now that I think about it, it's my _ghost powers_ that get all jumpy."

Vlad instantly looked back at the boy, something akin to alarm flashing in the man's eyes. There was a brief moment of tension as he just stared at Danny, who had gone back to staring out the window and eating his candy. At that instant, the billionaire was convince that the teenager was serious; and remembering the last time Daniel's powers went out of control, Vlad quickly snatched the bag of candy away from the boy.

Danny gasped at his arch-enemy's unexpected reaction. But he quickly pushed aside his surprise and angrily grabbed the bag back. However, when the man wouldn't let it go, the teen exclaimed, "Chill out, Vlad! I was kidding!"

The older hybrid stared seriously at the glaring boy; and realizing that Daniel really had been joking, he finally let go of the bag of candy. The man calmed a bit, but his annoyance was clear in his next words. "That wasn't in the least bit humorous, Daniel."

Danny tersely stuffed his bag of candy in between him and his seat, so to keep it safe from his evil, candy-snatching arch-enemy. But that didn't keep the boy from murmuring a retort under his breath, "Of course it wasn't. You don't have a sense of humor."

"I heard that," Vlad informed the boy in an offhanded manner as he looked back at his papers.

"Good," Danny grumbled, before sipping on his soda.

The single word finally set the man off. "_What_?" he asked, glaring dangerously at the young hybrid.

Danny automatically cringed; but he quickly reacted with a weak smile. "I said, _here,_" he replied, covering his previous word by pulling out from his jean pocket the money that he hadn't used-which was practically all of it-and extending it to the man.

Vlad's anger quickly melded back into deep annoyance, before he looked back at his papers and went back to ignoring the teenager.

Danny instantly frowned. "I'm serious, Vlad. Take the money."

"Keep it. You might need it later," the billionaire answered, a bit of irritation escaping his otherwise calm voice.

But the young half-ghost was not happy with the response. He already didn't feel right with taking the money in the first place; now let alone holding on to the several hundred dollars he had not used. The teen might have been trying to 'live' with his arch-enemy, but that didn't mean he was about to accept 'gifts' from him.

"No, I won't," Danny stated firmly, reaching over and placing the money on top of the billionaire's suitcase resting on the seat beside the man.

"Very well," Vlad said causally, having seen the boy's actions through his peripheral vision. "But just so you know, Vazier Industries-the place we are heading to now-has strict security measures. Yes, that means _cameras_ in every corner, Daniel. So, if you get arrested, make no mistake. I am not bailing you out."

Danny's eyes widened in alarm, but then they quickly narrowed as he stared between the billionaire and the money on top of the briefcase. With a soft growl, the boy made up his mind and snatched the money back, before crossing his arms and scowling at his window.

Vlad smirked triumphantly, the papers he was reading covering the expression from view. The boy was just so easy to manipulate that it was amusing.

Some time later, Danny had grown restless enough to forget his annoyance with Vlad, and speak to him again. "Is this place even in Wisconsin?"

"Um-hmm," Vlad replied absently.

"Well, it doesn't feel like it. I mean, it's been like three hours and we are still in this helicopter," Danny said, sounding a little too anxious for his liking.

Vlad shot the boy a condescending look. "Daniel, it hasn't even been an hour yet."

"Seriously?" the teen replied in disbelief. It felt like they had been flying for hours now! "I don't believe you," he added with a frown.

The billionaire raised an eyebrow as he retorted, "Then, look outside and convince yourself. You can tell time by the sun, can't you?"

Danny blinked in surprise. "How do you know that?"

Vlad tensed, realizing his slip. He knew because he had caught the boy doing it the day he had gone after him to see what Daniel did out in the woods. But the man wasn't about to tell the teenager that. He decided to change the subject.

"We are about to arrive, Daniel," he said, his eyes to his papers. "You should go to the front. You'll get a good view of the city from there as we descend."

The teen's frown returned, annoyed that the man wouldn't answer his question. But instead of saying anything about it, he addressed Vlad's last comment.

"No, thanks. I don't feel like being attacked by your crazy ghost pilot."

"His name is Jim," Vlad replied dryly.

"Fine," Danny said, rolling his eyes. "I don't feel like being attacked by _Jim_."

It was Vlad's turn to roll his eyes. "He isn't going to attack you, Daniel."

"Says the guy who ordered him to throw me off a plane in the middle of nowhere," the teen muttered, purposely not mentioning his mother.

"_Alright_. He won't attack you unless I tell him. Feel better?" the billionaire retorted sarcastically.

"No," Danny said seriously.

Vlad sighed sharply as he lowered his papers to look back at the boy. But before he could say anything, his ghost pilot's voice rang from the intercom above him.

"Sir, we are about to descend."

The billionaire looked down and quickly strapped on his seatbelt. But he then looked back at the teenager and raised an expectant eyebrow.

"Yeah, I know," Danny grumbled before snapping on his own belt. He didn't see his arch-enemy pinch his nose in frustration since his gaze went to the view right outside. But when he saw that they were descending close to several satellite dishes lined in a vast field, the boy quickly looked at Vlad again, and curiously asked, "Where did you say we were going?"

"Vazier Industries. Or at least its branch here in Wisconsin. It's one of the world's leading communication developers." Vlad suddenly smirked as he then added in a bragging voice, "Even with your attempt to sabotage the deal that night at the castle, I still became M.V.I's co-owner."

Danny crossed his arms, and sarcastically replied, "Congratulations. But I hope you're not also expecting an apology 'cause I'm not giving it to you."

Vlad glared, but he forced himself to bite back a snide remark and just started putting away the documents he had taken out.

Danny stared at the angry man, a bit surprised he had not said something back. But he didn't say anything further, either. The teen knew that his last comment hadn't been the _friendliest_ one, but Vlad's smug little remark had irritated the boy too much for him to care.

A few minutes later, the half-ghosts, along with Carl, were walking down a hallway with Vlad leading the way. The teen gave the ghost driver beside him a curious look when he saw he didn't look very happy. It took Danny only a moment to remember Carl didn't like being away from vehicles for very long periods of time. And the teen had a feeling that whatever the billionaire was doing here was going to take a long time.

Danny didn't say anything, though. He was also annoyed with Vlad's decision of bringing Carl along. Apparently, Vlad didn't trust him to not get lost or in trouble again. So, now the teen had a ghost 'babysitter' to keep an eye on him while the man attended to his work.

The boy pushed aside his thoughts when he caught sight of Stephanie and two other men waiting for them at the end of the hallway. Why was she here? And…was that the same guy he had overshadowed at Vlad's castle?

Halting in front of them, Danny realized it was indeed the same guy: Vlad's attorney. But the other guy with him, he didn't know. However, he soon found out.

"So we meet again, little jié," Stephanie said with a smirk.

Danny just smiled respectfully; but Vlad briefly stared at his secretary with a serious look. However, the man didn't say anything to her, and instead, addressed the two men beside the woman. "Clare. Gomar. Thank you for coming," he said, shaking hands with them.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Masters. I'm happy to be of service to you," Clare replied while shaking his client's hand.

"As am I," Gomar then said, also greeting the billionaire.

Vlad nodded, before turning slightly to gesture at the teenager behind him. "Gentlemen, allow me to introduce to you my nephew, Daniel. And beside him is Carl, my chauffeur."

The men shook hands with the teenager and ghost driver, while exchanging polite greetings. With the brief introduction out of the way, the three men and woman went straight to business, while Danny and Carl silently stood at the sidelines.

"Mr. Masters," Stephanie said. "We are meeting with the executive directors at the administrative center. I believe they are already there."

"Shall we, then?" Vlad uttered, gesturing the way to those with him, before they all headed to their destination to begin the inspection and walk-through of the vast facility.

Danny and Carl took up the rear. As they walked down a long hallway, the teenager noticed Vlad discreetly grab Stephanie's lower arm and slow them down enough so that they could speak in private. The two other men thought nothing of it and continued to chat with each other. And when the teen looked up at Carl, he saw that the ghost wasn't even paying attention to notice his employer's actions.

Danny frowned quizzically. What could they be talking about that they didn't want anyone else to hear?

Suddenly feeling a bit daring, the boy carefully began to pick up his pace, but the instant he got into hearing range, the billionaire quickly tensed before looking back at him with a frown. The look alone was enough for the young hybrid to back off. Whatever they were talking about, Vlad didn't want him hearing it.

And it was for a good reason, too. The billionaire was talking to Stephanie about Danny. But their conversation wasn't exactly a pleasant one.

"I don't care if he does not know what it means, Stephanie. Stop calling him that," Vlad said seriously. Somehow, though, the man's aggravation only showed in his eyes, allowing him to appear calm to those around them.

His secretary, however, didn't seem bothered by her employer's demeanor. "But it's true, is it not?" she asked calmly.

"That is not the point. I do not want him finding out. I think you can respect that," Vlad answered back.

"Well, of course I can, Vlad. And I do. However, I do not see why it bothers you so much. I think he has a right to know."

"No," Vlad said firmly. "He has no right. It is not any of his business; just as it is not any of your business, either, Stephanie."

The green-eyed woman stayed quiet for a moment. But when she spoke again, it was obvious she was now upset. "You're right. It is not any of my business…. Maybe it never has been."

Vlad glanced at Stephanie, before he quietly sighed. "I didn't mean to offend you. But… I _need_ you to understand."

"How can I when you don't explain it to me? When you _lie_ to me?" she replied seriously.

The older hybrid looked right at her, and said, "I have not lied to you. I just needed a cover." However, when Stephanie didn't reply, he finally relented, "Alright. We'll talk about this tomorrow. But do you think you could desist with the pet-name?"

Stephanie gave him a playful smile that quickly vanished so no would see it. "Sounds fair."

"Good. Because it's time to work," Vlad replied, noticing they were about to arrive to their intended location.

"Then, let's get to it, Mr. Masters," she quirked back with a discrete wink.

"Hmm…Charming as always," he whispered in amusement, before the two picked up their pace.

Soon enough, the billionaire and his accompanies met up with the executives. After quick greetings and introductions, they began the inspection. The process was fairly simple. The executives would lead them to the different parts of the building, explaining its functions, its financial distributions, and other significant business dealings. And Vlad would critique and informed them of the changes he would be making now that the branch belonged to him. The billionaire would briefly discuss any structural changes with his engineer, ask his secretary for the figures and details that his changes would require, and finally make his decision based on that. Stephanie, of course, made a note of all of her boss's decisions. And all the while, the billionaire's legal advisor made sure everything ran in accordance to any regulations or laws.

The entire time, Danny was still walking behind all the adults with the ghost driver at his side. The teen watched this whole scene unfold with mild interest-even at the times when he didn't understand a word of what they were talking about. But if there was anything he was learning from all this, it was just how much more complex his arch-enemy's life was than he had believed. It was so easy for the boy to forget that Vlad Masters had to have a life outside of his evil villain gig.

The teen had to admit that Vlad was good at what he did. His way of carrying himself and his ideas around others was brilliant. There wasn't an ounce of doubt or hesitance in any of his words. Everything he did and said was carefully thought out; it was all calculated. He manipulated everything and everyone with such ingenious delicacy that they didn't even realize it. Heck, even Danny, who was watching the whole thing from the outside, wasn't sure when Vlad manipulated the system or not.

But, then again, should his arch-enemy's craftiness amaze him at all? Wasn't this how the man composed himself in every aspect of his life, including his villain status? Either way, it worked for the guy. He always got what he wanted—or most of the time, anyways. But the more the teen watched his arch-enemy carry himself, the more he began to wonder: was this who Vlad Masters really was? Or was it all an act, a façade? If it was the latter, it might as well not be from how believable his cover was.

Carl was right. The man was a mystery.

Eventually, Danny began to pay attention more to his surroundings than Vlad. The place was somewhat interesting. There were places they would go to that really had astounded him, while other places were so boring that they had him mentally begging for them to leave. They were, of course, visiting the place during working hours, so that resulted in a lot of stares, especially in his direction. The teen was fully aware that he looked as out of place as he felt. But since he couldn't do much about it, he just did his best to ignore the curious eyes.

By five, the walk-through was completed, and they had gone back to the administrative center, and were currently all sitting down inside a private room. The teen was surprised Vlad had actually allowed him to be present, but he didn't say anything-not that he could, anyways. The whole time they had been here the man had not uttered a single word or even spared him a glance. Still, Danny refused to admit that it annoyed him.

However, the teen, who was quietly sitting off to the side, vaguely listening to Vlad talk to everyone, quickly frowned when he heard the man's next words.

"I have personally done the figures, gentlemen; and as reassurance, so has my secretary. Both sums match; proving that the revenue to expenditure ratios for this branch are unsatisfactory. This M.V.I. branch is overspending and overstaffed, gentlemen," Vlad said calmly.

The executives remained silent for a moment. But then one of them spoke up. "Exactly just how large of a cut-back did you want us to make?"

Vlad placed his hands on the table and intertwined his fingers, before replying, "Well, I believe a few of your subdivisions are unnecessary and must be removed; while a few others can be temporarily frozen until we fix these ratios. However, the first thing we need to correct is the employment rate. You need to let some go-two to three thousand to be more exact. And of course, you will start from the top."

Danny's eyes widened with disbelief. He might not know a thing about the business-world, but he knew what 'letting go' meant. The boy couldn't keep his mouth close any longer.

"Wait. Are you saying you are going to _fire_ three thousand people?"

Everyone jolted in surprise with the teenager's outburst, except for Vlad, who stared at Danny with restrained anger glowing in his eyes.

"Daniel, what have I told you about interrupting me while I'm doing something important?" Vlad said seriously. "This does not concern you. Keep quiet."

But the teenager didn't relent. "I know it's not any of my business; but how can you just fire so many people? Don't they have homes and families they need to take care of? It isn't right!"

"Young man," one of the executives spoke up. "This is a delicate matter that you are too young to comprehend. You would do well to heed to your uncle's advice."

"But it's not-"

"Enough," Vlad said firmly, cutting off the teenager. But he then looked back at the executive that had spoken and said, "When I want you to correct my nephew, I will tell you. But seeing that I have not, _you_ would do well to heed _my warning:_ stay out of this."

"Yes, of course. My apologies," the man quickly replied, his face red with embarrassment.

"Gentlemen," Stephanie interrupted, though she was looking towards the other two executives. "I'm sure this building must have a lounge of some sort, yes?"

The other two executives looked at one another, clearly hesitant to speak up, but one of them finally did. "Y-Yes. The executive lounge is just down the hallway; the third door on the right."

Picking up on his secretary's thought, Vlad looked over at his ghost driver, and ordered, "Carl, take Daniel to the lounge. I'll be finished here shortly."

"Yes, sir," the chauffeur replied, standing up.

The teenager immediately frowned at the billionaire; but he then briskly stood and headed for the door. However, just when he was about to open the door handle and walk out, someone grabbed it for him.

"This is the _last_ time you ever interfere in my business affairs, Daniel," Vlad whispered angrily in the boy's ear, before opening the door for him.

Danny just looked up at him, before shaking his head and exiting. The teen didn't even wait to see if Carl was following after him as he walked down the hallway. He couldn't believe how easily Vlad could destroy other people's life just for his own benefit. How could someone be so cold?

Danny stuffed his hands in his pocket as he began to question just exactly what he was trying to do. His arch-enemy had been the way he was for years. How could he ever change that?

Entering the lounge, the teenager sat on the first sofa he found. If he wasn't so troubled, he might have gone over to the pool table to play. But seeing Carl finally walk in and sit down, the teenager quickly spoke up.

"Doesn't he care that he's messing up people's lives?" Danny asked angrily.

Carl shrugged. "That's how the business world works. If you don't let go of a few, then the whole company could fall, and then _everyone_ would lose their jobs. It's logical."

"That doesn't make it right," Danny mumbled back, now looking more sad than angry.

For several minutes, the teenager just sat in silence, staring at nothing in particular. His eyes, however, eventually wondered over to Carl, who sat in another chair with his arms crossed.

The ghost was sulking more than he was. The teen suddenly felt sorry for him. He wasn't so bad-like most of the ghost in the castle, he now realized. Sure, they had their weirdness, but they really were not the evil beings he had first thought them to be.

Danny looked across the lounge and noticed a large flat screen, its remote on a table close to it. The boy stood and picked up the control. He began flipping through the channels until he found what he had been looking for.

"Hey, Carl, check it out," he called to the ghost, getting his attention.

The driver immediately perked up as he stared at the racing cars on the TV. In a flash, Carl was out of his seat with his face inches from the screen, looking ecstatic.

Danny stepped back and smiled at the ghost's antics. But he then turned and headed over to a window. He crossed his arms as he stared at the view outside, wondering what his loved ones were doing at that particular moment.

* * *

Danny yawned before glancing over at the clock. It was fifteen-past-seven. After they had bid their farewells to Stephanie and the other people, Vlad and he had departed from the M.V.I. place. They had boarded another limo-apparently the billionaire had vehicles stashed at other places besides his home- and had driven to another location. They didn't stay long, however. The place had been a studio of some sort and the man was just making a 'greet-and-photo' stop. Danny had made sure to stay far away from anything that flashed. And Vlad didn't seem in a hurry to have the boy photographed, anyways. Quite the contrary. The man had sent him to 'look around' during the official photo shoot. Danny didn't mind too much, though. The people there were really nice, even if he was a little annoyed that they had treated him like a kid. Heck! Didn't they know that gift baskets and _balloons_ were for five-year-olds? Still, he had not wanted to be rude and had gingerly accepted them.

Afterwards, the billionaire made a few other stops, but they had been so quick that for three of the four places they went, the teen had waited in the limo. That quickly got annoying for the fifteen-year-old, but there wasn't much he could do about it. Not unless he wanted to sound like a pouting four-year-old. So, he just occupied the time with his candy.

But, now, they were at another company. And Danny was silently sitting in another of Vlad's private offices. This time, however, the man was with him. He was working on something important, considering he kept glancing from the computer screen to the several papers on his desk and writing on them.

Danny didn't really care. But he wasn't about to interrupt him, either. He was already surprised that Vlad had not bit his head off for his outburst over at M.V.I. In fact, the man did not even bring up the subject. But, since then, the billionaire had been more quiet than usual-not that that said much to begin with, since Vlad had all but ignored him since they started the day.

The young hybrid glanced over to the older one; and finding that the man was still doing the same thing he had been for over half-hour now, the teen rolled his eyes in annoyance and went back to staring around the room. But when his blue eyes landed on the wall-size window for the fifth time, Danny rolled his chair over to it and just gazed at the darkening sky instead.

Unknowingly to the teenager, his sudden movements got Vlad's attention. However, all the man did was roll his eyes and go back to his work. As much as he tried, the billionaire couldn't help but feel irritated with boy's presence. It was why he had been keeping their interactions to a minimum. But even with that, Daniel had kept him tense and annoyed all day. Ultimately, however, Vlad had to admit that it was an improvement. Before their current 'truce', he had to fight with every part of his being to keep himself from strangling the brat.

Feeling even more ruffled with his thoughts, the billionaire pushed them aside and focused fully on the papers he needed to complete and sign. The quicker he finished with these blasted contracts, the quicker they could go home, and finally get away from the child responsible for his throbbing headache.

Meanwhile, Danny sighed quietly. He was so bored from sitting here that he really felt like he would pass out at any moment. When were they going to leave this place, anyways? Their trip home was definitely going to take a couple of hours, considering that they had to drive back to M.V.I., take the helicopter back to that other place that's two hours from DALV, and finally drive through the middle of nowhere to get back to the castle!

The thought of their long trip back turned Danny's attention to the clock and then to Vlad. But upon feeling a deep annoyance swell within him, he quickly turned his eyes back to the window. The teen had never thought that spending one full day with his arch-enemy could be _so_ difficult. As much as he tried to keep the emotion at bay, Danny just couldn't help but feel frustrated, even angered, by the older hybrid's presence. It had kept him wondering all day why he had even come along.

He should have known this wasn't going to be remotely pleasant. Heck, even Vlad warned him of it. But what else could he have done? This had been the only chance he had gotten to get out of the castle. And as hard as it was to admit it, being cooped up in there was seriously affecting him. A day of freedom, even a limited one, had just sounded too good to pass up. At the moment, however, it wasn't _feeling_ too good.

"_Ugh… I have never been so bored in my life_!" Danny thought miserably, pressing his hands against the window, before banging his head against it and leaving it there.

"You know," Vlad suddenly spoke up, his voice casual. "There is a library of books to your left. You could _try_ reading as entertainment..."

"Pass," Danny mumbled, not bothering to look at the man.

Vlad, in turn, shrugged before returning to his work.

A couple of minutes later, Danny sighed deeply and pulled himself away from the window. He leaned back against his seat and stretched. When he brought his hands back down, he absently looked at his right one and then called forth his ecto-energy. He dully studied it for a moment; but suddenly, he dispelled it. Then, just as quickly, he brought his energy back to life. He slowly repeated his actions again; but he soon began to speed up until he was flipping his energy on and off like a light switch. The boy was so concentrated on trying to will it to go faster and faster that he didn't even realize that he had started spinning around in his chair.

But Vlad did.

The man gritted his teeth as he tried to ignore the spinning ghost boy. But his nerves could only take so much. And he soon exploded.

"Would you desist?" Vlad hissed. "You are going to hurt yourself!"

Danny jolted, finally realizing what he was doing. But then realizing his enemy's words, the teen instantly shot him a glare and didn't relent in his action, only if to defy the man.

"I think I know what I'm doing, Vlad! So, just back off," the boy snapped. "I'm sick of you acting like I can't contro-" Danny's words were swallowed up in a sudden gasp when his spinning chair accidently collided with a large vase. As the expensive ornament crashed to its death, the startled teen's energy shot forward, slamming into the large drapes surrounding the window.

Vlad's mouth gaped open when he saw the curtains quickly set aflame; but a second later he jolted out of his seat and ran over to the growing fire. Without a second thought, the man then grabbed the burning drapes and tore them down, before using his feet and the fabric itself to snuff out the flames.

Vlad quickly fanned away the thick smoke that wafted up around him; and seeing that he had succeeded in extinguishing the fire, he sighed in relief. However, when he heard a small cough behind him, he slowly turned around to face the person that he now felt like strangling again.

Danny smiled nervously at his glaring arch-enemy. "Heh-heh. Opps?"

"_Mr. Masters?"_

Vlad glanced over at the closed door, but his angry gaze returned back to the teenager as he answered his employee outside, "Yes?"

"_Sir, is everything okay? I thought I heard an explosion... Are you alright?" _

"Yes, I'm fine," Vlad replied with suppressed anger. "Everything is fine."

"_Well, okay… Sorry for disturbing you."_

The billionaire didn't bother responding again, and instead, turned back to the burned curtains and began to roll them up. As he then placed them on top of a trash can, he irritably remarked to the boy, "For someone that claims to be fifteen years of age you _hardly_ act like it."

Danny, who had been trying to gather up the broken pieces of the vase into a small pile, immediately glared at his arch-enemy, and furiously exclaimed back, "Well, excuse me for not being a bitter old man!"

"Stop shouting, you little rat!" Vlad retorted sharply, yet his voice remained at speaking volume.

"Stop calling me _rat_, fruit loop!" Danny continued to yell, his eyes flashing green with his ire.

The older hybrid felt his own eyes burn red, feeling more infuriated by the boy's ignorance of his own screaming than his actual insult. But he somehow managed to retain control of his rage by tightly gripping the edge of his desk and shutting his eyes.

The man then took a deep breath, before opening his eyes, and looking back at the angry teen. "I'm not doing this with you here, Daniel," he whispered angrily.

Danny just glared at the man some more; but he then stomped over to his seat, yanked it over to the window, and sat down. He didn't say a word as he directed his angry gaze to the outside.

Vlad quietly sighed with frustration. Daniel was really pushing him today. How could the teen be so stupid? What if instead of the drapes the blast would have struck the wall-size window and the boy's ghost energy would have lit up the darkened sky? How would he have then explained that? Or what if the ecto-blast would have been larger? He could have set the whole building on fire; or worse, destabilize it!

The billionaire really did not know if he could take any more of the young hybrid's antics and attitude… But, unfortunately, the day was not over. He still had a lot of paper work he needed to finish up by today. So, he had no other choice but to ride it out.

Not wanting to waste anymore time, and, in turn, extend his time with the boy, Vlad quickly dismissed Danny all together and sat back down at his desk again. However, when he attempted to focus back on the papers, he found something inside him not letting him...

Vlad tightly gripped his pen as he mentally cursed his emotions. But he surrendered to them with a shake of his head. He looked over at the boy, and calmly called to him, "Daniel?"

"What?" the teen asked hotly, his glare not leaving the window.

"Are you hungry?"

Danny's anger melted away with the simple question. He didn't understand why, though. But his enemy's voice once more had _something_ that wouldn't let him stay mad anymore. And… he actually _was_ hungry.

The boy hesitated, but he finally answered back in a quiet and calm voice, "Yeah."

Vlad stood and straightened his attire as he regained his usual calm demeanor and uttered, "Alright. let's go, then."

Danny turned his head around, and gave the retreating man a curious look. He honestly didn't get the guy. But seeing his arch-enemy open the door and then raise an expectant eyebrow at him, the teen quickly tossed the thought aside, stood up, and finally headed out with the billionaire.

* * *

By the time Carl drove Danny and Vlad to the restaurant the man had picked, the two half-ghosts were a lot more relaxed again. As usual, the billionaire led the way as they entered a three-story, cylindrically-shaped eatery. Just by looking at the sophisticated exterior with its tinted dark windows and gold décor, the teenager was certain this was the most expensive place at which he had ever eaten. And the moment he walked in and noticed the even fancier interior, the boy was absolutely positive about that.

Danny briefly looked around as he waited for Vlad to finish talking to a man at the reception desk. Aside from the classical music in the air, the teen noticed that the people dining at the place were all dressed up. The teen unconsciously took a step back, and grabbed one of his T-shirt's sleeves when he suddenly felt completely naked.

But he momentarily forgot his embarrassment when Vlad placed a light hand on his shoulder and gestured for him to follow. The teen did his best to ignore the frowns and curious stares he got as he walked towards a spiraling staircase in the center of the restaurant. The billionaire, on the other hand, calmly followed the server, occasionally giving brief greetings to those that recognized him.

They eventually stopped at a pair of double-doors on the top floor. And after being unlocked by the server, Vlad and Danny stepped in. The boy's eyes widened a bit as he took in his surroundings. It looked kind of like a lounge and a dining room combined. There was a large circular table in the middle of the room and right above it a huge crystal chandelier. On the left side, there were a set a couches, a TV, and a pool table. On the right, there was a dance floor complete with its own romantic lighting. But the most captivating part of the room was the front part of it. There was a panoramic window that showed off the lights of the city and the now dark, star-lit sky. But right below the window, there was a tank of the same size and shape as the window inserted into the wall. The aquarium was lit by a black light that made the many deadly box jellyfishes within it glow bluish white as they majestically soared through the sparkling water. It was truly beautiful.

"Uh… what is this place?" Danny asked curiously, not understanding why a place that looked like a hotel room-minus the bed-was in a _restaurant_.

"A private dining room," Vlad replied causally as the waiter pulled out his chair, and he sat down.

Danny also sat down, but he didn't wait for the waiter to 'assist' him. The server briefly looked confused by this, but he didn't say anything, and instead gave the boy the menu. Right then, another waiter came in accompanied by a man in a white and black tuxedo.

"Good evening, Masters," the well-dressed man said, walking over to the billionaire.

Smiling, Vlad stood and greeted the man with a firm handshake. "How good to see you, Balmir."

"Likewise," the man replied, smiling himself. But he then looked over at Danny, and kindly asked, "And who is your guest joining you today?"

"Ah, yes," Vlad answered, turning his eyes to the teenager as well. "This is my nephew, Daniel," he introduced him, before discreetly signaling to the boy to stand up.

Danny almost frowned at his arch-enemy; but instead, he stood and just looked over at the man beside him just as Vlad introduced him. "Daniel, this is Mr. Balmir. He is in charge of this restaurant."

Though the young hybrid noted what the billionaire said, he didn't comment. Instead, he extended his hand at Balmir and greeted him. "Hi, it's nice to meet you."

"And it is a pleasure to meet you, young man," the man replied, before letting go of Danny's hand. "I can tell your visit was unexpected…," he added, raising a benign eyebrow at the boy's attire.

Danny blushed, but before he could answer, Vlad did, "Yes, it was unplanned. But since we were in the area…"

Balmir nodded in understanding, but he then smirked at the teen. "Do not worry. I do not mind. And I am sure the owner does not, either."

Danny's eyebrows creased when he saw Vlad and Balmir share a smile, before the billionaire uttered, "No, I am certain he does not mind."

Balmir chuckled lightly at the comment, but then smiled back at Danny again. "If there is anything you need while you are here just let me know."

"Thanks," Danny politely answered, before taking his seat again.

The man looked back at Vlad, and said to him, "I will return a bit later to make sure everything is to your satisfaction. But, please don't hesitate to call me if you require anything."

"Thank you, Balmir," Vlad replied with a thankful nod.

The man nodded, but then turned to one of the two waiters in the room, and quickly whispered something to him. He soon smiled back at Danny and Vlad, and said, "I hope you enjoy your dinner."

Just as the man finally left, the waiters finished setting up the table, and the one that had come in with Balmir spoke up. "Sir, what do you wish to drink?" he asked the teen.

Vlad rolled his eyes when he heard the boy request a soda without a second thought. He didn't say anything, however, and calmly ordered a fine wine for himself when he was asked the same question.

Both waiters walked out to get the drinks, but also to give the two diners a moment to decide what they wanted to eat. But as soon as the half-ghosts were alone again, Danny dryly commented, "I'm surprised that the owner of this place didn't come to suck-up to you, _too_, Vlad."

The teen couldn't believe how people all but kissed the floor the man walked on. It was so annoying!

Vlad calmly picked up his menu, before replying in a matter-of-factly tone of voice, "That is simply because _I_ am the owner of this restaurant, Daniel."

Danny blinked in disbelief, but he quickly realized he shouldn't be surprised by the news. "Geez, just how many things do you own?" Danny mumbled as he reached over for the jar of water at the center of the table and poured himself a glass.

Vlad slightly lowered his menu as he genuinely pondered the boy's question.

But upon noticing this, Danny rolled his eyes and wryly said, "Don't bother. I don't really want to know."

Vlad rolled his eyes in annoyance, but didn't comment any further and focused back at the menu.

Right then, the waiters returned with their drinks. It was then that the boy finally looked at his own menu. But he immediately gave it a weird look. What kind of place was this? It had to be some exotic restaurant because the teen didn't _understand_ half of what was on the menu, and didn't _recognize_ _anything_ on it.

"Sir?"

"Oh, what?" Danny asked, finally realizing that the waiter had been addressing him.

"What can I get for you?" he asked as the other waiter placed a garden salad in front of the teen. "Or perhaps you need more time to decide?"

Danny frowned back at his menu, and was about to say he needed more time when he was interrupted.

"He will have what I'm having," Vlad answered for the boy, having noticed his confused look.

In any other occasion, the older hybrid would have just let younger one stare at his options all day if he wanted, but Vlad didn't have all day. It was already late and he still had things to do. Besides, he wasn't in the mood to explain the menu to Daniel.

Danny did not appreciate his arch-enemy's audacity at all, and he made sure the man knew it, too. The teen shot the billionaire a green-eyed glare, before looking back at his menu, and pointing at the first thing he saw on it. "No. I'll have this."

The waiters didn't seem to notice the tension in the air; and the one writing up the orders, nodded at the teenager's request. "Alright. Ikizukuri Ika," he said, mostly to himself as he wrote it down.

Having heard the waiter voice the boy's request, Vlad quickly shot Danny a clever smirk, and uttered, "Hmm… I didn't know you had a taste for live squid, Daniel."

Danny's mouth gaped open, before he gasped out, "Live _what_?"

The waiters quickly noticed the boy's surprise and they glanced at one another, before one of them said, "Live squid, sir. It's a Japanese delicacy. I will admit that it's a bit _tricky_ to eat, being that, well, it's _alive_. But with a dash of lemon, it's quite…." The waiter trailed off when he saw the boy pale.

"Would you prefer something else?" the other one asked, looking a bit unsure at the teenager.

Danny quickly nodded; and not wanting to risk choosing something even worse than what he had, he mumbled out, "I'll have what he's having." He then quickly grabbed his soda and took a big gulp in hopes of washing down his disgust. How could anyone eat something that was still _alive_? Especially a _squid_! How would you keep its tentacles from sticking to your mouth or throat? It would squirm and…

The boy quickly took another swig of his soda, now needing to drown out his queasiness _and_ his thoughts. Just thinking about eating something alive almost made the young hybrid consider becoming an ultra-recyclo vegetarian-like Sam. Now, Danny understood where she was coming from…

Vlad calmly stared at the pale boy, but his eyes were laughing at him. He ignored the waiters questioning look at one another, and just simply continued to watch Danny.

"Alright," one of the waiters finally spoke up again. "It will be just a moment. Is there anything you require while you wait?" he asked respectfully.

"No, that will be all for now," the billionaire replied, finally looking at the waiters and smiling at them.

After exchanging a few more polite words, the servers returned to their duties. Vlad picked up his glass of wine, swirled it a bit, and then took a sip. But the moment he heard the door click shut, he knew that they were finally alone again. The man then carefully set his drink down. An evil smirk slowly crawled on his face, as he said, "You know… I should have just let you order that. I would have _loved_ to see the look on your face when you saw it."

"Yeah?" Danny stated causally as he set down his own drink. "Well, you should have _let_ me." A glare returned to the teen's face as he said, "_I _would have loved seeing the look on your face when I _stuffed it_ down _your_ throat."

Vlad laughed mockingly. "That would be the day."

Those few words were all Danny's temper could take. In a bout of angry, the teen slammed his hands on the table as he jumped to his feet, and exclaimed in threat, "Yeah and it's today!"

The older hybrid jolted out of his amusement with the boy's sudden aggression. He quickly stood himself and narrowed his eyes on Danny. "What is your problem?" he hissed.

"What's _your_ problem?" Danny yelled back furiously, completely fed up with the man.

Vlad's own last grain of patience was finally consumed, and his pent-up ire cascaded out of his mouth before he could stop it. "_**Curses**__!_ I've **had** **it** with your mood swings, boy! Why in **blazes** did I even bring you? The whole blasted day you have been giving me nothing but grief! If it wasn't because I had so many important things to do today, I would have long since returned to the castle, just so that I could _rid you_ from my presence! But seeing that I'm _cursed_ to be with you for what remains of the evening, then do us _both_ a favor and just sit down and keep that mouth of yours _shut_ until I can be **rid** of you!"

With a last hateful look, the billionaire angrily sat back down. He then turned his glare to the salad in front of him and began to add the desired condiments to it.

Danny just stared at his arch-enemy in utter silence; but his glare had long since melded into a solemn look. He slowly glanced down at his hands that were still pressed against the table, before removing them. There was brief pause from the boy as he gazed back at the man. But then, the young hybrid took a single step back and suddenly turned into Phantom.

Vlad gasped with the sight of the energy rings. He immediately stood up and glared at the teenager. "What are you doing?" he growled angrily, though his eyes were nervously darting from the boy to the door.

"I'm leaving," Danny replied seriously before turning from the billionaire and walking over to the window.

"What?" the man replied, jolted by the unexpected answer. But he quickly found his voice again and demanded, "Stop right there, Daniel! Where the blazes do you think you're going?"

Danny halted, and looked back at his arch-enemy before bitterly replying. "Anywhere but here."

Before the older half-ghost could stop him, Danny vanished out of sight and flew out the window. The teen had had a lot of painful confrontations with his arch-enemy, but his words just now, had hurt more than any of his physical attacks. The young hybrid knew that he shouldn't care at all about what Plasmius thought or said about him. But he was just _so sick_ of the man making him feel worthless…

Vlad sighed in surrender as he sat back down and stared at the dining table. He felt that sudden knock of remorse at his heart's doorsteps, like a sledgehammer against the utter silence that now surrounded him. But he just as sudden grew irritated with these weak feelings. He had no time for this! And he wasn't about to let the boy manipulate him like this. From how Daniel acted just now, he didn't deserve to get any break from him! But another unexpected echo of feelings stirred up again…The boy had looked so disheartened. And Vlad suddenly realized that with the sharp lashing of his tongue he had thrashed the boy's urge to fight back. His words had really pierced the child...

He frowned, somewhat disconcerted about that, before frowning in irritation again. Since when did Daniel take anything he said to heart? Or was it that he never bothered to realize that his negative words had _always_ affected the teenager? Daniel just hid it under his glares all the time.

But the billionaire never cared before, so, then, why should he care now? Why _did_ he care now? They had been arguing all day with each other! _Even_ after they had agreed to a truce! So far they weren't doing a good job of fulfilling their accord…

Vlad looked towards the window. Of course, he could convince himself that the boy's leaving was the best thing that could have just happened to him all day. He could easily go back to his office and work in peace. And only when he was finished, he could then easily come back and find the younger hybrid. It's not like Daniel had anywhere to go—or more correctly put, anywhere he _could_ go without consequence. And if the man thought of the grief the teenager had put him through today, he could go as far as punishing him by going back to the castle without him and letting him spend the night in a cold gutter somewhere.

He really _should_ just leave him out there by himself.

Too bad something within him wouldn't let him do that. Even a ghost-powered fifteen-year-old could get lost or run into danger in a place about which he knew nothing… Vlad couldn't risk it.

The man sighed again as he stood up and walked over to the door. He quickly clicked the lock on it, before changing into Plasmius and invisibly flying out of the restaurant. Instantly using his inner ghost sense to pick up the young hybrid's signature, he started on his way, only to cringe against his pride for what he was doing. But he quickly silenced it by telling himself he was finding Daniel _solely_ for his own benefit…

* * *

Danny stared mournfully at the darkened sky from where he sat on the top of some unknown building. His legs dangled over the edge, much like his emotions; while his hands gripped lightly against the concrete that was as thick as the cloud of despair over him. He felt as utterly lost as he really was in this foreign place. He had nothing, _no one_ to give him strength and support. He felt so alone. He missed his home. He missed his family and friends. …He missed feeling… loved.

The boy sighed against the pain in his heart. He didn't know what he was doing anymore. He just felt like if he could find a purpose to all his suffering, it could make it more bearable. So, then, was all this 'trying to change Vlad' thing really just for himself? Was it possible that deep down he was just as selfish as the man and was only trying to find something to make _him_ feel better as oppose to just wanting to do the right thing? But maybe this wasn't the right thing at all. Maybe his guilt and sorrow was twisting his reasoning and he had this all wrong! Maybe Clockwork's words to him meant something completely different!

Danny suddenly felt angry again. It wasn't fair. What had he ever done to deserve this? Why did everything have to be so confusing? Why couldn't he find a way out of this? If only there was a way to break out of his arch-enemy's trap. But there wasn't! He had tried everything he could think of from the moment Plasmius forced this ultimatum upon him; but all he ended up doing was hurting his sister! And every other attempt after that just brought him closer to the brink of insanity!

He knew that his loved ones would probably be ashamed of him if they found out he had long since given up on helping himself. Then again, his sister and friends already hated him; so their disappointment meant very little at this point. But even if he had given up on himself, he had not given up on finding a reason to all this. He needed something to fight for. And when he thought he had figured out Clockwork's words, that he had found a purpose again, it was now all shot down in one day for him.

So, was this it? But he needed this purpose! He didn't want to feel _worthless_… And he didn't want to feel unloved anymore.

His thought mentally jolted the teen. What did that even mean? Who could care for him here? Surely not his arch-enemy… Then why did he want for Clockwork's words to mean what he believed them to mean? Had… had he grown _so desperate_, so in need of comfort that he was unconsciously reaching out to the person responsible for his misery? Did he feel _that _alone that he wanted _Vlad's_ support and care?

Danny's insides instantly churned in revolt. No, that wasn't it. That _could not_ be it. How could Vlad ever provide for him anything resembling support, comfort, or care when his suffering was all _his_ fault. No, it was impossible. The man was incapable of giving! He only took away!

So, then, why even try to help Vlad? He didn't want to change! He didn't want a second chance!

The boy's hands fisted, feeling completely torn with indecision. What was he suppose to do? He needed to know whether he was right or wrong. Whether to listen to his heart that told him to not forget the things he had learned and not to give up. Or whether to listen to his mind his logic, _his hurt emotions_ which all insisted that his arch-enemy deserved nothing from him. He needed a sign…anything!

"Daniel?"

The boy tensed with the sudden whisper of his arch-enemy's voice behind him. But just as quickly, Danny relaxed again, but didn't bother to look at the man.

At first, the boy's reaction irritated Vlad, feeling like Daniel was expecting an apology when it was the boy who should apologize to him. But then, when he looked closer at the teen's body language, it suddenly dawned on Vlad that Daniel wasn't upset in an angry sort of way, but in a sad, defeated kind of way. An unexpected regret for his words at the restaurant washed over him.

The man frowned in confusion. Why did he keep having these sudden feelings of remorse? It was absurd! After all, it was the boy who had kept testing his limits!

But whatever inner struggle Vlad had with his pride was immediately put to rest when he glanced at the silent boy again…He paused in indecision…Maybe…Maybe he really had been too hard with Daniel… He was a child, after all. How could he have expected for the boy to not grow anxious with such a weary day? Even, he, a full-grown adult, was feeling stressed from all his work. And _he_ was used to it… now, Daniel….

Plasmius eyebrows creased as he took a small step forward, and hesitantly, yet honestly, said, "Daniel…I didn't mean everything I said back there. I…I should not have said such things to you…"

Danny could hear the regret and uneasiness in the man's voice; but, this time, it didn't have any effect on him. It did nothing for him. He felt too drained to accept the apology and just forget about their heated exchange. But he also felt too crest-fallen to argue and pretend to be angry. So, the boy just remained silent.

Sadness actually snuck into the man's red eyes as he realized just how bad the teenager felt. At this point, the older hybrid would have welcomed a glare or a demand to 'get lost' from the child. Anything would have been better than Daniel's silence. The boy could make him so angry at times, but even then, Vlad couldn't help but utterly hate when the young hybrid became depressed like this. It was like staring at a bird with broken wings.

Knowing there was nothing he could possibly say to the boy to make him feel better, Vlad just closed their distance and sat beside him on the ledge. He gazed up at the star-lit sky himself as he calmly waited in silence for Daniel to say something. After a few minutes of stillness, the man's patience paid off.

"Can I ask you something?" Danny suddenly asked, his voice sounding almost defeated.

Both of the hybrids kept their gaze to the sky as Vlad calmly replied, "Of course, dear boy."

The teen stayed quiet for a moment, his dimmed green eyes still refusing to look at the man beside him. However, when he found his voice again, he sadly questioned, "How can two enemies coexist?"

The older half-ghost quickly stared at the younger one, completely taken aback by his question. He had asked that very same one to George…

His next impulse was to ignore the question, rather than face the answer. However, a strange emotion suddenly constricted Vlad's heart as he looked away again. He shook his head, refusing to admit anything. But then, he surprised himself as he painfully replied to the boy with the truth. "They cannot."

Danny squeezed his eyes close as he felt his hope shatter at that instant. He really had been wrong all along…

"They cannot, Daniel," Plasmius suddenly repeated, but he then repeated exactly what his ghost cook had said to him, "At least… not until they stop seeing each other as such."

Danny finally looked at Vlad, only to find he was also staring at him with a sad look on his face. They didn't need to voice to each other how something that sounded so simple to do was anything but that. They both knew of everything between them that kept them as enemies. That was why that even with their truce, they still could not keep from attacking each other in one way or another. There was just so much… hurt and resentment from…. everything. But… even if it _would_ be difficult for them to stop thinking and seeing themselves as rivals, did that make it _impossible_?

The young half-ghost sighed emptily as he glanced up at the stars again, before seriously uttering, "If that's true…do you think _we_ can?"

Vlad internally frowned, uncertain as to why he should feel any kind of hope in this matter. Still, he barely uttered, "I'm unsure. It sounds like quite a challenge, my boy." The man sighed himself, before lightly shrugging. "Still, we _could_ try."

Danny just nodded his agreement, but he could feel a bit of his hope restored at that moment.

He didn't get much time to dwell on Vlad's words, however. Plasmius suddenly floated back up to his feet, before looking down at him with a small smile. "We should head back to the restaurant before someone realizes we are gone. The last time I disappeared so unexpectedly from a place, they came to the foolish conclusion that I was taken hostage. Then again, I suppose the idea isn't _that_ absurd; it does come with the 'billionaire' title... Still, I do not wish to deal with that whole mess again."

Danny quickly floated to his feet and stared back in surprise. "Really? They thought you were _kidnapped_?" And receiving a nod, the boy couldn't help but laugh. "It would be kinda hard for a person to kidnap _you_, don't you think?"

Vlad smiled slightly, knowing the boy was thinking of his ghost powers. But he then smirked devilishly, and corrected him, "Actually, it would be _very_ hard." The older half-ghost winked at the teen, before taking off into the sky.

A sober look returned to Danny's face with the billionaire's departure. The boy's green eyes glanced at the stars again as he thought about what they had said about not seeing each other as enemies. The man was right, of course. They _could_ try… And by the sounds of it they were going to try. In the end, however, it really was all they could do…

Danny sighed wistfully before finally letting go of his thoughts and following after Plasmius.

* * *

The rest of the night went by smoothly after that. While Vlad finished up his work, Danny had gone to walk around a large plaza—with Carl's moderate supervision, of course. Through that duration, the teen only entered two clothing shops; and also made a stop at a music store. In all the places, however, he didn't get a single thing and merely looked around. But when he stumbled upon a movie theatre, he quickly went in, knowing that a movie was the perfect way to run down the clock-especially when he saw a featuring flick that caught his attention.

By the time the movie was finished, it was past ten at night. And to the boy's surprise, Vlad was already in the limo when he returned to it himself. Obviously, Carl had gone to pick up the billionaire while the boy had been watching the movie.

They only exchanged brief words, mostly about what movie the teen had seen and if the man managed to finish everything-which he had. After that, the half-ghosts didn't really interact throughout their long trip to the castle. But they knew their silence was for the better since they were both tired and didn't want to risk another argument again…

Unfortunately, Vlad knew he could not keep quiet forever. While he had been finishing his paperwork back at the office, he had remembered something very important. He had requested a certain ghost to finally show up at the castle tomorrow morning. And _she_ was coming to see Daniel…

It was only until they were about to arrive at the mansion that Vlad finally decide to come out with it. He really did not want to get into another argument, but it was best that he told the boy, rather than the boy being surprised by the unexpected visitor tomorrow.

Danny yawned, feeling extremely beat—but in a good way… kind of. Still, he couldn't wait to get to the big fluffy bed that had been his for more than two months now. He was sure that tonight he was going to appreciate that large, expensive bed more than he ever had.

"…Daniel?"

The boy wearily looked over at Vlad as his daydreaming about his bed dissolved from his foggy mind. "Yeah?" he asked, his voice croaking from disuse.

When the billionaire didn't answer right away and instead just stared at him, the boy's mind quickly woke up. "What?" Danny asked again, a bit confused.

Vlad sighed. He really did not want to get into this. He did not have the energy to fight with the teen again. But he had no other choice. Perhaps a bit of subtlety would lessen the blow-for both of them.

"Daniel," the man began in his usual demeanor, though his words sounded carefully chosen. "What did you think of Ms. Thomas?"

Danny frowned. He felt a bit surprised with the sudden mention of the ghost teacher he had gone to meet in the Ghost Zone, which had, of course, led to his almost-fatal encounter with Walker. But the billionaire never once said anything about her to him until now. Why bring it up?

The answer came instantly to him-or at least he was _almost_ sure he knew it. But wanting to confirm it, the boy arched up an eyebrow and calmly said, "I don't know. Why?"

Vlad smiled playfully, realizing the teenager had caught his intentions even with his subtle words. "Hmm…you really can be quite clever, my boy."

Danny just studied the man's face for a moment as he tried to determine if the comment had been meant as an insult or a compliment. His natural reaction to anything Vlad said was, of course, a defensive one. But knowing that that would just start a fight, the young hybrid wisely choose to ignore the remark all together, and just repeated his original question. "So, why?"

The billionaire's smile fell when he read the intent behind the boy's gaze. Daniel was expecting a direct answer this time, but Vlad was still unsure of what the boy's reaction would be if he gave it to him. So, instead, he responded to the question indirectly.

"Daniel, I think this will be beneficial for you. Believe me when I tell you that an education is one of the most important things for a person to have," he said seriously.

"I was getting one," Danny pointed out, his voice showing no hint of emotion, though inside he had been so overwhelmed by so many of them that he could not keep himself from not making that comment.

Vlad sighed, before rubbing his temple in an attempt to keep calm. Why would the boy say that to him? Was he trying to make him feel bad? Did he think it would change anything for him to point out the obvious? Instead of giving him a hard time, the boy should be _grateful_ that he was asking him about this! He could have easily just told Daniel he would begin taking classes whether he wanted to or not. And he _still_ could tell him that...

But not wanting to fight again, he just tiredly uttered, "Daniel, please. Don't."

Danny looked out the car window, no longer able to subdue his emotions and keep his eyes from betraying that. But his strong resentment for Vlad was nothing compared to the pain for the family and friends he missed so dearly. He knew that reminding the evil hybrid that he had destroyed his life was not going to change anything. But it was so hard to push his sorrow aside. It was so painful to have to suppress that and much more in order to do what he thought was right.

And to make matters worse, he still had doubts of whether or not his decision was the correct choice. But one thing he was certain of: he couldn't live like this. He couldn't keep himself buried in his own grief. The boy knew all too well that that would only lead him to a dark future that he had fought so hard to prevent. He needed to do this.

"Alright," Danny finally said, looking back at Vlad with sobriety.

Strangely, the billionaire felt a wave of relief wash over him at that instant. That surprised him. He had expected another round of argument from the boy, certain that Daniel would deny getting schooled. He hadn't anticipated such sudden…compliance from the teen. For sure, that would have been terrible had Daniel refused. He really _did_ need this. That was why the billionaire had gone out of his way to arrange everything. He paused in confusion at his next thought. It was why that, for once, he had done something that didn't benefit him.

The older half-ghost didn't completely understand why, but he really had the nagging need to give something back to the boy. He wished he didn't care so much, but he did. And it was also why he felt compelled to ask for the young hybrid's approval instead of just making him take the tutor. He…did not want to force Daniel into anything anymore. Especially not when his past doings of this had always, somehow, ended badly.

But now, Vlad had an opportunity to do things differently. Even if the man wouldn't admit it externally, he really _did_ want the boy and him to stop being enemies. Well, maybe not at first. His intention of bringing him here had been to force the boy into submission. But now… he wanted something more…And Daniel himself had now given him a chance for that something more, _to win him over_. Sure, Vlad was still a bit suspicious as to why the teen was doing this, but that didn't mean he was about to waste this opportunity. And if it took a bit of…_bending_ on his part to change Daniel's view of him, then he would at least…use that to make things easier…for the both of them.

"I know you won't regret this, my boy," the older half-ghost replied, internally grateful that the younger one had willingly accepted the tutor.

Danny just nodded, before looking away again. He really wished he could go back to his blissful thoughts of fluffy pillows and a soft mattress. Sadly, that wasn't possible anymore...

However, even his aching heart could not hold off his physical fatigue; especially since by the time they finally reached the castle, it was almost two in the morning.

Danny yawned again, this time stretching the kinks out of his body from their long trip as he followed Vlad up to the house's entrance. Derek was there to greet them, and he quickly offered to take the teen's newly bought alarm clock and his gift basket to his room. Danny was too tired to object, but he kept his bag of candy so he could store it in the kitchen himself.

Vlad didn't say anything when out of the corner of his eye he caught Danny turning toward the kitchen instead of heading straight for his room. After their brief discussion in the car, the man felt it was best to leave the finer details of the schooling for the ghost teacher. Even if the teen had accepted, he obviously wasn't very happy about it. It was unwise to touch the subject anymore tonight. Still, the man needed to say one more thing to Daniel before bed. But that could wait until after he put away his briefcase and stack of folders in his private office….

The young hybrid sluggishly entered the kitchen and headed to the pantry. As he stuck the candy bag inside, he yawned again. He really needed to get to bed. But a cup of cold water sounded very good to his dry mouth and throat right now.

With that thought, Danny moved over to the fridge. But as he slowly got himself a drink, a sudden shiver crawled up his spin until it exited his mouth in the form of a blue mist. Not really surprised by this, though, he just sleepily looked around the kitchen, expecting to see George materialize from somewhere.

But the ghost cook was not there. _No one_ was there.

"Huh," Danny said, frowning in confusion; but he then shrugged and brought his glass of water to his lips. However, the more he stood there by himself, quenching his thirst, the more an odd feeling nipped at his mind. It was like everything was _too_ quiet all the sudden. It was an illogical sensation, since, technically, the _whole_ castle was already still enough to hear a pin drop.

Danny shook off his slight nervousness, blaming his exhaustion for his mind's playing tricks on him. He set down the cup in the sink and finally headed out of the kitchen. His eyes began to dim again as he walked up the stairs; but the second he reached the top, his ghost sense went off again. And this time, he was sure he felt something cold brush his left cheek…

The young half-ghost gasped in alarm and spun on his feet. He fearfully looked around for any signs of a ghost; but once again, he found no one. This time, the boy didn't dismiss his heightened senses telling him something was wrong as readily as before; especially when he now had the eerie feeling of that he was also being watched.

Danny touched his cold cheek as he took an unconscious step back, his eyes still warily scanning the foyer below him.

"Are you alright?"

The teen gasped again; but he then quickly jolted back around, facing the owner of the voice in a fight stance. However, he could now see that his defensiveness was unnecessary.

Vlad, whose query had startled the boy, hitched a questioning eyebrow at the tense young hybrid, before calmly looking down at the glowing green hand pointed at his chest. This was most unexpected. What could possibly have the child on full alert at two in the morning?

"V-Vlad," Danny stuttered nervously, before calling off his energy and putting down his hand. He quickly regained control of his nerves as he then said, "Sorry, I thought you were…." The teen suddenly cut himself off in mid-sentence and shook his head. "…Never mind," he uttered dismissively, and then turned towards his room.

"Daniel," the man called, quickly regaining the teen's attention. He wanted to ask the boy what had startled him so much, but thought better of it, and instead said what he originally had wanted. "Make sure you are up on time tomorrow. Ms. Thomas will be here after breakfast."

Danny just stared back with indifference at the older-half ghost. Either he was too tired to react to the man's words or he really didn't care. Either way, the teen didn't say anything. He just turned and finally walked off to his dormitory.

Vlad did nothing to stop the boy this time; and just soberly watched after him. With a soft sigh, the man turned to leave himself. But as if remembering something, he quickly turned his attention to the foyer. He briefly glared at the seemingly empty space; before, just as suddenly, turning again and heading to his own room.

The day might have been over now; but Vlad's 'to-dos' were not. And a certain one had _just_ been bumped up to the top of his list…

* * *

**Your thoughts are greatly treasured.**


	47. Chapter 46: Lessons

**Hey, everyone! New chapter! Don't worry, it isn't a mega-long chapter like last time. And hopefully everyone will like this one much better. I have a few things to clear up. But I'll do so in the end. For now, enjoy this chapter. By the way, I wasn't able to get to all the reviews for chapter 44. I apologize. But my time is limited. And sadly I sometimes have to choose between editing and posting a chapter and answering reviews... BUT! I did get to all of them in the last chapter--45! Or am am pretty sure I did! So, thank you all for your support! You guys rock! Okay, let me zip it now! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

* * *

**Chapter 46: Lessons**

It was early in the morning, a couple of days now since she and Danny's friends had decided to make plans to go back to Wisconsin, in the hopes of getting to the bottom of Vlad's evil scheme. As she drove to school, she wore a firm frown on her face, her focus more on her thoughts than on the road. Unfortunately, they still had yet to find the opening they needed to go back to the man's mansion. Tucker had been keeping tabs on all of the billionaire's business moves; but so far, the man had not taken a step large enough to register on their radar. Vlad was almost too quiet.

Jazz didn't know how much more of this apprehension she could take. With each day that passed, she felt more inclined to tell her parents everything about her little brother. And yet, each day, something held her back. She was afraid to make such a big decision for her brother. After all, wouldn't he have made it himself if that's what he really had wanted? But Danny had not. For some reason that she and his friends could not figure out, her brother had chosen to give in to whatever Vlad was doing over revealing his secret. So, then, how could she now go against his choice?

Or was it his choice?

Jazz sighed deeply. She had never felt so indecisive in her life. She knew she had to help her brother---and soon. But how?

She was trying to be logical about all this so that she didn't make things worse for her brother. But she was getting tired of waiting! She was getting tired of sitting here doing nothing! She needed to act! And if Tucker couldn't find them that opening, she _would_ ultimately have to resort to going against her brother's wishes.

The sixteen-year-old bit her lips in worry as she drove her car into the school's parking lot. There had to be a way to outwit Vlad without resorting to that. The man's plots could be as tightly spun as a spider's web; but, in the end, his goals were the same: marry her mom; waste her dad; and make Danny into his evil apprentice.

But as far as she knew, the evil billionaire hadn't threatened her parents. He had, however, threatened _her_ that if she divulged his and Danny's secret, _then_ he would take measures against her dad… But, somehow, she felt there was more to this than her parents. It obviously revolved around Danny. The fact that Vlad had managed to force her brother into his grasp said it all. So, was the man's plot indeed to just get to Danny? Or…maybe, was it that the older half-ghost wanted to get her brother out of the way for something else?

Jazz's frown deepened as she turned off her car. She would have to keep an eye out for her dad just in case that 'something else' involved him. But whatever Vlad's scheme might be, what she really needed to know was how he had managed to get Danny to leave Amity Park. She felt that if she could just get the answer to _that_ question, then she would finally be able to help her little brother.

The teal-eyed girl let out another deep sigh, before finally stepping out of her car. As she hefted her book bag onto her back, she moved towards the school, occasionally smiling and greeting a few kids with which she was associated. But she was really more focused on finding her brother's friends than anyone else. She needed to ask Tucker if he had had any luck yet…

To her relief, Jazz found Sam and Tucker near their lockers, and she quickly cut through the other teens to get to them.

"Sam. Tucker," she called out to them once she was close enough.

"Oh, hi, Jazz," Sam and Tucker each greeted her with a small smile.

"Any luck?" Jazz asked, her eyebrows creasing with anxiety.

Danny's friends shared a look, before they turned back to their friend's sister and shook their heads.

"Sorry, Jazz," Tucker said quietly, his head slightly bowed in shame. "I'm really tryin'. But, so far, Vlad hasn't made any big plans that would attract the press—or anyone, at that. Man, I don't know… Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all," he mumbled the last part.

But Sam quickly objected. "Look, we can't give up now. I just know we'll get that opening, Tucker. And if we don't, then we'll go back to that creep's house, anyways! I'm done with letting him get away with his rotten schemes!"

"Well, I don't like it as much as you, Sam," Tucker quickly defended himself. "You know I'm not gonna give up on Danny. But things are not as simple as you make them sound!"

Jazz sighed, getting the two younger teens' attention. "Listen, I think you both are right. Sam, things are not as simple as you make them out. And, Tucker, that doesn't mean we can't find a way to get in there without Vlad's knowing. It's our only real choice right now. That… or…"

"That _'or'_ is _not_ an option, Jazz," Sam quickly said with a heavy frown, knowing what she was thinking.

"Yeah, telling your folks about Danny's secret is a bad idea. What if Vlad really keeps his threat? Not only would it put your dad in hot water; but if the dude exposes Danny, then it would put Danny in hot water with the Guys-in-White, too!" Tucker added.

"Well, then, we better hope we find something to help Danny soon. Because if we don't, I will tell my parents everything, you two. I'm going to get my brother out of there. One way or another," Jazz said firmly.

The two teens just stared at her with large eyes. But then... they just kept staring, as if they were looking right through her.

Jazz frowned. "What?" she asked quizzically. But they still didn't react. "Sam? Tucker?" she called to them, this time waving a hand in front of them. But they still didn't react.

The sixteen-year-old gasped in fear and whirled around, only to see that _everyone_ was frozen in place.

"What's going on?" she whispered in dread.

"I have stopped time," a deep voice suddenly answered.

The girl let out an even louder gasp as she finally saw the red-eyed entity to her right. "W-Who are you? A-And w-what do y-you want?" she asked quickly, unconsciously taking a step back from the ghost.

The time spirit didn't answer right away and just floated closer to the girl until he was about a foot from her. He gazed calmly at her before slowly raising his staff towards her.

Jazz slightly recoiled, but his next words quickly got her attention.

"The medallion around your neck might answer your question…," he said.

The girl looked down when she realized with his words that something was indeed around her neck. Her eyes widened further as she saw the gold necklace with the letters 'CW' engraved on it.

"Wait…," she mumbled, taking hold of the necklace. "You're… You're Clockwork! The ghost that helped my brother!"

Jazz had never met the Time Master before. She only knew him because her brother had told her the ghost had helped him with the evil future Phantom. Sadly, she didn't know all the details, like how exactly her brother had managed to defeat and save them from that horrible creature that was _not_ her little brother. But Danny had refused to talk a lot about it. However, she knew enough to know that the ghost in front of her wasn't evil.

"Correct," Clockwork replied. "And you are Jasmine Fenton. Danny's only sibling..."

Jazz smiled; and remembering how not too long ago she and Danny's friends had tried finding the ghost without success, her eyes lit up with hope. "You have no idea how glad I am to finally meet _and_ see you! Something terrible has happened to my little brother! Vlad Masters has---"

"I am aware of your brother's plight," Clockwork said, cutting her off.

"Oh, right," she mumbled, remembering the ghost's ability. But she then quickly frowned at him. "Then, why haven't you done anything about it? He's in serious trouble!"

"Perhaps…," the Time Master replied in his usual mysterious voice. "Either way, I will do nothing about it."

"What?!" she protested in disbelief. "But he needs your help!"

"He does not need my help, child," Clockwork intoned seriously, before adding with more sobriety, "And he does not need yours, either."

Jazz just stared at the time ghost in confusion and disbelief. How could he say her brother didn't need help? He was in the hands of a selfish man, who all but destroyed everything he touched!

"You must not really know Vlad Masters," she said angrily. "Otherwise, you wouldn't say that!"

"The first half-ghost to exist? The man who's past is as obscured and dark as is his present and future? Your brother's…enemy? I know who he is, child," Clockwork assured her.

"Then, why do you refuse to help my brother?" she asked, her eyebrows creasing with worry.

Clockwork quietly regarded her for a moment, but then, he asked, "Do you know why I am here?"

Jazz became even more confused by the spirit. She honestly didn't understand why he was here talking to her when he had no intentions of helping Danny!

"I avoid interacting with those in the time line, especially humans," he continued when she didn't respond; and then with a small smile, he added, "But I had to make an exception just for you…"

This time, Jazz caught on to the ghost's subtle hint and she looked back at the frozen Sam and Tucker. "Just for me…," she mumbled thoughtfully. She looked back at Clockwork and uttered, "Sam and Tucker have met you before and they know about my brother." Just before tugging on the medallion around her neck, she dryly added, "Why didn't you unfreeze them---or do whatever it is that you do? I doubt it's because you don't have enough medallions." But she then paused, and her eyebrows creased with suspicion. "What do you want with me, Clockwork?"

The time ghost's small smile widened into a smirk. "Your quick perception is almost dangerous, child."

"Dangerous to whom? You? Then, why risk speaking to me if you think I might figure out something you do not want me to?" Jazz quickly retorted, her suspicion growing. She was starting to doubt that Clockwork was as 'good' as her brother believed. The ghost was almost… _manipulative_. And that did not sit well with her--nor did being called 'child'.

Clockwork's almost-indifferent look returned as he answered, "There is very little risk when I already know the outcome of this conversation."

Jazz frowned deeply. "Oh, yeah? Then, you came to interfere? Are you even allowed to do that?"

"I only interfere when I must," Clockwork continued, ignoring her almost accusatory tone. "However, that is not the case now. I have not come to interfere with your actions, Jasmine. I have come to lay out your choices."

"And that's not interfering?" she retorted, crossing her arms. "You make no sense. You won't help my brother. But you are here to 'help' _me_ see _my_ choices? You're gonna have to forgive me if that upsets me a lot."

"Yours and their---" He pointed towards Sam and Tucker. "---desire to aid Danny is commendable. The care and support you three give him are indeed priceless. But I will tell you what I told Danny: he is stronger than what he believes. And that is something he must learn."

"You have talked to Danny?" she gasped out.

But the time ghost ignored the question and continued with deeper sobriety. "The three of you, Jasmine, have stood by his side every step of the way; even when you didn't initially know of his powers, you have aided him. But there comes a time in everyone's life when they must stand alone. Your brother's time has come. He does not need my help. And he does not need yours or theirs. This battle, he must fight alone."

"I-I won't leave my brother there," Jazz said shakily, not believing what the ghost was implying.

"He is there for more than one purpose. And your presence will only delay his completion of them. I understand how this must sound to you, but I know what lies in his path ahead. And I will assure you that if he does not succeed now, he stands no chance of success for what's to come."

Jazz remained quiet for a moment. But then she whispered, "You still haven't answered why you're talking to just me."

"You will find out soon enough," Clockwork replied. "For now, I leave you with the knowledge that everything Danny needs right now is at his reach. I recommend that you stay on the sidelines for this one." The ghost suddenly smirked again as he added, "But then again, the choice is yours…"

Before Jazz could say anything, Clockwork lifted his staff. He then declared in a strong voice, "Time in," only to instantly vanish with the spin of a set of clock hands.

Jazz gasped in surprise as everything came back to life before her eyes.

"Jazz?" Sam's voice called from behind her.

The older girl spun to look at the young one, startling her.

"Hey, uh, you okay?" Tucker asked hesitantly, not understanding why Danny's sister looked like she had just seen a ghost.

Jazz quickly looked down at her neck, and her eyes widened even more when she saw the medallion was gone. "It's gone," she whispered.

Sam was about to say something again when the school bell rang.

Jazz jolted; but quickly remembered where she was, she looked back at Danny's friends and whispered to them, "Lunch. We'll talk." And before they could say anything, she walked off towards her class; but her thoughts were nowhere near school.

A frown was on her face as she replayed Clockwork's words in her head. But no matter how many times she thought about them, they did not convince her.

"_He's right about one thing. It is my choice," _she thought seriously.

* * *

"Good Morning, Danny Phantom. How are you this morning?"

"Call me, 'Danny'; and I'm fine," the teen replied as he sat in Vlad's mapping room, annoyance clearly on his face at seeing his 'teacher' show up. He had hoped for the opposite…

"Alright!" Ms. Thomas nodded happily. She ignored the chalk board already in the room, and instead, made a glowing green board materialize out of thin air with the use of her powers.

"Well, at least it will be a lot more interesting than normal school," Danny murmured to himself as he watched the ghost teacher conjure up a stick of glowing white chalk.

As she wrote on the board and began to explain everything, the words she stroked were as if they were a thick, ghostly white mist clinging to the green board.

"Now, just in case you are not aware, I will be schooling you Monday through Friday. And based on the information Mr. Plasmius provided me prior to your visit about a week back, I have decided to break down your lessons into four sections: math, history, science, and literature. Each lesson will be fifty minutes long and will commence right after breakfast. You will have a ten minute break after each lesson. That means we should be done around lunch time."

Ms. Thomas paused as she finished writing the four subjects and their durations on the board. She finally turned to look at the sole teenager sitting in the room as she calmly said, "I will be giving you daily assignments that you'll be required to complete by the next day. And since I will be staying at this abode from now on, you will have me at your disposal even outside of our class time. So, please, feel free to find me if you have any questions or require any help. Now, do you have any further questions?"

Danny resisted the urge to slide his hand over his face, and instead just shook his head. However, that didn't keep him from irritably thinking, _"Alright, maybe this will be __**just**__ like normal school---boring and annoying." _

"Alright. Then, let us start with math."

Danny squeaked in surprise when a ghostly math book suddenly materialized on the table in front of him. _"But_ _that doesn't mean this isn't gonna require some getting use to,"_ he added warily.

"That's the book we will be using," the ghost teacher continued without skipping a beat. "It is yours to take, just like everything else I give you. But seeing that today is our first official day together, I will be giving you a small test on each subject. Although I have seen your past school records, I would like to use my own methods to determine the level at which you are. But this will also help me pinpoint on what areas in each subject we need to focus."

Danny sighed as Ms. Thomas turned from him and floated over to a bag she had brought with her.

"_Maybe this would be a good time to mention that I'm really bad at math," _he thought as the ghost pulled out the needed materials.

Still, Danny just silently watched the ghost place a math test that looked a couple of pages long, a standard calculator, and a pencil in front of him.

"You have fifty minutes to complete this one," she told him. "Then, you can take a ten minute break before we continue with the literature exam. Any questions?"

"No," he mumbled out, picking up the pencil.

Ms. Thomas smiled. "Good. Then, you may begin."

Danny stared down at the math test for a moment. But he then shrugged to himself. He might as well get it over with. Plus, it would help him get his mind off the urge to strangle Vlad.

* * *

Vlad smirked as he watched the very annoyed Danny walk into the dining room and slump down into his chair for lunch. Without a word, the teen picked up his fork, stabbed a thick piece of strip steak and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Oh, come now, Daniel. It cannot be _that_ bad," the man said, the look on the boy's face greatly amusing him.

Danny glared at him, before sticking another piece of steak in his mouth, and replying, "Of course it's not bad. It's horrible!"

Vlad's mirth quickly melded into a frown as he scolded, "Do not talk with your mouth full, Daniel. And stop being so dramatic, it's just a few hours."

Danny shot him another angry look before going back to his food and stuffing more of it in his mouth just to annoy the man. The truth was that the schooling wasn't as bad as he made it sound. Sure, taking four exams, each almost an hour long, had his head spinning; but the time had gone a lot faster than he had expected. Still, he didn't like it. After all, what teenager liked school? …Well, there was Jazz, but she wasn't normal.

The billionaire gritted his teeth against Danny's lack of table manners; but he decided not to press the matter and just turned to his own meal. But then, after a minute of silence, the boy spoke again.

"You do realize how weird it is to have a ghost as a teacher, right?" Danny asked, his tone of voice sounding a little calmer.

Vlad smirked at the boy again as he quipped back, "Only as_ weird _as being a human-ghost hybrid."

Danny scoffed as he picked up his lemonade. "I'm not weird. You are."

The billionaire blinked at the boy for a moment. But then, he suddenly broke out into a full-hearted laugh. "Daniel!" he said through his laughter. "That_ has_ to be your worst comeback yet!"

Danny's eyes flashed green with the man's mocking remark, and he quickly retorted, maybe a little too darkly than he intended, "Oh, believe me, I have a much better _comeback.._."

Vlad immediately glared at the teenager's unmistakable threat. But as quick as his anger came, it left the man, and a wicked smile slowly spread on his lips. "Really now? …I'd love to see it," he challenged.

Danny was completely taken aback by the older half-ghost's dare. Did….Did he want to _fight_?

The boy quickly tensed and a glare returned to his face as he hostilely asked, "_What_ are you saying, Vlad?"

The billionaire calmly picked up his drink and mildly studied it before taking a small sip. His voice now sounded causal as he finally said, "Well, I recently had this thought that since you are taking lessons now, you might want to pick up one more…"

Danny stared back in confusion; but he still cautiously questioned. "What kind of lesson?"

Vlad smiled cleverly. "I'll give you one guess, dear boy."

That alone was enough for Danny to realize what the man was talking about. And the teen's eyes widened in disbelief. But then, his eyes fell down to his plate as he hesitantly whispered, "You would… teach me?"

"If you are interested," Vlad replied almost indifferently, though he was staring analytically at the boy.

Danny's disbelief suddenly vanished and he quickly looked suspiciously back at the older half-ghost. "Why?"

Vlad chuckled lightly, before his lips curved into an evil smile that sent shivers up Danny's spine. "I'll answer that question when _you_ finally answer _mine._ Why have you changed your behavior towards me since your tussle with Walker?"

Danny frowned at the suspicion glowing behind the billionaire eyes. Vlad still thought he was trying to trick him or something…. just like _he_ thought the man's sudden offer was a trick as well… But the teen was not about to tell Vlad the reason for his change towards him. And that meant the man wasn't going to tell him why he was offering to teach him about his ghost powers…

Vlad, of course, could see the boy's hesitation. But he waved it off as he coolly remarked, "As I said, Daniel. It's only _if _you are interested."

Danny sighed. Of course he was interested. He could learn _so much_ from the older hybrid. The teen had kept the many questions and doubts about his ghost half to himself for far too long. But the only person who could even remotely clear them up for him had always asked for a price that was too high for him to even consider. So… what was Vlad's price this time?

"What's the catch, Vlad?" Danny asked seriously.

"Catch?" the billionaire repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Daniel, I think you have forgotten the current circumstances."

The teen understood that by 'circumstances' the man was referring to his being forced to be here and his agreement of submission to his enemy. In short, Vlad referred to everything that kept him tied at his side. The man had him exactly where he always wanted him, so what catch _could_ there be?

Before, Plasmius' price for his ghostly knowledge had been the renouncement of his father. But although the teen had not exactly done that now, he _had_ renounced his life in order to keep his sister safe. And that, in turn, meant he had renounced everything in his life, including his father and the rest of his loved ones.

Still, the feeling that there was something more to the evil hybrid's offer or that he would somehow benefit from his agreeing with him was digging into Danny's brain. But what _more_ could Vlad gain from him when he had already taken from him _everything_ he had?

_Nothing._

"Alright," Danny finally agreed, though suspicion still glowed brightly in his blue eyes.

Vlad smirked. "Wise choice," he stated, before lifting his glass up, sarcastically toasting him, and then drinking from it.

Danny rolled his eyes at the man's arrogance, but then just went back to his lunch.

Neither talked any further.

* * *

It had been a couple hours since Vlad had offered to teach Danny and the boy had agreed. Now, it was time. And though Vlad looked calm and collected externally, internally he was the complete opposite. Whatever had possessed him to train the boy was as disturbing to him as Daniel's willingness to agree to a truce. It had never been part of his plans, not even when his mind had been set on submitting the boy to his will by any means. After all, what fool gave their rival further tools and skills that could later be used against him?

Yes, the boy and he had now agreed that they would attempt to stop seeing each other as enemies. But that did not change the fact that they _were_ precisely that. So, then, why in blazes did he even offer to teach him? Honestly, what was wrong with him lately? Since when did he let his emotions overcome his logic?

But the idea had not entirely been impulsive on Vlad's part. The thought of training the teenager had sprouted to his mind late last night---after he had been thinking of what had occurred in the Ghost Zone and who could be responsible for the set-up. To his annoyance, he couldn't narrow those he suspected to just one. There were just so many ghosts that hated Daniel and a good handful worked for him. So, which one could it be?

He paused, running through the list of ghosts he suspected in his head. He then frowned. He still had a hard time believing that even one of his ghost 'allies' would have the gall to betray him. Nevertheless, as he mentally listed the names of the ghosts he believed could be the culprit again, he began to eliminate the possibilities. And then, when he thought about those that were left, he suddenly had a strong hunch that this could only be the work of one ghost. And _whoever_ it was, he still had a feeling that the ghost was not calling it quits now.

Hence, how the crazy thought of training the boy had originated. The man realized that he could not always be around to keep whatever ghost was after the teenager at bay. So, he thought of teaching him a few tricks that could possibly keep Daniel one step ahead of this mystery ghost. At least, until the billionaire could get to the bottom of this.

However, just as quick as the idea had come to his mind last night, so had come thoughts of its repercussions. And Vlad had relentlessly snuffed the idea…. Only for it to rear its ugly face again at lunch today. That time, he had been unable to push it back down.

So, here he was now, watching Daniel from the control area of the simulation room, while berating himself for his foolish impulse. Then again, maybe he was just being a bit too paranoid. After all, how could teaching the boy what he knew come back to haunt him when Daniel already was in his grasp? The young hybrid was now bound to him in more ways than one. So, then, what had he to fear?

Maybe this was a good thing, after all. Not only would the boy be less vulnerable to this mystery ghost that was after him, but it could also bring Daniel closer to him. From the moment he had first met the child at the college reunion, he had wanted Daniel as his apprentice. However, with the boy's outright refusal, he had obviously needed a more forceful approach. But now…maybe this was the chance he had wanted to prove to Daniel why he belonged at his side and how things could be better with his guiding hand.

The billionaire sighed as he crossed his arms in front of him, his eyes calmly watching the teenager continue with his daily exercise. The truce between Daniel and him was so transparent it might as well not be there. There was absolutely no trust both ways; and the cup of tension between them was so full that one drop more would spill it over. Even so, for better or for worse, Vlad had made the offer to teach him, and Daniel had accepted it. Now, it was too late for regret on both sides.

One thing Vlad was certain of, though. He was not about to use any form of direct approach in teaching the boy. No, trying to train Daniel in person was out of the question. The teen would only think he was _attacking_ him in the end, and that surely would turn into a disaster.

Vlad frowned at the thought. But he then rolled his eyes in annoyance, before focusing back on Danny. Of course, the boy had no idea he was currently watching him. And that's how Vlad wanted it. Before he proceeded with his 'oh-so-brilliant' idea, Vlad needed to observe Danny's 'moves' with more detail.

The man already knew a lot of the boy's strong and weak points and abilities. After all, those were things he had to find out when he had attempted to clone the young half-ghost. But that had been some time ago. And after briefly watching Daniel recently, Vlad could tell the teen had acquired new skills and even changed how he executed some of the old ones. But none of that meant, Danny was up to par with his powers just yet…

"This is going to be a lot of work," Vlad mumbled tiredly with a shake of his head.

Yes, Daniel had come a long way from what he was when they first met almost a year ago. There was no doubt that he had improved in leaps and bounds. But he still had _a lot_ of room for improvement. One of the boy's main problems was that he was very sloppy in his maneuvers and the usage of his powers. It was so obvious that he was just making things up as he went…. So it was no wonder he often lost his strength and energy so quickly in battle. Not only did he lack endurance, but he also wasted a lot of his power on hasty and poorly executed attacks.

"I think I've seen enough," Vlad uttered to himself, before terminating the current program, changing into ghost form, and finally vanishing from the control room.

* * *

Danny wanted to slap himself for letting his desire to learn more about his powers overcome his common sense. What had he been thinking when he accepted Vlad's offer? Now that he had had a few hours to think about it, he was even surer it had 'bad idea' written all over it! Surely, Vlad had some other reason in mind to so readily offer to teach him...

But his fear of his arch-enemy having some ulterior motive under his offer wasn't the teen's only dilemma. How was Vlad going to teach him exactly? Would… he have to fight the man? If so, Danny wasn't sure if he could do that without his mind and body going into a defense mode. Even if he was trying to see past Vlad as being his arch-enemy, he had fought against the older half-ghost for so long that it was now instinct to become guarded by his every move. Now, to have Plasmius come at him… Their 'training' would quickly turn into a real fight. Danny was sure of it.

The teenager fired a blast at a target, before quickly dodging a gun's energy ray. He then sighed in worry. He should have rejected Vlad's offer. But he really wanted to learn more about his powers. And who better to teach him than the only other true half-ghost with over twenty years of experience? But then… what did this make _him_ now? His apprentice?

Danny shuddered at the thought.

"**Program level ten terminated."**

Danny jolted in surprise at the room's unexpected announcement; but before he could question it, Plasmius materialized in front of him.

"You are as proficient with willing your powers as a monkey is at using a dictionary," Vlad said mockingly, a smirk on his face as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Danny glared. "If you're gonna insult me the whole time, then forget it!"

Plasmius laughed, smugness still in his voice. "Alright, I will refrain from teasing you; though it's going to prove quite a challenge to do that if you take into consideration just how bad your skills are!"

Danny quickly changed back and stormed towards the now visible door.

But before the teen could get to it, Plasmius materialized in front of him again. "Where are you going, Daniel? We are about to get started. You agreed to take lessons from me, remember?" he asked with an arrogant grin.

"Yeah, well, I changed my mind," Danny replied coolly, before moving around him and continuing towards the exit.

"Commence training program at level five," Vlad calmly ordered the room.

"**Level five program commencing…" **

Danny gasped as the door vanished and weapons emerged from the walls.

Vlad quickly floated up as he said, "I think by now you have figured out that this room targets ectoplasmic signatures. In other words, you should morph."

Danny yelped as he was forced to jump out of the way to avoid being blasted by a weapon's energy ray. But then, the teen quickly changed into Phantom and flew up to face the older half-ghost, who was looking as smug as ever with his arms crossed and a pink shield around himself.

"Didn't you hear me? I said I changed my mind!" Danny said angrily, before he was blasted back to the ground by another ghost weapon.

Vlad chuckled as he floated down. He watched the young half-ghost stand again, before replying to the boy's last comment, "No, you have not."

Danny growled; but this time, he turned intangible when another blast came his way. He quickly glared back at Plasmius and crossed his arms as he firmly said, "Don't make fun of me anymore."

Vlad chuckled haughtily again, but he still nodded. Suddenly, he levitated off the ground again, and all form of amusement was gone from his tone of voice when he then said, "Now, before you can even hope to control your powers you have to first _understand_ them."

Danny quickly flew out of the way of two incoming blasts, before replying in annoyance. "Vlad, I've had my powers for a year now. I can 'go ghost' in a blink of an eye; I fight against evil ghosts on a daily basis. What more is there for me to understand that I haven't picked up during all that?"

But just as he said that, Danny gasped as another energy beam came from his right. The teen managed to dodge the attack; but because he was going too fast, he ended up slamming against a nearby glowing barrier and then falling to the ground.

Vlad sighed as he watched the teen stand with a pained groan. "Apparently, a lot," he mumbled to himself in response to the boy's last comment. The man ignored the two blasts that slammed into his shield as he spoke up again, "If you believe you understand your ghost half so well, then, answer me this simple question, Daniel: where do your powers come from?"

Danny quickly floated up to Plasmius height; and finally following his example, conjured up a ghost shield around himself as he thought about the question. "They… uh…"

"They come—or rather, _start_, _here_," Vlad answered, knowing the teen didn't know.

Danny frowned as he stared at the man pointing at his chest. "What? Our h-heart?" he asked, stuttering when he grunted with the effort of keeping his shield intact after a particularly strong beam had hit against it.

"You ghost core," Vlad corrected, raising an eyebrow. "In a way, you can say that a ghost's core is like a human's heart. It's what circulates your energy through your body. But, in other ways, it's nothing like it, Daniel. And that is something I will explain to you on another occasion. For now, I want to explain to you what _fuels_ your ghost half and your abilities: Ectoplasmic Energy.

Danny cringed as his shield was assaulted by more attacks, but he suddenly tensed when he saw Vlad's hands begin to glow with pink energy.

But the man paid no mind to this as he said, "Ectoplasmic energy is incredible in itself. It is the primary component in ectoplasm. So, it has the ability to sustain a spectral entity for eternity, Daniel. And that's because ectoplasmic energy is a natural _refueling_ source of energy. In other words, it breaks the first law of thermodynamics which proposes that energy cannot be created nor destroyed. Spectral energy cannot be destroyed, but it _can_ be created. Your very core is constantly generating this energy. When you release it," Vlad fired a blast at a random target and quickly destroyed it. "—you lose that amount of energy. But as soon as you do, your body begins to create more of it to replace your loss---how quickly it regenerates that energy depends on the amount you lost. Meanwhile, the energy you have released dissolves out of _this_ plane, but returns to the Ghost Zone, becoming free energy. So, you see, it is never destroyed. Whenever you go to the Ghost Zone, you give your ghost half the opportunity to naturally _feed_ off that free energy. It is why the ghost world attracts us as does any other ghost."

Vlad smirked at the perturbed look on Danny's face, but still continued. "Now, when it comes to using it as a weapon, ectoplasmic energy is like no other. When willed properly, Daniel, it is powerful---even _deadly_…"

Danny gasped as the man unexpectedly shot a pink bolt of electrical energy at a ghost barrier, causing it to explode into metallic shards and, likewise, the room to rumble from the force.

"Depending on a ghost's core, spectral energy can be transformed into completely different natural properties or states," the man said without missing a beat. "Electricity and fire" he said, creating sparks of the former in his hands before the same sparks burst into actual flames.

"Wind," he continued, his voice suddenly vibrating from everywhere around the room. But then, Plasmius lifted a finger and spun it in the air, creating a small pink twister above it. "Even ice and water," Vlad finished with a raised eyebrow.

Danny also raised an eyebrow, but his was more of a questioning gesture when Vlad didn't provide an example of water or ice. But the older hybrid did not explain further, and simply moved on.

"But as versatile as Ectoplasmic Energy may be, it is also stable. So much, in fact, that with the right usage, it can be molded into anything you can think of and still retain its stability.

This time, Danny watched in awe as Vlad cupped his energy-filled hands before slowly bringing them apart again and revealing a perfectly molded, energy-made rose floating in between them. However, the boy's wonder only grew as the man quickly changed the rose's color from red to purple, to pink, to green, and finally, to blue, before he cupped his hands again and it disappeared.

Danny slowly lifted his widened green eyes to look directly into Vlad's red ones. "How did you---?"

But the teen was unable to get his question out. At that instant, his green shield finally gave in, and he was blasted to the ground.

"And that's not nearly all, Daniel," Plasmius continued as if nothing had happened. "The _strength_ Ectoplasmic Energy gives any being who possesses it, is _incredible_. It allows the wilier to defy the very laws of nature. In other words, dear boy, we are not bound by them. We are above _all_ laws. We have the power to make our _own_," Vlad assured the boy with thick smugness in his voice.

Danny just stared up at Plasmius, confusion and disbelief in his gaze. He was currently trying to figure out where Vlad was going with all this. But, also, if the man was really serious about his last words or if he was just crazier than he had believed him to be. And all the while, the teen had to continue to avoid being hit by the ghost weapons…. Having to do all this at once, however, wasn't working too well for him.

"Ahh!" Danny shouted as he was slammed into the nearby wall. With a grunt, he stood up again; but then, he angrily shouted at the amused older half-ghost above, "Would you turn this freakin' thing off?!"

"No," Vlad replied with a smirk. "As I was saying, Ectoplasmic Energy is awing in its own right; and those who will it, even more so. But _we,_ Daniel, are more than awing, we're _breathtaking_. Because we are also human, we hold another fuel source; a _living_ source of energy. The day we became human-ghost hybrids, our self-generating spectral energy, intertwined itself with our essence, down to our very molecular structure. Our two sides depend on another; they need each other to survive. And yet, they repel one another from how different they are. But it is precisely that _contained _volatility, my boy, that makes our powers _limitless_; and precisely why they will _never_ stop growing. Do you see, Daniel? We are superior beings. Not even the most powerful of ghosts can match our capabilities."

Danny grabbed his spinning head after getting hit by another energy ray again. He stared angrily at Vlad, now completely fed-up with him. "Why are you telling me all this? _Especially_ when I have ghost weapons hitting me left and right?!"

Plasmius rolled his eyes, before floating down to the teenager's side. "End Program," he ordered.

"**Level five program terminated," **the room announced.

"It's called _training_, Daniel!" Vlad said, annoyance on his face as he turned into Masters again.

Danny's mouth gaped open, but he quickly closed it and frowned. "How is _this _training?" he asked exasperated.

Vlad chuckled as he shook his head. "_This_ isn't; _that_ was. Specifically, we were working on 'focusing', Daniel, and you just failed," he stated smugly before heading to the door.

"Wait. What?" Danny stared at the man in shock as he watched him leave. But when Vlad stepped out without another word to him, Danny growled and crossed his arms. However, he continued to shoot the door angry glances, clearly wanting to go after the man, but his pride fought against it. Ultimately, his other side won out.

Danny sighed loudly in exasperation, before running to the door. As he left the simulation room, he changed back and soon caught up to Vlad.

"That wasn't fair, you know." Danny protested, falling in step with the man. "You didn't even tell me we were training!"

Vlad halted and looked down at the boy with heavy irritation. "Of course I didn't tell you. It would have defeated the purpose!"

"No, it wouldn't have," Danny argued back, even though he wasn't exactly sure what the purpose of all that was.

The billionaire sighed tiredly; but then spoke again with a calmer, but serious, voice. "Daniel, your main problem is lack of focus. Willing your powers, gaining a deeper control over them, requires that you concentrate on _several_ things at once. So, how can you do that when you can't even focus on _two_ things at once or even _just_ one?"

Danny frowned, about to protest again, but Vlad continued before he could. "If I would have told you we had started when we did, you would have not listened to a word I said back there, because you would have been solely focused on trying to avoid getting hit by the room---and that is not what I wanted. Considering that I set the room to level _five_---recall that you exercise at level _ten_---you would have had no problem evading such simple attacks. But since you lack focus, it stopped being easy for you the moment you gave me your attention. Do know what that tells me? It tells me you are still incapable of truly multi-tasking with your powers. Our abilities, boy, are more mental than physically. That is why you must learn to split your focus. And until you learn this, I cannot teach you anything else."

Danny sighed angrily, but couldn't find anything to say to that.

"Tomorrow your lesson will be _much_ longer, rest assured. Today, I just merely needed to see how much work you are going to need," Vlad said almost flippantly, before walking off again.

This time, Danny did not follow; and instead silently watched the man head up the main stairs. But then, the teen suddenly rolled his eyes, and angrily mumbled, "Show off."

Suddenly wanting a sweet snack, he dismissed his frustration and walked off towards the kitchen. When he got there, he found George tidying up the place.

"Hello, young halfa! I hear you are getting schooled," the ghost chef teased, ruffling the boy's hair as he stopped in front of him.

Danny rolled his eyes, but he held a smile on his lips. "Well, you heard right; and it reeks!" he said, trying to sound annoyed.

The ghost chuckled. "Well, look at it this way. Now, you will have plenty of work to do."

"Gee, thanks. That makes me feel _so much_ better, George," Danny replied sarcastically, although his face still portrayed amusement.

The chef grinned. "Hey, I try."

Danny shook his head at the ghost, before going to the pantry and pulling out his stash of candy. He took out a blow-pop and then put the bag away again. As he unwrapped the candy, the teen spotted the youngest maid floating into the kitchen.

"Hey, Niane," Danny greeted her, before sticking the lollipop in his mouth.

"Oh, hello, Master Danny!" she said brightly. But her happy look slowly melded into a shy and even worried look as she said, "I'm sorry I haven't really spoken to you since… well, you know."

Danny smiled at her, knowing she referred to what had happened to him in the Ghost Zone and that she was clearly still worried about him.

"It's okay… And I'm fine now. But thanks for caring. Really, that means a lot."

"Well, I know I'm also glad to see you made it out of that one," George spoke up, before the maid could. He suddenly chuckled as he said, "You sure spooked us that day; and we're ghosts!"

Danny smiled appreciatively. Even if they were Vlad's workers, the teen could now see how special these ghosts were; but also, that they really _cared_ about him. He had not been able to really understand that before when he had been too busy fighting and hating his arch-enemy and anything associated with him. But now he was sure that these ghosts---George, Carl, Niane, even the skittish Derek and the other two bickering ghost maids---had no intention of harming him. He could trust them because somewhere during these long months he and they had become… friends.

The teen felt a strong wave of emotion wash over him with that realization; but he kept it at bay, and quickly shot George a clever smirk when he recalled what the ghost had said to him when they first met. "I thought you said you didn't like me."

The ghost laughed loudly, but he still nodded at the boy's words. "Well, I have come to realize that you're not as bad as I initially thought, young halfa," he replied with mirth, but then shot the teen back his clever smirk. "I hope you can forgive me. After all, you do know what it's like to misjudge someone, right?"

Knowing the ghost was talking about Vlad, Danny quickly became troubled by the remark. But he tried to hide it with a forced smile. "Yeah… I, Uh…I gotta go."

George blinked in surprise at the boy's sudden retreat; but he then looked down at Niane and found the girl scowling at him. "I… shouldn't have said that, huh?"

"No, you should have not," she replied annoyed.

George sighed. "Well, at least they are not fighting anymore."

Niane's eyebrows creased. "Let's see if it lasts," she said soberly, before giving the chef a small smile and then vanishing from the kitchen in a puff of red smoke.

* * *

**Alright. First of, do recall no ones perfect, not even yours truly. Heh! That said. I made an error in the last chapter. I accidently gave Stephanie a japanese last name. Yeah... Um, Sorry about that. I usually research things I don't know before attempting anything with it, especially if I'm going to be showing it to an audience. But I _kinda_ took a guess with her last name---obviously, I guessed wrong. Anyways, I won't go into the details. Point is I changed her last name to 'Hui'. I'm sure most of you don't even remember what it was before; and, of course, it doesn't change a thing in the story's plot. But it wouldn't be appropriate to have left her with a japanese last name. So, there you go. Sorry if I offended anyone!**

**Okay, on to more. A lot of you are wondering what 'Jie' means. Heh. Well, I'm not gonna tell you. But for those that are really curious, I'll give you the actual chinese word and you can look it up. BUT, be warn that it will spoil you greatly. I recommend that you wait until i reveal to you what it is; but, I know some people like spoilers. heh.**

**So, okay, 'Jie' is the Pinyin translation. The Chinese trad. for the word is: 傑 . And the simp. one is : 杰**

**So, there you are! You have the cookie jar now. it's your choice whether or not you stick your hand in it! LOL!**

**One last thing, is anyone of you fluent in German? *get curious stares* No, I'm not telling you why I'm asking; that is, unless you are fluent in the language. Then, I'll explain...**

**Well, ta, my readers! Thank you all for your support! And I do hope to hear from you all!**


	48. Chapter 47: Unsteady Bond

**Hello, my readers! Time to read CM again! I will be replying to reviews while you guys read, kay? Thank you all for your support!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

* * *

**Chapter 47: Unsteady Bond**

It had been over week since the two half-ghosts had agreed to try to see past their 'enemy' status. Although Vlad still remained guarded about the boy's changes, his uncertainty over them was nothing like it had been before. The man was surprised to find that he could be a little genuine in his approach without thinking something bad would come of it. And at times, though it was not very common, he actually felt he could relax around Daniel…

As for Danny, he was as equally surprised at how much easier it was becoming with every passing day to wrap his mind around the idea of Vlad being something more than his enemy. That now sure kept his hackles down more often than raised over every little thing the man did or said. But it also helped that the older hybrid seemed less indifferent each day.

Whatever changes the two were going through, it indeed looked for the better. The tension between them was slowly, but surely, fading away. And so was the awkwardness. _However_, that did not mean that they still didn't argue. It just meant that it was getting easier and easier for them to not explode on each other when they did fight...

Ultimately, this put a better spin on things now that they were interacting with each other more frequently. Vlad had kept true to his offer and was training Danny every day. The man was surprised by how quickly the teenager caught on to the different lessons. But, then again, there were times when the boy just could not get something right and Vlad would have to backtrack in his lesson and try a different approach.

Today was one of those days.

"Pause program."

Panting from exertion, Danny floated over to Vlad, who had been standing at one corner of the room.

"Your energy-blasts are sloppy, Daniel," the man said with a shake of his head.

"What do you mean _sloppy_?" Danny asked, confused and slightly irritated.

Vlad sighed. But then, he gestured for the boy to follow him to the center of the room as he commanded it, "Resume program."

The older half-ghost flew up, the younger one following, as a circular target sprang from the ceiling.

"Observe," Plasmius said as he took aim with his right hand and fired a pink blast at the target. He, of course, hit it perfectly, drilling a clean hole through the center of the bulls-eye.

The man then looked at the boy, and calmly ordered, "Now, you try."

Danny nodded and took aim at another target. And when he fired, he also hit the target dead-on. Only that, his target exploded into wooden shreds.

"See? Sloppy," Vlad said, gesturing to the destroyed target.

Danny sighed. Was he really _that_ bad?

Vlad shook his head, noticing the teen's crestfallen look. "Here, let me explain something to you," he stated, extending his hand with his palm up in front of the teen.

Danny's eyebrows creased when the man lit his hand with pink energy and asked him, "Why do you think my ectoplasmic energy is a different color than your own?"

The boy rubbed his neck as he looked at the man and suggested, "Uh… because you like pink?"

Vlad quickly extinguished his ghost energy and crossed his arms. "Yes, Daniel. That is precisely why," he answered in fake agreement.

But Danny completely missed the sarcasm in the older half-ghost's voice; and now looking completely grossed out, he said, "_Really_?"

"No!" Vlad snapped, annoyed.

"Hey, you're the one that agreed," Danny pointed out, also sounding irritated.

Vlad sighed helplessly as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just let me continue."

Danny smirked as he made a 'be my guest' gesture with his hand.

Vlad rolled his eyes, but still resumed his lecture as he brought his hand back out, pink energy glowing in his palm. "The color has to do with the stability and strength of the ectoplasm you are willing."

The teen suppressed a gasp when the man abruptly changed his pink energy into green energy. He didn't know Vlad could make green energy! Or, wait, he did know. He had briefly done so the first day they had begun training. Still, it was a surprising sight.

"The energy _you_ use, green ectoplasmic energy, is the most elemental form of ghost energy," Plasmius continued, not reacting to the boy's stunned look. "I'm sure you have noticed it makes up most of the energy in the Ghost Zone. And that's because it is the purest form of energy. But because it is the purest form, it is also the wildest form. Green energy is very unpredictable, Daniel. _Sloppy_ when not willed properly," he commented raising an eyebrow, before adding, "_B__ut,_ it is also very powerful."

Vlad paused briefly, before suddenly turning his energy into a blue color. "_This_ you can say is the mirror image of green energy. It is the most stable of the energies. Yet, it is also the _weakest_."

Pink energy quickly replaced the older half-ghost's blue energy as he then said, "This, my boy, is the combination of both. It's equally as stable as it is powerful. It brings out the best qualities of both green and blue energy. _That_ is why I prefer it over all the other energies," he stated, fixing the boy with a pointed look at the end.

"Now, as I change my energy's hue to purple, I'm simply increasing its strength. And with some more manipulation of it, you finally reach red energy." Vlad's eyes slightly narrowed as he looked at the red energy glowing in his palm. "Red ectoplasmic energy is the most concentrated form of ghost energy. It is extremely powerful. But if not used properly, it's also extremely dangerous for the user as much as the one on the receiving end."

Vlad looked back at Danny with a serious look, though he continued to hold the red energy in his hand. "Even if you could learn this form of energy before first learning to properly control your energy flow, you should never attempt to use it until you have acquired enough focus and stability with your ghost half. When mastered properly, red ectoplasmic energy is quite stable in spite of its nature. But when it is used without the required control and focus, red energy can be dangerously unpredictable; even more so than green energy."

"That's all really great, Vlad. But _how_ do you do all that?" Danny asked impatiently.

Vlad smirked. "First, you need to learn to be patient," he answered, and the boy briefly scowled. But the man still continued, "And you also need to learn proper concentration---which is what I told you from the beginning. Your energy is still unrefined—_wild_. But that's not exactly a bad thing. It's like having a mass of clay in your hands. You can form it into _anything_ you desire. _But_ your desire can only go so far. That is why _knowledge_ is the key here, Daniel."

"So, you want me to mold my energy?" Danny asked, trying to figure out what the man was trying to get at.

"I want you to _learn_ to mold your energy," Vlad clarified. "As I mentioned, green energy is the wildest form of energy; and yours even more so. Again, it has to do with your being half-ghost; but also because of your age. Your human body, and, ergo, your ghost body are naturally unstable because you are at the peak of development. And it is because of your instability that you need to learn to stabilize the _usage_ of your powers. You have to create a balance within you, my boy. Because if you don't learn to control your energy flow now that it's at its easiest to _mold_, your energy, _your powers_, will eventually hurt you. And I think we both know firsthand what I mean…"

Danny just nodded, knowing the man was referring to the time he had lost control of his powers.

"Alright, that being said," Vlad suddenly continued when everything got too quiet for his liking, "---let me show you how to start developing a control in your energy flow. Pay close attention, dear boy. What I'm about to teach you is the most important thing you can ever learn with your powers. If you learned this, Daniel, _anything else_ will be at your fingertips; because, in turn, you will also have mastered the fundamentals that your powers require to function and that I'm trying to teach you," he ended with a smile.

But before Danny could comment, Vlad conjured up blue energy into his hands and sobered up once more, "This, Daniel, might be the weakest form of energy; but it is also the most difficult to create. Because of how stable it is, blue energy requires a level of concentration, patience, tranquility, and even confidence to create---let alone, use it as a weapon."

"But would it really be good for offence? I mean, you said, it's the weakest form of energy," Danny interrupted, looking quizzically at the man.

"Correct," Vlad agreed with a nod. "But, you see, blue energy is the base for the transformation of spectral energy into different properties or states---_electricity_ is just _one_ example. That is why I tell you that if you master blue energy anything else is at your reach afterwards. If you can will such a stable form of spectral energy, you can easily will any other power, no matter how much more energy it requires."

"Extend your hand," the older hybrid suddenly ordered.

Danny did so, becoming even more intrigued, but now also nervous.

"Release your ectoplasmic energy," Vlad continued; and when green energy glowed in the boy's palm, he fixed his gaze back on the teen. "I mentioned to you some time ago that your energy comes from your ghost core. I mentioned how it is very like the human heart in that it circulates the body's _vital source. _In a full ghost, it circulates ectoplasm and spectral energy. In _our_ case, it _only_ circulates spectral energy. For us, our heart and core function in harmony. The moment you become Danny Phantom, your core changes _what_ your heart pumps through your body. Instead of _human_ blood, your heart pumps ectoplasm through your ghost body. But your core itself also has its function and that is to circulate and create your spectral energy."

"Okay… That makes sense," Danny said slowly as he thought about it.

"Good, because understanding how your energy works is a large part of learning _how_ to use and _manipulate_ it. Now, I want you to close your eyes, and then take a couple of calming breathes. Forget the 'what ifs'. Forget your uncertainties. You have to be _confident_ in yourself, in your ability to command _your_ powers, Daniel."

The teenager briefly hesitated; but he did exactly as he was told. And as the man continued in a softer, yet fervent voice, Danny followed and clung to every word and command, suddenly feeling almost hypnotized by the entire thing.

Vlad's red gaze remained steadily on the teenager even when his green eyes were closed as he continued, "Unlike our heart that we cannot control its function, we _can_ control our core's function. And that is what you are going to do next."

"Now that you're relaxed, forget about everything outside this specific moment. I want you to solely focus on the feel of your powers. Take the time to _think_ about how they feel to you; how _they_ make _you_ feel. _Feel_ _the way_ they surge through your entire being. They are part of you. They are you. And no one knows _you_ better than yourself. That is why you can feel your way towards the source of your energy: your ghost core. Do you feel it?"

"Yes," Danny said softly.

"Good. I want you to _reach _for it and intensify its _function_. Make it release more of your energy." Vlad smiled when he saw the boy's aura flare up brightly. "Now, move that energy away from your core and towards your hand. Your ghost energy is already flowing in that direction, so all you have to do is let it continue to come out."

Danny did just that; but then, suddenly, he felt his core jolt a particularly strong amount of energy into his body, creating a sensation he had only felt once before. But instead of being overwhelmingly cold, it was hot. But it was still the same feeling from the night his powers had peaked…

With a sudden gasp, Danny snapped his eyes open and his focus was no more.

Vlad sighed at seeing the boy inexplicably throw away his current progress. "What's wrong? You were almost there, Daniel."

Danny, who had a hand clutched against his chest, silently looked up at the older half-ghost. He didn't know how to answer him. Or rather, he didn't _want_ to answer. But, the teen quickly found out that his eyes betrayed his inner feelings.

Vlad's eyes slightly widened at the unmistakable fear in the young hybrid's green eyes. And his voice also carried his confusion and slight disbelief as he asked, "Daniel… Are you _afraid_ of your powers?"

Danny sighed and looked away as he tried to get some kind of answer out that didn't involve answering with a truthful, 'yes' to the man's question. "I am… not sure about some... things. "How can I…? What if I…?"

Danny sighed, his fear, this time, showing in the way he ran a hand through his white hair. He just couldn't bring himself to talk about his fears. Not only did he not feel comfortable speaking about them to Vlad, but it just wasn't something about which he felt comfortable speaking to anyone. Not even his best friends and sister, with whom he shared the most, knew the depth of his insecurities and fears.

He was indeed afraid of his powers… of his ghost half. And for so many reasons, too. After everything he had been through; after seeing how powerful, _how destructive_, he could be; it all kept him from breaking the barriers he had set for himself since then. He was afraid that if he allowed his powers to grow, his ghost side would dominate him, and he could lose control of himself…

Pictures of his evil self and of the destruction he had caused just a few months ago suddenly flashed through Danny's mind. And that dream in which he had become his evil self… It still felt so real….

The boy was so lost in his inner turmoil that he didn't realize his eyes had glazed and that there now was a thick silence around him and Vlad. But not even the older hybrid cared about the silence. He cared about how troubled the boy looked.

It was at that moment that Vlad recalled how he had first felt about his ghost powers. It had been so long ago, that he had forgotten how _terrifying_ _everything_ all was… The doubts. The _fears_…

Plasmius frowned sadly. How could he have forgotten? He shouldn't have been surprised with the boy's fear. It was normal. Understandable. He knew exactly how Daniel felt. And even after more than twenty years, there were days when he would still call his ghost half a curse. But he had long since learned that it was not that at all. What _they_ had; what they were. It was a gift. Only that it was often a _very_ _hard_ gift to bear…

With understanding in his gaze, Vlad gently grabbed the boy's chin and slowly raised his gaze to his own. "You should know, Daniel," the man said in a calm voice, "—that nothing can be dealt with by _avoiding_ it. I find that fear especially should not be ignored or suppressed. Feeling it is already suffocating enough without letting it build inside you. I'm not asking you to admit your insecurities to me, my boy. But I am asking you to admit them to _yourself_. How can you fight against what you don't acknowledge?"

Danny frowned with unease and tried to look away, but the older hybrid didn't let him. Vlad pinned the boy with a more intense look as he seriously said, "You have to acknowledge your fears, Daniel. Accept that you have them. You will be surprised how much easier it will then be to control those fears; and you will even find that you can work them _out_ of your system. Don't let something like fear control you. Don't ever let anything control you. You are far stronger—mentally, physically, _and_ emotionally---than you realize. Remember that, Daniel."

The boy's eyes slightly widened when the man's words made him recall how Clockwork had said something like that to him. But the teen didn't linger on the Time Master, and instead, acknowledged Vlad's advice with a sober nod.

"Ready for round two, then?" Vlad asked as he let go of the young hybrid's chin and smirked.

Danny slightly smiled. "Yeah, I think…" He then exhaled deeply, before extending his hand and willing ghost energy again. He closed his eyes, and began to repeat Vlad's steps again. It took him a little longer than the first time when he was still feeling doubtful. But he eventually regained complete focus. And again, his core began to swell with that almost overwhelming heat that sent deep tingles through his body, especially to his hand. But to his growing dread, he was still not done.

"That's not enough, Daniel. Keep going. The hot pressure you feel inside is normal. And the feel will only diminish if you allow your energy to exit your body. Let it come out through your hand."

Danny concentrated on letting the energy inside him course out of him through his hand; and after a moment, he found that heat inside him eased; but at the same time, the tingling in his hand had grown stronger….

"How do you feel?" Vlad suddenly asked.

The boy didn't open his eyes, but he still muttered, "Like… all the ghost energy in my body is resting in my hand."

"Hmm…," was all the man said. But before Danny could question it, Vlad said, "Open your eyes. _But_ do not, by any means, break your concentration."

Danny did just that, only to wish he hadn't. The teen's eyes quickly widened as he stared at the ghost energy burning in his hand. It was like nothing he had ever seen himself create. There was _so much_ of it that his bright green energy was not even bright anymore. It was dark. _Very_ dark. It was terrifying!

Seeing the boy's eyes fill with fear, Vlad quickly reacted. "Calm down. It is not hurting you, is it?"

Danny warily shook his head, but the fact helped him relax; though, only a bit. "So, all my ghost energy really is in my hand right now?" he asked, dread coloring his voice.

Vlad smiled. "That's what it seems, but, no. Still, you are holding a _good_ amount of it. Or at least the amount necessary for your next trick…"

"Next trick?" Danny repeated cautiously, while forcing himself to hold onto the power in his hand.

Vlad smile widened. "This, dear boy," he said, pointing at the dark green energy in the boy's hand, "—is your energy at its wildest and at its most powerful. This right here is pure, raw spectral energy. You are holding that metaphorical clay I mentioned earlier. The trick now is to mold it."

The young hybrid gave him a surprised look. "Geez, you sure can bring things together, can't you?"

"Focus," Vlad scolded when he saw the teen's ghost energy waver in his hand.

"Oh, right," he mumbled, looking back at his energy and concentrating on keeping it steady, only to realize it was slowly becoming more and more difficult to do so. But he still looked back at Vlad, and asked, "So, I'm molding it. How exactly?"

"Quite simple, really," Vlad answered, placing his hands behind his back. "You are going to take all that energy in your hand and condense it to the center of your palm until it is about the size and shape of a golf ball; _preferably_ smaller."

Danny gasped. "What?! I-I can't do that! I'm barely holding it as it is!"

Vlad frowned deeply. "Do not assure me you cannot do something when you haven't even tried. I have told you time and time again, and I will _continue_ to tell you this until you remember it: your powers are _your own_. Therefore, you can tell them to do anything. Now, _tell_ that energy in your hand to condense!" he ordered sternly.

Danny just stared at Vlad for a moment, before slowly lowering his gaze to his ecto-energy. It was hard to believe that this was _his_ energy, _his powers_. He didn't even know he could will this much energy at once. It was so vast that it reached his eye level even when he was holding his hand at chest level. The way the dark green flames danced so wildly, so… ominously, sent continuous shivers down his spine.

And yet, he knew the older hybrid was right. He shouldn't let his own power intimidate him. But it wasn't as easy for him as it sounded. Still, he _could_ at least try.

Clenching his teeth together, Danny went for it. He already knew how to condense his energy since he had to do it all the time to make ecto-blasts. So, the problem wasn't in condensing energy itself; but condensing such a _large_ _and raw_ amount of it. And it was only when he began to compress such power that he realized _just_ how difficult it really was.

Vlad watched the boy intently as he struggled with the energy in his hand. The more Daniel pushed the energy into itself, reducing it in size but not strength, the brighter his ghost aura became. It didn't surprise the billionaire, though. After all, the feat the teen was performing did require _even more_ energy to fuel his attempt. The young hybrid's core was working like it had never before. Even Daniel's physical body was feeling the exertion on his core. The beads of sweat forming on the boy's brow and sliding down his face were solid proof.

Danny grunted as he continued to condense the dark ghost energy in his hand. He was now sure that he was about to catch on fire at any moment; that was how bad the hot feeling swirling inside him had gotten. And what was worst was that his core was _burning_. It was almost painful. But it soon became weakening, too.

The boy suddenly felt sick as his head began to violently spin. He could see through his blurry eyes that he still hadn't even reduced the wild energy to half its size, let alone condense it into an energy sphere. He pressed on, though; even when he felt his focus begin to waver. But, then, suddenly, he was unable to compress it any longer. In fact, he now found himself fighting _against_ his own energy

"Vlad!" he gasped out as he clenched his eyes in order to keep the intense energy in his hand from enlarging. Not only would it not condense anymore, but now it was trying to expand out of his control! And the teen just knew if he allowed it, the results would be bad!

Although Vlad allowed the young hybrid to struggle with the power a moment longer, even when he had known _from the beginning_ that he would not be able to control it, he also knew when to draw the line. So, when he saw Daniel's body buckle under the stress and his concentration collapse completely, he instantly grabbed the boy's extended arm at the wrist and faced the energy away from both of them. A fraction of a second later, the young hybrid lost whatever control he had over the dark energy, and it suddenly exploded out, like a compacted, coiled spring.

"_BAM!"_

Vlad slightly cringed as the room shook with the impact of the raw ghost energy after it hit against a corner of the ceiling, leaving behind a large black scorch mark. But he then frowned when a moment later he saw the damaged piece of ceiling break off and crash to the ground. The boy had actually damaged the room; but not just any room, but one that was supposedly ghost-proof.

The man didn't really get much time to linger on the thought, because, he then suddenly heard Danny let out a small moan, just before his energy rings passed through him. Vlad quickly tightened his grip on the boy's arm to keep him from falling down from their current height.

Silently, Plasmius floated down and finally released the teen, who slouched forward and buried his spinning head into his hands. All the while, Danny fought to control his sporadic breathing. He felt unbelievably weak…and angry.

"Well done, my boy," Vlad said, smiling down at the teenager, while he reverted to Masters again.

Danny slowly lowered his hands and looked up at the man, who was internally surprised to see that under his confusion, the boy looked frustrated, even angry. And for a brief moment, Vlad thought Daniel was angry _at_ _him_ for pushing him so much. Of course, he had done it for good reason. It was necessary that the teen learn a deeper control over his powers.

"What are you talking about?" Danny asked, still breathing roughly, "I wasn't able to condense it; and I just blew a hole through the freakin' roof!"

The teen sighed in frustration, and muttered something to himself that the man didn't catch. Danny was upset alright. But he was upset at himself for not being able to do what he wanted. He wasn't even able to go through it half-way!

Vlad silently extended a hand towards the teen, who took it without much thought and used it to get back on his feet.

"Now, Daniel, you didn't really expect to condense that energy so easily, did you?" Vlad asked, quickly getting the teen's full attention. "After all, _I_ was not expecting you to do it on your first try. Like I said, blue ectoplasmic energy is the hardest energy to create…"

Danny jolted with disbelief. "Wait. You mean, you were trying to get me to make blue energy?"

Vlad smiled smugly. "That's right."

The boy now looked even more confused. "But you said blue energy is stable and weak. How can I make something like that by condensing energy that looked ready to explode –I mean, that actually did explode?!"

Vlad shook his head. "Blue energy is stable; but I said it is the _weakest_ form of energy, not that it's _weak_. And, yes, you can create blue energy with such raw and wild energy. By condensing such energy, by molding it, you are _taming_ it, you see. But to do that, you must have complete focus; you have to _feel_ stable to create something as stable as blue energy. You have to be fully confident in yourself. That is what makes it so difficult to create. In order to will blue energy, you have to first mold _yourself_. And when you do and you gain the control you require to condense your ghost energy at that intensity, you will be able to create blue energy."

Danny looked thoughtful for a moment, but then he suddenly smiled and said, "I'm gonna try that again."

Vlad chuckled. "All you will effectively accomplish is to make yourself lose consciousness."

Danny frowned, which cued the man to elaborate.

"Trying to create blue energy requires a lot of effort, Daniel. It depletes your ghost energy at a significant rate. But you will find that the more you practice it and also practice your fundamentals, the less draining it will become. For now, it will be wise to call it quits. But you can always try again tomorrow, hmm?"

Danny nodded, knowing the man was right. He felt _really_ drained; like he had just used his Ghostly Wail twice in a row…

"Terminate all programs and commence temporary shut-down," Vlad suddenly ordered the room.

"**Programs terminated. Shut-down commencing…"**

Danny quickly looked over at the damage he had caused as the room powered down. "Hey, is that, uh, fixable?"

Vlad looked at the destroyed ceiling and nodded. "I'll have---" The man abruptly cut off his words; and with a slight frown, he slowly added, "I'll just tend to it later."

The man then quickly waved off the topic, not wanting to think about it anymore. He didn't like the feelings that came with acknowledging the fact that Skulker was no longer around…

"Come, let's go eat. I believe George made pasta for dinner," Vlad informed the boy with a knowing smile.

As they left the simulation room, Danny couldn't help but chuckle and say, "I guess my secret's out."

"Your fetish for pasta is no secret, Daniel," Vlad replied with a smirk as they traveled down a hallway. "Especially not when you practically inhale your _multiple_ helpings of it."

Danny rolled his eyes, and was about to say something when his ghost sense went off. The teen glanced behind his shoulder, only to wish he hadn't. There, in another hallway that crossed the one he and Vlad were walking, stood Dazzler, looking as human and smug as ever.

The teen immediately glared when the ghost waved at him.

"Daniel?"

The boy jolted, and quickly looked back at Vlad. "Huh?"

The man raised an eyebrow. "My sentiment exactly. You abruptly stopped walking. Is something wrong?" he asked, glancing in the direction the boy had been looking; but not finding an explanation, he turned his gaze back to the boy.

Danny glanced at the hallway Dazzler had been standing, and wasn't surprised to see that the ghost was now gone. "No… nothing's wrong," he mumbled; but he then smiled weakly at the man and added, "Guess I'm just still out of it."

"The more reason for you to eat," Vlad replied seriously, beckoning the teen forward with an extended hand.

Danny nodded and continued to walk with the billionaire towards the dining room.

* * *

Because it had been a good while since the incident in the Ghost Zone, Dazzler deemed it safe enough to roam inside the castle again. He was greatly relieved that his employer didn't seem to suspect anything of him.

But he had promised his sister that he would hatch them a new plan to take the young hybrid out. It was why he had been watching the kid for many days now. Actually, he had been watching him since the boy had gone out with the billionaire…

It wasn't an easy task, though. His employer, for some reason, was not only home more often, but he was more often around the teenager. It was quite peculiar.

Dazzler was currently lurking in one of the hallways near the simulation room, knowing that the two hybrids were in there. And eventually they both stepped out. The ghost moved deeper into the hallway and turned invisible; but he could still hear his employer and the boy talking to each other. But their tone was almost friendly.

Waiting for the two to pass by him, the controlling ghost dared to regain visibility and look after them. But a second later, the young hybrid suddenly looked back at him. Dazzler couldn't help but grin and wave at the glare that quickly planted itself on the child's face. It was so amusing to see the young hybrid attempt to use anger to hide his fear of him.

But when he saw that the older hybrid noticed the boy's sudden halt, Dazzler quickly turned invisible. And just in time, too. His employer then looked right at him, but his invisibility kept him under the radar. It didn't surprise Dazzler that his employer never seemed to notice his presence. The man was probably just so used to the feel of his employees that he didn't think anything of it. And that worked to Dazzler's advantage.

The controlling ghost stayed invisible as he watched the two hybrids resume their walk. But he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at how concerned his employer had been when he saw something was troubling the teenager.

Plasmius was definitely acting strange. Not only was the man spending more time with the kid, but he was also fighting less frequently with him. And now they were being friendly with one another?

Dazzler looked confused for a moment as he thought about these things. But, suddenly, his eyes slightly widened and realization dawned on his face. Why had he not figured it out before? The man's forcing the young hybrid to come here; his quick way of threatening anyone who tried to mess with the boy. All those times he saved him. And now, all _this_…

The ghost chuckled. "Humans and their emotions," he whispered with amusement.

But then, the ghost suddenly smirked evilly. _"Perhaps…Perhaps I can control him after all…,"_ he thought with sinister excitement, before he reappeared and began to calmly walk down the hallway.

It was finally time to pay his sweet sister a visit.

* * *

Danny had fallen into a thoughtful silence ever since he saw Dazzler. Why had the ghost been spying on him? And what was worse, the teen now suspected this wasn't the first time, either. As of late, he had been having the constant feeling of being watched. Actually, it had started the night he had returned with Vlad from his work over a week ago. But Danny had not thought much of it then. But, in the past days, the feeling of something being… off, had returned ten-fold. And _now_ that he had seen Dazzler, he knew it wasn't his imagination.

But why was Dazzler watching him? Was he looking to attack him again? So then, why didn't he strike? Sure, Vlad was around him more often; but the ghost still had plenty of chances. Heck, he could probably waste him in his sleep without anyone even knowing it!

The thought put a deeper frown on the boy's face as he continued to silently eat his dinner--- not that he could enjoy it as much as he wanted with his current worry.

So, if Dazzler wasn't looking to just attack him, then what the heck did he want? What was he looking for?

Danny sighed warily, unaware that the gesture had gotten Vlad's attention, and the man was now staring curiously at him.

Dazzler really creeped the teen out. The ghost was just freaky in every sense of the word. And the way the ghost always stared at him like he was a prime steak or something sent shivers through his body each time.

Vlad was right when he once told him that the ghost was dangerous….Vlad. Should he tell him? Danny was sure the man would be able to put a stop to that creepy ghost. But the teen just didn't feel comfortable with asking the man for _that_ kind of help. It was like saying he couldn't handle his own problems. And since when did he need the older half-ghost's protection? He always managed his enemies on his own before…

No, bringing Vlad into this was out of the question. Danny was sure he could take care of himself. And he was sure he could handle Dazzler without Vlad's intervening. He might be getting along better with the man, but he wasn't about to share his problems with him. It's not like they trusted each other, anyways…

"Still thinking about that little trick in the simulation room?" Vlad suddenly asked.

Danny looked up at him, and found it ironic how the man, for once, did not guess his thoughts. Then again, Vlad had no reason to suspect them…

"Uh, yeah," the boy mumbled back, before picking up his drink and sipping on it. So, he wasn't being honest. But that concept was still far from their reach when it came to _them_. Heck, they still hadn't even admitted to each other what was motivating them to carry through their attempt at getting along.

Still, the boy suddenly felt a bit guilty about his dishonesty. Perhaps being a little more open with Vlad would not hurt, especially when it came to something as serious as Dazzler. The teen mentally sighed as he finally came to a resolution. _"Alright. If Dazzler tries anything again, I'll tell him…"_

"You need to learn to be patient, Daniel. Everything comes in due time," Vlad said calmly, though he decided not to mention that it took him years to successfully create blue energy. "So, leave that be, hmm? You're not about to let something so trivial ruin your appetite, are you?"

Danny smirked. "Believe me, Vlad. Nothing can ruin my appetite when it comes to pasta, especially when your cook makes it. His is really the best I've had."

"Well, just don't let George catch you saying that. It'll give him a bigger ego," Vlad replied with a small smile.

"I say he has every right to have a big ego. He's good at what he does," Danny retorted. But then he suddenly raised a curious eyebrow at the man, and asked, "What's _your_ favorite kind of food?"

Vlad was a bit surprised by the question. "Well," he began, briefly looking down at his dinner. But he then smiled weakly at the teen; and with an off-handed shrug, answered, "I like Chinese food."

Danny's eyebrow hitched even more, and a hint of a grin tugged on his lip. "Really? And is that by any chance Stephanie's doing?"

Vlad blinked, not understanding the boy's look. "Beg pardon?"

The teen frowned. "She's Chinese, right? And she's your friend. I thought that maybe she got you into it…"

"Oh," Vlad said, remembering his secretary. The man's eyebrows creased as he thought about something for a moment; but then he slowly nodded. "Yes, I suppose she's part of the reason why I fancy that food style…"

The boy looked curiously at the man; but decided not to ask. There was a brief silence as they just both continued to eat. But now it was Vlad who was deep in thought.

The boy's comment had made him recall a couple of things; but one of them was particularly important. He had planned to wait a few more days to say anything to the boy; but maybe it was best to come out with it now. The teen had to find out, anyways.

"Daniel," Vlad called, putting down his fork. "There is something I have been meaning to mention to you."

Danny lowered his own fork and stared expectantly at the man. The teen wondered why the billionaire sounded so guarded all of a sudden. But unable to find an explanation, Danny quickly began to feel uneasy.

"I have to go to an M.V.I. convention in less than a week's time," the older half-ghost informed him, still tense.

Realizing Vlad was just talking about his work, Danny relaxed again and went back to his meal. The man's tendency of getting worked up over nothing sometimes got annoying, especially when it unwillingly put him on the edge, too.

But the teen just tossed the man's peculiarity aside. Still, he decided to humor the guy; plus, he was somewhat interested in finding out what silly thing had the billionaire so worked up this time.

"Oh, yeah?" Danny voiced causally. "That's that place you went to inspect, like, two Wednesdays ago, right?"

"Yes…But that is only one of Vazier Industries' branches. The main one is located somewhere further away… That's where the convention is being held," Vlad explained, his eyes completely focused on the boy.

"Oh, okay. So, then, where's it at?" Danny asked calmly, before taking a sip of his beverage.

"Germany."

Danny choked on his drink. "You're leaving for Germany?!" he croaked out, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Vlad nodded once.

Danny's eyebrows creased, still not believing what he was hearing. And here he thought Vlad's reason of acting all tense was insignificant. But now he saw it was _very_ significant!

"How long?" the teen asked, now sounding as guarded as the man.

"Just four days," Vlad replied.

Danny had to bite back a sarcastic scoff, but it didn't keep him from thinking, _"Oh, yeah, __**just **__**four days**__. That's in __**no **__**way**__ a big deal." _

The billionaire silenced for a moment, before continuing, "I can assure you, Daniel, that I would not be going if it wasn't necessary. Stephanie proposed that I leave it for later. But I would just be holding off the inevitable. I must meet with the M.V.I.'s owner. He usually has such a tight schedule that I haven't even personally spoken or met him yet. But since he's required to attend this convention in its entirety, it could very well be my only chance of finally catching up with him. I have put a lot of effort and time into this business deal, Daniel. I simply cannot jeopardize that now that I'm so close to the final results."

The teen nodded as he mumbled, "Sounds important…"

"It is," Vlad agreed seriously. "But…I'm… concerned about leaving you here. Alone," he then added carefully.

Danny frowned deeply as he moved around the spaghettis on his plate. He honestly didn't like the idea of staying in the billionaire's huge mansion all by himself for four long days. Sure, there was Niane and George; and now also his tutoring; and he could always practice in the simulation room.... But, somehow, all that didn't feel like enough.

Vlad… _distracted_ him. Although he could get really annoying, the guy could also sometimes be interesting. It was really a confusing feeling. But he wasn't comfortable enough with _all this_ to want to understand it, either. And maybe the truth was that Danny didn't know _why_ the man's leaving for four days bothered him. But, regardless of how much the news upset him, he wasn't about to tell Vlad not to go. And he definitely was not about to let him know that he cared either way.

"Well," Danny finally answered, "You don't need to be." The teen suddenly shrugged and indifferently added, "I'll be fine."

Vlad sighed as he watched the teen go back to his meal. "I suppose you're right… You do have plenty with which to occupy your time while I'm gone. And I could always lock down the portals," he said, but mentally added, _"And my private lab_."

"See? There you go. Problem solved," Danny said, forcing a smile in the man's direction, before looking back at his food.

Vlad shook his head. "Not exactly…"

"Huh?"

"Daniel, I'm sure you would be fine here," the man said seriously, before finally coming out with what he was really thinking. "But…I would _prefer_ that you go with me."

Danny froze as he stared up at Vlad in disbelief. But jolting his mind to work again, he roughly swallowed the food in his mouth, and slowly asked, "You wanna run that by me again?"

"I'd like you to go with me, Daniel," Vlad said again, in the same sober voice.

But the boy was having a hard time believing what he was hearing. "You're asking me to go to Germany with you, right?" he rephrased his thoughts, his eyebrows creased with uncertainty.

Vlad couldn't keep a small, amused smile from tugging on his lips. His request surely couldn't be _that_ hard to believe, could it?

But he still humored the boy and answered, "Yes, that's right."

Danny quickly looked down, his eyebrows scrunching even more as he thought about Vlad's offer. The adventurous and daring side of him quickly reminded him that he had never been outside the states before. And who knew if he would ever get the chance to go overseas again? Just _thinking_ of all the new things he would see and could explore was enough to make him giddy with excitement!

Too bad his logical side was keeping his mouth from opening and agreeing as readily as he wanted. The teen had to bring himself to recall his current position. He wasn't at Vlad's on vacation. He was here because he was being forced to stay here! So, was it wise to go to the other side of the world with his arch-enemy? Was it wise to be completely alone with the guy for four whole days?

Then again, was it wise to stay alone at the mansion when Dazzler and some of those other ghosts that didn't like him were roaming around? And what if Skulker and Fright Knight came to visit while the man was away? Even if the billionaire locked the portals, Danny was sure that if those two ghosts really wanted, they could find a way in. And he didn't exactly have the home field advantage as he so very often was reminded during these past months…

"Um…," Danny mumbled, trying to decide on what to answer, which lead to another train of thought that he found easier to voice, "_Can_ I go? Don't I need my passport and… stuff?"

"You do," Vlad answered with a nod. "But I will take care of that… if you agree to go with me," he added, raising a questioning eyebrow.

Danny still hesitated. But then his next thoughts helped him decide. What difference was there that he was here or in Germany? It wasn't like it was going to affect his current situation. Maybe a bit of _new_ fresh air would do him some good…. Would it really be a crime to make the most of all this? He considered himself an optimistic person. Maybe it was time to look at the bright side of things again. At the very least a trip to Germany would be enriching for him…

"Daniel," Vlad began with a sigh, now sure that the boy did not want go. But the teen didn't let him finish.

"Yeah, I'll go," Danny suddenly said with a small smile. "Germany sounds cool."

Vlad blinked in surprise; but then he smiled back. "Yes, it's very _cool_."

Danny's smile widened with the man's use of slang. But the teen then raised an eyebrow and said, "I hope you realize you're gonna have to talk to Ms. Thomas about this. Because, dude, _I'm_ not doing it."

Vlad actually laughed at the boy's comment. "Ah, I see you finally met her… _other side_."

"Yeah, I did. And _well enough_ to never forget to do my homework again," he replied dryly, but then a small shudder escaped him as he remembered the ghost teacher's tantrum. And here he use to think an angry Mr. Lancer was scary….

"Then, that's a good thing," Vlad replied, before sipping on his drink.

Danny quickly shot him a challenging look as he retorted, "Let's see _you_ take classes with her and still think, 'that's a good thing'."

Vlad smirked. "No, that's quite alright. I rather just take your word for it. And don't worry; I'll work things out with her. I'm sure she can speed up her lessons so that you'll be ahead by the time we leave. That, or you can take your work with you."

Danny sarcastically replied, "Yeah, that solves everything."

The man's smirk grew. "Glad I can be of help."

The boy rolled his eyes, though there was a hint of amusement on his face. But he didn't say anymore, and instead changed the subject somewhat. "So, are you always taking these kinds of trips?"

Vlad sobered up with a small sigh. "More often than not. Owning various properties does have its hassles, dear boy. Contrary to popular belief, I don't just sit in a chair counting money, while my subordinates do all the work."

Danny's calm demeanor suddenly wavered with Vlad's response; and as the man continued, the boy felt an emotional wound quickly open…

"I have my own sets of responsibilities with which I must keep up or the company runs into problems," the billionaire said, unaware of the teen's negative reaction to his words. "That's what ownership is about. Just because all these things are mine does not mean I do not have to continue to put forth my efforts."

Danny didn't answer, now wishing he had never asked. Just hearing Vlad talk about owning things brought unwanted thoughts into his head. After all, isn't that what the man thought of him? Something that he owned? So, did his little rules apply for him as well? Maybe that was why the man was teaching him about his ghost powers. Maybe that was why he was trying to get along with him. It was simply his _responsibility_ as an 'owner'. All the man's efforts towards him were simply out of the thought of keeping his 'property' _running smoothly_.

Danny suddenly felt sick with anger.

Vlad raised an eyebrow at the sudden tension the boy radiated. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Danny answered right away, his voice now cold.

The billionaire instantly frowned. What had gotten into the boy? He doubted Daniel would be upset over his talk about his company. He was the one who asked!

Vlad's eyebrows creased as he ran through what he had just said, only to visibly cringe when he figured out what had made the teen angry. Luckily, Daniel was too occupied with killing his pasta to notice.

"_The day just isn't complete without __**some**__ form of argument, is it_?" Vlad thought bitterly.

But then, the man sighed softly, a bit of sadness leaking into his lowered gaze. It was getting harder and harder to see the boy angry at him. The man cursed his emotions again. But, this time, he didn't push them away. After all, Daniel had every right to be upset with all those hurtful things he had said to him in the past...

Vlad suddenly decided to acknowledge the cause of their tension. They had been working through their differences for the past days. This wasn't any different.

"Daniel, I know what you're thinking," the older hybrid said softly, daring to look up at the teen for a reaction.

"Of course you do," Danny muttered, a lace of anger under his sarcasm.

Vlad hesitated this time, now wondering if he should just drop this all together. But his resolve quickly hardened and he pinned the boy with a serious look. "First of all, I was talking about my companies, _not_ you. And second of all, you should under--"

"Am I really just property to you?" Danny suddenly interrupted, looking up bitterly at the man.

But the billionaire just stared at him.

"Darn it, Vlad! The least you can do is answer me!" Danny exclaimed, this time unable to keep down the anger and pain with which his enemy's past words had left him; how _worthless_ they had—and still--made him feel. "Is that what I am to you? Property? _A_ _trophy_? Something more that you think you _own_?!"

The billionaire's sober look didn't falter as he finally answered in a definite but emotionless voice. "No."

But the man's simple and cold reply only filled the boy with more resentment, and his eyes slightly narrowed as he asked, "Then, what am I to you?"

The question jolted Vlad with some strange fear; and before he could stop himself, he looked away. Why would Daniel ask him that? He couldn't really expect for him to express his feelings to him? He could barely acknowledge them to himself!

He had told himself so many times that the boy meant nothing to him but another pawn; that his reason for bringing him here had been solely to get back at him and Jack. But the man had long since admitted that those were lies. He knew that Daniel meant more to him than a mere trophy—even when he had once spat that right at the boy's face. He genuinely cared about the young hybrid. But that was something he did not feel comfortable with telling Daniel---let alone expressing it in any direct manner.

Now sure Vlad was not going to answer him, Danny lowered his angry gaze back to his food. The man's silence simply confirmed his belief of being some mere object to him…

But then, to the boy's surprise, the billionaire finally replied, his voice no longer emotionless, but still grave.

"Daniel, I know I have said many hurtful things to you in the past; and perhaps the worst of it in the recent weeks. But you must realize that everyone says hurtful things when they're angry---even you are guilty of it."

Danny's eyes slightly widened as he met Vlad's serious gaze. The billionaire was right. How many times had _he_ said hurtful things to the guy? And although before he had not cared, Danny clearly had seen how his own past insults pierced through the man. Vlad may have been good at hiding his feelings, but Danny knew his insults hurt.

"Yeah…," the boy mumbled, lowering his gaze again. "I guess you're right…" He paused briefly, but then quietly asked, "You're not going to answer my question, are you?"

Vlad sighed and shook his head. "Please, Daniel, be satisfied with knowing you are not an object to me---_at least not anymore,"_ he added mentally. "You are not some worthless pawn. You are _so much_ _more_ than that," he ended in sad whisper.

Danny still didn't look up. He wasn't quite satisfied with the man's answer, though he really wasn't surprised by it. But at least he got **some** kind of admission by Vlad, some kind of assurance that he wasn't the man's property. But then, the question of what exactly he was to the man still remained... Suddenly, the boy didn't want to know. He felt that maybe it would be better for him just to be a little relieved that he wasn't a mere trophy, and to try to make the best of it under the circumstances…

He finally looked up seriously at the man and nodded, before truthfully replying, "That's really all I wanted to hear."

The billionaire couldn't keep a small, appreciative smile from tugging on his lips. But then, he suddenly raised a teasing eyebrow and lifted his glass in a toast.

The tension broke with Danny's quiet chuckle. But the teen then quickly grabbed his own drink and shot the man's actions back at him.

Vlad lightly laughed at the sight. "You're a fast learner, little badger," he teased.

"Well, you're not that bad of a teacher, cheese-head," Danny shot back with a skewed grin.

Vlad rolled his eyes, although amusement was still on his face. "Really, Daniel. Cheese-head?"

"Like yours is any better. At least my name-calling has some truth to it. Or, should I say all truth?" Danny replied mockingly.

Vlad chuckled, before shooting the boy a secretive smile. "You should read up on badgers, Daniel. Then, you'll realize just how truthful my little pet name really is..."

"Whatever, Vlad," Danny answered with a roll of his eyes; while his slight annoyance only widened the man's smug grin.

* * *

Back in Amity Park, the day was also ending and the streets were quickly emptying of the citizens that trafficked them. But while most were settling down after a long strenuous day, there was one particular teenager whose hard day was nowhere near over…

"Ahh!" Valerie shouted as she was pushed higher into the sky by an ecto-blast, before her jet-board quickly jolted her back in control.

"Look, doll, why don't you run off and find your sense of style instead of grilling me about my sense of fun?" Ember said, looking annoyed, while her guitar smoked from usage. "You gotta realize that your get-up is off the charts. Come on, who in their right mind wears all red?" she ended with disgust.

"You're one to talk, ghost!" Valerie spat back. "Didn't you know that the 'freaky' look is way out of trend?!" she shouted, before sending two missiles at the rock-star.

But Ember quickly raised her guitar and slammed down on the chords, releasing a massive amount of energy that not only took out the rockets, but also continued toward the Red Huntress.

Valerie gasped as she was forced to dodge the blue ghost energy coming her way.

"Freaky?! You're callin' me freaky?!" Ember seethed. "You're the one who's gonna look freaky by the time I'm done with you!"

The ghost suddenly turned a knob on her guitar before hitting the chords hard again; this time, pink energy in the shape of a fist came at the ghost huntress.

Valerie shouted in pain when she was unable to dodge it—something that was becoming an all too common occurrence lately during all of these ghost fights. There were just too many of them and they really had been taking a toll on her. And it showed in her fighting and defense tactics. But still, she goaded herself to counterattack when she saw the ghost lunge at her with her angry cry. But Valerie was unable to escape Ember's attack and was momentarily incapacitated.

Ember growled when the red ghost hunter rebounded quicker than she had expected. But the ghost diva still followed up with another hard strike to her guitar chords, sending an even more potent pink fist at Valerie.

This time, the ghost hunter managed to dodge in time, and responded back with a roundhouse kick and then a quick energy blast that sent the rock-star tumbling through the air.

"I'm really getting sick of you spooks comin' here to mess with my town!" Valerie shouted angrily. "When are you all gonna take the hint that you're not welcomed here?!"

Ember growled as she righted herself, her blue hair wild with anger. She had come for some fun with the locals now that the ghost boy wasn't around. But she now could see that someone was filling the kid's spot. Not that the ghost diva thought the ghost hunter was any match for her, anyways.

"What? The ghost kid's payin' you to do his job or something?" Ember sneered, before sending another energy blast at the human girl.

Evading the attack, Valerie became livid with the mention of Danny Phantom. "I don't work for that vile and evil ghost! And the one doing his job seems to be _you_ with all the destruction you have caused!"

Ember quickly flew out of the way of another blast from the hunter's weapon. But she then laughed heartedly. "Whoa, do you ever have things backwards! Goes to you show that no one appreciates a goody-goody! Not that I really care. So! How about I roll you out of my way?! I got unsuspecting fans awaitin'!"

Ember quickly sent another attack; but, this time, the pink energy lurched to the side before coming back around, effectively wrapping around the ghost hunter. And before Valerie could even react, the ghost energy suddenly constricted her, and then right after, sent a jolt of electricity coursing thought her body.

The girl screamed in pain; and by the time it was over, she found herself back on the ground, sprawled out inside some hedges. She quickly looked up as she struggled to untangle herself from the thorny brush, fearing that the ghost was going to attack again.

But to her surprise, she found Ember staring down at her with bored look. "You're nowhere near as fun as the dipstick. Oh well. Later, doll!" she waved off, before vanishing with an evil chuckle.

Valerie slammed her fist against the hedges as she exclaimed, "Darn! She got away!"

With a groan, the girl finally got back to her feet, though she was still seething. Her exhaustion from all the ghost activity was really messing her up. She wasn't able to focus as much as before, and as a result, she kept coming home more sore than usual. And, now, she was barely catching the annoying ghosts!

Out of the seven she had fought today, she had only caught one! It was so frustrating! She knew she needed a break. But how could she take one with all these ghosts causing havoc?

Valerie sighed as she looked down at her watch. At least it wasn't too late. She might have time to work on some of that homework she was behind on. And didn't she have a test tomorrow?

Man, her dad was going to kill her when he saw her report card! And speaking of him, she had better get home before he realized she was gone. Her father had strictly forbidden her from continuing with her ghost hunting. But, obviously, she wasn't listening. After all, someone had to try to keep the ghost numbers down!

Blinking back her blurry vision, Valerie activated her jet-board again and slowly headed home. She was feeling light-headed and moving too fast was never a good idea…

As of late, she had been sneaking back into her house through her window. And today was no different. Unfortunately, this time, she didn't find her room abandoned. Her father was waiting for her there with an angry look on his face.

"Hi, Daddy…," Valerie said with a meek smile as she deactivated her suit, leaving her back in her regular clothes. But it was then that she realized that her exhaustion was screaming at her and her head was swimming.

"Valerie, what part of, 'I forbid you from ghost hunting again', did you not understand?" Damon angrily asked.

"But, dad! The ghosts---"

"Are not your problem!" he quickly caught her off. "Look at you! You look like a train wreck! Valerie, why can't you understand? I don't want to see you get hurt!" her father continued, desperation now also in his displeased voice.

"I want to help," she whispered as she felt her eyes swell with tears.

"That's just it, Valerie! I don't think you know _what_ you want! Your ghost hunting; it's… it's… Valerie, you're obsessed!" Damon shouted.

The girl suddenly couldn't take it anymore and she burst into tears. "Daddy! I don't know what to do! I-I'm trying, but-but, it's too much! I want to do good in school; I want to listen to you, but the ghosts… they keep coming! And I can't just let-let…"

"Valerie?" her father asked when he saw her sway on her feet.

"D-Daddy, I-I…"

"Valerie!" Damon exclaimed when his daughter suddenly collapsed in front of him. But because of his close proximity, he managed to catch her before she could hurt herself.

"Valerie, sweetheart, wake up!" the father pleaded fearfully. But the girl was out cold.

Now close to panicking, Damon quickly rushed out of the bedroom with his pale daughter in his arms. And as he quickly called an ambulance, he thought, _"Valerie, why don't you listen to me?"_

_

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_

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	49. Chapter 48: Dangerous Plans

**Hey, everyone! Sorry it took me a little longer than usual to update, but I was being lazy last week! Heh... But, okay, here is the next chapter! You can say it is 'the calm before the storm' type! *winks* Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

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* * *

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**Chapter 48: Dangerous Plans**

The next day, Tucker eagerly waited for Sam near her locker. Somehow, the whole school was buzzing about Valerie's being in the hospital. Of course, no one really knew why, but that only made it even more of a 'hot topic' at Casper High.

Finally spotting his friend, Tucker quickly moved towards her. "Sam!"

The goth girl smiled as she said, "Hey, Tucker."

"Did you hear?" the boy continued, his voice both quiet and urgent.

Sam was about to open her locker, but paused and frowned at the other teen. "Hear what? Wait…," she suddenly said, before Tucker could answer, "Oh my gosh! You found us that opening!" she concluded excitedly. But then she quickly became angry. "Tucker! Why didn't you tell me earlier?! We could have---"

"Sam!" Tucker cut her off. "Listen, I'm not talking about Danny! But, no, I still haven't found anything about Vlad. What I meant was if you heard that Valerie's in the hospital?"

Sam blinked in surprise, but her eyebrows then furrowed slightly. "Really? Why?"

Tucker sighed in actual worry, receiving a questioning look from his friend that he ignored. "I don't really know. No one does. Well, maybe Star does… But if she's there, it can't be because of anything good. I was thinking…. Maybe, maybe we should…um… go see…her?" he ended sounding awkward and nervous.

Sam's eyebrow heightened even more. "Are you telling me you want to _willingly_ go to _a hospital_ to see _Valerie_?"

Tucker cringed at the mention of the word 'hospital'; but he swallowed his phobia and answered, "Well, I thought it would be the right thing to do, you know? I mean, we know her a bit more than just a 'classmate'. And Danny and I did date her… um, kinda..."

"Ugh, don't remind me," Sam muttered distastefully. But she then sighed her jealousy away and seriously said, "Look, Tucker, I'm sorry to hear that Valerie's sick or whatever, but I'm not going to go see her. You forget she tries to waste our friend every chance she gets. And anyone that tries to hurt Danny---and, uh, you, too, of course! --- is off my 'friends list'---not that she ever was on it," she added with a deeper frown of dislike.

"Oh, come on, Sam!" Tucker objected. "Can't you just forget your fight with her over Danny for a few hours?"

"Hey! This has nothing to do with that! And I have no fight over Danny with her!" Sam snapped indignantly.

"Yeah, right!" Tucker scoffed. "We all know you like him, Sam."

"Yeah, except for him!" the girl huffed without thought. However, quickly realizing what she had just admitted to Tucker, she cringed and turned bright red. But then, just as quickly, she glared at him. "Look, we'll talk about what I just said later, okay? But, right now, this has nothing to do with that! Or did you forget that I practically attacked her after thinking the reason Danny was missing was because she had wasted him? Okay, yeah, we already know that she didn't do that; but, still, she was _gloating_ about it! What kind of person is proud of something like _that_?"

"Well, she doesn't exactly know the truth about _Phantom_, Sam," Tucker snapped back, now sounding upset himself. "Why is it so hard for you to be nice to her every-now-and-then? You know ever since she was kicked off the 'A-list', her only real friend is Star! Besides, I can't go by myself! I won't even make it through that place's entrance before I'd run off scared!"

"Oh, so, what? I'm supposed to coax you into going to the hospital when I don't want go myself?" Sam retorted, clearly not retracting from her decision of not going.

"Well, yes, and no!" Tucker answered. "Look, it will just be a short visit to make sure she's alright, okay?"

Sam crossed her arms firmly. "Tucker, she doesn't like me! And I don't like her!"

"But I do!" Tucker suddenly exclaimed before he could stop himself.

"Wait. What do you mean you like her? As in _like_ her?" Sam asked with slight disbelief.

Tucker rolled his eyes. "Can't be that hard to believe. I mean, I did like her before Danny, remember? I just backed off because Valerie liked Danny back. Or, I thought she did until she blew him off." The teen paused briefly, but then shook his head. "But that's not why I really want to see her. It's just… well, it's the right thing to do."

Sam rolled her eyes herself as she asked, "Yeah? And how do you know that?"

A sad look fell on Tucker's face as he soberly answered, "Because it's what Danny would have done."

Sam just stared wide-eyed at her friend, knowing he was right. If their half-ghost friend was here, he would have not hesitated to go and see Valerie. But not because of his past interest with her, but because he would say it was the right thing to do. Danny very often was thinking about others before himself, even when it was someone like Valerie who had hurt him in more ways than one. Their friend was just too noble to ignore the chance to help others.

At that instant, Sam's entire body deflated and she suddenly felt ashamed. "You're right, Tucker. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…" But the girl stopped and gave him a small smile. "Alright, I'll go with you after school."

Tucker smiled back. His female friend could be a lot of things sometimes, but heartless wasn't one of them. "Thanks, Sam."

But before the girl could answer, the first bell rang through the school.

Sam jolted before quickly glaring at Tucker. "Darn it, Tucker! I still haven't even gotten my stuff together! Now I'm gonna be late thanks to you!"

The other teen smirked as he answered, "You're welcome!"

"Tucker!" she exclaimed as he suddenly darted off towards his own class. "Ugh! You wait until I see you again!" she shouted after him, before quickly turning her attention to her locker to get the things she needed out of it. In spite of her scowl, however, she was still thinking about what her friend had said. He was right, of course. And she was honestly glad that he was willing to say what was right. It was usually Danny who did that; but, lately, it was Tucker who was keeping her temper in line. The tension in her brow melted away as she then suddenly thought about that and of how lucky she was to have such special friends like Tucker and Danny.

* * *

"You know, maybe this wasn't such a good idea," Tucker whispered as he looked up at the large white building in front of him.

"Yeah, well, you're not backing down after you convinced me to come with you," Sam muttered, annoyed, before grabbing his wrist and dragging him towards the hospital's entrance.

After a few quick questions at the reception desk and a few panic attacks from Tucker, the two friends finally made it to Valerie's room. They paused beside the slightly opened door when they heard two voices inside.

_"Come on, Val! Just tell me what's going on. I promise I won't tell anyone!"_ Star's voice sounded from within the room.

_"Yeah, like I'm sure you didn't tell anyone at school that I'm in here, right?"_ Valerie answered dryly.

There was a brief silence and Tucker and Sam could imagine Star's embarrassment at being caught red-handed.

_"Well… I might have told a few people… and then they might have told a few more…"_ Star mumbled out.

Valerie sighed in exasperation. But she didn't comment anymore on it, and instead said, _"Look, nothing's wrong. I'm just really stressed lately with work and school and stuff…"_

"Stuff as in 'ghost hunting'," Sam whispered to Tucker, who only frowned at the disdain in his friend's voice.

_"So, you passed out last night because of… stress?"_ Star asked, a bit of disbelief in her voice.

_"Well, yeah…,"_ Valerie answered, her own voice sounding as if she didn't believe herself. But Sam and Tucker didn't buy it either as she continued, _"I haven't been sleeping much lately. I always get back really late from work, and then I gotta stay up late to do homework... I guess I just got burnt out. But, I'm fine now. I don't know why the doctor insisted I stay her for a least one more day!"_ she finished in a huff.

_"Well, just think of it as a mini-vacation,"_ Star answered, trying to sound encouraging.

_"Yeah, right,"_ Valerie muttered. _"All this crazy stuff happening to me just heaps more and more pressure on me. And I'll just have even more stuff to deal with when I get out of here_."

Tucker looked at Sam. "Do you think she being here has to do with… ghost hunting?" he whispered to her.

But before she could answer, a deep voice from behind them startled her and her friend.

"Sam? Tucker?" Damon asked in surprise.

The two teens quickly spun around and smiled nervously at the man. "Oh, Hi, Mr. Gray," they both said.

But then Sam added, "We just stopped by to see if Valerie was okay; but she's busy right now, so we'll just come ba---"

"No, you don't need to come back," Damon quickly interrupted the girl. "Star is just with her. You know her, right? I'm sure they won't mind. In fact, I'm sure Valerie will be delighted to see you two here---as am I!"

"No, but," Sam began to protest, but before she could say anymore, the father pushed opened the door fully, quickly capturing Valerie and Star's attention.

"Look who has come to visit you, Valerie," Damon said with a smile at his daughter.

Star and Valerie just stared in disbelief at Sam and Tucker, whom could only awkwardly wave at the girl on the hospital bed.

"What are those two losers doing here?" Star whispered to her friend, finally pulling out of her surprise.

"I don't know," Valerie mumbled out as she reluctantly waved back at the pair. "But I'm gonna find out…," she added, not believing that Sam and Tucker would just come here out of the goodness of their hearts---especially not Sam. The goth girl hated her!

"Well, I'm gonna go," Star said, this time loud enough to be heard by everyone. "I have cheerleading practice in an hour."

"Oh, okay. I'll see ya, Star," Valerie said with a small smile.

Her friend gave her a hug as she said, "Don't worry. I'll be back after."

Valerie's smile widened and she nodded.

"Bye, Mr. Gray!" Star said as she passed him. But before leaving she also made sure to give Sam and Tucker a small glare.

There was an awkward silence that Damon didn't understand, but decided to break. "So, kids! Have a seat! Valerie's really glad to have you here, aren't you, sweetheart?"

Seeing her father's expectant look, Valerie quickly nodded; and with a forced smile, said, "Yeah! Thanks for coming! I'm as grateful as I am _shocked_ by your visit…"

Sam slightly frowned at the suspicious gleam in the dark-skinned girl's eyes. "Yeah, well, we heard what happened to you; and _Tucker_ wanted to make sure you were okay," she answered, now regretting letting Tucker talk her into this.

"Yeah," Tucker said with a nervous smile. "So, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Valerie answered slowly, now sounding a bit confused. She couldn't figure out why they were here. But it couldn't be just because they cared like they were letting on… right?

"You are not _fine_, young lady," Damon quickly spoke up, giving Valerie a disapproving look. "You have been pushing your body too far and for too long. But that is going to stop if I have anything to say about it."

Sam and Tucker shared a look as Valerie flinched under her father's stern gaze. They were now certain that Valerie's being here was related to all the ghost hunting she was doing. Ever since Danny left, or actually, before Danny left, ghost activity had gone up. But now that their half-ghost friend was not around, that burden had been thrust on Valerie's shoulders. And ghost huntress or not, she was only human; and one that had another job and school to which to attend, no less. The two teens should have seen Valerie's burn-out coming, but it wasn't like they could do anything about it. Sure, Sam and Tucker were doing their best to help out with the ghost hunting; but like Valerie, they could only do so much.

Of course, none of them knew that it really was Vlad who was responsible for all this increase in ghost activity in their town. First, there was all the prey Skulker had released to force Danny to submit to the initial ultimatum a few months back. And then, there was that offer Vlad had put up to reward the ghosts who took over Amity Park in order to keep Danny's friends and sister occupied now that they had discovered the younger hybrid's whereabouts. It also didn't help matters that Skulker was currently in the process of gathering up those prey now that he was no longer working for Vlad or that the hunter had encouraged Ember to stir up as much trouble for that reward. Not to mention that the entire Ghost Zone was taking advantage of the situation now that they knew Danny was not in Amity Park—reward or no reward. And to mount to all this, the Guys-in-White were now taking on a permanent presence in their town, creating more havoc than help with their violent and controlling methods.

So, needless to say, Danny's friends and sister—and all of Amity Park for that matter--were definitely feeling the effects of all these forces. And that, of course, included Valerie. She had been especially affected. Even still, Danny's friends had also been weary themselves with their own contribution to ghost fighting. But not only did they end up with more bruises without Danny around, but they were even more mentally strained with the knowledge that their friend needed help and that they couldn't find a way to aid him.

"I get it, okay, Dad?" Valerie answered, pulling the other two teens out of their thoughts. "Look, do you think you could give me a few minutes with Sam and Tucker. I need to ask them something important…"

"Not about _your job_, right?" her father asked suspiciously.

Valerie became nervous, afraid that Sam and Tucker would catch her father's emphasis on the 'your job' part. She could not have them suspecting she hunted ghosts; and especially could not have them finding out she was the Red Huntress. Of course, the dark-skinned girl didn't know that Danny's friends already knew who she was…

"No, dad! It's about Danny, okay?" Valerie answered, annoyed.

Damon quickly deflated. "Oh, okay. Then, I'll just go get some coffee so you three can talk." The man gave Sam and Tucker a pat on their heads before he left the room.

"Do you really have to use Danny to lie to your father?" Sam asked as soon as they were alone, feeling insulted that the girl would use her half-ghost friend as an excuse to get her dad to leave.

"Who says it's a lie?" Valerie retorted defensively. "I don't care what you think, Manson! But I do care about Danny! He's a good kid! And a good friend! And it hurts me as much as you that he left even if you don't believe that!"

"Well, I don't!" Sam snapped back, her eyes narrowing.

"Then, why are you here?" Valerie growled back. "What do you want? If you hate my guts so much why did you bother to come?!"

Tucker cringed at the furious girls before saying, "Um, hey, do you two think you could, like---"

"I don't _hate_ you, Valerie," Sam said with a heavy frown, not caring that she had cut off Tucker.

"You could have fooled me," Valerie scoffed back.

Sam felt her anger boil even more; but she forced it back down. Fighting with Valerie was not going to solve anything. Besides, she could just picture Danny frowning in disapproval at her right now…

"Look, I know it's hard to believe, but we just came to see if you were alright---Yes, I just included myself. I don't hate you, Valerie. But I can't say I like you, either. You have really hurt us in the past, especially Danny. But that doesn't mean we wish anything bad to happen to you," Sam said seriously.

But Valerie was still not convinced. "Oh, yeah? So, am I supposed to forgot that about a month back you were ready to claw my eyes out as you yelled at me that I was a _low, ungrateful, grudge-holding hypocrite?!_ Because I haven't forgotten!"

Sam almost visibly cringed as she recalled how she had lost it when she thought Valerie was responsible for Danny's disappearance after hearing the girl say that the 'Red Huntress' had wasted Phantom.

"Yeah, about that…," Sam muttered, "I was just really confused and upset… You know, with Danny being gone and all…I guess, I, maybe, went a bit overboard…," she reluctantly admitted.

Valerie was pretty surprise to hear the other girl admit she was wrong. Sure, Sam hadn't exactly apologized; but her admission was as good as it was going to get when it came to her and Sam.

"Well… I guess I can kinda understand that," the green-eyed girl answered awkwardly.

There was a brief silence as no one knew what else to say. But then Valerie decided to ask what was currently on her mind. "So, no word on Danny still?"

Sam sighed and shook her head, while Tucker answered, "No, nothing's changed…"

"Where do you think he could have gone?" Valerie continued worriedly. "I just didn't think Danny as the type of kid to run away."

"That's because he isn't," Sam said firmly, her eyes slightly narrowing at the thought of Vlad.

But Tucker tensed when he saw that his friend might have just said too much.

"You mean… You guys think he was… _kidnapped_?" Valerie gasped out.

Sam tensed herself at realizing her slip. "Uh, I haven't said that."

"Yeah, but if he didn't run away, then that's the only other explanation." But then Valerie stiffened, too, as a horrible thought came to her mind. "Wait. His parents are ghost hunters… What if he was kidnapped by a ghost?!" she exclaimed terrified with the thought. But, then she had another thought. What if _she_ was responsible for his kidnapping? It was the reason she had broke off their relationship, after all. She had not wanted her ghostly enemies to try to use him to get to her! What if that had happened now, even if they were only friends?!

"I don't know, Valerie," Tucker quickly said, practically seeing the huntress' metal gears going into overdrive with her latest thought. "Just because Danny doesn't seem like the type to leave like this doesn't mean it's not possible. He did leave some notes saying he was willingly leaving," he explained as a cover.

But Valerie was not completely convinced. And she quickly decided that as soon as she got out of the hospital, she would investigate that possibility further. And if she even suspected that her friend got indeed kidnapped by a vile ghost, there was going to be heck to pay for that ghost!

"Yeah," the dark-skinned girl finally mumbled absently.

"So, Valerie, what happened? You are feeling better, right?" Sam suddenly asked, hoping to steer the conversation to safer grounds.

But the other girl noticed her nervous attempt and gave her a brief suspicious look. But, ultimately, she shrugged it off and nodded, "Yeah, I'm better. As I said, I just got too stressed with so much work."

"Oh, well, then, you should take it easier from now on," Tucker suggested with a small smile.

"_If only I could,"_ Valerie thought irritably, but instead, answered, "Yeah, definitely. Listen, I do appreciate you guys coming to see me despite everything. It was really nice of you guys," she added, this time sincerely.

Sam nodded. "Well, I'll admit I wasn't sure at first. But Tucker convinced me. He was really worried about you."

Valerie quickly looked over at Tucker, who was blushing and slightly glaring at the now smug Sam. The boy knew she was just getting back at him for making her late that morning. But, he was still embarrassed that Sam would say that to Valerie. He indeed still liked her; but he just didn't dare push it when he still suspected Valerie had feelings for Danny. But, then, he wasn't sure how his male friend felt about Valerie as well. Tucker was sure that things were completely over between Valerie and Danny, but he didn't want to risk disrespecting his friend. When Danny came back, they would have to have a _guy talk_ about this. Until then, he just had to keep his feelings in check.

"You were? Really?" Valerie asked slowly, not sure how to feel about Tucker's being as worried about her as Sam made it sound. She had never really thought about Tucker as more than Danny's friend. Well, maybe once before…. She did think he was nice and he had asked her to that dance a while back. But after Tucker had stood her up, she figured he wasn't that interested in her. But, then, she didn't think much more of that since she had then began to fall for Danny… But, she now wondered, could Tucker _like_ her?

She didn't know how to feel about that. But either way, she knew that she was not girlfriend material for anyone as long as she was the Red Huntress and continued to keep it a secret. Her love life had been cast out ever since she had understood that what she did was dangerous to her and to those around her…

"Well… I've always thought you were a cool person, Val. And, well, you're Danny's friend and I know he would have been as worried, too," Tucker quickly said, trying to cover up his true meaning as he looked away.

"Oh," Valerie mumbled, feeling a blush rising in her cheeks. "Well, I think you're a cool person, too, Tucker. And like I said, I appreciate you guys coming---whatever the reason."

"It's no problem, Valerie," Tucker answered and Sam nodded in agreement.

"Listen, we gotta go," Sam then said. "We didn't tell our parents we would be coming down here, so they are expecting us at home."

"Okay, I understand," Valerie said, a small, sad smile on her face. She really didn't like being here by herself. "I guess I'll see you guys at school, then?"

"Yeah, definitely," Tucker said with his own smile.

With that, the two friends waved a final good-bye to Valerie and finally left. Somehow, the three felt in better spirits about each other now that they had had this chat…

* * *

The next two days went by in the same fashion for Sam and Tucker: school, a quick visit to Fenton Works, and then ghost hunting. But what made it so difficult was that they still could not find any opportunity to go to Wisconsin.

Jazz had told them about Clockwork's appearance the same day it happened, which had been shocking on its own. But to hear that the Time Master did not want them helping Danny was an even greater shock. Strangely, Danny's sister had not shared all the details of his visit, but Sam and Tucker knew enough to be concerned by it.

Ultimately, Danny's sister and friends choose to not heed to Clockwork's warning. There was no way they were about to give up on Danny and leave him to his own luck. The time ghost had been staring at one clock too many to even think they would listen to his supposed 'advice.'

But with each day that passed, Jazz, Sam, and Tucker were beginning to believe that they never had a choice in this matter after all. Every plan they made was somehow shot down before it would even take flight! They just couldn't get a break!

But when Tucker arrived from school that day and sat down on his computer--like he did every day--he knew instantly that their patience had finally paid off. But as he checked through the databases that he had been monitoring for many days now, his excitement turned into disbelief when he saw that Vlad Masters had a scheduled trip to Germany!

"No freakin' way!" Tucker gasped out as he continued to look through the details---though there was not much since he was looking at a media database. But not thinking about it twice, the teen quickly grabbed hold of his PDA and called Sam.

"Sam!" he shouted into the phone when she picked up. "Look, you and Jazz gotta come to my house right now!" There was a brief pause, before he continued as urgent as ever. "I'll explain why when you guys get here. Call Jazz, okay? And hurry!"

Terminating the call, Tucker quickly went back to his computer. His eyebrows furrowed in determination and he began to type something on the keyword. "Okay, let's see what this whole trip is about…," he muttered.

Being that Vlad was such a famous billionaire, Tucker knew it was only a matter of time before the man did something that would stir up the media. And now that Vlad had, it was just a matter of hacking into the specific database regarding the issue. In this case, the techno-geek had to hack into Germany's airport databases. It would take a while to find out at which airport the man would be arriving, but Tucker knew that if anyone could get to the bottom of this, it was he.

By the time Sam and Jazz arrived at Tucker's house, the boy had just about uncovered all the details.

"What's going on, Tucker?" Jazz asked as he entered the teen's room. She briefly frowned at the typical boy mess around her, but didn't say anything and waited for his answer.

But when he didn't give it to her, Sam quickly spoke up, "Uh, hello? Tucker! We're here!"

The younger girl's annoyed voice quickly startled Tucker and he finally turned away from the computer. "Oh! Guys! I mean, girls! You're here! Didn't hear you there!" he said sheepishly.

"Tell me you made me step out into that scorching sun for a reason," Sam said, crossing her arms and frowning.

"And tell me you are making me stand in this pigsty called your room for a reason," Jazz added, her nose scrunching in distaste as she made her way around some clothes on the floor to get closer to the boy.

Tucker rolled his eyes at their comments. But more interested in what he had discovered than anything else, he said, "Well, yeah, I did make you come here for something important. You guys aren't gonna believe this, but Vlad Masters is going to Germany."

Jazz and Sam's eyes quickly widened, but it was the younger girl that exclaimed, "Tucker, that's great! We finally have the chance we need to go over to that creep's house!"

"When is he going? We have to get everything ready!" Jazz said, a large smile on her face as well.

"He's leaving this week, actually," Tucker replied. "For four days, no less. He's arriving at Berlin Tegel Airport around three in the morning on Saturday. So, I'm assuming he's leaving around noon on _Friday_. And then he has to check back in at the airport on Tuesday by eleven AM. I can't really be sure of the times, though, because he's not registered in any airport in Wisconsin. So, that's gotta mean he's taking a private plane to Germany. The dude has to have pulled some major strings to get permission to take a private plane overseas. But, even Vlad's gotta follow international travel regulations, which is why he has to land at Tegel airport."

"Well, then, we just have to go on a day when we'll be certain he is going to be over there. Saturday or Sunday sounds promising," Jazz said, thoughtfully. "And that works perfectly because we don't have to worry about missing school."

"What about Danny?" Sam suddenly asked. "If we're going to try to find out what Vlad's plans are, shouldn't we avoid Danny? Or are we gonna try to talk to him? Maybe he'll tell us what's going on without Vlad there…" The girl briefly frowned as she was forced to recall how Danny had all but attacked them when they had found him at Vlad's after more than a month. They now were sure Danny was forced to act like that, but it still hurt thinking about it…

"Actually, Sam, I don't think we're gonna have to worry about making that choice," Tucker mumbled without meeting her eyes.

Sam finally noticed that the entire time Tucker had been telling him about Vlad's trip, he had not been happy about it at all. And now he looked nervous.

"What do you mean?" Jazz asked with a deep frown.

The boy sighed as he finally looked up with uncertainty at the two girls. "Well, according to what I found out about Vlad's trip, he's not going alone. The Berlin airport has a second person scheduled to arrive with Vlad Masters."

"And you think it's Danny?" Sam whispered, her breath hitching.

"No, Sam," Tucker said seriously, "I know it's Danny. His full name is registered in the airport's database."

Jazz's eyes widened in complete horror, before she shrilled, "VLAD'S TAKING MY LITTLE BROTHER CLEAR ACROSS THE WORLD?!"

"Jazz, don't shout!" Tucker quickly reprimanded her. "My folks are home, you know!"

"Oh my gosh!" Jazz continued, though she had lowered the volume of her voice. "He's taking him away! He's taking Danny away from us! No! We can't let him! That's it! I'm telling my parents!"

"Whoa!" Sam said, grabbing one of the panicked girl's arms to prevent her from running out of the room. "Jazz, wait, Danny's coming back, remember? Tucker said they're only leaving for four days!"

"You can't know that for sure, Sam!" Jazz exclaimed back as her eyes swelled with scared tears. "What if it's just a trick? What if he takes him to Germany and they disappear there forever! We'll never see him again!"

Sam felt her throat constrict with the thought. But she forced herself to think about this logically. "Come on, Jazz. Think about this. Vlad's not about to throw away all his riches and his pretty little life in Wisconsin, just for Danny!"

"You don't get it, Sam! The guy is obsessed with my little brother!" Jazz argued back.

"Jazz!" Sam said, now flustered with the girl. "Vlad has ghost powers! If he wanted to disappear and take Danny with him, he would have done it without anyone knowing it! He could take Danny to the Ghost Zone if he really wanted that, and we all know we would never find them there! Look, as much as I hate to admit it, that rich jerk is not stupid; he thinks things through. And if we're gonna have the slimmest of chances of unraveling his evil plot, then _we're_ going to have to think logically through this, too. Now, get over your 'over-protective sister' mode and get back into your 'I'm a logical and mature young adult' mode, okay?!"

Jazz blinked in surprise at the girl. "Wow…I see why my brother likes you so much," she mumbled, still taken aback by Sam's strong spirit.

Sam's cheeks flamed red, but before she could say anything, Jazz's eyebrows furrowed as she asked Tucker, "Why are they going there, anyways?"

Tucker held back a smirk at the sight of his embarrassed friend and instead focused on the older girl. "There's some convention taking place there. That I know from the media. Apparently it's really important. And I'm sure it is why Vlad's going since the convention is being held at M.V. Industries. Not sure if you guys remember, but that's that company that Vlad is trying to buy off. As for Danny, who knows? Maybe Vlad's just forcing him to come along so that he can keep an eye on him," Tucker said, shrugging with his last comment.

Everyone was silent for a long moment. But then Jazz broke the silence. "We're gonna need the Specter Speeder. Driving there would be too much. But I'm not sure how I'm supposed to take the speeder without my parents asking too many questions," she said with a sigh.

"Yeah, that's gonna be hard; especially when they know you don't like all that ghost stuff," Tucker agreed.

"Well, then, just make up an excuse that doesn't revolve around ghosts," Sam spoke up. "The speeder works just as well here as in the Ghost Zone, if you catch my drift…"

Jazz smiled as the younger girl's comment gave her the perfect idea to convince her parents. "You're right, Sam. And I know just what to say now. My parents know I'm always helping out at school with tutoring. I could just say I volunteered to go help out at some out-of-state school this weekend. Heck, I could even say it's in Wisconsin. If I tell them I'm leaving for the weekend, I won't have to worry about being back at any certain time. And I'll just ask them if I can take the speeder, so that I can get there faster and be back sooner!"

"Okay," Tucker said. "But what about us? We don't know how long it's going to take us to search Vlad's house. Hopefully, just a couple of hours. But what if it's more than that? What are we supposed to tell _our_ folks if _we_ go missing for the whole weekend?"

"That's simple, Tucker," Sam said, the smile on her face showing she liked the idea. "We'll tell our parents we're going with Jazz to this school for extra credit." The girl smirked as she added, "After all, we all know _you_ could sure use some of that. You're parents just can't say 'no."

Tucker rolled his eyes. "Very funny, Sam. But, yeah, I don't think they'll say 'no' to that, either… especially when I actually _volunteer_ to do any extra credit! That alone should put them into enough of a shock to let me go… I guess this trip's set, then… Oh, man, I'm gonna have to stack up on snacks," he added to himself.

Sam rolled her eyes at her friend, but then, she suddenly bit her bottom lip as she said, "We better take some ghost weapons, just in case we run into trouble. I mean, we all know Vlad is always hiring ghost lackeys."

"Yeah, don't worry. I'll take care of that," Jazz assured her. But then she frowned, "Wait. My dad messed up a lot of his ghost devices…"

"Really? Why?" Tucker asked confused.

Jazz sighed as she recalled when her father had lost it after a month of Danny's disappearance; and out of anger, he had broken everything in the lab, saying it was worthless junk because it couldn't help him find Danny...

But not wanting to talk about that to the younger teens', she just uttered, "It's a long story. But maybe I can convince my dad to fix up some of them…"

Sam's eyebrows creased as that brought something else to mind. "Maybe you should also convince them to start ghost hunting again," she told the other girl seriously.

"Yeah," Tucker agreed. "Valerie told me that her father is forcing her to stay in bed for at least this week. And with us being gone this weekend, all that's left protecting Amity Park is the Guys-in-White. And you know how much of a mess they do when they decide to 'help.' Look, the truth is that your folks are good at what they do. Maybe your dad isn't really good with the 'ghost fighting' part, but he's really good at the 'inventing stuff' part. And with your mom helping him and with _her_ kicking ghost butt, those ghosts are gonna have somethin' to really worry about again."

Sam nodded. "I agree with Tucker, Jazz. If this town's gonna stand a chance against the ghosts without Danny Phantom around, it's going to need all the help it can get."

Jazz also nodded in agreement. "You guys are right. It's time I talk to them and get them back to doing what they do best… Talk about irony," she added at the thought of having to be the one to convince her parents into ghost hunting again.

"Speaking of irony," Tucker interrupted, looking at Jazz. "Don't you find it odd that Clockwork paid you a visit a couple of days before we finally found the chance we needed to help Danny? I mean, I really want to help Danny, but do you think we should just ignore Clockwork's warning about us not interfering or whatever?"

Sam frowned and quickly spoke up before Jazz could. "Look, I appreciate that he helped Danny or whatever; but I don't really trust Clockwork completely, Tucker. Or did you forget that the last time _we_ saw him, he was trying to waste Danny with a scythe? Besides, Clockwork is more interested in his job of keeping the timeline running smoothly or whatever it is that he does. If he really knows everything that will happen, then I'm sure he knows we're not going to just sit here and hope for the best. If he won't help Danny, then I'm going to!" the goth girl said determinedly.

"I totally agree with you, Sam," Jazz replied. "Plus, he said it was our choice. Well, _this_ is our choice. We are helping my little brother get out of whatever scheme Vlad has tangled him in!" she said just as fervently.

"Cool! Then, we better start packin'! We got three days left, after all!" Tucker said, now excited. "Don't worry, Danny, dude! Your pals are still with ya!"

"Hey!" Jazz objected at not being included.

"Oh, right! And your big sis!" he quickly added, grinning sheepishly at Jazz.

Sam and Jazz just rolled their eyes at him, though amusement also tugged on their lips.

* * *

Jazz stood from the couch as she heard her parents finally come home that night. Her parents had not once let up on searching for Danny. They were pushing everything away in order to find him. And although it made Jazz very happy to see that her parents could push aside their ghost career for other things, especially their children, it was now too much. And it had to stop.

"Hey, sweetie," Maddie greeted her daughter as she came into the living room and sat down on one of the couches, clearly exhausted.

"Yeah, what's up, Jazzy-pants? Did you eat? Your mother left ya dinner in the fridge," Jack said as he took a seat beside his wife, also looking beat.

Jazz didn't reply right away. She could tell by the hidden sadness in their eyes that their search once more had been unsuccessful---not that it surprised the teenager. She knew that their search was in vain. They wouldn't find Danny in a million years; not without knowing the truth behind where their only son was…

"I, uh, did eat, Dad," Jazz began, not knowing how to bring up what she wanted to tell them. Still, she just went for it. "Listen, I wanted to talk to you guys about something…"

Maddie quickly looked very worried. "What's wrong, honey? Are you feeling ill again?"

Jack frowned as well. "We'll take you to the---"

"No, it's not that," Jazz quickly interrupted before her parents could freak out anymore. "I'm feeling fine. Really, it's like I never got sick," she assured them. And for the most part, it was true. She felt as healthy as before except that she just got tired more easily when she exerted herself…

"No, it's about the ghost trouble in Amity Park," Jazz continued.

"Oh," Maddie said; and relaxing again, she asked, "What about it?"

"Well, haven't you guys noticed how bad it's gotten?" Jazz asked, somewhat exasperated by her mom's carefree tone.

"Sure we have, princess," Jack answered. "But what do you expect us to do about it?"

The teenage girl looked at her parents in disbelief. Were they so out of it that they didn't care about what was going on anymore? No, that was not right! This wasn't like her parents! Her parents cared about Amity Park! This couldn't go on anymore!

"Mom, Dad," Jazz said with a troubled sigh. "I know that you guys are worried about Danny and that you are really focusing on finding him. But, you guys---and I can't believe I'm saying this---need to focus back on your job as ghost hunters!"

Maddie sighed herself. She knew the town needed them right now; but how could she go ghost hunting when her only son was missing?

"Jazz, you know we can't do that," the woman answered sadly.

"Your mom's right, Princess," Jack continued, a troubled frown on his face. "I know things are getting' pretty bad out there; but you kids and your mother are first for me. As much as I would like kickin' some ghost butt, I can't do that until the entire Fenton family is together again!"

Jazz looked away sadly, not knowing what else to say or do to get them to understand. How could she ask them to ignore that Danny was missing? She wished she could just tell them that she knew where he was, that they could go together and take Danny away from that evil creep's hands; but things were not that simple. Her parents wanted to help Danny, but they didn't realize that the best way that they could help him right now was to do something about the ghost numbers now that Danny wasn't around to keep it under control.

She had to get them to see reason! One way or another…

Jazz steeled herself as she turned her teal eyes back on her parents, the expression on her face making it seem like she was the parent in the family for that small moment. "Look, I know this is hard; I know that you both are worried for and miss him, but… but you guys need to _move on!_" she forced herself to shout out.

Maddie and Jack gasped at her words, but it was her mother who spoke up. "How--How can you say that?" she asked angrily, her eyes filling with tears. "He's your brother, Jazz!"

Jazz pushed back the urge to cry herself and kept her stern look on her face as she answered, "Mom, I know that. But you guys can't just throw away your entire lives to search for him! Life goes on! You don't see _me_ dropping out of school and pushing away all _my_ responsibilities! Yes, I miss him. I miss him _a lot_! And I will continue to look for him! But it isn't _right_ to just forget about everything else! Amity Park _needs_ you and dad!"

The red-haired girl sighed sadly and her eyes lowered again as she then softly added, "And _I_ need you guys, too…"

There was a deep silence as her parents' eyes widened with the confession, before a sad look melted their surprise. Their daughter was right. They had been neglecting _everything_ to find Danny. But most importantly in that 'everything' was their other child. They were neglecting Jazz by being out for hours on end and leaving her alone at home. Something they had also done with Danny when Jazz had gotten sick. If it wasn't for their mistake, they would have noticed something had been wrong with their son and could have prevented his leaving! But, now, they were making that same mistake again!

"Oh, Jazz!" Maddie suddenly exclaimed as she stood and embraced her daughter. "I'm so sorry! What have I been thinking?!"

"No, Mom, _I'm_ sorry," Jazz whispered back as she hugged her back. "This isn't fair to you or Dad. But I promise I'll---_we'll_ get Danny back. But we also gotta think about what he would have wanted! And he wouldn't have wanted us to ignore everything else for him!"

"You're right, Princess," Jack said as he stood up and place a hand on each of his girls' shoulders. "Danny is a good kid! And he would want us to keep helpin' our town! Don't worry, Jazzy-pants, startin' tomorrow your mother and I are gonna go back out there and kick ghost butt!"

Maddie wiped her eyes as she let go of her daughter and nodded. "Yes, we can look for Danny and hunt those ghost vermin at the same time," she said determinedly.

Jazz gave them a weak smile as she said to her dad, "That means you're gonna have to fix up a lot of those ghost weapons you accidently broke…"

Jack cringed at remembering his melt-down. "Oh, right… Well, yeah! I can do that! In fact, I'll start right now!"

"Jack," Maddie quickly called, stopping her husband from racing out of the living room. She raised an expectant eyebrow at her husband, who quickly understood what it meant.

"I mean, if that's okay with you, Princess," Jack added sheepishly. "Because if you need us…"

"No, I'm fine, Dad," Jazz answered with an appreciative smile. "Really, Mom, you guys do what you gotta do. I got homework to get---" But, suddenly, she cut herself off as she remembered the trip to Vlad's house. "Actually, there is just one thing I kinda need…"

"Oh, okay," Maddie said, a bit surprised by her daughter's sudden change of mind.

"See, I was hoping I could go do some volunteer work this weekend at, um, this high school in… Madison, Wisconsin and---"

"Hey! Wisonsin! Vladdie lives there!" Jack exclaimed out of nowhere.

Jazz pushed down the urge to glare at the mention of the billionaire, and just continued as calmly as before, "Yeah, Dad, it is. But, anyways, can I go? It's just for the weekend…"

Maddie frowned slightly. "Jazz, I'm not sure it's a good idea for you to go alone on such a long trip. I know you're feeling better, but---"

"Sam and Tucker are going with me!" Jazz quickly interrupted, a bit of nervousness leaking out of her voice.

"They are?" Maddie asked with some disbelief. "They are going to do volunteer work, _too_?"

"Well, no," Jazz mumbled, slightly averting her gaze from her mom. "See, the volunteer work is more like tutoring work. Sam and Tucker are going for extra credit, and, um, to get some extra tutoring, too…"

"You're leaving for the _whole_ weekend?" Maddie asked, still unsure.

"Um, maybe. It depends how long it takes," Jazz replied, almost grinning when her mom asked for what she had hoped. "But I really wanted to be back as soon as possible. And you guys know that going by car to Wisconsin is not easy. So, I was hoping we could take the speeder. You know, so we can get back quicker," she ended with an innocent smile.

"The speeder?" Jack finally spoke up. "Do you even know how to use it, Jazzy-pants. 'Cause I sure don't! At least, not completely," he added sheepishly.

"I took it to search for Danny a few months back, remember?" Jazz answered.

"Oh, _I_ remember," Maddie said with a slight frown as she recalled how weak and tired her daughter had returned that time. "But the speeder is still damaged from when your brother and his friends took it for a test drive, Jazz. I don't think it's safe for you to take it again."

"When I used it, it was working fine, Mom," Jazz quickly replied. "Look, you and Dad can check it out before I leave if it will make you feel better. It will _just_ be for the weekend, _please_?"

Maddie looked at her husband who seemed to have no trouble with letting her daughter use one of his many inventions. The mother sighed. "Well, alright, Jazz. But just make sure you don't overstress yourself. And take your cell phone."

"I will! I mean, I won't strain myself and I will take the phone," she replied, this time not being able to hide her excitement over convincing her parents. "And thanks! I'm gonna go do that homework, now, okay? You guys have fun doing your own stuff in the lab!"

Jazz quickly walked out of the room, before her parents could think of anymore questions. She did feel a bit guilty for lying to them and also for some of the things she had said to them earlier; but she knew this was for the best. She needed to go to Wisconsin. And her parents needed to get back to ghost hunting. Not only would hunting ghosts again help Amity Park, but it would also keep her parents occupied in something other than their worry for Danny. But, hopefully, this trip would mean they won't have to worry for much longer. She was certain on one thing, though. She _would_ keep her promise to them of getting Danny back.

One way or another.

* * *


	50. Chapter 49: Control

**Hi, everyone! I'm back with another chapter! Yeah, it's been a while, but I don't have much of an excuse this time. I've just been busy and I'm also working on a new DP story with my friend, Truephan *smiles at Truephan* But I will not say anymore because it is her story as much as mine; so we still have to decide on a summary and it's not quite done yet. But I am quite excited to be working on it with her! She's such a great writer! **

**Okay, well, on another note, I will have to apologize, but I will not be able to reply to last chapter's reviews. I have a big event coming up at church this week and I'm in charge of organizing, and I have to focus on that since I still have lots to do. And it's already hard enough since I've caught the flu and I want to hardly get out of bed; so I'm very sorry. But do know I loved each one and that each of your support means a lot to me! You guys are my inspiration--just don't tell my Vlad muse! Lol! Well, then, I hope this chapter makes up for my absence and lack of replies. It's long. But it's one of my muse's favorites; so that should tell you plenty. **

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. But Dazzler is my own creation! Heh!**

* * *

**Chapter 49: Control**

Currently in his study room, Danny sighed in relief as he closed his books. He was finally finished with his homework and assigned readings. Now that he had time to actually study, his classes were not as hard as they use to be.

"I would love to see the look on Lancer's face if I told him a ghost does a better job at teaching than he does." Danny murmured, amused. "Although… it could just be that I'm force to pay attention or else she might waste me…," he added as an afterthought.

But Danny knew that the ghost teacher wouldn't _really _harm him. She wasn't dangerous at all. However, she could definitely throw some pretty good tantrums whenever he would try to space out or procrastinate… Just seeing her eyes flash red would bring him right back to full attention.

Danny smiled slightly with the thought. But then he glanced at the grandfather clock across from the desk and chair on which he sat. It was eleven AM. He would be leaving with Vlad for Germany in one hour…

To be honest, he was pretty surprised how quickly—and smoothly—the week had gone by. Aside from the tutoring and the training sessions with the older hybrid, he had done nothing out of the ordinary---well, depending on what he saw as nothing significant, actually. He had been hanging out more with the ghosts around the house; and even the Dairy King had paid him another visit. But most often than not, he had spent his spare time this past week either doing something in his room or at the part of the forest with which he was familiar.

What had been slightly different this week, however, was Vlad's presence. The man had been pretty busy all week. Or at least that's what Danny supposed since the billionaire had been barely home. Well, maybe not 'barely'. Vlad typically ate breakfast with him before leaving for the rest of the day. Still, somehow, the guy had yet to skip a training session with him. In fact, it was like clockwork. Vlad would always get home by five—which was exactly when Danny usually used the simulation room. So as it turned out, their 'meetings' were so punctual that neither half-ghost had to say anything to the other in order to get there.

Danny had to admit, he enjoyed training, even at its most frustrating of times. In all his time as a half-ghost, the teen had never learned so much about his powers in such a short span of time. It amazed him. But it also bothered him when he really thought about it. Or more specifically, when he thought about his current relationship with his arch-enemy…

It was hard to believe that you could know a person for a long time, and then one day realize, you never really knew that person. It was how Danny felt about Vlad. The man had always been his enemy--the person who always made his life difficult one way or another. And just a few weeks ago, he could have sworn he actually hated the guy. He hated him for using his sister as an object to force him into a situation he didn't want. He hated him for the misery he had put him through in these past months. But, now, when he thought about those things---for he had not and could not forget them---he didn't feel hatred for Vlad. Resentment? Yes. But not hatred. He simply couldn't. But not because he justified the billionaire's actions in anyway, but because he felt more inclined to change this evil man with every day that passed.

He felt strange admitting it---and he would only do so to himself---but Vlad wasn't the monster he had thought him to be now that he was giving him a chance. The way his arch-enemy behaved with him now was so much different than anything he had seen from him in the past. Vlad Masters _actually_ had a heart. And Danny was now certain the man was capable of caring about someone other than himself. It didn't mean the guy was exactly there yet, but this…new side of the older half-ghost showed that it was possible. It really gave Danny hope for Vlad.

And it was this hope that let the younger hybrid withstand the agony of being away from his loved ones, and see past the fact that the person responsible for his suffering was the same one he was trying to help. Danny still wasn't sure just what he wished to accomplish with all this in the end. But he was now sure it was the right thing, and he would hold out until whatever end this had.

Lately, however, Danny had been having a few more troubling thoughts. And it had to do with his own feelings towards Vlad Masters. The more he interacted with the man and the more he learned about him, the more the teen felt split about how to feel about him. One side of him told him that in spite of trying to do the right thing, he couldn't forget that Vlad was his arch-enemy and that the man had destroyed his life. But then his other side, the same one that saw Vlad as a misguided human being, had begun seeing him as something more. A teacher, he was sure. But it was more than that, too. He was afraid to say a mentor since the man wasn't exactly a good role model. But, then, that left a… friend. But that thought disturbed him more. So, then, what was the older hybrid to him?

Danny frowned. Hadn't he asked Vlad that very same question about a week ago? How ironic that he also didn't know the answer to that question. Now, the teen understood why the man had not answered it. Vlad couldn't. Neither of them knew what they were to each other. Or that's what the teen had to conclude. He was certain that _he_ at least did not know what kind of relationship he had with the older hybrid.

The ghost boy sighed as he briefly stared down at his closed books. He needed to stop thinking about these things. There really was no point in trying to figure out something that he didn't know. He just needed to keep his thoughts on the things he could control.

"Focus, Fenton," he mumbled, only to groan. "Man, now I'm starting to even sound like the fruit loop!"

Danny quickly shook his head, banishing all his previous thoughts. He stood and smiled slightly as he picked up his closed books. "Well, at least I won't have to worry about homework or anything relating to textbooks for a good four days!"

Ever since Vlad had talked to Ms. Thomas about their trip, with the ghost teacher's agreeing to it as long as the teen didn't fall behind, Danny had been doubling up on his assigned homework and readings. There was no way he was going to take it with him to Germany! And he had just accomplished his goal. He was now officially four days ahead of Ms. Thomas' lessons; so he didn't have to worry about them until he returned! Danny was quite proud of himself for getting his things done ahead of time, instead of leaving them for the last minute. Now, he understood why Jazz took pleasure in doing her school work and everything else ahead of time! It gave one such an unexplainable sense of relief and accomplishment!

Danny actually grinned with the thought. But, suddenly, his ghost sense pushed through his lips and he lightly gasped in surprised. He briefly looked over at his closed study door as the blue mist continued to escape his mouth two more times. But remembering that Carl had yet to come up to get the luggage he had packed for the trip, the teen smiled again.

He opened his door slightly, and called out, "Come on in, Carl! I'll be right there!"

Danny then quickly grabbed the rest of his books and put them away. He then turned back to the desk and shut down his personal laptop which he had been using to type up a paper. The room did have a computer in it already, but he was just too use to his own computer to want to use another. But the teen didn't really bother to put it back inside the duffel bag he had originally brought with him from his house. Now, he just left his laptop out on the desk—just like he now left most of his things out in his room. But most of his things---and by things he meant mostly clothes---were now nicely packed in a briefcase, along with a few more attires that he had found in the closet. He had also reluctantly obliged to Vlad's request to pack at least one formal and one semi-formal suit.

Giving the study room one last glance to make sure he had put everything away, Danny finally walked out to the main part of his bedroom as he said, "Hey, my stuff is right next to—"

"Well, well, the little loser sure is living it up…"

Danny jolted with the unexpected yet familiar voice. But he then gasped when his eyes darted towards the voice, instantly confirming it belonged to Bertrand, who was in his blob form sitting on his bed with an evil grin on his ugly face.

"YOU!" Danny exclaimed in both anger and disbelief, before his white rings appeared around his waist. However, the boy's concentration was broken when he felt two ice-cold hands grasp his wrists and wrench his hands behind his back.

"Come on, Danny, we just want to talk," Penelope Spectra said against his ear in her mocking, overly-sweet voice.

"Let go, Spectra! What the heck are you two doing here?" Danny demanded as he fought against her hold, still too shocked to try to turn into Phantom again.

"Like my sister said, we just want to chat…"

Danny instantly froze and his eyes widened in fear when he saw Dazzler materialize a few feet in front of him. The male ghost was currently in his human appearance with his hands calmly folded behind his back. The spurs on his black riding boots clicked in the silence of the room as he slowly approached the teen, stopping just a foot from him.

"But not here…," Dazzler suddenly added, an evil grin curling on his lips.

The hidden intention in the ghost's words quickly sparked the young hybrid's defiance and he glared back, but was cautious enough to not meet Dazzler's direct gaze.

"As important as this sounds I'm gonna have to cancel. I already have plans," Danny quipped before quickly phasing out of Spectra's hold. He wasted no time, and moved out from in between the two siblings. And seeing Bertrand quickly move from the bed, Danny changed into his ghost form. But before he could make another move, the teen was interrupted.

"Uh, uh, uh," Dazzler mockingly scolded as he extended a hand towards the young hybrid.

Danny's eyes widened as a purple hue instantly encased his body, just before he felt his control over his powers get ripped away from him. Without his willing it so, two white rings appeared around his mid-section and changed him back into Fenton.

Danny gasped with the feeling. But he was more stunned with the realization that it wasn't the first time he had felt it. Just after he had recovered from his encounter with Walker, he had also unwillingly changed back when he had gone out for some fresh air. The teen---like Vlad---had thought that his sudden loss of his ghost form had been due to his still being physically weak. But now, Danny was sure it had not been that. It had been Dazzler! He had made him lose control of his ghost half---just like now! It was the same feeling!

"I-It was you!" the teen exclaimed, only to grunt when Spectra suddenly seized him from behind again. He glared at Dazzler before glaring at Bertrand, who was now standing in his human appearance next to the male shadow ghost. "It was all three of you…," Danny muttered as everything clicked together. It had been Dazzler who had betrayed Vlad. It was Dazzler, along with Bertrand and Penelope, who had set him up with Walker. He was sure of it now.

"What a smart little runt!" Dazzler teasingly complimented as he approached the teen again.

Not seeing any other way out of this, Danny quickly called for help, but his cry was muffled by Spectra, who just as quickly placed one of her hands over his mouth.

"Mmff!" the boy continued to shout as he struggled against the female shadow ghost. But his human body was no match for her ghostly strength.

"Now, Danny," Spectra said, her voice sounding like a mother scolding a four-year-old. "We can't have any of that. This little meeting is just between us four. Well, for the time being, anyways…" she added wickedly.

Danny's breathing quickened as Dazzler got even closer to him. And the boy quickly squeezed his eyes shut, fearing that the ghost would try to hypnotize him and feed off his life force. But something just as bad happened, and Danny shivered and recoiled as best he could when he felt Dazzler's cold hand lightly caress his right cheek. But the touch was anything but comforting. He felt like he was the prey that a predator played with before delivering the fatal blow. And although it never came, Dazzler's next words turned the boy ash white.

"Time to go, little hybrid."

Danny quickly snapped his eyes open; and pushing back his fear, he increased his struggles as he exclaimed, "I'm not going anywhere with you!"

But, of course, his voice was nothing more than muffled shouts. Still, the teen growled and slammed one of his feet on top of Penelope's. Or tried to. The ghost had anticipated it and had turned intangible.

"Nice try, Danny. But you're little trip has just been canceled," she said. "Now, you get to go on a new one with us! And I promise that we're gonna have lots of fun!"

Bertrand quickly picked up right after Spectra with his own quip. "And by 'we' she means, me, her, and Dazzler!" Penelope and Bertrand then both laughed evilly with the thought.

Danny ignored them and quickly searched his mind for his powers. But he found himself panicking when he reached for them and found something blocking him from doing so. And then just as suddenly, he felt as if they were not even there!

The teen was so distraught that he didn't realize that the purple hue was still encasing his body, and that with his every failed attempt in reaching for his powers, the purple hue around his body intensified…

Dazzler grinned, feeling the boy's pitiful attempt of reclaiming control of his ghost half. "Don't fight me, hybrid. I can control anything I want. And, at the moment, I'm controlling you. So, little one. How about you take your nap now…?"

Danny reflectively gasped only to choke in his attempt due to the hand still firmly around his mouth. But that was the least of his problems now that his mind and vision were steadily hazing from whatever Dazzler was doing to him. He tried to fight against it, but his mind numbed before he could even really try. As his struggles ceased all together, he thought of how tired he felt, just before losing all consciousness.

* * *

Sitting comfortably in his living room with a book in hand, Vlad briefly paused in his reading to check the time on the large grandfather clock. It was a quarter to noon. He had told Jim, his ghost pilot, to have his private plan ready by twelve-thirty. And because his private runway was on his property, about four acres from his castle, he knew that he could leave the house by noon and still have time to spare.

Of course, he technically could leave for Germany on his private plan at whatever time he desired. However, he did have to abide by the Berlin Tegel Airport's schedule. And his plane had clearance to land between one and two AM. Hence, why he and Daniel needed to be taking off on his private plane no later than twelve-thirty.

The billionaire couldn't really say this week had been stress-free. Quite the contrary. He had spent many hours making a lot of calls in order to work out the kinks of this trip---namely, acquiring a duplicate of Daniel's passport and all the additional paperwork required since the boy was a minor and he wasn't his father. And being that it was on such short notice, it took a lot of effort and a lot of money to get it done. But, luckily, that was now all taken care of. Unfortunately, that had not been his only encumber.

Much like all his extended trips, he had to make sure things in Wisconsin---mainly his companies---would be fine without him for that amount of time. That meant doing any paperwork and contracts ahead of time. The man had to thank the heavens for his secretary. He was sure if it wasn't for her, he would not be able to keep up with everything and still have time for his own personal plans.

But Stephanie had also been the one to set-up the trip for Germany and all the little details, including reserving the large condo he usually stayed at when he visited that country, and even his arrival times and departure to and from Germany. She would also be 'holding up the fort' in all his businesses while he was away---as was typically the case. After all the years she had worked for him, they didn't even discuss these things anymore. She knew her duties and he knew she was good at them; so, he, at least, didn't even worry about that.

Still, when he thought about just how much he relied on Stephanie, it honestly bothered him. He was always telling himself that he trusted no one. But, then, isn't that what he was doing with his secretary? Otherwise, why would he feel so relaxed to leave everything in her hands? Yes, the woman was his friend---and even that fact also slightly bothered him. He had never felt the same way about friendship since his experience with that oaf, Jack Fenton. But he and Stephanie went back such a long way that he couldn't bring himself to raise any barriers in between them. Maybe that's why he trusted her so much. It was just natural.

Vlad slightly blinked in confusion. Why in the world was he thinking about his secretary? Maybe his promised talk with her about Danny —which they had had---was still unconsciously nagging at him. He felt slightly bad for actually lying to her again. He was usually very honest with her---as hard as that was to believe. He rarely could lie to the woman. But when it came to Daniel, he couldn't tell her the truth.

He was sure the boy was clueless with the fact; though if Daniel had even cared to take the time to think about it, he would have realized that Stephanie had not bought into the ruse that he was his nephew. But, then again, how could the boy have known? He was never told that Stephanie had known Vlad since they were in high school, nor that she knew that Vlad _could not_ have had a nephew.

Actually, Vlad had only introduced the boy as his nephew for appearance. But not around Stephanie, but around others. He knew his long-time friend would not buy it for a second. It was why she continued to pester him, making her little inside jokes about he and Daniel looking alike and even the whole 'little jie' pet name---though, the latter had been too much for him to ignore. But, ultimately, Vlad had 'explained' to her that Daniel was the son of a couple he knew and that he was staying with him until his parents returned from an extended trip. After that, Stephanie had stopped questioning him about the boy. But the billionaire wondered if she had believed him. They had spoke over the phone about it; so he wasn't too sure, since the woman was good at keeping her real emotions from projecting into her voice. Actually, she could be very hard to read when she consciously made it so…

Then again, he always made it a personal goal to keep Stephanie as far away from his personal life as possible. Ever since… Well, for a long time now, even before his accident, Vlad had kept his distance. In fact, it was only by an unexpected turn of events that she ended up working for him. Otherwise, he would have lost touch with her all together…

But especially since his accident, he was now more careful with what he told her. It was why he couldn't tell her the truth about the 'circumstances' surrounding Daniel's 'visit'. She most definitely would not approve...

Fortunately, Vlad didn't have to worry about Stephanie's curiosity anymore. And with everything set for the trip for Germany, he could finally relax and focus on his trip. Or, more specifically, what he had to do there. He was determined to meet with Mark Vazier and get him to sell him at least a part of his company's assets. M.V.I. industries would be his. And he planned to be its complete—and only—owner…

Vlad grinned wickedly with the thought. As soon as this was done, he could focus on other things. But what those 'other things' were exactly, he did not know. He had been thinking a lot about Maddie and Jack in the past two days. It was strange, but he had all but forgotten about them ever since Daniel's attitude towards him had changed. In fact, he only recently recalled how he had put a reward over Amity Park. With that, and with the Ghost Zone knowing Daniel was out of the way, the town had to be swarming with ghosts' attempting to take over by now…

Vlad couldn't be sure, though. His vultures were still in Amity Park, keeping an eye on Daniel's friends and sister. Fright Knight was off in the Ghost Zone looking for something he requested. And Skulker… well, Skulker was out of the picture now. Perhaps he could send his ecto-puses to find out what was truly happening in Amity Park... But, again, it was Skulker who usually tracked down his other workers when he needed them…

"Well," the man mumbled, "It seems I will have to find those two ecto-puses myself… It will have to wait for my return, though."

Vlad shrugged. He was in no hurry to find them, anyways. It wasn't like he could do anything else right now when he had his business goals to complete. And with his uncertainty over his next plans regarding Maddie and Jack, he might as well leave it for later. The truth, however, was not that he lacked plans surrounding the couple, but that he was… hesitant to fulfill them.

If Daniel found out that he had very likely brought about utter chaos in his home town, the boy would… Well, he wouldn't be happy. He was sure the boy would hate him again---especially if he knew what that _something _was that he---before the incident with Walker---had sent Fright Knight to retrieve. This 'something' was the key to finding something _else_ that would rid Jack from Maddie's life forever. That was the plan, anyways. A plan he was now afraid to pick up again because of Daniel…

It seemed so unreal that the young hybrid was with him. And although he technically had him there against his will, Daniel had willingly stopped hating him. The boy now looked at him with another emotion in those bright eyes. Vlad couldn't really decipher what that emotion exactly was, which meant the teenager wasn't sure of it himself; but whatever it was, the older hybrid did not want it to go away.

Ever since he met Daniel, Vlad had wanted him at his side. But before, he realized it had been more of a possessive want… Now, he wanted him because he cared about him. It wasn't something he was about to admit to the teenager; but now that his emotions didn't trouble him as much, he was certain of them. But his genuine feelings for this child were now conflicting with his feelings for Maddie.

He wanted her.

But now that he had her son, he was wary of doing anything that would lose him.

Daniel was at his side. He was his apprentice. And he looked at him as something else besides an enemy! It couldn't get any better than that unless the boy finally renounced his father and acknowledged _him_ as _his father_. But the billionaire had long-since realized that _that_ would never happen. So, he was quite happy with whatever relationship he now had with the boy.

But at the same time, it disturbed him. And not only because of the internal conflict it caused between his plans for Maddie and Jack, but also because he didn't understand why the young half-ghost had changed about him.

How could someone treat anyone with anything but hate after having taken away everything they cared for?

The voice in Vlad's mind which insisted that the boy was up to something, that this was all a trick, had not left him completely. But now, it was only a whisper. So then, if the boy's change was true, how was it possible?

Daniel _knew_ that he had brought him here to submit to him, to make him suffer with what he had suffered. He had spat that in the boy's face many times just a few months back! For goodness sake, didn't the boy realize all the terrible things he had done to him in these past months? Surely, he couldn't have forgotten! Daniel **should** hate him!

But no… The young half-ghost would actually_ smile _at him. He would laugh with him. And he looked at him with something he should not. Something that was nowhere near hatred.

And because of this, because of Daniel's inexplicable change, Vlad was afraid of doing something else that could hurt him---even if he could easily keep him from finding out. But that wasn't all.

Vlad Masters felt… guilty.

And his guilt had been growing stronger with each day that passed. How could he keep hurting the boy by keeping him here when Daniel did not deserve it? What he had done---and was still doing to him---was utterly…wrong.

The billionaire frowned deeply as he stared soberly at his book without really seeing it. But, then, suddenly he let out an angry sigh, before sarcastically commenting, "What a wonderful time to grow a conscience…"

Abruptly, Vlad slammed his book close; with it, crushing his current thoughts and guilt. He didn't have time for it. And wasn't about to retract in his actions when things were going so well for him. He would decide on how to approach his issues regarding Maddie and Jack upon his return.

Walking over to a speaker on the wall, the billionaire also dismissed those lingering thoughts and pressed the button. "Derek?" he called calmly through the intercom.

A small moment later, the butler's ghostly voice rang from the speaker, _"Yes, sir?"_

"Do you know if Daniel had lunch yet?"

There was a brief silence, before his ghost cook's voice suddenly answered him, _"Like you, he said he wasn't hungry. He mentioned something about having things to do and has not been down since."_

"I see... Well then, tell Derek to ask him again. I doubt we will be able to eat anything until we are on the plane," Vlad answered, while thinking he should have at least a fruit or something himself.

_"Very well, sir. I'll go ask him,"_ the bultler answered, clearly having switched places with George.

Vlad raised an amused eyebrow at the two ghosts' 'game of tag' with the speaker phone. But he did not comment and just continued. "Also, _Derek_, it is getting close to the boy's and my departure time. Would you tell Carl to load the suitcases? My own are right outside my bedroom door. He'll have to ask Daniel for his."

The man half expected for his driver to suddenly answer him, but it was still his butler that replied, _"Yes, sir. I will inform him." _

"Thank you," Vlad said, before ending their talk and heading back to the couch. He briefly glanced at the clock before sitting down again.

He opened his book again to the page he had left off. But before he could focus back on it, a more light-hearted thought came to his mind and he smiled. He was going to be very busy in Germany, but that didn't mean _the boy_ couldn't enjoy himself. Vlad had already arranged for a few things for him. The billionaire hoped they would make Daniel smile. And maybe even make him forget about everything for those few days…

The older hybrid's smile only widened; but he soon sighed and went back to his book.

* * *

Danny groaned as he slowly regained consciousness. His head felt like it was about to split in half! And why were his eyelids so heavy? Still, he eventually managed to part them just slightly, but hissed at the sudden, blinding brightness that greeted him. With another sound of protest, he used his now reawakened limbs and pushed himself into a sitting position. For a moment, the boy just cradled his head in his hands.

Squeezing his eyes close against the pain and utter brightness, he whispered, "Ugh, what ha---" But his words choked into a gasp when everything suddenly came to him with the weight of an anvil.

"No!" he exclaimed as he jumped to his feet, eyes wide with fear. But just as quickly as he jolted, he froze, confused by the sight around him.

He was in the forest.

"What..?" Danny whispered, his eyes darting nervously in the unusual silence. And the fact that he didn't recognize this part of the forest surrounding Vlad's estate—or he hoped it was the same woods---made him even edgier.

But before he could even think about how to handle his current situation, his ghost sense went off. And just as he spun around, he was greeted by a sphere of pink energy right at his chest.

"Ahh!" he cried out as he was pushed back several feet and then slammed back first into the leaf-and-rock-filled ground.

"My, payback is almost as delicious as misery!" Spectra stated gleefully, her black spectral tail whipping about in excitement while her hands continued to burn with her energy.

Danny growled at the sound of the shadow ghost's voice and quickly pushed himself off the ground, wanting nothing more than to kick her tail. But before he could get completely to his feet, Bertrand, in his cougar form, came out of nowhere and pounced right on top of him, sending his sore back slamming against the earth once more.

"I second that," Bertrand said sinisterly, his grin showing off his sharp teeth as he stared down at the boy beneath him, while his clawed paws painfully pinned Danny's wrists against the ground.

The young hybrid's eyes flashed green with anger as he replied, "You two seriously need a hobby." And before Bertrand could react, Danny transformed right under him and deftly used his legs to kick the ghost off him.

Floating to his feet, the half-ghost instantly gathered green energy in his hands. But before he could even take aim at either of his enemies, his energy abruptly extinguished from his hands.

"What the heck?" he asked, confused as he stared at his gloved hands.

"Maybe you're not as smart as I thought…," a third voice suddenly said.

Danny immediately understood why his energy had unwillingly gone out; and with a growl, he spun on his feet to glare at Dazzler. "Dude, I'm getting sick of you! And do you _ever_ stop talking? I'm starting to think you're _Technus_' brother!"

"Aren't you amusing?" the controlling ghost, still looking very human, replied dryly. "But I think it is _you_ that needs to control that little mouth of yours. Then again, I could just control it for you…" he added darkly.

"Yeah? Let's see you try it, pal!" Danny yelled back, before firing two energy rays at Dazzler.

But the male shadow-ghost simply turned intangible, before letting out a bored sigh, and saying, "If you insist…" He quickly lifted up a hand just as Danny was about to fire another set of energy-blasts at him. And in an instant, a purple hue lit the boy's body; and just as quickly, the green power in his hands vanished. "Alright, now, hush and sit down."

Danny gasped as his body obeyed without his consent. But all he could do from where he now sat was stare up in fear as Dazzler approached. But when the ghost stopped in front of him, the teen made sure to keep his eyes from directly meeting the evil gaze on him.

"You see, hybrid. You're so weak that I barely have to lift a hand to have complete control over you," Dazzler said smugly.

Danny tried to speak only to find that he couldn't. Instead, he settled for fisting his gloved hands and glaring back at the male ghost. Though, he still continued to mentally struggle for control.

Dazzler smirked at the boy's display of bravado. "Your liveliness amuses me, little runt. But unfortunately for you, vigor will not help you against me and my power. You are now wearing my rein. That means I can make your body do anything. Your ghost core is mine; so I choose whether you are ghost… or human."

The boy could only shiver as Dazzler made his body change back into his human form; only to just as quickly make him turn ghost again. The experience was as horrible as it had been the other times…

"I once told you I could end your life at any moment," the controlling ghost continued darkly. "Well, now, that holds truer than ever before… Nothing is holding me back now. I can tell your very heart to stop beating and it will…"

Danny suddenly regained control of his voice, only to scream as an overwhelming pain exploded from his chest. In his agony, he was unaware of the purple hue pulsing around his torso. But he also didn't see the evil grins on Spectra and Bertrand's faces as they silently watched.

The teen was sure he was going to pass out from the agony, when it abruptly vanished. But before he could fully recover, Dazzler continued as if he was talking about the weather.

"Or perhaps, I want you to stop breathing. Yes, you will."

Danny felt an indescribable form of fear slowly building inside him as every word the ghost said became a reality. How could anyone have such control over him? It was like his body no longer belonged to him! And he couldn't even _try_ to stop it from happening!

Danny's hands were wrapped around his throat, his mouth wide open as his lungs refused to work. But as suddenly as before, his life-giving organs expanded, allowing them to fill up with precious oxygen. But the teen fell into a coughing fit when he couldn't get in as much oxygen as he needed.

"Do you now see why it is pointless to fight me?" Dazzler asked, a smirk returning to his face as he watched the young hybrid's breathing slowly return to normal.

The teen blinked back his dizzy spell as he regained his glare and pinned it back on the male shadow ghost. But now, his defiant look was weak. The boy was clearly more than a little shaken up.

"What is it that you want, Dazzler?" he asked angrily.

"Control," he answered without skipping a beat, the dashing smile curling his face showing how the word alone brought him great joy. "I feed on life forces," he explained. "With every single one I consume, I become stronger. And the stronger the life force itself, the more powerful my controlling abilities get. So, you see, I look at you and I see an exquisite meal. Taking your life force would be so easy and the power you hold is simply _delectable_," he finished, the predatory look returning to his eyes.

Danny just stared in disbelief a moment. But his face suddenly twisted into disgust as he finally understood the ghost's ravenous look and freaky behavior towards him. Dazzler thought of him as nothing more than a plate of food!

"You know," the teen muttered as he briefly glanced at Spectra and Bertrand, before looking back at Dazzler and continuing, "—all this time, I thought your sister and her snippy helper here were seriously sick with their whole 'feeding off people's misery' thing. But, dude, you just beat her hands down in the 'sick and messed-up' department. Maybe you should sit down for a therapy session with her. She'd probably just make you more twisted; but, at least, you'll give her and Bertrand their much-needed hobby, and you'll be able to talk to someone about your freaky obsession."

All three ghosts stared at Danny, not believing he had just had the audacity of insulting them under his current dangerous position. Either the kid had a death wish, or he really did not realize just how in trouble he was…

Spectra decided it was both as she finally reacted and a furious glare twisted her face, while her hands began to glow with her deadly energy. "Why you little—"

"Now, now, my sweet sister," Dazzler suddenly interrupted her, grabbing one of her wrists to keep her from lunging at the teen. "The little hybrid doesn't understand his predicament."

"Obviously," Bertrand said darkly, also livid with the teen's insults. "But I'll _gladly_ beat the 'understanding' into him…"

Dazzler smiled evilly at the two other ghosts as he shook his head. "Oh, he will understand. But, please, allow me to enlighten him _my way_..."

Danny gasped when the controlling ghost suddenly looked back at him, and his own green eyes involuntarily locked with Dazzler's now glowing gold ones. The teen was instantly paralyzed, and that eerie attraction towards Dazzler just as quickly hypnotized his mind.

He fearfully saw that deadly gold mist extend from Dazzler's left hand and quickly form into the shape of a clawed hand. But unlike before in the barn when it took 'the hand' a moment to find for what it was looking, this time, it did not linger outside the teen's chest. Instead, it plunged right through, ripping a resonating scream from its victim, whose body illuminated with an unnatural gold hue.

Like before, Danny felt his energy and his strength rapidly fade. But the boy now knew what it meant. He didn't need to see what was happening to know that Dazzler was slowly ripping away his very life from his body. And, this time, he realized that he didn't have the mental strength to break away from the evil ghost's hypnotic hold.

Just when Danny was sure Dazzler was going to go through with his dark intentions, the ghost's eyes suddenly returned to their natural honey-brown color and the claw inside the teen's chest and the hue around his body just as quickly vanished.

The young hybrid clenched his eyes close as he regained control of them again. The lingering pain was nothing compared to the agony he was in a second ago. But it was still pretty bad. He also fearfully noticed that his strength and energy did not come back to him as quick as that time in the stables.

Of course, Danny didn't know that the ghost's ability to pull out his life force only got easier and quicker with his every attempt. And that the closer he got to succeeding, the more lasting the aftereffects were…

"Like I said," Dazzler spoke up again, a strange sigh passing his mouth. "Taking your life would be _so_ easy and _so_ satisfying…._ But…" _The ghost chuckled evilly. "I have decided to set my eyes on a bigger price. And with your life literally in my hands, it will be even easier."

Danny managed to slowly get to his feet, silently thankful that the ghost was too happy with himself to keep him from moving anymore. But Dazzler's words now had the teen completely confused.

"What are you talking about?" he asked uncertainly.

An evil smile reached Dazzler's ears as he replied, "I have noticed how close you and my employer have been getting lately. It's just so…hmm… _touching_. But personally, I preferred the screaming and blasting." The ghost shrugged, though he continued to grin. "Still, this has played to my advantage. You see, his little attachment to you is what's going to lure him right into my trap. And judging by how quick he has been in the past to jump into the fray for you, it shouldn't be too long now…"

Danny's eyes widened, now truly understanding what the male shadow ghost had in mind. But the young half-ghost's disbelief and fear quickly vanished and his green eyes narrowed dangerously.

"I won't let you," he said determinedly.

There was no way he was going to be used to hurt someone else---even if it was Vlad. He wouldn't let him! He couldn't allow it!

But the three evil ghosts just laughed at the boy's words, before Dazzler amusedly answered, "You can't even blink unless I choose to let you. You have **no** control over yourself. What makes you think you have control over this?"

"Say what you want," Danny growled back, his resolve not wavering. "But I won't let you do this. You are not using me for your sick purposes!"

"Oh, no?" Dazzler asked mockingly. "Come here."

Danny grunted as he suddenly walked forward towards Dazzler. His breathing quickened as he tried to stop the ghost from manipulating his body; but it was no use and he quickly found himself staring right into the controlling ghost's eyes.

"Who do you think you are dealing with, little runt? The Box Ghost?" the male shadow ghost asked with mirth. "I am not just one more of your little enemies. I told you, you should have stayed in your territory. Now, you are my new little pet….," the ghost wickedly assured the boy. "Well, at least until I have my employer's life in my hands."

Dazzler released his control over the teen again, and looked over at Spectra as he continued, "I did promise my sister I would let her deal you your deserved fate. After all, you do have unfinished business with her..."

"That's right, Danny!" Spectra agreed, turning into her human appearance as her bright grin quickly melded into an evil one. "Your misery calls to me _more_ than ever. And I'm gonna rip it away from you slowly and painfully until there is nothing left of you."

Danny hissed as the female ghost dug her sharp nails into his left shoulder. But what had his heart beating wildly was the sudden despair that awakened from inside him with her touch.

"Let go!" Danny exclaimed angrily, trying to pull out of her hold only to have his other arm wrenched behind him by Bertrand.

"No such luck, kid," Penelope's assistant stated smugly, not hesitating to take advantage of the boy's surfacing misery.

"I think we all know you are in dire need of some therapy," Spectra continued, her voice sweetening, yet still holding that wicked glint in it. "After all, it must be so hard to be away from the people you care for… How long has it been, huh?"

Danny growled in response, and continued to struggle to get away from the two ghosts. But his mind couldn't focus; and it wasn't because of Dazzler, either. In fact, the male shadow ghost had backed off and was just amusedly watching his sister work her own 'magic.'

"Tsk. …But that's not all is it?" Penelope continued to mock him. "My brother has told me all about what that other freak's been doing to you… You poor thing. You have become nothing more than his little lap dog."

Danny's glare instantly fell, her words cutting deeper than even Spectra herself could know. "T-That's not true" he said shakily, a green hue emerging from his body, though he continued to struggle.

"Oh, it's not?" she countered. "Not from what I've heard. I've heard he has you eating out of the palm of his hand. He has manipulated your mind to the point that you were _just_ defending him. _Him_. The one who has left you all alone. I think you now even _like_ the misery he has put you in…"

The boy shook his head as his resistance weakened. "You don't what you're talking about, Spectra. You don't know."

"Oh, come on, Danny," she pressed. "Look at you. There is nothing left of what you once were. And you know the real reason for that! You can't even resist against my brother's powers. Or haven't you noticed how his hold on you is much stronger than when you first met him? Face it, Danny. You're through."

Danny's struggles halted all together as he sorrowfully met the female shadow ghost's eyes. "I…I do miss them," he said softly, no longer caring about the green hue around his body or how it intensified by the second.

"Of course you do!" Spectra replied, pushing back a triumphant grin as she felt the teen's rich and regenerating misery flowing through her. But Bertrand, who was still behind Danny and keeping his arm pinned to his back, smiled wickedly as he, too, took advantage of the distressed half-ghost's misery.

"You are nothing without them after all," she continued, false comfort in her voice. "You know, I've been to Amity... And I gotta be honest," she said with a sigh. "---things haven't looked better. But that can't be too surprising for you. I mean, with everything you did there, I'm sure you know of the burdens you put on everyone around you."

She paused to measure his reaction, and seeing his eyes widen with more pain, her eyebrows suddenly creased and she asked, "Why exactly did you leave, anyways? I don't know, but if I were them, I would sure hate you for just vanishing like you did. And if they don't hate you for that, they would definitely hate you if they saw you like this. Oh, they would be so ashamed of ever having met you…"

Danny's distraught gaze fell to the ground. He knew Spectra was messing with him, but he couldn't bring himself to do anything to stop it anymore.

After all, she was right.

"But there is good news in all this," Spectra suddenly said, her voice just a bit more cheerful. "You won't see them again, so you won't have to worry about them finding out about what a mess you are. And they and all Amity Park couldn't be better without you!"

"Let go of me," Danny pleaded, weakly trying push away from her. He couldn't take it anymore! His throbbing heart couldn't stand hearing the truth anymore!

"You don't really want that, Danny," Penelope said sweetly as she continued to feed off the boy. "I can make it all go away for you. No one really needs you. And everyone you care about hates you too much to really miss you. So, why don't you just give up?" An evil glint lightened her eyes as she said, "I can help you rest. Rest from all the pain and confusion. I can end your suffering…"

"How?" he asked, not really thinking anymore as he stopped resisting again. He just wanted the hurt to go away.

The shadow ghost briefly looked at her brother, who smirked darkly at her, before she smiled back at the half-ghost. "I told you, Danny," she answered. "Just give up. Let go. All you have to do is surrender to me….That can't be too hard for you, right? Isn't that what you did here? Surrender your will?"

Danny's eyes closed as he felt his being darken with complete despair right then. "You're right," he whispered sadly. "I let him win. I submitted to him…"

Spectra's grin curled even higher. "And all he gave you back was more pain. But I will end your pain. Come on, Danny, let me _help_ you. You have nothing left to lose. Give up."

"…_You will yield completely to me… Do we have an agreement?"_

"_I agree…"_

The young hybrid began to feel lightheaded as his mind replayed the terrible day he submitted to his arch-enemy. And the more he thought about it, the more his actual heart began to constrict. He was unaware that he was drowning in his own sorrow.

But Bertrand and Spectra knew it. And they feasted; and didn't plan on stopping until the teen was sucked dry. It didn't matter to them that the teen's physical body would most likely collapse under such emotional stress by the time they were done…

Danny's face significantly paled just before he lost his ghost form. But the moment he changed back, his heart ached even more, and a sudden weakness spread through his body, leaving him unable to stay on his feet. But Bertrand merely tightened his grip on the half-ghost to keep him upright.

The boy's eyes slightly opened, revealing his once bright blue orbs to be so clouded that they were gray. His thoughts were drifting. And all his sorrows in the past months passed through his mind like a horror movie. The images of his dying sister. His crying parents. His worried friends. Vlad's ultimatum. Clockwork's denying to help him. His arrival at his arch-enemy's castle. His struggles against Vlad, Skulker, and all his other enemies associated with the man. His powers spiking. His loss of control. His nightmare of becoming his evil self. His breakdown. His submission. His encounter with his sister and friends and how he had threatened them and told them he hated them. His emotional fights with his hated arch-enemy. His near-death experience with Walker…His in ability to save himself from the ghosts now slowly wasting him… All of it had now consumed his mind all at once, forcing him to experience misery like never before…

But, suddenly, the dark movie in his mind slowed down as his mental thoughts shifted to his struggles in the past weeks...struggles that he had willingly accepted. And he had accepted them so that all his past suffering would have a purpose. Because he needed to prove to himself that he was useful. That he could still do the right thing amid his despair. He was willingly pushing past his own pain because he needed to see that light at the end of the tunnel. A light Niane had assured him existed. And he would only reach it if he stayed strong…

"_You are stronger than you think, Danny…,"_ Clockworks voice rang in his head.

Spectra and Bertrand simultaneously frown, realizing something was wrong even before the bright green hue around the teen's body significantly dimmed.

"No…," Danny muttered, his eyes clenching shut, before he opened them fully, determination returning the color to his eyes. "I gave up once…I won't do it again!" he suddenly shouted as he let out two strong ecto-blasts from his hands, effectively pushing Spectra and Bertrand away from him.

The young hybrid ignored the two ghosts' scream of surprise and quickly transformed. In an instant, he shot into the sky, knowing he had to get away before---

"No, you don't, runt!" Dazzler shouted, quickly neutralizing the boy's ghost form and sending him crashing back into the ground. "You might have quick reflexes but mine are quicker!"

Now human again, Danny moaned as he slowly got to his hands and knees. Dazzler briefly looked over at his sister, who had managed to recover from the unexpected blow, as had Bertrand. But when the male shadow ghost saw his sister's hands glow with deadly energy, clearly intending to get even, he quickly lifted a hand stopping her approach.

Penelope immediately understood her brother's silent command. She briefly glared in response. But seeing his own intentions in his eyes, she then just as quickly yielded. And with a roll of her eyes, she waved her hand in agreement.

"Enough of my sister and Bertrand's game," Dazzler said darkly as he turned his attention back to the teen. He smirked again; and sounding a little too like his sister, he cheerfully said, "It's time to play mine! You like to play, don't you, little one? Have you heard of 'Simon Says?' Well, I find it to be a pretty enjoyable game. Only I call it, 'Dazzler says'. And what makes it so enjoyable is that I control the players---in this case, it will be you. You ready?"

Danny could only stare fearfully at the ghost as a purple hue suddenly surrounded his body. He immediately tensed in preparation for the worse.

"Let's see…?" Dazzler said, mockingly tapping his chin. "Dazzler says to… stand up."

The teen grunted when his body responded without hesitation.

Spectra grinned as Bertrand mocked, "How does it feel to be a puppet, little loser?"

"Dazzler says… raise your hand to your face," the evil male ghost continued.

Danny gritted his teeth as he tried to regain control of his body. But again, it proved in vain. And as quickly as before, his body responded to Dazzler's command and he was soon staring at the palm of his open hand.

Dazzler smiled evilly as he focused his powers towards the half-ghost's core and forced it to charge the teen's raised hand with hot, green ectoplasmic energy.

The boy's eyes widened with horror as he realized the ghost's gruesome intentions. And Bertrand and Spectra also realized it, and they both nodded excitedly at Dazzler.

"Do it," Spectra urged happily. "Do it for me; won't you, my clever and handsome sibling?"

Dazzler chuckled. "Well, how can I say 'no' to my only sister's sweet request?"

Penelope squeaked in excitement as her brother returned her attention to Danny, while Bertrand suppressed a gag after witnessing the two shadow ghosts' antics. It annoyed him when they got weird like that.

"You know, little runt, my employer has taken longer than I expected," Dazzler said lightly as he intensified the energy in the teen's hand. "Maybe if we make your situation direr, that will change?" The ghost laughed lightly again as he added, "He does seem to have a knack for arriving just at the nick of time… Let's give it a try, shall we?"

Danny couldn't even think anymore from how terrified he felt. Was the ghost really going to waste him? No, he couldn't. At least not until his 'real prize' got here. Dazzler was just taunting him… He was just messing with him! No! He couldn't let him get to him like this!

"Dazzler says…"

"I'm not afraid you, Dazzler!" the boy suddenly screamed, his human eyes abruptly changing to his ghostly green.

Dazzler instantly released his mental hold on the teen's body as a surprised yet curious look came over his face.

Not expecting the sudden regain of control over his body, Danny fell to his knees, the physical distress showing with his heavy breathing.

Dazzler's initial surprise had now melted away; and with a wicked grin, he quickly walked towards the young hybrid. Lowering down to his level, the ghost locked his eyes with the boy as he whispered, "Yes, you are."

He chuckled smugly. "I can feel it in your weak mind. Or didn't you know that I can also control your thoughts and emotions? I can make you unleash that fear that you are so desperately trying to hide from me. Do you feel it surfacing, runt? Say that you fear me."

Danny wrenched his eyes close as his mind instantly began to swell with panic-inducing fear. His heart and breathing steadily accelerated as it quickly spread through his entire being, turning him into a quivering mess. But somewhere in his mind he felt something frantically screaming at him not to give in. And he instantly seized it and hung on tightly.

"I-I'm not afraid of you," he whispered, his voice trembling, yet the defiance in it was as clear as day.

Dazzler's eyes flashed gold with anger; and with a growl, he abruptly jerked his hand outwards, sending the purple-glowing teen flying back and slamming into a tree. There, he slumped down in a daze against it.

The male ghost quickly stood before bringing his hand towards him again, which forced Danny's body to slide across the rough ground and then stop right at his feet. Danny roughly coughed as he tried to get rid of the dirt in his mouth, while he used his aching and shaking limbs to pull himself off the ground.

"I control you, runt!" the male shadow ghost spat darkly. "Now you will admit you are afraid of me even if I have to destroy you from the inside-out to make you do so!"

Dazzler shot his sister a look. And Spectra instantly knew what it meant. But this time, she was more than happy to oblige and she quickly lowered down beside the teen on the ground and seized him by an arm. Instantly, a green hue blended into the purple hue already surrounding Danny's body, creating a black glow around him.

Danny gasped with the feeling of his reawaking desperation, while he continued to shiver with the fear swirling inside his being. But he was further overwhelmed when Dazzler suddenly forced his ghost side out of him, only to force it back inside.

His mind hazed with pain and confusion, only making it more difficult to maintain his resolve. He could hear his enemies laughing evilly as Dazzler flickered his wrist back and forth. Each time, Danny's energy rings were forced to go up and down his body as the controlling ghost teasingly uttered, "On. Off. On. Off."

"S-Stop!" the teen choked out, as his hands dug into the earth below him.

"I'll stop when you admit your fear, hybrid," Dazzler replied darkly.

* * *

"He's not answering?" Vlad asked puzzled.

"No, sir. I knocked several times, but he never answered; and I dare not enter his private quarters without verbal consent," Derek replied.

"Hmm… Alright, I'll go check on him," Vlad said with a small sigh as he stood up. "Did you relay my order to Carl?" he asked as he shut his book and set it on the table.

"Not yet, sir."

"Then, do so. It's getting close to that time," the billionaire said, before moving past his butler and exiting the living room.

As he went through a mental list to make sure he had done everything he needed before leaving, Vlad set out to Danny's room.

"_Did I store the passports and travel papers in my briefcase?"_ he thought deeply. _"Or are they in my carry-bag? Blast! I need to check. And speaking of 'checking', did I also put my checkbooks in my briefcase? Ugh! I knew I shouldn't have packed so soon! Now, I cannot recall where anything is!"_

The man sighed in annoyance as he stopped in front of the young hybrid's door. "Daniel?" he called as he pushed aside his thoughts and knocked.

He waited a moment. But not receiving an answer, he tried again. "Daniel? Are you in there? I'm coming in, alright?"

Again, he waited. And again, he got no response. So, with another sigh, he turned the handle and poked his head inside. "Daniel?"

But when he caught sight of the empty bed, the man raised an eyebrow and walked fully into the bedroom. Odd. He had figured that the reason the boy was not answering was because he had fallen asleep.

"Tsk." He clicked his tongue in thought, his eyes briefly noting the teen's packed things in front of the dresser before walking forward towards the study room. He knocked again before entering. But as the main dormitory, the study room was vacant. He quickly checked the other rooms and again came up empty-handed.

Returning back to the main area, Vlad paused, his eyebrows creasing deeply just as he tapped his lower lip and muttered, "Where did he go? He knew we had to leave soon."

Right then, the man remembered the lounge in the upper room, and he quickly went to the pull down stairs and headed up into that part of the room. Not finding the boy in the lounge, he headed straight for the balcony, hoping to see Daniel frolicking in the sky like was now habit for him. The man supposed he could relate to the boy's enjoyment of his flying ability. After all, _he_ also enjoyed a good long 'stroll' in the air from time to time. But Vlad was sure if Daniel could live up there, he would. The child literally had his head in the clouds.

"Just not right now," Vlad said with a deep sigh when he looked out towards the sky and did not find the teen anywhere in sight. The older half-ghost briefly concentrated, trying to sense the boy somewhere in the house or close by. But to his growing anxiety, he found no trace of Daniel's ghost signature. He was either not in ghost form or he was too far away for him to sense him…

Vlad looked down at the watch on his wrist and bit his lip. He had to go find him, or they were going to be late. Knowing time was of the essence, the man transformed into Plasmius and teleported at the foot of the main stairs, almost running into Carl.

The chauffer yelped in surprise before chuckling in embarrassment. "Sorry, Mr. Masters. You sort of came out of nowhere!"

But Vlad was growing too stressed to pay importance to anything but finding Daniel. "Carl? Have you seen, Daniel?"

The driver shook his head. "I've been out all day. I have not. But you did want me to put the luggage in the car, right?"

"Yes, Daniel's room is open. His things are right in front of the dresser. And mine---"

"---Are in the hall, in front of your room," Carl finished with a smile. "Don't worry. I'll get on it right away."

Plasmius just nodded before briskly walking off towards his employee's lounge. He was having an odd feeling about this, and was quite troubled by the teen's strange disappearance. Why would he stray far if he knew they were leaving soon?

Vlad phased right through the lounge door without a thought. "Have any of you seen Daniel?"

George, Derek, the three maids, and even his two gardeners were there; and they all jolted with their employer's sudden appearance. Well, everyone except for Niane. She just looked up and frowned with his question.

"No, sir," everyone's voice rang.

Vlad pinched the bridge of his nose before silently nodding and exiting again. "Perhaps I should get a smaller house…," he mumbled irritably as he quickly duplicated and teleported his copies to various parts of the castle.

"Blast! How do you lose a teenager in your own home?" he added as he teleported his real self to his private office. He didn't think Daniel would go in here---especially when he knew _quite well_ just how off limits the place was for him. But Vlad was to the point that he was just checking in every place of which he could think.

Not spotting the boy inside his private office, he went over to the fireplace that hid the entrance to his private lab. Being that he had put up a security lock against both human and ghosts, he quickly lifted his right arm and began to type something on the device on his wrist. His watch---which in his ghost form was anything but that---had the controls for all his security systems. He never left his private lab, portals, or his other more private things open when he went on extended trips. Not even his ghostly employees could open his things when he locked them down.

Soon heading in, Vlad's eyes slightly narrowed as he stopped at the bottom of his lab's stairs and scanned his surroundings. He didn't know what he would do if he ever found Daniel in here again. But, thankfully, he was not there now. The man briefly glanced at the mainframe and the screens in the lab. Those, too, were locked and dormant. Though, curiously enough, a certain black bracelet was openly sitting on top of a surface besides the large mainframe. Either the man thought nothing of it, or he had forgotten that it was there…

He supposed he was a bit paranoid. But he was very touchy with his private things. As for the rest of his things and his house, he left them wide open. Why lock anything else? He lived in the middle of nowhere. And if by chance someone did try to break in, he was sure one of his ghostly employees would have them out of there in a matter of seconds. Then again, he had always advised his employees to stay hidden whenever there were humans in the house. Still, they had enough sense to know when to break that guideline…

Right then, Plasmius' copies returned to him and he sighed yet again when they came up empty-handed. "He's not in the mapping room; he's not in the astronomical room; and he is not in any of the outside facilities, including the pool, stables, and greenhouse. If he is not anywhere in the house or around its immediate perimeters, then, _where_ is he?"

The answer came to Vlad almost instantly.

"The forest? Could he have gone there?" he mumbled to himself. The area was vast… but the few times he had followed the boy, he always stayed around the closest part of the stream…

Out of places to look for the teen, the older hybrid teleported outside and flew towards the forest behind the castle.

* * *

"**Admit you're afraid of me!"** Dazzler screamed, his ire unknowingly making him lose his focus on maintaining his human appearance. The little runt-freak would not give in to his control! And it was infuriating him to no end!

Still feeding off Danny, Penelope frowned at her brother's loss of composure. He was straying from the plan! She wasn't sure if he even remembered at this point that they had to keep on the alert for the other half-ghost! Furthermore, her brother looked ready to waste Danny, and that wasn't part of the deal! The little freak was _hers_ to waste!

"Dazzler, where's your freaky boss?" she asked him with irritation. "I thought you said he would come with us using Danny as bait!"

"**He **_**will**_** come!" **Dazzler shouted back, his anger towards Danny making him lash out at his sister.

Spectra narrowed her eyes; but when she felt another wave of the young half-ghost's misery enter her being, her anger melted into irritation. Her brother didn't notice her displeased look, however. He had gone back to trying to get Danny to break under his powers by any means necessary. Her brother just wouldn't let this go!

But she had to admit she was enjoying the agony he was causing the little freak. It just made her more eager for that other freak to arrive so that she could cause the brat even greater agony and then end it _permanently_ for him!

Spectra glanced up briefly, knowing Bertrand was up there, invisible and above the trees, watching out for Plasmius. They couldn't let the man surprise them. And although her brother was a bit off the deep end right now, she was going to make sure this went like she wanted it. And that meant catching that other freak off guard and then letting Dazzler finish him off. The female ghost turned her eyes back to Danny. At least while they waited, she could continue to enjoy the misery Danny was so wonderfully providing to her. It was such fine quality, too! Even sweeter than when she had fed off him in the past!

Meanwhile, Danny had barely heard the two siblings' quick argument, let alone understood what they said. The poor boy looked utterly spent. In fact, he was so physically exhausted and his energy was so drained that his hair was soaked with sweat and his ghost form's white aura had all but gone out. But his mind was in even greater turmoil. He was still shivering from the fear that Dazzler was forcing into his consciousness. And his mind was so hazed by the ghost's grip on it and his emotions so distressed by Spectra's own misery-inducing powers that he couldn't think coherently. And yet, even with all that, he still held tightly to that which was inside him that told him to not give in.

The boy choked as his body was rapidly forced to become human before he felt his lungs get constricted again. He squeezed his eyes shut as his entire being begged for the ghost to just get it over with. He wanted---_needed_---for this torture to end. But it still mercilessly continued. And as soon as Dazzler allowed him to breathe again, his body was forced to turn ghost once more. Then, right after, he felt like both his heart and his ghost core were squeezed simultaneously. A gurgled cry left him, and he knew it would have been a full-blown scream if he had the energy and the oxygen. But _Dazzler's_ shout of anger rang in air.

"**You wretched, human-ghost freak! Say you're afraid of me!"**

"N….N-N-No," Danny tiredly forced out.

Dazzler's eyes exploded into a bright gold hue as his lips twisted into a snarl, exposing his fangs. "Fine," he hissed darkly as his clawed-hands glowed with that same gold power that he used to rip his victim's life force. But unlike ever before, it turned into a darker hue as he forebodingly assured the boy, "If you will not say it, then I will make sure you _know_ it and _never_ forget it…"

Penelope didn't even need for Dazzler to look at her. She quickly backed off, knowing what her brother was about to do and not wanting to be anywhere near Danny when he did it. Crossing her arms, she stood behind but slightly to the right of her brother. A cruel grin melted whatever irritation had been left as she watched him perform his cruelest of feats.

Danny was too far gone to know what was going on anymore. So, he barely noticed that Spectra had stop feeding off his misery and that Dazzler had ended his physical and mental assault. But when an unseen force jerked his hanging head up and he found himself staring straight into those gruesome yet alluring gold eyes, he felt a wave of cold horror reawaken his senses enough for him to realize that he was now in even more trouble.

But the boy had no idea how much…

However, he knew something was horribly wrong when instead of feeling that eerie attraction that came with Dazzler's powers, he felt this unnerving repulsion wrapping around him like a constricting, invisible rope. It was like sensing an unseen terror lurking in the dark. But being kept paralyzed, he could do nothing but watch when that dooming gold mist left the controlling ghost's hands and began to draw closer to him.

But, this time, instead of the mist-like energy plunging into his chest, it snaked around him, its revolting feel caressing his face. Unfortunately for Danny, he was unaware that every time the gold power passed in front of his eyes, some of it seeped into those green orbs, slowly clouding them…

Still, Danny did notice how Dazzler's next dark words literally echoed in his mind.

"From this moment on, the very thought of me will make you quiver, Danny Phantom. You are weak and you will never break my control over you."

A panicked cry ripped from the young hybrid's throat when the gold mist moving around him suddenly stopped right in front his eyes and shot forward, blinding him completely as it invaded him. He couldn't see that his eyes were now bright gold, but he could feel something alien sweeping over his mind, quickly targeting his resolve and savagely attacking it.

Another yell from the boy rang in the air, but the desperation was what really stuck. Danny was finally able to rip his gaze away from Dazzler; but, this time, it didn't bring any relief. Even when he squeezed his eyes closed and curled his hands into his white hair, it did not dispel the effects of the controlling ghost's powers.

He didn't know what the ghost had done to him, but it was beyond the torture he had endured a moment ago. The ghost was overpowering his reasoning and will. And because of how drained and exhausted his entire being already was from everything Dazzler and Spectra had been doing to him, he couldn't even try to fight what was happening to him. That resolve that had been keeping him from giving in to his enemies had now been entirely wiped out by that smothering cloud now lodged inside his mind.

Danny clenched his teeth in an attempt to push back against Dazzler somehow; but it still made no difference and he was sure this time he would lose. He could feel it in how his already shaking body quivered even more. He could feel it in the way his heart and lungs struggled to keep from exploding from the sheer velocity at which they were working. And he could feel it from the horrifying oppression that consumed his very soul.

Feeling that Dazzler was a second away from accomplishing his evil deed---whatever it was---the boy mentally lashed out in a last ditched effort to retain his sanity which he was sure he would lose at any moment. In his panic, he reached for his powers, for his last hope of salvation. But there was a barrier keeping him from getting to it---a barrier that was not put there by him.

But Danny still wildly pushed against it. He needed this to stop! He needed this to end! Only that he couldn't reach his only means of escaping his mental torture. But then, like a quick moving breeze, a sense of hope came to his mind and he quickly stopped his wild attack and clung instead onto this little ray of light before it, too, was swallowed up by the uninvited force inside him.

"_I can't do that!..."_

"_I have told you before and I will tell you as many times as necessary….They are __**your**__ powers, Daniel! "_

Danny's eyes snapped opened, instantly realizing that what he had just took mental hold of was a memory. One that held a very important truth: His powers were his own. He controlled his powers. **No one else. **

"**STOP IT!"** Danny screamed at Dazzler, the barrier in his mind shattering. Desperation instantly brought his powers forward, and it escaped his mouth in powerful waves. His Ghostly Wail shook the earth and ravaged anything in its path—which included the two shadow-ghost siblings.

Spectra and Dazzler shrieked as they were forced back several feet. They slammed into the trees in their path before they finally skidded to a halt. Neither shadow ghost moved. But not even Bertrand, who had watched the whole thing from above and so was spared from Danny's wail, could move a muscle. He was too shocked.

Having used a large amount of energy that he **didn't** have, Danny's Ghostly Wail did not last long. And neither did his exhausted mind and body. Just as his dull white rings changed him back his human form, his eyes rolled back and he passed out before he knew what had happened.

Several feet away, Dazzler was slowly regaining consciousness. He groaned as he slowly lifted his weakened shadow-like body. But as he lifted his now dulled honey-brown eyes towards the now unconscious teenager, he froze in disbelief. How had the child broken out of his control so abruptly, especially when he was so weakened? And especially when he had just put a controlling spell over him? He had been sure that the brat was out of energy! But then, how had he managed to unleash so much power just now?!

"Spectra!" Bertrand shouted from above, when his worry for the female ghost finally pushed him past his shock.

That also quickly pushed Dazzler past his own disbelief and his eyes darted frantically in search of his sister. When he caught sight of her motionless form on the ground, he angrily shouted, "No!"

Dazzler instantly flew to her side. But just when Bertrand was about to do the same, he caught sight of an approaching figure in the sky. The entity was too far to be identified; but even so, Bertrand was sure of whom it was.

With a gasp, the shape-shifter darted down, quickly regaining visibility as he landed right next to Spectra and Dazzler.

"Dazzler! Plasmius is here!" he exclaimed as he lifted Spectra's head in his hands and checked her over.

The controlling ghost's eyes widened with pure horror. He could not deal with his employer at this precise instant! That brat had just weakened him significantly with his freaky attack! And his sister was out cold! No! He could not let his plans go to waste just because of the young hybrid's unexpected move! And worse, they couldn't defend themselves from Plasmius! And if he found them, Dazzler was sure _he_ would be the first one the man obliterated!

The controlling ghost suddenly jolted away from Spectra, and Bertrand frowned at him in confusion. "Where are you going?" the shape-shifter asked nervously.

"I can't let him find me here…," Dazzler replied seriously, his eyebrows creasing as he stared at his sister.

Bertrand's eyes widened. "Wait… You're going to leave us? You're going to leave _HER_?"

Dazzler glared, but out of fear. "I have no choice! I barely stood a chance against my employer at full strength! He'll swat me like a fly as I am now! And I will not let our plans go to waste! If I can keep from being discovered, we'll have a chance to try again later! Otherwise, all our efforts will be for nothing!"

"Forget the plans! What about your sister?!" Bertrand yelled back.

Dazzler frowned and silenced for a moment. But then replied, "Apologize to her for me…" As he moved back a bit more, he turned his eyes towards Danny's unconscious form, and his eyes quickly narrowed as he growled, "This is far from over, runt…"

"Dazzler!" the shape-shifter shouted when he saw the other male ghost vanish from sight. He growled angrily as he thought, _"Coward!"_

Bertrand's eyes returned to Spectra, and worry and fear quickly shrouded them again. "Penelope! Wake up!" he whispered urgently, shaking her a bit.

But she would not respond.

Bertrand quickly looked up again as he tried to think of how to get them out of here or how he was going to defend them both from a ghost as powerful as Plasmius. But before he could think of anything, a cloud of pink smoke suddenly appeared a few feet from where they were, and quickly solidified into the person they had been expecting all this time…

* * *

Vlad was about to descend near the stream when he heard a piercing sound come from the opposite direction. He instantly froze as he recognized it as the young hybrid's Ghostly Wail.

"No…," the man whispered in dread as the realization that something was terribly wrong swept over him. He should have known that this nervous flutter he felt had to have meant something! He should have known Daniel's vanishing was not some random act!

But the older half-ghost quickly dispelled his self-berating, and took off in the direction of the boy's wail—or at least where he had last heard it since it had now abruptly ended. Though, considering how the trees had just literally been flattened by the teen's power, it wasn't hard to miss the exact location from whence the wail had come.

But what had the man so frantic now was that he knew that Daniel never used _that_ power just to use it. He summoned it as a last resort. He used it when he was at his end.

Plasmius' red eyes sparked with deadly anger as he picked up his speed, ready to pummel whoever had just dared to hurt the teen. He didn't even bother to fly down when he finally reached the clearing that Daniel's Ghostly Wail had left behind. Instead, he teleported there.

He quickly scanned the area and the first thing he spotted was the young hybrid's unmoving form. He quickly rushed to his side, only to abruptly halt when he caught sight of something else in his peripheral vision. He turned in its direction and instantly locked eyes with Bertrand, who was now floating in his blob form with a firm frown on his face.

Vlad's eyes narrowed in threat as his deadly red energy began to slowly pour out of his hands. "Who the blazes are you?" he growled. But noticing the other female ghost on the ground, he paused. But it was brief and he soon darkly added, "You both picked the wrong territory to trespass upon."

Seeing the half-ghost slowly approach him, Bertrand quickly moved away from Spectra, wanting to keep the male ghost distracted long enough for her to stir. She had moved her hand slightly just a moment ago, so Bertrand was sure it would be soon---or for his sake, he hoped so…

Putting up a smug smile on his face to cover up his fear, Bertrand replied, "Oh? Did we now? It just seemed like such a pretty place for us to take a stroll in… But I'm not so sure anymore. Your presence just took the 'pretty' from it…"

"Then allow me to help you leave such a dreadful place---_molecule by molecule…_" was Vlad's deadly reply.

Bertrand yelped as a bright red energy ray came at him. But he quickly managed to dodge it, before just as quickly changing into his cougar form. With a growl, he ran at the older half-ghost and lunged with extended claws. But the man simply turned intangible and avoided the strike.

"You obviously have no idea who you are dealing with," Plasmius said darkly. "That or you are one of those brainless ghosts…"

Bertrand roared in anger and charged again. But, this time, he transformed into a large wasp as he dove at the other male ghost, stinger first.

Vlad looked anything but threatened by the shape-shifter; and with a single wave of his hand, he created a pink shield above him. And not having time to react, the ghost wasp slammed into it. But at that instant, Spectra had finally regained awareness and she dazedly turned her weak gaze towards the sight.

A shout of surprise escaped Bertrand's mouth as Vlad's shield suddenly wrapped around him. But it soon turned into a cry of pain when an unknown force threw his trapped form back and slammed him into a tree. And before the ghost could recover, an ectoplasmic sphere drilled him further into the tree. The pink energy wrapped around him dissipated at that moment, but all Bertrand could do now was moan and slump against whatever was left of the tree.

Hands still glowing with red power, Vlad walked over towards the defeated male ghost. "Before I send you back to the Ghost Zone, _my way_, you are going to tell me what connection you have with the boy."

Bertrand's eyes widened in fear; but he quickly glanced over at Spectra, only to hold back a grin at the sight of her…

Now confident again, the shape-shifter adapted his usual arrogant look as he answered, "Well, that's complicated. Me and Penelope, who is _right next to the kid_, go back with him a long way…"

Vlad didn't miss the ghost's emphasis and he quickly snapped his head over to where he had last seen Danny. But his eyes quickly narrowed as he locked gazes with the female shadow ghost. She looked vaguely familiar, but the man was too ticked off to give it any other thought.

Seeing the older half-ghost glare at her, Penelope grinned back with a wicked yet seductive gleam in her eyes as she let her energy encase her hands, which were aimed towards Danny.

The man could tell the female ghost was severely weakened, but her unspoken intentions still raised his hackles.

"You'll have to forgive me, but I don't take kindly to threats…"

"Spectra!" Bertrand shouted when he saw Plasmius vanish from beside him.

The female ghost gasped in surprise, but her companion's cry of alarm jolted her to react. And just as Vlad appeared right in front of her, she fired her energy forward, effectively catching the male off guard.

The older half-ghost grunted as his back slammed into a tree. Thinking fast, Spectra fired another round of rays at the male ghost. But Vlad reacted quicker and raised a shield to protect himself. He was internally surprised that the female ghost had managed to get a hit on him; but he would make sure it was the last time.

But the man wasn't counting on Bertrand's own quick reaction. Turning into his ninja form, he ran towards Vlad, knowing that his current compromised position would be the only chance they would get to subdue him.

But Vlad saw the other male ghost's approach; and while keeping his shield up, he duplicated, and his copy fired its energy at Bertrand.

Not having expected Plasmius' ability to duplicate, the shape-shifter was caught off guard. But just before he was hit by Vlad's energy, Bertrand managed to do what he had been planning. He threw one of his nunchucks at the man's throat, the weapon tripling in size as it flew through the air.

Vlad gasped in surprise, right before the weapon hit its mark. But because he was still against the tree, the unnaturally-long metal chain in between the two ends of the weapon twisted around his neck _and_ tree, binding him against it.

Plasmius choked from the force; and his brief lost of concentration resulted in his energy barrier's and copy's vanishing. He instinctively pulled at the bind constricting his throat, but quickly realized that it was tangibility-proof.

Unfortunately for the man, his brief distraction was all Spectra needed and she quickly flew at him.

Vlad froze when he felt a pair of cold hands wrap around his wrists, stopping him from pulling at the chain around his neck any longer. He quickly narrowed his eyes at the ghost responsible as he menacingly hissed, "Let go of me."

"My, you are one tough cookie!" Penelope teased, her usual behavior quickly coming forth now that she had the upper hand. "But I hope you can forgive me for making such a mess of things for you. Then again, isn't your life already a mess? I know Danny's sure is. But I think I might have helped him a bit. Doesn't he look so much peaceful now?"

Vlad briefly looked over at Danny's still unmoving form, before looking back at the female ghost and frowning. He couldn't figure out what she was trying to do… But the answer slowly began to come to the man when he felt a strange feeling wrapping around his heart.

"What are you…?"

But Plasmius was cut off by the female ghost as she squeaked with excitement for some reason. It had been years since she tried her powers on anyone but teenagers. After all, that age was the perfect time to extract that much needed rejuvenating misery. And teenagers usually had so much of it, too!

But now, she couldn't believe what she was feeling! All this time, she was sure there was no larger waterfall of misery than Danny's. But this man had just proved her wrong! She could feel all his misery! It was like a wine that had been stored for years and years! And she was determined to have the first sip of such an exquisite vintage!

Now to pull out the cork holding it in…

"You know, you sure are something," Penelope said seductively. "Strong… powerful… handsome… I'm sure you could have any female you want…"

Vlad raised an eyebrow. Was this ghost flirting with him? He was about to reply when he noticed the other male ghost coming closer. But when the shape-shifter saw that he noticed him, he stopped and just calmly watched him. Why?

"Don't worry about Bertrand. He's gonna stay right there," Spectra said sweetly as she used one of her hands to turn Vlad's face back towards her again. "I know you're upset about what we did to Danny; but can you really blame us? He never lets us have any fun; and when we heard he was here, well… I guess we got a bit carried away. You of all people can understand that, right? You and he are mortal enemies, after all. How many times have you hurt him? More than you even know, I'm sure. In fact, I'm sure he hates you more than me! And that says a lot considering I did try to waste his sister the first time we met!"

Vlad tensed; but before he could think of anything to say, the female ghost continued, "But, it's okay! Who cares what he thinks of you! You are the most powerful man in the world! You have everything you can ever want, right? Fame, fortune… _love_…?" she asked, playfully tracing the hem of his cape from where it connected on his shoulders. Although Penelope knew very little about the male, her powers allowed her to pinpoint the cause of her victim's misery. And, boy, did the man have many causes!

Plasmius momentarily glared, not liking how her words were rubbing him. They were constricting his heart with sadness, maybe even desperation. But the older hybrid had long since learned to keep his emotions from clouding his focus too deeply. But also, he had enough experience to keep his feelings from interfering with his powers…

The man tilted his head slightly at her, ignoring how it pressed the cold chain around his neck deeper into his flesh. He kept his voice steady to avoid using too much air and compromise his windpipe any more.

"You are a curious creature… Spectra?" he asked; and getting a vigorous nod, he continued. "How do you know so much about me?"

"It's my specialty! Didn't you know? I'm a therapist!" Penelope said in her perky voice. "I just feel like I connect with you, Vlad. Can I call you that? Well, it's true! You and I have so much in common! Whoever has captured your heart is one lucky gal! I'm sure you have her at your feet! Or am I wrong?"

"Perhaps," Vlad muttered, now more interested in trying to figure out the female ghost than escaping.

"Really?" Penelope gasped in fake disbelief. "That can't be! I would think your true love would never want to leave your side… Or maybe you haven't found your true love yet… I'm not taken, you know…?" Spectra added, her voice becoming seductive again, while she ignored the indignant look on Bertrand's face. He would get over it once she shared her victory with him…

"Uh-huh," Vlad replied, "Judging by the look on your partner's face, I would reconsider that claim…"

"I told you, forget about him. He's always been a bit jealous. I think we can all relate. I'm sure at one point you, too, have felt jealous. And the worse is when it is because someone else has stolen your happiness. It's such a terrible thing to be unwanted and unloved…"

Vlad mentally cringed with her words; but when he saw a strange pink mist leave his body, he finally realized what the ghost was doing. Wanting to prove his suspicions, he acknowledged the sadness in his chest and allowed it to push out. He pretended not to notice the grin on Spectra's face as his misery began to pour out of him. Instead, he let out a mocking sigh of sadness. "You're right… It is a terrible thing. It is terrible to have to depend on others to feel happy. It must be terrible to know you will always depend on someone for your necessities, necessities that will never be sedated."

Spectra frowned in confusion, though internally she didn't like what he was saying.

"And you know what's the worst part," Vlad said, his eyebrows creased with pain. "It is to have to put up an act, just so others do not see how insecure and hallow you are within. You end up becoming the very thing you feed off… _Miserable_."

Spectra's eyes widened with the man's last words. "Wait… You know…? Then, how…?"

Plasmius smirked. "What? Did you not think I would realize that you are a _leech_ disguised as a ghost? Or did you really think you could actually reduce me into your meal by your silly mind games?" he asked mockingly.

Spectra narrowed her eyes, though she was still confused more than anything. How was this man allowing his misery to pour out of him without it affecting his ability to think and focus?

Vlad's grin widened, but now there was wickedness in it as he then said, "But, I must know. How _good_ do I feel…_now_?"

The female shadow ghost suddenly screamed as a wave of hot electricity shot from the hold she had on the man's hands and coursed through her body.

"No!" Bertrand exclaimed, before turning into a cougar and lunging at Plasmius.

But his change caused the nunchucks to vanish, quickly freeing the older hybrid. And by the quick way Vlad took advantage of this, it was obvious he had been waiting for it. He carelessly shoved Spectra away from him and turned to face the other male ghost. And just before the shape-shifter could use his claws and fangs against him, Vlad drew up a hand and conjured up a rope.

It instantly shot forward and wrapped around Bertrand, leaving him struggling against the binds at the older hybrid's feet. Vlad then bent forward and picked up the tied male ghost.

"As I said, you both picked the wrong territory to intrude…" the man said darkly before he let his electrical energy encase the male ghost.

Spectra, now completely weakened and still on the ground, gasped as she helplessly watched Plasmius' merciless attack on her partner. But by the way the man's eyes were narrowed, she knew he had all the intentions of destroying him. **This** half-ghost. He wasn't anything like the younger one with which they dealt! The man was cruel! He was **evil**! At that instant, the female shadow ghost finally understood her brother's fear of him…

"STOP!" Penelope screeched as she tried to lift herself off the ground.

Vlad turned to look at her; but still kept his energy flowing steady through the screaming shape-shifter. "And why should I?" he growled.

But right then, a soft moan reach the man's ears and his attack abruptly ended as he turned to look in its direction. Vlad frowned as he saw Daniel slowly beginning to stir. But he was unaware of how clouded the boy's mind was, or how his blue eyes were flashing gold every so often…

The older hybrid turned back to look at the two intruding ghosts and suddenly rolled his eyes. "You two are pathetic…" Dissipating the ecto-rope, he threw Bertrand at Spectra, and they both grunted in pain and surprise.

But right after, Vlad's eyes narrowed again, "You both have two seconds to leave my territory. And if you ever come back, you can be sure it will be the _last_ thing you wretched ghosts do..."

Spectra glared weakly, but she quickly swallowed her pride. "Alright. We'll leave... Come on, Bertrand."

The shape-shifter grunted as he got up. But he sneered at the other male ghost, before taking his companion's lead.

But Penelope paused; and with a sudden grin plastered on her face, she looked back at Vlad and said, "Take care of Danny for us. He's such a sneaky little thing. Don't let him fool you with that sweet and innocent little act of his…"

Plasmius just glared as the two ghosts laughed at their own private joke before vanishing. But then with a worried frown, his gaze slowly turned back to Danny, who was now sitting up and clutching tightly at his black hair.

Moving over to him, Vlad squatted in front of him. And placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, he called to him, "Daniel?"

Danny slowly looked up, and his blue eyes only met briefly with the man's own. But it was enough for Vlad to realize something was terribly wrong. And when at the next second, the boy lunged into his arms, he froze with dread.

"Daniel…What…What's wrong…?" the billionaire asked, clearly freaked out by the boy's actions. The man's hands were slightly raised as if touching Danny would burn him. But in reality, he just didn't know how to respond to the child's gripping at him like his life depended on it.

Danny didn't know what he was doing. From the moment he had wakened, an unnatural fear shrouded his mind. He had gripped at his head in an attempt to force it out somehow. But when he heard and saw Vlad right next to him, he couldn't keep his entire being from reaching out towards the refuge his presence offered.

As he clung to the man, he was unaware that his eyes had flashed gold again, but he could feel the fear inside him escalating, and he couldn't take it anymore.

"Please, p-please make it stop," he whimpered as his body began to quiver like before.

Vlad tensed as the boy's grip on him doubled. And he suddenly began to feel afraid himself. Was Daniel going to breakdown on him again, like he had the night he lost control of his powers? He hoped not. He didn't know what to do then, and he wouldn't know what to do now. But maybe he could stop it before it got to that point. He didn't know what was wrong with Daniel. But he needed it to stop as much as the boy.

Uncomfortably placing his hands loosely around the teenager's frame, the billionaire awkwardly rubbed his back. "It's okay, little badger. Those creatures are gone. You're safe."

Danny didn't really know what Vlad was saying, but the soothing tone quickly turned his focus away from the oppressing feeling inside him. He didn't know why, but that began to help clear his mind of the disturbing thoughts, disappearing like the dark clouds after a storm. And with it, the shadow in his eyes faded slightly.

The boy blinked for a moment just before his gaze drifted over to whom he was embracing. "Vlad?" he asked, confused. But right after he said his name, it _really_ sunk in.

"Vlad!" Danny yelped as he jolted away from the older hybrid. He quickly scrambled to his feet, his face bright red with embarrassment, "You… I-I…"

While rising to his height, the man asked in concern, "Daniel, what happened?" He could care less about the boy's discomfort. Right now, he wanted to know how the teen had gotten into this mess!

The young hybrid suddenly blinked at the question. He didn't realize that his mind had clouded over again from his sudden emotional jolt over what had just happened with Vlad. What was the man talking about? What did he mean, 'what happened?' But right then, the boy's clearing mind began to slowly recall what had happened to him and he gasped when he finally understood Vlad's question. Spectra and Bertrand had attacked him! They had brought him out here to get even with him and hurt Vlad! No, not just them, there was one more ghost in all this! And that third ghost had just tortured him! _He_ was the one who was after Vlad! It was Dazz—

Danny began to shake the second the male shadow-ghost returned to his thoughts. He felt his entire being shut down at that moment, unaware that his eyes had glazed over.

But Vlad did.

"Daniel?" he asked apprehensively; but when he got no response and the boy's breathing suddenly began to steadily pick up, the man quickly gripped his shoulders and shook him. "Daniel!"

The boy jolted out of his thoughts, and he dazedly looked at Vlad as he whispered, "Spectra and Bertrand…and…" He whimpered as his memories began to return. "You-You… H-H-He…"

"Daniel, calm down. Look at me! Daniel!" Vlad shook the teen again, jolting him once more out of his troubled mind.

But then, Danny squeezed his eyes shut, willing his mind to push back what had him so emotionally distressed. And the moment, he did, his memories blurred, and he then suddenly blurted out, "W-What h-happened?"

Vlad could see the lost look on the boy's face when he looked up at him. And even though that worried him, he chose his next words carefully, not wanting to upset him again. "Daniel, I found you unconscious with two ghosts with you…"

"Ghosts?" Danny repeated, more to himself than to the man. An image suddenly appeared in his mind. Then another. And then….there…was still another…

But when he yet again felt a sudden panic building, he quickly forced the images away, and he frowned in confusion at Vlad. "I was attacked by ghosts?"

"Yes…," Vlad muttered back, now looking as confused as the teen. How could he not remember that?

Danny squeezed his eyes close again and shook his head. But he suddenly was able to lock into a specific memory, one that only contained Spectra and Bertrand…

"Darn it!" he suddenly exclaimed, moving out of Vlad's hold and glaring at his destroyed surroundings. "Don't these darn ghosts have anything better to do than to come after me?"

Vlad just stared at the boy, not knowing how to react to the fact that his attitude had just done a 180-degreee flip. Could it really be that Daniel was losing it again?

"Daniel… are you alright?" he asked carefully, confusion and uncertainty in his tone of voice.

Danny shook his head, sighing just before he nervously admitted, "I don't know…I can't remember…everything that happened…." But then startling at remembering what he had just done to Vlad a moment ago, he suddenly lowered his gaze and began to rub the back of his neck. "Uh… sorry about, uh… well, you know," he mumbled, his face reddening.

Though still not satisfied about all of this, Vlad didn't want to press or embarrass Daniel any more. Clearly, the trauma from this encounter had been too much for the boy; any more efforts from him to try to pry out any more information out of the still-shaken child would only make matters worse.

The man forced a small smile on his face. "Don't worry about that, Daniel. That wail of yours always does leave you a little bit tipsy, after all… However, once you are feeling better we will need to talk about… everything else, alright?"

Danny nodded, though he was still too embarrassed to look up at his arch-enemy. He just didn't understand it. What the heck possessed him to hug Vlad?

But a strange feeling in his stomach told him it was best not to think about it now; so, he mentally shook it off. The boy glanced up at the sun, which was now clearly visible thanks to his 'remodeling' of the trees around him. But when he noticed its position, he frowned and finally looked at Vlad.

"Hey, I thought you said we were leaving at twelve-thirty. It's way past that, you know."

It was clear by the man's groan that he had forgotten all about the time, let alone the trip. "Blast! Come, we have to go," he quickly uttered. But just when he was about to take to the sky, he stopped himself a second before, and gazed back at Danny.

"Can you morph?"

Danny quickly tried to summon his ghost form; but not even his energy rings formed. And, instead, he was left with a terrible dizzy spell. The boy groaned as he leaned against a nearby tree. He couldn't believe it. He was **completely** drained of energy.

Vlad frowned when the teen grabbed his spinning head. "I'll take that as a 'no', then." Without any hesitation, the man grabbed one of the boy's arms and took to the sky with him. For a brief moment he debated delaying their trip for a day. But he had his first meeting with Mark Vazier early tomorrow morning. He needed to leave today. Besides, the boy looked fine now. And Daniel did not need to be at home to rest and recover his lost strength and energy. Perhaps he could convince the teenager to take a nap in the pull out bed onboard… Either way, he was sure Daniel would recover…

Meanwhile, Danny silently tried not to squirm against Vlad's hold. He was still feeling quite embarrassed. And the last thing he needed was to be this close to _his discomfort_. But with his powers temporarily shut down, he had no choice but to hope that they reached the castle soon…

* * *

"I can't believe you just left me there!" Spectra yelled angrily at her brother, who, as she had suspected, had taken refuge at the stables.

Dazzler's lips pursed as he lowered the hand that had been against his face. His sister was so angry at him, she had actually struck him the moment she had found him.

"I'm sorry, dear sister. But if I had stayed, everything would have been ruined," he explained soberly.

"Oh, so then, I guess I was expendable in your plans. Is that it?" she growled back, her red eyes narrowing. "He almost destroyed me, Dazzler! You knew that he wouldn't hesitate to do that, and yet you didn't hesitate to leave me there with that freak!"

"I thought Bertrand would---" Dazzler began, but was cut off by his sister again.

"I don't care what you thought! And I don't care about your plans anymore. You're on your own, Dazzler! Let's see how well you fare when there's no one to defend _your_ hide!"

"Penelope… wait. What about the runt?" Dazzler asked right away, not liking how his sister was leaving him alone with all this.

"Danny isn't worth my afterlife. And neither is helping you. But as your sibling, I'm _obligated_ to warn you to drop this. You don't stand a chance against one of those freaks, let alone both. Come on, Bertrand."

The shape-shifter, who had been glaring at the other male ghost, nodded as he floated a little higher in his blob form. And wanting to make his partner feel a bit better, encouragingly suggested, "How about we go get an ice-latte in the city?"

Spectra gave him a small smile and nodded as she floated higher herself.

"Penelope," Dazzler suddenly called, stopping her exit. His sister glared in response, but he still continued. "I cannot heed to your warning. Not when I am so close to what I want. But I promise I'll make this up to you. I promise I'll waste Danny Phantom for you."

Spectra scoffed in disbelief. "I'll believe that when you show me his lifeless form, Dazzler."

"Consider it done," her brother replied with a serious look.

Penelope stared at him for a moment, before looking over at Bertrand and gesturing for them to go with her head. Without another word, both ghosts turned invisible and flew through the roof, heading far away from Masters' estate.

Dazzler stared after them with a deep frown. He knew that his sister would recover once she returned to the Ghost Zone. And in the city, there were plenty of graveyards. And all ghosts knew that in those places there were plenty of natural portals leading to their home. She would indeed be fine.

The male ghost looked at his own shadow form. He was still too weak to recover his human appearance, let alone stand up to his employer if that little runt had managed to tell him about his involvement…

Biting his lip nervously, Dazzler flew over to the barn's door and walked out. He looked in the distance towards where he had been a moment ago. His only chance of getting out of this without consequence was if his spell on the brat had remained intact in spite of his briefly breaking from his hold…

But Dazzler received his answer when he caught sight of both half-ghosts heading back to the castle. He tensed for a moment, afraid that his employer would make a stop at the stables. But to his relief and excitement, he flew straight pass the horse barn.

The male ghost's lips curled upwards into an evil smile. So, his spell had stayed intact, after all! It was the only way his employer did not know of his involvement---or that's what he had to conclude. And if that was indeed the case, the boy would **never** be able to tell Plasmius about him. His spell would make sure of it… The fear his spell would awaken in the teen's mind if he even tried to would turn him into a quivering mess before he could utter a word. Just the mere sound of Dazzler's name would trigger the teen's mental and emotional breakdown…

And that meant Dazzler still had another shot at obtaining what he wanted. Of course, now that his sister was not helping him, it would be a bit more difficult. But, at least, he, _now_ more than ever, had the runt as leverage. And without his sister around, he didn't have to worry about sharing his spoils with anyone.

He would take _**both**_ half-ghosts' life forces.

He just needed to be patient and wait for another opportune moment to arise. Meanwhile, his employer's little trip, which was still on track judging by their quick flight back, would give him the time to recuperate from this last brawl.

Yes. He would be more than ready for them when they returned.

* * *

**Heh! Did I surprise you?...scare you? I'd love to know, if you guys catch my drift... *grins***

**Thanks for reading!**

* * *


	51. Chapter 50: On the Edge

**Alright, here we go! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. But the OCs are my own.**

* * *

**Chapter 50: On the Edge**

Vlad and Danny were flying within almost an hour's delay. But luckily, after several phone calls, the Tegal airport was able to accommodate their later arrival; and their tardiness came of no further consequence. Now, the half-ghosts were two hours into their flight for Germany. And although they were settled in their seats, knowing they had several more hours of travel ahead, they were anything but relaxed…

Danny's eyes flashed green as he pinned Vlad with a hard glare. "_Stop_ staring at me like that! I've already told you, like, eight times that I'm fine. So, _quit_ acting like I'm made of glass!"

Sitting across from him, Vlad quickly returned the angry look, now completely fed up with the teenager. "Well, you are hardly made out of stone, either, Daniel! But what do you expect? How else should I react or look at you when you get attacked almost every day?!"

"Welcome to my life, Vlad!" the boy shouted back, his hands going up in the air.

The billionaire silently glared at him for a moment; but he then turned his head to the window and crossed his arms. There was another pause. But when the man spoke again, the anger was gone from his voice.

"It should not have to be your life, Daniel."

Danny's hard look instantly fell. And with a small sigh, his eyes dropped to his tensed hands. Vlad kept asking him what had happened in the woods. And as much as the teen knew the billionaire had the right to know, he… he could not tell him… Every time he thought about it and he remembered Da---_that ghost_---his calm would collapse completely. But what troubled the teen more was that he was sure there was something important that he needed to tell Vlad. He just knew it was serious. And he wanted to tell him! He really did! But he couldn't grip onto the memory of what had happened without his mind breaking down and going into a panic!

What did _that ghost_ do to him?

"Look," Danny said with a deep sigh as he fought to keep his memories suppressed. "I get that you're worried and all. And I'm sorry that I'm snapping at you instead of being grateful---which I am. But I just…I don't want to talk about this, okay?"

But the older hybrid just nodded and kept his serious gaze towards the window. He was far from satisfied with the boy's refusal to tell him what had happened. It raised too many troubling questions. But all Vlad could really think about was why Daniel would not let him help him… Why did the boy always think he had to carry everything on his own? Was he… like this with _everyone_….? Or was it just _him_?

Sadness suddenly shrouded Vlad's blue eyes. What was he thinking? _Of course_ it was just him! How could the boy want _his_ help after everything? How could he want his help when they had no trust in each other? After all, what reason would Daniel have to trust _him_?

Danny couldn't see Vlad's expression, but he was sure the man was still upset—and not the angry upset, either. And the fact made the teen feel quite bad. Vlad just wanted to help him and all he could do was lash out at him for it! But what else could he do? It was either use his anger to keep himself together, or acknowledge his fear and admit it to his arch-enemy. And the latter was not something the teen was ready to do…

Maybe it would just be better to sway the conversation to safer grounds…

"I think you're psychic or something," Danny suddenly commented in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

Vlad finally looked at the boy, but pure bewilderment covered his face.

The teen couldn't help but chuckle at that. It actually felt really good to be able to confuse the fruit loop once in a while…

"I mean, haven't you noticed that you always know how to find me?" Danny asked. But when he said this, it dawned on him that Vlad really did have a knack for finding him. Even before he had come to his home. The man had perfect timing. Most often to cause him more trouble or to annoy him. But he was always there. And lately, he was always there when he was in a tight spot with no way out of it… And by the frown on the man's face right now, the teen was sure that even he did not realize this until now…

"You gotta have some kind of telepathic ability or something," the teen continued. "How else do you happen to find me like that?"

Vlad's lips slowly curved into an amused smile before he shook his head. "No, Daniel. I'm still working on that one…," he teased. "But I, honestly, do not know why that is myself… However, my theory is that you are just a tad too lucky," he shot back with a smirk.

The teen lightly shrugged. "I guess that works, too…" he stated, returning the clever smile as he reclined his plane seat back. Then without another word, he slipped on his head phones and closed his eyes, ready to relax listening to his music.

Vlad smiled at the boy's tactics. Maybe Daniel did trust him enough to at least let him help him...Or if not, it seemed like something that could be accomplished…

The thought relaxed the older half-ghost enough for him to pick up his book again and continue to read it. But he still could not get over what had happened a few hours ago. He didn't like how ghosts were coming into _his_ _house_ just to try to harm the younger hybrid. Vlad was certain that almost everyone knew about him. And they respected him because of the reputation he had in the Ghost Zone. He wasn't like the boy who confronted other ghosts and kept them from doing how they wanted out in the human world. Typically, if they would leave Vlad alone, he would leave them alone. He had long since established his territory---all ghosts had one---and his domain was Wisconsin. It was because of his presence that there were rarely any ghosts in his home state.

The older hybrid was well aware of the title Jack had given him. _The Wisconsin Ghost._ And that proved that even an idiot like his former best friend realized that there was no other ghost above him there. And every ghost that had anything close to a brain also understood that Wisconsin was off limits to them unless he authorized their being there…

But, again, he wasn't like Daniel when it came to his way of handling other ghosts. When he wanted something, everyone knew he would do just about anything to get it. And as long as they stayed out of his way, he would not bother anyone. But if they did try to oppose him….well, the consequences were far from sticking them into a thermos and sending them back to the Ghost Zone. Rumors traveled fast in a place with little gravity and with beings that could fly at will. So, Vlad hardly had to do much to have it known that he did not tolerate intruders. He had destroyed a few ghosts in the past, and that had clued everyone in of that fact.

And yet… here he was with the young half-ghost in his territory. And because of him, he was beginning to have problems with other ghosts…But this was the first time that one---or rather two---had had the gall to step into _his_ domain. Either those two creatures were incredibly stupid or they really, _really_ despised Daniel. Though, judging by their behavior, Vlad was sure it was mainly the latter. Still, they had been utterly foolish to risk their after-life by invading his home just to get even with the boy. He had every intention of destroying them both when he first saw them. And he would have if his concern for Daniel had not been stronger than his desire to do so…

But what really worried the billionaire now was that those two ghosts were not the only boy's ghostly enemies. He had many more. And the man was sure they hated him as much or more than _Spectra and Bertrand_. And that meant that, in spite of Wisconsin being _his_ territory, another attack on Daniel was very probable…Of course, Vlad could handle most of the boy's enemies. But how long could whatever always got him to Daniel on time continue to work? Or how long would the teen's luck hold out? He couldn't always be there to save him!

Vlad frowned deeply with his last thought. What was he thinking? Since _when_ did Daniel need anyone to save _him_? Was the man underestimating him again? After all, the boy had done fine on his own for over a year! And in a place that's practically infested with ghosts, no less! Daniel did not need _his_ help to deal with his enemies! So then, what was happening now? Why was the boy now unable to handle his enemies on his own anymore?

The answer came to the billionaire almost instantly.

"_Unless it is __**not**__ one of __**his**__ enemies whom he cannot handle….,"_ Vlad thought darkly. _"Perhaps there is another ghost involved in all this that Daniel has not faced before until he came to me…." _

Vlad's eyes narrowed dangerously, though he remained unaware that they had turned bright red. Now that he thought about it, that female ghost, Spectra, looked very familiar---a little _too_ familiar.

"_A shadow ghost that feeds off__**… Blast! **__**Why did I not see the connection before?!"**_

"Uh… Vlad?"

The billionaire instantly snapped out of his thoughts, his growing ire just as quickly vanishing with the sound of the boy's cautious voice. He looked passively at Daniel and causally replied, "Yes?"

"Are you okay?" Danny muttered, still feeling wary of the look that had been in his arch-enemy's red eyes a second ago. He had never seen such a dark expression in them before, not even when the man had tried to waste him in the past…

"Actually," he replied, his face hardening with gravity. "No, I am not." Vlad stared at the boy for a long moment, before he forwardly asked, "Daniel, has Dazzler attempted to harm you?"

The teen felt his mind explode with panic at that instant. So much, that he jumped to his feet, his eyes fully opened as he stuttered out, "I-I gotta g-go!"

With an alarmed gasp, Vlad stood up when the boy abruptly ran out of the cabin and quickly locked himself inside a bathroom. He had not missed the horrified look on Daniel's chalk-white face. And although the boy's reaction had just answered his question, it barely registered in the man's mind. Daniel… **There was something very wrong with him! **

As now the very troubled billionaire followed after the boy, Danny frantically threw cold water on his face in hopes of quieting the illogical fear inside him. But he then, suddenly, gripped at his wet hair and squeezed his eyes close as he whispered, "W-What's g-goin' on?"

Why did his mind shut down at the mere thought of **that** ghost?! Did his controlling powers mess him up permanently? The boy suddenly began to quiver as he recalled everything that happened in the woods…

"_From this moment on, the very thought of me will make you quiver, Danny Phantom."_

The teen suddenly whimpered and grasped tighter against his hair. He… He couldn't have. No, he had broken out of his control! But, that ghost! He did it! He did something terrible to him and now it was wrapped around his being and Danny couldn't break free from it!

"Daniel?"

Danny panicked even more with the sound of Vlad's voice just outside the door. No! He didn't want to talk about it! He just wanted to forget it! He wanted to forget all this ever happened! **He could not tell him!**

The boy looked up at his reflection in the mirror and he almost cried when he saw that his eyes were flashing that familiar gold color that was that hideous ghost's trademark. He couldn't handle this on his own. But if he even tried to reach out for the older hybrid's help, he knew he would break down. And Danny could not let that happen! After the day his powers peaked, he had promised himself that he would never allow his arch-enemy to see him in such a pitiful state!

And now, now that that same fear he had felt that night had tripled and was now swirling inside him, Danny knew he could not let it win this time. His fear was no longer for Vlad, but it was for someone much worse. And he could not let him win!

"I'm not afraid," the teen whispered to himself over and over again. Whatever that ghost had done to him, he would fight against it. He might not be able to break from it, but he could keep it suppressed. It was the best he could do…

"Daniel. Do not force me to phase through this door. Please, you need to come out here!" Vlad said urgently as he rapped on the door some more.

Danny took a deep calming breath as he pushed back his thoughts in the same way he pushed back his hair. "I can handle this," he muttered, his eyes slightly narrowing with determination.

He grabbed the door handle and mentally steeled himself once more before he finally opened the door. He looked up at the older hybrid's worried face and gave him a crooked grin. "Geez, Vlad, you look paler than a ghost. What's wrong? Did you think I drowned in the toilet or something?"

Vlad gave the boy a cautious look. He was doing it again! Why did Daniel keep changing his attitude so drastically and abruptly?!

"Daniel…Did those ghosts do something to you?" Vlad asked carefully, but now, suspiciously, too.

Danny shrugged before moving pass the man and heading back to his seat. "Of course they did. Spectra and Bertrand hate me," he answered distractingly as he bended over and picked up his music device that he dropped. Unfortunately, that was the closest to the truth he could get without his breaking down…

Vlad frowned deeply, before following after the teen. He sat back down in his own seat before he said seriously, "Care to elaborate?"

The boy frowned back at him. "What part of 'they hate me' is not clear to you? Those two feed off misery and they, well… They attacked me! Ugh! Would you stop bothering me about this?!" he suddenly exploded. But realizing he was lashing out at Vlad again, the boy paused and sighed his aggravation away. "I already told you. I'm fine. So just _stop_ worrying about it. They're _gone_."

Vlad remained quiet for a moment, before leaning forward to pin his intense gaze closer to the teen as he critically asked, "And Dazzler?"

Danny visibly tensed, but the boy quickly pushed down all thoughts of the ghost as quickly as they had come with Vlad's question. Unable to stare at the man and answer, he looked away towards one of the plane's windows.

"What about… him?" he asked, forcing an emotionless tone in his voice.

"Was he there, Daniel? In the woods? With those other two creatures?"

Danny sighed shakily, but he kept his eyes and mind focused on the nothingness moving outside the window. He could not answer truthfully to that without acknowledging that ghost in his mind. It was already hard enough using general words and statements to answer Vlad. _Darn it!_ The older hybrid was smart! Why couldn't he just figure it out without asking _him_?! But the teen knew that was unfair. All the times he had the chance before, he had refused to tell Vlad about… that ghost. So, how could he know?

He wanted to tell him so badly!

Danny kept an indifferent tone in his voice as he finally replied to the man's question, "He…doesn't like me…"

But Vlad didn't realize that the boy was trying to answer him, and instead, saw it as if he was trying to avoid answering him. And that made the man very angry.

"Curses, Daniel! That was **not** what I asked you!"

Danny couldn't take it anymore. **"Would you stop this?!" **

But the older half-ghost was not fazed by his shout. If anything, he just looked even more suspicious and determined to get the truth out of him.

The teen momentarily leaned forward and buried his face in his hands. "Please, Vlad," he whispered pleadingly when he looked back up at the man. "C-Can we just talk about something else? _Please_."

Vlad briefly stared at the boy's lightly shaking hands before looking back up at him and nodding. Whatever had happened with Dazzler---for he was now certain that treacherous ghost was responsible for this---had clearly scarred the teen.

Too bad the man did not know just how badly…

But it really troubled Vlad that Daniel kept refusing to tell him the truth; though, it troubled him more to see the boy so upset. Of course, this was far from over. A lot of things now made sense to the man. And he was not about to turn a blind eye on it like he had in the past. Not anymore. He **would** deal with this when they returned. But, maybe, it was best to talk about something else for now. At least, for the boy's sake…

"_Bezirk Mitte_," Vlad abruptly muttered, though by the way he looked away from Danny, it was clear he was still reluctant to change the conversation.

The still nervous teenager mentally jolted with the billionaire's bizarre comment. "Bez---What?" he asked as his confusion melted away all his other emotions. Was Vlad even speaking English?

The man sighed before looking at the boy again. "_Bezirk Mitte_, Daniel," he repeated, his voice sounding collected again. "It is the most central borough of Berlin. And just in case you do not know, _Berlin_ is the capital of Germany. That is where we will be spending most of our time."

"Oh…," Danny mumbled, remembering how Mr. Lancer had once mentioned Berlin in Geography…

"The _Mitte_ has very beautiful sights, not to mention its rich history," the man continued casually. "However, it has too much tourism for my taste. That is why I typically stay away from the hotels there. This time, it will be no different. I reserved a large condo right at the edge of the region, where there is less chance of running into paparazzi and other such annoyances. But I also think the area offers one of the best views in all of Berlin. You can see the Spree River and the _Fernsehturm--_or the _television tower_--from there. I think you will agree when you see it that it's quite magnificent."

Danny's lips slowly curled into a mischievous smile. "I bet I will…But… have you seen it from above?"

Vlad rolled his eyes, knowing exactly what the boy was implying. "You are not using your ghost powers there, Daniel," he said firmly.

The teen huffed, annoyed by how quick the man had just shot down his idea. "Why not? It's not like I'm gonna let someone see me. Besides, you don't think there're ghosts there, too?"

The billionaire raised an unwavering eyebrow as he replied. "In answer to your first question, not only could you _accidently_ be seen, but you could also get lost; or worse, get into trouble. And as for your second question, I _truly_ hope not for your sake."

"Alright, I won't use my ghost powers," the boy agreed, though a small playful grin now tugged on his lips.

Seeing it, Vlad frowned. "Daniel, I mean it. No ghost powers."

"Yes. No ghost powers," Danny repeated innocently, though there was still a gleam in his eyes.

"Daniel…," Vlad began in a slow and reprimanding voice.

"Hmm?" the teenager replied, propping up a hand and leaning his smiling face against it.

"Daniel!" the billionaire exclaimed, now fully irritated that the boy was not taking him seriously.

But Danny just laughed back. "Chill out! I get you!" he said with amusement.

"Alright," Vlad said, letting out a sharp sigh. "No powers," he repeated, just to be sure.

"None whatsoever," Danny replied with a quick nod, before putting on his headphones again. But when he turned to look out the window, the teen's mischievous grin returned to his lips.

Noticing it, Vlad let out an annoyed, but defeated sigh. He wasn't going to win this one.

* * *

After hours of flight, a passport and luggage check at the hectic Berlin airport, and a long car ride, the two half-ghost finally arrived at the place they would be staying. While Vlad picked up the condo's keys at the main office on the bottom floor, Danny waited for him in some sort of lobby with Jim. The ghost pilot, who at the moment looked a bit too human, had been ordered by Vlad to come along with them so that he could help unload the luggage from the car.

Danny did not say anything about it, but he really hoped Jim was not also here to 'babysit' him like had been the case with Carl that time the teen went to Vlad's work. It was only a guess, of course, but judging by the glares the ghost pilot shot him every now and then, Danny did not think he would be bonding too well with Jim if the older half-ghost made him stay with them.

"All done," the billionaire said with a tired smile as he finally stepped out of the office, while dangling an extra set of keys in front of Danny.

"About time," the teen grumbled, snatching the extra keys from him. Hey, it was almost five in the morning and he was suffering from major jetlag. He had every right to be as jerky as he wanted!

The billionaire raised an eyebrow at the boy, but said nothing. Instead, he silently gestured to Jim to follow, before continuing towards the elevator. With a tired sigh, Danny dragged his feet after them.

Not soon enough, they reached the top floor. And opening the condo's main door, the billionaire stepped in and quickly flipped on the light.

In spite his exhaustion, the teen's eyes went wide as everything around him screamed luxury. "Being rich has its perks," he murmured, as he moved further in and continued to gaze around.

"Jim, bring that, please," Vlad said, gesturing to his larger suitcase, while he grabbed the smaller one and his briefcase. But as he walked over to the farthest door on the left, he then addressed the still slightly awed teen, "Daniel, there are two rooms on the far right. Pick one."

Danny blinked as he watched the man open his own bedroom door and go in. But the boy then looked over to the right; and noticing the two farthest doors, he hefted his carrying bag, and headed in their direction.

Too tired to care, he picked the first door he got to and went in. He smiled, but not at the grand room, but at the big welcoming bed. However, he then remembered he had one other suitcase and groaned as he turned back to go get it. That is, until he saw Jim standing with it right at the doorway.

"Where do you want it, kid?" the ghost pilot asked, doing nothing to hide his dislike for the boy.

"Oh, um, I'll just take it," Danny mumbled nervously as he grabbed the suitcase from the ghost.

Jim suddenly smirked. "Relax, kid. I won't be hanging around here. I have my own plans for these next few days."

"How disappointing," the young hybrid replied sarcastically.

"Most definitely. I was looking forward to pushing you off the balcony when my employer wasn't around," he threw back with a light shrug.

Danny glared back, but before he could say anything, the ghost waved merrily and closed his door. Right then, Vlad walked out of his room and noticed the look on his ghost pilot.

"Jim," the billionaire began in a warning tone.

But the ghost quickly raised his hands in surrender and quickly said, "I didn't do anything to him! …But… if you want me to, I could…"

"_Good-bye_, Jim," Vlad cut him off with a cool look.

The ghost pilot deflated. "Okay... Best of luck to you, then. You will call me if you need me, right?"

The man crossed his arms and just nodded.

Jim nodded awkwardly, before finally turning and heading out of the condo. The billionaire watched after him for a moment. But then rolling his eyes and muttering something under his breath, he turned and headed to Danny's room.

"Daniel?" the man called with a knock on the door.

"_Uh, what? I'm changing,"_ the boy quickly replied, from within his room.

"I need to head back down. I forgot to ask about something. Would you like anything to eat or drink? There is a small café right by the office," Vlad said as he glanced down at his watch and briefly frowned at it. He was going to need _a lot_ of coffee before his meeting…

"_No, thanks. Or, wait, do they have soda there?"_

The billionaire rolled his eyes at the hopeful tone in the teen's voice. Of course, he would ask for that acidic mixture of chemicals and caffeine. But too tired himself to care, he mumbled a 'fine' before turning away and heading out.

Once he was back on the bottom floor, Vlad asked the caretaker what he had initially forgotten, which was the arrival time of the maid he had hired. Getting his answer, he then got Danny his soft drink and he got himself a bottle of water at the small café. Luckily, his hired help would arrive long before the boy stirred---considering it was five in the morning and the teen was obviously dead on his feet. So, in that time, the maid would fill up the cabinets and fridge with provisions as he ordered; so that Daniel would not starve tomorrow.

The billionaire slightly smirked at the thought. It was strange how having someone along on this sort of trip with him changed how he usually did everything. For one, he was usually never in the condo long enough to require food there; he usually just ate out while on his business trips. Not to mention that he usually only hired a maid to keep the place tidy. But now, she would also be cooking and tending to the boy's other needs.

"Heaven forbid I leave that boy completely alone," the man muttered as he headed up the elevator. "Then again, I rather take that risk than to chance taking him with me to one of my companies again…"

Vlad shuddered as he recalled all the grief he had endured the day he took the boy to work with him. He soon dismissed the thought as he finally returned. But he was still going to have another talk with Daniel about the 'rules' here just in case.

Knocking on the boy's door once more, Vlad waited for a response. But, this time, the teen opened the door. He was already in his pajamas; but that did not stop Danny from grinning as the man silently gave him the bottle of soda.

Vlad watched the boy down half of it right in front of him, but he did not say anything. It no longer surprised him. And he was too out of it to be appalled by it.

"Man, I so needed that," Danny said as he lowered the bottle from his mouth with a contented sigh.

"Obviously," the man said dryly.

The teen smirked. "Thanks for the soda, cheesehead… Night!" he then quickly added as he began to close his door again.

But Vlad calmly placed a hand on it, stopping him. Seeing the boy raise a curious eyebrow, he spoke up, "I have a meeting at nine tomorrow morning---or rather, today," he added, remembering the time. "Of course, you are welcomed to sleep the day away. I will not be back until after lunchtime. Please, as tempting as it probably is for you; do not wonder off without me. I will be back as soon as I'm done."

"Yeah, Yeah. I get it, Vlad." Danny replied with an exasperated roll of his eyes. He lifted up a hand as he marked off what the man had already today him several times before. "Be good. Don't get into trouble. Avoid talking to strangers. And don't leave. Anything else?"

"Yes, _no ghost powers!_" Vlad quickly snapped, annoyed that the boy would keep out the most important rule. And the fact that Daniel did not seem to be taking him seriously tried on the man's patience---not that he had much of it at five in the morning after such a difficult day and trip….

Danny sighed loudly. "Alright, fine," he quickly said, before closing his door, not caring if the man was done or not. Seriously, Vlad could be so annoying sometimes!

The sound of fading footsteps told Danny that the man had finally left him alone. The teen sighed loudly as he plopped down on his temporary bed. He took a few more sips of soda as he calmed again. Actually, he dismissed their minor argument very quickly, being that he understood that the man's short temper tonight was due to the same reason as his own short temper. It had been a _really_ _long_ day and trip. How Vlad planned on going to some meeting in less than four hours from now was beyond him.

With a shake of his head, Danny got up and went inside his personal bathroom---nowhere as big as the one at the castle, but it was still _his own_ bathroom!

After tending to the usual, the boy exited the bathroom and finally got into bed. He sighed wistfully as he buried his face into the soft, cool pillow. He could not even describe how happy he was to be on a bed again. Still, he managed to pull out of his bliss long enough to turn off the reading lamp and cover himself up.

He smiled a bit when he turned to his side and noticed the huge window. The curtains were drawn, but he could already imagine what was just outside. After all, he had gotten a glimpse of Berlin during his drive to the condo. It sure had looked very nice…

He was almost tempted to get up to pull open the curtains; but he was already too comfortable to do so. Besides, all he really wanted right now was to sleep. Unfortunately, though, whenever he was alone in the quietness of 'his' room at the end of the day, thoughts of his family and friends would always haunt him, and even his dreams…

The teen unconsciously tightened his grip on one of his big pillows, as if seeking comfort from it. He couldn't help it. He just missed them so much. He wanted to see and talk with his family and friends again. He wanted to be able to hug them; but especially his mom. He really, really wanted to feel that warmth and comfort that only she could offer again…

"I hope they're all okay," he whispered softly into the darkness of his room.

But the thought made him wonder something else…What about himself? Was he okay?

Danny sighed emptily as the question instantly brought his arch-enemy to mind. He supposed he was as 'okay' as he could be in these circumstances. After all, what more could he ask of Vlad at this point? The teen was still amazed by how much the man had changed with him. For the most part, the guy actually treated him with kindness and even respect. His arch-enemy actually cared…

The boy's cheeks suddenly tinged red with embarrassment as he recalled how he had hugged the man in the forest.

"_Why did I do that?"_ he wondered, slightly troubled.

He actually did not recall doing it. It just happened. So then, that meant he was not even thinking at the moment. Honestly, all Danny really remembered was being overwhelmed by fear… fear of… something… or someone…?

Even so, what could freak him out so badly that he would instinctively cling to _Vlad_?

Danny searched his mind, forcing the memories of what had happened to surface in order to answer his own question. But when they did, the teen gasped in fear and squeezed his eyes closed. He fisted his hands against his pillow as he quickly forced the memories away again.

For a moment, the boy breathed unevenly as he tried to calm his racing heart. That… _ghost_ really did do something to him!

But knowing all he could do was **not** think about it, he snuffed all his remaining thoughts on the events in the forest. It did not really matter why he hugged Vlad. As the guy said, he was just out of it…

Danny signed deeply as he finally relaxed again. And wanting to give his weary body and mind their much needed rest, he quickly allowed his exhaustion to wrap around him…

* * *

A couple of hours later, the sun slowly pushed aside the shadows of the night. But as Danny slept on, over in Amity Park, his sister was already up, dressed, and now quietly pacing her room. She was very nervous about the trip they would be taking to Wisconsin today. And the fact that Sam and Tucker had yet to show up did not make her feel any better. Where were they?! They had agreed last night that they would meet at her house at eight AM sharp! But it was already two minutes past that!

"Ruff!"

Jazz jolted at the unexpected bark that came from outside her bedroom door. But knowing who it was, she quickly walked over to the door and opened it, lightly glaring at the dog standing in the hallway.

"TJ! Stop that! Go annoy Dad or something!"

She quickly closed the door on the Dalmatian, only to hear a stronger bark a second later. But now, there was also the sound of scratching at her door.

The teenage girl groaned, but then opened her door again. "Okay, fine. Come in," she grumbled.

The five-month-old Dalmatian immediately wagged his tail, before dashing inside the room. But when Jazz saw the dog just as quickly jump on her bed, she protested, "No! Bad dog! Get off my bed!"

But TJ just wagged his tail some more, while panting with his excitement.

And seeing the puppy do nothing to obey her command, Jazz scowled at it and stomped over to him. But when she was about to push him off, TJ jumped off himself and ran out of her room.

"Leave it to Tucker to pick out for Danny the craziest pup in the litter," the girl said with an annoyed sigh as the dog barked at her from the hallway.

"What?" she asked as she walked over to it and placed a hand on her hip.

TJ quickly perked up and ran across the hall. He then halted right in front of Danny's closed bedroom door and scratched once against it, before barking at her again.

Jazz quickly saddened, "Sorry, TJ. Danny's not in there…"

The dog's actions did not surprise her, though. He did it very often. In fact, he slept right next to her brother's door every night. She did not understand how the puppy had gotten so attached to Danny when he had only spend about a week with him before he disappeared—or rather went to Wisconsin. But then, Jazz did not know that her brother had come back over a month ago to check on her and their parents---His visit, of course, had been granted by his arch-enemy after his submission to him... She also did not know how the puppy had somehow realized Danny was there that night and had even interacted with him for a brief moment…

Still, Jazz did not think too much about it. And although it made her sad, it also made her smile to see there was now a new member of the family who wished for Danny's return.

"Don't worry, TJ. We'll get Danny back. I promise," she assured the puppy.

The dog wagged his tail at her, before running over to her and jumping up. But since he was not full grown, he could only lick at her hands, instead of her face, as he wanted.

"Eww! Stop!" she said, pushing him away, but not really trying. "Come on, you crazy puppy, let's go feed you while we wait for Danny's friends to show up."

But right after she said that, the door bell rang.

"Oh! They're he---TJ!" she suddenly exclaimed as the dog pushed right by her and ran down the stairs towards the front door. She shot the pup an annoyed sigh, but then quickly headed back down.

_"Jazz, can you get the door?!"_ she heard her mom yell from the kitchen.

"Yeah, I'm going," she called back as she finished descending the stairs. She quickly made it to the door; but before opening it, she looked down at the Dalmatian already there barking at it.

"When Danny gets back, he better train you to behave…," she commented before finally opening the door.

"Hey, Jazz!" Sam and Tucker greeted her.

"Hey, you two, you're late," she said, raising a questioning eyebrow.

"No kidding," Sam said with a roll of her eyes; but her annoyance was not really directed at Jazz. "My parents would not let me leave. They kept insisting that I should take a plane to our 'tutoring convention'. Something about it being safer. And then when I finally was able to escape, Tucker over here was still packing."

"Hey!" the boy at the door protested, as he clutched a medium box filled with food in his hands. "We have to be prepared for anything, you know! Who knows what could happen. That's why I brought---Hey!" Tucker suddenly yelled when TJ came out of nowhere and jumped up, trying to get at the contents inside the box.

"TJ!" Jazz exclaimed as he quickly grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back down. "Sorry, he hasn't been fed yet… Uh, come on in."

Tucker hesitated as he stared down at the Dalmatian, all the while clutching his food supply even tighter against himself.

But seeing this, Sam rolled her eyes again and slightly pushed pass him. "Seriously, Tucker, you act like we are going on a trip to the desert," she said with a half-amused, half-annoyed look on her face.

Tucker huffed as he finally entered the home. "You never know. And, watch, if something happens, you are going to thank me because it's gonna be my survival kit that's gonna keep you from starving!"

"And by survival kit, you mean plastic-covered, dried meats and canned meats coated in preservatives. No, thanks. I rather starve," she said with a grossed out look on her face.

Jazz shook her head in amusement, but decided not to intervene. "Come on, you two. My parents want to 'speak' with us before we leave."

"Okay," Sam said as she bent down to pet TJ.

Tucker smirked, "I thought you didn't like dogs."

But to his surprise, Sam smirked back. "I never said I don't like dogs. I said I'm more of a cat person. But then, when I first met TJ he had destroyed your room, remember? That automatically made me like him."

Tucker rolled his eyes, "Ha-ha. Very funny, Sam."

"I thought so," she said with a shrug, before following Jazz towards the kitchen.

The dark-skinned boy grumbled, before glaring at TJ, who was staring intently at him, clearly awaiting a chance to get at the box he held. "Back off, you flea bag. This is my food," he warned, before clutching the box even more against himself and walking after the two girls.

The puppy wagged his tail and happily followed after the teenage boy.

"Morning, Mrs. Fenton," Sam greeted the woman cooking breakfast.

"Yeah, what's up, Mrs. F!" Tucker said right after.

"Good morning, kids," Maddie replied happily. "Are you all ready to go? Do you want to have some breakfast before leaving?"

Tucker grinned and was about to accept her offer when Sam jabbed him in his side and spoke up before he could, "Thanks, but I think we better leave. The sooner we do, the sooner we can get there and call you guys and my folks so you all know we got there with no troubles," she finished with an innocent smile.

"Are you sure? My husband is giving the speeder one last look over before you three take it. You might as well have at least a cup of juice," she insisted, before looking at her daughter and adding more sternly. "And you, young lady, need to eat something before you go. It was part of the deal, remember? We said we would let you go if you took your cell phone and took care of yourself. You might be feeling better again; but the doctor said you cannot stress your body too much. And that also means not skipping a meal. So, sit down. The eggs are almost ready."

Jazz sighed but nodded, and did as she was told.

"Hey, Mrs. Fenton? I actually wouldn't mind a few eggs with bacon myself," Tucker spoke up, smiling.

Maddie smiled back and nodded. "Coming right up, Tucker."

The boy grinned, while Sam sat down with a helpless sigh. She poured herself a glass of juice as she was forced to wait a moment longer for them to leave. But Tucker, remembering he had the box of food with him, quickly added, "I'll be right back. I'm gonna go stick this inside the speeder."

He dashed out of the kitchen without waiting for any response. But as he left, he heard Maddie call out after him, "Tucker, can you tell my husband that breakfast is ready?!"

"Okay!" he called back. He quickly reached the lab, though he remained unaware that TJ had been following him the entire time. And still was as the boy opened the lab and walked down the stairs.

"Morning, Mr. Fenton," Tucker said when he spotted his best friend's father inside the opened speeder, tinkering with the controls.

"Hi there, Tucker! You kids ready for your weekend adventure to Wisconsin?" Jack asked with a grin.

"As ready as we'll ever be," the boy replied with a nervous grin.

The man nodded; but seeing the box in Tucker's hands, he curiously asked, "What you got there?"

"Oh, you know. Some provisions," he replied. "Oh, uh, Mrs. Fenton said that breakfast is ready for you."

"Great!" Jack beamed. But then, he frowned as he looked back at the controls. "I still cannot figure out how to operate this thing fully. I managed to get the engine back up and running to its full capacity---well, the wife did helped me out. But the weapons are all offline and these buttons here won't turn on…," he said pointing to the area on the control panel to which he referred.

"Um, I think I can help with that. Hold on. Let me stick this in one of the storage compartments in the back," Tucker quickly said, before heading further into the speeder, until he was past the passengers seats and in the end of the vehicle. He opened the largest compartment, which happened to be the one closest to the floor. He quickly shoved his box of supplies in there, but when he was about to close it up, a loud alarm sounded within the ship.

"Oh-o," he heard Jack say from the front.

Tucker cringed; and forgetting all about the box of food, rushed towards the front, hoping that Danny's father had not just messed up the speeder.

"No, wait, don't push that button!" the boy said as he jumped into the co-pilot seat. "That will disable the entire system. Here, um, can I?" Tucker asked.

Jack blinked, but then patted the boy on the back. "Sure. No harm in letting you give it a try!"

Tucker forced a smile as he said, "Heh. Yeah, try."

The teen quickly hooked up his PDA to the speeder's systems, and then wasted no time in turning the alarm off, "Okay, well, the engine and rockets are definitely up and running!" he said with a grin. "And… There! Now, the navigational system is a go. Um… wait, why are the defense systems disabled?"

"Well, I wasn't able to fix them all up in such short notice," Jack replied. "I was only able to remove the weapons to fix em' up. But they are not ready. So, I saw no point in putting them back in. Besides, you kids won't be needing ghost weapons where you're going, right?" the man asked, slapping the teen on the back.

Tucker laughed nervously. "Yeah, you're right. Why would we need those…?"

The teen's smiled faded as he gulped worriedly. But Jack did not seem to notice as he boasted, "Then, it looks like you kids are all ready to go! Take care of this flying beauty, okay? I might not know how to use her completely, but I might learn someday!"

Tucker nodded. But right then, Sam's voice came from the lab's entrance. "Tucker? Mr. Fenton? Mrs. Fenton said your food is getting cold!"

"Food!" Jack exclaimed as he jumped out of the speeder.

But Tucker looked just as excited, as he, too, jumped out of his seat and raced towards the stairs. "Hey, wait for me!"

Sam shook her head as the two males ran past her. But she still followed, closing the lab's door after her.

After breakfast, everyone finally stood as they all headed down to the lab. Jack and Maddie gave them the whole 'worried parent lecture' about calling and driving safely---or in their case, flying safely.

"Don't worry, Mom. We'll be fine," Jazz said for the eighty-fifth time. "If everything goes well, we will probably be back by tomorrow morning, okay? If not, I have plenty of money and I'll call you to let you know when we will be coming back. At the latest, it will be late Sunday."

"Well, alright, sweetie," Maddie said with a sigh. She hugged her daughter one last time. And as Jack then did the same, she hugged her son's friends. "You kids don't stray far from Jazz, okay? But also keep an eye on her…" she added quietly, so her daughter wouldn't hear her.

Sam and Tucker nodded reassuringly, before the goth girl added, "We'll make sure she does everything she's supposed to. Don't worry."

Maddie smiled appreciatively. But then she said, "Okay, off you go, then."

Danny's friends and sister could not be more relieved to hear her say that. And they all quickly jumped into the speeder. Jazz took the driver's seat, while Tucker took the co-pilot seat, since he knew the most about the vehicle's computer system. Sam seemed quite comfortable taking one of the passenger seats as she removed the spider backpack she usually had on and placed it on the empty seat beside her. She was about to buckle up when Tucker suddenly gasped.

"Darn, I forgot to close the compartment! Hey, Sam could you get it for me?"

The goth girl rolled her eyes, but still got up. Being that the opened storage area was lower than her waist's height, she found it easier to kick it close. But when she met resistance, she looked over at Tucker as she leaned into it more and pushed it closed with her knee. "Geez, Tucker, what did you stick in here? A live pig?"

"Come on, Sam, hurry up We gotta go," Jazz urged, cutting in before Danny's friends could squabble anymore.

"Okay, Jazz. Calm down," the younger girl replied, slightly annoyed with the older girl's bossiness.

As Tucker pushed the button to open the tunnel that led towards the Fenton's backyard, Jazz started up the engine. But just when she was about to take off, the older girl gasped. "Oh, wait!" she opened her door, and looked at her parents whom had been watching them in the lab the entire time. "Dad, I forgot to feed TJ. Could you do it for me?"

Jack whined a bit, but still said, "Alright, princess. I'll feed that mutt."

Jazz smiled, knowing her dad was not very fond of the puppy. "Love you, Daddy! I'll see you guys when I get back."

Her parents smiled and waved as Jazz closed her door again and finally took off into the tunnel.

"Come on, Jack," Maddie said as she headed for the lab's door. "The sooner we get everything done here, the sooner we can go out and do some more searching and some ghost hunting."

"Right!" Jack replied, instantly perking up.

As he went to get the dog food and bowl, Maddie went to the kitchen to clean up. She quietly hummed to herself as she calmly worked away. But then a couple of minutes later, Jack came back in, a full bowl of dog food in his hands.

"Um, Maddie?"

"Yes, Jack?" she asked curiously.

"Have you seen that dog?"

* * *

Although Danny knew he could have gladly slept the entire day, he forced himself to wake up around noon. It just wasn't right to waste the time sleeping when there were so many new things to see! But then, he remembered Vlad was not there. He had been so tired, he had briefly forgotten that the older hybrid had mentioned that he was going to a meeting early in the morning and wouldn't be back until _past_ noon.

Oh, well. He was awake already, so he might as well 'greet the day'. As the boy showered and did the usual of every morning, his hope of seeing some new sights began to diminish. Vlad had not said anything about taking him anywhere. All he had said was that he had business to which to attend…

Danny frowned. The guy better not be thinking of making him stay in this condo for the entire duration of this trip. At least at the castle he could go outside and do things. What was he going to do in some condo, no matter how fancy it was? The teen hoped not. That would totally reek!

As he dressed in his usual clothing, the teen had another thought. Was there even food in this condo? Considering that Vlad had told him he was going to get him the soda he had wanted from some shop downstairs, Danny guessed there was not….

"_Well… I still have plenty of money from that day I went with him to his companies or whatever….," _Danny thought as he put on his shoes._ "I could just go get something over at that place where Vlad got me that soda. It can't be too far since it did not take him too long to go there and come back… Oh, but, wait. One of his 'rules' was that I could not leave the condo without him…"_

Now really annoyed, Danny huffed as he muttered, "Maybe it is a good thing that the guy never had kids. He'd probably starve them!"

Stalking over to the door, the teen swung it open without a thought. He was so frustrated, he failed to see the note that had been clipped right on the inside of his door. And he definitely missed a strange device sitting on one of his night stands…

As Danny debated on what he should do, he headed over to the kitchen. But the moment he entered, he jolted to a halt.

"_Guten tag, Herr. Daniel!"_ (1)

Danny blinked at the woman who was currently cooking something on the stove.

"Uh… yes?" he guessed, all the while wondering where she had come from. Vlad had not said anything about this woman to him---but by the fact that she was cooking, Danny guessed she was here to tend to him and Vlad while they were there. Seriously, though, couldn't that fruit loop do without servants for _four days_? Then again, his frustration with the man had significantly dwindled now that he realized that Vlad had not completely forgotten about him. Still, the guy could have at least warned him that he was going to hire some lady who apparently did not speak English, so that the teen could at least not feel like such an idiot right now.

The woman smiled, knowing the boy did not speak German. Her temporary employer did mention it to her before he left. But then, she wondered why the child was not using the device Mr. Masters had left him…

Still, knowing she could not ask him since she herself did not speak English, she just continued, hoping the boy would pick something up by her gestures.

"_Bitte, setzen Sie sich_," (2) she asked, politely gesturing to the small table at the far side of the kitchen. And seeing the confused teen figure out what she was saying and take a seat at the table, she turned to the fridge and pulled out a pitcher of orange juice.

As she placed it and also a glass on the table, she spoke again, _"Ich war mir nicht sicher, wann sie aufwachen würden also habe ich ihnenetwas, dass zum Frühstück oder zum Mittagessen passt, gemacht. Ich heißeübrigens Frau Emma Hoffman. Sie können mich aber Frau Emma nennen. Herr Masters hat um meine Dienste während ihres Aufenthaltes gebeten. Wenn esetwas gibt, was ich für sie tun soll, zögern sie nicht zu fragen, okay? Hier, ich habe ihnen etwas typisch Deutsches gemacht. Es schmeckt sehr gut!Wir nennen es..." (3)_

Danny just stared as the woman continued to rant away, obviously forgetting he had no clue what she was saying. But seeing that the woman looked very happy and sounded nice, the teen finally smiled and just nodded when he guessed it was the right thing to do.

"_At least she's not a ghost," _he said inwardly, having noted the absence of his ghost sense around her.

A moment later, Mrs. Hoffman had finally finished cooking and quickly served the teen. She had been talking to him the entire time, and Danny was trying his best to push back a rising headache. But she just continued, even as she served him.

_"Ich hoffe sie mögen das Essen! Ich muss jetzt die Schlafräume säubern. Rufen sie mich bitte, falls sie etwas brauchen, okay?"(4)_

Danny just forced another smile and said, "Uh, thank you."

The woman nodded, clearly knowing what that meant at least. But then she waved and walked out of the kitchen, finally leaving him in silence.

"Man, that was weird. I could sure use a translator about now…," Danny said with a sigh. But when his stomach growled, he quickly turned back to the hot food in front of him. He quickly took a bite, only to wish he had not.

"Gah!" Danny exclaimed, after forcing himself to quickly swallow the food in his mouth. He quickly poured himself a glass of juice, hoping to wash away the bad taste attacking his taste buds. Luckily, it did the trick and he slowly lowered his cup, and looked back at the food in front of him.

"What the heck is this?" he mumbled as he poked at the food in front of him. But then, with disgust, he pushed away the plate. He turned his eyes to the bowl of fruits that the woman had also placed on the table for him. And hopeful that they would taste _like fruits_, he brought them closer, quickly sighing in relief when his mouth confirmed the cut fruits were eatable.

It did not take him long to finish considering he did not eat the main dish. He soon stood and went over to the sink and threw the food in there. He had to get rid of the evidence somehow, after all. He might not have liked her weird food, but he did not want to hurt her feelings by letting her find out he had not eaten it.

He quickly flipped the garbage disposal switch, before washing the dishes he had used. How long had it been since he had done that?

Danny shook his head at the thought, somewhat amused as George came to his thoughts. That ghost cook was sure a strange one. One of these days, the teen was going to find a way to convince him to let him touch his kitchen…

After he was done, the young hybrid went to his room, only to find that the maid was cleaning his room. "Uh, thanks. But I could have done that, you know."

She said something to him in German, and then quickly shooed him away.

The teen rolled his eyes as she closed the door after him. She obviously liked working without interruptions…

Sighing, Danny looked around the condo as he pondered what he should do now. Catching a glimpse of the plasma TV in the living room, the boy frowned, before half-heartedly going over to it. He grabbed the control off the coffee table and flipped on the TV. It did not surprise him when the news came on, and the anchor woman was speaking German.

He did not know how long he sat there, flipping through channels until he found an English movie with German subtitles. But even when his eyes were on the TV, his mind was not, especially when the maid lady kept walking back and forth throughout the condo, humming to herself. It was a bit annoying, actually. Eventually, he finally did manage to tune her out and tune in the movie on the screen. But all too soon, it finished and he was left with nothing to do.

The teen glanced at a nearby clock and frowned in irritation. Vlad was taking too long. But the thought left him when rays of light hit him at the side of his face. Danny turned towards the light and realized that the maid had opened the curtains, revealing a pair of glass doors that led to a veranda. Now, that looked promising.

Suddenly excited again, the teen walked over to the doors and stepped out onto the terrace. His eyes widened in wonder as he stared at all the sights. He could see a sparkling river just a small distance from him. And then there were so many unique buildings and monuments. It was like nothing he had ever seen before!

At that moment, his irritation and thoughts melted away and he just calmly stared at the view beyond the rails that separated him from it. He did not know how long he stood there admiring this new world, before the sound of a conversation within the condo brought him back to reality.

Being that the glass doors were slightly parted, he could fairly hear the maid talking to Vlad. So, the cheesehead had finally gotten back… But the thought quickly left him when he realized that the man was talking to her in German… Wow. Vlad Masters was bilingual. Go figure.

The teen listened to them a moment more; but when he realize it was pointless since he did not understand, he turned his efforts back to sightseeing. Besides, once Vlad was finished, Danny knew he would seek him out…

And the teen was right, of course. The first thing the billionaire had asked when he had entered the condo and had spotted his hired help had been the boy's whereabouts. She told him, of course. And she also mentioned that she had made him a German brunch. And by the fact that he had cleaned his plate---though, she did not know he had done so literally---she said she was sure he liked it.

Vlad almost laughed at that, knowing too well how the teen was very picky about eating what he deemed 'strange food'. But he just politely nodded and smiled at the woman. She then asked the older half-ghost if he wanted her to fix him up anything before she left for the day. But Vlad kindly declined as he already had other plans…

Speaking her native lanuage, Mrs. Hoffman said, _"Well, if you do not need anything further, I will be going, then."_

_"Yes, that will be fine. Thank you for your services. We shall see you tomorrow, Mrs. Hoffman,"_ Vlad replied back also in German, while glancing over at the parted terrace doors, before smiling calmly at the woman.

Emma politely nodded and smiled back, before grabbing the things she had brought with her and then exiting the condo with a 'farewell'.

Instead of first going to put away his briefcase, Vlad decided to go greet the young hybrid, wanting to know how he was. He hoped Daniel had recuperated from that long flight… and the events before they left… But Vlad knew he himself had not. With a mere three hours of sleep, the billionaire was all but exhausted. He was actually used to such a hectic schedule. After all, the time he needed to balance his billionaire and half-ghost lives had to come from somewhere. Luckily, tomorrow Vlad did not have any meetings---though he had other things to get done. But he would at least be able to get a full night's rest. For now, he could bare his underlying tiredness. After all, he could not make the poor boy spend the entire trip cooped up in here. That would be a crime.

Vlad smiled as he quietly stepped out on the veranda. The boy did not even notice him until he finally spoke up, "Enjoying the view?"

Danny smiled, though he did not look at the man. "Yeah. It's new."

"Yes, it is quite different from the States," the billionaire agreed as he came closer and looked out at the sights himself.

The teen nodded; but then, he finally looked at Vlad and curiously said, "I didn't know you could speak German."

"Yes, I do. Quite fluently, actually," the man causally answered. "I also speak a bit of Chinese---though that one might not surprise you as much."

"Stephanie, right?" Danny asked, looking back at the river in the distance.

"Um-hmm…," the billionaire answered distractingly.

There was a small silence, and the teen found it odd how it actually did not bother him like it would before. And Danny guessed by the distracted look on Vlad's face that it did not bother him, either. It was now almost natural for them to silently stand by each other without a thought of unease. They might not trust each other and might still have some big differences, but they sure had come a long way in a matter of weeks…

Danny's mind slowly returned to the present; and looking at the billionaire, he suddenly broke the calm silence. "So, how did your meeting go?"

Vlad just as slowly turned his blue gaze to the boy, obviously having been in thought himself. But finally processing the question, the man's face twisted into annoyance as he sighed and replied, "Pointless and _extremely_ dull."

Danny chuckled. "I never thought you would find those things boring."

Vlad's lips curled into a clever smile. "As you can see, there is much about me you do not know, dear boy," he said, before moving away from the teen and heading back in.

Danny looked after him, the comment giving him a strange feeling as he found himself agreeing with it. "Yeah, I know…," he mumbled to himself, before following the man inside.

Vlad opened his bedroom door, but left it opened as he suddenly addressed the teen again without looking at him. "Have you eaten anything since brunch yet?"

Danny stopped right at the man's door; and with crossed arms, leaned against it. He watched as the man placed his briefcase on a small desk on one side of the room and opened it before the boy replied to his question, "Actually, no. I just had some juice and fruits when I woke up. But I haven't really bothered to get anything else. I guess I figured I'd just wait till you got back."

Vlad had just finished putting the papers he had gotten from his briefcase inside a small vault in the wall, before he finally looked at the teen and teasingly said, "I'm touched."

Danny rolled his eyes at the man, but there was a small amused smile on his face as he retorted back, "Yeah? Well don't be too much. The real reason I haven't ate anything is because I was afraid that that lady would try to poison me again. Not to mention I couldn't even defend myself since I had no clue what she was saying!"

The billionaire's smile widened into a smug grin. "Dear boy, I highly doubt she was trying to poison you. Although I had guessed you had come to the conclusion along those lines regarding her taste in food. And as for not understanding her, please do not tell me you completely missed my note attached to _your door_ and the automatic translator I left at your bedside?"

Danny blinked, before he uttered, 'Huh? Note? What note? I didn't see any note or that trans…," But the boy trailed off when Vlad suddenly walked pass him and headed to the teen's room. Opening the door, Vlad pulled off the note attached to the inside of it.

With a smirk, the man dangled the note in front of him to show it to the teen on the other side of the hall. "Oh, and the translator," the man quickly added, lifting a finger at the boy as a gesture that he would be right back.

Danny crossed his arms when the man came back out with a small device in his palm. But when Vlad finally returned to him, he lowered his arms, only to have the older hybrid place the note and the device in his hands. A blush rose up into the boy's cheeks as he looked at the note, and briefly read it and saw it was an explanation about Mrs. Hoffman and how the translator worked.

"This would have helped…," Danny mumbled, even more embarrassed.

The billionaire could not contain himself any longer and he laughed heartedly at the boy's inattentive nature. Daniel was just too amusing sometimes!

The thought only drove the man further, and he quickly grabbed the translator from the boy and turned it on. He brought it to his mouth; and all but laughing into it, spoke, _"Ehrlich gesagt, Daniel, du bist manchmal so durchschaubar."_

The boy looked briefly confused, until the translator repeated in English almost instantly, _"Honestly, Daniel, you can be so oblivious sometimes."_

Danny's red face only got brighter, while Vlad just laughed some more.

But the teen's embarrassment quickly melded into annoyance as he crumpled the man's letter in his hands and coolly said, "I'm choosing to ignore that comment."

The billionaire smirked when the teen moved past him and headed to his room. "Daniel, where are you going?" he asked, though his tone of voice was still practically laughing.

Danny ignored him and just closed his door behind him. He fell back on his bed; and dropping the wad of paper that used to be Vlad's note from his hold, he brought his hands up and pressed them to his face with a deep sigh.

"_Daniel, I still want to talk to you," _the older hybrid's still amused voice said from behind his door.

"What, Vlad?" Danny all but snapped as he lowered his hands and lightly glared at his closed door. Seriously, what was so funny, anyways? Did the guy always get some sick pleasure from embarrassing him or something?

"_What do you say we go out for dinner? Then, you can see some of the sights, hmm?"_

Danny hesitated in his reply. But knowing internally that he really liked the idea, he rolled his eyes to himself as he gave in and let out a grumbled, "Fine."

"_Excellent! However, I require a small favor…I need you to change your attire…" _

Danny immediately lifted his head slightly to look at his closed door. But his irritation had now been replaced by surprise and confusion. "Change? Into what?"

The teen watched as Vlad calmly opened the door, before crossing his arms in front of him and leaning on the doorframe. "Something nice," he then simply answered, a small smile tugging on his lips that had nothing to do with his previous amusement.

Danny frowned with his mixed emotions as he finally sat up all the way. "Like formal?"

Vlad lightly shrugged. "_That_ might be asking too much of you. However, I will ask that you wear at least a dress shirt and pants." But the man's smiled suddenly faded as he looked up and down at the boy's usual clothing; and with a look of disgust on his face, added, "Then again, _anything_ has to be better than _that_..."

Instantly, the boy's irritation came back full force. "I have asked you once and I will ask you again. What is wrong with what I wear?" he demanded, not caring that his tone of voice had just sparked a flicker of annoyance within the man's eyes.

"Do you mean, besides the fact that they are _twice_ your real size and that they are street clothing? Absolutely nothing," Vlad replied in dry sarcasm, before causally moving away from the teen's room and heading to his own.

"Oh, yeah?" Danny said angrily, quickly jumping to his feet and following right after him. "Well, have you looked at _yourself_ in the mirror lately? Your clothes are as exciting as the colors on a newspaper and they have arrogance written all over them!"

The man instantly halted; and now more than bristled, turned to the boy and darkly warned, "Do not insult me, Daniel."

Danny glared right back as he snapped, "Oh, but _you_ can insult _me_, right?"

Vlad quickly walked back towards the teen and pointed an angry finger at him. "I have not insulted you."

"Yes, you did! You're calling me a punk!" Danny exclaimed.

"Do not put words in my mouth!" Vlad said forcefully as his voice rose steadily. "I have said no such thing, nor do I use such a word! All I was asking you was to simply change out of your street clothes and wear something _decent_ to go to a fine restaurant! But, no, that is obviously too difficult of a task for the pig-headed Daniel Fenton. Because, as usual, he cannot help but act like a stubborn little brat **about** **everything**!"

The man pivoted on his feet and stormed towards his room. The teen slightly jolted when the man then slammed his door after him. But before he could get past his current shock, Vlad unexpectedly opened his door again.

"And, Daniel? _That_ was an insult," he mocked angrily, before slamming his door again.

Danny instantly became livid. "Yeah?! Well, I still think you're an arrogant jerk who needs a cat!" he screamed furiously, before mimicking the older hybrid's actions of storming into his room and slamming the door after him.

The teen fisted his hands as he paced in front of his bed, fuming. Who the heck did Vlad think he was? Who was he to tell him what he should or should not wear? What? Was he also going to control that about him now, too?! Well, he had another thing coming if he thought that!

As the teen continued to curse the man, Vlad was seething in his own room; especially when he heard the boy shout that last insult about him needing a cat. What a foolish little rat! He was sick and tired of his childish insults. And most of all, he was fed up with the brat's assumptions about him. Daniel knew **nothing** about him! And how could he when all the brat had ever cared to look at was whatever fit his little concept of _villain and hero_?

And how dare he call _him_ arrogant when all the boy ever cared to display was his own teenage arrogance! What a little hypocrite!

Vlad suddenly crossed his arms and continued to glare at the ground. For several minutes, all the man did was think of everything that angered him about the boy. But, eventually, his thoughts returned to their actual argument. Where had it even come from?

His glare slowly fell as he thought of what had happened just yesterday with the teen in the forest. Although Vlad had controlled his emotions during that small moment when Spectra had gotten the upper hand, he could not deny that it had affected him. The influence of her powers had long since left him, of course, but the ghost woman had left him with a thorn of doubt in his heart regarding Daniel. And the fact that the boy had refused to tell him what really happened out there did not help matters. Maybe that was it. Maybe he was just expecting too much out of this. Surely their 'truce' could not be more than a ruse, right? The only thing that kept Daniel at his side was the threat he held over his sister. Nothing else.

But then, why did something inside the man tell him differently? Why was Daniel trying so much if all they had was some kind of ruse? No, he did not want it to be simply that. Maybe their short fuses with each other since yesterday were because of what had happened in the woods. Perhaps, like him, the boy was still feeling some lingering affect from that _leech's_ powers.

"That, and I did provoke him by mocking his attire and all but mocking his intelligence before then…," Vlad mumbled as he slowly lowered his arms to his side. The man slightly groaned now that his recently deepening conscience began to nag at him to rectify the current situation…

Ironically, though, Danny was having similar thoughts. Being that he was not one to stay angry for very long, he was now feeling somewhat bad for what he had said.

"I shouldn't have called him arrogant…," the teen muttered, his eyebrows creasing with his mixed emotions.

He really did need to learn to control his teenage emotions a bit more. Now that he thought about it, he had been acting very testy towards Vlad ever since… Spectra and Bertrand attacked him…And yet… the man had not responded to his snappiness most of the time. And just now, Vlad had not meant his teasing about the translator and the note in a bad way. Danny had known that by the man's playful tone; and yet, he had taken it the wrong way. And regarding his attire, Vlad's comments had not been as bad as _his own_ direct insults…

Danny sighed loudly as his other emotions deflated his anger with the man. And like he usually did when he argued with his own friends--whether it be his fault or not--the boy got up, ready to make amends with the older hybrid.

But as Danny opened his door, he was astounded when Vlad also opened his own door, looking as deflated as he did.

The billionaire was as equally surprised as the teen. And for a moment, all they could do was blink at each other. But when they finally pushed pass their initial disbelief and they realized that they had both been about to apologize to the other, they quickly blushed and looked away.

Danny awkwardly rubbed at his neck, not sure what to say. But when Vlad suddenly cleared his throat, the teen quickly looked back at him.

"Let me know when you are ready," Vlad said, a small smile now on his face. "And just wear whatever makes you most comfortable, hmm?" he then added, before closing his door again.

A small smile slowly curled Danny's face in spite of the fact that Vlad had not given him time to answer. But the man's last comment had meant a lot to the teen, as it made him realize that the man was not looking to control what he did or did not wear, but simply wanted him to look nice, much like his mother did when she suggested he wore something differently.

The thought of comparing Vlad to his mother made Danny chuckle and shake his head. Vlad really was a strange man. But as Danny closed his door to get ready, he decided it wouldn't hurt to wear something… nice…

* * *

****

**By the way, I find German cooking very tasty! But one my childhood friends, who now lives there, says she does not. So, I based Danny's own dislike on that. Plus, I could see him not liking foods he would deem 'strange'---as Vlad said! That, and it was funnier!**

**Okay, well, next chapter should be both funny and exciting; so I hope to get it out in one or two weeks. Thanks for reading and for all your support! Also, say a prayer for me that I do well in school this semester, kay? Or wish me luck---which ever you prefer! _Auf Wiedersehen!_ Heh-heh!**

German Translations

1."Good Morning, Mr. Daniel!"

2. "Please, sit down."

3. "I was not sure when you would wake; so I decided to make you something fit for breakfast or lunch. By the way, my name is Mrs. Emma Hoffman. But you may call me Mrs. Emma. Mr. Masters asked for my service for the duration of his and your trip. So, anything I can do for you, please don't hesitate to ask, alright? Now, I made you a typical brunch here in Germany! It is very good. We call it…"

4. "I hope you like the meal. Now, I need to go straighten out the dormitories. But if you need anything, please call me, yes?"


	52. Chapter 51: Trips

**Hello, everyone! I will not be able to answer reviews this time! Although, I think if you had a question, I did answer it... But, yeah, sorry! I have a test this Friday coming up and I still want to try to post DoaS this week as well! So, please forgive me for that! I did enjoy all your comments! They are my fuel! And your support my inspiration! So, without further ado, here is the next chapter of CM. See ya at the bottom!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. But the other characters are my own property. **

* * *

**Chapter 51: Trips**

The next day was more interesting for Danny. Vlad had no meetings consuming his time; so they had left the villa/condo early and had ate breakfast at a pleasant bakery and café. For that, the teen was thankful, especially when he had found out since dinner last night that Germany actually served _edible _foods. And now, this time, breakfast had been 'good'--at least on Danny's terms.

Right after breakfast, though, they went to the famous _Brandenburg _Gate_._ The views it offered of the city was as amazing---or, perhaps, more amazing than---the view from the place at which they were staying. Ultimately, they did not stay at the gate for long. Apparently, the Wisconsin billionaire's arrival had attracted some of that attention that the man had been trying to avoid. Danny quickly decided it was 'every guy for himself' when the cameras started flashing. The teen did not mind a bit of publicity since he got plenty of it as Phantom; but what Vlad attracted was just too much.

But as the young hybrid had expected, the older one had taken control of the situation and had somehow managed to get away from all the media fairly quickly. It was only when they were back in the car did the man's pleasant smile vanish from his face and his annoyance over the whole thing show. The teen decided not to say anything to him until the man stopped scowling.

Luckily, the next place to which they had gone was less open; so they were safe from unwanted attention—well, for the most part, anyways. The Zoological Garden---or, at least, that's what Vlad had said the zoo's name meant in English---was large enough to keep them occupied for a few good hours. In fact, it was actually just past noon and they were still there. The place was pretty cool; and thanks to Vlad's fame and money, the backstage tour was even more so!

The teen found it ironic that Vlad was trying to keep a low profile; and yet, when he could, he did not hesitate to flaunt who he was to get 'special' treatment---the private guide and tour right now being just one example. Or was it that Vlad was just trying to get _him_ 'special' treatment? Either way, Danny could not say he minded at the moment.

Over all, everything was going great. New sights. No worries. None of that being cooped up in any one place for hours on end. And he could even say he and Vlad had not argued all day. Indeed, the teen could have said this was one of the best days that he had had in a long time. And he would have, if it was not for one single thing that had been bothering him all day….

"Hey, Vlad? Check this out," Danny asked as he approached the man with a huge boa constrictor around his neck. There was grin on the boy's face in spite of the fact that he looked ready to buckle under the huge reptile's weight.

The billionaire, who had been standing and talking on the phone just outside the large snake exhibit, glanced down at the teen. But it was so brief that he obviously had not _really_ look at him. Still, the man gave him a quick smile and even more quickly said, "Um-hmm. That's nice, Daniel." Vlad turned his attention back to the cell phone against his ear, as his voice returned back to his casual tone. "As I was saying, the deal was for…"

Danny frowned as Vlad walked away from him, completely engrossed in his conversation. But then the boy looked down at the snake coiled around him and muttered, "Well, _I_ think your cool." He sighed before turning and heading back into the exhibit where the private zoo keeper-slash-guide was waiting for him. He needed her to get the snake off him. It was not only really heavy, but he was starting to lose feeling in one of his arms.

Danny stayed at the snake exhibit for about ten more minutes before the trainer offered to take him to see some much larger animals. When they came out to go, Danny found Vlad leaning against the golf cart that they had been using to get around the zoo. And as the teen expected, he was still talking on the phone. If it was not obvious what was bugging the boy by now, it became obvious when he scowled at the sight of the man. Vlad had been on his freakin' phone since they left the condo! During breakfast, at the gate, on their break for lunch, and all throughout the tour right now; everywhere they had gone, he had been talking almost non-stop! And _when_ the man did put it down, it did not last for more than five minutes! It was so annoying!

Danny quickly got into the golf cart, and crossed his arms as he angrily watched Vlad distractingly get in as well. _Of course_, the guy did not notice his glare, even when he was a foot from him! The person on the other line was _obviously_ more important than anything else to the man right now. Okay, yes, Danny was not a child. He got that the man had some very important things to do. And he could hear by some of his conversation that it had to do with this new company he had purchased. But, seriously, would it kill Vlad to get off the phone long enough to _actually_ talk to him for _more_ than a couple of minutes?

After all, it was so frustrating and kind of insulting to have Vlad ignore him! Geez! Vlad flew him across the world to a place he knows _nothing _about and, of course, knows no one. He didn't even speak the language here, for crying out loud! So, how ironical was it, then, that Vlad was really the only 'thing' with which he was comfortable? He had no other choice. It was either speak to Vlad and even stick around him, or be totally isolated and alone. Besides, it wasn't like he was asking the guy to blow off everything for him. He just wanted him to remember he existed!

Danny's angry thoughts were interrupted by the zoo keeper, who began to explain to him the area they were going to right now. Thankfully, the lady spoke English; so, the teen could, at least, have a normal conversation with _someone_---since the guy who had brought him here was in love with his phone at the moment!

As they came to their next stop, the boy hopped off the cart, and did not bother to see if the man was following him and the trainer or not. His irritation melted as the trainer finally told him that the large animals they were about to see were the tallest animals in the world. Some of the giraffes they had were currently in one of the public viewing exhibits. Danny briefly glanced at the people that were taking pictures of the animals around him…. Too bad he had not brought a camera... But he mentally shrugged it off and he turned his attention back to the tour guide.

"These are Reticulated Giraffes to be accurate. And as I mentioned, they are the tallest animals in the world. When a calf is first born, it can actually stand as tall as six feet. And by the time it is fully grown, a male giraffe can reach the heights of eighteen to twenty feet and can weigh as much as five-hundred-forty-five kilos; or, twelve-hundred in pounds."

"So, is that really large one a male?" Danny asked, pointing at the tallest of the giraffes.

"Yes, it is. And do you see the calf out there?" she asked. And when he nodded, she added, "Well, that is actually his son. That young calf is about a year-and-five-months old."

"Heh. Too bad I can't grow as fast as these guys," Danny said jokingly.

The trainer laughed. "As long as you don't grow _as tall_ as them, then that would be fine," she said with another chuckle. She pointed back out at the animals as she then asked, "Do you see how the patterns on their coats have a net-like structure?"

"Hey, yeah," Danny said with a nod, noticing what she was talking about.

"Well, that is why they are called _Reticulated_ Giraffes. See, the word 'Reticulated' comes from the Latin word, _Reticulatta_. And that word itself means, 'net'."

"Huh. That's clever. So, are you going to tell me that the word _giraffe_ also has some meaning, or no?" Danny asked.

The zoo keeper smiled. "Actually, it does. It comes from a phrase that means, 'one who walks gracefully."

Danny smiled. "Well, they're graceful, alright."

"They are. But you have seen nothing yet, Danny. Come on, We are going to head out back to the barns."

"Seriously?" the teen said in surprise.

"Well, it's not something we typically do. But given the circumstances… I'm sure we can get you a bit closer to some of our giraffes out back…"

"Cool!" Danny said as he walked with the trainer towards a locked door hidden at the far end of the giraffe exhibit.

The teen had all but forgotten about Vlad until the woman stopped to look back at and wait for him. The billionaire did not even notice he had two sets of eyes on him. Still, he had been keeping up with Danny and the zoo keeper, even if he was lagging behind. So, when the boy and keeper headed to the locked door, he leisurely followed them, and then the trainer readily locked the door again once they were all inside the new area.

"Mr. Mas--," the zoo keeper began, only to be silenced when the man waved a hand at her, silently telling her to go on without him.

The woman smiled weakly at the teen, who looked angry again. But he quickly sighed and returned the smile. Without words, Danny and the trainer headed further inside; and as they turned a corner, they finally reached another entryway and went in. There was another trainer waiting for them. She readily greeted Danny before inviting him deeper in towards the actual barns.

The teen was soon looking up at a seventeen-foot-tall female giraffe and her five-foot calf inside their large pen. If the animals had looked impressive outside from a distance, they were awing and somewhat intimidating now that he was looking at them face-to-face---so to speak.

"Danny, this is Kalina and her three-month-old calf, Taur. Because of how young the calf still is, we have yet to put him in the public exhibits. So, you are actually the first person to see him outside of the staff," the zoo keeper that had been acting as the teen's guide said.

Danny continued to listen to the woman, while watching as the other trainer opened the pen. He was specifically impressed when he saw the other handler signal to the mother to come out of the pen and she obeyed, her calf following after her.

The calf actually came right up to him and began to sniff his hair, before its long tongue began to 'taste' him. If Danny wasn't so fascinated right now, he would have probably been grossed out by the long, flexible and wet tongue moving over his face. But when the mother leaned down her long neck and began to do the same thing as her calf to him, the teen finally took a step back.

"Uh, can you guys tell them I've already had a bath?" Danny asked as he raised his hands to guard his face and stepped back some more; but the giraffes only continued to follow him.

The two trainers looked at each other and laughed at the boy's comment. But then the tall animals' handler called to the mother and ordered her to sit. As she did, the calf followed her mom; and by the way it also sat down, the teen could tell it was already beginning to learn the commands.

"Come on, they won't try to clean you anymore," the first zoo keeper said with another chuckle.

As Danny stroked the tall animals on their side, the other trainer said, "I will be right back. I'm going to get a tray of _Acacia_ leaves, so you can interact some more with them. And I can teach you some of the more basic commands."

The teen smiled and nodded. But as he continued to touch the giraffes, a sudden thought came to his mind. "Uh, is it okay if I go get my uncle real quick?"

The zoo keeper nodded and replied, "Of course. But hurry back."

Danny nodded, and headed back down the indoor walkway, before disappearing at the only turn. As he quickly came to the end of the path, he finally spotted Vlad. The man was turned towards the locked door, a hand crossed on his stomach, while his other hand continued to hold his phone to his ear.

"Yes, I will be at the convention tomorrow. And I agree, it will be the best opportunity to meet to finalize our agreement," the man calmly said to whoever was on the other end.

"Hey, Vlad," Danny called, before stopping a few feet from the man. "I know your busy and all. But you _really_ have got to see this!"

Vlad turned and looked down at Danny, who was pointing his thumb back at the barn. But not really having listened to what he had said, the man guessed a good answer, "That's wonderful, dear boy. ---No! Not you!" he abruptly shouted into the phone, his attention going back to the person on the other end. "I was talking to my----Never mind. So, what time exactly did you want to meet? Perhaps early in the morning…?"

Danny's eyes flashed green, now completely fed up with the man. But just when he had been about to blast Vlad's phone into pieces, another, even _better_ idea, came to his mind, and his glare melded into a wicked grin.

The teen looked back down the path, wanting to make sure no one was there to see what he was about to do. And seeing that the coast was clear, he turned his eyes back to the man and calmly asked, "Hey, Vlad, look."

Vlad stared down at Danny. And at first it looked as if the older hadn't noticed. But then, by his double-take, it was _very_ clear that he had noticed.

Daniel!" Vlad exclaimed, before suddenly covering his phone and adding in a more hushed and nervous voice, "I said no ghost powers!"

Danny laughed at the way his arch-enemy's eyes darted all around them. But instead of taking heed to Vlad's reminder, the boy quickly floated up to his eye level, his legs crossing in mid-air as he amusedly and confidently replied, "Relax, no one's watching. Besides, it was the only way to get your attention. And I think I _definitely_ got it," he added with a proud grin.

"Give me a moment," Vlad said into his phone, before covering it once more. He pinned a stern gaze on the teen as he angrily ordered, "Morph back this instant! Are you trying to expose yourself?"

But the young hybrid just chuckled again. "You know, Vlad, you might be better than me at _using_ ghost powers; but I got you beat when it comes to keeping them a _secret_. Trust me, I know all the tricks of the trade when it comes to maintaining a low profile."

Vlad was about to respond, but his mind froze when he heard the sound of approaching footsteps. His eyes widened as his gaze darted towards the long path and he saw one of the trainers approaching. "Daniel! You---"

But the older hybrid swallowed back his words when he finally realized the boy had vanished from sight. "Daniel, are you insane?" he whispered nervously as he tried to locate exactly where the boy's ghost signature was coming from. But before he could, a female voice sent a cold wave of fear down his body.

"Mr. Masters?" the trainer asked curiously, wondering why the man had just been nervously staring around the area. But knowing it wasn't any of her business, she just asked what she initially wanted to know. "Where did Danny go?"

Vlad just stared at the woman in front of him, his mind whirling for an answer. But before he could think of a logical reply that would explain how the boy had gotten out of the locked-in area in which they were, another voice answered for him.

"I'm right here," Danny said, walking out from behind Vlad and smiling innocently at the zoo keeper. The teen pretended not to notice the look of disbelief on the man's face.

The trainer smiled, not noticing the billionaire's dumb-folded look. "Come on, we're ready for you," she said kindly, showing the teen a bowl of _Acacia_ leaves.

Danny nodded. "Okay. But do you think you can give me just one more minute?"

The zoo keeper gave both half-ghosts a curious look, before she slowly focused her gaze back on the teen. "That's fine… You know where to go when you're ready, right?"

The teen nodded and smiled gratefully at the woman. But when she turned and walked off again, Danny crossed his arms and looked smugly back at Vlad. "See? Piece of cake. Maybe when we get back I'll teach you how to be as good as me at that."

Vlad rolled his eyes. But he suddenly gasped when he finally realized that his phone was no longer in his hand!

A wicked smile grew on Danny's lips as he uncurled one of his hands and dangled the man's phone in front of him. "I'm also good at a few _other_ things, V-man."

Clearly, the boy had taken advantage of his distraction with the animal handler and had somehow phased his phone from his hold without his knowing. If he wasn't already annoyed, he might have found the feat impressive on the boy's part.

Instead, the man gave Danny an unimpressed look and irritably said, "Hilarious. Now, return my phone to me."

The teen frowned, finally showing he was not feeling as playful as he was acting. "I don't think so." But getting a glare from the man, Danny sighed loudly as he exasperatedly added, "Come on, Vlad! You have been on this thing since the crack of dawn! Who the heck are you talking to so much?"

"You know it does not concern you. Now enough of your games. I need my phone," Vlad said seriously, firmly extending his hand.

But Danny just looked down at the man's awaiting hand, before raising his blue eyes back to the similarly colored ones in front of him and smiling evilly again. "Okay, if you won't tell me who it is…"

"No!" Vlad exclaimed when the boy put the phone to his ear. The billionaire quickly made a grab for the phone, but the teen simply turned it intangible to keep him from taking it.

"Hello?" Danny said into the phone, his voice practically laughing. But he suddenly yelped when Vlad tried to grab _him_ this time and he barely dodged away to avoid it. However, knowing the older hybrid was not going to relent, the younger one just as quickly morphed into Phantom again and floated up, just high enough to stay out of reach.

"Daniel, I'm not playing with you. You might think this is funny, but I do not!" Vlad exclaimed angrily as he continued to attempt to reach the boy above him.

But Danny ignored the billionaire and turned his attention to the phone when he heard another male voice at the other end ask, _"Hello? Who is this?" _

The ghost boy laughed as his arch-enemy actually jumped in a more desperate effort to grab him. But, of course, the teen just moved up higher. He heard the billionaire gasp as he put the phone back to his ear again and answered the unknown man on the phone.

"This is Danny. Who's this?"

The boy's grin melded into a frown when the person on the other end began to yell at him. But Danny quickly pushed the phone away from his ear and dismissed the stranger's rudeness; though that did not stop him from amusedly remarking to the older hybrid, "Hey, Vlad. Did you know this guy's a jerk?"

"Blasted, Daniel! Give back my phone!"

"If you want it so badly, then come get it," Danny challenged boldly, floating down just enough to tempt Vlad. And when the man fell for it and made another quick grab for him, he quickly darted back up, laughing.

"Guess, you don't want it that badly, huh?" the boy said with a smirk, before calmly putting the phone to his ear and all but laughing said into it, "Sorry, but you will have to call back later---or better yet, call back _waaay_ later. _Mr. Masters_ is busy at the moment and will be for at least two more days."

"Daniel, No!" Vlad gasped out. "That's a---"

But the man on the other end had ironically just yelled to the boy the rest of Vlad's comment, and Danny quickly cut him off, asking, or rather, repeating part of the stranger's comment, "---a six million dollar deal?" Even so, the boy shrugged, all the while ignoring Vlad's even more desperate protests from below.

"That's obviously some pretty nifty deal," the boy said offhandedly. "But, you see, he already has _plenty_ of money. Still, since it's so important, I'll let you call him back tomorrow, okay? So then, as they say around here, '_Aufvederzien!_'---or whatever the German word for good-bye is!" Danny said with a chuckle, before terminating the call.

Vlad's mouth gaped open; but his disbelief didn't last long and the man exploded, "Daniel! Hand me that phone **right** **now**!"

Danny floated down about a foot; and with a smile extended the phone to Vlad, "Okay, here."

Knowing that the boy was still messing with him, the billionaire quickly grabbed one of his legs instead of the phone as Danny had expected. The teen gasped in surprised as he was yanked down; but before Vlad could take the phone, Danny quickly turned his legs into his wispy tail that easily slipped out of the man's hands.

Laughing, the boy flew over to a closed water facet with empty buckets right below it. But turning the facet on, the boy looked back at the billionaire, an evil grin curling on his face again as he dangled the cell phone above a rapidly-filling bucket of water.

"Does your phone by any chance have insurance…?"

Vlad gasped at the teen's obvious intentions. "Don't you dare!" he exclaimed, sounding fearful this time. He hardly cared about the phone; but it was the fact that he **needed** it!

Danny's smile once more slipped down into a firm frown. "Actually, I think I will; since it's obviously the only way to get you off this thing!"

"Are you daft, boy?" Vlad growled. "You know perfectly well that I did not come here on some pleasure trip! I have things to which to attend! And you have just hung up on the most important one of them! Now, stop acting so childish and give me back that phone!"

"Childish, huh?" Danny asked mischievously, before suddenly tossing the phone up in the air, just above the bucket of water.

"No!" Vlad exclaimed, jolting forward to grab the phone before it met its end.

But Danny quickly caught it for him, and raised a smug eyebrow at the man. "Did I scare you?"

The older hybrid paused as a dark look came over his face. "Daniel, I _will not_ repeat myself again. Give me the phone."

The boy's smile faded as he saw the man's eyes turn blood red in threat. Danny frowned down at the phone in his hand, but then he looked back up at Vlad with a glare. "Fine," he muttered. He quickly floated back to his feet, turned human again, and tossed the phone at the man.

Vlad jolted and managed to grab the phone. He did not even notice the boy turn and walk off towards the barn. The man's attention was now solely on his phone again as he angrily began to call back the person to whom he had been talking. What the blazes had Daniel been thinking when he hung up on _Mark Vazier?!_ Vlad had been working on this M.V.I. deal for months! And this was the** second **time the boy had done something to jeopardize it! It was infuriating!

The man glared back up as the phone began to ring. But it quickly turned into surprise when he finally realized the teenager was gone. Vlad's eyes quickly darted down the pathway, just in time to see the boy's form quickly vanish around the corner.

"_Hello?"_ Mark's voice suddenly sounded on the other end.

But Vlad barely heard it. He was still staring at the place he had last seen Daniel. His eyebrows creased as whatever anger he had left for the boy melted, and he was left with a sharp pang of remorse in his chest for reacting as he had just now. And when he realized just **why** Daniel had gone to such extremes to get his attention, the man felt even worse.

He really had been ignoring the boy all day. But… But Vlad had just assumed Daniel would be content with just going out and getting whatever he wanted...

How foolish of him to forget again that the teenager could hardly be won over with the things his money could offer…

"_Hello?!" _the other man's angry voice suddenly shouted on the other end.

Vlad jolted a bit, before glaring at the phone. The man really was quite rude. And without another thought, the older hybrid hung up on his business partner himself. He sighed deeply as he turned off the phone completely and slipped it into his pocket. This was going to delay his business plans at the very least…

And yet, the fact did not bother him as much as how he had just treated Daniel.

The older hybrid sighed once more, this time sounding more helpless. But then, making sure no one was around, he used his powers to vanish and appear at the end of the walkway, just before reaching the corner. A good thing about having so much experience with his powers was that he did not need to morph into Plasmius to access many of them---including short-distance teleportation.

But the moment he turned the corner, he froze when he saw the boy leaning up against one of the walls with his hands in his pockets and a serious look on his face…

Danny suddenly sighed tiredly, unaware of Vlad's presence. But the teen then pushed off the wall and began to walk down towards where he knew the trainers were waiting. He did not want to be here anymore; but he figured he might as well make the most of it.

As he slowly walked down the path with his shoulders drooped, he tried to push back his anger before he got to the barns; but mostly, he was trying to push back his sudden sadness. He really did not know why he even tried. Maybe, his arch-enemy was right. Maybe he was daft, or foolish, or whatever other insult the man came up with. Seriously, why did he even bother with the guy? Vlad had always been—and still was---a big J—

Danny jolted out of his thoughts and tensed when he felt a hand suddenly grab his left shoulder, instantly halting him in his steps. He quickly looked up and frowned uncertainly at the sight of Vlad. But the emotion melted as he finally realized the man was smiling down at him with an apologetic look on his face. And the boy couldn't get himself to stay upset with him anymore when he gently asked, "…What did you want to show me, little badger?"

* * *

"Tucker, I can't believe you! How could you have been so careless?" Sam chided.

"Hey, you're the one that locked the compartment! You should have noticed that there was a crazy dog inside!" Tucker snapped back.

"Can you two just calm down? I can't hear what my parents are saying!" Jazz quickly protested, before listening back to the phone at her ear and saying into it, "I know you called several times! But I had my phone off, Mom! We didn't know TJ was in there until now, when we heard scratching and…What? No, Mom! We can't go back! We're like an hour away! We are not turning back just because of this!"

Jazz looked despairingly over at her brother's Dalmatian puppy. Of all things that could have happened, it had to be this! Her parents had realized TJ's disappearance almost right after they had left. And when the elder Fentons had found no traces of the dog around the house or neighborhood after searching for a good half-hour, Maddie had called her daughter.

But since Jazz had not expected any calls so soon, she had not even thought to turn on her phone. And her parents only had Sam and Tucker's **house** numbers.

Ultimately, TJ eventually had gotten bored of being inside the compartment---since he had eaten all the food he had managed to get his teeth into. But the puppy had not made himself known until almost an hour later. And so, here they were with the puppy in hand and already some distance away.

It was true that they could turn back, but that would mean they would lose several hours from having to go back and forth again! And Jazz---and Danny's friends as well---really wanted to just get to the bottom of this! She wanted to help her brother!

Jazz sighed, before looking at Sam and Tucker, whom had grown quiet. They now, too, were at a loss on what to do. But Jazz finally decided.

"Listen, Mom. We'll figure something out. Maybe… Maybe where we are going they won't mind a dog; and if they do, we'll just find a place where they allow dogs. It's just for a day or two…. _Yes_, I _know_ I don't have any of his things. But, don't worry. We'll…We'll make it work, okay? …_Yes_, I'm sure, Mom! Just trust me, okay? I'll figure something out…. Well, okay, yeah, I love you, too. Yeah, tell Dad I heard him. Yes, I'll try. Okay. Bye."

Jazz snapped her cell phone shut with a loud groan. "I can't believe this!"

"Jazz, are you sure you want to take him with us?" Tucker asked worriedly. "Maybe we should just turn around and—"

"No, we are not going back!" Sam cut him off, replying before the other girl could. "Look, I agree with, Jazz. We'll figure something out. I mean, come on. He's just a puppy. What's the worse that he's going to do?"

"I don't know. Does the name 'Cujo' ring any bells?" Tucker replied with a frustrated huff.

"That was different, Tucker. It's not like TJ is going to try to eat us, like Cujo did!" Sam protested.

"No, he already did worse! He ate almost all my food!" Tucker exclaimed, glaring at the puppy, who had been staring between the squabbling teens the entire time. And much to the teenage boy's annoyance, he looked very content, even _amused_, by all this.

"Ugh. I should have never gotten Danny this dog," Tucker grumbled.

"Don't say that!" Sam quickly snapped. "It's not TJ's fault. He's just a puppy! It's natural for him to get curious; _especially_ when a 'certain someone' leaves food practically in front of his nose!"

Tucker quickly opened his mouth to argue, but Jazz cut him off. "Okay, just stop you two. This is not going to get us anywhere. Tucker, I'm sorry, but you are outnumbered three to one."

"Three?" he asked confused; but when he saw the two girls smile over at TJ, he rolled his eyes, finally getting it. "Okay, fine. But then, what are we going to do? Take him with us into Vlad's house?"

"Why not?" Sam asked with a smile. "If we are lucky maybe he'll chew some of his furniture or do some even more vile things to that rich jerk's house."

"As much as I'd like to see that, too, Sam," Jazz spoke up. "The point of us coming while both Danny and Vlad are not around is so that we can look around **without** Vlad finding out we were there. We have to make sure we don't leave any tracks. I mean, what if he finds out and then takes it out on Danny? No, we have to be careful."

"So, do we leave TJ in the speeder?" Tucker asked.

Jazz bit her lip. "I'm not sure. He goes crazy when he's left home alone. We don't know what we are going to find at Vlad's mansion or how long we'll be. We all know he associates with other ghosts. And for all we know, there could even be human servants. In any case, we can't get caught. And if TJ starts barking up a storm, that's exactly what's gonna happen."

The older girl paused in thought once more, her eyes staying on the puppy as she slowly spoke, "I know it's risky. But I think our best bet is to take him along with us. We have more of a chance of keeping him quiet around us than leaving him alone. He wasn't able to get into the canned meats, right? So, we'll open one and use that to keep him quiet if it comes down to that."

Tucker looked uncertainly at TJ, before he sighed. "Okay, if you're sure…"

"I'm not sure, Tucker. But what other choice do we really have?" Jazz replied.

"I say we take him back," Tucker grumbled under his breath. But he then dropped the subject.

Sam ignored her obviously annoyed friend and turned her eyes back to TJ. She knew that his unexpected company had just put a major wrench into their plans. But she could not help but be just as amused as she was worried about it. She briefly wondered what Danny would think if he knew his dog was also now in on their attempt to help him. She could imagine he would laugh at that. And then he would probably tell TJ he was a good dog…

Sam scratched the dog's ear fondly as he quietly told the dog just that, "You're a good dog, TJ."

The puppy perked up with the attention and wagged his tail at her, getting closer so that he could continue to get his head scratched.

As they resumed their trip with their new, unexpected member, everyone settled back down, deciding to just take things as they came. Then as they traveled along, idly talking, their conversation finally drifted back to the fact the speeder was weaponless. Jazz tried to assure the other two teens that she had already been aware of that. And so, she had snuck in some ghost weapons at night into the compartments. It was not much. But, at least, they were not _completely_ unprepared and defenseless should they run into trouble…

By the time they reached Wisconsin, or more specifically, Vlad's castle, the calm around them was replaced by apprehension and foreboding. The weight of what they were about to do was now fully upon them. But all three teens quickly braced themselves with determination. They were here to help their friend and brother. Danny depended on them; and they were not going to let him down.

Once all three teens had grabbed an ecto-gun, Jazz then found a rope and made a makeshift leash from it, while Tucker grabbed a can of meat---though he was determined to not give any of it to TJ unless it was totally necessary. Hey, he had to think about his own stomach, too!

As Sam set the speeder into a silent hover right next to the balcony that they now knew belonged to Danny's room, Tucker quickly stuffed his PDA into his pocket. All three teens gave each other a silent look, before they nodded to one another and finally opened the speeder's door.

Sam was the first one out, her spider backpack full of things they might need. She hopped down on the balcony and headed over to the glass doors. She frowned at it, remembering how one of them had been broken by the Boomerang when they had finally discovered Danny's whereabouts…. But now, the glass door was fixed, as if nothing had ever happened...

But she quickly pushed down the thought, and focused back on the matter at hand. Just as Tucker and Jazz, who was holding TJ on his makeshift leash, stepped out of the speeder, Sam peered into the doors. But the lounge room was completely dark. Clearly, there was no one there.

Pulling off her book bag, she quickly searched through it for a gadget she had used a few times in her life before to sneak out of her own house. And finding it, she quickly put it to use now, effectively prying open the lock of the glass door.

Tucker, who had come right up to her, smirked as the girl slid open the now unlocked door. "You're a little too really good at that," he whispered to her.

"Of course," Sam whispered back with a smug smile. "Breaking in and out of big houses is one of my better talents. You learn the art fast with parents like mine."

Jazz ignored the two younger teens as she moved passed them and went in. But none of them noticed the red blinking light that went off the moment the older girl—and then the younger teens--had stepped inside…

Of course, they were not aware that Vlad had installed a sensory alarm and a camera in the boy's room ever since they had discovered Danny's whereabouts. Not even the young hybrid himself was aware of it… But the man had anticipated that the boy's sister and friends might eventually try something again now that they knew Daniel was with him. So, Vlad had installed the devices to make sure if the teens _did_ return, they would not do anything without his knowing…

Sam pulled out a flashlight from her backpack before putting it back on. But before she could turn it on, Jazz grabbed it from her and turned it on herself. The younger girl rolled her eyes at the older one's usual 'I'm in charge' attitude, but otherwise said nothing.

Jazz continued forward, once she had made sure that the coast looked clear. But she knew that they needed to get to down to the main floors to find what they were looking for. She was still vaguely familiar with the location of a lot of the main parts of Vlad's house. She remembered them from the time she had come here upset with Danny and then discovering that Vlad was going to use the Fenton Ecto-skeleton as his secret weapon. But most importantly, she remembered the location of his private lab---and also knew he had _another_ _somewhere_ on the first floor.

Of course, Jazz was most interested in going to Vlad's private lab, the one she knew about from her same experience when she was here before. **That** lab was where the older hybrid kept his more private schemes. Still, perhaps she should check **both** labs just in case...

A strong tug from TJ's leash pulled the girl out of her thoughts. "TJ!" Jazz whispered. "Don't' pull!"

But the puppy was clearly excited by the new sights and smells. But he seemed most interested in a specific couch, which was the one closest to the glass doors. None of the teens realized that that was the couch Danny usually occupied when he came to this lounge to read or just pass the time…

Forcing TJ to leave the couch alone, Jazz headed towards the closed, pull-down stairs, just as Sam and Tucker came up behind her. The older girl turned to look at her brother's friends as she asked, "Tucker, you are sure Danny's not here, right?"

"Um… I'm as sure that he's not here as I am that _Vlad's_ not here," he mumbled, a sense of dread suddenly gripping the pit of his stomach.

What if they were wrong? Sure, Tucker had found proof that Vlad was going to Germany. But what if he had changed his plans? Or what if Danny had not gone with him in the end? Tucker wasn't sure if it would be such a good thing that Danny would be around right now. What if he reacted the same way as before? Yes, they were pretty sure Danny had been forced to treat them that badly. But what if something forced him to do it all over again? They would then have come here to just make things worse for his friend…

"Alright, look," Jazz said, breaking the tense silence as she and Sam had clearly been thinking pretty much the same thing as Tucker. "We can't assume anything. We just have to keep our eyes open. And if we see any hints of Vlad or Danny being here, we pull the plug on this plan right then and there, Okay? We still don't know what is forcing my little brother to be here; so we cannot risk making things worse for him. And as much as we all want to see and talk to him, we have to remember that we can't help him unless we get to the bottom of that fruit loop's scheme first."

The other two teens nodded their agreement, before Sam said, "I'm gonna go first. We have to make sure that Danny or **no one else** is down in the room below."

"Alright, but be careful, Sam," Jazz advised.

"Yeah," Tucker agreed. "Hopefully, if Vlad does have servants, they are not the ghost kind. But still, watch out."

Sam nodded, before Tucker helped her push down the lounge's pull-down stairs. As the flight of steps fell open, the younger girl looked at her companions one last time, before she gripped her ghost weapon harder and slowly began descending the stairs.

But when she reached the bottom, all with which she was met was darkness. "Tucker!" she whispered up the stairs. "Throw me the flashlight."

The boy quickly got it from Jazz and tossed it down. Sam easily caught it. The goth girl then quickly used it to look around her surroundings and immediately realized she was inside a very large walk-in closet.

"_Who the heck makes the entrance to a lounge inside a closest?" _she thought with a roll of her eyes. But then, she had to admit that it was a good way to secure anyone's privacy. The pull-down stairs were obviously well-hidden on the ceiling once they were drawn up. So, unless you knew about them, you would never find the private lounge.

She suddenly squelched the thought. She refused to like anything that had to do with Vlad Masters. And with a displeased frown on her face, she continued forward to the closet's door. She slowly opened it and peeked out; but the bedroom, too, was pitched black. And that was because the curtains were drawn in front of the large bedroom window and all the lights and even candles were out.

Stepping out slowly, she pointed the flashlight around the room and quickly confirmed it was empty. Her frowned deepened as she stared around and notice hints of this being **Danny's** room. But the main hint was that one of his white and red shirts was peeking out of one of the dresser's drawers.

Sam swallowed hard. She didn't even know exactly how that made her feel. But she knew she did not like it. It was just so unreal and almost scary to see how her best friend's 'prints' were all over this foreign room, making it appear like it was **his** room when she knew it **was** **not** _his_ room. And if she did not outright refuse to admit it, she would say that this unfamiliar room even had Danny's unique scent...

"Sam?"

The girl jolted at the unexpected voice behind her and she quickly had to stifle a shout of surprise. But turning around and seeing Tucker behind her, followed by Jazz and TJ, she glared at her male friend, and whispered, "Tucker, don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry, you took too long," Tucker replied with a shrug, before they turned to look at Jazz.

The older girl was also frowning strangely at the sight before her. But then without a word, she gave Sam TJ's leash and headed forward, straight to one of the closed rooms. She quickly checked them, going as far as turning the lights on within them. And the older girl soon found that the rooms led to a private study, an entertainment room, and a bathroom. And she could tell from various clues that her little brother had been in all of them at least once.

She gripped the ghost gun in her hand harder as she stared at the large bathroom. She had known it was true; but seeing it with her eyes just finally made it really hit home.

Her brother lived here. He lived with _Vlad Masters_. And for _far_ _too_ _long_, by the looks of it.

With a flash of anger, she suddenly slammed the bathroom door shut, jolting both of the other two younger teenagers.

"Jazz!" they scolded simultaneously.

The older girl quickly cringed, regretting letting her emotions get the better of her. She whispered a quick 'sorry' to Danny's friends before heading over to the bedroom's entrance.

Sam and Tucker shared a look, but they both understood how Jazz felt. They felt the same way. But this gave them even more determination to put an end to all this. Their friend **did not** belong here. And they refused to allow him to stay in this place for much longer!

As they traveled down the hall, Jazz, who was still holding the flashlight, turned it off and returned it to Tucker. They did not need it at the moment since the hallways were dimly lit by those same odd wall-mounted candle-lamp thingies she had remembered from before. The older girl then glanced down at TJ who looked to be in his own little world. Still, as long as he kept quiet and did not pull her forward too much, Jazz let him be. He probably thought all the new sights and smells were so exciting and interesting. He had no idea how dangerous or how grave all this was…

Jazz turned her eyes back to Sam and Tucker when they finally came to the main, double-flight stairs. Currently on the top floor and on the top of the stairs, the older teen's eyes darted to the left and then to the right before coming back to the stairs. Danny's sister could see that below was the castle's front entrance and foyer; and from her spying some time back, she now remembered that Vlad's second lab was just down these stairs. But then, Vlad's **secret** lab was in his private study…which was on the top floor---down the hallway to the _right_ of these stairs.

Jazz realized that they were now at that proverbial 'fork in the road'.

"I think we should go search the private lab first," Jazz said quietly, though her gaze stayed towards the main stairs. For a brief moment, flashes of the short time that she had stayed with Vlad came to her mind. He had been a 'caring uncle' up until he found out she had been tricking him… It was such a creepy thought to think of the man as anything else but the evil creep that he was. And the fact that he had her brother here now made the thought even more taboo…

"Jazz?"

The girl snapped out of her thought at the sound of Tucker's voice.

"Huh?" she asked.

He gave her a strange look before repeating his question. It was obvious that Danny's sister had not initially caught it. "I said, do you know where this private lab is?"

Being that Sam and Tucker had never been to Vlad Masters' castle, they were, of course, relying on Jazz's memory of the place for directions.

"Yes, I do. I discovered it during the whole nanobot thing," she told them---not knowing, of course, the irony of her mentioning the 'nanobots'.

Sam nodded. "Danny mentioned that. He said the reason Vlad had taken his dad's Ecto-skeleton after the whole Pariah Dark thing was to build a secret weapon; but then you two stopped him and destroyed it…"

"Yeah, Vlad keeps his secret experiments in that lab; so it's our best bet," Jazz replied quietly.

"So, Vlad has more than one lab?" Tucker asked, uncertain.

Jazz nodded. "There's one just down these stairs. But I've never been in there. I just know it's there because I saw Vlad go in once while I was here. He isn't as secretive with that one, so I'm not sure if we should even bother checking it…"

"Well, we better, just in case," Sam jumped in. "And maybe it will be even better if we split up to cover more ground."

Tucker's eyes widened. "Uh, why does that have 'bad idea' written all over it? Oh, wait, because it **is** a bad idea!"

"Tucker, keep it down," Sam quickly scolded, giving their surroundings a quick look around. "Just because we haven't run into anyone, doesn't mean we still can't. And as for your comment, I think it's a good idea. The more time we stay here, the more chance we have of running into trouble. If it worries you so much, I'll search the bottom lab and you and Jazz check the top one, okay?"

Jazz quickly frowned. "You are going alone? Okay, now I agree with Tucker."

Sam sighed in frustration. "Look, we are wasting time. I'll be fine. Actually, here, I'll take TJ with me. If anything, he can be my ears. Plus, I heard dogs and cats have a sixth-sense on supernatural stuff. Maybe he can act as my 'ghost sense'," the girl ended with a smirk.

Tucker gave her a 'yeah, right' look, while Jazz raised a condescending eyebrow. "Sam, TJ's a puppy. All he's going to do is point you towards the kitchen or alert you of anything that looks like a ball."

The boy perked up with the former comment about food and he quickly said, "Hey, maybe I should check the bottom lab with TJ…"

Sam rolled her eyes, before taking their makeshift leash from Jazz's hands. "We'll meet here at the stairs when we're finished."

Jazz and Tucker gave her an unsure look; but the stubborn goth girl did not let it sway her. She turned from them and began going down the stairs.

Tucker watched her go with TJ for a moment, before asking Jazz, "Maybe we should go after her?"

Jazz sighed before shaking her head. "She right, Tucker. This will make things quicker. And we've already wasted enough time arguing about it. Now, come on," she said, before continuing forward.

Tucker still looked unsure as he stared after his goth friend. But then with a sigh, he followed after Jazz, and they both headed pass the stairs towards Vlad's private study…

* * *

Sam looked around the foyer, noticing the many hallways and doors she could take. Perhaps she should have asked Jazz to be more specific about this… The girl frowned as she turned around and finally noticed the single door right in between the double flight of stairs.

"Or maybe there was no need for any more specificity," she said to herself with a small smile. She glanced at TJ, who had significantly relaxed now and was just looking around. That prompted her to look around, too, as she tightened her hold on the ghost weapon in her hand.

But not seeing anything out of place, she stepped forward and headed towards the door in question. As she slowly opened it, she quickly noticed the room's lights were also off.

But right then, TJ suddenly looked scared and began to pull against her when Sam began to enter the room. The puppy's reaction made her even more nervous, but the girl swallowed her fear and coaxed the dog forward with her. She searched in the dark for the light switch since Jazz had taken the flashlight; and after a moment, she found it and light finally flooded the room.

Sam closed the door behind her as she stared wide-eyed at the laboratory in front of her. It was huge and so high-tech! She hated to admit it, but the Fentons' lab could not compare to it. And what was more impressive was that the billionaire had **two** labs---and if the other that Jazz and Tucker were checking out was his **secret** lab, then it had to be even more striking than this one.

However, the girl's awe did not last very long, being that the things money could buy very rarely impressed her. A frown settled on her face as she spotted a ghost portal. Of course the man would have one. But it was closed. And by the metal seal across it, it was also obviously locked-down.

The fact eased Sam a bit. The sealed portal meant less of a chance that she and her companions could run into unfriendly ghosts. Or so, she hoped.

Turning her attention from the portal, she continued forward and went over to a small mainframe. It was off.

She looked down at the controls and frowned with unfamiliarity. Okay, maybe splitting up wasn't as great of an idea. She could not do much when it came to mainframes and tech stuff...

Her thoughts were interrupted when TJ suddenly yanked on the leash; and not having expected it, she almost fell over. TJ was a big puppy, but he was still a puppy and did not have as much strength as a full-grown large dog. So, she was able to quickly steady herself and hold the leash steadily.

"Stop," she said firmly. But when she saw what it was that the dog had his eyes on, she relented and allowed him to pull her over to what had caught his attention. It was a cage. And it kind of resembled the kind Skulker used; only it was bigger. It was also glowing, which told Sam it was ghost-proof.

As she stared at it, TJ just sniffed around it, and the girl felt a wave of foreboding wash over her as a dark thought came to her mind. What if in the time Danny had been here, Vlad had been torturing him? What if he was performing sick experiments on him? Wasn't that evil man good at that stuff?

Sam swallowed roughly as she tried to push away the mental images. She pulled TJ away from the cage, and headed over to different drawers and began to look through them. She was careful to not put anything out of place, so that Vlad did not suspect their being here. If they could, they were going to avoid him finding out that they were on to him. But as the girl continued to search, all she found were ghost weapons and strange concoctions. None of which gave her a clue as to what Vlad could be doing to keep Danny here.

She suddenly paused and looked around the lab. There was nothing suspicious here unless you counted the computer system. But that was something she could not access without her techno-loving friend.

She needed Tucker.

The thought made Sam frown. They had agreed that they would regroup at the top of the stairs when they were done. But the girl was not too keen on doing that anymore. No, it was better to go find Tucker and Jazz, especially now that she wanted her male friend to check out this computer system. So with that final thought, Sam began to head back out of the lab. But once again, TJ protested. He whined, now not wanting to **leave** the lab.

"What gives, TJ? You did not want to come _in_ here, and now you don't want to _leave_ here?" Sam muttered, rolling her eyes. So much for a 'sixth sense'.

Once more, she forced him to move forward. And before exiting, she quickly turned off the lights and then finally closed the lab door after them. As she walked up the stairs, she didn't notice the Dalmatian puppy glancing back nervously, his tail between his legs. For unlike the girl, TJ **did** notice the red eyes watching them from one of the many hallways….

* * *

A frown fell over Dazzler's face as his honey-brown eyes stared at the sealed ghost portal in his employer's **secret** lab. He had forgotten that the older half-ghost always locked it---as well as the other one in the bottom lab---when he left on extended trips.

Although he was feeling much more recuperated from his brawl with the younger hybrid just two days ago, Dazzler knew he needed to get to the Ghost Zone to fully recover his lost energy. He wanted to be at full strength when that runt and his employer returned. But now…

Dazzler sighed out of habit than necessity. But then he shrugged to himself, before muttering, "I suppose I will have to make a trip to the nearest graveyard to access the Ghost Zone…"

He turned from the sealed portal and headed out of his employer's lab and then his private study. Dazzler knew that if the older hybrid found him there, he would not be very happy with him. After all, it wasn't called a 'secret' lab and 'private' study for nothing.

Actually, Dazzler knew that it was to keep his privacy that the man had made a _second_ lab downstairs. That bottom one was meant for him and Vlad's other ghostly employees. Or rather, the ghost portal in that lab was meant for them to access the Ghost Zone as they pleased. The bottom lab itself the man rarely used; but very often had his closer allies meet him there to discuss whatever the reason for which he had called them.

Vlad's secret lab was most mostly for the man's own use---including the ghost portal there. But Dazzler knew that his employer, however, permitted Skulker free access to that lab as well. Still, the hunter only spent time in there while his employer was around. Otherwise, when Skulker did his own 'experiments' and 'building', he always used the **bottom** lab…

But speaking of that ghost… Dazzler had not seen him around lately…

As Dazzler walked down the hallway, he pondered that strange realization; but he was instantly pushed out of thought when he heard the sound of a foreign voice…

"Man, look at all this stuff! It must be awesome to be this loaded!" a young male's voice said in awe.

Dazzler instantly became invisible and darted into an adjacent hallway, just as the owner of the voice and someone else rounded the corner. He watched them curiously as they continued to talk…

"Keep it down, Tucker," Jazz replied more quietly, as she warily watched her surroundings. "And you do realize that we are sneaking around the house of an evil man with ghost powers that is not only keeping Danny here against his will somehow, but that he also has even more evil ghosts on his side, right? And yet, all you notice is how much stuff the creep has?" she asked incredulously.

"Well, actually, I was _trying_ to keep myself from remembering all that, Jazz. But, thanks for reminding me of just how much in danger I am right now. I feel totally calm now," Tucker said dryly.

"Ugh, let's just hurry up," the girl replied with a roll of her eyes.

Dazzler looked after them once they had passed him, but still stayed invisible just in case. He had not missed the ghost weapons they carried. And from their conversation, they were not at his employer's house through an invite…And… they knew the young hybrid…

The male shadow ghost grinned evilly as he recalled his sister's mentioning about the ghost boy having some pesky helpers…. _"So… these are the runt's little friends; or maybe the girl is his sister…How interesting… And __**convenient**__... "_

He usually preferred a ghost's life energy; but he had had human's before, too. They were not as satisfying and did not give him as much power as ghosts---and definitely not as much as **half**-ghosts---but they did make a good enough meal. And since there were two of them at the moment, they would make an _excellent_ one! Perhaps they would even be enough so that he would not have to go to the Ghost Zone to completely recover anymore ….

"_Not to mention, wasting that little runts 'helpers' will make me feel better for his messing up my plans in the forest…," _he then thought with delight, before invisibly following after Jazz and Tucker…

* * *

"Who's there?!" Sam demanded, raising her gun as she stared around an empty hallway on the top floor, after having gone up the stairs. TJ had been freaking out ever since they had left the lab; and now, the girl had clearly felt a drop in the surrounding temperature, something that happened commonly when a ghost was close by. And she had fought enough ghosts alongside her half-ghost friend to not ignore the goose-bumps that were now crawling on her skin.

But not getting a response, Sam tightened her grip on the ghost weapon and narrowed her eyes. She was sure something was following her. However, since she was not able to find what that 'something' was after a moment, she slowly turned and continued forward; though, she stayed even more vigilant than before. She knew it was only a matter of time for whatever entity was messing with her to reveal itself.

She swallowed a nervous lump in her throat as she looked around the many hallways. She was still looking for her dark-skinned friend and Danny's sister. But she now had no idea where she was, let alone where _they_ were. There were just so many hallways and she had not asked Jazz for directions to Vlad's private study...

But after some more searching, she came upon a double-door room. She paused and stared thoughtfully. Perhaps this was the private study that Jazz had said the lab was in….She moved to open it, only to find it was locked. She frowned. Okay, perhaps this wasn't it. After all, if Jazz and Tucker were inside, it wouldn't be locked.

Of course, the girl did not know she was currently looking at Vlad's dormitory---and not his study…

Sam sighed, before looking down at TJ and noticing he was staring intently to their left. She quickly looked in that direction, but found nothing there. And yet the puppy had his head slightly lowered, and was staring as if he could plainly see something there…

The girl briefly debated whether or not to shoot at the empty space. But then, if there was really nothing there, she would make herself known to whatever ghosts were in this castle---assuming again that there were any, that is…

Sam glanced indecisively down the hall on which she was currently; and it was then she noticed the last door at the very end was wide open. Hoping she had finally found her companions, she quickly coaxed TJ along and headed straight to the open doorway. She sighed in relief when she found herself in a fancy study. And by the parted chimney and descending staircase in between, Jazz and Tucker were already down in the lab.

The goth girl wasted no time and hurried to the stairs with the Dalmatian puppy. But before she could get to them, an echoing voice froze her completely in place.

"Do not go down there."

Sam's breath hitched as she slowly turned to face the entity now in the study with her. The human girl could only stare wide-eyed at the ghost girl standing at the door. She resembled a teenager but had a typical maid outfit on. But her red eyes were so piercing that Sam did not even realize when she lost her grip on TJ's leash. And she could not get herself to raise her weapon at the ghost.

Sam, of course, did not know she was staring at Niane.

But before the younger of Vlad's maids could say anymore, the goth girl jolted at a loud crash that suddenly came from inside the secret lab. Sam quickly snapped out of her shock and she instantly raised her weapon and fired a shot at Niane.

But to the goth girl's horror, a red shield appeared in front of the young maid without her so much as lifting a finger. Still, Sam fired again; but this time, she did not bother to see if her hit was successful or not. She quickly turned and raced down the stairs, shouting, "Jazz! Tucker!"

The young maid frowned as her shield absorbed the second energy blast and she saw the human girl bolt towards the lab. But Niane made no move to follow and instead looked down at the puppy that had been left behind.

TJ looked at a loss on how to react to the glowing entity in front of him. The dog knew the ghost had been following them the entire time; but now that she had revealed herself, the puppy was not sure what to do. He looked scared and yet he still tried to growl, though they sounded more like soft whines.

Ultimately, TJ did not get to decide. Niane slowly raised a hand and red energy poured out of it as she muttered, "Sorry, puppy."

* * *

Jazz and Tucker had wasted no time after they had reached Vlad's private study. The older girl had noticed the absence of the man's private laptop that he kept in the study. But it had not surprised her, as she figured Vlad Masters would not be dumb enough to leave his things out in the open again, especially when he was on a several day trip. Still, Jazz recalled very clearly how to open the man's secret lab. And so, she had quickly tilted back the right Golden Football on the fireplace; and in no time, the entrance of the lab revealed in front of them.

As they descended, Danny's sister quickly hit the lights before she started scouting the lab. Tucker, on the other hand, stared at the high-tech lab in wonder. It was a techno-geek's dream come true! And…

"Man, check out that mainframe!" the boy said in awe as he pulled towards the large machine, like metal to a magnet. "It's like the mother of all computer systems!"

Jazz looked over at him, but then frowned at the large computer system. She suddenly had a feeling that it contained the answer to this mystery. After all, the older hybrid very often invented things and used technology to carry out his evil schemes. He had kept all the information about the secret weapon and nanobot technology in his private computer that time back. So, who was to say there wasn't a good chance that he had something hidden in **this** large mainframe **now**?

"Tucker? Do you think you can turn it on and---" she began, but was cut off by the teenage boy.

"Way ahead of you, Jazz," he said with a smirk, having already whipped out his PDA to connect it to the mainframe. But when he had done that and began to attempt to turn on the foreign computer system, his eyes widened in surprise. "Whoa! This mainframe has so many security walls that it could probably make a virtual Great Wall of China!" he exclaimed quietly. But then his eyes narrowed a bit in challenge. He wasn't going to let this machine dethrone him of the title of 'techno-geek'!

But when he was just about to turn it on, an unexpected security wall popped up; and in an instant, fried his PDA.

"No! My PDA!" he moaned out in dismay.

Jazz quickly got closer and anxiously asked, "What happened? Can't you turn it on?"

Tucker cradled his little dead machine; but then with a small sniff, he put it back in his pocket, and finally answered the girl. "It has a solid security system, Jazz."

"And that gives us all the more reason to try to get it to work, Tucker. Obviously, Vlad has something in this computer that he does not want anyone seeing," Jazz said seriously.

The boy frowned, as he tried to forget about his fried PDA and focus on what they were doing. "Okay," he said with a sigh. "I can probably crack the system; but I will have to do it manually. So, I'm gonna need a couple of minutes." The boy didn't wait for a response; and after cracking his knuckles, he quickly turned his eyes on the mainframe's main consol and began to work.

Jazz watched him for a moment; but then her eyes began to wander. It was then that she noticed a lab table with a white blanket covering something under it. Instantly suspicious, the girl headed over to it to investigate. And when she lifted the cover enough to look under it, her eyebrows furrowed at the sight of the device—or devices under it. They almost looked like her father's ghost gloves---_almost_. **These** looked more evil and they gave her a sense of foreboding---maybe even, déjà-vu….

"Hey, Tucker," Jazz began as she turned to face him. But whatever she was going to say, slipped right out of her mind as she finally noticed something else. And it was lying on the far side of the mainframe's consol.

"Oh, my gosh…," she whispered as she quickly went to it.

Her tone of voice quickly got Tucker's attention. "What's up, Ja---," he began, but also trailed off when he saw what she had.

Jazz picked up the seemingly harmless black bracelet on the consol and stared at it in disbelief. She was positive that this was the same bracelet Danny had been wearing when they had found him here the first time! It was the same one Sam had claimed to have seen glow and change colors!---though currently, it was plain onyx.

"Tucker, is this---?"

"Yeah, it is," he cut her off. He remembered that bracelet very clearly, being that he and Sam had questioned Danny about it and had even inspected it when they had found it in their friend's room several days after his birthday and Jazz's first trip to the hospital. Of course, at that time, their half-ghost friend had said it was a birthday gift from Valerie. But they had long since found out that it was really from Vlad. But why wasn't Danny wearing it anymore? Furthermore, why would Vlad just leave it out in the open?

But neither Jazz nor Tucker knew that Vlad had removed it from Danny's person because it had been damaged with his power spike and his fight with Valerie back in Amity Park. They also did not know that the billionaire had asked Skulker to fix it with the intention of making the boy wear it again. But, of course, the whole thing with Walker had occurred, as well as the billionaire's fight with Skulker; and then finally, his truce with Danny. Ironically, Vlad had forgotten all about the device after all that---so much that he did not even realize he had left it out in the open….

"Tucker, this could very well be what we are looking for!" the older girl said with some excitement as she continued to study the device.

"But it makes no sense, Jazz," Tucker replied back. "If that bracelet is what Vlad is using to somehow make Danny stay here, then why doesn't Danny have it on anymore?"

Jazz was about to answer, but at that moment, a deep and calm voice interrupted her.

"You know, I am almost certain you two are not here through Mr. Masters' personal invite…."

Jazz and Tucker gasped, instantly snapping their heads in the direction of the foreign voice. And their eyes went wide when they found a slim man with honey-brown eyes and auburn, slick hair standing several feet away from them. Wearing a smooth, jock-like attire, he had his hands drawn back behind him, looking overconfident and almost _sinister_. That is, if his large eyes were not _so_ inviting…

Dazzler smiled calmly at the two stunned children. He knew they were at a loss of what to do with his abrupt appearance. And it was all he needed to take full advantage of them.

"_Is he… human?" _Both Jazz and Tucker thought; but for some reason, they could not bring themselves to voice the question. Actually, they could not even get themselves to move—or to even glance at each other. They were completely captured in this man's stare. So much that the weapons in their hands and the bracelet in Jazz's slipped right out of them, crashing on the floor, the sound echoing right out the lab's open stairway….

"So, then, just what exactly are you two little ones doing here?" Dazzler continued, taking a single step towards them, before briefly glancing down at the items they had dropped. "Are you acquainted with Mr. Masters…?" he asked calmly, locking his eyes on them again.

Jazz slowly open her mouth as she tried to get her brain to function. But at that instant, the sound of a weapon firing jolted everyone inside the lab. And the distraction had been enough to interrupt Dazzler's powers as his eyes darted to the entrance of the lab. Still, the two teenagers were left in a slight daze.

"_Jazz! Tucker!"_ Sam's voice shouted at them, just as the girl came rushing down the stairs.

Finally, Danny's sister and male friend completely snapped out of the lingering effects of Dazzler's power; and immediately, they realized what had happened to them. This 'man' was definitely **no** human!

But in that same instant, Sam gasped as she caught sight of Dazzler. And the ghost quickly used it to his advantage, immediately turning his honey-brown eyes a solid gold color as he looked right at her; and just as quickly, he captured the younger girl in his hypnotic stare.

"Sam!" Tucker shouted as he saw the girl's hands drop to her side, the weapon falling out of it. But because Dazzler was now using his powers openly, not even his voice snapped the girl out of her stupor.

Both Jazz and Tucker quickly remembered their weapons; but Dazzler had already anticipated their move; and briefly glancing at them, he lifted an arm towards them as he growled out, "Oh, no you don't."

A purple hue appeared around the light-green-eyed boy and the teal-eyed girl, instantly gluing them in place. They could not move! It was as if their bodies were no longer listening to them!

Dazzler smirked as he lowered his arm, though the glowing Jazz and Tucker remained unable to move. He calmly moved over to Sam, and stopped when he was just two feet from her. "Well, you sure are a surprise. A third human just for my enjoyment...."

"Leave her alone, you creepy dude!" Tucker yelled angrily as he fruitlessly struggled to move.

"It seems children now-a-days do not know how dangerous it is to be wondering around unknown places; and uninvited, no less," Dazzler commented to Sam with a mocking sigh, though he continued to size her up. He ignored the other two kids, knowing they were not going to do anything unless **he** decided otherwise.

Jazz grunted as she tried to get something in her to respond; but she could not even lift a finger. "Sam! Snap out of it!" she shouted fearfully, growing panicked. How did things go downhill so quickly? They were definitely not expecting something like this!

But even with the older girl's cry, the goth girl's unblinking eyes stayed glued to Dazzler's. What was this creature? Sam knew he was evil, that if she did not do something, he was going to do _something_ to _her_. But she could not get herself to response. She just couldn't get her eyes off him long enough to focus or give her brain some sort of command. She felt like a moth being reeled in by a bright light…

"No matter," Dazzler said with an almost amused shrug. "My employer will not mind if I teach you three a permanent lesson. Actually, I think he would approve. He is so very touchy about others touching **his** things…"

Dazzler lifted a hand and his usual gold mist began to pour out of it, slowly shaping into a claw-like form.

Sam's eyes filled with fear as the strange mist came at her and began to move around her, as if teasing her. But the 'clawed-hand' soon stopped in front of her, and began to spin, obviously searching for what Dazzler wanted from the girl: her life.

Jazz and Tucker were scared out of their mind; only able to watch as this evil ghost used his strange powers on their friend. And a shout came from Jazz's lips, followed by a 'no!' from Tucker when the brown-haired 'human' transformed into a dark, shadow-like ghost.

"Be patient, young ones. I will attend to you both shortly. Ah, found it," he suddenly added, as his gold eyes narrowed with delight. "Such a pretty human. Too bad," he said wickedly.

"SAM!" her friends' shouted, just as Dazzler's power entered the girl's chest. But as the girl's scream resonated through the lab; another cry echoed from outside the lab.

Faster than anyone could comprehend, TJ came zooming down the stairs, yelping for all he was worth. The puppy was so scared that he was blinded to everything else; and without his knowing it, he barreled right into Dazzler.

The controlling ghost only had time to gasp as the Dalmatian slammed right into him sending him to the ground. TJ only yelped louder in surprise as he lost his footing and rolled to a halt.

In that instant, all of Dazzler's influence had vanished and the three teenagers were freed from it. Jazz and Tucker ran to Sam, who had dropped to her knees, panting.

"Sam!" they shouted at her worriedly.

The goth girl hissed, clutching her chest. "What was that?" she gasped out. For a second, she felt like she was being torn from the inside-out.

"I don't know; but we gotta get out of here! Now!" Tucker said in a panic.

"Stupid creature!" Dazzler suddenly roared, turning his furious gaze on the dazed puppy. He quickly took aim at the dog and fired a strong beam of purple energy at him.

"NO!" the three teens cried out, unable to do a thing about it.

But before TJ could be harmed, a bright red hue appeared around Dazzler's energy beam and actually **switched** its direction in mid-flight. But just as quickly as it came, the red hue vanished and Dazzler's beam hit a far wall that cleanly absorbed the impact. Clearly, Vlad's lab was ghost proof.

Dazzler gasped in disbelief as he turned his head to look at who or what had been responsible for his miss. But when he saw Niane floating right at the top of the stairs, his eyes widened in disbelief. He quickly stood up as his surprise turned to anger. "What are you doing?!" he hissed at the maid, just as TJ, who had finally regained his senses, ran over to the three teenagers.

But before Dazzler could get an answer, a green ecto-blast caught him right in the stomach, sending him hurling into a lab table with a few beakers on top, and momentarily incapacitating him.

"That'll teach you to try to harm a defenseless animal!" Sam shouted angrily, her gun still smoking in her hand. She had wasted no time in picking up her weapon with the ghost's distraction.

"Sam, he just tried to waste you, too, remember?" Tucker said, not believing that his friend was angrier with the evil ghost's attempt to harm TJ rather than his attempt to harm _her. _

"Yeah, but** I** can defend myself! TJ can't!" Sam protested as she squatted down to quickly inspect the puppy. He seemed shaken up; but he didn't look hurt as she had feared when she had heard his initial scared cry. It seemed that other ghost---_**The other ghost!**_

Sam gasped as she jolted to her feet, and turned her gun on Niane, who had not moved an inch from her place at the top of the stairs."Who are you? What do you want?" the human girl demanded angrily.

Tucker and Jazz slowly backed up, trying to get to their guns near the mainframe without attracting attention. But the ghost girl's response quickly reminded the older girl of their _reason_ for being here…

"You should not be here," Niane said seriously, glancing only briefly at Jazz and Tucker when they picked up their guns and aimed it at her. But she did nothing to stop them, and just looked back at Sam.

The goth girl frowned deeply. Why wasn't she attacking? It made no sense. She had obviously been responsible for TJ's scare; and yet she still had kept him from being hurt just now by using her strange red power? What was this ghost up to?

As Niane and Sam remained in a standoff, Jazz quickly whispered over to Danny's male friend, "Tucker, we can't leave here until we get something! Otherwise, this will all have been a waste of time! This mainframe has to have _some_ clue as to what is going on! I just know it!"

"Well, what do you expect us to do, Jazz?" Tucker replied hurriedly. "We have two ghosts after us!"

Jazz glanced over at Niane, before looking over where Dazzler had fallen. She frowned when he saw he was finally stirring. "Sam and I will distract them. You get that computer system up, and find us something!" she said firmly.

"Alright," he said, giving her his gun and turning back to the computer screen. Jazz quickly got in front of him and aimed the two guns at Dazzler who had just stood up.

Dazzler glared over at Niane. "You are playing with fire, Niane. By interfering with my intentions, you are betraying our employer! And I can assure you, I will have him know of your treachery!"

The ghost maid just stared back icily. "Of course. You would know all about treachery, wouldn't you, Dazzler?"

The controlling ghost's eyes widened slightly. How did she know about that? But the shadow ghost gave it no further thought, and let his ghost energy pour through his hands.

Sam, who had taken advantage of the two ghosts' arguing, was now standing next to Jazz, her gun still aimed at Niane. Both girls covered Tucker, ready to blasts the two ghosts if they so much as moved an inch.

TJ had his attention to the ghost maid, clearly afraid of her. The dog was not about to forget anytime soon the bright light that had been abruptly shown into his face. It had freaked the poor dog out; though it had not harmed him in anyway.

But being that Niane was not doing anything threatening at the moment, the Dalmatian puppy's attention went to something else. He smelled something. And it smelled delightfully familiar! Suddenly forgetting all about what had happened a moment ago, TJ wagged his tail excitedly and ran over to find this known smell…

Right then, Dazzler broke the tension among everyone and fired his energy blasts at the teens. And unable to move since they were protecting Tucker, Sam and Jazz readily fired their own blasts at the incoming attack. The girls' gasped as the force of the collision almost knocked them down.

But before they could fire another round at the evil ghost, Dazzler stretched out his hands at them again; but this time, it was to use his controlling powers on them again.

Both Sam and Jazz instantly felt a strange power wash over them, leaving behind a glowing purple hue around their bodies that immobilized them once more. They did not know, of course, how Dazzler's powers worked. So, they realized too late that they instantly made things worse for themselves as they locked their shocked eyes on him…

In his shadow form, Dazzler glared at them with his honey-brown eyes and growled out, "You human brats are more trouble than your worth. Now, release your weapons."

The girls unwittingly felt their hands open and their weapons fell to the floor. Still, Dazzler was just controlling only their bodies now and not their minds yet. But he was so angry with the girls that he did not care how the boy with them was hiding behind them---or so he thought. He was determined to take care of them first; and then he would deal with the male brat!

"Tucker! Hurry up!" Sam still managed to whisper urgently at her friend as Dazzler approached them.

Niane just watched the scene unfolded, now doing nothing to aid the teenage girls. Ultimately, it was not her responsibility to do that. Her duties lied elsewhere… Still, she had noticed the human _boy's_ doings; but also did nothing about it, either. At least, not yet…

Dazzler smirked when he saw that the maid was not going to interfere anymore. His threat of telling their employer of what she was doing must have frightened her enough to back off.

Good.

"I know who you kids are. Danny Phantom's little friends and sister. I never thought I'd have the privilege of meeting you three," Dazzler said mockingly.

All the while, the male ghost continued to be unaware that Tucker was working away on the mainframe, as he remained hidden by his two female companions. And the boy was so close to doing what he wanted, too! Just one more security wall left and he would be able to turn on the computer system!

"Do you all have any last words? I'll gladly convey that little runt your messages," Dazzler said wickedly as his eyes finally turned bright gold.

Sam and Jazz could not reply as they were once more enchanted by the controlling ghost.

Niane, still watching the scene and Tucker, suddenly looked over at TJ, noticing his doings. But right then, Tucker finally cracked the security system and exclaimed, "I got it!"

But his words quickly got both ghosts' attention; and while Dazzler frowned in confusion, Niane slightly narrowed her eyes at the boy as she said, "No."

Tucker gasped in shock as a bright red hue began to encase the large mainframe, starting from the top and quickly moving down. As the strange energy reached the computer's consoles and keyboards, the entire system, which had just been booting up, froze. And just as quickly, it abruptly shut back down, and all of Tucker's work was in vain.

"No!" the boy shouted, before glaring over at Niane. But before he could do anything the three guns that had fallen to the ground suddenly became incased in that same red energy and flew upward under their own power. And as if they had minds of their own, the floating guns turned, one now aimed at Dazzler and the other two now aimed at the three teenagers.

The controlling ghost's eyes widened in disbelief and he took a wary step back. In his shock, he once more lost his control over the human girls. What kind of power was this? What kind of ghost was this young maid?!

Sam and Jazz had quickly snapped out of their stupor. But they were now frozen again with another type of fear. And Tucker could also do nothing but stare at the weapons aimed at them.

"You made a mistake in coming here," Niane said seriously, floating closer to the three humans, all the while ignoring Dazzler. "I will only tell you once. Leave. Right now. I will not let you fulfill your plans, children."

"Why?" Jazz demanded angrily. "So that we don't find out what Vlad's doing?! Well, you can help him all you want, but I will not let him get away with this! "

"You do not have a choice in the matter," Niane replied calmly, before the two guns aimed at the kids suddenly disintegrated under the red energy encasing them.

The teenagers---and even Dazzler who was still being held at gun point---gasped in fear. Jazz, Sam, and Tucker had never seen any ghost ever do something like that! Actually, they had also never seen a ghost with powers like the male shadow ghost!

"Tucker, get TJ," Sam whispered carefully as she kept her wary gaze on the girl ghost. At this point, even the goth teenager was forced to admit just how much danger they were in.

But just as she said this, the shield protecting the mainframe behind them suddenly moved off the machine and turned into a wall. And still without lifting a single finger, Niane instantly began to slowly make the red barrier come at Danny's friends and sister, forcing them towards her.

"Jazz, watch out!' Sam shouted at the older girl, who was completely floored by what she was seeing. But the goth girl, remembering what the red energy field had done to the guns, quickly grabbed Jazz by an arm and yanked her away before it could touch them.

Tucker reacted as well; and quickly spotting TJ, he wasted no time in grabbing the makeshift leash still on the dog and pulling him towards them. The puppy barely noticed since he was still very occupied with his new 'toy' he had sniffed out…

The three teenagers continued to take steps back as the red barrier continued to come at them. But they were forced to stop when they found themselves trapped in between Niane herself and the barrier.

But the ghost maid calmly floated towards them, and stopped a few feet from them. Right then the red shield vanished. "I am not interested in causing any of you harm. So, please, leave willingly."

The three teenagers looked at each other. And they all quickly understood they had no choice but to heed the ghost's warning. Her strange powers were foreign to them and they were now weaponless.

Sam narrowed her eyes at Niane as she angrily said, "You tell that rich jerk that we will get to the bottom of this! And that if he does anything to Danny, he'll be sorry!"

The maid frowned slightly; but did not reply.

Jazz glared at Niane as well; but unable to do anything, she moved passed her, and the other two teens with TJ followed after her. The young maid watched them head out; and once they were out of the lab, she turned her eyes back to Dazzler, finally allowing her powers to disintegrate the third ghost weapon that had still been aimed at him.

"I can see what you are now," Dazzler muttered after a moment of silence. "But then, what is a spirit like you doing serving under Vlad Plasmius?"

"I would tell you," Niane said coolly. "But someone as horrid as you could not possibly ever understand."

The maid looked around the lab, and frowned when she saw there was evidence of a battle. Not much; and perhaps after she cleaned up there would not be any real traces; but she was certain her employer would still notice---he was too good at perceiving things. So, there was no way he was not going to find out what had happened here. Or at least, he would demand to know. And she did not know what she was going to tell him. She did not want him finding out the truth about her…

"You do realize I am going to tell him everything?" Dazzler said, breaking the maid out of his thoughts as he narrowed his eyes at her.

"And you do realize that if you do, I will tell him everything about you?" Niane retorted, raising a challenging eyebrow. There was no point in pretending to be afraid of the ghost when there was no one here for whom to put on a show. And Dazzler had already seen enough for him to buy her 'act' ever again.

Dazzler's glare darkened and his eyes turn gold with his powers. "Are you blackmailing me?"

Niane frowned at the ghost's attempt to use his powers on her; but still replied, "I do what I must for my cause. So, save your energy, Dazzler. If you really do realize what I am, then, you should know your powers are useless against me. Then again, it's not hard to resist your powers. We both know you are only as strong as your victim's weaknesses make you."

"So, it's like that, then?" Dazzler quipped, smirking. "Alright, Spirit. I can keep a secret." But his gaze quickly darkened as he added, "However, if you cannot, then, you can be certain I will bring you down with me. In short, stay out of my way."

Niane watched Dazzler change into his more human appearance before he calmly headed out of the lab. Now alone, the girl glanced at the slight mess around her, thinking again how she would have to clean it up. Martha and Patricia would probably help her; but they would want to know what happened. She suppose she could tell them she scared off some human intruders and just leave Dazzler and the use of her unique powers out of it. On the other hand, she would have to tell George a bit more, being that he had also caught sight of the human girl named Sam while she had been downstairs. That, and he also knew about _what_ she was. George did not know her reasons for being here and did not know the _real_ truth about her, but he knew more than anyone else around here. Luckily, she knew that her secret was safe with him.

Pushing back her thoughts, the young maid returned to the matter at hand: getting rid of the young hybrid's loved ones. She could already tell they were a stubborn bunch. They sure did not heed to warnings. So, she knew she would have to use a more forceful persuasion. She had been completely serious when she had told them she **would not** allow them to carry out their plans.

Teleporting the distance, she hardly had any trouble finding the teenagers. She could _hear_ them loud and clear….

"What are we going to do, Jazz? You saw those ghosts! They were like… crazy!" Tucker said quietly, as they stood in a hallway on the second floor. He briefly noticed that TJ was chewing on something; but forgot about it when Jazz whispered her reply.

"If we leave now, we have nothing, Tucker! All this will have been in vain!"

"I know that!" Tucker said nervously. "But, I'll ask you again, what are we going to do? We can't access the mainframe and---"

"We have more weapons in the speeder!" Sam interrupted, sounding determined. "If these ghosts want a fight, we'll give them one!"

"Well, what about keeping on the low? What if Vlad does something to Danny when he finds out we were here? I really don't----What the heck are you eating, you flea bag?" Tucker abruptly said, as TJ's chewing jaws finally got too much to ignore.

Sam and Jazz also looked at the puppy and frowned in confusion. What was that in his mouth?

Jazz squatted down to see what it was, and her eyes widened when she saw just what TJ had in his mouth.

It was the black bracelet!

"TJ, at this instant, I take back every time I have called you a 'flea bag'," Tucker said with a grin when he, too, saw the piece of jewelry. The dog must have found it on the ground after it had fallen out of Jazz's hand!

"Oh, my gosh!" Sam exclaimed, not having known about Tucker and Jazz's finding of the bracelet until now. "It's the bracelet! But how did TJ get it! And why---"

"We can figure that out later," Tucker said hurriedly. "And I really mean **later**. Look!"

The girls gasped at seeing Niane walking towards them. But the three teenagers jolted when just as suddenly, a red energy field appeared in front of the ghost and it began to quickly move at them once more. This ghost really wanted them out!

"Okay, I can do _later_!" Sam squeaked, grabbing the leash from Jazz and quickly getting TJ on his feet. But when she pulled, the rope-slash-leash undid from off the collar, freeing the dog.

Sam cringed; and was about to grab the string to tie it on TJ's collar again; but before she could, Jazz grabbed her arm and pulled her forward. "No, time! TJ!" Jazz shouted, before bolting down the hallway.

The puppy instantly perked; and believing it was a game, he chased after Jazz, while Tucker and Sam took the rear. Both of Danny's friends nervously glanced back, confirming with their eyes that the red barrier was hurriedly moving at them, while Niane calmly followed after it.

But Sam and Tucker both knew they were in big trouble when they saw TJ's makeshift leash that had been left behind, disintegrate into nothing as soon as the red barrier passed over it.

"Jazz, move faster!" Tucker yelled, as she saw the older girl slowing down significantly. TJ, actually, had long since passed her, and was barking at the teenagers from a small distance away.

But although the girl tried to do just that, she could not keep her body from slowly slowing down. She was not supposed to be exerting herself like this. And her spinning head and weakening body was solid proof.

"Jazz, what's wrong?" Sam asked as she caught up to the girl and saw she looked pale.

"We have to get out of here," Jazz wheezed out, her insufficient amount of blood cells quickly leaving her oxygen-deprived.

Sam didn't say anything as she wrapped an arm around Jazz, while Tucker did the same on the opposite side of the older girl. They continued to move, not knowing that the energy field was now at their heels. But as they reached Danny's bedroom and darted inside, they realized they were short one member.

"Sam, take Jazz to the speeder, I'll go get TJ!" Tucker quickly said. And not giving her time to answer, he ran back out the door. He quickly spotted TJ at the end of the hallway, sniffing at some door at the very end of it. The boy also noticed that the girl ghost was now nowhere in sight----nor was her 'freaky shield' thing.

"TJ!" Tucker called quietly, glancing at the hallway warily, before taking off towards the dog. But as soon as he reached him, Niane reappeared again and so did her shield.

Tucker yelped as it appeared right at the door at which TJ had been sniffing, just inches from clipping one of his legs. But seeing the red field coming at him and TJ, Tucker grabbed the dog by the collar and yanked him forward.

But at that moment another shield appeared behind him and he was cornered in between both barriers. Tucker could only tense as Niane approached him, effortlessly passing through her own energy without it hurting her.

"There is one thing I would like you to understand before you leave, child," the maid spoke soberly. "You and your companions cannot help the young hybrid. It is admiring how you wish to do so. But it is futile."

"Yeah? And how would you know that?" Tucker asked, narrowing his eyes with suspicion.

"Because I have seen enough to know," she replied, seriously. "Now---" She lowered her shields and stepped to the side as a sign of allowing him to pass. "---take your leave. Your friend is a sweet boy. I would feel terrible if I was forced to harm someone for whom he cares."

Tucker looked unsurely at her. He didn't understand why she would care---especially when she had just been trying to waste them moments ago! But knowing better than to tempt a ghost, the boy nodded soberly and moved passed the girl ghost with TJ in tow.

Niane followed after him at a distance; but stayed in eye range to show him she was not going to leave him alone until they were all off of Masters' estate. As the three teenagers and the Dalmatian boarded the speeder and took off into the late afternoon sky, Niane let out a deep sigh, her calm demeanor finally vanishing.

"I am never going to hear the end of this," she muttered with a shake of her head.

* * *

On the other side of the world, night had now fallen over Berlin, Germany. The popular city was now a festival of lights, and its rivers had been turned into the night sky's mirrors. While some enjoyed the night life to the fullest, others had called it a day way before the moon took over the sky.

As for the half-ghosts, they did enjoy a bit of Berlin's night life, but had now returned to their current abode and had retired to their rooms to sleep. But although everything should have been peaceful after such an exhausting yet exciting day, Danny was caught in a struggle within his slumbering mind….

"_Danny, why are you doing this?!" Jazz exclaimed, although she sounded out of breath."You can't possibly want to stay here! We've been worried sick about you! Everyone's worried sick about you!"_

_Danny quickly stepped away from her before rising off the ground to prevent her from getting any closer. "Why don't you tell someone who cares?" he spat out, his gaze locked on his sister. Jazz's increasing ailments were not going unnoticed by Danny. And it was his notice of them that drove him to continue his cruel act. And it pushed him to take it to a darker new level._

"_Dude, you can't be serious!" Tucker cut in, "I know that you don't mean that. We're friends! And your letters--"_

_Danny's mocking laughter stop Tucker cold. But it also sent a chill down the half-ghost's back as he heard the laugh sound so much like his future, evil self's._

"_Oh, please," the young half-ghost said, his face falling into dark amusement. "I just wrote what I thought you wanted to hear. Don't tell me you guys fell for it."_

"_What?" Jazz asked in disbelief. _

_Danny folded his arms, regarding all three teens with a cold look, although his main focus was on his sister. "I never thought I'd have to spell something out for you, Jazz. But you don't seem to get it. I'm here because I want to be. I left because I wanted to. I wanted to get away from everything and everyone, __**including**__ you three. So, to make it plain and simple: leave. I don't want to see any of you again," he said cruelly._

"_Danny…I-I'm not leaving without you," Jazz said softly._

_Danny was panicking within, knowing he needed to get his friends and sister to leave before his arch-enemy hurt them. No, before __**he**__ hurt them. He could feel this twisted pleasure of causing harm to them swell within him. And he did not know why. And he also did not know how it happened, but he was now no longer himself. He was his evil self. He was Dark Phantom. And although he knew it was himself talking and smiling, it was like something else had taken control of his body and was talking through him. It was like he had…__**had **__**been over-shadowed by his evil self!**_

"_Yes. You. Are," Danny growled in his evil-self's voice, his hands igniting with ecto-energy._

"_D-Danny, p-please. I-It's me, Jazz. I'm your sister," he heard his sibling plead._

_But her words only brought forth more wicked thoughts and wants into Danny's mind. And he darkened his energy as he said, "Sister? I don't have a sister and I don't have friends! At least, not after tonight…"_

_The boy shuddered inside his mind as he let out a wicked laugh. But then suddenly he aimed his hands at his friends and sister and fired his energy._

"_NO!" he screamed inside his mind. But as his friends and sister's life-less bodies slammed into a wall, he turned around, locking gaze with a stunned-looking Vlad Masters._

"_What have you done?" he whispered. "You… killed your own loved ones…"_

"_Isn't that what you wanted? No, wait, you wanted __**me**__, right? Well, THIS is me!" Danny screamed at the man with evil glee, though it still sounded like his evil self. And before he could do anything about it, he fired his dark energy at the older hybrid, taking him out just like he had his loved ones._

"_So, much for second chances, eh, Danny?" his own voice mocked him, before he once more heard his evil self laughing._

"_No," the boy whimpered as he fell to his knees within his mind. But as the loud laughing of his evil-self continued, other voices began to whisper at him, accusing him, pleading at him…. _

"_Daniel! Pathetic little rat…_ _You will answer to me," Vlad's voice sneered._

"_Let's go, Jazz. That's not your brother," Tucker assured Jazz, his betrayed-filled eyes glaring at Danny. _

"_No, I can't leave him!" Jazz cried out. "Danny, you didn't mean to hurt us! You're not evil!"_

"_Of course, he is. It's only a matter of time," Clockwork echoed back._

"_How could you, Danny?" Sam whispered hatefully."After all we have done for you…?" _

_Tucker glared at him as he said, "I hope you don't mind if I say what you never did in your letters… Good-bye, Danny…Good-bye, Danny….Good-bye, Danny…"_

"NO, TUCKER!" Danny screamed as he jolted up on his bed in the middle of his pitch-black room. It took the boy a moment to realize it was all a dream. No, a memory. A memory _twisted_ by his inner fears…

Danny felt his throat constrict as he lowered his face into his hands, and whispered in the quiet room, "I'm sorry…"

The way he had treated his friends and sister that night was like a plague in his mind. It had subsided somewhat when he began to occupy his mind on other things. But the guilt and nightmares still came. But his nightmares had not been as bad as this in a while. But, why? Out of all times, why now? Why here? Why **this** night?

He had had such a nice day, too. Vlad had actually felt bad for ignoring him for all that time. And Danny could tell since the man had spent the rest of the day making it up to him. And now here he was, dreaming that he had **wasted** the guy---and his loved ones! How twisted was that? And why would he dream such a terrible thing? He would never do something like that, not even to Vlad!

"_So much for a second chance, eh, Danny?"_

Danny shuddered, almost physically hearing his evil self's voice again. But then, he felt a different wave of fear coil inside him.

"_Daniel?"_

The boy slowly looked up at his closed door upon hearing Vlad's concerned voice on the other side. He tried to calm himself; but his voice still cracked as he quietly replied, "Y-Yeah?"

There was a slight pause, before the man asked, _"Are you alright? I thought I heard you… scream…"_

Danny clenched his eyes close as he tried to get a grip on himself. And forcing himself to focus, he tried to make his voice sound irritated as he lied, "Why would I be screaming, Vlad? Believe it or not I was _sleeping. _That is, until you **just** woke me up."

But Vlad did not reply, and Danny tensed. He really did not want the man to come in here. He didn't need to look at himself to know that he looked terrible. He could feel he was soaked in sweat and that his skin was all clammy and his eyes puffy. The man would see in an instant he had been shaken by some nightmare. Or maybe the man already knew somehow… Was that why he wasn't saying anything?

Somehow, having Vlad know he had a nightmare made him feel even worse with embarrassment. The man probably thought he was acting like some irrational, silly child, who woke up at night crying and upset over something that wasn't even real. But that was just it; Danny's nightmares were **so real** to him…

But unable to bear the silence anymore, the boy spoke up, "Uh, Vlad?" Had the guy left?

"I'm sorry," Vlad finally replied, his uncharacteristically quiet voice confusing the teen. "Go back to sleep, Daniel. I will not bother you any longer…"

Danny sighed deeply as he heard the billionaire's soft, receding footsteps. And then the sound of a door opening and closing told the teen the man had returned to his own room again. The boy sat there on his bed for some time, his mind a jumbled mess that he could not even begin to sort.

But remembering where he was again, the teen glanced at the clock, showing it was pretty late already. Still, Danny was not very tired anymore. And deciding on a sudden idea, he got off his bed and went to change his sweaty clothing and splash some water on his face so that he did not look as horrible as he felt.

He knew a bit of fresh air would help him clear his mind. And although the best way to do that was to turn into Phantom and take a calming flight, he knew he couldn't. It was one of Vlad's rules. And although he had broken it earlier today just to get his attention, he really wasn't looking to get into trouble. Plus, Danny could kinda see where the man was coming from on that one.

Not wanting to alert Vlad that he was up, Danny used his ghost powers only enough to phase through his door and step out into the balcony without having to make any noise. He crossed his arms on the railing just as he solidified his form.

The light breeze felt wonderful against his tense body, and he smiled a bit as he stared out at the awesome city. The place at which they were staying really did provide an amazing view of Berlin. The boy had to admit, he was thankful for this opportunity. He knew that he probably would not have ever come here if it wasn't for the… circumstances.

And yet, the thought made him feel even guiltier. His loved ones were back in Amity, upset with his disappearance---and his friends and sister were probably angry for his rejecting them like he had that time… Actually, Spectra had said they hated him. And as much as he wanted to deny that completely, he knew they had enough reason to do so. But even more so, if they knew that he was actually having a good time when he shouldn't be…

But he just couldn't keep wallowing in grief. It was too painful. So, was it so wrong for him to try to find some happiness in all his suffering?

But that was just it. He tried. And he would succeed for moments at a time. But it never lasted. His guilt always returned. His heartache and despair always returned. And worse, so did his fears… He had thought that he had come to terms with his once dark future. But ever since Vlad made him leave Amity Park, the fear of turning into something so dark gripped at his being even more than ever. After all, no matter what he did, he could not forget that it was with similar circumstances as now that his evil self came to be…

Danny looked up at the star-lit sky, in hopes of pushing back the tightness swelling in his chest. The sky here also looked like a twinkling and infinite black sea. It was nice; but it did not compare to how clear it looked at Vlad's castle, out there in the open, away from the city and its lights…

And yet, it was because it did not compare, that it compared more to his real home, to Amity Park. Actually, the sky right now looked just like how it had the night he had taken his sister flying. That had been so long ago. But he still remembered it clearly. She had been so excited to be taken flying for the first time. And he had felt so happy to have been able to make her that happy; especially when she had been so upset about being in the hospital.

But then, it was that same day that he had messed up. It was that same day that he had made the mistake of ignoring his arch-enemy's warnings. And his sister had paid for it. He would never forget how it felt to see her dying in his arms. And he did not know what he would have done if she had. And all because of him…

Danny closed his eyes and took in a shaky breath. Why couldn't he find a moment of peace, even when he was thousands of miles away from his problems? But then the teen quickly remembered that the** cause** of his problems was just inside the very condo outside of which he was standing.

The boy opened his eyes, his face hardening as he let out a bitter sigh. At that moment, all the horrible things Vlad had done to him in these past months quickly replayed themselves in his mind. He had forgiven the man. Heck, he forgave him **every** day. But it did not make the things he did go away. And it did not make the fact that if given the incentive, the man would not hesitate to hurt his sister again. And he had to briefly wonder if Vlad really would be capable of…wasting her…

Everything the man had done to get him here echoed a definite 'yes' in his mind. Danny had been sure that he would waste his sister when all this started. But now…But now his heart whispered another thing. Now he wasn't sure if his arch-enemy was capable of wasting Jazz… or anyone else at that….

All these bitter and dark thoughts about Vlad were really leaving a bad taste in Danny's mouth. But he still couldn't hate him anymore. Somehow, something deep down kept tugging at him, kept preventing him from despising his arch-enemy like he should. And as he looked deeper inside himself, his heart quickly reminded him of his recent month with his arch-enemy. And, suddenly, just as vividly as he could see all the horrible things Vlad had done, he could just as vividly see the 'good things' he had done for him.

Even in his confusion that day, Danny had seen how afraid Vlad had been when Walker had taken him an inch from death. He remembered clearly how regretful he looked; how father-like he had been in trying to get him back on his feet again. He could not deny all the times the man had saved him lately. How he had been there when he needed someone to save **him** for once.

If there was one thing he had finally accepted, it was that Vlad cared for him. It was something the man was showing more and more. And Danny could see that the more he did, the more Vlad changed the way he treated him. But this also made Danny realize that he had never given the man a real chance to show that he cared until now…

But then, it was also Vlad's fault. Because even now, even when the guy was the only reason he had yet to give up completely, he was also the main reason he felt so helpless. The older hybrid might be keeping him safe; but he was also keeping him trapped.

He was his arch-enemy's caged bird. That was it, wasn't it? So, no matter how caring the man was, no matter the things he did, none of it would take away that fact. In the end, Danny was as happy as any bird could be within its prison…

Still with his arms on the railing, Danny buried his face in them. He really should hate Vlad. But he couldn't. Even when his memories made him want to, he could not. Because even the truth of his situation could not bury one larger truth: Vlad had changed. Not completely. But in **some** **way**, he had changed.

Or maybe… he just wanted to believe that. But Danny **needed** to believe that. Because, otherwise, he would not know what else to do. He needed that hope---whether it was false or not. He needed the distractions the man provided for him. And he needed someone to care—even if it was his arch-enemy.

But he also needed this so that he could keep his despair at bay. He couldn't live in his memories of his loved ones. They were slowly killing him. Maybe it was time to accept that they really were his past. Maybe it was time to let them go. After all, there was nothing he could do to bring them back to him… Nothing.

"Daniel?"

The teen jolted as he lifted his head to look back at Vlad. But when he saw worry and something akin to compassion on the man's face, the boy quickly looked away. He was now sure Vlad knew what was wrong with him. And it made Danny feel strange and uncomfortable.

But when the man did not say anything more, the teen bit his lip and glanced up at the sky, trying to find something to deter the awkwardness.

"Isn't it kinda late for you?" Danny muttered quietly, though he did not look at Vlad. "I mean, don't you have meeting in the morning again?"

But again, Vlad did not reply; though for some reason, the billionaire's expression had melded into sadness with the question. But the boy did not see that; and it did not project in the man's voice when he finally replied, "Make sure not to go off too far."

Danny finally looked back at Vlad; but the boy was clearly confused by the comment. What was the guy talking about?

"What?" was all he could ask.

Vlad's sadness had disappeared into a small smile when the boy had turned to address him. He raised an eyebrow at Daniel's confusion, before he calmly elaborated. "I believe you wanted to see 'the view' from above, yes? Or did you change your mind?" he added with a small hint of a playful smirk.

But the boy did something Vlad hadn't expected. Danny unconsciously frowned and turned away from him again. Vlad's lips tightened, but he couldn't make himself say or do anything more at the moment.

Danny grabbed the rails again, his mind even more awhirl. He thought he heard the man right. But now, he didn't know what to make of that. Weren't things bad enough without Vlad teasing him? Just _what_ did Vlad mean by that? Didn't he strictly forbid him from morphing? But then, that thought only made Danny feel even more anxious. That was right. He was forbidden. Forbidden to morph. Forbidden to use his powers like he should. Forbidden to do anything he really wanted. Forbidden to see his loved ones. What else did Vlad want to forbid him to do? Forbid him to even _think _about his loved ones? To even _breathe_?

Suddenly, Vlad was aware that Daniel's breathing had changed. It looked as if…as if the boy was trying to keep himself from crying. Somehow, that seemed to grip his heart with his own confusion and anxiety.

But Danny wasn't aware of how his breathing had changed; but then, he _did_ notice that his grip on the rails had tightened with his emotions. That was enough for him to make himself gain control again. After all, he swore he wouldn't ever let Vlad see him like this again. He drew in his lower lip and bit down hard on it, forcing himself to swallow any semblance of emotion. He didn't care what Vlad meant by that question. But he knew he had to answer the man. But before he could finally muster a response, Vlad spoke again. But there was something…strange about his voice…it was…not what Danny would have expected.

"Look, my boy," Vlad said, his voice more laden with melancholy than he thought. He didn't even expect the boy to look at him. "I brought you here to have a good time. And since you were so _fond_ of making your point at the zoo of how discreet you are when using your powers, then… then, I ought to… trust that you can continue to practice such caution and _still_ enjoy yourself as **you** see fit... "

Silence suddenly filled the night as Vlad waited for the boy's response. But Danny did not know what to say next. Was Vlad actually showing some trust towards him? It wasn't very likely… But maybe the man had finally understood that he was careful enough with his powers to not expose himself. Still, was he going to let him go off on his own? Or was the older hybrid going to come with him—to keep his eye on him?

But then, Danny thought about it in a different light. Why did it matter why Vlad had changed his mind about letting him use his powers? Flying would be good right now. It was the best way for him to get the cobwebs out of his head…and maybe to eventually help him get back to sleep. He turned around and faced the man again.

Danny partially closed one of his eyes, studying the man in suspicion just before he replied, "So, let me get this straight. You've now change _your _mind and you're actually allowing me to use my powers _here?_"

Vlad smirked a little as he quipped, "Well, not all of them. Just...Well, you get it."

"So, uh, why?" Danny said, still pressing the issue.

Vlad sighed slightly before replying with a touch of sadness, "Must you always be so difficult, my boy? Is it so hard to believe I simply wish to see you content?"

Danny scrunched his face in confusion at that tone in the man's voice again. But then, Danny finally understood that what the older hybrid was talking about was for _real._ And a genuine smile finally lit up his face, just as his energy rings lit up his form as they turned him into Phantom. The teen unconsciously floated off his feet; getting a bit closer to Vlad.

"You're not gonna come?" Danny asked, raising a perplexed eyebrow as his smile dimmed a bit when the man didn't morph.

But Vlad shook his head; though right after, a clever smirk curved on his lips. "I have already seen it, my boy."

"Of course," Danny said with a roll of his eyes, trying to feign irritation at the sudden memory. Vlad had initially shot down this idea on the plane ride, but now Danny realized that the man _had_ done it all along.

But then, the boy's full smile returned; he was clearly not that upset about anything anymore. He turned from the man and lifted up higher, ready to take off into Berlin's night sky, only to pause. He only briefly looked back at Vlad; but it was enough for the man to see the appreciative look on his face, and to hear the boy sincerely say, "Thanks, Vlad."

The billionaire silently watched the boy fly off; but a second later, he sadly whispered what he had been thinking in reply to the teen's gratitude.

"For what?"

The man let out a soft sigh trying to control his escalading emotions. But when that didn't work, he tried to focus back on the teen in the sky in hopes of calming down. The boy really did look like he belonged up there. While his black jumpsuit blended into the dark clouds, his ghost form's glow made him resemble one of the many stars up there. Actually, all that really gave the child away was his white hair. But then, when Vlad saw the boy fly off further way, heading towards the pale moon, he realized how well his hair blended with the white orb…and he was definitely right at home.

At that moment, Vlad understood why Danny so often took night flights and why. And he also finally realized why back at the castle, the boy liked to sit out there, near the stream, in the middle of nowhere.

Out there---and up there, there was nothing holding him down or tying him back. There was none of the responsibilities he had chosen with his decision of using his powers for good. And more importantly, there was no problems weighing him down.

Daniel was free out there.

And that was why he looked so natural in the sky. Because this boy, the young hybrid, was **meant** to be free. It was why fate had granted him his powers. Daniel was meant to soar---something he could not do at his side…

Vlad's hands suddenly gripped against the railing, unable to hold back his emotions any longer. He glared at the boy in the sky, though he really wasn't angry at him._ "How, Daniel? How can you look at me with anything but hate when you __**know**__ I'm responsible for your pain?"_

Why? Why couldn't he push down this _**guilt?!**_ Why wouldn't it leave him alone? Why did it have to explode inside him with every smile the boy gave him; with every look that didn't show an ounce of hatred towards him?

Blast! He had the boy at his side now, and he couldn't even fully enjoy that! It infuriated him to no end. But mostly, it frightened him…

As much as Vlad tried to fight against it, the boy's change was changing the way he thought about things. Daniels' actions were unwillingly making him question his own in the past months. And worse, the boy's forgiving attitude had him even questioning his _inability_ to forgive for all these many years now….

Vlad shook his head, his hands softening against the railing, but they remained there as he asked the frolicking boy in the sky, "How could you have chosen such a different path? What kind of person forgives someone for something like this? For taking away everything dear to them? What makes **you** so special, Daniel?"

Vlad stared sadly at the young hybrid for a moment longer. He was now so far away that he really did resemble one of the many stars. Or more specifically, a shooting star, since the child was moving and spinning so quickly.

But although the older hybrid could have watched him forever, the guilt was too much to bear. He silently turned from the boy and headed back in. With a deep sigh, the man regained control of his emotions again; allowing him to think logically about all this.

Of course, he knew what the **correct** **choice** was. But he had long since given up with trying to make them. It wasn't who he was anymore. His choices were now based on what was most convenient for **him**. And that was that.

The boy…The boy was his now. But Vlad knew Daniel was still suffering from his loved ones' absence. But he could fix that. It would take some time, but he would make the young hybrid forget all about them. He would prove to the boy that he did not need them to be happy.

Vlad paused; and just as he grabbed the handle on his bedroom door, he finally remembered the other person that mattered to him:

Maddie.

Or maybe, he had not forgotten about her at all. Maybe he was just trying to avoid too many thoughts of her. Because every time he thought of her, he remembered how much the woman he loved had to be suffering from her son's disappearance. And it was all his fault.

Vlad shook his head, trying to banish the thought. He really hated to be causing the love of his life so much pain. But… But Maddie had Jasmine. She even had that blasted Jack. Why couldn't _he_ have Daniel?

And maybe, maybe when he figured out how he was going to get Maddie at his side without losing Daniel in turn, things could finally be as they should. When he won Maddie's love, she could be with her little boy again. They would be a family---he wouldn't even mind Jasmine being with them, as annoying as she was at times.

But until then... He had already made his choice. He had made it from the moment he had acted on his plans all these months back. And nothing was going to change it. Nothing.

"I'm sorry, my dear Maddie. But I will not let your son go," he whispered soberly, before finally heading inside his room.

* * *

**Heh! So what do you guys think? Hope I stirred you in some way or another! Or floored you. That also works! :) But, okay, I also wanted to announce that candlelight, one of my readers and a writer here on fanfiction, started a small story based on CM. ('King, Queen, and Masters') It's very fun and emotional stuff! Check it out and leave a comment if you can! And, of course, I'm always happy to inspire other writers; especially when they inspire me with their support! So, thank you for that, Candlelight!**

**Also! I have to tell you guys about another fanart for my other story---Dawning of a Sun! You guys know they are my chocolate! And I'm always thrilled to share my goodies with everyone else! So, yeah, Fantasy93 drew a picture for 'DoaS' and it's Soooo cute! So, let her know what you think, kay? She already knows I love her so much for doing it for me! *glomps* The link is on my profile---which I updated recently *winks* But I'll write out the link here as well, kay?**

**Well, ta for now, my dear readers! And I should be able to review on this next round! **

***remove spaces and '()'***

**Candlelight's story link 'K,Q, & M' : h t t p (:)/ (/) w (w) w. fanfiction. net/s/5391111/1/King_Queen_and_Masters**

**Fantasy93's fanart linkto DoaS picture of lil' Ember and Danny : h t t p (:) (/) / s802 .photobucket. com/albums/yy308/FabbyFantasy93/**


	53. Chapter 52: Returning Discoveries

**Hello, my darling readers! Looks like I am a day late with this update. But, better late than never, eh? Heh. Okay, I'll finishing blathering below! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. However, the other characters not from the show are my own.**

* * *

**Chapter 52: Returning Discoveries**

It was eleven AM. Danny sat on the couch watching television and eating a large ice-cream sundae. He chuckled at the two fighting people on the screen in between large intakes of the frozen dessert.

"Man, these German dudes sure know how to fight!" he mumbled out. He still had no idea what they were saying, but it was what made the whole thing all the more hilarious and exciting.

But, suddenly, hearing a couple of voices behind him, he quickly glanced back at Jim and two other men that were packing up Vlad's and his things. Sadly, their time in Germany was up, and they were returning today. Jim had arrived early this morning to the condo just before Vlad left to some last-minute meeting---and had yet to return from that. But before the billionaire had left, he had given the ghost pilot specific instructions and also had informed him that he had hired two other men to help him get everything on the plane.

In spite of his claim of strictly coming on a business trip, Vlad, ultimately, had taken some leisure time after all. The teen wasn't sure what had made the man change his mind. But, now that he thought about it, ever since the zoo incident, Vlad had not only been paying more attention to him, but the man had also eased up on his strict business schedule. So much, in fact, that the guy had skipped some of those business plans in order to take him places; and in their outings, the billionaire had even taken the time to buy a couple of things along the way.

For example, yesterday, he was supposed to meet with the guy with whom he had been speaking over the phone at the zoo. But, instead, he canceled on him. And although Danny told him he didn't have to do that, the man just shrugged it off and said he could arrange it for a later time. So, without further argument over the billionaire's decision, Vlad and he headed out to visit various museums located near each other. There were five to be exact, and their location was conveniently called 'Museum Island.' Danny had never really cared for museums very much; but even he had found a lot of very cool things there.

But if the billionaire's actions were not surprising, the fact that he and Vlad had not argued again for the rest of the time that they have been here certainly was. Danny could not say he was happier for that. Arguing with anyone---but especially Vlad Masters---was just too draining for him. But although the guy could be very annoying at times, Danny had decided at some point along their trip that he was going to try to keep things this way when they got back to Wisconsin---even if it meant having to control his _own_ temper. Then again, **trying** not to fight with Vlad was one thing and **succeeding** was another…

Danny looked back at the TV again with a sigh. He didn't want to leave Germany. He didn't want to go back. He knew that his problems were waiting back for him in Wisconsin. And because those problems would still haunt him there, the teen felt that it probably wasn't going to be as easy to avoid fighting with Vlad as it had been here. Still, he really wanted to keep this sort of truce between them when they got back. After all, if they had managed to make that happen here, while they had been each other's **only** company, then it couldn't be _impossible_ to keep that calm when they returned back to 'real life.' It's not like in Wisconsin they would be spending any where near as much time with each other as they had these past four days… So, then, maybe it really wasn't going to be as hard as he was making it out….

A small smile returned to Danny's face as the last thought lifted his mood again. And even more so when he began to somewhat focus again on the show he was watching... Even if they had to return, he was still very glad he had agreed to come to Germany with Vlad. It had been a very enriching experience. Everything that he had done and seen he would probably remember for the rest of his life…

"No wonder you hardly eat, you are always spoiling your appetite with sweets."

Danny, who had just put another spoon-full of ice-cream in his mouth, quickly looked up at the sudden voice. And finding Vlad's slightly annoyed face looking down at him, he swallowed down the cold dessert before smirking at him. The fruit loop was back.

"What? Do you want some?" the teen asked innocently, mockingly lifting up the bowl of ice-cream and offering it to the man just to mess with him.

But instead of getting annoyed by Danny's mocking, as the teen had expected, Vlad's response caught him by surprise.

"As a matter of fact, **yes**, I would care for some…," the older hybrid replied off-handedly, before suddenly grabbing the bowl out of the teen's hands before he could be stopped.

"Hey!" Danny instantly protested as Vlad turned from him and headed to the kitchen with his dessert. The teen quickly jumped up from his seat and followed after the man as he continued to protest. "Come back here, you ice-cream bandit! I never said you could have mine!"

The billionaire just placed the bowl in the sink, before finally addressing the boy, "Get lunch first, Daniel," he told him sternly. "_Then_ you can eat a whole gallon of ice cream for all I care."

Danny scowled. Okay, well… maybe they still did have _small_ arguments.

"Alright, fine," Danny said, not as upset about it as he initially led on. But then a smile curled on his face again with his next thought and he added, "But I want pizza."

"Pizza?" Vlad repeated, a distasteful frown falling on his face.

"That's right, cheese head," the teen said, crossing his arms stubbornly. "Pizza. And you're eating that, too."

The man sighed in surrender, but nodded and reluctantly said, "Very well, Daniel." But then he raised an eyebrow at Danny as he compromised, "But only if it's Chinese for dinner."

Danny grinned wider. "I'm good with that."

Vlad gave him an amused look; but otherwise said nothing else and finally headed to his room to grab his final things. They needed to start heading out if they were going to do everything he had planned before their flight back…

Suddenly, Danny remembered that Vlad had said earlier that he would be back before ten. And, of course, it was past that. Now with that thought, the teen quickly followed after the man.

"So, what took you so long?" the teen asked conversationally once he had caught up with Vlad.

Vlad entered his room. And although the man left his door wide open to allow him in, Danny just leaned against the door's frame and crossed his arms as he waited for the man to reply.

"Aside from needing to put closure to my agreement with Vazier---as I mentioned to you," the man began. "---the committee also decided to discuss the details of a formal engagement that will be held to make the closure and partnership public. Actually, they might do it in Wisconsin..."

"Sounds like you're looking forward to that," Danny commented with a smirk, having noticed the slight annoyance in the billionaire's tone with the latter fact.

Vlad, who had just grabbed his traveling bag, turned to look at the boy and rolled his eyes at his mocking sarcasm. But the older hybrid's look quickly melded into a small smile, as he added, "But I also made another stop before returning… I got something for you."

Danny blinked at the man. But before he could say anything, Vlad moved passed him and headed back out of his room.

The boy hesitantly followed after him; and when he stopped beside the man, Danny finally noticed a medium-sized box sitting on top of a decorative table near the condo's entrance. Apparently, Vlad had placed it there when he came in.

The billionaire lowered his carrying bag and suitcase on the ground, before grabbing the box from the table and extending it to the teen. "Here, I had this made for you two days back. And, fortunately, it was ready by today," he informed him with the same calm smile.

Danny stared at the man for a bit more, clearly taken aback by his… surprise. But he soon lowered his eyes to the box and accepted it. The teen silently glanced at Vlad once more before heading over to the table to open it.

Vlad calmly followed after him, not noticing Jim's curious look as he paused with what he was doing upon hearing his employer's comment about his getting the child something. That was just plain bizarre, considering he had helped his employer himself with a plot against the young hybrid in the past. And now he was giving him gifts?

"_As I heard Skulker once say,"_ Jim thought dryly. _"Humans are strange."_ And with the thought, he went back to his work.

Meanwhile, Danny had opened the box. But he paused when he saw that whatever was inside was glowing.

"As you can see, fiber optics," Vlad explained. "It lights up. And you'll also see this is a particularly impressive feature at night."

Danny's eyebrows slightly creased with the man's comment. But now even more curious, he turned his attention back to the item inside the box. It only took another moment for him to pull it out. And when he did, his eyes widened in disbelief.

"Since you enjoyed the views here so much, I figured you'd like this," Vlad casually commented, though his smile grew a bit with the teen's look. The man internally felt relieved to see that Daniel was more surprised by the gift than anything else. And when considering his past experience with his giving the boy anything, which ended up with Daniel all but throwing his kind gestures back in his face, Vlad knew that the teen's now more positive reaction meant a lot…

Danny's shock finally also melted. And a smile slowly formed on the boy's face as he began to study the large crystal water globe in his hands. At the base, in large gold letters, it read 'Berlin, Germany'. But what really captivated the teen was what was inside the water-filled dome. It not only contained an expert replication of Berlin, but it also had most of the places they had visited on their stay here. The detail was simply amazing.

"Wow…," Danny said, now awed. But then he suddenly chucked when he noticed a specific detail within the crystal ornament. "Hey, even the giraffes are in here!"

Vlad smirked. "I highly doubt I could forget them."

Danny continued to study the globe, and finally noticed his full name engraved on the back of the base. But remembering the man who had given this to him, he turned his gaze back at him and smiled. "Thanks. It's really cool."

Vlad nodded and smiled back; but when he was about to reply, Jim's voice interrupted him

"Mr. Masters?"

The billionaire let out a strange little sigh; but he smiled calmly again; and placing a light hand on the boy's shoulder said, "Excuse me, Daniel." He then left to attend to his ghostly pilot---who looked anything but ghostly at the moment. "Yes, Jim?"

"Everything is packed and ready to be taken to the plane. Well, everything, except for yours and the kid's private belongings. Did you want me to take those to the plane now as well?"

Vlad shook his head. "Don't worry about the carrying bags. We will deal with those. Just have everything else inspectioned and checked out at the airport for me. And have the plane ready by six PM. We will not be departing until then."

"As you wish, sir," Jim replied with a nod, before looking over to the two men whom had been helping him. And with a quick gesture of his head, the ghost pilot said to them, "Okay, humans, let's get going."

Vlad instantly opened his mouth to reprimand the ghost about what he had just said when he was _supposed_ to be pretending to be as human as those two men. But remembering that the two men did not speak English, he decided against it and just rolled his eyes. Sometimes he wondered why he had such a strange ghost as his pilot.

He pushed the thought aside, and glanced back at the boy, who had just finished putting the globe back in its box. "Daniel? Gather your things, my boy. It's time to leave," he told him, before walking off to get his own things.

"Good, 'cause I'm hungry," Danny said more to himself before walking into his room. Having packed everything since morning, he just simply grabbed his duffle bag off the bed, slung it over his shoulder, and headed back out. He then grabbed the box with the globe off the table, holding the heavy object with both hands, before walking over to the door where Vlad was waiting.

The man raised an eyebrow as he asked, "Where are your shoes?"

"Huh? What do you mean, I..," Danny trailed off when he looked down and saw he was only wearing his socks. He had completely forgotten that he had taken off his shoes while watching TV on the couch.

"Heh. Guess I need them, huh?" the boy said meekly.

Vlad just smirked, before grabbing the box from the boy so he could go get his shoes.

In no time, Danny had his shoes on and was ready to go. "_Danke schön_," he thanked Vlad as he grabbed back the box, so that the man could comfortably carry his own briefcase, bag, and two sets of keys.

The man chuckled as they headed out towards the elevator. "Not bad, Daniel. What other phrases did you learn while here?"

"Let's see," Danny said, a smile on his face as he pondered the question. "I know, _Guten Tag_, _Das ist gut! Bitte, _…. Oh, and my favorite, _Käsekopf_…" (1)

Vlad rolled his eyes. "Cute, Daniel," he said dryly, at hearing the boy say 'Cheese Head' in German.

As they finally made it to the car, Danny grinned at the silver convertible they were taking this time. Out of the three cars Danny knew Vlad kept stored here in Germany, this one was his favorite. And he was sure, Carl would completely agree with him… But being that the ghostly chauffeur wasn't here, it was Vlad who was driving them around. For some reason the man had not cared to hire anyone to do that for him here. But it had been comical at first to see the billionaire behind the wheel---not because he couldn't drive, but because it was just a strange sight… But after the second day, Danny had gotten use to it. And he didn't really tease the man about it anymore.

It was then, though, that Danny noticed Jim loading the rest of their things in another larger car. Vlad had gone over to him and the other two men and was talking to them. But just as the older hybrid was giving the other two humans a decent sum of money for their help, Danny went over to them.

He smirked when Jim glared at him. Danny was too content to let the ghost's dislike for him bother him. Actually, he was feeling a bit daring…

"I will see you in a few hours, Jim," Vlad said to his employee, before looking once more at the two men and adding. _"Danke schön. Es war mir eine Ehre sie beide zu treffen."(2)_

_"Gleichfalls. Ich wünsche ihnen eine sichere Reise, Herr Masters,"(3)_ one of them replied, while the other nodded his agreement.

Vlad nodded, before looking down at the boy. "Ready, Daniel?"

Danny nodded, before grinning over at Jim and waving at him. "See you on the plane, Jimmy!" he said sweetly, before heading back to the convertible.

The ghost piloted jolted with that off-handed nickname. But he suddenly looked furious and exclaimed, "My name's not_ Jimmy_, you little---" But then, he abruptly cut himself off. He had caught the brief glare he got from his employer, which made him realize that his outburst had the two men with them staring warily at him. Without another word, Jim huffed indignantly before stomping off.

Vlad muttered something about the ghost, before heading over to Danny, who was looking after the angry Jim with mischief dancing in his **green** eyes. Hey, the ghost liked to mess with him. Why couldn't he do the same back?

"You're a little too bold for your own good sometimes, Daniel," Vlad said with a shake of his head as he opened the trunk so they could put their bags in.

"Hey, he started it," Danny replied with a smirk, after he put away his bag, but kept the globe.

But seeing Vlad roll his eyes and just silently head over to the driver side of the car, the teen's clever smile widened with his next idea, "Hey, Vlad?"

"Hmm?"

"This is a very sweet ride, by the way…I gotta say, you really have good taste in cars…"

Vlad scoffed. "Don't try to butter me up, Daniel. I'm not letting you drive," the man said in a-matter-of-factly voice before getting into the car.

"Why not?" Danny protested, after getting into the passenger side. He quickly turned back to put the box in the back seats, before adding, "I'm fifteen now. I can start learning."

"Yes, that's what I'm afraid of," Vlad muttered, as he pressed his finger against the finger-print activated ignition button.

It was Danny's turn to roll his eyes; but he dropped the subject---for now. As the billionaire took off, the teen strapped on his seat belt as he asked, "So, do you even know where a pizza place is at?"

"Honestly, Daniel," the man said with a slight condescending voice. "I am a **normal** person in spite your believing otherwise. So, yes, I do know where a pizzeria is located. I have even been _in_ one. And, yes, I have even _driven_ to one," he ended with dry sarcasm.

"Really?" the teen asked, still somewhat skeptical. He couldn't help it! It was so strange to think of Vlad as 'normal'. Okay, yes, he really wasn't 'normal'---just like he also wasn't exactly normal. But they both knew what they meant by 'normal'. Though what was strangest and most surprising to Danny was that in spite of the fact that the man was rich, renowned, and so refined all the time, he would do--and let him **see** him doing--mundane things.

The man sighed quietly, before muttering, "I have not always been the _rich and powerful Vlad Masters_, Daniel. And I have not always had the luxuries I do now." Vlad glanced at him and smiled slightly as he added, "I was a simple teenager like you at one point, too, my boy."

Danny blinked. "Wow… Hard to imagine."

Vlad sighed loudly in surrender. The child was impossible sometimes.

But that quickly curved a smile on the boy's face; and with a chuckle he said, "I'm just messing with you, Cheese Head! I know that you were a kid once, too. It's just weird for me, you know. I don't really know all that much about you… well, except lately and from what… my parents have told me." The teen trailed off, feeling a bit troubled when he suddenly mentioned his parents and the past months. But not wanting for things to get awkward, he quickly pushed past it, "So, yeah. Tell me something."

Vlad did notice the boy's waver in his voice; but his last comment got the man's attention and he raised a curious eyebrow at the boy. "You want me to tell you about my past?"

"Why not? We got time, right?" Danny replied, shrugging lightly.

Vlad turned his gaze back to the road, a brief silence enveloping the two half-ghosts. The older hybrid hardly even thought about his past anymore---and mostly because he did not want to. The few times he did think about it was when he would talk to Stephanie, being that they had grown up together. But even then, it was she who always brought up the topic. And, at times, it really bothered the man that she would. So, it wasn't hard to see why Vlad was more than reluctant to do so now with the young hybrid…

"Well…," he finally said with a small sigh. "There is not much to tell, my boy. I grew up in Florida and then I moved to Wisconsin to go to college."

Danny raised a skeptical eyebrow. That could **not** be **all** that there was… "Seriously? That's it?"

Vlad shot him a smirk. "Not all of us had such exciting lives at your age, dear boy."

Danny blushed for some reason. But he then shook his head. "Okay, so then tell me something 'exciting' you did. Or were you really such an ordinary guy?" the boy question, quirking an eyebrow.

Vlad chuckled. Of course he had done many things in his past. And there was much more to his past than he let on. But he was not comfortable with sharing it with the boy. It was honestly difficult to tell him anything. His past was just off limits to everyone---even Jack and Maddie did not know everything about it before they met in college. And what came _after_ his ghost powers was just too sensitive of a subject to touch with Daniel, being that it involved either his parents or things of which the boy would not really approve…

"I suppose my first visit to the Ghost Zone was… exciting," he began carefully as he finally decided on something that he could comfortably share with the boy. "It was a year after I had gotten my ghost powers. I was still in the hospital… They had stabilized me enough to keep my condition from being life-threatening as it had been at first…"

Vlad paused as a frown fell on his face. Alright. Maybe this was not the best story to tell the teen after all.

The boy briefly stared at him, having caught the slightest trace of bitterness with the man's talk about his 'condition'. Maybe asking about Vlad's past was a bad idea after all. But thinking of something else, Danny spoke up in hopes of lightening the mood before it got any heavier. "Is that when you met your ghost servants? On your first trip to the Ghost Zone?"

The man was mentally jolted from his heavy thoughts and was internally relieved with the chance to sway the topic somewhat. "Actually, no. I did not meet them until many years later. For example, I met George about ten years after gaining ghost powers. I had just established myself in the business world and the ghost 'world' by then. I had recently purchased my first home—which was my castle in Wisconsin. At the time, I was looking for allies, more than servants. I remember I decided to explore an unknown region of the Ghost Zone that day. And it was there that I unknowingly stepped into George's territory. I had briefly noticed his quiet cottage all alone on a small island. I did not think much of it at first and was planning on just continuing on. But the smell of food coming from the chimney caught my attention. Or, rather, the different colors of smoke rising from it…"

Vlad suddenly chuckled at the memory, turning Danny's lips upwards as well with his growing interest. "I suppose he had every right to attack me when I came into his house unannounced. However, I think what really angered him was that because of my intrusion, he got distracted long enough for this meal to burn. Yes, he was very upset with me."

Danny smirked, already able to imagine that from how obsessed the ghost chef was with what he did.

"It was then that I got the idea of using ghosts as my staff for my castle. I had originally thought of just hiring human staff. But I realized that it was too cumbersome and too dangerous for my ghost persona. So, after a little quarrel and some compliments about his cooking, I persuaded George to work for me," Vlad ended cleverly.

"Wow. And he has been with you ever since?" Danny asked, now understanding why Vlad's staff was so protective of the man. They were like family. They had to be after so many years of being together.

"Um-hmm," Vlad calmly answered as he made a turn at the traffic light.

Now, even more intrigued about Vlad's workers, Danny sat up straighter as he then asked, "Okay, so what about Niane and her sisters. When did you meet them?"

Vlad tilted his head slightly at the boy as he amusedly said, "Daniel, Martha and Patricia are **not** Niane's sisters."

The boy jolted with the news, but quickly replied, "What? But they said---"

"They were not being literal, my boy," Vlad interrupted him, his gaze on the road again. "Martha and Patricia are indeed sisters. But they are not related to Niane in any physical way. The reason they call her and she calls them that is because they have known each other for many years now. And, of course, they spend a great deal of time together. So, they have sort of adopted Niane as their sister. They care deeply for the girl. And vice-versa."

"Man, and all this time, I thought they were actually related. But that does make sense," Danny muttered, still slightly surprised.

"It's funny that you bring her up," Vlad said with a thoughtful look. "You see, it was on my first trip to the Ghost Zone that I met Niane. She is the first non-malignant ghost I met after I got my powers."

Now Danny looked even more shock by this news. "Seriously? You know her from _that_ long ago? How did you meet her?"

Vlad frowned slightly, unsure if he should go back to the topic about his years in the hospital. But deciding to just be careful with his words, the man finally began to tell the boy the story. "As I said, I had been in the hospital for about a year then. I suppose that would make me… twenty-two during that time. Yes… In any case, being that I was out of mortal danger, I was allowed to walk near the hospital's premises. And I was doing just that that day…Actually, I had gone into a secluded area so I could attempt to figure out my powers… It was still all very new to me… But it was there in that secluded area that it happened…"

"What happened?" Danny whispered in anticipation.

"A natural ghost portal formed a couple of feet in front of me," Vlad replied seriously. He paused as he lingered on the memory of his first year with his ghost powers…"You know," he said, his voice still sober but now more quiet. "---it must be some sort of cruel irony that it was I who ended up with ghost powers. I say that because I honestly never believed in the paranormal. I was skeptical at the most. And I only pursued the study of it because of your parents..."

Danny frowned at the slight bitterness that had returned to the man's voice. But before he could say anything, the man returned to the story with a lighter tone of voice, "So, I think you can imagine how shocked I was to discover a ghost portal." But in that moment, he added mentally to himself, _"Just not as shocked as I was to discover my ghost half..."_

Vlad shook his head, unknowingly getting a curious look from the teen, before continuing, "After all that time and effort your parents and I had put into researching this project. And then we had worked just as hard in trying to make **this **sort of gateway, the very thing we needed in order for us to learn more about this 'other world' in which your parents adamantly believed. And, ironically once more, there it was, _naturally_ swirling on its own in front of **me**."

The billionaire paused before muttering, "When people say that 'curiosity killed the cat', they are not kidding."

Danny couldn't help but smile in amusement at that. "So, you got curious and went in, didn't you?"

Vlad nodded. "That's right. It was just so strange to see a portal there—of all places. I… wanted to know if this 'other world' was true and if it was even close to any of the theories made about it. So, yes, I went in… only to wish I had not. The blasted opening closed right after I entered it. So, you could imagine how I felt about that unexpected turn of events. Still, I continued onward, trying to find a new way out. Except that before I could, I ran into some very hostile ghosts."

The man paused as he glanced at the teen, who was listening intently. "As you can understand, Daniel, I was not quite experienced with my powers yet. In fact, you know at least twice as much as I did after my own first year. See, my abilities did not manifest themselves right away. The ecto-acne was so weakening that they could not. I… I did not find out I had ghostly abilities until three months after my accident. Finding out something so life-altering is not exactly… easy to accept. It was stressful at best; but even more so because I was in a hospital. Not the easiest place to keep something like that a secret. It still amazes me that I managed to do just that in all my time there; especially when I did not have the luxury that you have of practicing on an every-day-basis. My training in that time was on the lines of just simply trying to keep enough control over them so that I would not disappear; or worse, phase through the floor."

"Yeah…that sure stinks," Danny muttered quietly. Perhaps if he had not gone through the same thing, he would have found Vlad's inability to control his powers funny. But he knew firsthand how frustrating and hard it had been at first. And that was even with his being able to practice with his powers every day while gaining experience through his constant ghost fights. But Vlad… he had not been able to really do any of that. He had been sick and in a hospital when his own powers were thrust into his hands….No, it wasn't in the least bit funny.

"I was also not experienced in any type of combat," Vlad continued, slightly annoyed with himself at remembering how weak he was back then.

Danny slightly cringed. "So, how did you manage to beat back those three ghosts?"

"I didn't," Vlad grumbled, glancing at the boy. "Quite the opposite. It did not take them very long to plow me into unconsciousness. As you know, when we are unconscious, our bodies instinctively cling to whatever form our surroundings demand. So, our ghost halves are the more natural of our two forms in the Ghost Zone," the man reminded him, though for some reason he kept his eyes locked on the road ahead. "However, I was so badly beaten by those ghosts during that encounter that my body was too weak to hold my ghost form as it should have. I actually turned human again…" But then, Vlad mentally added to himself, "…_Much like you did after Walker's attack." _

But Vlad did not let on anything was wrong as he looked briefly at the boy again and said, "I, honestly do not know what happened after that. But when I woke up, Niane was hovering over me, staring at me with those… red eyes of hers… I… asked Niane what had happened, but she just said that those 'wicked ghosts'--as she called them---were gone and that they would not harm me ever again… Apparently, she… saved me," Vlad ended, looking over at Danny again to see his reaction.

But the teen just frowned with uncertainty. Niane saved Vlad from three evil ghosts? The teen could not imagine that. After all, Niane just seem too…meek to attack or fight against anyone. Heck, he still remembered her reaction to Skulker during the time Vlad had locked him in that ghost cage and Niane had come to bring him something to eat….She had been scared out of her mind when Skulker had picked her up and pressed his blade against her neck!

"It's not that I don't believe you, Vlad," the teen began, his eyebrows furrowed deep in thought. "But… come on? Niane? She wouldn't hurt a fly, let alone beat back three ghosts. You really think she did that?"

Vlad frowned, though he looked uncertain himself. "I told you, Daniel. I do not know what happened. But… what other explanation is there?" The man shook his head. "In any case, it is how I met her. So, to summarize the rest, she helped me find a way out of the Ghost Zone and explained a few things to me about it while I was there. After that, I did not see her again until _several_ years later. Actually, _she_ came to my castle just after George, during the time I was looking for ghostly help. She simply offered her services to me….I hardly could say 'no' to her request…"

Vlad fell quiet as he thought about his youngest servant some more. He knew that there was more to her than met the eye. It was why he was so certain that she had saved him that day. He was certain that she was stronger and cleverer than she let on. But he respected her enough to allow her to keep her secrets. It was the least he could do after what she had done for him…

"I think I now get why she defends you so much," Danny muttered absently to himself.

But the billionaire caught the remark and quickly gave him a confused look. "What do you mean?"

The boy blinked up at the man, taking a moment to get what he was asking. But then, he realized Vlad had caught his comment; and he quickly looked away, a bit shy of telling his arch-enemy everything Niane had said to him.

"Uh...I mean, she, well, she seems to…understand you." Danny paused, but then looked back at Vlad as he suddenly asked, "If you and Niane go back such a long way, then…why aren't you two, well, close? I mean, I have never seen you two talk--_ever_. And every time she's around, she addresses me and not you. It's seriously weird."

But Vlad didn't seem to think anything of it and shrugged. "Daniel, I'm not interested in 'getting close' to her or anyone else that works for me. They are not my friends. I have never wanted them as that. But I cannot say that they are mere servants to me, either; especially after all these years. I see them as **acquaintances**. And that's enough for me."

"But… But they care about you! They defend you!" Danny protested, feeling more than a little bothered with Vlad's indifference.

"Daniel, I think you are confused," the man replied with a frown.

"I'm not confused! Did you forget how much time I spend with them?" Danny retorted, this time sounding just slightly angry. "Every time I was angry at you, they always sided with you! And Niane was the worse!"

Vlad chuckled lightly in spite of the boy's peeved mood. "Well, what else do you expect, dear boy? That they side with you? **I'm** the one who provides all their needs and much more. Of course, they are going to protect that. They are ghosts, Daniel. I think in all the time you have been around such beings, you have discovered that they are naturally obsessive. So, yes, you are mistaking their behavior. They are **not** defending _me_, let alone, do they _care_ about me. What you call 'care' is actually _possessiveness_. And what you call 'defending' is actually '_respect.' _They _respect_ me, Daniel."

But Danny was not convinced and he pressed on. "I know the difference, Vlad. As you said, I have been around ghosts long enough to see how obsessive they can be about things. Maybe you are right about _some_ of your workers. But, at least, I **know** that what Niane shows for you is not possessiveness or plain ol' respect. She cares."

"Daniel," Vlad said a bit pointedly, getting slightly frustrated with the boy's ridiculous claim. "That cannot be true. You know why? Because I, too, have noticed how she goes out of her way to avoid me. I can count on my fingers the number of times we have crossed more than a few words in the _many_ years that I have known her. Ever since she came to work for me, she has acted this way. If anything, I think she does not like me."

"And yet you're sure that she saved you when you first met her," Danny retorted, raising an unwavering eyebrow.

Vlad frowned. "Yes. But maybe she did so because I was not who I am now. Maybe she now just sees me as an 'evil ghost' and that is why she avoids me."

"No, Vlad. She does not think you're evil," Danny said seriously as Niane's words rang in his ears:

"_Just because he's evil in your eyes does not mean he's evil in everyone else's."_

The man was quiet for a moment, but then he creased his eyebrows in confusion at the teen as he finally said, "I do not understand your interest in what she thinks of or how feels about me, Daniel...Why does it matter? Or more importantly, why do you care?"

The boy glanced out the window. Why did he care? Why was he making such a big deal about this? It really wasn't any of his business, anyways. Vlad obviously did not care about Niane's intentions or feelings or whatever, so why did he?

"I… don't really understand it, either," he admitted quietly. "I, uh… I guess I'm just curious about her… Niane has been really nice to me. But her personality frustrates me sometimes. I just can't figure her out, you know. And I just thought that if I knew more about her, I'd understand why she acts and says certain things."

Vlad seemed to relax with that; and with a small sigh, he calmly replied, "Well, I'm afraid I cannot tell you anymore about her than what I have, Daniel. I could tell you that she's one of the cleverest ghosts I know, but I think you have realized that about her yourself. If you are looking to find out more about her history, then you will have to ask **her** that. I never have. I have no interest in what she does or did aside from her duties to me. All I ask of her---all I ask of all my ghostly employees---is for their loyalty."

Danny frowned at that, but decided not to say anything about it. Still, he did not understand how Vlad could be so disinterested about his ghost employees' lives when they had been at his side for **so many years!** And the teen further did not understand why the older hybrid was so sure, _so adamant _about denying that Niane and his other employees really **did** care about him. And how could he not care about them back? How are you **just** 'acquaintances' with those with whom you have shared much of your life?

However, Danny knew better than to dive into a debate like that with his arch-enemy. Still, he was still curious about the youngest maid. And he quickly voiced his next sudden thought. "Okay, I know that all ghosts have one obsession or another. But… But have you ever noticed how Niane isn't…?"

"Obsessive?" Vlad finished with a smirk. "Yes. Or, _so it seems_, my boy. Not all obsessions are as 'noticeable' as George's or that blasted Klemper," the man commented, rolling his eyes with the thought of the over-friendly ice ghost. "I have never seen any hints of an obsession from Niane. But then, in all fairness, I have never bothered to find out. And even if I did know it, it would mean as little to me as any of my other ghostly workers' obsessions. I let them do as they want as long as it doesn't interfere with their affairs with me," the man ended with a light shrug.

Danny couldn't help but frown again. Didn't it worry Vlad that his ghostly employees' obsessions could bring repercussion for him later on? Like, now, with…Da---

The boy suddenly tensed.

"What's wrong?" Vlad asked, glancing at the boy with slight worry.

Danny quickly shook his head, banishing his last thoughts before they could surface. "Nothing. Where were we? Oh, yeah. Niane's 'sisters'," the teen continued, smiling slightly. "Did they also come to your castle, like, Niane?"

Vlad smiled again. "Actually, yes. As I mentioned, George was the first ghost I employed for my home. Then, Niane came along. And a year later, Martha and Patricia arrived. And then, shortly after them, Derek appeared. Jim and Carl were the last. Jim…I met through some other acquaintances I had made in the Ghost Zone during those years. And as for Carl, well---" The billionaire smirked. "Would you believe me if I told you that there are racecar derbies in the Ghost Zone?"

Danny grinned. "Seriously? That's where you met Carl?" And getting a nod from the man, the teen chuckled and said, "Okay, you **gotta** tell me that story."

The billionaire chuckled himself. "Alright. Let's see… Ah, yes. I was on my way to…"

* * *

It had been a hard trip home for Jazz, Sam, and Tucker. They had not expected for their 'visit' to Vlad's castle to go as it had. They did not even know what worried them more: the fact that their friend---or brother---was surrounded by so many dangerous ghosts; or the fact that they had practically come back empty-handed.

But not wanting to be so pessimistic, the teens decided to focus back on what they did obtain: the bracelet. Unfortunately, they had to wait to get back home, being that Tucker's PDA had been fried, and Jazz was not feeling well from her overexertion during their close-call with Vlad's workers.

So, when they had returned late Sunday, they had all gone to their respective homes without many words. But Tucker had taken the bracelet with him to inspect that night…

But now, it was Monday and they had school back on their plate. Luckily, though, they were just about done with it for the day.

"Do you know how lucky I am that I got insurance on my PDA this time?"Tucker whispered over to Sam, as they sat in Mr. Lancer's class. "I was able to trade it out and even recover my files and programs from the fried one."

Sam nodded. "That's great, Tucker. But what about the bracelet, have you found anything, yet?"

"Cut me some slack, Sam," the teenage boy quickly protested. "I just got my new PDA working this morning. And I already told you what I found out about the bracelet on Sunday. I know it's not much, but I might get something more when I get the chance to link it to my PDA."

Sam nodded again, and fell silent as she thought about what Tucker had told her previously. Her friend had discovered that the bracelet was solely activated with a ghost's energy signature. They suspected it was keyed to their half-ghost friend; but they would not be sure about that until Tucker could access the miniature computer program on the bracelet---something he planned to do today…

"You know," Tucker suddenly said, interrupting her thoughts. "What worries me is that even if I can access the program, I might still not be able to get much on it. If we cannot activate the bracelet, it'll be like trying to work a computer while it's shut down."

Sam was about to respond when the class bell suddenly went off.

"Alright, students, remember, the exam is tomorrow," Mr. Lancer said over the scrambling of books and chairs. "I hope everyone does well; even if I don't have much hope for it for those who spend most of the time talking though my lecture." At saying this, he frowned disapprovingly at Sam and Tucker.

The teens slightly recoiled, while Tucker muttered, "Heh. I guess his sympathy for us since Danny left has reached its end."

"Come on. Let's go find Jazz," Sam then said, ignoring Mr. Lancer's stare. As they walked out of the class room, the girl continued, "I haven't even heard from her since we came back, Tucker. I'm kind of worried. She was feeling pretty bad after our close-call with those two vile ghosts."

Tucker frowned in thought. "Yeah… But don't you think she would have called if----?"

"Sam! Tucker!"

The two kids quickly spun around and instantly saw the person they had just been talking about quickly walking towards them.

"Jazz! Oh, man, are we glad to see you!" Tucker said with a relieved smile as the older girl made it to them.

"We thought you might not have come to school today or something," Sam added, also smiling.

Danny's sister shook her head. "No, I'm fine, you two. I was just really tired, which is why I didn't call or anything. So, did you two find anything?"

As they stepped out of the school, her brother's friends quickly caught her up on the information Tucker had found; and they then decided to meet up at Jazz's house in about an hour to study the device/bracelet some more. When they finally parted ways, the three kids did not see the two sets of invisible eyes belonging to two of Vlad's three ghost vultures which had been watching their every move...

The ghost birds had been in Amity Park ever since Jazz, Tucker, and Sam had discovered Danny's true whereabouts. They had gotten direct orders from Vlad to keep an eye on Daniel's family and friends. And although they never went inside their homes or got any closer to them than several feet, they had indeed been watching them ever since. So, of course, they knew about the teens' trip to their employer's house. But because they were afraid of being discovered, they had lingered outside the entire time the kids had been inside their employer's home. They then, of course, didn't know what had happened in there or that the three humans had the bracelet…

But they had heard the three teens talking about 'a bracelet' just now…

Perched on a tree on the school ground, one of the birds asked the other, "So, vhat do you think? Should ve head back and tell Plasmius about these kids going to his house?"

"Vell, I'm sure the ghosts in the castle vill tell him. I think ve better stay here and vatch these kids as he vanted," his companion replied.

"Okay. But then, ve should at least tell, Norbert," the first replied, referring to their third companion that was currently watching Maddie and Jack. The third ghost vulture had stayed behind to watch the ghost hunting couple for the past days, while the other two had followed after Jazz and Danny's friends.

"That is, if ve can find him," the second one answered. "I have not seen him since ve left him behind to vatch over that ghost hunter couple Plasmius is so interested about."

"Vell, maybe, ve should go find him now. These kids are going home; so they can't cause much trouble there, right?"

The other nodded in agreement. They glanced one last time at Jazz, Sam, and Tucker, whom had now split ways and were heading to their respective homes. But it was then that the first one commented, "Hey, vhat do you think they vere talking about when they said they needed to find out more about that 'black bracelet'?

The other vulture shrugged. "Beats me. Although they did say they got it from our employer's house… But vhy would they even steal jewelry from him?"

"Who knows!" the first ghost vulture finally said, "Plasmius told us to keep an eye on these kids and those two ghost hunters. So, anything else is not our problem. Come on, let's go find that lazy old bird. I don't even know vhy ve are friends vith him."

"I don't remember anymore. My memory started going after the first thousand years," the second replied conversationally.

"Yeah. Seems everything just goes downhill after the first century of age," the other agreed, before they finally took off in search of their third ghostly member…

Meanwhile, Jazz drove home. But when she got there, she quickly noted that the Assault Vehicle was gone. "Mom and Dad must have left early to go ghost haunting," she muttered as she parked in the driveway.

Her thoughts drifted as she stepped out of the car and heard TJ's barking from the backyard. "I'm coming!" she told him as she headed into the house. She then went straight past the kitchen and the lab, finally reaching the patio glass door. She smiled at the puppy wagging his tail at her on the other side.

As soon as she opened the door, TJ came dashing in and greeted her with excited yaps and jumps of joy. "Yeah, I'm happy to see you, too," she told him, momentarily giving him affection. "Come on," she then told him as she headed back to the stairs.

She dropped off her books in her room before returning downstairs to get a drink. Of course, the Dalmatian dog was following her every move. The girl silently quenched her thirst, before looking down at TJ who was sitting down and staring up intently at her.

"Oh, right," Jazz said with a small smile. Turning around, she grabbed a box out of one of the cupboards before pulling out a treat. The puppy quickly got excited and hungrily took the treat, gobbling it up in seconds.

"We really do need to work on your manners," the girl commented with a slightly disgusted look. But she quickly dismissed it, and decided to check up on something else, before heading back up stairs to work on homework. Danny's friends would not be here for some time, anyways. So, she might as well use her time wisely.

Getting to the lab, she opened the door and walked down the steps. She looked around, confirming that indeed her parents were out ghost hunting by the lack of weapons. Her dad had done a pretty good job of fixing up a noticeable amount of them after he had destroyed them during his emotional breakdown.

Jazz slightly frowned at the memory of that day. At least it had helped her parents finally cope and speak to each other about everything that was going on instead of keeping their emotions bottled up. It had worried her deeply how distant they had become with Danny's disappearance at one point. But, luckily, they had gotten over that hump and they were now closer than ever. Still, it filled her with so much anger to know how close Vlad Masters had come to splitting them up; and by using the lowest of tactics, no less. By all but kidnapping her brother, that evil man had torn her family apart to the point that it had almost left permanent damage. But although Vlad had not succeeded with tearing her parents apart, he was effectively keeping her family divided by keeping her little brother away from them. It was getting harder with every passing day to not give in to her desperation and just tell her parents the truth about Danny.

The only two thing that kept her from doing that was her respect for her little brother and fear of the repercussions of divulging that secret…

Jazz sighed as she glanced over at the portal when she saw TJ sniffing around it. She had to admit, Vlad's current scheme was one of---if not _the_ most---intricate and well-thought out one that she had seen from the man yet. She knew they were missing something vital. But every time she felt that she and Danny's friends were close to discovering what that was, it would slip through their fingers like water. It was like, like, he was several steps ahead of them…

"Maybe…Maybe more than we know…," she suddenly whispered as she noticed something at that very moment thanks to the puppy moving about close to the portal.

The girl slowly walked closer to the closed portal, her eyes widening and her breath hitching as she got more and more certain that she was not imagining things. At the moment, because the portal was shut down, the green bulbs surrounding it weren't aglow... So, then why was one of them blinking strangely?

She slowly lifted her hand in front of the bulb in question and waved her hand just as slowly.

"Oh my gosh," she said a little louder as the bulb dimly blinked **in time** with her hand movements---just like the bulb had been doing with every one of TJ's movements.

Only that Jazz was sure it was no bulb. It was a sensor. Or a… _camera_…

And she was also sure her parents had **not** put it there.

"That creep," she hissed, as her eyes slowly narrowing. "That's how he's doing it…. He's been watching us this whole time!" she suddenly exclaimed.

Of course, she referred to Vlad. And she was right. The billionaire had long since installed a hidden camera among other things… And although originally they had been meant to keep an eye on Jack, so that Fright Knight could get the chance to finish him off the second he stepped into the Ghost Zone, that plan had also long since failed. It had failed for the billionaire the moment that Danny's friends and sister found out about the young hybrid's whereabouts. After all, they now knew the man was behind the young hybrid's disappearance; so they would have easily pinned him as the one responsible if something had happened to Jack. And that meant the billionaire would have lost everything—including Danny and Maddie… Ultimately, of course, Jack had not fallen into Vlad's trap, so the billionaire had had no choice but to call off the hit on his former friend…

Still, the alterations Vlad had made to certain things around the Fenton lab were still in place. And when it came to the hidden camera, it was still of use. Well… up till now…

Jazz silently fumed for a moment longer. But, suddenly, she felt very scared. What else had Vlad been doing behind their backs? If he had come to her house without their knowing, what else had he done?

The thought had her quickly pulling out her cell phone and dialing Sam's number. After the second ring, the younger girl picked up, and Jazz quickly spoke into it, "Sam, do you think you and Tucker could get here, like, now? There is something you two have to see…. No, I can't tell you right now. It's best that you come see it first... Okay, bye."

Jazz hung up the phone and stared back at the dimly blinking device. They would have to inspect the entire house from head to toe now. And, luckily, her parents were out, so they could do that without trouble. But knowing that Vlad was watching, them… No. her parents… or just her father? Either way, she was now sure the man was not planning on stopping with just taking Danny from them. He was after her mother or father---or** both**.

"You think that because Danny's not here you can come after them, don't you, you creep?" Jazz growled, glaring at the blinking bulb. "Then, I'm going to prove you wrong."

* * *

Danny couldn't keep it in any longer. He suddenly began laughing at his arch-enemy. "Dude! You're so weird!"

"I fail to understand what you find so amusing, Daniel. Just as I fail to see why I am _weird_," Vlad muttered, slightly annoyed, as he lowered his fork and knife.

The teen calmed enough to reply, "Vlad, seriously, who eats _pizza_ with a fork and knife?" He chuckled a bit more, before grabbing the slice of pizza on his own plate and lifting it up in demonstration. "Look, _pizza_ is meant to be eaten like this."

Vlad raised a condescending eyebrow as he watched the boy take a bite out of his pizza while holding it with both hands. "Uh-huh. And can you see the mess on your hands thanks to your _expertise?"_ the man retorted.

Danny lowered his pizza before looking at his sauce-and-grease-covered hands. But the teen just smirked cleverly as the billionaire as he replied, "That's an easy fix..."

Vlad's jaw fell open in disbelief as the younger hybrid began to lick his fingers clean. But the man's expression quickly melded into disgust, which also colored his voice as he said, "Ugh…I think I just lost what little appetite I had…"

Danny laughed again, before pointing one of his still somewhat dirty fingers at the man and replying, "Too bad, _Unkie Vlad_. You made me eat at the sea food restaurant I didn't like yesterday, remember? So, guess what? You're stuck here. Now, you gotta eat pizza whether you want to or not."

"Well, aren't we demanding?" Vlad commented, slightly narrowing his eyes, though it was mainly in a teasing way.

"I like to think of it as a _good_ _business_," Danny quipped with a smirk. And seeing the billionaire raise an amused eyebrow at him, he added, "What? You didn't think you could drag me to all your companies without me learning something about the business world, did you?"

"Hmm… touché, little badger," the man said with a small chuckle. "But I hardly _dragged_ you. If I recall correctly, you were more than eager to tag along on that outing---and this one. So much that when you went to DALV, you were almost arrested for getting a tad too curious… As for here, let's not forget how 'well' you spoke to my business partner on the phone just a few days ago…"

Danny blushed a bit; but then he gave the man a small benign glare. "Resorting to embarrassing comments now?

Vlad grinned. "Just good business."

"I walked right into that one, didn't I?" Danny grumbled; and seeing the man's smug smile grow, the boy rolled his eyes and took a bite of his pizza again. But right after, his chance for payback presented itself and he quickly lowered his pizza before licking his fingers clean again. The man's reaction put an evil and triumphant smile on Danny's face.

"Daniel, stop! That's so unsanitary!" Vlad protested, grossed out again.

"What? This?" the teen asked innocently before repeating his actions just to annoy his arch-enemy.

Feeling his stomach flip, Vlad quickly grabbed his cold tea and took a swig of it.

"Hey now, that's not good etiquette, _Masters_," Danny said with a smirk. "What if there's a paparazzi watching you right now, huh?"

"They would be too appalled by your manners to notice me," the billionaire replied with a slight scowl.

"Whatever, cheese head," Danny said with a half-annoyed half-amuse roll of his eyes. "But, okay, I'll stop.

Vlad was too relieved by the news to say anything back. Best not provoke the boy to do something more that would be revolting. After all, he needed to conserve some of his appetite if he was going to keep down the greasy thing on his plate called 'food.' The thought made his stomach lurch just slightly, but he quickly pushed the thought away.

Danny quietly chuckled as he saw Vlad reluctantly pick up his utensils again and continue eating his pizza. But that prompted the teen to turn his eyes to his unused fork and knife beside his own plate. With a smirk, he cleared his throat, getting the man's attention.

"So, how's this?" Danny asked, placing his napkin neatly on his lap, before picking up his fork and knife. "Am I sophisticated enough for you?" The boy then cut a small piece of pizza; and mocking elegance, he put the fork in his mouth and chewed the small piece slowly, before finally dabbing the corner of his mouth with his napkin.

The entire time, Vlad just watched him with an amused smile. And it was only when the teen lowered his napkin to his lap again and looked expectantly at him that the billionaire replied, "Not too shabby, my boy. Then again…you are holding your fork incorrectly and using your salad fork, at that," he pointed out smugly.

Danny's own smug look change to surprise as he stared over to Vlad's hands and noticed what he was saying was true. But the boy smiled again as he shrugged and replied, "Whatever. It works just as well."

Vlad chuckled as the teen continued to eat with the utensils as they were. "If you say so, dear boy."

"I do say so," Danny said, pointing his fork at him. "But you obviously don't think so. So, then, tell me, what's the difference?"

Vlad looked down at his own utensils and plate; but they were not exactly the best examples to teach the boy about proper food etiquette. "Well, a pizza parlor is hardly the place to learn _the_ _difference_, Daniel. So, then, how about we wait until we get back to the castle? I can easily teach you, then."

"Sounds good," Danny replied with a nod. But he then raised an eyebrow as he added, "But no matter what you say, I will still prefer to eat pizza the **normal** way."

Vlad rolled his eyes as the boy pushed aside his utensils and returned to eating his pizza with his hands. But deciding to change the topic to avoid feeling sick again, the man informed the boy, "After we finish here, I need to make a stop at that gallery we visited yesterday. As you know, I bought a painting there that they said should be ready by today. However, I think I will just request for it to be delivered since it's so fragile and it might be damaged without proper care."

Danny nodded, recalling the scenic painting of the Spree River that the man had picked out. But since it had not been for sale, the artist agreed to make another, more detailed one just for the billionaire. Then again, with the amount of money Vlad had paid for it, he was sure the artist would have happily made him ten more.

But the thought pushed another thought forward; one that he had been silently wondering for a bit of time. "Not that it's any of my business what you spend your money on, but why more decorations? Don't you have enough at your house, already?" he questioned quizzically.

Vlad arched his eyebrow at the question. "Think about what you have said, Daniel. And then tell me, do you really want me to answer that?"

It took Danny a moment. But when he finally got what his arch-enemy was hinting at, his eyes slightly widened before he looked down at his drink. He had forgotten about the things that had been destroyed during his fights with Vlad in the castle. The man had replaced the more essential things, but the decorations and painting on the walls in some places were gone. Great. Now things were awkward again. Clearly, there were still a lot of things they could not talk about…

"In any case," Vlad suddenly said when the boy had grown quiet. "I have been planning on remodeling my home for some time now. See, I have a few ideas…," the main commented, though he trailed off as the subterranean laboratory he was hoping to build some day came to mind…

"Oh, well, that's good, I guess," Danny muttered, not really listening to what the man had said. But deciding to push aside his remaining uncertainty, he asked a different question. "Okay, so, then, do you always buy things around here?"

Vlad shrugged lightly. "I enjoy the culture and art here in Germany. It's very unique. But the last time I came here, which was two years back on a business trip with Stephanie, I hardly did as much 'sightseeing' as this time---let alone any 'shopping.' It was all business… as I had _originally_ intended this time around as well…"

The last comment made Danny feel a bit uneasy yet again. But this was a very different kind of uneasiness, and it rang in his voice as he looked away and muttered, "Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt your---"

But Vlad cut him off. "Sorry? Nonsense, Daniel. You have nothing for which to apologize. I… sometimes forget that you have different needs than I do. So, if anything, _I _should apologize _and_ thank you for putting up with my ignorance these past days. But I do hope that, over all, you did enjoy yourself here…" he finished sincerely as he watched the boy's face for a response.

Danny nodded and smiled. It was nice to hear the older hybrid talk so sincerely… It was so rare when he did… And the teen couldn't help but reply in the same way. "I did, Vlad. And I really appreciate you bringing me. You… didn't have to but…you did and you also even put up with my…um, temper. So, thanks."

"Hmm… well, I'll have to agree with the 'temper' part," Vlad teased with a smirk, quickly changing the mood.

"Yeah? Well, then, I'll have to agree with the 'ignorance' part of your earlier comment," the boy smugly retorted, internally relieved that their brief heart-to-heart had not become too awkward.

The man chuckled again; the boy's company really was refreshing… "Well, now all I have to worry about is how to tell Stephanie I did not accomplish everything I was supposed to in these past days," he said with a small dramatic sigh that proved he wasn't _really_ worried about it. "Then again, I can always use you as an excuse. The woman likes you; so she might go easy on me."

The comment pushed all of Danny's previous thoughts away as he burst into a laugh.

"Dude! Are you telling me that you're afraid of your own secretary?"

"Daniel, having fear of triggering a woman's wrath is something that all wise men should have. Remember that," Vlad said seriously.

Danny just laughed some more. "Whoa. That's deep. Heh. But I think I kinda know what you mean."

Vlad smirked again. But then, suddenly, recalling they were on a schedule, he looked down at his watch and frowned. "We best hurry. I still want to take you to one last place before we leave. Or, specifically, to the _Friedrichstadt Palast_."

Danny quickly raised a curious eyebrow.

And noticing it, the billionaire smiled, before asking, "Tell me, dear boy, have you ever been to a Revue theatre?"

* * *

Sunset was quickly approaching, but that did not stop Maddie and Jack from continuing in their pursuit of a ghost tiger that had been wrecking havoc in the park.

"Jack, quick! Hand me the Fenton Bazooka!" Maddie ordered as they finally managed to corner the ghoul.

"You got it, Baby!" Jack exclaimed running over to her.

But just as Jack tossed the large weapon at his wife, who deftly caught it, the ghost animal snarled and lunged at the woman. However, she agilely rolled under the tiger, avoiding its strike, before spinning around and firing the Bazooka at the ghost.

The creature cried in pain and then in alarm as a portal open right where it was and began to suck it inside. In a matter of seconds, the yowling ghost cat was gone and so was the temporary ghost portal.

Maddie smiled at her husband and said, "Well, I think that's all of them around here."

"Aw," Jack pouted as he walked over to her, the tangled fishing rod-like ghost device in hand, "I wanted to use the Fenton Ghost Fishing Rod! I had just about finished untangling it, too!"

His wife patted his shoulder. "It's alright, Jack. I'm sure we'll find more ghosts elsewhere. Maybe we should head to the peer. There were some reports of ghost attacks there recently."

"Alright! And maybe we will finally find that Phantom punk!" Jack said, his eyes slightly narrowing as he worked to detangle the ghost rod more vigorously with the thought.

But the comment put a frown on his wife's face; and when she sighed, the man gave her a quizzical look. "What's wrong, baby cakes?"

"What if Vlad is right, Jack? What if Phantom really is behind Danny's disappearance? After all, why else would Danny Phantom vanish like that unless he has something to hide?" Maddie asked fearfully, recalling how her husband had told her that Vlad had come to talk to him about the possibility of Phantom and Danny's disappearances being correlated...

"That's why we are going to find the ghost punk and make him give us our son back!" Jack said determinedly.

"But that's the problem! We haven't found him! Not a trace! And worse, we have yet to find a ghost with enough intelligence to interrogate it about Danny Phantom!"

"Chin up, Mads!" Jack said, his confidence not wavering. "That spook and his spooky friends can't hide forever! We'll get them to talk! And if they have something to do with Danny disappearing, then we'll make them sorry and make them give him back to us! And luckily, I already have everything we need to inflict pain on every one of their ghostly molecules!"

Maddie smiled back, still feeling very worried, but now also comforted by her husband's optimism. It was one of the reasons she loved him so much.

Her attention, however, went to two trees several feet away from them when she heard faint squawking sounds. And it was then she also saw something gleam from the shadows casted by the large and thick branches…

"Jack," she said slowly as she narrowed her eyes at what she was staring. "Are those things what I think they are…?"

Her husband turned to see what she was talking about and his eyes widened when he caught sight of three glowing vultures arguing with each other in the trees. Clearly, they were too busy with each other to realize they had been found out.

But Jack, like, Maddie had recognized them as the vultures that had tried to help the Wisconsin ghost that one time he had tried to steal the Fenton Ghost Portal. But why were they here again? Now more interested in catching them, Jack was about to scream out 'Ghost!' and give chase when a smaller hand quickly gripped one of his arms, stopping him.

"Wait. We know from our past experience with them that these ghosts have a sense of logic. Maybe they know something about Phantom, Jack. We can't risk them getting away. Come on, I have an idea…"

* * *

"There you are!" one of the two vultures said to the third vulture once they found their companion at the park.

They landed on the tree on which the third ghost was perched, before the second of the two birds added, "Ve have been looking everyvhere for you!"

"Vell, here I am. Still following these two hunters about," the third ghost replied, pointing one of his wings in the direction of Maddie and Jack, who were in the midst of capturing the ghost tiger. "I tell you, these two are dangerous, especially the voman hunter! I think I have lost half of my feathers just vatching them use all those painful contraptions on other Ecto-Americans!"

"They don't look that tough! You're just always afraid of everything," the first vulture said.

But the third vulture quickly glared and snapped, "I am a creature of darkness! I am not afraid! Besides, you two vere the ones to go off on some adventure leaving me here to do all the vork!"

"Vould you two stop running your beaks?!" the second one intervened, now annoyed. "Ve can never do anything vithout you two arguing at least once!"

"Vell, then, when ve get back , you make sure to tell Plasmius to never send the three of us on a mission together again!" the first one retorted.

"Vhy do _I_ have to tell him? Vhy don't _you_? You are the one who alvays causes problems!" the third one jumped in.

"I do---Hey, vhere did the ghost hunters go?" the first one suddenly asked, finally noticing that Maddie and Jack were nowhere in sight.

"See vhat you two did? Now, I lost them again!" the third one said, taking to the air.

The other two glanced at each other, before following after their third companion. Flying low, they looked around the park, trying to spot the ghost hunters.

"So, vhere did you two follow those three kids to?" the third one asked, as if they had never argued at all.

"You are not going to believe it, but ve followed them all the vay to Plasmius home in Visconsin. Ve don't know vhy they went there; but they sure vhere up to something," the second calmly answered.

"Vell, didn't you two follow them inside? I know Plasmius said not go inside any buildings; but I think he'd vant us to make an exception for his house; especially if those kids vere snooping."

The first one frowned. "Ve figured the other ghosts there vould take care of the kids. Plus, Plasmius asked us to vatch those brats and the two hunters. He said nothing about stopping them from doing anything."

"You both really are dolts," the third one muttered with a shake of his head. But the insult only triggered another argument between the three of them and they all but forgot about Maddie and Jack again…

However, during this entire time, the ghost hunters had been watching them from within a large bush. They had seen how the birds had taken sudden flight into the sky shortly after they had hid within this bush. But now, Maddie's brow furrowed even more when she realized that the birds had yet to stop circling this area. It was now clear to her that they were looking for something…

"Jack… If I didn't know better I'd say those ghosts are _looking_ for us… or spying…"

"Nonsense, Maddie! Those spooks are just looking for trouble. Come on, lets get em'!"

"Wait!" she cried, but her husband had already bounded out of the bushes, running towards the vultures with the still slightly tangled ghost rod raised at them. The woman sighed as she saw the vultures shriek in surprise, before easily escaping her husband's attempt to capture them.

"Come on, Maddie! We've got runners!" Jack shouted back at her, before taking off after the vultures on foot.

But Maddie just huffed in amusement before getting out of the bushes. But instead of following after her husband, she hurried to get the Assault Vehicle they had parked nearby. As she climbed in, she noticed that one of the ghost weapons Jack had brought along with them was the Specter Deflector. And realizing it would come in handy right now, she quickly strapped on the currently deactivated ghost device around her waist before finally starting the car and moving to search for her husband.

However, neither Maddie nor anyone else was aware that one of the things Vlad had tampered with during his visit to the Fenton's lab was the Specter Deflector. He had purposely inverted the wires with the purpose of it backfiring on Jack. But since the man had not fallen for Vlad's plan and had not gone to the Ghost Zone as he had wanted, Jack never used the device. No one had. But it looked like Maddie was going to be the first one…

As silly as his actions looked, the woman was sure that he would at least keep the ghosts in his sight long enough for her to get there. And when she caught up to him a small moment later, she smiled at being right. Her husband was not the best ghost catcher, but he helped in so many other ways. Another reason why they made such a great team.

Out of breath, Jack smiled shyly at his wife who stopped the car for him to get in. But not needing anymore words, the man got back to the matter at hand. "Come on, Maddie, we'll head those spooks off at the pass!"

With that, both hunters headed after the birds. And it did not take them long to find them flying overhead, thanks to their ghost detecting instruments. The couple quickly jumped out of the Fenton Assault Vehicle, though Jack did so even before Maddie could bring the vehicle to a complete stop…

"Jack!" Maddie called after him, as he ran at the vultures, ghost rod in one hand and a firing gun in his other.

"Come on, sweet cheeks! We got them now!" Jack replied back as he wildly shot at the three birds.

Now in a panic, the vultures effectively dodged the poorly aimed attacks, before scattering for the safety of some nearby trees.

"Come on, boys!" the first one exclaimed to his companions. "Ve got to high-tail it out of here before that other---"

But a solid blast, this time shot by Maddie, knocked the vulture right out of the sky before he could finish. His other two companions froze, watching the third as it was thrown across the sky before the senseless bird plummeted to the ground below. Now furious, both vultures screeched angrily and dove down for an attack.

Maddie gasped as she barely dodged one of the two ghost bird's sharp talons. But when the other ghost came at her from behind, she barely had time to turn around to see it coming, let alone move out of the way.

But just before the ghost met its mark, a glowing white rope wrapped around its neck, and reeled it back with a jolt.

"Ha! Got ya!" Jack cried in triumph, but remembering his wife he quickly added, "And stay away from my wife!"

Maddie smiled proudly at Jack, but before she could say anything, the first vulture that had tried to lunge at her rebounded its efforts. "Jack, don't let that one go. I'll take care of this one," she said quickly before charging at the ghost with a small ghost gun in her hand and firing it at the incoming vulture.

But this time, the ghost bird dodged the attack and continued down. But just as he made a grab with his talons at Maddie, the woman again dove out of the way. However, the vulture quickly reacted again and grabbed onto the gun in her hand, quickly phasing it out of her hands.

"That's not going to help you, you piece of ectoplasmic slim!" Maddie growled, activating one of her electric chargers on her jumpsuit, and firing it at the bird.

The vulture cried out in pain as it was attacked by the sharp volts; and by the time it was over, the bird slammed into the ground, his smoking body weak and barely moving.

Maddie glanced towards the place she had seen the first vulture fall after she had knocked it down from the sky. But not seeing any trace of it, she turned her attention on the two remaining ones they now had in their hands.

"Hey! Let us go!" the bird caught in Jack's ghost fishing rod demanded, glaring at the two humans.

"Look, Maddie, it really does talk!" the man said to his wife with excitement.

But the woman was looking down at the other bird on the ground, her gun pointed at it as it slowly looked up at her.

"Oh-o," was all the second vulture said, when it realized in how much trouble he was.

"You'll be saying more than that if you move a single ghost muscle," Maddie said darkly, her eyes narrowed at the ghost. "Why were you three looking for us? Or were you spying on us? What do you want?"

"Um…," the bird said nervously, looking over to his companion for help. However, the other ghost bird looked as lost for words as he was. But upon hearing Maddie charge her gun, the vulture on the ground squawked in alarm and quickly said, "Okay! Ve'll tell you! Just don't turn us into ectoplasmic goo! At least,_ I'm_ too young to be destroyed!"

"Hey!" the other protested. "You're older than me!"

"Am not!"

"Just answer the question!" Maddie exclaimed, annoyed, while Jack blinked bemusedly at the two birds. They sure were strange ghosts.

"Ve don't have to answer nothing!" the vulture being restrained by Jack quickly snapped at the woman.

Maddie glared at the other bird as she warned, "My son has been missing for close to three months now and I know that Danny Phantom has _something_ to do with it! So, you two are either going to answer our questions the _nice_ way, or we'll get them out of you the _**not**__ so nice_ way. And, trust me, after all these months, I'm not feeling remotely nice to _anything_ with ectoplasm in its body."

The restrained bird cringed at her words. Even he knew how dangerous a protective mother was---and more so when she was a ghost hunter that hated his kind. "Vell… maybe ve can answer a few questions," it replied nervously.

"Start by my first one. Why were you three following us?"

The two birds looked at each other again, before the one on the ground sighed and replied, "Look, it's nothing personal. Ve are just doing our job, okay? Plasmius vants us to keep an eye on you two and that's vhat ve are doing. Orders are orders, you know."

"Plasmius?" Maddie and Jack repeated simultaneously, before looking at each other. But they could both see in each other's eyes that neither knew who that was. After all, the two ghost hunters knew 'Plasmius' as the 'Wisconsin Ghost'….

But the woman, remembering that these ghosts were associated with the 'Wisconsin Ghost', quickly said, "Do you mean the _Wisconsin_ _Ghost_?"

But the vultures didn't recognize their employer by that name, so the one on the ground just stared back confused, before answering, "Uh… who?"

"We don't know any specter named Plasmius," Jack interrupted, "but we do know who Phantom is! So, we want you to tell us everything about him! Where is he? Why did he leave? And does he have **our** **son**?!"

"Huh?" the birds replied, even more confused by the way the two humans were talking about Phantom and 'their son' as if they were two people… Did they not know they were the same person?

"Don't play dumb with us, spooks!" Jack exclaimed, tightening the rod around the ghost bird's body. "Talk and I'll shoot you!"

The bird in his hands blinked. "Don't you mean, 'talk **or** I'll shoot you?"

Jack blinked right back. But then quickly glared and replied, "No! 'Cause even if you do answer all our questions, I still plan on shooting you and dissecting you molecule by molecule, Spook!"

The bird on the ground looked up at the woman hunter and condescendingly commented, "You're partner is not very good vith vords, is he?"

"Neither am I, if you don't talk," Maddie growled back, charging her gun again. "Where is Phantom?! What has he done with our boy?!"

The vulture on the ground gasped and in a panic said, "I don't know vhat you two are talking about! B-But if you are looking for the ghost kid, he's vith Plasmius! He's stayin' vith him now. Don't really know vhy; but I don't care, either. But ve promise ve have nothing to do vith it!"

"Then where can we find this _Plasmius_?" Maddie demanded to know.

The vulture on the ground opened his beak to reply; but at that instant a screech came from above. And faster than the woman could react, the third vulture that she had believed had been permanently taken out, unexpectedly grabbed onto her hazmat hood, quickly making her drop her gun in surprise.

"Maddie!" Jack exclaimed at seeing his wife under attack by the ghost's sharp talons and beak.

"Jack!" she shouted back as she grabbed the bird's legs, trying to get it off her.

Dropping the ghost vulture he had tied up with the Fenton Ghost Rod, the man ran to her side, ready to defend his wife from her ghostly assailant, who still had his talons firmly secured on the woman's blue hood.

Maddie yelped and began to flail her feet when she suddenly felt them leave the ground. Meanwhile, the other bird that she had been holding at gun point on the ground quickly took the chance to escape.

The vulture flew over to his tied up companion and quickly freed him from the glowing white rope. "Come on, let's get out of here!" he told him.

But at that moment, Jack grabbed his wife's hand and pulled against the vulture trying to lift her higher off the ground. However, the vulture quickly reacted and turned himself and the woman intangible, and Jack lost his grip on his wife.

"No!" Jack shouted as Maddie was lifted even higher now that she was intangible.

But the woman, remembering the Specter Deflector on her waist, quickly activated it, knowing she had to get the ghost to let go before it got her too high up that she would be really hurt if she fell. However, instead of the ghost being zapped by the device's weakening power as she had expected, it turned out that the device attacked her.

Maddie cried out in pain as electrical surges began to jolt her body, the attacks debilitating her with every passing second. But the unexpected light showing from the ghost device jolted the bird holding the woman up and it released her.

Jack, having seen the entire thing, gasped in alarm when he saw his wife drop from the sky. "Maddie!" he shouted again, this time complete fear in his voice. But there was nothing he could do and she soon hit the ground. The combined force of the six foot drop and the Specter Deflector's power instantly knocked her unconscious.

The man ran over to his wife, as the three vultures regrouped. And knowing they now had the upper hand and feeling vengeful, they extended their sharp talons; and with dark screeches they lunged at Jack.

But the man quickly noticed their intentions; and now furious, he glared at them, before switching his course from his wife to the Fenton Bazooka a few feet away.

The vultures quickly followed his change of course, but realized too late why he had switched directions. As Jack whirled around to face the vultures, bazooka aimed at their incoming bodies, he shouted, "No one hurts my family!"

The ghost birds cried in pain as the angry energy slammed right into them. But immediately afterward, a portal opened right in between them, and sucked them all in before they knew what had happened.

Jack hardly noticed his victory. Instead, he quickly went to his wife's side, kneeling right next to her unmoving form. "Maddie!" he called to her worriedly. But the moment he touched her, the man screamed in pain as he, too, was electrocuted by Specter Deflector.

The man gasped as he held his suddenly spinning head. What, what was going on? But he didn't have time to think about it, and took off towards the Fenton Assault Vehicle, knowing that the key for the Specter Deflector was there. He returned to his wife with it in record speed. And with a sharp intake of air, Jack grabbed the ghost belt, ignoring the painful jolts he received as he quickly worked the lock.

With a click, the belt deactivated and Jack threw it aside. "Maddie? Baby?" he called worriedly, scooping her up in her arms.

But the woman did not respond.

Jack was sure he would have panicked if it wasn't for the fact that he could hear her steady heartbeat and breathing. The device had just weakened her badly and he could tell that at least her left arm was broken from the fall.

Getting unsteadily to his feet, the man quickly headed for the vehicle with his unconscious wife, knowing he had to get her to the hospital. He did not understand what had happened to the Specter Deflector, but all he could conclude was that it was somehow his fault…

* * *

"Daniel?" Vlad called softly, crouching down in front of the boy fast asleep on his plane seat.

It was past five in the morning and they had just gotten back to Wisconsin. The billionaire really did not want to wake him, knowing how exhausted the teen was----as was Vlad. But he knew Daniel would not appreciate being carried to the car like a child---though to the older hybrid, the younger one was just precisely that….

Vlad sighed when the boy did not stir; and instead Danny buried his face further into the pillow behind his head. The teenager sure was a heavy sleeper.

"Daniel," he called a bit louder, placing a hand on the teen's shoulder and lightly shaking him.

"Leave me alone, Jazz, "Danny grumbled angrily, trying to move away from the man's touch, though he was clearly far from being awake.

Vlad rolled his eyes. But, suddenly, an idea hit him; one that slowly curved a wicked smile on the billionaire's face…

Standing to his height again, the older hybrid turned away from the boy and headed out of the plane to where both his ghostly pilot and driver were transferring the luggage to the black limousine Carl had brought for the short drive back to the castle.

"Carl?" the man called to his driver. "Start the car, please. We will be leaving shortly. And Jim? Would you come here for a minute?" he then asked his pilot.

While Carl did as he was told, Jim blinked at his employer in confusion. But then, he silently nodded and walked over to the man.

"Just stand there," Vlad calmly ordered, once they were back inside the plane. He ignored Jim's bewildered look; and with a smirk, turned his attention to the sleeping boy.

As the older half-ghost had guessed, Danny's ghost sense instantly went off, sending a shiver right down the teen's back. But… in spite of it, the young half-ghost still did not stir...

Vlad frowned. "If I didn't know any better I would say he's dead," he muttered to himself, not believing _how much_ of a heavy sleeper the boy was.

Suddenly, a bit annoyed, the billionaire walked over to the teen again and shook him a bit more sternly. "Come on, Daniel. Wake up. You said to wake you when we arrived; but if you don't, I'm still going to get you back to the castle one way or another."

Luckily, Vlad's more persistent approach finally got Danny to stir.

"Huh?" the teen croaked out as his hazy eyes finally opened. However, instead of first realizing where he was, Danny first realized his ghost sense was going off…

With a sudden gasp, the young hybrid sat up with a jolt; and when his murky mind alerted him of a figure towering over him, the boy's hand came forward and he instantly fired an energy blast.

Vlad's eyes widened; and it was more out of instinct than anything else that he managed to turn intangible in the nick of time.

At that same moment, a cry of alarm left Jim's mouth as the energy blast went right through his employer's head before slamming into the right part of the plane's roof, effectively melting a hole clean through the metal.

"My plane! I mean, _your_ plane! I mean, he just destroyed the plane!" the pilot shouted in a panic, before he glared furiously at the young hybrid who was finally back to his full senses thanks to the ghost's screams.

"V-Vlad!" Danny exclaimed, realizing he had just fired an attack at the man.

The billionaire sighed, "We're here," he said, somehow sounding both bored and annoyed.

Danny briefly watched the man as he grabbed his angry pilot's shoulder and all but dragged the ghost out of the plane with him. But the boy's eyes then went to the hole in the plane's roof and he cringed. "I hope that's fixable," he mumbled.

But, suddenly, he shrugged it off, too tired to care that much about it at the moment. He stood up, stretching and yawning. However, his actions only made him sleepy again. "Why did he wake me up anyways? Oh, right… We're here…"

Drowsily, Danny glanced at his seat and smiled at the pillow there. "I better help with the stuff…. I'll start with this pillow… oh, and my music player… Did I have anything else?"

The boy shrugged again; and not realizing he was barefoot and had left his carrying bag and the box with the water globe right beside his seat, he turned and dragged himself out of the plane. His tired mind didn't notice Vlad or Jim ---nor did they notice him. So, while the two adult males talked and busied themselves with making sure everything was loaded in the limo, Danny headed straight for the back door of the luxury car, got in, and closed the door after him…

"I believe that's everything," Vlad muttered in thought, before looking at his pilot and asking, "Did you grab my carrying bag? I only recall taking my briefcase to the car…"

Jim nodded. "It's done. I put your bag next to your briefcase."

"Odd. I feel like I am still forgetting something important…," the man said with a frown.

"Not sure about it being important, but I think the kid's not in the car yet; and neither is his personal bag," the ghost said dryly.

Vlad quickly looked toward the plane, before sighing in exasperation and grumbling under his breath, "That's it. I'm carrying him into the blasted car."

Glancing briefly at the ghost pilot, he ordered, "Jim, get the boy's things, please."

"Yes, sir," he replied begrudgingly.

However, when they got to the plane, they both were surprise to find the teen was no longer there.

"Did you see him head to the limousine?" the man asked, quizzically.

"No. But it looks like he thinks we're his maids," Jim muttered, pointing at the things on the ground.

Vlad rolled his eyes; and without a thought grabbed the globe box, before putting the teen's shoes on top of it. At any other time, he would have been greatly annoyed with the teenager's disregard. But feeling annoyed took too much energy, which he hardly had right now,

However, Jim had no trouble being downright irritated; especially when he was already ticked off with the hybrid brat for messing up his plane. But even so, he still grabbed Danny's carrying bag and followed after his employer to the car.

As the ghost stored the last bag in the trunk, Vlad got into the limousine, and as the man had expected, Danny was stretched out on one of the car's large leather seats with his pillow, fast asleep again. The older hybrid smiled tiredly at the teen, before he sighed; and with mild amusement whispered, "Sometimes I wonder about you, dear boy…"

He shook his head with mirth, before bending forward a bit to put the box and shoes still in his hands, beside his briefcase on the ground. With a deep sigh, Vlad leaned back against his own seat, waiting for Carl to take off.

But when the ghost driver finally did, the older hybrid, who had just been silently watching the younger one, suddenly sat up a bit and removed his suit jacket. And still without words, he gently draped the makeshift blanket over the sleeping boy…

* * *

Translations:

"Good day, That is good! Please; Thanks….Cheese head!"

"Thank you. Pleasure meeting you both."

"Likewise. Have a safe trip, Mr. Masters."

********

**Okay, for those who read my comment on DA, you'll know what I'm talking about already. By the way, thanks for those who replied; sure helped me decide what do. But, yes, for those who don't know, I wrote a comment on my DA regarding my updating 'schedule' for my two currently active stories. See, we have _about_ twenty chapters left for this story; and if you consider the amount of chapters posted, you can see that it's not that much left. As much as I---and you guys, being that you're reading CM :) ---love this story, it does need to come to an end eventually. And I think it has been around long enough. I want to finish it. And although I have it all written out, it's not easy to do the editing and posting with school, church responsibilities, and my other story going on at the same time. So, I have decided that I am going to try to focus on CM over DoaS---at least for what's left of this year. It does not mean I am putting DoaS on hiatus. I can't bring myself to do that. But it does mean you will see more updates for CM than DoaS. I will probably be updating DoaS once a month and CM---I hope!---once a week. I just want to finish this story; because, one, it will help me focus on DoaS more once it's done; and two, I have another story coming up this year, which is Cowritten with my lovely beta Truephan. Oh, _and, _I have one other surprise for you guys in November... Heh. You'll see... So, yeah, my plate is full. So, I need to speed up CM, if only a bit. Plus, I still have its sequel I want to do... *winks* **

**So, there it is. Sorry if you guys are bum about DoaS. But, like I said, I will not be putting it on Hiatus and I will be moving it faster again by January. Thanks for understanding and your support! One last thing, check out the fanart done by several of my readers. They are all so awesome and I thank them again from the depth of my heart! Links are below and you can also access them directly on my profile! Until next time, my dear readers! My Vlad muse and I bid you adieu!**

***Remove spaces and '()'***

**Fanart by Fantasy 93 for 'Dawning of a Sun'.**

h t t p (:) (/) / fantasy93. deviantart. c om/art/DoaS-Prince-Phantom-140404041

**Interactive Flash comic story by E-dante for 'Fate's Lesson'. **

h t t p (:) / (/) e-dantes. deviantart. c om/art/Fate-s-Lesson-a-DP-FanFic-140006492

**Fanart for Checkmate:**

**(chisu-chan) **

h t t p (:) / (/) chisu-chan. deviantart. c om/art/CM-fanart-Almost-there-140413106

**(teribane) **

h t t p (:) / (/) teribane. deviantart. c om/art/Checkmate-Fanart-139756437

**(Phantomgoddess94)**

h t t p (:) / (/) phantomgoddess94. deviantart. c om/art/DP-Be-strong-Little-Badger-139427394


	54. Chapter 53: Returning Troubles

**Hello, everyone! I know this a bit late; so sorry about that. I'm also sorry to have to say that I won't be able to reply to reviews. At least, I don't think so. I've had a lot of things this week. So, I might try to later in the week, but I can't guarantee it. But thank you for all your wonderful reviews! You guys know they mean the world to me. And on a good note, you can expect another chapter of CM in a few days. This chapter turned out to be too long, so I had to split it in half. So, the next part should be up soon enough! I hope you all enjoy this one---*glances at title* Heh…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. But the OCs are mine.**

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* * *

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** Chapter 53: Returning Troubles**

Maddie's eyes fluttered open and she frowned in confusion at all the white and the sound of beeping instruments surrounding her.

"Mom? /Maddie?" she heard two familiar voices call to her.

The woman looked towards the voices; and seeing the blurry outline of her husband and daughter, she smiled tiredly at them as she whispered, "Hi, there. Sorry, I must have overslept. Don't worry, though. I'll have breakfast fixed up in a jiffy."

Jack and Jazz glanced at each other, before they smiled amusedly, yet tenderly, at Maddie. But it was Jazz who spoke up and replied, "Mom, you're in the hospital. Don't worry about breakfast right now, okay? But are… are you okay?" she added worriedly.

Maddie mentally paused as she tried to take in what her daughter had just said. But it soon hit her and she remembered what had happened. "Oh… Hmm… Now I remember…" She looked directly at her husband and smiled, "Jack, honey, did you get those ghosts?"

Jack smiled back, though there was guilt shining in his eyes. He was about to reply when Jazz cut him off.

"Mom! Forget the ghosts!" she said a little frustrated. "You were hurt last night! Don't you remember?"

Maddie frowned a bit in worry for her daughter, before she shifted her hands to sit up. But when she did, she realized how sore she was. Thankfully, though, Jack readily assisted her.

"Jazz," Maddie said once she was sitting. "I'm fine, honey. Don't look so upset. Besides, it's no big deal." She looked herself over before smiling back calmly at her daughter and adding, "Just a broken arm. I heal fast."

Jazz was torn. She wanted to be angry, but she was relieved at the same time. "Mom, how can you say it was no big deal? You could have been killed!"

Maddie now gave her daughter a bit of a stern look. "Jazz, you need to calm down. You should know by now that getting hurt is always a possibility with the work your father and I do. Trust me, okay? I'm fine."

Jazz nodded quietly, suddenly deflated. But then she smiled at her mom; and coming closer, she gave her a gentle hug, careful to mind her splintered arm.

Maddie returned the hug and stroked her daughter's hair. "I'm sorry I scared you, sweetie."

"I'm just glad you're okay, Mom," she whispered, blinking back tears. She pulled away; and glancing at her dad, she asked, "So, what happened?…Dad said something about some ghosts attacking you and then that the Specter Deflector… malfunctioned?"

Ever since her dad told her that last night---though it was hard to understand all of it from how upset he had been---she had this horrible knot in her stomach. How was it possible that that ghost device could have malfunction? It never had before. And although there was a chance that her father could have dropped it or something similar could have damaged it, Jazz had a feeling it was not her father's fault or random bad luck.

She had already discovered that Vlad had put a camera in the lab. And when Danny's friends had arrived yesterday, Tucker had discovered that the ghost portal had been tampered with---or more specifically, the ecto-filtrator. However, during that time when Tucker was trying to figure out what Vlad had done to it, Jazz had gotten that call from her dad, telling her that her mom had gotten hurt. The three teens had had no choice but to drop everything and head straight for the hospital.

Now, it was morning. Tucker and Sam had left late last night from the hospital since they had school today. But before Danny's friends had departed, they had assured Jazz they would call to see how her mom was and that they—or, rather, Tucker---would continue to work on the bracelet. As for ecto-filtrator, they would have to wait until they had a chance again to get together at Fenton Works without the elder Fentons being there or any other interruptions… But now, after what had happened to her mom, Jazz was determined to have Tucker check one more thing: the Specter Deflector.

Jazz did not realize that the room had fallen silent with her last question until a moment later. She looked back at her mom, and noticed she was glancing worriedly at her dad. But it was her dad that looked distraught. And Jazz knew that he was probably feeling bad, thinking it was his fault for the ghost device's hurting his wife.

Jazz quickly decided it was best to leave them alone.

"Um, listen, I'll be right back. I'm gonna get something to drink at the café, okay?" she said with a small smile. And not waiting for any response, she headed out. The moment that she was out of sight, she pulled out her cell phone and hurriedly dialed Sam's number. She needed to share her suspicions of Vlad's possible involvement with the malfunctioning of the Specter Deflector...

Meanwhile, Jack and Maddie sat in silence for a moment, before the woman spoke up, her voice clearly troubled, "Jack, honey, what's wrong? It's not like you to be so down and… quiet."

"Gosh, Mads, I just feel so bad," Jack said, looking at her with shame. "I don't know what happened to the Specter Deflector. I… I don't even remember even touching it. It had been there on one of the lab counters this whole time… All I can think of is that I might have accidently dropped it on the ground or something… I… Maddie, I'm so sorry!" Jack finished, quickly gripping her good hand as if pleading for her forgiveness.

The woman smiled lovingly at her husband and readily squeezed his hand in comfort. "Oh, Jack, don't be silly. You have nothing to apologize for. I should have known better than to put on the Specter Deflector without properly calibrating and testing it first. Not to mention, I always make sure to bring the key with me; and this time, I left it in the Assault Vehicle." She suddenly sighed sadly as she then added, "I just wanted to catch those birds so badly. Jack, we have to find Phantom. I don't know why, but I just know he's involved in all this somehow. I-I want my baby back, Jack. I want our son home again," she whispered.

Jack nodded, sadness now in his own eyes. "I know, sweet cheeks. And I told you; we are not resting until we find that Phantom kid. And we are definitely not gonna give up until we find Danny. But right now, I'm worried about you… Are you sure you're okay?"

Maddie smiled again and she winked as she replied, "Come on, Jack. You know I can take a hit---or several. My arm will mend in no time. Not that it's gonna stop me from ghost hunting. I'll just probably need an extra hand. And, luckily, that extra hand has always been you."

"Aww, shucks, Maddie," Jack said, chuckling a bit, now feeling a lot better. "But, yeah, I'm pretty good at what I do, huh?"

Maddie chuckled back. "Of course you are, honey." She then sobered up a bit as she asked again one of the questions she had asked when she had first woken up. "So, those ghosts got away, didn't they?"

Jack sighed. "Well, yeah. But I did send them back to their slimy home; so, at least they won't be harassin' anyone else around here for a while."

The woman nodded. "Good." She paused, before she asked another question. "Did the doctor say when I can leave yet?"

Jack smiled. "He said that he just wanted to keep you overnight to make sure you were alright. Luckily, you only have a minor fracture to your hu…um...some part of your arm. He said it would heal in about a month or so."

"So, then I should be able to leave today," she said with a relieved smile; and getting a nod from her husband, she added, "Good, because we need to get back to tracking down Danny Phantom… Or this 'Plasmius' ghost… those specters said that Phantom was with him…"

"Yeah, but we don't know where either of them are. Maybe… Maybe they are in the Ghost Zone… We haven't searched there…"

Maddie frowned. That was true. They had not searched the Ghost Zone. But, then, they had never been in there. It would indeed be very risky. But… if it meant finding Danny…

"You're right, Jack. We are going to have to go in there and find the ghost kid. I just know he's the key to finding Danny."

Jack nodded in agreement. "But it will have to wait until you get better and we check out all the ghost weapons. I'm not letting what happened last night happen ever again. Plus… I was in such a hurry to get you to the hospital that I left some of the weapons back at the scene, including the Specter Deflector… I'm gonna have to go find them. We need to figure out what's wrong with the deflector, though, and fix it."

Maddie nodded back. "Hopefully, the ghost devices are still there. We were in a pretty secluded area of the park. So, chances are that they will be there. Still, the sooner you get out there, the better. Why don't you go now? I'll just have Jazz drive me home and we will meet there."

Jack looked a bit unsure, but then he said, "Well, okay. But let's wait for the doctor to come check you out before I leave, okay?"

Maddie smiled. "Okay, Jack."

* * *

Having decided to meet before school, Sam was currently at Tucker's house—or more specifically, in the teenage boy's room. He looked half-asleep, but was still eager to show his female friend what he had found out about the bracelet.

Tucker yawned a bit, before stuffing a piece of bacon in his mouth, courtesy of his mother. Sam, however, waited quietly—yet anxiously—for the desktop computer in her friend's room to boot up.

But recalling Danny's mother, she spoke up. "We need to call Jazz, Tucker, to see if Mrs. Fenton is okay. I know the doctor had said that aside from her broken arm, she was okay, but we better make sure."

"Definitely," Tucker agreed. "It's weird, though, right? How the Specter Deflector messed up, I mean."

"Yeah… weird…," she muttered under her breath, her eyes narrowing in suspicion, but she said nothing else.

Another moment of silence passed, before Tucker spoke again. "You know, we can't really turn this thing on. But I can, at least, bring up its database and the list of all the programs that are on its system," he said, as he linked the black bracelet to his computer via a connecting cable.

It had been very difficult for Tucker to figure out how to expose the bracelet/device's circuitry. The boy had discovered that it was only readily accessible when the device was activated. But it could only be activated by two specific ghostly signatures. And by comparing it to the Boomerang's own data of ghostly signatures, Tucker now knew that those specific signatures were namely Danny's and Vlad's.

So, unable to activate it, Tucker had to literally cut through the priceless black gem that made up the bracelet to get to the circuitry within it. It was a shame, though. The bracelet had been very stylish. But finding out how to help his half-ghost friend was, of course, more important.

"So, there really is no way to activate it, Tucker?" Sam asked, finally speaking up.

Tucker shook his head. "Not without it being on either Vlad or Danny's wrist. But I did find some pretty interesting things on this bracelet or device or whatever it is. Problem is, that the information is in codes. And I can't really read it. I tried several deciphering systems, but nothing matches up with the codes. But then, there are some commands that I **did** figure out, since they were linked to a program that I did recognize."

"Uh, we don't all speak techno-lingo, Tucker," Sam said with a roll of her eyes. "Can you be more specific?"

Tucker smirked smugly over his shoulder at her, before turning his attention back to the computer. "Okay, look, here is a list of all the commands and programs that are on this 'bracelet thing'," he began pointing at his screen.

Sam frowned when she stared at all the numbers and letters without any form of recognition. "You said you can understand some of it?"

"Well, yeah, I think," Tucker answered. "Look, take this code: 'AudLD01'. Its program is a communication program. And since usually computer codes are abbreviations of the type of program or system it is using, I concluded that this code stands for 'Audio Linked Device…"

"Okay… that kinda makes sense… But what about the numbers?" Sam asked, sounding slightly confused.

"Well, this number '01' shows up on a lot of the commands on this bracelet. And then, there is another number that also shows up just as frequently: '0102'. And this bracelet's actual system has the component number '010203," Tucker said, pointing at the screen as he talked.

"Translation?" Sam asked dryly.

It was Tucker's turn to roll his eyes, but he still answered, "Sam, I think that this bracelet is linked to two other systems. I think it might be linked to that mainframe in Vlad's private lab. I think that because, as I tried to break through Vlad's mainframe security system, the '01' number always showed up on there. But I also think that this bracelet's linked to another device, which has the code of '0102'. See, this bracelet belonged to Danny and its code is 010203. Then, I think it was the last one made. I think the '03' stands for it being the third device on the system. And judging by the command codes, this bracelet is linked to devices '01' and '0102'. Like I said, the '01' is the mainframe. But I don't know what the '0102' is. But it's obviously also linked to the mainframe since it has '01' in its code, too."

"It could be that Vlad has his own device like this one," Sam muttered thoughtfully after a moment. "I mean, if he gave Danny this device, he would want to have something directly on him that could control it at all times."

Tucker shrugged lightly. "That makes sense, but we can't know for sure. But, okay, going back to the code 'AudLD01'---or now, 'Audio linked device to mainframe'. See, it's this code that activates the program that creates a communication link between this bracelet and the mainframe. Then, there's 'AudLD0102'…"

"And that's the communication link between this bracelet and the other device we are not sure about," Sam finished, smiling a bit at figuring out what Tucker was saying.

"Exactly," Tucker said with a smile, but he then he frowned a bit as he continued, "But the codes just keep getting more weird and complicated. See, these two codes: SpecAnt01-010203 and HomoAnt01-010203? Well, they are the command codes for two different programs. But both programs are linked. They kinda look like… I don't know… like…programs you would see on medical devices or something… I can't figure it out…"

Sam bit her lip thoughtfully as she stared at the screen; but then, she smiled as she got a clue on what the codes could mean. "Well, since you're saying that it might have something to do with medical science, then, it's possible that the 'homo' part of the second code stands for 'human'."

Tucker blinked. "How do you figure?"

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Because unlike you, I pay attention in biology. So, I know that the term 'homo' is the genus that includes modern humans and their close relatives."

Tucker frowned just slightly in irritation; but seeing as her friend might be onto something, he then asked, "Okay, well, what about the 'Ant' part?"

"It's a common acronym for the word 'Anatomy," Sam said with a small smirk. "The code could stand for 'Human Anatomy'. And if I got what you said earlier right, then the code could be the link between the mainframe and this bracelet for this specific program."

Tucker shot the smug girl another annoyed look. "You would have never figured that out unless I had told you that other stuff first…"

Sam's smile widened and she just shrugged in response.

The dark-skinned teen grumbled something, but turned his attention back to the computer screen. But then he smiled as he quickly figured out the first code. "If this second code stands for 'Human Anatomy', then this one stands for '_Spectral_ Anatomy'. But wait…" Tucker frowned, before looking at Sam, "Why would Vlad have programs like these on this bracelet?"

"Isn't it obvious, Tucker?" Sam said with a scowl. "Danny is half-ghost. So, for some reason, Vlad has been keeping tabs on his human _and_ ghost anatomy."

"But why? I mean, that's kinda creepy," Tucker asked, looking perturbed.

Sam crossed her arms as she answered, "When are the things that Vlad does _not _creepy, Tucker?"

"Good point," Tucker muttered, before looking back at the computer. "There are literally over one hundred codes and programs, Sam. And, ultimately, we won't be able to figure out what they all mean. Like I said, without being able to activate this bracelet, then it's like trying to use a shut-down computer," he said with a sigh.

Sam sighed herself, before saying, "Well, we have to try, Tucker. I mean, is there nothing that stands out on this thing?"

Tucker frowned in thought. "Well… there is this one code…"

"What is it?" Sam asked, her friend's tone of voice making her anxious again.

The boy quickly scrolled down the list to find what he was talking about. "It's this code: BS-NB 3501. It's obviously linked to the mainframe. But I don't understand what the '35' means. And I definitely don't know what the 'BS-NB' stands for."

"Okay, but what makes this code so special?" Sam asked.

"Because, Sam," he replied, looking at her. "It has no program. Every other code in here has a program directly on this device, which links it back to that mainframe. But this code, BS-NB 3501, is just in here without its corresponding program."

But Sam was still unsure of why this was as significant as Tucker seemed to believe. "I don't get it this time, Tucker."

The boy frowned in thought; but he soon smiled at his friend as he figured out a way to explain it. "Okay, well, you usually turn on a TV with a remote, right? So then, let's say that these codes are remotes and that the programs are the TVs. Each code—or _remote_---activates---or _turns on_—its specific program—or TV. But with this 'remote'---'BS-NB 3501'---"

"The TV for it is not in the bracelet," Sam excitedly cut him off when she caught on. But then realizing she was talking like Tucker, she blushed and quickly stuttered out, "Uh, I-I mean, the _program_ for it is missing."

Tucker smiled slightly, but nodded. "Yeah. So, as you can see, I can't even guess what the code means. But I'm sure it has to have a program. And considering that the bracelet is undoubtedly linked to that mainframe in Vlad's lab, then there's a good chance that the mystery program is on that mainframe. For some reason, Vlad only wanted to be able to link the bracelet to the mystery program but not have full access to it through this bracelet."

"But why would…" Sam began, but in the next instant, her words melded into a loud gasp, with Tucker echoing hers with his own, when the bracelet suddenly made a whirling noise.

'"Tucker!" Sam yelled as she abruptly pulled him out of his seat, just as an electric jolt shot out of the bracelet. It then quickly traveled through the cord connecting it to the computer, and instantly blew up the boy's computer.

Tucker and Sam yelped as they turned away from the small explosion. But when they looked back at the smoking mess, they noticed that the bracelet was still intact… And…

The bracelet… was glowing red…

* * *

Vlad decided that he should have known better than to think things would continue to go this well for him for too long.

But what George was telling him at the moment was something he had not truly expected. To be told that three human teenagers had intruded into his home---and, of course, he already suspected these 'three teenagers' consisted of Daniel's sister and friends--- was enough to make him not only lose his appetite, but to send a cold wave of dread down his spine.

However, his shock only lasted a second or two.

"**What?!"**

The ghost cook took a step back from his suddenly furious employer. "I-I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, sir. But I thought you would want to k-know… I don't really know why those human kids showed up, though… "

Vlad didn't realize his eyes were glowing red as he turned his head slightly to the wall adjourning his employees' lounge, "Everyone, get in here right now!" he demanded.

In an instant, the three maids, the butler, and the chauffeur materialized in front of their employer and the cook.

"Is there a reason why all of you failed to inform me of these three intruders until now?" Vlad asked them, his eyes slightly narrowing.

The ghosts looked at each other, but it was George who braved a response. "Well, sir, you came in so late and weary from your extended trip that I thought it was best to leave it until now. We really did our best to get them out as quickly as possible…"

The man's anger _slightly_ settled with the ghost chef's last comment. The billionaire knew it wasn't their fault, and in reality he wasn't really upset with them, but rather, with the occurrence. There was a tense silence as Vlad seemed to attempt to figure out what to do about the appearance of three of Daniel's loved ones…

"Who saw them?" he finally asked, looking back at his employees. And although his eyes were back to their normal blue hue, he still looked angry.

George glanced over at Niane as he hesitated slightly to reply, "Aside from myself, sir? Dazzler…"

"And myself," the youngest maid quietly admitted, looking almost fearfully at her employer.

Vlad instantly locked gaze with the ghost girl. But for some reason, he did not know what to say to her, and returned his eyes back to George as he further inquired. "And where _in blazes _is Dazzler?"

George tensed even more at the darker tone of voice the man had used to ask for the controlling ghost. Clearly, his employer had another bone to pick with him…

"We don't know, sir," Derek suddenly spoke up, getting his employer's attention. "No one has seen him in the past two days---Or more specifically, since those humans came here."

Vlad paused again in thought. But then abruptly, he looked back at Niane, who all but drew back from his intense gaze. "Tell me, girl. Where exactly did you see them?"

The ghost maid timidly, but readily, answered, "George and I first caught sight of the three humans at the top of the main stairs. But then, the younger of the two human girls ventured into your bottom laboratory, while the older one and the boy went to your…private laboratory…"

Niane's eyebrows creased in uncertainty when she saw the older hybrid's eyes flash red with the news.

Vlad was so angry he felt like breaking something. He really did. But he knew better than to let him emotions slip like that. It was hard, though. But still, he forced himself to think logically through this. And when he remembered that George mentioned 'they' had scared the three 'humans' off, the man frowned deeply, though his voice now held slight curiosity.

"And who am I to thank for getting rid of these three intruders, hmm?" he asked, glancing at George briefly, before looking back at Niane.

But this time, the girl did not answer. No one did.

"Is there a reason why no one is answering me?" Vlad inquired, now sounding more angry than curious again.

"It was I, sir," George blurted out, getting the man's attention. Niane looked at the ghost cook in disbelief, but it was clear she was beyond relieved.

Vlad noticed the ghost cook briefly glance at the younger maid, and he crossed his arms. "You?" he asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow. "You, George? You alone forced three children who are very well accustomed to seeing ghosts and fighting against ghosts—and who I presumed brought ghost weapons with them and from what you said also brought a dog? You expect me to believe that you handled them all on your own?"

The chef gave him a meek smile. "This old ghost has some fight left in him, you know… Besides," he then added, sobering up, "Dazzler had a hand in it, too."

Surprise quickly replaced the man's skeptical look. But he then readily frowned. "Dazzler? Did he…?"

Understanding what the man wanted to know without his need to voice it, George shook his head, "I am not sure, sir. I did not see what he did. I was busy trying get rid of the girl in the laboratory. I assume he took care of the children in your private lab…"

Vlad didn't reply. Something in all this didn't click. But he was not truly interested in finding out what. Right now, he wanted to find out** exactly **what those three nosey brats had been up to in his mansion.

Still, he briefly glanced at Niane, who readily looked away. He could tell that she obviously knew more about this than she let on; but for some reason, she did not want him to know it… The man almost frowned when the girl tensed just as he had that thought …

"Niane," he began, getting her attention. But then he paused. And deciding against what he was going to say, shifted his gaze back to all his employees. "All of you. Not a word of this to the boy. Understood?" he said seriously.

Everyone nodded their agreement. And without another word, Vlad walked out of the kitchen, heading towards his bottom lab.

"That was scary," Carl muttered, breaking the silence that had shrouded the ghosts in the kitchen. It had been a while since any of them had seen their employer that angry…

"Well," Martha said with a sigh, "I suppose we should start doing our morning duties..."

Patricia nodded in agreement before she and the other older maid vanished through the lounge wall. At that moment, Carl glanced at Derek and suddenly grinned. "Hey, you want to switch jobs for the day? You can drive Mr. Masters around and I'll attend to the house around here."

Derek rolled his eyes. "Nice try," he muttered, knowing the other ghost was just nervous about being around their fuming employer right now. The ghost butler silently left the kitchen, also phasing through the wall connecting to the employee lounge.

Carl frowned after him; but then quickly followed, calling out as he did, "Derek, wait a minute! Driving is very relaxing. It's good for your health. Really!"

At any other time, George and Niane would have laughed at the two male ghosts. But instead, they soberly stared after them, waiting to be left alone. And it was only then that the youngest maid looked at the ghost chef.

"George, you didn't have to do that. I---"

"It's fine, Niane," he cut her off with a faint smile. "You have never told me what someone like you is doing here, but you must have very powerful reasons. Besides, I don't mind taking the credit for protecting our home---and as you saw, Mr. Masters would not have had it any other way. I think he believed me, anyway."

Niane bit her lip. She **knew** he had not believed them. He was suspicious of her. But had decided not to say anything about it...

The young maid sighed. "Thank you, George," she just said, before floating up a bit and giving him a friendly kiss on one of his cheeks.

The chef chuckled a bit. "Anytime. Now, I must leave you, I have to prepare something for the young halfa. Problem is, I don't know what since I really don't know _when_ he will wake…"

Niane smiled and nodded, before she vanished to do her own chores.

* * *

Vlad slammed his hand against one of the metal tables, effectively denting the metal in his anger. He had already checked the bottom lab for anything that those three brats might have taken. But everything was there. And even if the culprit—or culprits---had gone out of their way to make sure they didn't move things around too much, Vlad knew someone had searched through his things all the same. He could tell because he was very precise with how he kept his things organized.

But he was now in his private lab. And it was even more obvious someone had been in here in his absence. Daniel's male friend---for Vlad knew he was the only one who could do it---had attempted to break through his security system on the mainframe. And by the looks of it, he had almost succeeded.

Vlad did not know what had prevented the boy from accessing all his information on the mainframe, but the man was at least relieved by the fact that it seemed that he didn't succeed. Not only would they have found out how he was forcing the young hybrid to be here, they would have also tried to shut down the mainframe in their attempt to get rid of the nanobots in Jasmine's body. And that would have been disastrous. After all, it was the mainframe that controlled the activation level of the nanobots. And if the mainframe was shut down or destroyed, there would be nothing controlling them and they would surely become fully active…

Jasmine would be done for if that happened.

Vlad frowned, his hand relaxing slightly against the metal table. Even though he had threatened the young hybrid with his sister's demise, he really wasn't looking to cause it. The older hybrid had known that he did not have to really do that in order for Daniel to agree to his ultimatum. It had just been the seal-proof way to get him at his side. So, in the end, assuring the boy that he would end his sister's life was a ruse. He really wouldn't do it. And Vlad knew that he would never have to since Danny would never have dared call his bluff...

"Blasted children. They have no idea with what they were tampering!" Vlad muttered furiously. In his anger, he felt that it would have served them right for them to accidently harm Jasmine in their attempt to help Daniel. It would have taught them why they should not play with things they knew nothing about!

But, internally, he was relieved by whatever prevented them from accessing the mainframe. He knew Maddie would die of heartbreak if one of her children perished. Vlad could never do that to her.

However, it really wasn't the possibility of what those blasted children could have done that had Vlad fuming the most, but it was his discovery of one precise thing.

The bracelet he had given to Daniel was gone.

Vlad was certain they could not activate the device since it was made to only activate in the presence of Daniel's ghost signature. And with further promoting, it would activate with Vlad's signature or with a direct instruction from the mainframe.

Daniel's sister and friends could only discover so much from it without being able to activate it. But it was enough to put the man on the edge. Primarily because it had a direct link to the nanobots in Jasmine's body. After all, one of the reasons Vlad had made the device was to prevent the teen from getting near his sister just in case he tried anything. So, really, it was a good thing for Jasmine that they could not activate the device. Doing so would trigger the command on the device to excite the nanobots. And although it would not kill her, it would make her severely ill…

Vlad needed to do something about that. And he needed to do it now. With that bracelet in their hands, they would not only be one step away from figuring it all out; but if they somehow activated the device, it would both hurt Jasmine and that would mean that they would surely realize the truth.

The thought promptly made the billionaire move to the mainframe. He quickly began to type in several commands, before he suddenly paused. The device had many features and one of them was that it had that tracking system. And according to the radar, the bracelet was not only in Daniel's male friend's home, but it was currently linked to some other device.

Vlad knew then that they had accessed the database on the bracelet.

Suddenly even angrier, the man's eyes flashed red as he quickly typed something into the mainframe again. "They want to play with fire? Then I'll let them get burned," he muttered darkly. And with a final press of a button, he short circuited the bracelet, knowing it would destroy whatever device was currently linked to the bracelet.

And he was right, of course. It was at this precise moment that Tucker's computer exploded.

But then the man opened another program, the one tracking the nanobots within Jasmine's body. And according to it, Jasmine was nowhere near Daniel's device. So, it was probably just the boy's nosey friends that had been tampering with the bracelet. And, fortunately, he could completely make sure that those two children were alone at the moment…

The man suddenly turned into Plasmius; and the expensive, but normal-looking, watch on his own wrist suddenly changed into a glowing red device, looking very much like Daniel's own device when it was activated by his ghost form.

Turning his attention to it, he quickly turned on the scanner. And confirming that there were only two people near the bracelet's vicinity, the man then just as quickly activated the communication system between the bracelet and his own device. As a result, his device glowed even brighter---as had the device that the teens had, now that both devices were linked.

Pressing a button, he raised his device a bit higher to his mouth, before speaking into it….

* * *

Sam and Tucker gasped right after the device had begun to glow red. But then, a red beam shot out from it; and moving like a spinning clock hand, quickly scanned the room. And a couple of seconds after, they heard Vlad's voice through the device.

"_I would have thought that both of you would have respected your friend's wishes and just let him be,"_ they heard him say. "_But, of course, you two have the bad habit of not knowing---how would you brat's say it?—'when to take a hint.'"_

Sam was the first to come out of her shock; and suddenly fuming, she marched right up to the device. She didn't know if Vlad would hear her or not, but she still shouted, "We're not stupid, you jerk! We know you are keeping Danny there against his will! And we are not going to rest until we find a way to put an end to your sick schemes!"

A mocking laugh sounded from the device, proving that indeed the man could hear her.

"_You're delusional, girl. But I hardly care what you or Daniel's other friend believe,"_ he said with disregard, but his voice quickly darkened. _"However, I do care for the fact that you have dared—twice!---to invade my home! I promise you something, Ms. Manson. If any of you three have the audacity of trying that again, it will be the last thing you or they do. Understand?"_

Sam looked like her ears were about to smoke from how angry she was.

"We're not afraid of you, Vlad! And if you want us out of your hair, then you better drop your schemes and let Danny come home!"

Before anyone could say anything, a knock at Tucker's door interrupted them.

"_Tucker? Is everything okay up there?" _they suddenly heard the boy's mom say from outside the door. "_I thought I heard something…explode? …You didn't blow your room's light fuses by connecting all your gadgets at once again, did you?"_

Tucker gasped, and quickly ran to his door to keep his mom from coming in. "Uh, no, everything's fine. It's just coming from the TV!"

"Well, turn it off! You're going to be late for school," she reprimanded.

"Okay, Mom!" Tucker readily replied, before looking at Sam who had fought to keep quiet while Tucker had been talking to his mom. And Vlad somehow had known they had someone else close by since he had remained silent as well.

But that silence was quickly disrupted by Tucker, who marched up to the glowing bracelet and angrily said at the man on the other end, "Dude, you owe me a computer! And Sam's right! You need to lay off. Danny is not interested in being your evil apprentice! He never has been and never will be! So, why don't you just stop already?! If you really have any sort of creepy feelings for my friend, then you would let him go and leave him alone! You already have done enough damage as it is!"

"_As I told you're female friend, Mr. Foley, I do not care whether you both believe Daniel is with me out of choice or not. The point is that he is here, and he is not leaving. You should get use to that fact. As for your computer system, consider it your payment for tampering with my own systems," _Vlad replied coolly, before he suddenly sneered,_ "Foolish children, did you really think you could come here without my knowing it? Not only do you break into my house, but you actually dare to steal from me? I invested a lot of time on that device!"_

"Yeah? Consider it a payment for being a jerk," Tucker spat back angrily.

"What's wrong, Vlad?" Sam added, "Are you afraid we're gonna find out the truth? Is that why this device is so important? You had to have given it to Danny for a reason; and because we all know you don't care about anyone but yourself, I know it wasn't a birthday gift out of the kindness of your black heart. And if your thick head hasn't realized it yet, then, yeah, we do know that **you** gave him that bracelet or whatever it is."

There was another pause, before Vlad spoke again, his tone of voice now calm but cold. _"Ms. Manson? Mr. Foley? Tell Jasmine that this is my final warning to her and you both. Stay away from my home and from Daniel. And just to get my point across, I am giving you two exactly ten seconds to get rid of the bracelet. Good-bye."_

Sam and Tucker were left in silence as the bracelet abruptly turned black again. What had the man meant by his last comment? But before they could say anything, the device suddenly turned red again, only this time, it was a darker hue. And then… it started to beep.

"Sam…?" Tucker muttered with dread as he finally figured out what Vlad had meant.

And by the way Sam's eyes widened in horror, she clearly had as well. "Tucker!" she shouted, "The bracelet! We have to get it out of here! It's going to explode!"

Tucker finally jolted. And as Sam grabbed the device, he rushed to his window to get it open. But he was so panicked that he couldn't grip the latch with his shaking hands.

"Tucker!" Sam yelled at him, as the beeping got louder and her panic grew.

"I'm trying!" he shouted back, just before he finally shoved open the window.

Sam quickly made sure that there was no one in the streets below, before she threw the beeping bracelet out the window. Reacting just as quickly, she shoved Tucker and herself to the floor.

And just as they covered their heads, a loud boom resonated from outside, shaking the entire house to its foundation. The two teen's yelped as pieces of ceiling came down on them; and they briefly heard Tucker's parents shout in alarm.

Then, as quickly it it had happened, it was over.

Tucker and Sam looked gravely at one another, before getting off the floor. They walked back to the window and just stared at the large crevice now in the middle of the street.

"He was really ticked off at us for going to his house, wasn't he?" Tucker muttered, finally breaking the silence.

"I don't care, Tucker," Sam replied, her hands fisting in anger again. "We just lost the only clue we had!"

Tucker smiled slightly. "Not quite, Sam. I did save the list of codes and programs on my PDA. At least, we have that. Maybe we can figure them out. Maybe we can still find the answer we are looking for somewhere in those codes and programs."

Sam deflated slightly, before nodding.

At that instant, however, Tucker's parents barged into his room, looking horrified. "Are you children alright?" Mr. Foley asked. "There was some type of explosion just outside the house!"

Sam and Tucker glanced at each other, before the boy replied, "Oh, yeah! We heard it! Weird, isn't it? But, yeah, we're fine and---"

"Tucker, what happened to your computer?" his mom cut him off when she noticed the smoking electronic device.

The teenage boy had to keep himself from cringing with the question. "Oh, uh…It, um, fried? Yeah, overuse! I guess I should have listened to you guys about not having it on for so long! But! No time to worry about it now! We're gonna be late for school! And you don't want that!' the boy ranted, before he spotted his book bag, grabbed it, and then grabbed Sam's wrist.

The girl yelped in surprise as she was dragged out of the room. She only barely managed to grab her own book bag on the way out.

"See ya after school!" Tucker said with a large, though nervous, grin. He kissed his mom, before hurriedly adding, "Thanks for breakfast. And don't worry, I'll fix this mess when I get back! See ya!"

"Bye!" Sam quickly said, waving at her friend's parents as she was dragged away.

Mrs. and Mr. Foley blinked after the two teens, too startled by their sudden departure to find anything to say to them…

When Danny's friends made it outside, they cringed at the mess caused by the explosion. But Sam quickly pursed her lips, before saying, "Come on, Tucker."

Tucker frowned as his friend began to walk the opposite way of school. "Sam, where are you going? School is that way."

"Forget school, Tucker. We have to find Jazz and tell her what happened. That, and we need to find out exactly why Vlad has been messing with the Fenton's lab. That jerk thinks he so smart, but he doesn't realize that has left his dirty fingerprints all over the place. Now, it's all a matter of gathering them and putting this puzzle together. His schemes have to end now. For everyone's sake," she said seriously.

Tucker knew they were going to get into trouble for missing school. But his friend was right; this was more important. "Okay, let's go," he said as he quickly caught up with her.

But right then, Sam's cell phone went off. And looking at the caller ID, she knew it was just the person she had just been about to call: Jazz.

* * *

"_System '010203' self-destruction completed_," Vlad read on the mainframe screen, before he pressed his hands against the consol and sighed deeply.

"I should have guessed they would never buy Daniel's act---at least, not completely," he muttered quietly, as he recalled how good of an act the teen had put on. He briefly closed his eyes as he tried to subdue the rest of his anger, frustration, and… worry over these turn of events.

But then a sudden thought came to mind. One that, for some reason, scared him more than he could understand. Had…Daniel been involved in his friends and sister's attempts? Could he have known somehow? And perhaps his change in attitude with him was indeed a trick… A trick to distract him while his friends and sister put their plans into action…?

Vlad's eyebrow creased before he shook his head in denial. "No, he could not have known," he said quietly. He glanced up at the mainframe as he continued, "I told Daniel about the trip to Germany a few days before we left. He could not have possibly alerted Jasmine and his friends of our absence for those four days…"

Yes, that was right. Plus, there was no way for the boy to talk to them. He had blocked his internet connection a while back. And he would know if the boy used one of the phones in the castle…And… Had the boy brought his cell phone?

Vlad bit his lower lip nervously. He didn't know the answer to that…

The man stayed silent as his thoughts circled in his mind over and over again. But not being able to come to any solid conclusions over anything, he sighed again. This was just prefect. Now, not only was he troubled with the fact that Daniel's friends and sister were a little too close to the truth than they knew and he had originally thought, but now he was greatly suspicious of Daniel again. What were the chances that just when the boy decided to call a truce, his friends and sister would break into their house and take the bracelet several weeks later?

Vlad turned his attention back to the mainframe and pulled up a file. He had installed a camera in the boy's room sometime back after Jasmine and those other brats had uncovered Daniel's whereabouts. He pulled up the last three days to see if anything had triggered the sensor that would automatically turn on the camera. And as he had expected, an image of Jasmine, Ms. Manson, and Mr. Foley sneaking into the castle through the boy's upper lounge began to show on the screen. It was only a visual recording, but the man hardly needed to hear them to know what they were planning on doing.

Suddenly angry again, the billionaire abruptly terminated the feed. What good would it do to watch it anyways? What was done was done. This was what he got for being so careless! How foolish of him to just leave Daniel's bracelet in plain sight! And furthermore, he should have activated the human shield before he left!

The man's thoughts were interrupted by the sudden ring of his cell phone. He slightly groaned, remembering he had just been about to head out to DALV before finding out about this.

He pulled out the phone; and while he massaged his temple, trying to ease the sharp headache he now had, he muttered, "Hello?"

As he figured, it was his secretary.

"Hmm…No, I'm fine. Just a bit tired…Stephanie, I have a favor to ask of you," he suddenly said with a sigh. And hearing her agreement, he said, "You see, I'm running a bit late; so I will not be able to stop by at DALV. I have that meeting at the Vazier branch in about an hour, as you know. So, is it possible for you to come by to pick up those documents from the closure? I know you are leaving for a trip early tomorrow… But…"

The man closed his eyes in relief as his secretary assured him it wouldn't be a problem. "Thank you, Stephanie. You truly are indispensible." The man faintly smiled at her reply, before he said, "Alright. Just come by when you can. I should be back at my castle by noon… Very well. Ta."

Vlad hung up with a sigh, before looking back at the mainframe. So much for a good day. And the worst part was that he had no means of easing his anxiety. Although he had destroyed the bracelet, he could only hope that Daniel's friends were not able to find out too much from it. But he hardly had time to go to Amity Park any time soon to find out. So then…

"Wait a minute," he muttered, as he recalled something. "Didn't I tell those blasted vultures to keep an eye on those nosey brats?"

He growled in irritation at the three vultures' unreliability. And to his growing frustration, he couldn't even ask Skulker to find them for him---being that they were no longer allies…

The thought of the hunter made Vlad briefly frown with some unknown emotion. But the thought triggered another, and he suddenly looked over at the instruments under the white cover on one of the far tables. Vlad quickly walked over to them; and checking under the cover, he sighed in relief to see his project had not been tampered with…

He lowered the cover and returned back to the mainframe. He quickly turned the screens off, before walking out of the lab. He would have to figure out what to do about Daniel's friends and sister when he returned from his meeting. After all, he couldn't leave one thing unattended for another…

* * *

It was past eleven AM when Danny finally stirred. With a yawn, the teen sat up and stretched. Right after, however, he blinked at the sight of his room. How had he gotten here? All he vaguely remembered was making it to Vlad's car…

Still feeling groggy, he lightly shrugged it off and yawned again. It was too early to ask his mind to recall anything right now. And luckily, he would not have to until tomorrow, since Ms. Thomas would not be giving him classes again until then.

He briefly glanced at the clock and realized that it wasn't as early as he thought. Still, it did not surprise him. After all, they had gotten back an hour or two before dawn…

He passed a hand through his messy hair, before finally moving off his bed and going to the bathroom. A nice shower would wake him right up.

A good fifteen minutes later, Danny was freshened up and indeed fully awake. He finally noticed that his room was dark since the curtains were still closed and all the lights were still off. Well, except for the light coming from his dresser… But wait. He didn't have a lamp on the dresser…

Danny instantly turned his attention to that piece of furniture, and his eyes widened with wonder when he realized that what was glowing was the water globe Vlad had given him. Apparently, the man had placed it there for him.

Seeing the glowing then triggered the memory of what Vlad had said to him when he had first opened the box. Something about understanding why it glowed when the lights were off…

He understood alright.

In the current darkness, the miniature city of Berlin within the globe was sparkling, making it look just how the actual city did at night. And what was more amazing was that tiny fiber optics surrounding the glass dome twinkled, like the stars. The illusion was perfect. Danny had never seen anything like it…

A small smile curved the boy's lips as he moved to the dresser and quietly inspected the glowing water globe. It had felt strange when Vlad had given him this…And yet he had not felt any desire to reject the gift. Maybe that's why it had felt strange. Or maybe because he had never thought that the older hybrid would give him something so…simple?

It was hard to explain. Obviously, the globe itself was far from _simple_ and it definitely wasn't just any cheap, common gift shop globe. It had been specifically made for him. But Danny had been surprised to have Vlad give him something like this. It didn't seem like something he would give him… Or maybe he felt like that because this was the first time Vlad had ever given him something with no other purpose but to _give him something_. A simple gift. No deeper meaning. No ulterior motives. No strings attached. Just an honest gift.

That's why the boy had felt no reason to reject it. He had gladly accepted it because he was sure Vlad had just wanted to simply and sincerely give this to him. Nothing else.

The boy's smile slightly widened. He didn't know if this meant anything, but he didn't want to think about it. He was feeling too lighthearted to attempt to dive into the doubts that still plagued him over what he was doing. They had greatly settled over the past weeks; but nevertheless, they were still there…

The boy suddenly shook his head, before finally moving away from the globe and heading to the window. He readily drew open the curtains, allowing the sun's light to finally brighten his room. He briefly stared thoughtfully at the view outside, before looking back at the globe. And although it had changed back to its day look, he smiled at it again, before suddenly turning into Danny Phantom.

He turned intangible and flew out of his bedroom door, heading downstairs. He was kind of surprised with the sudden desire to go greet Vlad's ghost employees. Then again, they had grown on him considerably since he came here.

But he was also hungry. And he also needed to find Vlad. He had not really used his ghost powers in the past four days and he was feeling slightly… _eager_ to waste some energy as well as practice some more of what the older hybrid had been teaching him...

As he neared the kitchen, a mischievous grin grew on his face with a sudden idea. He turned invisible, before flying into the kitchen. And spotting the unsuspecting George cleaning one of the kitchen counters and humming to himself, the teen quickly flew up to him

"Boo!" Danny exclaimed in his ear.

With a gasp, the ghost chef all but jumped out of his ghost skin, before turning to face the sudden voice.

The ghost's surprise melted into a half-annoyed, half amused look when he saw the young hybrid, floating a few feet off the ground, laughing.

"If I wasn't a ghost you would have given me a heart attack, young halfa," George said with a shake of his head. But then, he turned to the fridge and pulled out a prepared glass of fruit smoothie and handed it to the boy with a knowing smirk.

Danny chuckled as he landed on the floor and accepted the drink. "Then it's a good thing you're a ghost, George," he retorted before taking a sip of the drink. It tasted really good and his empty stomach sure wasn't complaining.

"So, how was the trip?" the ghost chef asked, ruffling the teen's white hair as he moved passed him to pull out some items from one of the cupboards.

"It was fun," the teen replied truthfully. But the question made him remember one of his own. "Hey, George, do you know where Vlad is?"

George paused as he grabbed a container of seasoning. And because he was facing the cupboard, Danny didn't see the brief frown that fell on the ghost's face with the mention of his employer. The chef really did not know who those three humans were, but he had a feeling they were connected to the young halfa. Why else would his employer forbid them from mentioning their intrusion to the child?

But George planned on honoring his employer's wishes; not only because he respected him, but because he did not want to see the halfas fighting again. It would be a shame to throw away their efforts because of something like this. Besides, it wasn't as if the child was not being cared for here, anyways…

"Uh, George?" Danny asked, curiously, when he did not get a response.

The chef finally turned to him and smiled calmly, "Sorry, young halfa I was thinking. As for your question, Mr. Masters left early this morning. He had a meeting of some sort."

"Jeez, he can't stay still for long, can he?" Danny murmured mostly to himself.

But having caught the comment, George chuckled. Still, he said no more on the subject, and instead asked, "So, do you want brunch or would you rather wait about an hour for lunch?"

Danny took a big gulp of his smoothie before shaking his head. "I'll wait for lunch. This---which, by the way, is really good---will hold me till then," he said, referring to his drink.

"Well, alright. But then, do you have anything in particular you want for lunch?"

Danny smirked. "I want a sandwich. Think you can manage it, George?"

The ghost rolled his eyes, knowing that the boy had picked something that simple mostly to annoy him. But since he was now a little more use to making such simple things since the young halfa seemed to like them, he nodded. "I think I can handle it. But what kind?"

Danny shrugged lightly, though his clever grin widened with his reply. "Surprise me."

George chuckled again, but just nodded.

The teen took one final swig of his drink, before setting the cup down on the counter. And with a playful salute to the cook, he finally left the kitchen, phasing through the wall connecting to the employee lounge.

On the other side, Danny smiled as he quickly caught sight of the three ghost maids, who had by now finished their morning work. However, only the two eldest maids noticed his entrance since they were sitting on a couch that faced the boy, while Niane was sitting on another couch with her back to the young half-ghost.

But seeing Martha about to greet him, Danny quickly placed a finger against his lips, silently telling her not to say anything. The maid quickly closed her mouth, but she and Patricia couldn't keep from chuckling a bit, already guessing what the boy was up to.

This caught Niane's attention. And with a confused frown, she turned her head, having noticed her 'sisters' glancing at something there. But when she looked back, there was nothing there. The younger ghost turned her red eyes back to Martha and Patricia, before asking, "What's so f---?" But her question melded into a surprised squeak when her eyes were suddenly covered from behind.

"Guess who?" Danny asked, though he tried to make his voice sound deeper to mask his actual voice.

But Niane already knew it was he. "Hello, Master Danny," she greeted him, an amused smile on her face in spite of her eyes still being covered.

Danny frowned before quickly floating around the couch to face her. "How'd you know it was me?" he asked, honestly curious.

Niane smirked at him as she pointed at his white ghost gloves, before adding, "Among other things…"

Danny huffed in mock annoyance. But then he gave her a secretive look as he asked, "You busy?"

If the ghost girl could blush, she probably would have. Instead, she slowly shook her head and hesitantly replied, "Not really… Why?"

Danny smile widened. "Because I'm bored and I wanted to know if you'd hang out with me for a little while."

Niane quickly lowered her gaze, her fingers playing nervously with her dress as she debated something with herself. But she then glanced up again, though her eyes focused on Martha and Patricia, who nodded encouragingly at her.

It was enough for her to finally decide. Niane smiled at the boy; and with a nod, replied, "Alright."

"Great! Come on!" Danny exclaimed, before quickly flying straight through the ceiling.

Niane giggled at his actions, for once actually sounding like, well, a teenage girl. And without further prompting, she followed after him. But when she finally reached the outside of the house, where the sun was brightly declaring it was midday, she spotted the young hybrid waiting for her there.

Danny raised an eyebrow at her, before a challenging grin grew on his face. "I'll race you to the forest?"

Niane smirked at him. "If you insist, Master Danny," she quirked, before abruptly taking off.

"Hey!" the boy instantly protested, before shooting after her. "I wasn't ready!"

But the ghost girl just laughed back at him. "Looks like you finally met your match, Master Danny," she called back at him, before picking up speed.

"Ha! You wish!" Danny yelled at her, before pouring forth all his speed.

From how fast they had been going, it didn't take them long to reach the young hybrid's favorite spot near the large stream coursing through the older hybrid's property. Ultimately, the small race had been a tie, since Danny had been able to catch up to Niane. But the boy was particularly impressed that she had been able to match his speed. He had yet to meet anyone faster than he; and even rarer to find someone **as** fast…

He would definitely have to race Niane again in the future.

But for now, the ghost boy and ghost girl had settled down on top of some good-sized rocks that were situated just on the edge of the stream.

"You know, I have never been out here before," Niane commented as she leaned forward and placed one of her hands in the water, a thoughtful look on her face.

Danny raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Really?"

The ghost maid lightly shrugged as she directed a small smile at the boy. "I have other things to worry about than the scenery, I suppose. But I see why you enjoy coming here. It is quite a soothing place."

Danny nodded as he looked around the forest. "Yeah, it is. And I kinda understand what you mean. I also don't usually have time to go to some place like this and relax. I mean, when I was back home…" The teen paused as his gaze fell on the stream. "I'm actually not much of a nature person… But this place… This place is nice."

Niane just stared thoughtfully at him for a moment. But she suddenly spoke again. "Master Danny? I have heard much about you… May I ask? How did you become…?"

"Half-ghost?" he finished for her, smiling. He quickly began to tell her the story about what his parents did and about the portal and how it wouldn't function at first. He told her how he and his friends had gotten curious about it and how Sam had encouraged him to check it out. He then told her how he had gone in and that he had accidently turned it on…

"I don't think I've ever been in so much pain in my life," he commented, almost shuddering. "Anyways, my parents had not been home that day, but my sister was. So, when she heard me scream, she came running to the lab. My friends said that when I came out of the portal I was in my ghost form, but I quickly changed back. I guess I was really weak or something. Point is, when Jazz got there she just saw 'regular' me looking ready to pass out. And I really was. I felt so sick and weak. I kinda remember my sister helping me to my room and telling my friends to go home. When I got to my room, I finally passed out…."

Danny paused as he thought about something, but then he continued, "I'm not really sure how long I was out… But when I finally woke up, I first realized I was no longer in my room, but back in my parents' lab. I kinda later found out that I had phased through my bed; and since the lab is right below my room… Well, that's how I ended up there. Anyhow, when I woke up, I still felt pretty bad. But when I suddenly felt all tingly, I went over to a mirror in the lab. Yeah… That's when I finally found out and saw _this_," he ended, pointing at his current ghost form.

Niane smiled a bit at him. "My…That's quite a story…You must have been quite shocked to discover your new self."

"Yeah, I was shocked," he readily agreed; but then he suddenly laughed. "And literally, too!"

Niane laughed softly at his witty comment, before asking, "So, what happen next? Did you readily choose to do what you do?"

Danny's smile fell and the ghost maid quickly knew she had said something wrong…

"You mean, what I did," he muttered with a sigh. But then he shook his head. "I guess it was mostly because I thought it was the right thing to do. I mean, there are only two things you can do when you are suddenly given the power to, well, practically change the world…"

"And those two things are?" Niane prompted.

Danny looked up at her. "You can either change the world for better or for worse. I decided to use my powers for good; to fight against evil; against any ghost who wants to hurt innocent people. I…I don't regret that. I don't think I ever could. I know it was the right choice. But, I don't know…," he said, his gaze slipping away. "It seems every time I try to do the right thing, it is someone close to me that ends up paying for it. I mean, if it was just me then I wouldn't mind so much; but my actions somehow end up affecting my family and friends… and it's not fair, you know? I thought I had this responsibility of fighting against the bad ghosts that threaten my real home. That it was my responsibility because I have the power to stop them and I was the one who activated the ghost portal, which is mostly where these ghosts get out from. But… now… now I'm not so sure if it really is my responsibility… If I made the right choice. I mean…I'm just a kid…"

Niane's eyebrows creased in sympathy. "Perhaps…But you are a very special boy. And I must say that you made a mature and brave choice. Not everyone chooses the right path so readily, being that very often the right path is the harder path."

"Yeah, well. No one ever mentioned it was also a dead end," Danny replied bitterly.

"A dead end?" she repeated, tilting her head slightly. "Perhaps you think so because you are momentarily lost on this so called path…"

"Maybe," he replied sadly. "I guess I never expected to end up…here. Niane… do you believe everything has a purpose?"

The ghost maid looked away briefly; but when she turned her red eyes back to him, she nodded. "I do."

Danny stared soberly at the girl for a moment, before further saying, "I once told you that Vlad was evil. And you replied that just because he was evil in my eyes didn't mean he was evil in everyone else's. I'm pretty sure you were including yourself in that 'everyone else's' See, I…think I know the purpose of why I ended up here. I think I can help Vlad. I think it's the right thing to do; or at least, _try_ to do. But… it's hard for me to see pass all the evil he has done and is still kinda doing. So, I need to know. Why are **you** so sure he's not evil?"

Niane's gaze saddened as she silently gazed at the stream for a moment. She really shouldn't be talking about this to the boy, but she felt compelled to do so.

"I'm sure that he's not evil because when I first saw him, he wasn't."

Danny's eyebrows creased. "You mean when you first met him in the Ghost Zone? He told me about that."

The ghost maid looked at him again, but didn't seem surprised by the news. "You said it was hard for you to see past his evil deeds. Well, that's just it, isn't it? For some reason, he was not like you. He didn't readily pick the right path. So, then, I ask you. What makes someone truly evil? His choices? But can't a person change his choices?"

Danny nodded, somewhat understanding what she was trying to say. She also believed Vlad could change.

"I suppose it's easier for me to see past what he has become because I knew him before he choose such a sad path. He wasn't evil. He **isn't** evil... He has just forgotten who he once was."

Danny sighed deeply. "Well… looks like I'll have to get him to remember." He smiled at Niane as he added, "Thanks for telling me all that. It really helps me."

"No, Master Danny. Thank you. You are a very noble person. Very few can find it in their hearts to forgive---let alone help---someone who has hurt them."

But Danny didn't reply.

Niane's eyebrow creased again with sympathy. "You miss your loved ones greatly."

Although it was more of a comment than a question, the boy nodded. "Yeah. And more than I could ever explain," he said sadly, his eyes returning to the stream. "Everything I see, everywhere I go; there is always something that reminds me of them. Sometimes I think I'm going to go crazy from it…," he told her in a whisper.

But the teen abruptly shook his head. "It doesn't matter, though. It's not like I can do anything about it," he said bitterly, leaning forward and picking up a pebble from the bed of the stream. "I'll never be able to go home. And after everything, maybe I don't deserve to. At least, I know I don't deserve to ever see them again." And with the last comment, he angrily threw the pebble as far down the stream as he could. He still vividly remembered how he had treated his sister and friends after they discovered his being here...

"Oh, no," Niane said worriedly, getting the boy's attention. "Master Danny, you must be careful. If you truly believe that everything has a purpose, then you must stay strong, or else you could lose yourself in all this. As for your loved ones, of course you deserve to see them and _much_ more. You _deserve_ to be happy."

Danny gave her a small sad smile, now realizing why it was so easy to talk to the ghost girl about almost anything. "You…You remind me of my sister. That's something she would say."

The ghost maid returned the smile. "She's a good sister, then."

The teen nodded. "Yeah, she is."

"And you're a good brother," Niane added.

Danny frowned in confusion at her. "How would you know that?"

The maid's smile widened. "Because anyone can see how much you love her."

The young hybrid nodded his agreement again. Of course he loved Jazz. After all, he gave up his former life for her. And that's something he would never regret and would readily do for her and all his loved ones as many times as necessary.

But thinking about them was so painful for him. And he didn't want to feel down right now. He had been feeling very lighthearted up till now. Maybe it was better to cut this conversation off here, before it made him feel too sad. He didn't want to be sad.

Danny sighed his emotions away, before raising an eyebrow at Niane, who was staring curiously at his sudden change in demeanor.

"Alright. I told you about me. Now, you gotta tell me about you," he told her with a small smirk. He had not planned this; but he was now glad she had asked him about himself. It was now the perfect opening to get the girl to finally satisfy his own curiosity about her.

But Niane frowned a bit at him. "What do you want to know? You said Master Plasmius told you about how we met in the Ghost Zone. And I'm simply a maid here…"

Danny studied her briefly before he asked, "Did you really save Vlad from three ghosts when you two met?"

The ghost maid shrugged lightly. "If you want to call it that."

"You fought them?" the teen continued.

Niane suddenly chuckled. "No, I hardly raised a hand. I suppose they got bored after seeing the poor boy fall unconscious." But seeing Danny give her an odd look, she elaborated, "Well, he was a boy back then, anyways. Point is, they left and I just waited for him to wake up to make sure he was alright. Between you and me, he was terrified when he first saw me. Not that I blame him, since he had just been attacked by three other ghosts."

Danny smiled slightly, but something about all that just didn't click for him. Still, he decided to ask another question, one he had been thinking about for a while now. "Niane, what did you do before you met Vlad and came to work for him?"

Niane looked a bit startled by the question, but she still replied, "I was just in the Ghost Zone…"

"No, I know that," Danny said, shaking his head a bit. "I mean, everyone, even ghosts, has a past, right?"

"Oh," she replied, her gaze falling to the stream, having finally understood what it was he was really asking. "Well…that's…that's complicated, Master Danny."

"Complicated?" Danny repeated, his tone of voice urging her to elaborate. But when she did not, the boy frowned. Vlad was right. Niane really was secretive when it came to herself…

Although he was slightly put off that she wouldn't tell him anything about her, Danny decided it was best to not force her to do so. "It's alright. You don't have to tell me," he mumbled quietly, now also looking out at the stream.

However, the long silence had the teen's thoughts drift slightly, enough for him to remember what had happened to him there in the forest not too long ago…

Danny sighed, not realizing that it had come out shakily. But Niane had and she quickly looked at him, worriedly asking, "Are you alright?"

The boy slowly nodded, as he turned his gaze to her. "Yeah, I was just… thinking." But the truth was that he was trying **not** to think. He didn't want to recall what had happened to him. It filled him with this illogical feeling of panic…

"I'm sorry, Master Danny," she suddenly sadly said. She really felt bad for him. And she felt bad for having to drive his loved ones away, even if it had to be done.

"For what?" he asked, confused.

"A lot of things," she admitted, looking at him. "But, at the moment, for ruining your cheerful mood. It was not my intention."

Danny smiled. "It's okay. I kinda needed to get that out of my system. I haven't really been able to talk about any of this to anyone. And it's nice to finally be able to. That's another reason why you remind me of my sister."

Niane smiled warmly back. "I wouldn't mind hearing more about her…"

The boy's spirits rose a bit more. Telling someone about how special his sister was was something he did not mind doing at all. And he readily began to tell Niane all about Jazz.

* * *

It was about twelve-thirty in the afternoon when Vlad finally got back from his meeting. He sighed deeply, glad to be home. Everything had gone well in spite of the fact that it had been hard to concentrate.

But on the drive back, he had finally allowed himself to think about his current problems. All of them had been caused by his own hesitation; and, lately, his lack of proper planning. And then it dawned on the billionaire that he had been making one stupidity after another ever since Walker's attack on Daniel.

And even when Vlad now realized all this, he **still** was hesitant to form any kind of plan. But then, when he tried to _force_ himself to come up with some kind--_any_ kind--of plan, any semblance of one that he formed shattered in his mind as his thoughts returned to one thing or, rather, one _person_:

Daniel.

He had had everything set up before the boy's unexpected change. And the first part of his plan had gone well. When he had first decided to use Jasmine to get the boy at his side, Vlad had been determined to make the boy submit. But then when he succeeded, he had felt bad for it. He had hated to see the teen so broken.

Still, he had proceeded with the second part of his plan. And it was also supposed to have been simple. He had convinced Jack to enter the Ghost Zone with the belief that Phantom had his son. Vlad had set up everything in the Fenton's lab for it, too. Something Vlad had all but forgotten until now, now that he was thinking about it…

Knowing Jack was more often than not a terrible ghost hunter, Vlad had simply disabled the Specter Deflector: the only device that could have truly protected the man. But simply destroying it had not been as promising as inverting a few connections to make it repel humans instead of ghosts---and that's exactly what the older hybrid had done. Then the hidden camera in the lab was to watch his enemy's moves. And finally, his insertion of a new ecto-filtrator containing a control chip had been to have control of the Fenton portal so that Vlad could make sure Jack could not get back once he went into the Ghost Zone.

It had all been a matter of waiting for the fat oaf to fall into his trap. And once he had, Vlad had planned on returning Daniel to Maddie, claiming he had found the boy. She would still be upset over her husband's lost, of course. But she would also be immensely happy and grateful of Vlad for giving her Daniel back. It would have been the perfect way to gain her trust, and eventually, her love…

But then, those nosey brats had to find out about Daniel's being with him.

So, letting Fright Knight simply dispose of Jack was instantly out of the question. He doubted Jasmine would keep quiet about his and Daniel's secrets if he caused her father's demise.

And yet, now that Vlad thought about it, he was _glad_ that he had been forced to call off that plan. Before, he had not cared that Daniel hated him. If the billionaire would have caused Jack's demise, Danny, obviously would have at least suspected him of being responsible for it. But it's not like Daniel could ever have proved it or done much about it. After all, once someone was gone, nothing could be done to bring that person back…

So, no, he had not cared what the boy thought. Why should he have? Daniel already hated him anyways. But now… now things were different. Now, Vlad cared what Daniel thought—or more specifically, he cared whether the boy hated him or not. He didn't want the younger hybrid to hate him again…

And yet, Vlad knew if the boy found out everything that was going on in Amity Park, he probably would despise him even more than before... But what to do now? He wasn't about to let Daniel go, **especially** not now. But what was he going to do about the rest of his plans? He still wanted Maddie. How was he to get her without losing Daniel? And what about Jack?

Vlad's latest plan regarding his enemy, then, was no longer to cause his demise, but to simply get the man out of the way. He had heard of a powerful artifact in the Ghost Zone; and after searching for several months--way before he decided to force Daniel at his side---he had found evidence of its existence—or more specifically, he had found evidence of a scroll that depicted the exact location of this other relic… But he had not had time to pursue this artifact. Well, until now.

And so, about a month ago, he had sent Fright Knight on a specific mission. He was to retrieve this scroll for him. But since then, so much had happened with Daniel…

Fright Knight had not returned yet. And, honestly, Vlad did not know if he wanted him to. Because when the ghost did, it meant he would have to finally decide. Would he move forward with his plan to find and use this artifact against Jack? Or would he not?

But if he did not, how was he to win Maddie? And if he did, how was he to do it without losing Daniel?

Vlad groaned when he realized that his thoughts had come back full circle. This was absurd! And worse, he had realized that there was not really anything he could do about Daniel's friends and sisters without it bringing serious repercussions.

He was at a standstill.

The billionaire sighed deeply as he headed up to his private study. When he got there, he set down his suitcase and glanced towards his fireplace. He would have to find some solution to all this. But he was too drained from the lack of sleep, his work, and mostly his circling thoughts, to even try right now. Perhaps after lunch…and perhaps after he saw Daniel…

Part of him wanted to see the boy, but another part wanted to avoid him. After all, Daniel was the reason he was having such a mental dispute with himself. Not to mention that after his friends and sister's intrusion two days ago, he was still worried that Daniel might have known about it after all. And that his change in attitude was only a trick…

Vlad sighed sadly, before he turned and headed back out of his study. He couldn't even describe the pain that he felt at merely thinking that the boy was just playing with him. Now, if he were ever to find out that it was true… He didn't know what he would do.

As he finally made it back down the main stairs, planning on heading to the kitchen, a voice calling him from behind made him instantly freeze in his tracks.

"My liege?"

Vlad could have laughed at the cruel irony of it all. Instead, he just sighed and turned towards the ghost. "Fright Knight."

The ghost gave him a strange look, but then floated closer. "I have retrieved for you the Ancients' Scroll of Order. It was indeed where you presumed. Though I must admit, it was more than difficult to find it in such a deceiving maze as is the Dark Forest."

The billionaire moved a little closer to Fright Knight as the ghost pulled out a rolled up glowing, silver scroll.

Vlad's eyes widened in awe. And at that moment, he all but forgot his dark purpose for this seemingly harmless ghostly parchment. The man had always been a sucker for unique artifacts, whether they were ghost or human. It was why he loved collecting them as much as finding a good use for them. The Crown of Fire, the Skeleton key, were just two of the couple of ghostly artifacts he had collected in his years as a ghost. And now, he had this scroll... And if the legends were true, it would further lead him to an even more priceless ghostly relic…

"It's beautiful," he whispered as he accepted the rolled-up scroll as delicately as if it were a new-born infant. The man ran one of his fingers against the unbroken red seal that was keeping the silver scroll in its rolled-up state. But as he did, the scroll's white aura flared red, as if perceiving his touch and Vlad suddenly shuddered at the strange sensation that suddenly passed through his body.

"My liege?" Fright Knight spoke up, sounding apprehensive. "Do you truly plan on seeking that powerful artifact? At the very least, it will be dangerous retrieving it…"

Vlad slowly nodded, still looking almost mesmerized by the silver scroll. But then, as if he snapped out of it, he looked up at his ally and dismissively answered, "Yes. Well, then I will have to tread carefully, hmm? Besides, you have nothing to be concerned about. This is something I plan on retrieving myself."

Fright Knight quietly nodded as he watched the man carefully slip the scroll into one of his suit's inner pockets.

The older half-ghost opened his mouth to speak again, but before he could even get another word out, a familiar feeling instantly made him forget everything. The man eyes darted to the top of the stairs just as a laughing Danny and Niane phased through the ceiling.

The young hybrid almost instantly noticed Vlad and Fright Knight; and his amusement and smile melted away just as quickly. He didn't even see Niane oddly cringe at the sight of her employer and the teen barely heard her say, "I best go tend to my duties now…"

Danny just stared soberly at his two enemies as the ghost maid vanished from his side.

Mentally cursing his continuous bad luck today, and already having a good idea of what the boy was thinking, Vlad quickly thought of what to say.

"Daniel…," Vlad said, forcing a small smile on his face. "I apologize for leaving this morning without---"

"Don't worry about it," the teen cut him off, his voice colder than ice.

Danny redirected his stare at Fright Knight, who was silently glaring at him. But the boy did not react to his hostility. Instead, he turned human and walked down the stairs.

But when Vlad saw that the boy was planning to leave without saying anything else, he quickly asked, "Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving so you two can continue scheming," Danny replied with angry sarcasm as he walked around his two enemies.

Vlad frowned deeply. "Daniel, wait. You don't know---"

"Save it, Vlad. I don't care," Danny interrupted again, pausing only to look at the man with a serious expression.

Vlad's eyebrows creased as he watched the teen walk off towards the back of the house.

"Sire? You were saying?" Fright Knight suddenly said, staring at his employer with a strange look again.

Vlad sighed, before soberly looking at his ally. "Thank you for retrieving the Ancients' Scroll of Order, Fright Knight. But that will be all. I…I will let you know if I require your services again."

"Of course, my lord," Fright Knight replied, bowing slightly.

Vlad watched as the ghost knight phased right through the bottom lab's door. And knowing that Fright Knight hardly liked staying out in the human world for long, the man knew he was returning to his abode in the Ghost Zone.

Vlad's eyes turned in the direction Danny had left. He wanted to go after him, but what was he going to say? The boy's assumption was practically the correct one, save for that, now, the billionaire wasn't sure **if** he was going to carry on with his plans…

"Mr. Masters?" Derek suddenly interrupted the man's thoughts.

"Yes?" Vlad asked, sounding tired.

"George wanted me to inform you and the young hybrid that lunch is ready."

Vlad nodded. "We'll be there in a moment," he replied, before the man turned, and followed after the boy's footsteps…

* * *

**Voice your thoughts, please! **


	55. Chapter 54: Show You Care

**Hello, my readers! Told you I'd have another chapter of CM for you in a few days time. So, here it is! Sorry, but no replies to reviews again. You know, school, work, and other stuff. Plus, I am trying to move this story faster! But you guys know I love each one; and if I can, I'll try to send you guys some replies. Well, you can also expect a chapter of DoaS soon. Maybe by this weekend. And, let's see if I can fit CM in there, too. Enjoy! This one was quite a challenge for me… But I got through it; and with my lovely beta Truephan, I'm feeling much better about it! I hope you guys like it! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. However, the other characters are my own.**

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**Chapter 54: Show you Care.**

"Ve're too old to be receiving that kind of harassment!" one of the vultures fumed as he and his companions perched on a tree several feet from the outside pool at Vlad's house.

"Tell me about it," the second spoke up. "That ghost hunter couple can sure be rough."

"Especially the lady hunter! My vings are gonna be sore for veeks!" the third bird grumbled, his feathers ruffling in anger.

After having been curtly forced into the Ghost Zone, the three ghost birds had decided to stay there for awhile so that they could recuperate a bit from their brawl with Maddie and Jack. But knowing that they had to inform their employer of what had happened, they had eventually traveled through the Ghost Zone in the direction of Vlad's portals. The three birds had actually arrived at their boss' castle an hour ago. And having found out from Derek that Plasmius wasn't home, they had decided to wait around for him.

"Do you two think Plasmius vill be angry at us for being caught?" one of them asked, sounding slightly worried.

But before either of his companions could answer, the ghost vulture suddenly noticed a familiar figure come into view.

"Hey, boys, look! It's the fancy-pants ghost boy!"

The two other vultures readily looked in the direction to which their companion was pointing one of his wings.

Evil grins curled on the birds' faces as one of them said, "He sure looks like he's steamed about something... Vhy don't ve help him cool down?"

The two other birds quickly agreed; and with wicked laughs, they turned invisible and took to the sky…

Meanwhile, still human, Danny was standing in front of the pool, his arms crossed in front of his chest as he glared at the blue water. Now he remembered why it was harder to get along with the older hybrid here in the castle. The guy always had his evil ghost cronies coming in and out of the place like busy ants hustling on their mound.

Not only did the teen now suspect Vlad was scheming again, but he was now wondering if the guy had even heard anything he had said to him the first time they truly talked after the incident with Walker... Didn't the man get that his so-called allies hated him? That if they were given the opportunity, they would not hesitate to waste the teen? But the man still kept them around like it was nothing. It was like Vlad didn't care that with them around Danny would have to be on constant alert again. It was stressing enough as it was with having to deal with his stubborn arch-enemy and… and that other sick… ghost.

Danny's glare hardened as he forced his thoughts to stay solely on his arch-enemy. What was he suppose to do now? Every time he found a reason why he should help Vlad, that _jerk_ had to give him two more reasons why he shouldn't!

It was more than frustrating. He was quickly becoming sick of trying, and trying only for Vlad to just mess everything up. Here he was, all but ripping his heart out in the process, and for what? For a jerk who couldn't see beyond his selfish desires?!

"I swear," the boy whispered darkly, his eyes narrowing. "If I find out that he's trying to hurt---" But before he could finish his train of thought, his ghost sense went off and he gasped in surprise.

"Hello, ghost kid! Vant a lift?"

"Ahh!" Danny shouted as he felt sharp claws latch onto his shoulder and instantly lift him off the ground. He quickly snapped his head up, and his eyes turned green with his anger at finding that it was one of Vlad's vultures that had him suspended in the air.

"Stupid bird! Let go!" he fumed, as he instantly began to struggle against the ghost's grasp.

"Let go?" the bird holding him echoed; and to the teen's growing fury, he heard the other two vultures laughing from somewhere close by.

"He vants you to let him go. I think you better," one of the other two said, before laughing some more.

"Alright," the vulture holding him said with a mocking sigh of surrender. "If that's vhat you vant…"

Danny was somewhat taken aback with the bird's quick agreement. But he hardly had time to think about it, since the bird holding him suddenly did let go and the boy was as suddenly and quickly pulled down by gravity.

"AHH!" he screamed as he fell; but quickly thinking to 'go ghost', his rings appeared around his waist. However, the boy wasn't aware of how close he was to the ground---or rather the pool—below.

His body impacted the cool water with a loud splash, his transformation cut short by the painful surprise.

The three ghost vultures just laughed heartedly in midair while the boy struggled to break the water's surface.

"I think ve helped him out good, boys!" one of them said as they continued to laugh. That is, until they finally realized that there now was one other person present, and that that person was their employer, who clearly had seen the whole thing...

For a moment, all Vlad could do was stare in shock, still not believing that he had just seen the boy get dropped into the pool from several feet up. But just as he saw Danny finally grabbing a hold of the pool's edge, coughing up a gallon of water as he did, the man's emotion melded into anger.

"Hi there, boss," one of the ghost vultures said nervously as the man glared up at them.

But the man's gaze quickly returned to Daniel, who had finally managed to get enough air into his lungs again. The boy still had not noticed him, but Daniel didn't miss the three now quietly hovering vultures.

Glaring at the birds with glowing green eyes, Danny struggled to pull himself out of the pool, but it didn't keep him from growling out at the ghosts, "You three just made a big mistake!"

"Daniel?"

Soaked to the bone, Danny quickly looked at his arch-enemy, briefly freezing in his surprise at seeing him there. But it didn't last long; and suddenly angrier at Vlad than the birds, he shot the man a hard glare, before finally pulling himself out of the pool.

Vlad didn't say anything else and just silently, almost sadly, watched the teen get to his feet. How long had it been since Daniel glared at him with such intensity? One thing the man was now certain of: it had never hurt this much before to see the boy look at him like that…

The silence was suddenly broken by one of the three vultures, now recalling why they were even here. "Hey, boss! Ve got some serious new---"

But the birds never finished. At that instant, Danny fired angry blasts at all three ghosts, sending them tumbling into a tree, before they fell to the ground.

Danny only briefly glared at the groaning birds, before he turned his attention back to himself. He grumbled under his breath as he tugged off his soaked shoes with more force than necessary. But suddenly remembering he could just go intangible to remove the water off his body, the boy growled at himself before doing just that.

No longer able to keep quiet, Vlad spoke up again, his voice sounding both hesitant and worried, knowing that that fall had had to have hurt. "Daniel…Are you alright?"

"Perfect. A thirty foot fall into a pool is _exactly_ what I needed right now," he replied in angry sarcasm, before storming pass the man, heading back inside.

Vlad watched him go with an anxious frown, clearly at a lost with what to do next.

"Boss!" one of the vultures suddenly called to him, only to wish he had not.

The older hybrid's eyes flashed red as he immediately turned his attention to the three vultures. "What the blazes are you three doing here?!"

The hovering birds reeled back in alarm, before one of them readily replied, "Ve vere forced back! That's vhat ve came to tell you! That hunter couple you told us to vatch somehow found us out and they attacked us! Ve barely made it out alive!"

"Uh, ve're ghosts, remember?" another suddenly interrupted his companion.

"He knows vhat I mean!" the first one snapped back, before all three started squabbling.

But Vlad didn't even hear it. He was shocked by what the ghosts had just told him. Maddie and Jack had sent them back? They were ghost hunting again?

However, the man quickly pushed his questions aside; and finally noticing the arguing ghosts, he angrily intervened, "Enough! You three are useless!"

"Hey!" they protested, but their employer still continued.

"I asked you three to watch the boy's friends and family and you cannot even do something as simple as that! Are you three even aware that the three brats you were _supposed_ to be watching snuck into my home two days ago?!"

"Vell, of course, ve are," one of them replied, rolling his eyes.

"And?!" the older hybrid snapped, now even angrier. If they had been aware of it, then why the blazes didn't they stop them—or at the very least, tell him?!

"Like you said, you just told us to vatch them! If you vanted more, you should have been more specific!" one the ghost vultures replied, now annoyed with his employer's inability to make up his mind.

For a moment, Vlad looked about to blast all three vultures into a pile of ecto-feathers. But instead, he suddenly growled in his throat.

"You three are lucky I don't have time for your stupidities," he sneered, before he whirled around and stomped away from them.

But after glancing at each other, the three vultures then quickly flew after their employer. "Vait! Don't you vant to know everything that happened?"

"What I want is for you three to get out of my sight!" the man yelled furiously, though he kept walking.

"Uh… So, is that a 'no?"

Vlad suddenly stopped and it took all his self restraint to not actually blast the three ghosts. But knowing that he had to talk to them eventually about what happened, he turned to look at them, angrily replying, "We will discuss this later. I have enough things to take care of right now---not to mention, I presently have the strong desire to wring your ghostly necks for that little stunt back there. So, you will forgive me if I hardly have the patience at the moment to listen to anything you three might have to say."

"But I think you should know right now that---" one of the vultures began, only to bite back the rest of his comment when he saw his employer's eyes flash red again.

The man turned away once more; and without another word, finally headed inside.

* * *

Danny angrily stared at his lunch in front of him. He was hardly hungry anymore, but he had not wanted to reject the sandwiches George had made for him. Besides, he was sure Vlad wasn't even going to show up at the dining room---not that he wanted him to, anyways. The man was probably busy talking to his other ghostly allies.

"_I should have known Vlad wouldn't be satisfied with just messing up my life,"_ he thought angrily.

But what was he going to do about Vlad now? What could his arch-enemy possibly be scheming this time? After all, why else would all his cronies suddenly start showing up?

Danny had been able to relax in the past weeks because he had been certain that Vlad had not been scheming anything. After all, with the man constantly around him and with his being occupied with his business and the other things in his personal life, how could the man have any time to do anything else? But how dumb of him to have forgotten about the Vlad's ghost allies! After all, they always did the guy's dirty work. So… So what if Vlad had really been doing things behind his back this whole time? What if… What if he was planning on trying to get his mom again? Or worse, what if he was planning on hurting his dad now that he wasn't around to protect him?

Danny's hand tightened on his glass of juice at the thought, his buried hatred for his arch-enemy suddenly beginning to excavate itself from his heart…

However, the sound of faint footsteps pulled the teen from his dark and angry thoughts. And he turned his gaze to the dining room's entrance.

Vlad paused, honestly surprised to find Daniel at the table. He had been certain that the boy had gone up to his room to sulk. But although the man suddenly had the urge to turn right back around and walk out of the dining room, he knew he couldn't do that. He had to at least try to talk to the younger hybrid…

Danny was as equally surprised to see Vlad; but still upset, the boy quickly turned his gaze back to his food, which he had not even touched yet. But needing something to help him keep down his growing anger, he picked up half of his sandwich and began to eat it as if the man wasn't even there.

Vlad quietly sat down, choosing a chair that was far enough to give the teen his space, but also that he could face him. He hardly noticed Derek come in and set down his own lunch in front of him, which looked something along the line of potato salad and salmon. The man just stared at his food as if it weren't even there, much less did he want it. His mind was too preoccupied with trying to find the words to break the tension in the air. He suddenly decided to just go for the direct approach.

"Daniel, I know what you're thinking. But if you will only let me explain. Fright Knight---"

"I already told you," Danny abruptly cut him off, his voice still ice cold. "I don't care. Why should I? You obviously don't even care what I think, let alone how I feel."

Vlad frowned deeply. "That's not true."

"Yeah?" Danny retorted, glaring at him. "Then you have a funny way of showing it. Oh, wait. That's just it. You _don't_ show it!"

"Look," Vlad said, his voice now bordering on anger. "If I didn't care, I would not even bother to---"

"There's something wrong with me," Danny interrupted him again, though he was mostly speaking to himself. "There's gotta be for me to even think that you…" But the teen suddenly cut himself off in mid-sentence, not wanting to finish what he was thinking. Instead, he shook his head, his eyes returning to his lunch as he soberly said, "Just forget it. You would never understand."

"How can I, Daniel? If you won't explain it to me?" Vlad said angrily, though he hadn't raised his voice in spite of it. The boy's last comment had stung. It really had. But internally, Vlad had to admit that Daniel might have a point. He really did not understand why the teen had changed so radically with him. But he wanted to! He needed to! Otherwise, he would never get rid of his suspicions regarding the boy and his motives…

But Danny didn't reply and just glared at his food. What was he going to explain? That he believed that everyone deserved a second chance? That he was willing to help his arch-enemy if he'd only let him? Vlad would probably just laugh in his face and continue his evil schemes anyways. But that was the problem, wasn't it? If Vlad was indeed trying to harm his loved ones, the teen couldn't possibly turn a blind eye to it and continue to pretend that he was okay with everything. And yet, deep inside, Danny knew that he couldn't stop him, either… He could do nothing.

Danny's eyes turned bright green with a sudden flare of hate. Yes, his hands were tied; but right now, he didn't really care how tightly his arch-enemy had made those bonds. He wasn't going to just accept this. Not this. But how could he keep Vlad from doing something against his family---or, most likely, his father? How could he keep the older hybrid from scheming against them?

At that moment, the teen suddenly remembered something important, something he had learned in all this time that he had been with Vlad. Danny now understood that the billionaire really didn't---_couldn't_---spend day and night plotting all that evil. He now understood that the man had a life outside of that. So, now, it made more sense why Vlad had so many ghost allies. It wasn't really because he was too lazy to carry out his plans himself; but, rather, that he didn't always have the time for it. So, then, didn't the success of his arch-enemy's evil plans, ultimately, depend on his allies? If the man could not keep contact with them, if they would stay away, then there was a good chance that Vlad could do nothing against his family…. Danny realized it wasn't a sure thing. But it would be something… _something_ he could do…

"I don't want them here," the boy suddenly said, his voice as hard as steel, though his glowing gaze remained on his plate.

Vlad, who had lowered his own gaze after the boy had refused to answer him, quickly looked up; and knowing the 'them' to whom Daniel was referring were his ghost allies, he instantly frowned. "Daniel, you cannot ask me to---"

"**I don't want them here, Vlad!" **Danny cut him off, turning his glowing green eyes at the man. "I won't let you hurt my family, do you hear me?! **I won't let you!** You say you care? Well, then, **prove** it! The _**least**_ you could do for me is to leave them alone! The _**least**_ you could do is give me the peace of mind of not seeing _your_ cronies---_my_ _enemies_---around here!"

Vlad's eyes instantly narrowed with the boy's barrage. "My allies' services to me are not always about you and your family, Daniel!"

"They are more often than not! And **you** know it!" Danny yelled back, his hands now fisting at his sides.

The billionaire just glared, unable to deny that.

But when the man kept silent, Danny realized he was right! Anger mixed with a hint of desperation now echoed in the boy's voice as he continued, "You can't do this to me, Vlad. I thought you understood that I don't want to fight with you anymore. But if they're around, if you keep doing this, what am I supposed to do?"

Vlad's gaze softened a bit. "You know I no longer desire to fight with you, either. But you cannot ask me to do away with all my allies simply because you do not like them. "

The boy's gaze turned cold again with the man's reply. Not only did Vlad keep avoiding the real problem---which was the man's hurting his family---but Vlad wasn't _listening_ to him. It wasn't just about the older hybrid's allies being _his_ enemies! It was more than that! And he knew it! But the man kept feigning ignorance of it!

"You know it's more than that," Danny growled. "And if it wasn't, then _stop_ making it sound like I don't have good reasons to not like them. We both know what they have done to me---both by their own accounts and under **your** orders! Or do I need to refresh your memory of everything Fright Knight, those stupid birds, and Skulker---"

But the mention of his former ally suddenly sent an unexplainable surge of fury through the older hybrid's body.

"**Do not utter a word to me about Skulker!" **Vlad shouted, ramming his fists to the table just before rising to his feet so violently and abruptly that the boy jolted in alarm. **"You have no right! Just as you have no right to tell me that I don't care when **_**Skulker**_** is gone solely because of **_**you?!**_**" **

Danny stared at the man in complete shock, but still managed to softly utter, "W-What?"

Upon hearing the abrupt change in the boy's tone of voice, the older hybrid was suddenly aware of his own outburst. But there was more. At that moment, he realized that the lost of his closest ally had hurt more than he had initially thought. Maybe Skulker really had been more to him than just another of his ghost acquaintances…

Suddenly feeling drained, Vlad sighed, lowering his once fisted hands to his sides. He looked back up at Danny, who was still silently staring at him.

But the man was done with this argument. And he made that clear when he finally spoke again, his voice grave and definite. "I will make sure they do not come near you; but you are going to have to get use to seeing them around because I _will not_ terminate their services."

Danny could say nothing in response and just watched disbelievingly as Vlad left the dining room, leaving the teen alone in complete silence. Danny's gaze lowered again; but now more confused than angry, his eyebrows creased as he tried to figure out what Vlad had meant by his last comment about Skulker…

"Because of _me_?" he mumbled quietly.

But then, his thoughts drifted back to what Vlad had said, what he had refused to do: to keep his ghost allies away. He shook his head. He no longer cared about what his arch-enemy had meant about Skulker. He was too upset, more saddened than angry now that he knew that Vlad would not do this one thing for him, even when the teen had surrendered his entire life to him, even when he was trying so hard _for_ him. But, no, he just knew Vlad wanted more. And if that 'more' included hurting his father to get to his mother, then…

Danny closed his eyes in helplessness. And suddenly wanting to be in his room, the teen abruptly stood up and headed out of the dining room.

* * *

After Vlad had left the dining room, he continued towards the foyer, and then to his room, where he planned on staying for the rest of the day. Maybe then nothing else could go wrong today.

But just as he had reached the top of the main stairs, a loud ring echoed through the foyer. The man frowned in confusion as he turned to look at his ringing front door.

In an instant, Derek materialized in front of the front entrance, looking very human. The ghost butler did not realize that his employer was behind him at the stairs, and just opened the door as he normally would.

Derek smiled in recognition at the person---or 'persons'---at the door. "Hello, Ms. Hui… And young miss."

Stephanie smiled at the butler and greeted him back. "Hello, Derek."

"Yeah, hi, Derek!" a teenage girl standing beside the woman promptly greeted him as well.

"Is Vlad around?" Stephanie continued, raising a curious eyebrow.

"Why, yes. Come on in," Derek replied, ushering them in.

But the moment the two newcomers stepped in, they instantly noticed the billionaire staring at them from the stairs, looking somewhat surprised to see them. In all that had happened, Vlad had forgotten that he had asked Stephanie to stop by to pick up the 'MVI' closure papers…

"Oh, he's right there," Derek said in surprise when he, too, noticed his employer's presence.

But it was the teenage girl beside the man's secretary that was the first to speak up.

"_Bà__ba__!__"_ she exclaimed in Chinese before zooming up the stairs and hugging the billionaire.

Still out of it from his fight with the younger hybrid only a couple of minutes ago, it took Vlad a second or two to respond to the girl. And as he returned her hug, the man softly chuckled at the title by which the girl commonly addressed him out of affection. "Annabelle, my girl, it's good to see you… But…" The man pulled away slightly, raising an eyebrow at the two pink streaks on the teen's otherwise straight blond hair. "What on earth did you do to your hair?"

"That's what I asked her when I picked her up from school today," Stephanie interrupted, walking up to the two and frowning disapprovingly at her daughter.

"What?" Annabelle slightly protested, grabbing one of the two pink streaks framing her face. "It goes with my outfit. Plus, Easter's coming up, so my friends and I thought it was a good idea. You don't like it?" the girl asked, looking at the billionaire with the same large light green eyes as her mother's. The fourteen-year-old also had her mother's petite form; but other than that, the girl looked to have more Australian in her than Chinese…

Vlad tilted his head slightly in amusement, noticing how the streaks indeed matched her attire, being that she was wearing a white knee-length skirt and a pink and grey blouse. "Hmm, well, let's see. Perhaps if we could find you a pair of rabbit ears and a black nose, then, I might like it…"

Annabelle pouted. "You two are so 'old school'."

"Perhaps. But it's still coming off as soon as we get home," Stephanie said in a matter-of-factly voice, before she smiled at Vlad. And knowing there was no need to put on any sort of act, she greeted him with a friendly peck on the cheek. "You looked surprised to see me," she then told him, raising a curious eyebrow.

"Honestly, yes," Vlad replied with a small embarrassed smile, though it had nothing to do with the way she had greeted him. He was more than used to it. "I somewhat forgot I told you to come by…"

Stephanie smirked. "More like you completely forgot. But you have been doing that a lot lately, so that's alright. How was the trip?"

Vlad's demeanor fell somewhat as he glanced in the direction of the dining hall. "It was…"

But before the man could say anymore, Danny, who had been planning on heading to his room, walked into the foyer. The boy froze in surprise at finding not only Vlad and Stephanie there; but also a girl he had never seen before.

"Daniel," Stephanie said, breaking the silence. She walked over to the still frozen teenage boy and placed a hand on his shoulder. "How are you? Vlad told me you went to Germany with him. How was it?" she asked with a smile.

Danny soberly glanced over at Vlad, but then he just looked away when he saw the man's own serious stare. He forced a small polite smile on his face as he finally responded to the woman, "I'm fine, thanks. And, uh, yeah, I did go... It was… fine."

Stephanie's eyebrows slightly furrowed, noticing the teen's less than cheery demeanor. But not wanting to comment about it, she smiled again and coax him forward a bit before beckoning her own daughter with a hand gesture. "Look, I want you to meet my daughter, Annabelle. Annie, this is Daniel… _Vlad's nephew_. The boy I told you about, remember?"

Annabelle—or, '_Annie'_---nodded; and with a smile, extended her hand at the teenage boy. "Hi, Daniel. It's nice to finally meet you."

In spite of his earlier mood, Danny could not help but blush at having such a pretty girl talk to him. And his blush only deepened as he suddenly realized she might even be prettier than Paulina. And that said a lot in his mind!

Still, he managed to take the girl's hand and get out a timid response. "H-Hi. Um, call me 'Danny', though."

The girl's smile widened. "Only if you call me 'Annie."

Danny just nodded.

"Well, then!" Stephanie said, as she stepped away from the two teens. "You two children can chat. Vlad, you and I have business to take care of, hmm?"

As Vlad calmly nodded, Danny snapped out of his 'there's a pretty girl next to me' mode. He glanced at the man again; but, this time, Vlad was not looking at him. And, instead, the billionaire had all his attention to his secretary.

And as soon as Stephanie reached Vlad's side, the two adults turned away, and retreated without another word to either teen, now leaving them all alone with each other…

The billionaire and his secretary silently walked down the halls heading to the man's private study. But it was Stephanie who broke the silence, now that they were alone.

"Looks like I came in a bad time…," she said causally.

"Honestly, yes," Vlad said, frowning to himself. "But it's not your fault. Daniel... He's being difficult…"

"Difficult?" the woman repeated curiously. "Well, that _is_ part of the whole 'teenager' thing. But by the way he was staring at you, I'd say he thinks _you're_ the one being difficult."

"Yes, well, that's all true, too, I suppose," Vlad muttered, knowing in spite of everything that the boy had plenty of reason to be upset with him. But Vlad could not tell Daniel what he wanted to hear. Because what the boy was asking him was to essentially give up on Maddie and he could not do that…

"Vlad…," Stephanie suddenly said with a sigh. "How much longer is Daniel going to be with you?"

The man almost paused in his steps with the unexpected question. But he instead frowned at her and curiously asked, "Why do you ask?"

The woman looked soberly up at him. "Because, if I were Maddie, I could never have my child be away from me for this long."

Vlad glanced behind them, feeling uncomfortable with talking about this in the hallway. But knowing he was just being paranoid, he looked back at Stephanie.

"You know I have known the Fentons for a long time, Stephanie. It's essentially as if Annabelle was staying with me. It wouldn't bother you, would it?"

"No, not in the least," she replied. "But it's not anything like that, Vlad. First, we live in the same state; so if it was Annie who was staying with you, I'd still be able to see her. Daniel's parents live in another state; I doubt they have been able to come to Wisconsin in the--what? three months?---that their son has been here. Secondly, we have a different type of relationship than you do with the Fentons. I mean, you are in love with the boy's mother and despise his father, correct? So, _no_, Vlad, it is not essentially the same thing."

Vlad didn't reply; and that only troubled Stephanie even more.

"Vlad. You're not lying to me, are you? Maddie does know that her son is with you, right?" she asked, fearfully.

"How else would the boy be here?" Vlad replied calmly, though his gaze remained forward.

"I just don't want you to do something you will later regret," she told him sadly. "You're my friend, Vlad. And no matter what you do, you will always be my friend. But as your friend, I have to tell you to think carefully about whatever it is you're doing."

Vlad finally stopped when at that moment they finally reached his study; but turning to her with a serious look, he finally spoke, "I appreciate your concern. I truly do. But you already know my response regarding this matter."

Stephanie nodded, before muttering what he always told her, "'Don't get involved in your affairs with the Fentons'."

Vlad didn't reply, knowing he did not need to. Instead, he opened the door, and allowed her in first.

Stephanie knew plenty about his relationship with the Fentons—just not _everything_. After all, there was already enough of what he did of which the woman did not approve. So then, he did his best to not involve her any further when it came to his affairs concerning Daniel and his family. Still, truth was, Stephanie was the only person he could truly call 'friend'. And he didn't want to lose that. Ultimately, no matter what the woman said, if she _truly_ knew of even half the things he had done and was doing, Vlad was certain that she would not only quit her job for him, but she'd probably never talk to him again…

And if that happened, it would greatly upset Vlad. Although there had been a time in his life when he **had** wanted precisely that, when he had gone out of his way to get Stephanie out of his life forever, _now_, Vlad could not imagine not having her—her _and_ her daughter---in his life; much like he could not imagine not having Maddie or Daniel in his life…

The billionaire silently went to his desk and quickly pulled open a file drawer to get the papers he needed. When he finally found them, he walked over to Stephanie who had been staring seriously at the fireplace, more worried and saddened than anything else…

"Everything is done," Vlad suddenly said, breaking the silence as a small smile curved his lips. "Vazier has sold me half of his company's assets, making me the co-owner of M.V.I.---just as planned."

"Congratulations," she replied, forcing a small smile on her face. "Did you tell him that you also bought off all his shareholders as well?"

Vlad smirked, handing her the folders. "Not yet."

Stephanie nodded and accepted the files. She was hardly fazed by what she knew her employer---and friend---was going to do. She was more than use to the cold and sometimes even cruel ways of the business world.

"Alright. I'll give these papers to your lawyer for him to go over. Everything, then, should be in place by the time Vazier decides to go public with your 'partnership' with him…"

But when he noticed that she still sounded upset, even when it was obvious she was now trying to hide it, Vlad sighed. "Stephanie…" But when she lowered her gaze from his, he cupped her chin and gently made her look at him again. "My dearest friend, believe me, there are some things you are best off not knowing."

"Are your words supposed to make me feel better?" she asked, seriously, almost coldly.

The man paused, his eyebrows creasing in sadness, before he removed his hand from her as he whispered, "I'm sorry…." But then he gave her a sad smile as he added, "I wish I could understand why you even put up with me…"

Stephanie's hard look melted, and she returned a sad smile to him. "It really is not that difficult to figure out, Vlad."

The billionaire stared in confusion at her, but then he sighed again. "You know it's not my intention to upset you."

"I know," she agreed with a small nod. But then she sighed herself, before she smiled again, this time, in a calm way. "You can make it up to me, though…"

Vlad raised a curious eyebrow. "How so?"

Stephanie's grin grew as she teased, "Guess where Annie and I are going for the rest of the week."

Vlad frowned slightly. "I don't know. You never mentioned it."

"We're going to Florida to visit my parents..."

"No," Vlad said instantly, now knowing exactly where she was going with this.

Stephanie frowned. "But I haven't even explained it to you yet."

"You don't have to. I know where you're going with this. I know what you're going to _ask_ me. And my answer is, and always will be, 'no'."

The woman's lips pursed as she watched the man walk away from her and go over to the fireplace. However, this was a topic she was not so easily dropping.

"It will just be a few days, Vlad. Please, it would mean so much to me if you would go with me and Annie. And I'm sure you would have no trouble taking Daniel along."

Vlad crossed his arms, now gazing seriously at the softly burning flames. "I cannot go with you. The last thing I need is for the press to find out I'm traveling back to my home state with my secretary and her daughter."

"We're just friends," she told him, slightly frowning.

"Yes, but we both know how _eager_ the media would be to stick to that truth," Vlad said sarcastically, briefly glancing back at her. It was true, of course. And that was the reason they all but kept their friendship a secret when they were in public. The media would have field day if they found out that that the famous Vlad Masters had more than a professional relationship with his secretary. And it would only take a little bit of digging for them to further discover that they had a tightly interwoven past, too. Vlad could already imagine all the horrors they would make up, not just about him, but about Stephanie… and even her daughter…

"You know it's not about that," Stephanie insisted. "We have traveled together in the past countless of times and we have easily kept the press from ever thinking more than my being your secretary. So, stop trying to make up excuses. Why don't you just simply admit that you don't want to go to go Florida, Vlad."

"Alright, fine. I don't want to go to Florida. Are you satisfied?" Vlad asked, now looking almost angry at her.

"No, I'm not satisfied," Stephanie snapped, walking right over to him. "I'm not satisfied because I don't understand why you will not go back home!"

"And I do not understand your insistence that I do," he retorted, now glaring at her. "Why do you _always_ do this? If I have not returned to Florida since I moved to Wisconsin, then what makes you think I am going to change my mind about returning after more than twenty-five years?"

"Because you have to overcome what happened eventually!" Stephanie replied back determinedly.

But that single comment made the billionaire explode in rage; and although he knew that he probably would not have react so badly if it wasn't because he was already on the edge with everything that had happened today, he was too angry to care.

"Surpass?!" he shouted at her. "No, it is _YOU_ who needs to surpass all that! If you haven't noticed, _**I **_moved on; unlike _**you**_ who is clearly stuck in the past! You're _**obsessed**_, woman!"

"At least I don't pretend like it never existed," she answered back, though she now sounded more hurt than angry.

Vlad closed his eyes, feeling them burn red with his frustration; but having caught his friend's tone of voice, he deflated with a sigh. "Look," he began, his voice now considerably lower, but serious, as he looked at her again. "I know you have the best intentions; but, Stephanie, I cannot go back. Can you not see that I'm not you?" he asked, his voice just slightly saddening. "You might be willing to acknowledge the past---and I admire such strength about you---but that is something I _cannot_ do. If I could, I would forget it all together. But because that's impossible, then, the best I can do for myself _is_ to pretend it never existed. So, please, stop trying to force me back. I moved on from all that a long time ago."

Stephanie lowered her gaze as she shook her head. "No, Vlad. You haven't moved on. Otherwise, you would not avoid anything relating to the past like you do."

The older hybrid did not reply; and for a moment there was utter silence. But the man finally spoke up again, more quietly this time, "How are you getting there?"

The green-eyed woman felt another pang of sadness at her friend's clearly wanting to change the subject. But she still replied, "We're driving."

Vlad frowned a bit. "That's a long drive, Stephanie. Why don't I ask Jim to---"

"No," she quickly cut him off, before moving away from him. "I'm not interested in your money, let alone its facilities. I never have been. So, do not insult me like that."

The man's eyes slightly widened, realizing how wrong his honest attempt to offer her transportation had come out especially after they had just argued. She probably thought he was trying to apologize by using his money!

"Stephanie, I didn't mean to offend you," Vlad said worriedly, fighting off the urge to get closer to his friend, knowing she wouldn't appreciate it at the moment. "You and your daughter are very important to me. You know that. It was just a simple offer. I promise, I meant nothing else by it."

The woman sighed, believing him. After all, her friend had never treated her like one of those people he could buy off. Aside from his being her employer, where, naturally, he would compensate her for her work as he would for all his other employees, the man's money had never been a factor in their relationship. They went back too far for it to involve something so meaningless…

"I appreciate the offer, Vlad," Stephanie calmly replied, turning to look at him again. "But Annie and I opted on a road trip as oppose to simply flying. Believe it or not, it's actually more exciting," she assured him, smiling a bit with the comment.

Vlad silently nodded, as he briefly remembered a few road trips he had had in his college days with Jack and a few other college friends…

The thought quickly reminded him of his current problems; though the one that worried him the most was the boy with whom he had just argued a moment ago…

Stephanie sighed with some unknown emotion, before her gaze went to a frame on the fireplace, one she had seen many times before. But suddenly moving towards it, she picked it up and silently studied it for a moment.

Vlad was so deep in thought that he had yet to notice the woman's actions. But her next comment quickly got his attention.

"You know, Danny looks a lot more like his mom in real life than in this picture," she calmly commented.

Vlad's eyebrows creased strangely at the sight of Stephanie holding his picture of the Fenton family. He didn't know why, but it felt odd for him to see her looking at it, for her to be looking at the very boy and woman for whom he cared as well as the man who he hated. Seeing that felt as strange to him as it did every time she spoke to him about the Fentons. He couldn't explain it. But because it troubled him so, it was yet another reason why he did not want her to be involved in his affairs that dealt with the people whom he considered important now, in his present life. There was something about it that was just… unnatural. Seeing Stephanie with that picture in her hand was like he was suddenly living simultaneously in his past and present… It was all wrong…

Walking up to her, the older hybrid gently removed the picture from her hands and briefly looked at it himself. Stephanie was right, of course. Danny did look like his mother. And even his personality was closer to that of his mother than his father---thank heavens for that! But, ultimately, Daniel was very different. He was his own person. And he was like no one the older hybrid had ever met before. He was… special.

"I wonder what Annie would think of him…," Vlad suddenly said in a quiet and slightly saddened voice as he solely stared at the picture of Daniel, before looking back to his female friend.

Stephanie smiled sadly as she replied, "She would love him."

Vlad nodded his agreement, before placing the picture back.

But as he did, his secretary spoke up again, though her voice sounded a bit hesitant now. "Vlad, Annie and I are going to go downtown to get some ice-cream… I know you can't go… But would you mind if I take Daniel along with me and Annie?"

Vlad blinked in surprise; but he then lightly shrugged, though his eyes turned away to the fireplace as he muttered, "You'll have to ask him."

Stephanie smiled a bit. "Alright. Then, I'll leave you now. I'll call you when I get back, okay?"

The billionaire returned the smile as she kissed him good-bye. "Have a safe trip," he then told her.

The woman nodded. But just as Vlad watched her leave, he suddenly called to her, "Stephanie?"

At the sound of her name, the woman stopped and turned to him again.

Vlad silently regarded her for a moment; but just when his friend was going to ask him what he was thinking, he calmly asked, "Give your parents my greetings, hmm?"

Stephanie shook her head helplessly, thinking how her parents would be more thrilled if he would give them his greetings _himself_. But not wanting to argue again, she just said, "I'll do that."

Vlad gave her a thankful smile, before Stephanie finally left. But the moment she did, the older hybrid's smile fell and he pinched the bridge of his nose, looking utterly exhausted.

* * *

It had been awkward for Danny to be left alone with a complete stranger. And not just any stranger. A very, _very_ pretty stranger who so happened to be close to his own age...

"Uh…," he said, rubbing his neck and looking around. "So, you're Stephanie's daughter, right?"

Annabelle gave him a bemused look, not understanding why he was repeating that again. "Yes…," she said slowly; but realizing he was just shy, she smiled again. "Sorry, my mom sometimes forgets that not everyone is as overly friendly as she is. It leads to some embarrassing moments sometimes…"

Danny smiled, the comment calming him a bit. He could totally relate to that. "It's alright. My mom—_and_ _my dad_--are the same way. I guess that's one of the qualifications for being a parent: having the ability to embarrass your kids."

Annabelle laughed in agreement. And with that, the tension was broken. They don't know how they ended up at the closest living room to the foyer, but it really amazed them both how easily they began to talk to each other.

Danny was particularly impressed. The girl sure had some of her mom's enthusiastic personality. And by the way she talked about school, she had to be pretty popular, since she was involved in a lot of extracurricular activities. But with all that, she wasn't anything close to being dim or shallow. Actually, she was very bright and down to earth. The boy mentally paused as the thought led to another: Annie was possibly living proof that not all pretty girls were airheads---as Sam would call them...

Annabelle was also already glad to have met Danny. He was such an easy guy to talk to; his personality was refreshing, funny, and almost soothing even…There was something very special about him that allowed her to connect very easily with him. Not to mention, he was very cute… But that thought, she'd keep to herself…

"Seriously, you live in Amity Park? I heard that place is haunted. Not that I believe in that…," she added with a small chuckle.

Danny raised an eyebrow. "You don't believe in ghosts?"

"No," she said, sounding amused by just the thought. "I've never seen anything like it; so, I don't exactly buy the whole 'ghost' thing. Why? Do you?"

Danny blushed a bit and he let out a nervous chuckle with the question. "Well, uh, yeah, I actually do. My, um, parents are actually ghost hunters. It's… uh, what they do for a living."

The girl blinked in surprise. "Whoa…Well, um, I guess everyone has the right to believe and do what they want, right? But that's cool, though. You must have an interesting life."

"That's one way of putting it," he said under his breath.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Uh, nothing," Danny quickly said, shaking his head and smiling. "So, uh, what do your parents do for a living? I mean, I know your mom works for V—my uncle."

The girl suddenly laughed. "Sorry, it's funny to hear you call Vlad that. And I can tell it's awkward for you; so, don't worry; you don't have to call him 'uncle' in front of me. I already know he's not really your uncle."

Danny jolted. "Wait. What? You know Vlad's not really my uncle?" he asked, shocked.

"Well, of course, I know he's not your uncle," she replied with a calm smile. "I've known Vlad forever and my mom has known him longer even. I think she would know and tell me if Vlad had a nephew. Besides, my mom already explained to me how your dad's a really close friend of Vlad's and how your parents are letting you hang out here for a while---which is pretty awesome, by the way. But, how much longer will you be here? Maybe we can hang out when I get back from my grandparents' house," she suggested with a hopeful smile this time.

Danny felt a surge of different emotions race through him with the blond-haired girl's comment. Is that what Vlad told Stephanie? That his parents were _letting_ him stay here? Not only was that the biggest lie ever, but Danny couldn't believe the man had actually fed it to his supposedly 'childhood friend'. And what was this? Stephanie knew about his parents? She knew he was not really Vlad's nephew? What **else** did she know?

"Um, Danny? Hey, you okay?" Annabelle asked when the boy didn't reply.

"Huh?" Danny shook his head. "Uh, sorry, Annie. What did you say?"

The girl looked puzzled before she rephrased her question, "I asked if you want to hang out when I get back from my grandparents'…"

Danny smiled; and even though it was a bit forced, the prospect of hanging out with someone his age after all these months was exciting. "Yeah! I mean... if it's okay with Vlad," he added, his face falling again.

But the girl grinned. "I'm sure he won't care. And if he does, I'll convince him for you," she added, a mischievous look on her face.

The teen's eyebrows creased in confusion, not getting what she meant by that. But her look vaguely reminded him of the look Jazz gave him when she assured him that she could convince their dad about something…

Shrugging a little, Danny decided to ignore that weird look the girl just gave him plus what she had said and moved on. "So... you're going to go see your grandparents?" he asked.

"Uh-huh," Annie replied, nodding. "They live all the way down in Florida; but I don't mind. It's going to be really fun since my mom and I are driving there this time! I just love road trips!"

Danny smiled. "Sounds cool." But remembering something she said, the boy raised a curious eyebrow as he asked, "You said your mom and you are going? Your dad's not going?"

Annie shook her head. "I don't have a dad, Danny," she told him calmly.

The young hybrid froze. But thinking that she meant he had passed away, he quickly stumbled into an apology, "Oh, geez, I'm sorry! I didn't know he---"

"No, no," Annie quickly cut him off. "He didn't pass away or anything. I just don't have one because he left my mother before I was born. Never met him."

Danny cringed. That was even worse. "Oh… Um, well, I'm still sorry. That must… reek…," he mumbled awkwardly. He couldn't imagine not having his dad around… It had to be terrible!

But to his surprise, the girl shrugged uncaringly as she replied, "Honestly, I'm not. You can't really miss what you never had, you know. Plus, my mom and I are fine on our own. She's awesome, even if she is strange sometimes."

Danny smiled again. She did have a point about not needing something you never had. After all, there were all sorts of families; and as long as they were happy…

"Besides," the girl continued, her smile widening with her next thought. "Vlad is pretty much---"

"Annie?" Stephanie suddenly called, interrupting the two teens' conversation.

"I'm in here!" the teenage girl called out, quickly getting up and heading over to the living room entrance.

Spotting her daughter at last, Stephanie walked over to her just as Danny was standing from the couch. "There you two are. I thought I would never find you... Listen, Daniel, are you interested in heading out and getting some ice-cream with us?"

Annie gasped at the idea. "Oh! Yeah! That would be awesome! You must come!" she urged excitedly.

Danny was utterly surprised by the offer; and he was more than tempted to say 'yes', especially with how excited Annie was about it. But his thoughts quickly circled back to Vlad. There's no way the man would let him go out without him or any of his ghost workers to keep an eye on him…

But as if guessing why he was hesitating to answer, Stephanie quickly informed him. "Don't worry. I already asked your _uncle_," she said with a wink.

Danny mentally froze, having no idea how to feel about that. Vlad was letting him go out alone—so to speak? But then, there was their argument a moment ago. Suddenly, the teen bitterly thought that the man had only agreed because he didn't want to look at him.

"_Well, I don't want to look at him, either, anyways_," Danny thought angrily.

But just as he was going to say 'yes' to the offer, he thought better of it. No, why should he give Vlad the satisfaction of doing what he wanted? He wasn't one of his _things_ that the guy could throw out when he got bored with it and then readily pick back up whenever he felt like it again!

Going against what he really wanted, Danny smiled apologetically at Stephanie and her daughter. "I, uh, really appreciate the offer. I really do. But I can't right now. There's something…else I... uh, gotta do," he said truthfully, though at that moment he was unsure what that 'something else' was. He just knew going out at the moment was not a good idea…

Annie looked put off, but Stephanie seemed to understand and she calmly smiled at him. "Alright. But then, you have a date pending with us, little _jié__​."_

She ignored her daughter's bewildered stare at the pet name, and focused solely on Danny, who smiled back at her.

"Yeah, okay," he answered.

Saying their goodbyes', the mother and daughter left Danny alone. But as they left Vlad's castle and got into their car, Annie looked at her mother with a confused look. "Why did you call him '_jié_?" she asked her.

Stephanie smiled warmly at her daughter as she replied, "Let's just say it's a joke between Vlad and me. Maybe I will tell you one day…"

* * *

After Annie and Stephanie had left, Danny had gone up to his room, just wanting to be alone. He knew he and Vlad would have to talk eventually; but he did not feel like talking to him yet. He was still too upset and hurt with the older hybrid. After all, all the teen was really asking of him was to not hurt his loved ones and to keep his enemies away... After everything the man had taken from him, why couldn't Vlad give him this much?

It was with that unanswered question circling in his mind that the teen had drifted off, his jetlag from Germany still not completely filtered out of his system…

But a few hours later, Danny woke again. His nap had helped clear away a good amount of both his physically and mental fatigue. But with nothing to do—or rather, with nothing he felt like doing---the teen remained in his room. He was aware that it was getting close to dinner time now; but he wasn't interested in that, either.

He was still upset; though, now, for one other reason. In all honestly, he had hoped that Vlad would come try to talk to him. But it had been hours now and the man had not shown at all.

It was saddening. Danny really didn't want to go back to fighting tooth-and-nail with his arch-enemy. And even though his anger had died down by now, the teen knew that their recent argument was very different from the ones they had in Germany. They finally got along there because things had been more…neutral. But now, their latest arguing had been about something that truly mattered. He _had_ to work this out somehow. But how? ...Could the way they had worked things out in Germany be the key after all? Was it that simple? He hoped it would be, because things were sure getting way too complicated awfully fast. He grew more upset, wondering how it was possible for things to change so radically in less than a day.

Currently sitting on his bed, Danny sighed as he passed a hand through his hair, before staring soberly at the water globe still on his dresser.

There had to be a way to make Vlad understand---if only, a little. Heck, at this point, the boy was even willing to sway a bit from what he was asking of the man; but only if the older hybrid would, too. The truth was that Danny didn't care as much about having to put up with Fright Knight and his other enemies' presence as he did about the possibility of Vlad going after his father in some way. The young half-ghost was willing to bear the stress of having Vlad's allies around, as long as he didn't have to bear the fear of something happening to his father---or his other loved ones…

But that fear could only be alleviated by his arch-enemy. And by the fact that he had not cared to come speak to him since their argument, the teen was sure Vlad wasn't going abandon whatever plot he had conjured up…

Danny turned his troubled gaze to the picture of his loved ones on the night stand. However, his thoughts remained on the older hybrid...

At this point, he was wondering again if Vlad really did care about him… The man was constantly sending him so many mixed messages that it all but had the poor young half-ghost literally dizzy. Vlad cared enough to risk his own safety for him; but not enough to leave his father alone? How did that hold any logic?

If Danny wasn't in such a sober mood, the name 'fruit loop' would have crossed his mind. But, alas, his thoughts only troubled him more. But they oddly also made him realize that Vlad _indeed_ cared…

He just didn't care _enough_.

So, was this it? Should he just call it quits right here and now? Should he just go back to despising Vlad and seeing him as nothing else but his arch-enemy?

"_It would sure be easy," _he thought, his frown deepening._ "And considering that my family's safety's at stake, I probably would even be right…" _

And yet…He didn't want that. It was as if more than ever he was determined to change the older hybrid…. Niane thought he could. And maybe that was it. Recalling his earlier conversation with the ghost maid, he was suddenly convinced that what she had said to him was the assurance he was looking for ever since he had decided to try to help Vlad. He had been so uncertain of whether this was the right way to go this whole time. But now…Suddenly, he was sure this was what he had to do. And not only that, but he **wanted** to do it.

And he was going to find a way.

Danny's eyebrows creased, though it was no longer in sadness but with his new-found conviction. And as he continued to stare at the picture in front of him, he knew that he first had to solve this current snag before he could do anything else. He was willing to continue forward, but not while his loved ones safety was hanging in the balance.

"That's it," the young hybrid said, his eyes narrowing slightly as he stood up. "I'm not giving him a choice anymore. He's going to _listen_ whether he wants to or not."

With that last determined thought, the teen marched out of his room, heading straight to his arch-enemy's own. But as he walked the distance, the boy's thoughts drifted just slightly. More specifically, they drifted to what the man had said to him about Skulker…

Why would Vlad say that? How was it his fault that Skulker was gone? Or more importantly, what did Vlad even mean by the hunter _being_ 'gone?'

"That makes no sense!" he muttered, already feeling the tendrils of frustration curling around him again. "Where does Vlad even get off blaming me for something I don't even know about? I haven't even seen Skulker around since…"

Danny halted in mid-step, his eyes suddenly widening with both shock and realization. "I haven't seen Skulker since Walker attacked me…" he finished in a whisper. The boy suddenly turned his blue gaze down the hallway, "Vlad wouldn't…would he?"

Danny suddenly thought about the violent way that Vlad had reacted at the dining table, when he had tried to discuss with him about what had happened to Skulker . Come to think of it, that reaction wasn't….right. Could it be possible that Vlad had _actually_ broken his alliance---no, _friendship_--with Skulker all because of what had happened to _him_ in the Ghost Zone?

Danny recalled how Vlad had strictly ordered Skulker to stay with him at all times and to make sure to get him back safely. Back then, the teen had hardly given the man's words importance… But now… He knew that his arch-enemy had not only been worried, but scared of what had happened to him with Walker.

Would Vlad have blamed Skulker for it?

Actually, now that he thought about it, did Vlad even know who had been responsible for that ambush? Danny had already figured out that Walker had not just gotten lucky and found him at the right place and the right time that day…. The teen knew someone had clued in the ghost sheriff. And Danny knew exactly who it was… He had figured it all out before he left for Germany…

Danny briefly squeezed his eyes closed as a sudden memory came to his mind; but he forced himself to focus back at the matter at hand. But if Vlad knew who truly was responsible for the ambush, wouldn't the man have already acted? At the very least, the man would be angry at the ghost responsible for betraying him?

Maybe that was it. Maybe Vlad thought that Skulker had set up the whole thing with Walker. Maybe Vlad had broken off his friendship with the hunter because the man thought he had betrayed him…

"But how can he think that?" Danny questioned out loud. "Come on, even I can see that Skulker would never double-cross Vlad. And Skulker would definitely not get another ghost, especially not, _Walker_, to waste me. Not when he has sworn over and over again that **he** would have my pelt. No, Skulker would never get anyone else to waste me."

Danny frowned in thought. And his eyes slightly widened yet again as yet another possibility sprang to mind. What if by 'gone' Vlad had meant Walker had caught Skulker? Or had even…. _destroyed_ him?

The boy's eyebrows creased in concentration. A lot of what had happened that day was still just a blur. But with a bit more thought, he suddenly remembered that Skulker _had_ escaped. And Walker had let him get away since the sheriff had been more interested in the young hybrid at that moment…

So, no, that wasn't it. Then, something had happened between Vlad and Skulker. And by the man's reaction, it was something serious…

But although at any other time it would not be any of the teen's business, it _was_ **now**. He wanted to know why Vlad was blaming him for it. He, at least, had the right to know that much.

Even more determined to get solid answers from his arch-enemy, Danny briskly continued forward. "I'm sick of his stupid guessing games," the boy muttered angrily. "He's **going** to tell me the truth."

He soon reached Vlad's room and wasted no time in knocking on the door. "Vlad, come out. We need to talk," he said determinedly. But when the teen got no response, he knocked more forcefully.

Still, there was no response. And believing that the billionaire was ignoring him, Danny's eyes flashed green before he suddenly turned intangible and phased right through the door.

Danny opened his mouth to talk, only to halt immediately when he saw the room was empty. "Uh… Vlad?" he called again as he glanced around the multiple rooms. But still getting no answer and not really wanting to invade the man's private space to the point of looking through all the other rooms, he quickly phased right back out.

"Where would he…?" the teen began thoughtfully, but the answer came to him before he got his entire question out. This time, Danny hesitated, as he glanced down the hall, knowing that at the end was the billionaire's private study.

However, his determination quickly set back in; and with pursed lips, Danny headed out in its direction…

* * *

"_You say you care? Well, then, prove it!"_

Vlad's fingers suddenly paused over his laptop's keyboard. He had spent the past few hours on business obligations. And although Stephanie always did a marvelous job of keeping his work as minimal as possible, there were just things that he alone had to resolve and do.

But his progress had been slow. And how could it not be when the boy's words kept coming back to mind? Vlad was frustrated to say the least. He had been trying to avoid thinking about the boy and about everything else, but it seemed his mind… or something else--had other plans…

"_The least you could do for me is to leave them alone! The least you could do is give me the peace of mind of not seeing your cronies---my enemies---around here_!"

As much as he did not want to admit it, Vlad knew the boy was right. After everything he had taken from Daniel by forcing him here; after the boy's attitude about him had changed---even if the man still didn't know why---that really was the least he could—_should_--do for him.

But like he had thought before, that essentially meant giving up on Maddie. But it also meant turning away from his need for revenge against the man who had betrayed him, who had taken everything from _him_…

Vlad glared at his computer screen. That's what it all came down to, wasn't it? Jack Fenton? It was **always** Jack Fenton. If it wasn't for that fat oaf, he wouldn't be having all these problems. He couldn't even get rid of the idiot anymore without it costing him the two people he wanted more than anything else!

The man's eyes flashed red, before he closed them and sighed. He was doing it again. He was letting his emotions get the better of him. And that was not going to get him anywhere. And neither would his continuing to avoid making a decision about all this…

"I refuse to surrender either Maddie or Daniel," Vlad muttered, his eyes narrowing on the computer screen as if it was going to argue back with him.

But as he began to think through his dilemma, he suddenly realized that perhaps he really could give Daniel what he was asking without having to give up on his own wants _entirely_.

But he would still have to give up something. He would have to surrender his need for revenge against Jack. And that greatly stung Vlad's pride…

Still, if it meant keeping the boy happy…

Vlad's gaze quickly softened with the thought. He hated to see the teen so upset. And he hated even more to know it was his fault. The man had meant what he said. He did not want to go back to fighting with the young hybrid. He wasn't sure if he even _could_ at this point. He had gotten used to spending time with Daniel; he had gotten used to seeing his smile and hearing him laugh. And as he thought about it, it worried him to realize he had gotten a little too used to it all…

…Daniel wanted him to show—even prove--he cared…

Vlad had understood what the boy had meant by that. It essentially went back to a question the young hybrid had asked him once before.

"_What am I to you?"_

But Vlad had only been able to assure Daniel that he wasn't just some worthless object or pawn; but rather something _much more_ important, _much more_ significant…

But even now, now that the billionaire could acknowledge to himself that he cared about Daniel, he was still hesitant to expose his feelings to the boy himself. So, ultimately, no, Vlad _still_ could not tell, let alone, _**prove**_**,** just how much _he_ knew he cared for the young half-ghost…

But he was now more willing to show it…

If only it didn't mean sacrificing some of his wants for it…

But, again, if it meant he could see the boy happy… then… maybe…

"_**Knock-knock!"**_

Vlad looked up at the closed door of his study and frowned, already knowing who it was by the _lack_ of his inner ghost sense… After all, there was only one other human in his castle. But now Daniel's obvious arrival had Vlad briefly wondering if the boy had ultimately gone out with Stephanie and her daughter… Maybe he just got back? Or had he been in the castle all this time? Vlad had not dared to go find out in all this time..

"_**Knock-knock!"**_

"_Vlad, open up!"_ Danny suddenly ordered, his voice as determined as ever.

But mistaking the boy's tone of voice for an angry one, the man's frown only deepened with the command. He wasn't in any mood to argue.

"Go away, Daniel," he replied coldly, before turning his gaze back to his work.

There was only a brief silence, enough for the billionaire to think that the teen had actually done as he told him. But how silly of the man to forget that it was never so easy for Daniel to take orders from anyone…

Still, the man never could have expected what the young half-ghost did at that moment…

Without any warning, Danny suddenly phased right through the door and marched up to his desk. But completely floored and affronted by the boy's cheek and his own mixed feelings, Vlad could only stare at Daniel. Hadn't he told him that this place was off limits to him?

As if reading his thoughts, Danny crossed his arms and seriously said, "You can blast me later. _**After**_ you and I talk."

Vlad briefly glared at the teen; but as if losing interest, the man turned his gaze back to his computer and began to type on it again---not that he really knew what he was typing any longer…

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" Danny snapped, his hands slightly fisting at his sides as his anger began to bubble with the man's attitude.

"I am in no mood to argue, Daniel," Vlad told him simply.

"Well, then, quit ignoring me!" the teen retorted, growing even more frustrated.

Vlad finally looked back at the teen; but his eyes were still as cold. "Fine, Daniel. What do you want to _talk_ about? About your parents? Your father? Or how you so _strongly_ believe I care nothing about your thoughts or feelings?"

"Yeah, that's exactly what I want to talk about!" Danny replied, not liking his tone of voice. "That, and a whole bunch of other things; like, the fact that your secretary or friend or _whatever_ she is seems to know a little _too_ much about everything!"

Vlad suddenly rose to his feet, his eyes narrowing on the teen; and although he did not raise his voice, it was now even colder than steel as he said, "Be careful, Daniel. My relationship with Stephanie has nothing to do with you or anyone else close to you. What she knows is my business. I owe you no explanation about her. So, **do not** cross that line."

Danny was briefly taken aback by the man's strong response. But before he could recover, Vlad continued.

"As for the other things you wish to 'talk' about, then, let me make this quick for both of us. Your family and friends are all safe and sound. I have not killed your father; I have not moved in on your mother; and I have done no harm to your sister or friends. Furthermore, I am giving you my word—for that is all I can possibly give you---that I will not be attempting to harm any them; and, yes, that does include your father. Lastly, since nothing I can say will convince you that I do care for your thoughts and feelings, then you are free to believe what you want. Now if that is all you came in here to _talk_ about, then, do go away. I have a lot of work to get done."

Now completely floored, the young hybrid silently stared at the older one as the man sat back down and resumed working on his computer. That was… well, unexpected... That was it? Just like that? The man was so easily giving him his word that he wasn't going to hurt his loved ones?

Before, Danny would have found it very suspicious---and probably—no, _definitely_--would not have believed the man. But now… The teen **believed** him. He believed him because under his cold demeanor, the teen could hear the man's honestly in his words, as well as, his slight reluctance in saying them---as if it had been a hard choice for him to make.

And indeed it had been. Vlad had just agreed to let go of his revenge plans for Jack. That, however, did not mean he still didn't hate his former friend, let alone did it mean that he was in any way giving up on Maddie. But it was the best the man could do. And he planned on honoring his promise, even if it left a bitter taste in his mouth…

Now unsure of what to do or say, Danny's eyebrows creased; but his thoughts suddenly shifted to the man's allies. He had noticed that Vlad had said nothing about them. And the teen understood from his definite tone of voice at lunch earlier that the man was not bending when it came to them. But Danny didn't dare push his luck with that. He was just internally relieved to know his loved ones were okay, and that Vlad was not going to try to hurt them for as long as he was here. The teen realized he was probably settling for less, but, ultimately, what mattered most to him was his family and friends…

"Daniel?" Vlad suddenly called to him, getting his attention. There was now a more sober than cold look on the man's face as he calmly said, "Please, leave."

Danny slowly shook his head. "No," he told him, his voice calmer, too.

Vlad sighed, as if not knowing what to do anymore.

But this only boosted the boy's determination, and he stepped closer as he finally spoke. "As much as I appreciate most of what you told me, I said I wanted **us** to talk---not just you. So, now it's my turn. And I'm gonna first tell you that you're wrong. What you say _and_ what you do does make a big difference in what I believe." The teen briefly paused as he mentally thought what he did not brave to say out loud. _"And I believe you do care more than you let on..."_

But thinking the teen was still talking about his loved ones, Vlad frowned again. "Daniel, I already told you, all I can give you is my word that I will not harm any of them. There is nothing else I can say or do if you choose not to believe me."

"But I do believe you," Danny replied without any hesitation.

The billionaire had to keep himself from physically jolting at that moment. Instead, he stared at the boy, before saying in a mellower voice. "You do?"

The teen nodded. "Yeah. I believe you'll keep your word."

Vlad lowered his gaze, though only because he could not find any words at that moment. Daniel… believed him? It was an astounding thing. The man had never thought that the boy would ever take his word on anything, let alone something this important to the teen…

Oddly enough, the billionaire's reluctance to uphold his promise suddenly slipped away and he found himself _wanting_ to keep it… And he would. He would because he didn't _just_ care for the boy's thoughts and feelings---as he said. He cared about _him_.

"Vlad?" Danny called, his serious tone of voice breaking the brief silence. The man turned his attention to him again and the boy continued. "I want to know what you meant by Skulker being gone…? You don't think it was him who set me up with Walker… do you?"

The billionaire's face hardened; and for a moment, the teen thought Vlad was going to get angry again. But to his surprise, the man just shook his head. "No, it was not him," he replied bitterly, though he knew the emotion was directed towards himself. He had acted so foolish when he had said all those things to Skulker. How could he have ever thought that the hunter would set Daniel up and betray him? Had the possibility of losing the young hybrid shaken him up so much that he had lost all form of rational thought at that moment?

The answer to that was obvious, of course…

Like the older half-ghost, the teen had fallen silent again, as he briefly had to struggle with his recent memories trying to resurface again... But Danny quickly focused back to the actual topic, and asked, "Then, what happened? Where's Skulker, Vlad? And why is it my fault that he's gone?"

Vlad sighed angrily. "It's not your fault."

But Danny's eyebrows creased deeply as frustration began to bubble up in his stomach again with Vlad's reluctance to answer his real question.

"Darn it, Vlad! Why won't you tell me why Skulker hasn't shown up since the whole thing with Walker?"

Vlad stood up, obviously getting defensive again with their topic. "Because, Daniel, it is not of your concern!"

"It _is_ when I _know_ it has something to do with _me_!" Danny snapped back. He might have given up his right to know what exactly Stephanie knew about his family or even him; but this, he wasn't going to let go as readily.

Vlad growled in frustration, before moving away from the teen and heading over to the mini-bar on the far left wall. But as he poured himself a glass of water, he replied, "I do not understand you, Daniel. Just a couple of hours ago you were demanding that I do away with all my allies. And now you are upset because you have not seen as of late my closest ally and one of _your more_ formidable adversaries?"

Danny crossed his arms. "I saw him escape, Vlad," he continued, ignoring the man's comment all together. "So, I know Walker has nothing to do with Skulker being gone. So, that only leaves that something happened between you and him. And if you're so sure that he didn't betray you or whatever, then what really happened?"

Vlad scoffed, before taking a drink of water. But when he lowered his glass, he looked seriously back at the teen, who was still awaiting a response. "You really are not going to let this go, are you?"

"No," Danny replied, stubbornly.

The man stared down at his glass as he briefly thought about something. But he suddenly shook his head. "That's too bad, then, because I am not going to tell you."

The teen frown's only deepened, but Vlad was not swayed. "Daniel, it does not matter why Skulker is gone. And what happened between me and him is my and his business alone. Look, just be content with knowing you will not see him around here again. Fair enough?"

But when the teen didn't reply, the billionaire just sighed before taking another drink. He then set down the glass on the bar again and walked back to his desk.

Danny just silently watched after him.

The man's last comment had been enough for the boy to truly understand what had happened between Skulker and Vlad…

Danny lowered his eyes and crossed arms. He remained silent, wrestling with his emotions, too unsure on what to say as this point. But he suddenly knew he needed to know one more thing…

"Are you sorry for it?" he asked quietly.

Vlad looked at the boy, who still had his eyes lowered. He understood what Daniel was really asking: Was he sorry for ending his alliance with Skulker for him?

The older hybrid already knew the answer to that; and to his surprise, he voiced it without hesitation.

"No, Daniel," Vlad replied calmly, but gave no further explanation. And he made it clear that he was not going to do so as he seriously added, "Now, please, enough of this. I do not want to talk about it any longer."

Danny nodded, the man's simple 'no' appeasing him. His arch-enemy might not be fully willing to voice or show that he cared. But the man failed to realize that with that one single word, and with his honest promise a moment ago, he already had. In fact, he had just proven it to him---if only a little. The man did care. Danny still did not know how much or if it was enough… But…it was enough for _him_—for now, anyways.

A weak smile finally appeared on the boy's face. He wasn't completely satisfied, but he could tolerate how this all ended for now. At least he was relieved in knowing his family and friends would be kept safe. And there was some hope. Hope about Vlad. Could the man be reaching his turning point? He didn't know, but it did lessen the sting of all this other unresolved stuff about Skulker…and Stephanie.

He sighed. There was nothing more he could do about this right now. He was about to turn to go when another thought struck him. He suddenly felt that it was a good idea, that it would help him, especially when he still wasn't exactly content and Vlad was clearly finished with this conversation. It was time to change the subject…

"So… Are we gonna train today?"

Vlad blinked up at the teen. "You… want to?"

Danny's smile grew slightly and he replied with a shrug, "Well, I haven't really used my powers in over four days. It seems like a good idea. What do you think?"

The man's own lips finally curled upward. "That is true… Well, then…" He looked briefly at the clock before looking back at the boy. "We have a bit of time before dinner… Are you interested in a quick session right now?"

It was the younger hybrid's turn to be surprised. "Really? Right now? But… aren't you…um, busy?" he asked, pointing at the man's computer and the stack of papers beside it.

Vlad glanced down at his work, and briefly frowned as if suddenly recalling it. But to the boy's further astonishment, the man quickly waved a hand; and with a smirk quipped at the teen, "I think I can afford being 'busy' later…"

Danny grinned a little more widely this time, feeling a little more weight lift off his heart. At least the man didn't think _this_ was a lame idea. He then said, "OK, then. Meet you down there?"

Vlad calmly nodded right before Daniel morphed and phased through the floor. But the man just chuckled amusedly at the boy's antics. And perhaps his light laughter was also from relief. Seeing the teen happy again lifted a heavier weight off his shoulder than he could have ever imagined.

Truly, he was not sorry for ending his relationship with Skulker... Even if he had not fought with the ghost about what happened with Daniel, they would have ended up breaking off their agreement over something else, anyways. The truth was that from the moment the boy had come in between them, their alliance had been destined to be absolved. After all, Skulker strongly believed that with his employer's caring for the teen, he was siding with the boy, and, in turn, going against everyone who hated Daniel, including the hunter himself.

But what Skulker had failed to realize was that he, Vlad Masters, _Vlad Plasmius_, sided with no one. He made his own side. And he was the one who chose whom he wanted on his side, including the young hybrid. If Skulker or whoever else was not interested in remaining by his side because the boy was now here, then so be it. He meant what he told the hunter: Daniel was worth more than several of him…

So, then... why had talking about Skulker troubled him so much…?

Vlad's lighthearted demeanor melded into a frown. But he quickly shook his head again. No, he did not regret it. He couldn't, because the end of his relationship with Skulker had been the turning point between him and the younger hybrid. It had led to whatever relationship he now had with Daniel. And that was something he did not want to lose. So, no, he could not regret any of the events that led them to this point…

Just like now he could not regret the hard decision he had made regarding Jack…

But Vlad sighed away the thought, not wanting to dive into it at the moment, let alone recall how much harder it was now going to be to get Maddie at his side… None of that mattered at the moment. He just wanted to go practice with the teen, as if nothing had happened. Or rather, as if their compromise now meant things were only going to get better between them. Vlad could only hope, wait, and see…

But just as the man's lighthearted smile began to return, it suddenly slipped away as another thought came to mind from what the boy had recently said to him.

"_You don't think it was Skulker who set me up with Walker… do you?"_

Did Daniel also suspect the same ghost he did for that? Or did the boy just conclude that Skulker was not responsible, but still didn't know who was?

Vlad eyes slightly narrowed. It didn't matter. What mattered to him was that ever since the incident in the forest between Daniel and those _parasitic_ ghosts, the man now had a _very_ good idea who really had betrayed him.

And that was something he needed to resolve as soon as possible….

Still, as the man closed his computer and walked out of his study to head to the simulation room, he also knew he needed to approach this matter with care. But, fortunately, he had already thought exactly how he was going to do that, and at the same time, bring his suspicions and that matter to an end--once and for all.

* * *

**Heh. As you guys can see, we are getting close to a long awaited climax---not the ending climax, but another. I think you guys know… *winks* So, until then, share your thoughts, please! Thanks again for all you support! **


	56. Chapter 55: Intangible Trust

***I'll be replying to reviews while you guys read. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

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Chapter 55: Intangible Trust.

The next day brought about both of half-ghosts' usual routines. And while Vlad had gone back to taking care of his work, Danny had returned to his tutoring sessions with Ms. Thomas. The hybrids' 'talk' yesterday had all but been forgotten and they were back to their normal interaction---or normal as of late, anyways.

Currently, though, their uneventful day was really closer to finishing up than beginning, being that it was around four PM. However, for two high-powered ghost hybrids the word 'uneventful' was more technical than literal…

Danny flew up, dodging a blast heading his way as he did. But then spinning in mid-air, he faced his assailant---or _assailants_, which happened to be two ghost weapons that had sprung out from one of the simulation room's walls. He quickly released his own attacks on the devices, effectively destroying them.

But the boy wasted no time; and seeing two red-and-white bull's-eye targets suddenly spring out on the opposite side of a metal wall in the center of the room, he zoomed towards it, easily avoiding a large barrier in his way by turning intangible.

He was training at a higher level today; so the attacks were far quicker and more frequent. But he found that he could handle them pretty well. His real problem, however, was that this level of the simulation room was set on a timer. The objective was to destroy all the targets within a certain time limit. It had sounded easy when Vlad had explained it; but now that Danny was doing it, it was far from it.

Thing was that the older hybrid had not mentioned that there would be ghost weapons distracting him from accomplishing his goal. And the man also failed to mention that the targets would be moving around, disappearing from one spot only to reappear at some other random spot. So that meant that by the time that Danny could evade the weapons' attacks, the targets had already vanished from the spot he had seen them before he could reach them.

But the teen was determined to finish the exercise before time ran out. Still, his frustration was evident when he fired his ghost energy, but only had enough time to destroy one of the two targets that he had been trying to reach. Danny growled as the second target disappeared and then appeared at the opposite side of the room. But then seeing another target appear above him and then another appear to his right, the ghost boy darted towards the closest one, which happened to be the one on his right.

As he moved towards it, he raised a shield above him as an energy ray came at him from above. He then dove in order to avoid a second ray coming straight at him. Immediately after, he turned intangible, passing straight through two metal walls, before he took aim and destroyed his intended target.

Danny chuckled smugly as he said, "This might be a higher level, but I'm still above it." With a smirk, he then quickly fired three consecutive energy rays, destroying the three ghost weapons firing around him. But when he caught sight of another weapon emerging from below, he reacted again and destroyed it as well before it even had a chance.

He chuckled again, before diving for a target below him, unaware that with the destruction of the ghost weapons, several more appeared. They had now doubled in number…

But focused on the target below, he continued to dive down towards it. But before he could get close enough to fire an attack, two red lasers, looking much like those used to protect expensive artifacts, shot across the room. They instantly began to move from side to side in front of the target, obviously protecting it.

But Danny was not discouraged. Quickly noting the pattern of the laser's movements, he sped up and distorted his abdomen into a wisp of smoke to snake in between the hot, moving lasers. He finally fired his attack, destroying the target. He then angled sharply back up to avoid the lasers again. And clearing them, he gathered energy in both hands and destroyed the source of the lasers on opposite sides of the room.

"Too easy," he said haughtily.

"_**One minute remaining."**_

Danny instantly frowned upon hearing the room's warning. He glanced around and quickly counted the moving targets. He still had five left to destroy and they were scattered around the room. Not to mention, there were now weapons all around him; and they were soon joined by _four_ new lasers…

"Okay… Maybe it's not so easy," he mumbled to himself, as he thought of how to destroy the remaining five targets with less than a minute to spare. And it seemed all the more impossible to successfully complete his exercise when two barriers unexpectedly appeared between the targets. Danny sighed. It was as if the room had perceived his current dilemma and was trying to make things worse for him.

But suddenly coming up with a solution, his grin returned; and knowing the older hybrid was watching him from the control room, he called out, "Hey, Vlad, watch this."

With the room's 'ten-second-left' countdown ringing in his ears, Danny quickly inhaled as much air as he could, feeling his core swell with his energy. And a fraction of a second later, he released that built-up energy in the form of his Ghostly Wail.

The room began to shake under the powerful attack, while everything the raw waves of power touched was turned into rubble. Danny did not stop until he saw that all the weapons and targets had been taken out. Still, he hadn't meant to take out the metal barriers as well; but they, too, were now in a heap in the corner of the room only because they had been in the way.

"And all under a minute," he said proudly, but breathless, before he lost his ghost form and he fell on his hands and knees, exhausted.

As the boy panted and waited to regain enough of his strength to get up again, Plasmius suddenly materialized a few feet from him. Danny quickly looked up when he heard clapping.

"Impressive, dear boy!" Vlad exclaimed as he smiled calmly and continued to clap his gloved hands. But then, the older hybrid crossed his arms; and as he tilted his head to the side, his smile grew with sudden smugness, before he asked, "But now, tell me… How are you going to defend yourself against… _those_?"

Danny's eyes widened when ghost weapons suddenly emerged all around them. And they instantly fired.

The boy squeaked in alarm as his hands instinctively went to cover his head; and he shut his eyes to brace for the pain to come. But then when he heard the energy blasts slam into something that was not him, Danny cautiously lowered his hands and dared to look up.

The teen slightly frowned when he saw there was pink dome around him; but seeing a similar one protecting Vlad, he knew it was the older hybrid that had produced them.

"Terminate program level thirteen," Vlad commanded the room, as he allowed the shields to dissipate.

"_**Program level thirteen terminated."**_

Knowing he was still too weak to stand, Danny just sat up and angrily crossed his arms. That had been so unfair!

Vlad stared down passively at the frustrated boy as he spoke up again, "Luck, dear boy, will only get you so far."

"Well, how was I supposed to know that all those weapons were going to come out in the end? I thought you said once I nailed all the targets I was finished!" Danny protested, staring up at the older hybrid.

Vlad raised an eyebrow. "That's precisely the point, Daniel. You were _supposed_ to have known. This exercise was to teach you to plan ahead---or, at the least, make you see the consequences of _not_ doing so. You see, my boy, this exercise simulated your being forced to face a new situation, _a new foe_, if you will. When you know nothing about what you are up against, it is crucial that you take the time to _observe_ your surroundings, then _learn and understand_ what is currently in your favor and what is against you."

Vlad paused; but Danny did not reply. He just stared at the man as if trying to figure out what he was saying.

So, the man continued again, helping him along. "I know that it seems that if you throw the first punch, you will gain the upper hand in battle. But, more often than not, this strategy will fail you. You must learn, Daniel, that the most powerful weapon you possess is your _mind_. You must realize that if you attack first, you are putting yourself at an unnecessary disadvantage. You have to let your opponents have the first punch; and give them the second and third, if you must. The purpose of you doing so is to learn your opponent's every move, _before_ you reveal any of your own. Only then, can you truly be at an advantage, hmm?"

Danny uncrossed his arms, though he still did not look very convinced. And he raised a skeptical eyebrow as he questioned, "Okay, that sounds logical. But then, what does it have to do with what I just did? How was I supposed to know that I was going to be attacked like that? It was completely unexpected."

"And that is completely untrue," Vlad retorted. "There were plenty of signs, Daniel. If you did not see them, it is because you indeed failed to take the time to observe your surroundings, _to learn your opponents' moves_---even if in this case, they were mere weapons. I _even_ told you what you needed to do. I said that the objective of this exercise was to destroy the targets in a set amount of time. That is _all_ you had to do."

"So, what? You wanted me to ignore the weapons?" Danny asked in disbelief.

Vlad smirked. "Yes. Exactly," he said, earning a frown from the boy. But the man just continued. "If you would have observed what was truly happening around you, Daniel, you would have realized that every time you destroyed an assault weapon, two more emerged in its place. They multiplied at double the rate that you destroyed them. Therefore, Daniel, you _should_ have known that all those weapons you destroyed with that wail of yours were going to come back at you two-fold."

Danny's eyes widened with the realization; but now shocked as well, he said nothing and just let the older hybrid proceed. "The truth is, my boy, that if you would have simply taken a minute or so to figure out how the program worked, you could have finished this exercise in two or three minutes. However, since you started blasting away at everything from the start, you only made this exercise more difficult than it really was for yourself. Like I said, Daniel, luck will only get you so far. You cannot continue to just fly blindly into battle and merely hope that you will come out on top," Vlad ended, his voice turning truly serious towards the end.

Now finally seeing the man's point and unable to deny it, Danny fell back on the floor; and covering his face with his hands, he sighed loudly in exasperation.

Vlad smiled down in amusement at the irritated teen lying on the floor, before he spoke again, "Now, that power of yours is excellent for offense. However, by the fact that you revert back to your human half every time you use it, you obviously have yet to build enough durability to properly will it. See, your wail is a perfect example of why it is important for you to develop a good control of your energy flow. You have to learn to _control_ such a powerful attack, Daniel. But you cannot hope to do that if you do not _first_ develop a proper control of your actual energy. I can assure you that if you simply learn to regulate how much energy you put into your wail, it will not be as draining for you. It's very much like the way you regulate how strong your energy blasts are. It's the same principal. My point is, Daniel, that until you learn your fundamentals, you should not depend on your Ghost Wail. It weakens you significantly. And the last thing you ever want to do in the face of danger is to leave yourself defenseless---as you did a moment ago."

"But sometimes you don't have any other choice," Danny retorted, removing his hands from his face to look at Vlad.

Vlad nodded in agreement. "True enough. There are times that no matter how you handle the situation, the odds are still stacked against you. Sometimes---though they are few---you have to go for the 'all or nothing' strategy. However, that is no excuse to not plan ahead. Improvising is a last resort, Daniel. And if you are going to go for that 'all or nothing', if you are going to leave yourself powerless, then you better be completely sure that you leave your opponent as powerless as yourself by the end of it. And that does include any trump cards, like an _ally_ your opponent may have in wait. You exhaust all their cards, understand? In other words, if you lose, then you have to make sure your opponent loses as well. After all, if you consider the rather unique circle in which we find ourselves, failing to at least overcome your opponent could be a fatal mistake."

Danny frowned in thought as he finally got to his feet. Now he understood the older hybrid's point. He _did_ go all out during a battle a lot of times, with no hint of any planning behind it and totally blind to possible outcomes. Even then, all his efforts at times had not been enough. If it hadn't been for his friends—or pure luck—his rash actions might have been the end of him… He really did need to be more careful.

"I will not ask you to run another exercise program for today since you are clearly spent," Plasmius then said, pulling the teen out of his thoughts. "However, I want to instruct you on something new right now. I want to fine tune your… senses."

Danny gave him a quizzical look. "Senses? You mean, my ghost _sense_? But there's no ghost here. Well, at least, not one that sets off my ghost sense, anyways."

Vlad just shot him a smug smile as he calmly replied, "You cannot pick up my ghost signature, dear boy, simply because you have yet to learn how to do so."

"Seriously?" Danny replied, looking completely shocked. All this time, he had just thought that he could not sense Vlad because he just _couldn't_…

Vlad nodded. "It works differently for us, being that we are half-ghost. I know so because the way I detect your ghost signature is very different from the way I detect any other 'normal' ghost. And I can only 'feel' you when you are in ghost form. You see…," he continued, now looking thoughtful himself as he tried to explain something that he just simply _felt_. "…because we are half-ghosts, our ghost signatures are not as easily picked up as that of a typical ghost. So, for me to sense you, for _you_ to sense _me_, it requires a deeper… _intuition_…"

"And that's what you're going to teach me now?" Danny asked, a hopeful smile on his face.

But Vlad shook his head, slightly amused with the boy's look. "Sorry, little badger, but that is one of the few things I cannot teach you. Not only does your 'ghost sense' work differently than my own; but, as I said, it works differently for _us_. Still, there is one thing I can assure you. You do not _learn_ to develop your ghost sense. You develop it through… _feeling_."

The young hybrid's eyebrows creased deeply, unsure if he understood what that meant. But deciding to ponder on it later, the teen returned back to the matter at hand. "Okay, then, what are you going to teach me now?"

Vlad smiled secretively, before he pulled out from his ghost suit a metal circular disk that was the size of his hand. But, in actuality, the thing reminded Danny of a donut.

"Sometimes you must learn to rely on your _other_ senses, dear boy," Plasmius began, holding out the device to allow the boy to look at it more closely. "This device is going to help fine tune your hearing, in specific. I am sure that by now, you have realized that all your senses, your strength, and so on, are enhanced while you are in ghost form. But I am certain that you did not know you can build upon these natural abilities, hmm?"

Vlad chuckled at the awestruck look at Daniel's face, before continuing, "Learning to further enhance your hearing will be quite beneficial for you---most especially, in battle. Imagine how much more invincible you could be if you could make it so that it is virtually impossible for anything or anyone to surprise you. Well, my boy, I am here to tell you that that's a reality. And this device will help you make it so."

But although the prospect of that sounded amazing, a frown fell on the boy's face. With his arch-enemy's words, he had suddenly remembered the fight that they had had after the older hybrid had discovered him in his private lab…

Vlad was about to ask him what was wrong, when the teen stared up at him with a slightly sober look and abruptly asked, "Can you really hear someone's heart beat?"

Plasmius quickly realized about what the teen was thinking. In that fight, the boy had turned human to escape him and the man had merely used his hearing to find the boy by the sound of his racing heart…

But not wanting to give any indication of recalling the fight, Vlad just smirked at the teen. "With a bit of concentration, yes. Yes I can. And you will, too---_once_ you learn to enhance your hearing. Now morph, hmm?"

Danny was about to reply that he was too weak from his Ghostly Wail to morph when he instantly realized something:

He felt just fine now.

Wanting to prove it to himself, Danny called forth his ghost form; and when he changed without any difficultly, the teen blinked in surprise. "Wow…," he muttered, sure he had never been able to recover so quickly before. This training stuff really was paying off…

Vlad briefly smiled, as if guessing the boy's thoughts. Ultimately, though, the man did not need to guess. He could see himself how much and how quickly the young hybrid was improving. The boy not only caught on quickly, but he was always so very determined, which helped him a lot. But then again, that wasn't surprising to Vlad. Daniel had always been powerful. He just needed a bit of guidance on how to take advantage of his natural gift… At least, then, the man would like to think he could take _some_ credit for the boy's improvement…

But deciding not to say anything on the matter, Vlad just resumed his teaching. "Good. Now, have a seat."

Danny pulled out of his own thoughts and stared quizzically at the man. "Have a seat? Here? On the ground?"

"Yes," the man replied with a small nod.

The teen gave him an unsure look; but then with a shrug, he sat down, crossing his legs under him before looking up expectantly at the older hybrid.

But Vlad didn't return the boy's glance. Instead, the older hybrid was now admiring the device in his hands just before he said with a proud grin, "I made this ingenious little device, by the way. I named it the Plasmatic Resonance Enhancer!"

"Wow…Sure sounds like a step up from the name 'Plasmius Maximus'," Danny said, dryly, clearly not impressed. Seriously, did Vlad even realize how much he sounded like his dad at the moment?

Vlad frowned down at the boy as he annoyingly thought, _"Well, __**I**__ thought it was fitting…"_

But instead of saying anything, he just turned his gaze back to the device and began to press a couple a buttons on it. "The Plasma—_this_ device's mechanics are fairly simple," he began to explain. "It works by emitting a faint beeping sound that's specifically set to a frequency and wavelength that is sensitive only to spectral entities. In other words, humans cannot detect the pitch. But, of course, we can. Observe."

Vlad set down the 'donut-shaped' device on the floor, and it instantly came to life. It split and then pulled itself from the middle, now looking very much like a yo-yo minus the string before it began to hover a feet off the metal ground.

Danny's eyes slightly widened when he started to hear the device emit a faint beeping. But its echo was so weak—and had he not been expecting it--he would have dismissed the sound for an inconsequential random one.

"So…what…now?" the teen asked slowly, as he turned his gaze back to the older hybrid.

"All you have to do is stop it," Vlad replied.

But before he could elaborate, Danny lightly chuckled. "Stop it? From what? Floating?"

"I was not done, Daniel," he answered, slightly irritated, before he bent down and pushed a single button on the device.

Instantly, the 'Plasmatic Resonance Enhancer' started moving around the simulation room.

"Oh…," Danny muttered as he watched it.

"The energy source that keeps this training device going is right below the ground upon which you are sitting," Vlad explained, capturing the teen's attention again. "The metal surface acts as a conductor between that source and that device. The floor's metallic property naturally absorbs the electrical energy from the power source below and, just as naturally, transfers it into the device, which keeps it working. Therefore, my boy, the only way to stop the device is to eliminate _its conductor_."

But when he realized he had lost Daniel with all the technicality, Vlad sighed, before simply saying, "If you turn the floor intangible directly below the device, you stop the device. Is that better?"

Danny's eyes quickly lit up with understanding. "Oh, I get it! Geez, Vlad. Why didn't you just say that in the first place? But, is that all? Man, I totally got this," he then said with a smirk as he quickly placed his right hand flat on the ground, and turned his gaze to where the device was. "Intangibility coming up!"

"You really are impatient, Daniel," Vlad said with a helpless sigh, before he suddenly created blue energy in his hand and then molded and solidified it.

And having heard his comment, Danny paused in what he had been about to do, and looked up at Plasmius as he asked, "What do you me—Gahh!" he abruptly cried out as his arch-enemy fired something at his eyes, blinding him.

"Vlad! What are you doing?! Get this off me!" the teen shouted in alarm as he gripped at whatever was on his face. But to his growing panic, it would not budge no matter how hard he yanked at it. It was like it was glued to his face!

The older hybrid rolled his red eyes at the panicking teen, before he annoyingly said, "Calm down, Daniel. It is just a blindfold. It's not going to hurt you."

"But I can't see!" Danny yelled back at him, before trying to get up.

But Vlad quickly grabbed one of his shoulders and kept him from doing so. "Yes, I know. That's the purpose for it, Daniel! Now could you please stop panicking and just pay attention to me?"

Danny reluctantly stopped struggling; and he noticed he could no longer hear the faint beeping of the device from how loud his heart was pounding in his ears. This was definitely past his comfort zone. But wanting to get it over with, he forced his tense hands to stay at his sides and did his best to listen to Vlad.

Vlad shook his head, but just returned back to what they were doing. "I blindfolded you because I want you to stop this device by using **only** your hearing. Now, this isn't about 'trial-and-error'. And it most definitely isn't about _luck_. You have to fully concentrate, Daniel. Detect from where the beeping is emitting and then aim your intangibility power towards it. Let me forewarn you now: if you miss, the device will send its own attack back at you."

"What?!" Danny exclaimed, before he instantly began to yank at the energy-made blue blindfold again. This was _**way**_ past his comfort zone!

Vlad laughed at the boy's overreaction. "Honestly, Daniel, you really need to calm down. It will just be a small shock. …In fact, it feels very similar to the one that you receive from when you touch a charged metallic surface. It's harmless. But it will be enough to get you to focus. Then again, if you just stop the device on your first try, you will have nothing to worry about, hmm?"

Danny could hear the man's amusement in his voice. But the teen just sighed in surrender and lowered his hands to his sides again as he muttered, "Fine. Just stop talking so I can start already."

Vlad smirked; but said nothing as he rose a few feet off the floor. He crossed his arms and calmly watched the teen from where he floated.

Danny sighed one more time in order to get his heart to slow down. And as it slowly did, the teen furrowed his eyebrows and did his best to focus on the faint beeping coming from the device. He could tell 'the sound' was moving around him, but it was so soft that he was having a very hard time pinpointing it.

"_It's on the left of me… but where exactly?" _he thought. But deciding to take a chance, he hesitantly placed his left hand flat against the ground and sent his intangibility forward to where he believed the device to be.

"Did I---?" Danny began, only to receive the answer to his unfinished question in the form of a sudden zap. The teen instantly yelped and all but jumped off the ground.

"You call that 'a small shock?! That hurt, Vlad!" Danny exclaimed as the remaining tingles of the electric zap coursed through his skin.

Plasmius broke out into a full-hearted laugh; and Danny started to believe the man was getting some sort of enjoyment from this. The thought did nothing to calm his growing frustration.

Calming down a bit, the older hybrid finally spoke up, "Oh, come now, Daniel. You are being dramatic. It isn't _that_ bad."

Danny growled at the man's amused voice, and angrily crossed his arms. "Yeah? Then why don't _you_ come do this? I sure enough don't want to. And I'm not going to! So, get this weird mask-thing off me!"

Plasmius rolled his eyes at the younger hybrid's childish pout. But then suddenly coming up with a way to motivate the teen into doing the exercise, he gazed calmly back at Daniel, and said, "Alright, I'll bargain with you."

"No, Vlad. Look, I don't feel comfortable with---" Danny began to say; but he was readily cut off.

"Listen to me before you say 'no', Daniel," Vlad said, frowning slightly. "Just… do the exercise for… ten minutes or until you manage to stop it---whichever comes first. In return, I will teach you whatever **you** want."

Danny's frustration instantly melded into disbelief. "Seriously? You will drop the whole 'you gotta first learn the fundamentals' thing and teach me whatever I want?"

Vlad rolled his eyes, but still calmly replied. "Only for today. But, yes."

A grin slowly curled on the teen's face as the prospect of that began to swirl around in his head. "Anything I want, right?"

"Yes, Daniel. Anything," the man answered with an impatient sigh.

"Then, you got yourself a deal, cheese head," Danny quipped happily, before focusing on the device once again, now completely determined to get this done.

But for once, he found that his determination was doing nothing to aid him in stopping the training device. Its beeping was just _too_ soft for Danny to find its exact location with just his hearing alone! And the fact that is was moving all over the freakin' room did not help matters! It was worse than looking for a needle in a haystack! At least you had your eyes for that!

Still, the young hybrid tried and tried again, each time receiving a light shock that told him he had failed. But it wasn't receiving the jolt that bothered the teen, but the fact that he could not do this!

Danny suddenly growled in frustration with his last failed attempt, before he exclaimed, "Darn it! Vlad, this is impossible!"

"Hardly, dear boy," the older hybrid replied calmly, his arms crossed casually in front of him as he stared down at the teen. "Perhaps if you would stop _guessing_ its location, you could find it."

"Uh, I can't see, remember? All I can do **is** guess!" Danny retorted as he sent his tangibility out across the ground yet again, only to receive yet another zap from the device at his miss. The teen just growled again and fisted his hands against the ground with his frustration.

"Daniel, you are not listening," Vlad said with a sigh as he floated down just a bit. "And getting upset over the fact is not helping you. Believe me, you do not need your eyes, let alone do you need to guess anything. _Stop __**trying**__ to find the __**device**__._ **Listen** to the _**sound**_. If it's too faint than simply **enhance** the sound. Enhance the sound and _then_ target the device itself."

"What?" Danny replied, looking up at where he guessed Vlad was, feeling even more frustrated with the man's confusing advice. "How am I supposed to _enhance_ the sound, Vlad?"

This time, Plasmius did not answer right away. Instead, he rubbed his temple, now looking a bit frustrated himself. "Daniel," he finally began, his voice stern and slightly irritated. "How many times have I told you that you have to _focus_ when doing _anything_ with your powers? _Stop_ trying to rush into things. Take the time to concentrate, to focus, to _think_. **Listen** to the sound. Focus _all_ your attention into it. Use that to visualize the device's movements. Only then, will you be able to correctly predict where it is and where it _will be_."

Danny sighed, realizing that the man was right. He was getting upset and inpatient instead of trying to figure out how to do this.

"_Okay,"_ he thought as he calmed down completely. _"He's telling me to listen… and… focus…"_

With a deep sigh, the younger hybrid slowed down his breathing, before placing his hands flat on the ground to his sides. He focused on his hearing. And the more he did, the more he began to hear things that he had not before. All the sounds were faint, but he _could_ hear them. The beeping from the training device was still there. But, now, so were the quiet whirling of the simulation room's mechanics. There was also the electric sound of wires and even the device's electrical energy source below him. But what amazed him most of all was that he could not only hear his own heart beat and soft breathing, but he could hear the older hybrid's own. If he was asked where the man was, Danny could answer with assurance that he was hovering a few feet in the air in front of him, but slightly to the left...

But realizing that he was not truly focusing on what he needed to be, Danny pushed back his awe and turned all his attention to one single sound: the device's beeping.

Instantly, all the other sounds around him vanished, as if muted by some unknown force. Danny just listened… and listened. And then, gradually, as if that same unknown force was turning up the volume, the beeping grew louder and louder; and, suddenly, the teen could hear it as loudly as Mrs. Tetslaff's whistle.

At that instant, the teen finally understood what Vlad had meant. He really did not need to guess the device's location with how loud the beeping was against his ears. Now, it was all so obvious. He did not need his eyes, because he could follow the sound as well as if he was visually following the device. He could see its movements in his mind. And he could now indeed predict where it was going, too…

The ghost boy's right hand suddenly began to glow with his intangibility power. And it suddenly moved outward, as if his power was his very hand stretching towards the moving device. But instead of going directly for it, the energy moved in front of the incoming device. And as the teen predicted, the device came towards his intangibility power, like a fish to bait.

Instantly, the beeping stopped and a small clunk echoed in Danny's ears. Before he could question it, however, the blue blindfold that had been over his eyes suddenly dissipated…

"You truly are a fast learner, Daniel," Vlad said with a pleased smile as he floated back down to the ground.

Danny blinked his green eyes a few time to adjust them to the light again, before looking back to where he knew he had last heard the device. And seeing that it was now turned off and on the ground, the teen smiled and quickly stood up.

"Hey, I did it," Danny said as he moved over to the training device and picked it up.

"Funny, I recall that you said it was _impossible_," Vlad teased smugly.

"And I recall that you said, 'Hardly, dear boy,'" Danny mocked back, trying to mimic the man's voice, though his gaze remained on the device in his hands.

Vlad rolled his eyes, though he was clearly amused. But without further words, he walked over to the teen and calmly took the device from his hands.

Danny quickly looked at him, and a clever smirk curled his lips as he told him, "_And_ I also recall you making a deal with me…"

The older hybrid chuckled, but still nodded. "So I did… Very well. What will it be, then, little badger?" he asked, crossing his arms expectantly.

But the boy's own smile vanished into a slight serious look; and he did not hesitate to reply, "Teach me how to duplicate."

Vlad was slightly surprised by how quick the boy had answered him. He had expected Daniel to at least think about it for a moment. But he clearly already knew what he wanted to be taught...

But then, the strangle smile that slowly appeared on the older hybrid's face, suddenly made the teen very nervous.

"Is that what you want to learn?" the man asked with a suddenly eerie calm voice, his red eyes boring into the boy's green ones.

Danny blushed, and unconsciously took a step back from the older hybrid, before he answered, "I-I, yes." But suddenly even more nervous, he jumped into an explanation. "Look, the thing is that I've tried to learn it on my own. And I just...I don't know. I can't seem to get it. I mean, I've figured some of it out. I mean, I can make one duplicate now. Or, well, most of the time, I can. But the thing is that I can't _hold_ it. When I do make a good copy, it just lasts for a second or two tops, and then it's gone. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I just can't get it. And you…you make it look so… easy…," the boy trailed off, looking away.

"Hmm…," was all Vlad answered, a thoughtful look on his face as he stared at nothing in particular. He did not know how to feel about the fact that the one thing the boy wanted to learn most was an ability the man was certain Daniel had picked up from him. After all, there were very few ghosts who could duplicate. It simply took too much energy. And Plasmius had yet to find any being that had mastered the art of duplication as well as him; let alone better than he. This was the one ability that the older hybrid took pride in the most. It had taken him a lot of work to will it to the extent that he could---and that extent was only stretching further with his ever growing powers. Duplication was one of his most important aces---it was his most common advantage against others…

So, although he felt a little too smug about the boy's request, he also was unsure. Did he want to teach Daniel such a powerful tool? But the question had him recall a similar one that he had asked himself when he first offered to train Daniel:

How wise was it to be teaching the teen everything he knew?

"Well?" Danny suddenly asked, slightly irritated that Vlad wasn't making this any easier for him. If he had known it would be this awkward to ask the older hybrid to teach him duplication, he would have not even bothered.

Vlad lowered his gaze to the boy again; but for some reason the boy's nervous, annoyed, and mostly, expectant look, put a calm smile on the man's face. He wasn't sure how wise it was to teach Daniel what he knew. But… he wanted to.

"Very well," Plasmius replied, his smile vanishing into a causal look, before suddenly making three duplicates.

Danny stared apprehensively at the copies, unable to keep the memories away of how many times his arch-enemy had quickly beat him in battle like this…

Vlad, on the other hand, was not even thinking of that. So, it confused him when he noticed how tense Daniel was. But then realizing why, he slightly frowned. Still, he knew better than to touch the subject.

"I duplicated to first give you a bit of understanding on how this all works," the real Plasmius began, pretending to not have noticed the younger hybrid's apprehension.

And that seemed to help Danny relax and think logically again. After all, he really had no reason to fear Vlad right now. Even more appeased, the teen just stared quietly at the man as he continued to explain.

"Now, duplicating is quite simple."

"For you, maybe," Danny murmured under his breath.

But Vlad caught the remark and smiled smugly as he said, "Yes, well that may be true, but I really do mean that it's simple. See, dear boy, although the art of duplication takes the phrase 'multitasking' to an entirely new level, it ultimately comes down to _successfully_ performing several fundamentals and simple energy manipulations at once. Let me demonstrate…"

Danny watched as the real Plasmius raised a hand in front of him and produced a spinning sphere of pink energy. And then a second after, his three duplicates did the same.

"Your duplicates are part of you. Or should I say that they are part of your energy, being that all they truly are is energy. That is why when it comes to _commanding_ a duplicate, it essentially works the same way as your commanding, say, an ectoplasmic energy blast."

The older hybrid stretched out his hand at one of his duplicates; and in an instant, it dissolved and returned to his hand as ghost energy. But then that same energy just as quickly became a pink ecto-blast, proving his point of it all being interchangeable.

The man then continued, as Danny just watched him intently. "However, duplicating is more than just energy manipulation, as I mentioned. You have to give your duplicate a purpose."

"A purpose?" Danny repeated, not following him.

"Yes, let me explain. Your duplicate simply does what it was created for. You _mentally_ give it its purpose. So, for example, if I simply make a duplicate with the thought or intention of scouting out a place that I feel might be unsafe for myself to physically enter, then that is all that duplicate will do. If it is attacked, it stands no chance, because I did not create it with the intention of a battle. Now, of course, if I make a duplicate with that intention, then it will be efficient in that. And it will use everything that I know to fight. Do you understand now? You _both_ mentally and energetically manipulate your duplicates. It is tricky at first to form a duplicate just as you want it. But, the more you do it, the more secondhand it becomes. And there comes a point where you create it as you want almost subconsciously. Of course, the more 'features' you give your duplicate, the more energy it takes from you. And that energy will return to you when you call that duplicate back and so will its memories."

At that moment, one of Vlad's remaining two duplicates came closer to the boy; and Danny raised an eyebrow when it smirked at him, before whispering in his ear, "Tell me something."

Danny blinked in confusion; but then quickly catching on, he smirked back and said, "You need to hurry up and get to the point already."

The copy frowned at the boy in response; but it did not do anymore, since it suddenly dissolved and returned back to the real Vlad.

The instant the duplicate absorbed into the older hybrid, Danny grinned at the annoyed look on the man's face.

"Yes, well, you will have to endure one last lecture before I 'get to the point,' Vlad answered dryly, before firing a direct blast at his copy.

Danny gasped as the duplicate skidded across the floor, before he stared back at the real Plasmius. "Dude, you just attacked yourself!"

"Hardly, Daniel," Vlad said with a slightly condescending voice. "Duplicates are just energy, remember? If it is harmed, it does not harm me. That's what I wanted to tell and show you. However, that does not mean you want to just let them get harmed. You do want to give it a sense of self-preservation. The older hybrid fired an attack at his duplicate again; but this time, the copy was ready and it raised a shield protecting itself.

"You see, Daniel, the more injured your duplicate returns to you, the more energy you lose. As I said, a duplicate is an extension of your energy. And if that energy is not spent, you can return it back to you without losing it. But as your duplicate fights, its wastes energy in energy blasts and such, and it equally loses strength the more blows it receives. That, of course, means you lose energy. So, although you do not physically get hurt if your copy gets hurt, it can weaken you. If your copy is destroyed in battle before you can call it back to you…"

Vlad suddenly fired a bolt of red electricity at his copy; and although the duplicate had a shield up, the attack was too strong. And it was destroyed with shield and all.

"You still regain your duplicate's memories, but you lose all the energy that you used to make that copy," Vlad finished, looking back at Danny.

The teen stared at the man with a slight frown, before he asked, "So… if that's true…Didn't that affect you? I mean, you just destroyed your own copy."

"Well, of course it did," Plasmius answered with slight amusement. "I just have years of practice and built endurance and power."

"Oh, right. I forgot," Danny replied, dryly.

Vlad chuckled smugly, but he then calmed a bit and said, "Well, then, now that I have explained the technicalities, let's work on the actual practice, hmm?"

"Definitely," Danny replied, perking up. "You got no argument there."

The man rolled his eyes, but just continued. "Now, you said you can successfully duplicate; but you cannot hold it for long. Well, then, your problem is obvious; and so is its solution."

"Really? What is it?" Danny asked expectantly.

Vlad tilted his head slightly and crossed his arms as he calmly replied, "You need proper focus."

Danny sighed in exasperation, before he irritably said, "Oh, come on! Do you even realize how many times you have said that to me?"

"And yet, you still don't get it," Vlad retorted, looking unfazed.

Danny frowned; but could not find anything more to say.

Vlad gave him a small encouraging smile as he added, "Chin up, my boy, you are improving at an astonishing rate. You truly are. But, you need to understand, that every ability has its specific focus. You did a marvelous job just now at figuring out what the proper focus was for enhancing your hearing. But, for duplication, it is a completely different type of focus. Now, it's very good that you have learned all on your own how to manipulate your energy enough to create an actual copy. And I also have to commend you for not trying to make several copies and just starting with one. That is how it should be done. You have to learn to walk before you can run, after all. However, remember that I told you that duplication _also_ requires mental manipulation---_mental focus_. In other words, you already know how to create a duplicate, you are just not holding the right state of mind. That is why your duplicate does not last."

Danny thought about that for a moment, before he calmly asked, "Okay. Then, what is the right state of mind?"

This time, Vlad did not reply right away. Instead, his eyebrows creased as he tried to think of how to explain it. After all, being able to practically have more than one of you was complicated and confusing enough…

But suddenly thinking of a good analogy, the older hybrid smiled. "Ah, I know," he said. "Tell me, dear boy. Have you ever felt entirely _split_ about something?"

But Danny just gave the man a quizzical look.

Vlad sighed slightly and he frowned in thought again. This was harder to explain than he thought. "In other words…Have you ever been given two choices; but you can only choose one? However, you wish you could choose both? So, you struggle to make your decision; because, deep within you want to choose both ways?"

Danny slowly nodded. He kind of understood what the man said. But not really… He wasn't sure if he had ever felt like that. He usually just choose what he thought was right. So… no… he really could not think of a time when he wanted to choose two directions at once… Or rather, want both directions **equally** as much....Was that what the man meant?

Vlad smiled a bit. "There are times when we cannot have all the things we want most; especially when there is a conflict of interest between two or more of those things. Ergo, if it is two contradictory things, you have to often choose one or the other. But when it comes to our powers, that universal law is broken. That is what duplication is all about. You now have the _physical_ ability to do two or more things at once. That is why, in your mind, you have to think and even feel _split_. When you duplicate, it is because you are in _need_ of having more than one of you at that given moment."

Danny frowned again as he tried to understand such a complicated concept. It was difficult for him because he really wasn't sure if he had such an experience to help him understand, let alone did he understand how to apply it to his powers.

Still, he gave it a shot. And still in ghost form, he creased his eyebrows in concentration, before trying to duplicate. It took him a little effort, but he successfully created a copy. Too bad that it joined back with him before he could even do anything with it.

"You have to _think_ as two, dear boy," Vlad said, watching the teen intently as he tried again. "Pretend, for example, that you want to be at two places at once, and then apply it."

Danny tried thinking of just that; and although he was able to split and hold it this time for a few seconds more; his copy still unwillingly returned back to him.

Vlad's eyebrows creased with some unknown emotion as he asked with slight surprise, "You really have never felt torn between two given choices?"

The teen paused in his efforts and looked up at the man. "I don't really know. I mean, one choice always outweighs the other, right? Two complete opposite things can't both be equally important. So, then, why would I ever feel… _split_ about it? Why would I want to choose both ways equally when both ways can't really _both_ be _right_?"

Vlad sobered a bit as he replied a little quietly, "You'd be surprised, Daniel..."

Danny gave him a quizzical look, before sighing and trying again. But failing once more, the boy shook his head. "I don't get it…"

The older hybrid nodded, before placing a comforting hand on one of the teen's shoulder. "You just need a good experience of that feeling, Daniel. I can assure you that once you understand firsthand what I mean, it will be very simple for you to then mentally and physically apply it. As I told you, my boy, there are things I cannot teach you. Your powers might be both mental and physical; but they are as equally emotional. You have to feel a certain way to apply some of them. Duplication is one of those. Think about what I told you, hmm? I am certain you will figure it out, and then you will be able to do what you want."

In spite that he was dishearten by the fact that he could not learn duplication as quick as some of the other things he had, Danny nodded and even smiled a bit at the man. His encouragement made him feel a bit better. And he felt even better when he remembered how quickly he had recovered from his Ghostly Wail. He really was getting stronger. And in spite of the fact that he very often got impatient with the older hybrid's long explanation and repetitive nature, he did appreciate it. And he could see that it all ultimately did help him understand his powers. And that was in large part the reason why he was picking things up so quickly. It was amazing how intricate his abilities were; and he was certain he would never stop being awed by how much Vlad knew about their powers, especially when the man had learned it all on his own…

"I think that's enough for today," Vlad suddenly said, bringing the boy back to reality.

"Seriously? Can't we like practice one more thing? I'm so close to being able to condense my energy," Danny said as he raised a hand in front of him and began to make his energy swell and grow at an astounding rate.

Of course, the teen was referring to one of the first things the man had got him working on: the manipulation of his raw green ghost energy to ultimately make blue energy. Danny had in no way given up on trying to do that. The prospect of learning to will a whole different kind of energy was just too enticing! But although he was getting really good at compacting his raw energy more and more---and it was also getting less and less draining for him---he had yet to reach the intensity needed to change his green energy into that blue energy.

Yesterday's practice had actually been mostly about that. Vlad had also further explained that not only was his compacting his energy bringing him closer to making blue energy, but it also was bringing him closer to gaining full control and stability of his powers. And that had only enthralled the teen even more to practicing this specific technique…

But aside from all that, there was one other reason Danny was so attracted to it. Every time he willed such raw energy in his hand, it filled him with a feeling that he could never truly explain. The closest he could come to describing it was that it made him feel…. empowered…

Danny's eyes slightly narrowed as that very feeling began to swell inside him; it both frightened him and allured him… However, just as Danny had gathered enough of his raw ghost energy into his hand and was about to start concentrating it into that now all-too-familiar dark energy sphere, Plasmius calmly grasped his wrist.

The boy instantly lost his concentration and the energy vanished back within him. For a moment, he looked slightly disoriented. But snapping out of it, he looked up at the man responsible and frowned.

"Do not overdo it, Daniel," Vlad advised, though he was staring at him with a scrutinizing gaze. "You might be growing stronger, but you have to know when to stop, hmm? Besides, we also need to stop now because I need to head to _Vladco_ for some things. And your practicing to manipulate raw energy is the one thing I am against you practicing alone. You have seen how dangerous it is…"

Danny nodded, as he recalled how he had damaged the _ghost-proof_ simulation room the first time he had tried willing his raw energy. It was pretty intense.

Seeing the man change back, the boy followed suit, before curiously asking, "So, does that mean you are not going to be here for dinner. I mean, it's close to that time already, right?"

"Yes, it is. And I do not think I will return in time. So, you will have to forgive me, dear boy," he said, with a small apologetic smile.

Danny nodded and calmly replied, "That's okay. I have plenty of homework to do, anyway." He then raised his arms in the air and stretched out his sore muscles as he added, "And a shower and nap are really starting to sound good just about now."

Vlad chuckled, but his smile abruptly vanished as he recalled something very important. How could he have forgotten? He had wanted to do this since yesterday. But with all the drama from then, the billionaire had realized it was better to wait a bit until some of that tension between them eased. And although with this new day, his and the boy's interaction was now back to relative normalcy, Vlad was still unsure if he wanted to discuss this with Daniel. After all, he did not really _need_ to. This was an issue he could resolve on his own...

Still, the man wanted to know just how serious the issue on his mind was. He wanted to first measure the boy's reaction and response to it, before he decided how to handle that very important 'something.'

"You okay?" Danny suddenly asked, having noticed the man's abrupt change in demeanor and silence.

"Hmm?" Vlad asked, finally focusing back to the boy's question. He smiled calmly. "Yes, I just recalled something I have been meaning to mention to you… I was thinking of telling Ms. Thomas to suspend your classes for tomorrow…"

Danny raised a questioning eyebrow. "How come?"

Vlad casually crossed his arms, though his gaze was now completely locked on the boy's own as he answered, "Well… I thought we could change our routine around here a bit. Or, rather, skip it all together. At least, just for tomorrow."

"Okay…" the teen muttered, not sure at all where Vlad was going with this and where his sudden urge of 'playing hooky' had come from…

"I suppose it is unexpected," the man continued in his same causal tone. "But I thought about this with specifically you in mind… I have noticed how much you like spending time in forest, Daniel. But I can assure you, there are things out there you have yet to discover. I'd like to show them to you tomorrow. And there is no better way to take a stroll through there, then on traditional horseback. Are you interested?"

But the instant the man mentioned the prospect of going to the horse stables, Danny's eyes widened in fear. He unconsciously began to back up as he fought to keep the sudden surge of all his memories of the ghost who was there from overwhelming him.

Of course, Vlad noticed the teen's reaction; but the man wasn't at all surprised by it. It was like he had been expecting it. But now watching the boy with an even more studying gaze, he calmly asked, "What's wrong, my boy? I was under the impression that you liked it out there. And, yet, you look anything but thrilled with my idea…"

Finally realizing he was moving away from the man, Danny forced himself to stop. But even though he tried, he could not keep his voice steady as he answered, "I-I do like it out…t-there. I-I just…I don't w-want… I…I never rode a horse," the boy abruptly said, staring up at the man with a nervous and almost pleading look.

Vlad raised an eyebrow, though it was mostly due to the teen's look rather than his actual comment. But the man then just waved a hand dismissively and said, "Then, I'll teach you. Believe me, it isn't anything difficult to learn."

But clinging to his excuse to help him focus, the younger hybrid was able to calm down enough to reply, "I-I don't know, Vlad. Why do we have to… do that? Can't we just fly to the forest?"

Vlad purposely placed his arm around the teen, and began to walk them out of the simulation room as he said, "Oh, but I insist, dear boy. It will be a good experience for you…" But mentally the man added, "_And it will allow me to finally find out exactly what Dazzler is doing to you…" _

Danny hardly noticed the man's arm wrapped around his shoulder. He was too worried to think about it. And to his growing anxiety, he could not think of anything else to say to the man. Obviously, Vlad was set on this. And to change his mind about it was virtually impossible.

"_Just don't think about it_," the teen repeated like a mantra in his mind, in hopes of quelling his fear. But even though he was managing to suppress his memories, he was unable to suppress the sudden shiver of fear that coursed down his spine.

And Vlad felt it.

In an instant, the older hybrid spun the teen in front of him and firmly grabbed his shoulders. "That's it, Daniel! What's going on? You are going to tell me! And you are going to tell me right now!" he demanded.

The older hybrid had been willing to respect the boy's wishes of not speaking of this when he had first realized the truth about Dazzler on the plane; and he had even been willing to hold off on the topic because of everything that had happened with their return. But not anymore! He was done with this stupidity! The teen was obviously troubled by the thought of the controlling ghost; and the man was not going to let him keep refusing to tell him why!

Danny froze, and stared at man with large eyes full of fear; but it wasn't directed at his arch-enemy, but, rather, on what the man was demanding of him. He couldn't tell him because it meant remembering _everything_!

The teen shook his head and nervously replied, "I-I don't know what you're talking about…"

But that only set off the man's anger more. "_Do not_ play dumb with me! You know exactly what I'm talking about! I don't know if your refusal to speak of it is some sort of foolish teenage pride or some absurd belief that you can resolve this on your own; but I am not having any more of it! I want the truth, Daniel! Why do you go off in a panic the second I mention anything relating to Dazzler?!"

Danny gasped, just before that illogical sense of panic exploded inside him. "**Let me go, Vlad!**" he screamed as he fiercely began to struggle against the man's hold.

But Vlad just held him tighter and his eyes narrowed, "No! You are not going anywhere! Not until you tell me what's going on!"

"**No! I **_**can't!**_" he yelled back, struggling even more as the mental dam he had used to keep his memories of Dazzler suppressed broke, and they began to cascade over his eyes, like some horror movie.

But at that very moment, Vlad's own eyes widened as wave of dread washed over him…The boy's eyes…They were flashing _gold!_

"Daniel… What's wrong with you?" he whispered, his hold slightly weakening. The older hybrid only knew of one being whose unique abilities carried such a hue. So, there was now no doubt in his mind that this was Dazzler's doing. But he still did not know what the ghost had really done. Vlad had never seen Dazzler do anything like _this_ before…

The younger hybrid was shaking like a leaf by now; but for some reason, hearing the man's own fear in his voice, helped ease his own—if only enough to understand his question and reply, or more like, whimper, "I-I don't know, Vlad. Just…let me go."

Vlad's eyebrows creased in further worry, before he sighed and finally let go of the teen. He watched as the boy instantly backed away; but when Daniel did not just run out, like he obviously had wanted a moment ago, the man felt a spark of hope. Did the boy want to tell him the truth but was just too afraid to do so?

"Daniel," the older hybrid began, looking increasingly desperate by the minute. "Please, I only want to help you. _Let me_ help you. I can, but you have to trust me."

Dazzler's spell abruptly switched off when the man's last words took priority in the boy's mind. But all Danny could do was stare at his arch-enemy, not believing what he was asking of him…

Vlad lowered his gaze as some form of sadness fell over him. "I… know I am the last person who should be asking you for your trust… But, please, at least this once. Trust me enough to let me help you," he pleaded, looking back at the teen.

Danny took a shaky breath, but his breathing was much less hectic. Is that what Vlad thought? That he wouldn't tell him about…that ghost because he did not want the man's help?

The teen lowered his eyes as he realized that the man had every reason to think that. After all, he had not wanted his help in any way before. But that had changed some time ago. And Danny most definitely felt different now. He did want his help. And as the boy thought about it, he knew that---and he felt that---he did trust Vlad _enough_ to let him help him… But the teen's fear wasn't only for himself…

Danny pushed back his black hair and closed his blue eyes with a shaky sigh. He didn't want to break down again in front of his arch-enemy; but he had to _try_ to tell him everything. He just _had_ to be stronger than whatever that ghost did to him…

"Vlad," the boy finally spoke up, though he kept his eyes shut as he fought to get out what he needed without being overwhelmed with fear. "There's something you need to know… but I can't tell you. I _want_ to. But I _can't_. I-I don't know why; but every time I think of…" But he suddenly, visibly tensed, unable to think, let alone say Dazzler's name.

However, the teen finally opened his eyes; and although his eyes were shrouded with fear, there was an intense seriousness in them as he pleaded, "Vlad, I need _you_ to trust _me_. For _both_ of our sakes, don't _push_ this any further."

Vlad was clearly taken aback by the boy's own request for his trust. But hearing his last comment put a serious frown on the man's face. "You cannot ask me to just act as if there isn't anything going on! And I _refuse_ to turn a blind eye to the fact that I am completely certain who is behind all this; and that _that_ very ghost set you up with Walker! And that he has done something to you now! No, Daniel. I _will not_ let Dazzler get away with this!"

Danny instantly grasped his head and whimpered at the mention at the ghost's name.

And that was all the older hybrid needed to see to reaffirm his decision.

"I'll destroy him for this!" Vlad growled out, his eyes turning red.

But when Danny saw the man turn into Plasmius, Dazzler's spell was overpowered by an even greater fear…

"No!" the teen exclaimed, grabbing one of the man's arms to stop him from going anywhere. "Vlad, you can't go! Don't. Don't go near him!"

"Why not?" Vlad demanded angrily, not understanding the boy's refusal.

Danny squeezed his eyes close again, unaware that they were continously flashing gold. But he could feel that mounting panic all too well as he tried to answer. But he _couldn't_! Why wouldn't Vlad just trust him on this?!

But at the sight of the once again shaking teen, Vlad's eyes narrowed with further determination; before he easily slipped out of Danny's hold and turned to the door…

"Vlad, s-stop!" Danny pleaded as he fought with his overwhelmed mind.

But Plasmius just fisted his hands and kept walking.

The teen gripped at his hair in desperation. He had to tell him!

Danny eyes were almost solid gold by how rapidly they were flashing with the hue. And yet he still fisted his hands and forced himself to shout, "Don't you get it?! That's what he wants! Vlad, _Dazzler_ is after **you**!"

The older hybrid instantly spun on his heel and stared back at the teen in utter surprise and confusion. "What are you talking about, Daniel?"

The boy was shaking badly by now; but in spite all his fear, he was determined to tell the man everything. Maybe then, he would listen.

"H-He was there in the forest that d-day. With Spectra and Bertrand. I-It was supposed to be a t-trap; a trap for you. Daz-Dazzler told me…He told me he was after you," Danny whispered, though aside from fear, there was clearly worry in his voice as well.

Vlad quietly regard the young hybrid, before he sighed and walked closer to him. He then placed a hand on the boy's shoulder again as he gently spoke, "Daniel, his powers do not work on me. I am honestly surprised they even work on you…" The man's eyebrows creased in regret as he added, "But I suppose this is my own fault. I should have caught this sooner. But I am going to resolve this and put an end to that nuisance once and for all, alright?"

Danny shook his head. "No. What if you're wrong? What if his powers do work on you?"

The man smiled a bit at the worry on the boy's face, but he still was not swayed. He could see now that waiting anymore, even a day, was too much. This had to end **right** **now**. And by how badly things were, he was glad that he had realized this now. Taking Daniel anywhere near the controlling ghost would have been a terrible mistake.

"Really, Daniel, there's no need for your concern," Vlad finally assured him. "So, please, trust me that _I _can resolve this matter and just _stay here_."

Before the young half-ghost could say any more, Plasmius teleported out of the simulation room, leaving him alone. The teen just stared at the now vacant spot, looking completely torn. He wanted to believe, _to trust_, so badly that the older hybrid was right, that Dazzler was powerless against him. But Dazzler had spoken with so much certainty of his being able to harm Vlad… So, then, if the controlling ghost's powers really did not work on the older half-ghost, then what had Dazzler meant? How was he going to overpower Plasmius?

As he tried to find an answer to his question, Danny began to nervously pace. There was something more to this than he had yet to understand. But what? And what was he supposed to do? Vlad wanted him to let him take care of Dazzler. But the teen just wasn't sure about that. But he was also petrified of just _thinking_ of the controlling ghost! Now, to have to face him? Could he do that?

"I can't just stand here and do nothing!" he exclaimed, suddenly angry with himself for letting his fear paralyze him like this. But even with his fear acting against him, a deeper determination set into the boy and he transformed.

He flew out of the simulation room, heading straight for the bottom lab. As he searched for a specific ghost device he knew Vlad had to have somewhere around the lab, he felt his heart beating harder against his chest. Just knowing what he was about to do was making it harder to keep his mind from being overwhelmed by Dazzler's spell.

"I can fight this," he said firmly, referring to that fear as he found exactly what he had been looking for and wrapped his hands around it. "I _will_ fight this. I have to!" he added with conviction, before taking to the air and phasing straight out of the castle…

* * *

Dazzler was leaning against a wooden post inside the stables, seemingly staring at the feeding horses. He had returned this morning from the Ghost Zone. And being that he was able to return via one of his employer's now open portals, he knew that the hybrids had returned.

That was very good news…

After his trip, Dazzler was now, of course, back to full strength and now even more than eager to carry out his plans. He just needed to get the little runt alone again, and then just wait for his possessive employer to jump into the fray. After that, it would be all too easy…

He would have some fun with them first, though. After all, he wanted to gloat that he could finally control the 'all-powerful' Vlad Plasmius. And he had grown to _really_ hate Danny Phantom; so he was more than wanting to make that runt suffer…

Dazzler paused in thought as he abruptly recalled a new worry to his plans: Niane.

Ever since he had discovered _what_ she was, he was a bit apprehensive about his plans. He couldn't help but wonder if that spirit would try to interfere… After all, she had kept him from wasting the runt that one time at the pool by showing up before he could. And then, more recently, she had kept him from wasting Danny Phantom's friends and sister. So, then, would she get in the way of his plans now?

Dazzler's eyes narrowed and they briefly flashed gold at the thought. "Just let her try," he muttered darkly. "I'll waste both of hybrids before she even has the chance."

The controlling ghost did not understand why Niane was even around, let alone why she had an interest in the two half-ghosts. But he did not care. And although he knew that he could never go up against the spirit, he could keep her from getting in his way by using not only the hybrids as leverage, but also what he knew about her.

"I would love to see the look on my employer's face if he knew…," Dazzler said with a smirk.

Ironically, though, Dazzler had actually run into Niane this morning. And although she had said nothing to him, he had made sure to remind her to keep away from him and keep her mouth closed. Ultimately, the controlling ghost had a feeling she had too much to lose to interfere; but in case she didn't, he had plenty of things to use against her.

Dazzler's smirk widened as his thoughts returned back to the hybrids. He still remembered vividly how the little hybrid's life energy had felt in his hands. It had been so intoxicating. It was why he could not help but narrow his eyes hungrily as he simply imagined how much more invigorating his even more powerful half-ghost employer's life energy had to be.

"_I just need that little runt to play as my trump card and this game will be as good as mine,"_ he thought with a smug chuckle.

Too bad that his early triumph was interrupted by an unexpected voice.

"Dazzler?"

The controlling ghost jolted a bit in surprise, and whipped his head to his left to stare at the owner of the cool voice.

"Sir?" Dazzler asked, raising a confused eyebrow at the man. He really had not expected to see his employer here. What did he want?

But ignoring the nervous flutter in his stomach, the ghost moved away from the wooden post and stood straight. He folded his hands behind his back as a calm and pleasant smile quickly masked his confusion.

"Forgive me. I am just a bit surprised to see you here. I cannot remember the last time you set foot in your own stables," the shadow ghost said, his eyebrow heightening.

Vlad just stared at the ghost, feeling his inner rage grow with the traitor ghost's casual voice.

Dazzler frowned a bit at the man's lack of reply. "Sir? Is everything---" But the ghost never finished.

Plasmius abruptly raised a hand and shot the ghost at point blank with a red blast.

The controlling ghost gasped just before the attack slammed into his stomach and then further slammed him back into several mounting equipment on the wall behind him. Dazzler's hissed in pain as he grabbed his stomach, only to feel and see his hand covered in his own ectoplasm. A wave of absolute fear swelled inside the ghost as he stared up at his attacker.

Vlad gazed darkly at the ghost as he kept his glowing hand raised and aimed at Dazzler, clearly ready to fire another attack.

"Wait. I-I don't understand," the male ghost stuttered as he unconsciously pressed himself harder against the wall behind him. This was _not_ what he had planned!

"You're _a_ _fool_, Dazzler," the older half-ghost growled out, his anger now truly showing. "Did you really believe I would not figure out everything you have done? Everything you are doing?!"

Dazzler's eyes grew even larger. Plasmius could not be talking about what he thought, could he?! It wasn't possible! But before the controlling ghost could answer, the man released a second attack. However, this time, Dazzler reacted and turned intangible before he could be harmed. But his actions, in turn, sent the ghost through the wall he had been pressed against and he fell back outside the barn.

To his misfortune, however, Plasmius suddenly materialized in front of him before he could even get to his feet. "Sir, wait! Just calm down!" he quickly said, as he stumbled to his feet and began to back away from the other approaching male.

"No one betrays me, you fool!" Vlad exclaimed as his hands began to cackle with his electrical energy. "And no one, _no one_, touches what is mine!"

Dazzler cried out in alarm as he dodged a bolt of red energy; but before he could do anything else, a glowing rope wrapped around his neck, just before sending a surge of electricity through his body.

Vlad mercilessly stared at the screaming ghost, who dropped to his knees, his hands grasping the rope in an effort to pull it off him.

"Stop!" Dazzler shouted, before he was able to focus enough to use his own energy to destroy the rope around his neck. The ghost fell to the ground, his form quickly becoming his real shadow one as he desperately raised a hand in front of him, as if it was going to save him.

But the ghost was now in just as much shock as panic. There was no doubt now in his mind that Plasmius knew the truth. But how? The only explanation was that Danny Phantom had told him. But did that mean his spell had failed? How was that possible? No, it wasn't possible! The boy was too weak! But then, how had he managed to tell the older hybrid the truth?!

However, this wasn't Dazzler's greatest dilemma. The runt wasn't here! He had nothing against the older hybrid if the younger one wasn't around! His control on the man relied on the boy's presence. But, obviously, Plasmius had had the foresight of making sure Phantom stayed far away from here.

His employer was going to destroy him; and even if he tried, he would not be able to stop him! He was too powerful for him!

Knowing all he had at this point was his words, Dazzler quickly stumbled into an explanation. "I-I can understand your being angry. B-But I can explain e-everything. J-Just give me a moment to do so! I-I have been with you for years! I would never p-purposely betray you!"

Plasmius stopped his approach; but his eyes narrowed further. "You're pathetic, Dazzler. I am honestly surprised that a coward like you would even dare to try something like this! But then, you always were an opportunistic parasite. You thought the boy was an easy meal, didn't you? You even involved those other leeches like yourself to attack him. Well, then, Dazzler, it seems you forgot one very significant detail in all this."

Plasmius suddenly split into four and surrounded the ghost, before he darkly said, "You forgot _me_."

Dazzler gasped as the hybrid and his duplicates fired red energy blasts at him at the same time. But the controlling ghost quickly produced a purple dome around him, shielding himself. And knowing he was going to have to fight for his afterlife at this point, he quickly followed that by a purple blast at one of the copies.

Not expecting the quick attack, Vlad's duplicate was instantly destroyed by the powerful blast. And the older hybrid instantly knew the ghost was at full strength. Too bad it would do him little good against _him_.

Glaring darkly, Plasmius continued, "Finally picking on someone your own size? Or should I say someone more powerful than you? We both know how this will end. But you are free to squirm as I destroy you. It will make it all the more enjoyable for me."

Dazzler quickly dodged the incoming attacks of Vlad's two remaining duplicates, before spinning around to face the real half-ghost; and narrowing his eyes in anger, the shadow ghost fired two energy blasts at him.

But the man just raised his hands and absorbed the incoming energy into his hands before throwing it right back at the controlling ghost.

Dazzler gasped in fear as he raised his hands in front of himself and fired his purple energy again at the incoming energy. But as the opposite forces collided, Dazzler was pushed back by the older hybrid's more powerful energy. Still, he kept his own energy coming, knowing if he allowed his employer to win in their power struggle, it would be the end of him.

But the controlling ghost stood no chance and Vlad's power quickly began to overcome his own; and having forgotten about the man's copies, he was at that instant caught off guard by two blasts to his back.

Dazzler screamed in pain as he lost his concentration; but before he could be hit by the real Plasmius' energy, he managed a shield to protect himself. Still, the copies solid hits on him had the ghost panting in pain on the ground.

Vlad approached the injured ghost, his hands once more crackling with his electric powers. "I hope everything you did was worth your after-life, Dazzler. Because I'm about to end it. And if by some miraculous chance you happen to come back from oblivion, maybe you will at least think twice about angering a being much more powerful than yourself."

"S-Sir, please!" Dazzler begged, now clearly terrified as he stared up at his former employer. He didn't need to see that the man's two duplicates had charged their hands with red electricity as well. The shadow ghost could hear its deadly cackle!

Vlad smirked coldly, clearly enjoying seeing the ghost suffering. "Good-bye, Dazzler. You are hereby terminated---in all the meaning of the word."

Dazzler could only stare up in horror; but just when he thought, he was finished, he caught sight of something in the sky and he quickly turned his focus to it. He was only briefly surprised; but when he was sure at what exactly he was looking, the ghost suddenly burst into laughter, though he was unsure of which emotion was stronger: his amusement at the irony of it all or his immense relief.

"Oh, sir!" Dazzler exclaimed, before his head tilted back and he laughed harder.

Vlad cut short his attack, honestly surprised by the ghost's abrupt change of demeanor. Had he gone further off the deep end?

"What the blazes is so funny?" the man hissed, ready to just blast the foolish ghost.

Unable to stop laughing, the ghost just pointed up towards the sky. But Vlad didn't need to look in its direction. At that instant, he _felt_ what the ghost found so comical.

Dazzler smirked evilly as he watched the man's red eyes grow wide in alarm. "Tsk. That runt really is going to be your down fall…," he said smugly, before one of his hands began to glow with his power…

Vlad would have been confused by the comment, especially when he briefly recalled Skulker had said something similar to him when they had fought. But his thoughts and logic vanished as a familiar scream resonated above them.

Plasmius instantly whirled around and his eyes widened even more at the sight of Danny…

The teen, who had been flying steadily in the direction of the horse stables, clutching a ghost thermos tightly in his hand, knew that the older hybrid and Dazzler should be there, somewhere. But just when he had been about to descend, he felt an abrupt hold over his being. And he was only briefly aware of a purple hue around him, before the pain around his very heart exploded inside him, tearing a scream out of his mouth. Instantly, the boy lost all thought and concentration, and he dropped straight out of the sky.

"Daniel!" Vlad yelled out in fear.

But before he could do anything, Dazzler used Plasmius' own distraction to throw three consecutive energy blasts at the older half-ghost and his two copies. The quick attacks were true. And in an instant, the duplicates were taken out while their owner was dropped to his knees in pain.

As Danny continued to plummet, Dazzler smirked down at the fallen Vlad and evilly said, "Now _this_ is how things were supposed to go. So, then… let's take this from the top, shall we...?"

* * *

***Vlad muse glares* **_**You are not blaming me for this one, Pearl! *muse vanishes**_*****

***Pearl grumbles, but quickly smiles at readers*****Oh… heh. Finished already? Um, well, that ending was not my fault! I was overshadowed! I promise! **

**Well, okay, before anyone chases my muse and me down with ecto-guns, I got a few comments to make.**

**First: If you were not able to review last chapter, well, heh, that was sort of my fault. See, I deleted one of the chapters; or rather, I combined 'chapter one part one' and 'chapter one part two' into one. I figured since it is the same chapter, it is kinda pointless to have it as two. But, then, that messed up the review system. Opps. But you guys should not have any trouble reviewing this time around. But, if you are wondering why I was even messing with it in the first place, well, you see, I like to read my own work from time to time to make sure I don't have plot holes or haven't forgotten anything. And although I have noticed this for a while now, this time, it really got to me... Oh, my gosh. The beginning chapters are so horribly written! The grammar and writing… *cringes* Gosh, I honestly wonder how I got all of you hooked to this story in the first place… *stares around suspiciously* My muse overshadowed you all, didn't he? But, seriously, it's bad. So, I decided to attempt to edit—**_**not**_** change, mind you--the beginning chapters… But in the past week, I have only accomplished to do four pages of the prologue. Yeah, it's not going to be done any time soon; since editing posted chapters is the last thing on my agenda. Still, I will do it eventually. I just can't stand looking at all that bad grammar… For those who do not know, I did not have a beta to help and educate me from the beginning of this story… Anyways, I just wanted to tell you all you should not have trouble reviewing now… *hint-hint* **

**Okay, second comment: Just FYI, I did not just make up that Danny can duplicate in season two. In the episode 'Beauty Marked', he dodges being sliced in half by the ghost with the axe by splitting in two. But he only holds it for that second and joins into one again. We also have seen him in an earlier episode that he has been trying to learn how to duplicate every since he meet Vlad in BR---and we see it's not the easiest thing for the kid to replicate---no pun intended. But, then, **_**suddenly**_**, in season three, Danny can make **_**four**_** duplicates. It might have been just me, but I thought that was a pretty big jump from his having problems with duplication from seasons one and two. So, what have I done? Yeah, you got it. I'm filling in the gap. You might have already noticed that I am setting some things up here and there that occurred in season three. It makes me feel better because I thought they did a poor job at tying things in season three with the first two seasons. So, you will see a lot of more my 'filling in the gaps'. *winks***** **

**And, third, though just as important: I know some of you are concerned about the OCs in this story. I decided to address it here, just in case others who wanted to comment on it and could not thanks to my 'opps' up there, can read my reply to that. Now, first. Keep in mind that the show is always bringing in new ghosts. So, my following comment does not really apply to my **_**ghost**_** OCs. I think the show itself justifies my having them. Now, with the human ones. Well, I gotta say that I am very picky when it comes to human OCs myself. I only have a little over a handful of stories that have human OCs and I have liked them---which is why I dislike Danielle so much. She is so 'mary-sue' to me. Heh. But let me not get started on her… **

**What I want to get across is that you guys have to keep in mind one very important thing about **_**this**_** story: we are not dealing with 'Danny's world'. We are in '_Vlad's_ world'. Ergo, almost everyone in it is going to be OC. I **_**had**_** to add OCs to make the story believable. After all, I personally would find it weirder and less believable that Vlad would not have any sort of human interaction in his life aside from the Fentons. The guy might be evil, but I highly doubt h****e's**** anti-social when he is supposedly a billionaire and is **_**obsessed**_** with obtaining love. **

**Now, please, don't get me wrong. I absolutely love your honest responses and don't let my saying this keep any of you from critiquing my work. I welcome it. But I do like to **_**explain**_** why I do what I do when it's necessary. This is my only intention of my talking about this. To explain my logic.**

**Furthermore, I have been doing my best to bring in and develop the OCs gradually, instead of just thrusting them at you all and expecting you all to accept them---Well, Stephanie's daughter was not as slowly to come in. But in all fairness, I did mention her existence several times before introducing her. And she did have to show up sooner or later, hmm? **

**But, anyways, I have tried to bring them in slowly. And that is why there is so much mystery around a lot of them. But, I can assure you of one thing, for those who are worried about them: they will always be _background_ characters. At least, for **_**this**_** story… The only things I am trying to get **_**across**_** with them and **_**show**_** with them is just how they are related **_**to Vlad**_**. In the end, it all returns to him. I think, **_**I hope**_**, I have been keeping the OCs appearance to a minimum. I think I have… I mean, I am certain I can count each of their appearances on my hands… The point is, that they were necessary. I am trying to dive into Vlad's life---if that isn't obvious already. So, I had to have them. Just like I had to have Danielle in this story since she is now on the show… *grumbles* **

**But, anyways, yes. They are background characters; especially when this story is cannon. So, if you haven't seen it in the third season, it's not gonna happen… But, then, that does not stop me from building and manipulating a lot of the holes they left in that season…eh?**

**Well, my lovely readers, thanks so much for your support and thoughts! I love them all! Truly I do! So, I leave you here. I will try my best to update in a week's time. But no guarantees, this time. I have a very important test this coming week and I need to hunker down and study!!! **

**Now where were we? Oh, yes, you all were about to chase me with ecto-guns! *flees after muse* **


	57. Chapter 56: Tangible Trust

**Hello, I'm back! I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I sure did! So, then, ready for a climax? Good! Hang on tight, then! *winks***

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. But the OCs are my own.**

* * *

**Chapter 56: Tangible Trust**

Vlad did not know at whom he was angrier: the boy, for not staying at the castle as he had asked; or, himself, for being foolish enough to drop his guard and turn his back on the opportunistic ghost that now had him on his knees in pain.

But Daniel's continuing scream was like a violent jolt to his hazed mind. And, suddenly, his pain and anger did not matter. With a short gasp, the older hybrid abruptly vanished in a cloud of pink smoke. In fact, it was so quick that Dazzler's triumphant look faltered, surprised at the man's action.

But a second later, when Plasmius reappeared under the falling boy, the shadow ghost clearly saw the older hybrid's intention to grab and therefore stop the boy's decent. However, what the man did not know was that Dazzler's control over the teen was so strong that he now required no effort to pull the young hybrid's invisible strings.

And the controlling ghost did exactly that.

Another gasp left Vlad's lips when just as he had grabbed the semi-conscious and now _human_ Daniel, the teen phased right out of his hold, passing through his arms and continuing downward. The billionaire only had time to spin around and stare in horror, sure that the boy was about to crash to his death.

However, to his further horror, the purple hue around the young hybrid's body turned brighter. But then, when an invisible force abruptly halted Daniel two feet from the ground, relief flooded Vlad's being. That, however, quickly changed when the man remembered the purple hue around the boy's body and instantly knew who had been responsible for the save…

The older hybrid's shocked red eyes darted over to Dazzler who threw him a cunning smile while he stood a few feet away from the suspended boy. For the first time in his life, Vlad felt a wave of fear towards the shadow ghost. How was it possible that Dazzler could have _that_ much control over Daniel?

Dazzler, however, turned his honey-brown gaze to the teen before releasing his hold on him. And in an instant, Danny solidified again and fell the remaining two feet, severely disoriented. He hardly noticed that he lost his grip on the thermos that had been in his hand...

But now on his stomach, the teen coughed against the dirt that had gotten into his windpipe. However, all that did was make the throbbing in his chest more painful. What had happened? He felt like something had suddenly constricted his heart, forcing it to stop beating!

But as he pushed himself up on his hands and knees, and then on just his folded legs under him, he squeezed his eyes closed, trying to push away the fog in his mind. However, before he could clear it, a hand suddenly gripped his black hair. And when his head was yanked back, forcing him to stare up at whoever had grabbed him, a sharp cry left his already raw throat.

"I never thought I would be so happy to see you, runt," a voice echoed smugly to him. "Congratulations. You just saved my neck in exchange for yours."

Still dazed, Danny stared with clouded eyes at the being in front of him as he tried to process what he had said to him as well as who it was that had said it. But when his eyes finally adjusted and the blurry outline in front of him finally came into sharp focus, the teen's brain instantly cleared;…only for it to be consumed by something worse than confusion…

Danny screamed in terror, as he instinctively turned intangible, his hair slipping out of the ghost's grip. The boy's now flashing gold eyes were wide with panic as he frantically scuttled away from the amused controlling ghost.

"No, no, no," the teen repeated, unable to look away from what had him beyond terrified.

But at that very instant, a sudden puff of hot, tingly air hit his back, just before he heard a familiar voice call in worry, "Daniel!"

Danny, who was looking more and more like a scared little animal by the second, jerked his blue eyes away from Dazzler just long enough to focus on the anxious voice that had just called his name. He could see that Vlad was now standing right behind him. But instead of feeling relieved, the teen became more frantic, especially when his eyes unconsciously drifted back to Dazzler's stare.

Vlad gasped when the moment he squatted beside the young hybrid, Daniel grasped one of his arms with such force that one would think his life depended on it.

"I-It's him! G-Get me away; get _us_ away from him!" Danny pleaded in a whisper, though his eyes stayed locked on Dazzler.

But even more alarmed by how quickly the teenager was breaking down in the shadow ghost's presence, Vlad gripped one of the teen's wrists and urgently commanded, "Look at me, Daniel. For goodness sake, look at me!" But when the boy wouldn't tear his gaze from the ghost, Plasmius grabbed his face and forced him to look at him.

"Daniel, you have to snap out of it! It's just a spell! Listen to me, it's just a spell!" Vlad said, panic lacing his voice as he gripped the teen's face harder. "The fear you feel is not real! You can break his hold on you, but you have to fight it!"

But the teen would not stop shaking all over and his eyes were as gold as ever as Danny barely uttered two single, heart-stopping words in reply.

"H-Help me."

Plasmius just stared back at the boy, suddenly feeling almost as terrified as Danny looked. However, before the man could get his mind to work again, a smug chuckle suddenly sliced through the hybrids' minds; and both their eyes jolted to the ghost standing a few feet from them.

"Don't bother," Dazzler said to the older hybrid. "It doesn't matter what you say or do. The boy is too weak to do anything but what _**I**_ tell him. I'll prove it…"

"No!" Vlad gasped out when a purple hue reappeared around Danny; and before the billionaire could do anything, the teenager once more phased out of his hold.

In turn, all the younger hybrid could do was scream in horror as he was forced away from the older hybrid. Still, even though the teen knew his body was no longer under his control, he clawed against the ground as he was dragged over to Dazzler, like there was some invisible rope tied to his legs and the ghost was simply reeling him in.

"Uh-uh," the controlling ghost teasingly scolded the boy who now sat in front of his feet. "You are going to stay right here with me. Or _else_," he added menacingly.

Danny cried out again and suddenly gripped at his head, feeling the fear inside him overwhelm him to the point that it was physically painful. But in his despair, the teen called out to his only aid. "Vlad! Vlad, make him stop!"

But the billionaire was still kneeling where the teen had once been, stunned at having Daniel yanked from him. He could not understand how quickly everything had gone downhill. However, he was suddenly pulled from his thoughts when he heard Dazzler laugh in response to the teen's last plea. That evil laugh tore at his spine, riveting him out of his shock. And all the man's emotions all but vanished with his sudden focus, which was quickly followed by a flare of anger.

Slowly rising to his height, Plasmius narrowed his bright glowing red eyes at the controlling ghost as he menacingly said, "You realize what this will mean for you, don't you?"

Dazzler smiled wickedly at the threat, before glancing down at the shaking Danny. "Oh, believe me, _Plasmius,_ I know exactly what this _means_ for me. But do you know what this means for _you_?" he retorted, seizing this opportunity with relish.

The older hybrid's hands began to glow with red dark energy, conveying his swelling rage. Dazzler never called him by his name; it was something Vlad himself had specifically prohibited him from doing the day that the man spared his after-life in exchange for his loyalty. And now that Dazzler had the audacity to taunt him like this was a clearer threat to the older hybrid than was any of Dazzler's 'play on words'.

"You _dare_ challenge me, Dazzler?" Vlad asked dangerously, his energy continuing to pool around his clenched fists. "Have you so easily forgotten what happened the last time you tried that?"

The ghost laughed. "Forgotten? Of course not! I know where I stand compared to you. I would never challenge you, Plasmius," he assured him with a smirk. "In fact, I would have never even dreamt of betraying you. In spite of how I fell into your services so many years ago, I have to admit, you make very enticing offers. I really did have a good thing going for me here…But…you should have known that I simply could not _resist_ the opportunity that you all but literally put right into my hands…"

Vlad scoffed in a mixture of disgust and amusement. "Ah, so it_ was_ you after all. Imagine, you went as far as involving Walker into your plot. I must admit, I'm impressed. Then again, I suppose you are right. I should have realized it earlier…"

Dazzler's grin widened. If he knew anything about his former employer, it was that he loved playing mind games. The man commonly used it to either calculate a situation or to manipulate it in his favor. It was probably a little bit of both this time. Too bad for the man that this was a game he had long since lost.

Even so, the controlling ghost had no problem playing along. "Don't be so hard on yourself," Dazzler teased. "Ultimately, I would not have gotten this far if it wasn't for the little hybrid here. His youthful pride kept his mouth closed about me. And now, my spell, of course. I made it so that he could not tell you the truth even if he wanted to. That is why I am particularly impressed by the fact that you _do_ know the truth, Plasmius. I've always known how sharp you are. In fact, I really like that about you. But it seems I failed to fully give you proper credit. I never would have thought that you would really figure all this out on your own."

Vlad did not reply right away. Instead, he looked down at Danny, who looked to be fighting against something without much success. But what Dazzler did not know was that the billionaire had not figured it _all_ out on his own. For in the end, even when he was under Dazzler's spell, the boy _had_ told him…

A fact that the older hybrid was not inclined to let the ghost know about...

"Yes, well," Vlad said with a smirk. "You have known me long enough to understand that I am always on top of things."

"Up till now," Dazzler quickly retorted, smirking back himself.

Plasmius bristled again and he quickly narrowed his eyes as he commanded. "Let him go, Dazzler. You have _no idea_ what I am capable of."

"And that's what makes you so appealing," the controlling ghost retorted almost hungrily.

Vlad raised an eyebrow, genuinely confused by the comment. However, to Danny, it made perfect sense.

The teen could do nothing to quell the fear gripping at his mind; but he was still fighting to bring some sense back into it. He could clearly hear everything that the two older males were talking about. And Danny had not missed the predatory tone of voice with which Dazzler had just said his last comment. The young hybrid was now certain the ghost was after the older hybrid. And the confidence in the controlling ghost's voice led the teen to further realize that Dazzler now had everything he needed to carry out his intent.

Dazzler could not control Vlad. But the ghost had control of _someone_ for whom both Dazzler and Danny were sure the man cared. The shadow ghost had control of _him_.

Danny now understood what the ghost had meant at the forest. He now knew that _he_ was all Dazzler needed to get what he wanted.

"Have I silenced the powerful Vlad Plasmius?" Dazzler asked in fake astonishment when the older hybrid did not respond.

Vlad lightly shook his head to push back his own thoughts, before his eyes left the teen and returned them to the shadow ghost. He did not care what Dazzler had meant by his last comment. He was putting an end to this right now.

"Do you know what is your greatest flaw, Dazzler?" the man questioned calmly. And before the ghost could say anything, Vlad answered it himself. "You always try to act brighter than you really are."

Faster the ghost could blink, let alone reply, Plasmius duplicated; and just as quickly both the real older hybrid and his copy vanished into pink smoke.

Dazzler gasped in surprise. But when his former employer and his copy unexpectedly appeared behind him and the boy, the ghost had no time to react. He cried out in pain as an energy blast hit him in the back, throwing him several feet away from the young hybrid.

The Vlad copy, who had fired the attack, wasted no time and teleported again, quickly reappearing in front of the fallen ghost.

"Where were we?" the copy hissed menacingly at Dazzler.

And as the copy quickly wrenched Dazzler up by the throat, the real Plasmius quickly grabbed Danny by his arms. He forced him to his feet, all the while internally relieved to see that the purple hue around the teenager had disappeared once his duplicate had attacked Dazzler…

In spite of Danny looking only half-there, there was some kind of urgency in his scared blue orbs as he stared up at Vlad and stammered out, "You—You have to---"

But he never finished. The boy's body abruptly flared with Dazzler's power, just before a sudden throb in his chest ripped a scream from him.

Plasmius' eyes widened as he gripped the teen harder to keep him from collapsing under the pain. But when he saw the young half-ghost quickly begin to pale, Vlad's eyes darted over to his copy and the shadow ghost…

And currently in his true form, Dazzler laughed heartedly in spite of the grip around his throat. "Go ahead," the ghost taunted Vlad's duplicate. "_Squeeze_. **I** will, too."

The copy growled in reply, though internally he was very aware of how grave this all really was.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" Dazzler continued smugly, actually returning into his humanoid form right within the duplicate's hold. "Can you not destroy me faster than I can kill your… _little badger_?"

Plasmius' copy snarled, before releasing the shadow ghost, or more like slamming him into the ground. The action was enough to dispel Dazzler's power for a few seconds, and the teen slumped against the real Plasmius, who didn't hesitate to keep him up.

Vlad looked torn as he stared at the boy in his hold. "Daniel…," he began, but he could not find what to say--or do…

Danny briefly just groaned as he gripped at his chest with one hand. But forcing down the pain, he turned his eyes to the man again, now even more certain that he had just doomed them both.

"I'm sorry," he whispered sadly at him.

But the sound of the teen's defeated, _broken_, voice swelled some kind of emotion in the man. And he gripped tighter against Danny's arms, jerking him a bit as he angrily said, "No. I will not let you do this! Blast it, Daniel! _Focus_!" he demanded, letting go of one of the boy's arms, and instead, grabbing his face. "You cannot let him control you! You _must_ regain control!" But Vlad's bravado quickly melded into utter despair as he added in a whisper. "Don't you understand? I…. I cannot help you."

Danny opened his mouth to reply; but at that moment, his body flared in purple light again. The teen gasped when his hands suddenly gathered his ghost energy into them, forcing Vlad to quickly let him go.

"Daniel," Plasmius said fearfully, raising his hands up a bit in anticipation when the boy's hands unwillingly aimed the gathering energy in them at him. "Don't let him..."

"That's right, little runt. Don't _let_ me," Dazzler interrupted mockingly, as he finally pulled himself off the ground. But when he saw Vlad's copy charge his own hands with energy, the controlling ghost quickly raised one of his hands as well. He aimed his own energy at the frozen teen as he quickly warned the duplicate, "I would not make any sudden moves; or else I might just make a few of my own."

The copy stilled, unable to do anything but glare furiously at Dazzler. But the real Vlad was not paying attention to either his duplicate or the controlling ghost. The man stared urgently at the teen, who was still having some sort of internal struggle against the controlling power around him.

"Fight it," Vlad urged, taking a step towards the teen again.

Danny squeezed his eyes shut in response, honestly trying with all his might to regain control of himself.

And for a moment, it looked like the boy had accomplished it when his green energy suddenly disappeared from his hands. Vlad's tension eased with a wave of relief, believing as well that the teen had done it.

But a dark chuckle from Dazzler quickly proved him wrong.

"No!" Danny cried out as his energy reappeared and fired out, catching Vlad off guard.

The green energy caught the man right in the chest; and being that he was so close to the boy, it slammed him into the ground, dazing him enough for his focus to falter for a second. And in that second, his copy vanished back into him.

The boy gasped as Dazzler suddenly released his hold on him and he fell to his knees. But as the controlling ghost calmly strolled over to his arch-enemy, all Danny could do was watch in despair. What had he done? Why had he not told Vlad about Dazzler when he had had the chance? Why did he not accept his help sooner? And why had he not trusted Vlad when the man told him to just stay put? Now, it was too late. Vlad couldn't help him anymore. Now, the teen could do nothing but watch as the shadow ghost took advantage of his mistake…

Plasmius placed a hand against his burning chest, hissing against the pain and briefly noting the boy's energy was stronger than before. But Vlad was too busy berating himself to give it much thought. Even if he had been so sure that Daniel had regained control, it had been utterly foolish of him to lower his guard like that. What the blazes was wrong with him? Since when did his emotions affect his own focus?!

"Humph," Dazzler said, crossing his arms as he stared down at the older hybrid. "That really was unpleasant for all of us. Well, then, just to make sure it doesn't happen again, let me make my threat clearer to you…"

Danny squeezed his eyes close, feeling tears building in them as his hands unwillingly charged with energy again. But this time, he was forced to aim it at himself.

Vlad looked soberly at the sight, seemingly frozen on the ground where he sat.

"Do you understand now, Plasmius?" Dazzler asked when the man did not say anything. "With the little hybrid here, you are not much of a challenge."

The older hybrid quickly got to his feet, his eyes narrowing again at the ghost. The man was done playing mind games. And he made it clear when he angrily asked, "You are using the boy as a shield? Very good. What next?"

Dazzler's lips curled with wickedness. But instead of answering right away, the ghost turned his back on his former employer, further rubbing in the fact that _he_ now had the upper hand. Vlad just stared after him, though he tensed a bit when the ghost finally paused in front of Danny.

"Well…," Dazzler finally replied, bending down enough to pat one of Danny's cheeks like he was some kind of pet. "It's really up to you what happens next, Plasmius…"

Danny shivered and recoiled way from the touch as much as his unresponsive body would let him. But the mocking affection the shadow ghost was showing him and the things he was saying swelled another emotion inside him. And for a brief moment, it surpassed his fear.

The teen gritted his teeth, unaware that his eyes turned from gold to green. All he knew was that he wanted the ghost to stop touching him!

"Get away from me!" Danny abruptly exclaimed with sudden fury, as he shoved Dazzler away from him.

In turn, the shadow ghost gasped in surprise as he stumbled back from the unexpected push.

As for Vlad, he looked as equally shocked by the boy's abrupt 180 degree turn. But the emotion quickly vanished; and instead, as the man continued to quietly observe the teen, a small smile ghosted his lips. One that neither Dazzler nor Danny ever noticed…

But when at the next instant the young hybrid quickly got to his feet and actually morphed into his ghost form, Dazzler's own disbelief left him as well.

"Sit down, runt!" the shadow ghost growled, quickly regaining control of the boy.

Danny grunted as he was forced back down on the ground; but his anger was still burning inside him; and he turned his now green gaze over to Vlad, and angrily exclaimed at him. "Vlad! What the heck are you waiting for? Blast him! Can't you see that he's trying to---"

But the teen was unable to finish when his lungs were suddenly constricted, leaving him unable to take in any air. The teen choked and fell back, gripping against his throat in his desperate attempt to breathe again. But no matter what he did, his lungs would not expand and his vision quickly began to spin and darken…

At the sight of the quickly suffocating boy, Vlad's eyes narrowed again, and his hands began to glow in threat as he demanded, "Enough."

Dazzler smiled evilly in reply; but then released his control over the teen's lungs, allowing him to breathe again.

Danny just gasped, drawing air and coughing loudly as he rolled off his back; his fingers dug into the grass below him as he waited for the burning sensation in his lungs to subside.

Meanwhile, Dazzler crossed his arms, his head tilting slightly with mirth as he said, "You amuse me, Plasmius. You are so quick to attack anyone that harms the boy. And yet you have absolutely no remorse when harming him yourself. I cannot decide whether to consider it some form of twisted caring or a sweeter form of possessiveness."

"I fail to see why it matters to you," Vlad replied coolly, crossing his own arms and appearing unfazed by the remark.

Dazzler shrugged lightly. "I suppose it really doesn't. But since it matters to you---and even to the runt here---then, I cannot help but be curious… among other things…" he added, briefly flashing the man a wicked smile. The ghost, however, then strolled a little closer to Danny; and then standing behind the teen, he placed a hand on the teen's head and quickly continued, "Obviously, the child now thinks I'm the bad guy---not that I mind or deny that. But isn't it funny that he fears me more than you now?"

"He isn't afraid of you," Vlad replied coldly.

Dazzler chuckled. "Tell _him_ that. But my point is that in spite of what the little hybrid might think, the truth is that compared to you, I am the lesser of the two evils. At least I am willing to end the suffering _you_ have been putting him through. And, really, I think we both know that the only reason I have such control over the runt is thanks to you, Plasmius. You alone have shattered his will and mind. And that was all I needed to put reins on _this_ little stallion. He will _never_ break free from my spell, let alone my control."

At that moment, the shadow ghost grabbed some of Danny's hair and forced him to look at the older hybrid, before he said to the boy, "Do you see, little runt? It isn't really my fault that you are in such a position. It's his."

Danny just stared at Vlad; but the man didn't look at him; and instead, he kept his eyes on the controlling ghost.

"Really, Dazzler, you're boring me with your droning voice and nonsense," Plasmius said, crossing his arms. But his indifferent voice darkened a bit as he added, "Get to your purpose for all this before I destroy you _with or without_ the boy in your grasp."

But the male shadow ghost just laughed loudly with the threat. "You wouldn't dare," he assured the man when he finally calmed down enough to speak. "My powers might not be able to get into your mind; but anyone can see your _interest_---whether it's a caring one or not---for the boy. That is why I know you are not going to do _anything_ to endanger him further."

"That's a dangerous assumption," Vlad replied evenly.

Dazzler finally let go of Danny's hair as he chuckled again. "It's no assumption, Plasmius. And no matter how much you deny it, we both know you have some kind of feelings for him. It's all too obvious. And yet the little runt's own feelings for you are anything but clear. The poor little thing is so very confused that it would just be all too easy to take advantage of it…I think you have figured out how I am keeping him subdued..."

Vlad just stared back at the ghost, not denying nor confirming his last comment. But the man indeed had figured that out. The spell the ghost had wrapped around the boy's mind was controlling his emotions. Specifically, he was keeping the teen subdued by using fear…

"I could pinpoint every one of his emotions," Dazzler continued evilly. "I could make him embrace that hate he is so desperately trying to keep buried. Or I could perhaps… intensify his care for you… Tell me, Plasmius…What would you give up to hear the boy call you 'father'?" he asked as the purple hue around the teen began to intensify again.

Danny eyes turned gold again and he instantly gasped and gripped at his head, physically feeling the ghost's powers slithering through his mind and coiling around what it was looking for.

The teen let out a small whimper and Vlad's uncaring look faltered just slightly. Internally, though, he was beginning to panic as he finally realized what Daniel had been trying to tell him in the simulation room. Dazzler really was after _him. _And although the ghost could not use his powers on him, the shadow ghost had found something as equally effective to get whatever it was that he wanted.

Plasmius hands lowered to his side as he briefly stared down at Danny; but he then looked back up at Dazzler and seriously asked, "You are planning to use the boy against me, Dazzler? For what purpose? What do you want?"

Dazzler instantly released his power around the teen, and smirked at the man. "Do you really want to know?" he teased.

Vlad slightly narrowed his eyes, but just waited expectantly.

The shadow ghost chuckled, but nodded and replied, "Alright. I'll tell you." Dazzler calmed significantly before he finally said, "I want you."

Danny felt his heart skip a beat with the evil ghost's last three words. But all he could do was stare in between Vlad and Dazzler with growing dread.

The older hybrid, on the other hand, was genuinely caught off guard by the shadow ghost's answer. He had expected Dazzler to tell him he wanted something _from_ him. Not really 'him'. But what did he even mean by that?

Pushing down a sudden surge of fear before it could surface, Vlad raised an eyebrow at the shadow ghost and replied, "Care to elaborate?"

Dazzler raised an eyebrow back at the man. "I don't know how to make it any simpler than that, Plasmius. You. I want _you_. The boy's life force would be so satisfying---I know because I have already felt it. But… why settle for his when I can have yours? When I can have an even more powerful and untamable one?"

But Plasmius unexpectedly burst into a full hearted-laugh. "Is that what you are after? My life force? You want to take it?" he asked, immensely amused. "Oh, come now, Dazzler. We both know your mediocre little spells don't work on me. What makes you even _dream_ you could try such a thing?"

"Because you are going to _let_ me" the ghost replied smugly, unfazed by his former employer's jab.

"Is that so?" Plasmius countered, his amusement melding into indifference. "I can't imagine why I would."

A hungry smile spread on Dazzler's face, as if having been waiting for that very comment. He took a few steps forward so that he was standing beside the teen. And placing a hand on his shoulder, the ghost replied, "You will, because, if you don't, I will take your _little badger's_. Either way, I win."

Vlad frowned, though internally he had alarm bells going off. Why had he not listened to the boy in simulation room? He should have trusted him when he told him not to come out here. Now, his mistake was going to cost him more than he could have ever imagined.

But not willing to give into the ultimatum now placed in front of him, Vlad scoffed. "Do you really think I'm going to give up my life for the boy's? Don't be absurd, Dazzler," he sneered at the ghost.

But Dazzler just shrugged uncaringly. "Alright. If that's your decision…Look at me, little one."

"Daniel, No!" Vlad shouted, taking a step towards the young hybrid, only for the boy to unwillingly blast him back.

Plasmius fell back with a grunt of pain. But he hardly cared about that, and he quickly looked back at the young hybrid just as the controlling ghost forced him to meet his now glowing gold eyes.

Although Danny had tried to resist, knowing what it meant if he locked gazes with Dazzler, it had been in vain. And now as he stared into those dooming eyes, he felt his body paralyze under his power, while that eerie attraction came over him. But just as quickly as it had started, it all ended when that claw-like gold mist penetrated his body, ripping out a scream from his throat.

Vlad gasped fearfully, before jumping to his feet. However, what happened next was so quick that the man was powerless to stop it…

Dazzler grinned at how quick he was able to locate the boy's life. Then again, he had felt it before; so it was normal for him to find it so quickly. His power retracted out of the boy in an instant, bringing back with it a glowing white sphere. And unlike the other times, this time, the shadow ghost removed it from the teen's body completely.

In that same instant, Danny's screaming ceased and his energy rings passed over him, turning him human. His eyes drew close, just before his lifeless body fell to the ground.

Vlad stared with large eyes at the lifeless boy for a second, before another emotion consumed his disbelief. The man's hands began to cackle with electricity and his usually white ghost hue abruptly turned red with his unrestrained fury and other emotions...

But just as he took a step towards Dazzler with every intention of destroying him, the man abruptly halted. Vlad's emotions had derailed his focus so much that he had failed to notice that the ghost still held that strange white sphere. That is, until now.

"It's a shame you cannot feel the amount of power that I hold in my hand. It's simply breath-taking!" Dazzler commented in awe, before proclaiming, "With this I will be unstoppable!"

Grinning in triumph, the shadow ghost's gold mist suddenly vanished and the glowing white sphere was left in the ghost's physical hand. And he began to squeeze.

But when Plasmius saw Dazzler's ghost hue begin to brighten at the same time the sphere began to dim, the older hybrid's anger snuffed out, fearing what that meant. And in an instant, Vlad's ghost hue return to normal and his energy left his hands.

"Wait," the man almost pleaded, quickly getting the ghost's attention.

Dazzler's lips curved into an evil smile as he smugly said, "I think I just called your bluff, Plasmius."

The comment rekindled the older hybrid's rage, and his hands fisted as he menacingly replied, "You do realize that the second you consume the boy's life, I will destroy you?"

Dazzler smirked as he teasingly clasped and unclasped his hold around the sphere, causing it to flicker in response. Plasmius visibly tensed with the ghost's doing, and that only heightened the human-looking shadow ghost's confidence.

"You will try, I have no doubt. But I think the true question here is: Will you let him die?"

Vlad just narrowed his eyes even more at the controlling ghost. And although in his mind, he already knew the answer to that question was 'no', the older hybrid did not reply. He couldn't; because if he answered truthfully, the price for saving Daniel was too high. And if he lied, it was over for the young hybrid. But not only that. Dazzler did not seem to be truly aware of what he currently held in his hand. Otherwise, the ghost would have long since consumed it. If the controlling ghost consumed Daniel's half-ghost, half-human life force, the evil creature would gain so much power that Vlad wasn't even sure if he would be able to stop him or even resist his powers, then…

Dazzler suddenly chuckled at the older hybrid's hesitancy. "I strongly suggest you make your decision soon, Plasmius. I'm really not sure how long I can hold this delectable prize without claiming it," the ghost cautioned, staring hungrily at the white orb and ever so slightly tightening his grip on it.

Vlad bristled as he sneered, "For your sake, I suggest you resist that temptation."

"You can't just demand for a lion to give up his catch, Plasmius," Dazzler retorted smugly. "You need to toss it something it finds _much more_ appetizing in return… if you can understand my analogy…"

Although Vlad's glare did not falter, the man was feeling more and more terrified with every passing second. But he still swallowed it down, and seriously replied. "Let's say that I would allow you to have my life force in exchange for the boy's….What would stop you, then, after you are done with me, from taking his life as well?"

Dazzler laughed in response. "See? That's exactly what I'm talking about. You are so clever! But, yes, you are absolutely right. I have every intention of wasting him anyways. But whether I do it in front of you or not is what's up to you."

Vlad raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Not much of a bargain, is it?"

Dazzler shrugged. "I never said it was a fair bargain for _you or him_, Plasmius."

The older hybrid stared down at Danny's unmoving form for a moment, before looking back at Dazzler and nodding.

"Alright. I'll trade places with him," he said seriously, aware that for the first time since he could remember, all his options had been cut down to a single one. And yet, as he accepted it, he felt a small flicker of hope within him. And that alone melded almost all his fear into certainty. This would work. He just knew it.

Dazzler was briefly surprised by the man's agreement. But he quickly pushed it back with an evil grin and his hand significantly loosened its hold on Danny's life force with the prospect of finally getting what he really wanted.

Without a word, Dazzler's form melded into his true shadow form, knowing it would be easier to pull off his next stunt in his real form. And as Plasmius uncrossed his arms, the controlling ghost locked his gold gaze on the older hybrid, before extending his other hand towards him.

Dazzler's gold power appeared in that hand and as it moved forward it turned into another claw-like hand that quickly coiled around Vlad's feet and began to slither up like a constricting snake around its prey.

Still, even though the older hybrid had to resist a shudder, he did not resist the ghost's powers itself. He remained perfectly still; even when the mist finally reached his torso. He calmly just watched as the hand arched back and began to swirl its claws, searching for its prize; but as it got closer and closer to it, the gold hue now glowing off Plasmius' body slowly intensified…

Dazzler's ghost breath hitched when he barely just grazed with his powers the older hybrid's life force. It made him shiver in delight. But suddenly wanting to actually grab it, the mist-made clawed-hand arched back again, this time to plunge into the man's depth and take what the ghost wanted from him.

But a second before Dazzler could, Vlad's own natural aura suddenly ignited brightly, consuming the gold hue that had just been around his body. The controlling ghost was so shocked that the claw that had been in front of the older hybrid abruptly vanished.

Plasmius chuckled smugly, quickly getting Dazzler's attention again. And the billionaire's grin only widened when the ghost shot him a furious glare.

"Aren't we eager?" Vlad teased.

"I'll kill him!" Dazzler snarled in threat, now completely vivid.

"Ah-ah," the man said, his smug voice not wavering when the ghost tightened his grip on Danny's life force. "It's not my fault you did not listen closely to my agreement. I said I would _trade_ places with him. And until I'm assured that your end of the bargain is met, you are not getting anything from me."

Dazzler looked utterly confused at first. But, suddenly, he realized what the man wanted. And too eager to hold the life force that he had just only been allowed to barely sample, the ghost did not give it any thought. He just shrugged indifferently, before looking down at Danny and aiming the hand with the sphere at him.

In an instant, the gold mist reappeared around Dazzler's hand, taking hold of the sphere; and in the next instant, the mist shot back into the young hybrid, plunging the glowing orb back into his lifeless body.

The teen's body arched off the ground, as if overshadowed by something, before the teen gasped and his eyes snapped open.

Vlad's gaze saddened as he watched the teen roll off his back and push himself up to his knees. For a brief moment, Danny just stared around in a daze, as if not knowing where he was or what had happened. But when the teen's blue gaze finally met the older hybrid's red one, he suddenly knew.

Unable to get a word out, Danny weakly and sadly shook his head in response to his arch-enemy's sullen stare. But then, suddenly, a now all too familiar voice parted their gaze from each other.

"I really don't see the point of that," Dazzler commented with a slight frown; but then he shrugged uncaringly again as he added, "But if it makes you happy to see the runt alive again for one last time, then I have no quarrel with it."

Vlad just shot the ghost a secretive smirk in response. He was still feeling certain of what he was doing. But with the knowledge of what was going to happen next, the man could not help but hope he was right, and that he had not just made a fatal mistake…

Dazzler hesitated with the man's confident look. But quickly shaking it off, he aimed a hand again at the older hybrid. And remembering vividly what he wanted and where it was, he thrust his gold power out of his hand. This time, he didn't give his former employer even the slightest chance to resist and the claw plunge straight through his chest.

Never having been exposed to Dazzler's powers to this extent, Vlad could not keep down a resonating scream of agony. And as he dropped to his knees, his entire body aglow with the controlling ghost's power, all thoughts left him, unable to focus on anything but the feel of being ripped apart from within...

But, suddenly, the man's cry was briefly overcome by a louder one…

"NO!" Danny screamed, his emotions swelling with the certainty he had never heard the older hybrid sound in so much pain before. But when the teen saw the gold hue around Vlad's body become even brighter, the young hybrid jolted into action.

"Leave him alone!" Danny shouted, jumping to his feet and morphing into Phantom.

Dazzler, who had been completely enraptured with what he was doing, startled slightly with the boy's sudden demand. But he then rolled his eyes to himself; and clearly not threatened by Danny in the slightest, the ghost didn't even bother to look over at him.

"Sit down, runt. You're next," he told him offhandedly, waving a hand in his direction and triggering his still very active spell over the boy.

Danny gasped just before his eyes turned gold and he fell to the ground. He squeezed his eyes shut when everything that was going on was forgotten under the overwhelming fear inside his mind.

"Stop," he whimpered as he gripped at his head and began to shake like a leaf.

But when he suddenly heard Vlad's screaming die into a moan, Danny snapped his eyes open again. And they instantly widened as he helplessly watched the man collapse all the way to ground, just before two black rings changed him into his human self.

Meanwhile, Dazzler's hungry smile only curved higher, feeling the man instantly weaken even more in this form. And it was all the leverage he needed to begin to extract his prize. But being that this was the first time he had ever tried to remove such a powerful being's life force, it wasn't as easy as the shadow ghost would have liked.

Still, the young hybrid had been somewhat difficult for him the first time, too. So, Dazzler knew all he required was a bit more energy and effort with the older one. Plus, the feel of his former employer's life force was enough drive for anyone! It felt even better than he could have ever imagined! It was so similar to the little runt's and yet all so different as well. For one, the boy's always managed to send a delightful chill through his being, while the man's was currently sending hot tingles of power down his ghostly spine. Not to mention that the older hybrid more maturely confident and in-control nature was much more alluring than the boy's inexperienced and wavering one… The rush of it was all so overwhelmingly exciting that Dazzler's focused remained solely on claiming that amazing life force…

Meanwhile, Danny was desperately fighting for control again. But no matter how much he wanted to stop what was happening, he just could not focus with all the fear inside him. It was like being asked to learn to swim when you were already drowning!

The thought made the boy close his eyes in surrender. He did not want to watch the now barely conscious older hybrid die. Not even when he had hated him unconditionally had he ever wished such a fate upon the man. And, certainly, he did not wish it now. But what made it worse was that Danny felt it was all his fault. And he could not do a thing about it… He was just too confused and scared.

How could he ever hope to fight against that? Against his own fears?

His mental question was like a trigger within his brain. And the answer came to him in the form of a memory. A voice.

Vlad's voice.

"_Daniel…? Are you afraid of your powers…?"_

Danny's teeth clenched and his hands fisted against the grass below him, trying to focus on his memory instead of his fear. Vlad had asked him that when he had first began to teach him to concentrate his green energy to make blue energy. But he had been unable to answer. He had not wanted to answer. He had not wanted to admit that he was afraid. But it wasn't just his powers of which he was afraid. He was more afraid of what _he_ could do with them…

And, somehow, his arch-enemy had known...

"_You have to acknowledge your fears, Daniel. Accept that you have them. You will be surprised how much easier it will then be to control those fears; and you will even find that you can work them __out__ of your system. Don't let something like fear control you. Don't ever let anything control you. You are far stronger—mentally, physically, __and__ emotionally---than you realize. Remember that, Daniel..." _

Danny suddenly screamed and clutched his head again. He was…He was afraid. He was terrified! He was terrified by everything that had to do with his powers! He was terrified by all his responsibilities; and worse, failing them! He was terrified for his loved ones, and of being with Vlad! And he was terrified with what was happening now! But terrified of… Dazzler? No… No! He wasn't afraid of him! He was just afraid of what the ghost could do! Of how he could control him better than he could control himself! But he _wasn't_ afraid of this ghost! And… that's what Vlad had been trying to tell him…

"_Vlad!"_ Danny mentally shouted, recalling the man again and staring back at him. The boy wasn't even sure he was alive anymore. The teen could already see a strange white sphere half-way out of the older hybrid's chest…

But with the sight, the boy's eyes quickly narrowed in determination, only slightly aware of the haze in his mind clearing. But he also did not realize that the gold hue in his eyes suddenly lifted off them, before it exited right out of his eyes in the form of a gold mist that evaporated into the atmosphere.

Danny slowly stood up, burning rage now glowing in his _green_ eyes. "I'm not afraid of you," he whispered out; but it was enough to get the ghost's attention.

Dazzler paused and did a double take at the sight of Danny. But he quickly glared at him for interrupting him; and using his other hand, he quickly used his controlling powers on the boy as he hissed, "Sit down, runt!"

The young hybrid staggered on his feet, feeling the ghost's powers trying to control his body. But the teen briefly squeezed his eyes closed, focusing on the same words that had gotten him this far.

"_Don't ever let anything control you." _

"I said, sit down!" Dazzler snarled, intensifying the purple hue around the teen.

Danny suddenly looked back at Dazzler, and with narrowed eyes, he growled out, "No."

Dazzler's eyes widened in disbelief; but when he saw the young hybrid's hands abruptly explode with green energy, he gasped in fear, knowing he was no longer in control.

"Wait!" the shadow ghost exclaimed, raising his free hand in dread when the boy took a step towards him.

"Forget it, pal. You are not forcing me to do anything anymore!" Danny replied angrily; but glancing down at the almost extracted white sphere and the motionless Vlad, he narrowed his eyes even more, and added, "And you're not finishing that."

But Dazzler's power quickly gripped harder against the life force in its hold; and before Danny could do anything, the ghost pulled it out the rest of the way. "Sorry, but you're too late," the shadow ghost sneered.

Danny's eyes widened with fear as he stared at the lifeless form of his arch-enemy. But he quickly glared back at Dazzler as he shouted, "No! Whatever that is, give it back to him!"

"And why would I do that?" Dazzler asked with a smirk as the gold mist disappeared and he now held Vlad's life force in his actual hand.

But Danny just intensified his ghost energy in threat.

Dazzler frowned, knowing that the boy would shoot him before he could absorb the man's life. And with the boy's breaking his spell, he now had no leverage on him. Or… did he?

The shadow ghost quickly smiled sweetly at the boy. "Do you really want to do that, little one? With Plasmius gone, you could finally go home," he enlightened.

Danny's energy instantly extinguished and his eyes grew large again, clearly not having thought of that until now.

And seeing the boy's hesitation, Dazzler continued as friendly as ever. "Let me take his life, little one; and all your problems will be solved. You…_and_ your loved ones will be free of him forever. Just turn and walk away, Danny Phantom. No one will blame you. You owe him nothing."

Danny's gaze lowered to his arch-enemy's unmoving form; but there really was no indecision in his eyes, just utter sadness. Even when he knew every one of Dazzler's words were true, he had no doubt what his choice was.

What the _right_ choice was.

Danny stared back soberly at the controlling ghost as he almost quietly replied, "In the forest with Spectra, I told you I would not let you get away with this. Guess what?" the boy asked, his eyes narrowing. "I meant it!" he shouted, before suddenly bringing up his hands and firing his green energy.

Dazzler screamed as the attack hit him in the chest; and losing his grip on the sphere, the ghost was propelled back several feet. Danny quickly used that time to fly over to Vlad; and gripping his suit jacket, he shook him, fearfully exclaiming, "Vlad! Vlad, wake up!"

But when the man did not respond, the teen eyes darted over to that strange white sphere, currently just suspended in the air where Dazzler had left it.

"Wait…," Danny muttered as he remembered what Dazzler had called it several times before. "Life energy? Of course! That's…" The teen's eyes widened, before he flew over to the sphere. His eyes darted back and forth between the orb and the older hybrid's lifeless body. He knew he had to get it back into the man. But… how?

Danny hesitantly reached up for the sphere, afraid that it might do something to him or _he_ might do something to _it_.

But just before he could wrap his hands around it, Dazzler had recovered enough to see what the teen was about to do and angrily shouted, "No! Don't touch that! It's mine!"

"I don't think so," Danny muttered, before quickly grabbing the sphere. The teen gasped at the weird sensation that for some reason began to make his ghost aura flare up. But when he saw the sphere begin to dim in response, the teen yelped and flew over to Vlad.

"NO!" Dazzler yelled out, knowing he was about to lose his ultimate prize and he was too far away to stop it.

"I hope this works…" Danny whispered, before turning his hand intangible and returning the sphere to its owner.

Instantly, Vlad's body jolted to life and he gasped out for air. But then right after, a groan slipped out of the man's lips as he turned to his side and gripped at his chest in agony.

Danny knew the feeling all too well; but he still grinned, relieved that the man was alive. "Vlad?" he called, wanting to confirm that he really was okay.

At the sound of his name, the billionaire dazedly looked at Danny. But then, his haze suddenly cleared and he unexpectedly glared at the boy. "What the blazes took you so long?" he snapped in a pained voice.

Danny's eyes bulged out in his utter shock. "Wait. How did you---"

"Daniel, watch out!" Vlad exclaimed, cutting him off. But it was too late. Danny was blasted back by a purple beam.

"**I will crush your life in my hand, Danny Phantom! Even if it's the last thing I do!"** Dazzler screamed in rage as he rose up in the air, his hands glowing with purple energy.

Vlad quickly glared at the ghost; but when he tried to get back up, he gasped when he found himself too weak to do so. This wasn't right! Dazzler's powers could not have weakened him like this!

But as the man struggled to figure out what was wrong with him, Danny was caught up in his own struggle…

Getting off the ground, the teen gasped in pain and stared back at the shadow ghost. However, Dazzler lunged at him at that moment. And Danny yelped as the ghost suddenly slammed into him.

"**You little runt! You ruined everything!**" the ghost shouted at him, before wrapping his hands around the boy's throat and squeezing.

Choking, Danny quickly lashed out against Dazzler, trying to pry him off. And suddenly forcing himself to focus on his powers, the teen quickly managed to turn intangible and escaped by going underground.

Dazzler growled as he floated up, searching for the boy. And when Danny suddenly flew out of the ground, the ghost quickly reacted and aimed his hand at the teen. "Die!" he commanded darkly, just as a purple hue appeared around the young hybrid's form.

With a scream of pain, Danny fell to the ground with a loud thud, gripping against the painful pressure in his heart.

But at that moment, Vlad managed to get to his feet; and although he was clearly unsteady on them, the still human billionaire narrowed his eyes at Dazzler and quickly fired a blue ectoplasmic blast at him.

And not expecting it, Dazzler was hit right on. He yelled in pain as he was thrust back into one of the barn's walls, his own power against the teen snuffed by his lack of focus.

Despite still feeling weakened, the older hybrid's burning anger for the traitorous ghost fueled him. And he instantly morphed into Plasmius, before exclaiming, "You have just sealed your demise, Dazzler! No one crosses Vlad Plasmius!"

While Danny pulled himself off the ground, still feeling the lingering effects of Dazzler's attack, Vlad stormed over to the fallen shadow ghost and wrenched him up by the neck.

"Now, I'm _really_ going to make you suffer," Vlad hissed as his other hand began to cackle with his electrical energy. But just when he was about to deliver his first blow, the man abruptly stopped.

Dazzler felt an even greater wave of fear wash over him when he saw the man's fury meld into a wicked smile.

"Do you remember what I told you would happen if you ever touched the boy again?" Vlad whispered evilly in the ghost's ear.

Dazzler looked briefly confused. But, suddenly, he remembered the man's exact warning in the kitchen some time back.

"_Touch the boy again, and I'll have him use you as target practice…"_

"Wait!" Dazzler exclaimed in fear, only for it to become a scream of pain as his former employer suddenly send a surge of electricity through his body.

Vlad relished in the ghost's pained scream, feeling a little more than vengeful. But he forced himself to restrain from actually weakening the controlling ghost… With a grin suited on a cat that was playing with a canary, Plasmius slammed the ghost into the ground, the force creating a small crater under Dazzler.

As the shadow ghost groaned and slowly tried to recover, Vlad watched him for a moment more, before glancing over at the boy. "Daniel?" he called over to him, before blasting the fallen ghost with a pink sphere for good measure.

Danny blinked at the tone in the man's voice; but still floated over to him. "Yeah?" he asked, though the teen was also now glaring at Dazzler.

Vlad smirked evilly as he pointed at Dazzler and said, "Here is your next lesson: Show your opponent the _consequences_ of underestimating you."

Danny's eyes narrowed further on Dazzler, more than willing to be the one to kick the ghost's butt back to the Ghost Zone.

"Thanks. But I don't need a lesson for that one," the teen assured the man, before green energy exploded out of his hands.

Dazzler gasped as an energy blast came his way; but this time, the ghost managed to dart out of the way. But the controlling ghost quickly looked back at Plasmius, who now looked incredibly amused. But when Vlad did not make a move except to just raise an eyebrow at him and cross his arms, the shadow ghost knew the man was truly serious about his words…

Dazzler growled, angry at the thought of being reduced to these two freaks' play thing. But if his former employer wanted to be smug, then, fine. He'd just wipe it off his face by killing the runt in front of him.

But, of course, Vlad wasn't about to let that happen. However, he had every bit of confidence that the boy could handle the ghost now. So, he just leaned against the barn and… watched.

Danny was too focused on Dazzler to really notice his arch-enemy at the moment. And quickly using the ghost's brief distraction with Vlad, he attacked with extended fists. Dazzler jolted; but quickly glared at the boy as he dodged his first blow. However, the ghost was too slow to fully dodge the second one and it clipped him on the chin.

Dazzler recoiled, hissing in anger more than in pain. But he then growled and fired an attack at the boy.

Knowing he was too close and would be unable to dodge the purple beam, Danny created a shield in front of him. Even so, he grunted as the force pushed him and his shield back.

Dazzler chuckled smugly. "How can you possibly hope to defeat me when you can't even control yourself, runt?" But the ghost's look darkened as he growled, "And too bad for you that _that_ is all I need to finish you off once and for all!"

Danny gasped as the ghost raised a hand at him; and a purple hue encased his body before he could do a thing about it. Once more, the boy felt the ghost try to stop his heart's beating. But instead of letting the pain overwhelm him, Danny gritted his teeth against it.

Meanwhile, Vlad tensed at the sight. But he forced himself to not move a muscle. The boy _had_ to learn to resist Dazzler's control…

But the pain was suddenly becoming too much for Danny. And the teen quickly realized he had to get the ghost to stop. He didn't know how Dazzler's powers worked, but he was tired of them being able to control _**his**_ body. He was done being this ghost's puppet! He was stronger than this! He was stronger than him!

With a scream of defiance, Danny's natural aura flared, instantly destroying the purple hue around him. And before Dazzler could get past his shock of that, the young hybrid clapped his hands together and fired a strong thick ray of green energy at him.

Dazzler was instantly slammed into the ground.

Danny wasted no time and flew back down, landing confidently on the ground and walking closer to the fallen ghost. He then stopped a few feet from him and told him. "You're right, Dazzler. I don't have complete control over myself yet. But you… _you_ don't have **any** control over me. Not anymore!"

Knowing it was true, Dazzler screamed in absolute fury as he got off the ground and his hands began to glow with energy. "I'll destroy you, Danny Phantom! No one takes away my control!"

Danny quickly dodged the attack, landing in a squat a foot away. The teen's eyes narrowed as he rose to his feet and began to gather his ghost energy into one of his fisted hands. But it wasn't his usual energy; it was his raw ghost energy.

The boy was so focused on what he was doing, he did not see Vlad's eyes widen in utter shock…

"You're sorrier than your sister," Danny muttered in disgust, as he began to condense his raw ghost energy. "And to think, all this time, I thought you were some powerful ghost. But you're not, are you? You're only as powerful as your victims let you be… And when they don't, when you lose control over them, you cower away… In the end, you can't control anyone under normal circumstances, can you?"

"**I can control anything I want!"** Dazzler screamed back, firing a strong ray at the boy;

But its aim was wild and completely missed its target. Danny now knew that his adversary's failed attempt had betrayed him. Dazzler was now totally unfocused.

"Yeah?" Danny asked, his eyes darkening significantly as he suddenly condensed his raw energy even more. He could feel the sudden flare of his ghostly hue and that same intense heat that came with this attack building in his core; but he didn't care. This ghost had put him through so much that he was too angry to care.

Actually, he was too angry to realize his dark green energy had just briefly flickered to blue… But Vlad noticed…

"You wanna control something?" the boy growled out, condensing his energy just a bit more. **"Then, control this!"** he screamed, before letting his raw energy explode forward, hurling its anger at the evil ghost.

Blinded by the actual flare of the massive power, Dazzler never even saw it coming. But he felt it when it slammed into him, ripping out a scream from his throat as he was consumed by the raw green energy.

When it was all over, Dazzler was lying in a smoking crater. But now he was so weakened that the shadow ghost's black body was completely transparent, and all he could do was groan in pain.

At that moment, Vlad walked over to Dazzler and Danny, who was now standing in front of the fallen ghost. The teen was still glaring darkly at the evil creature, his fists clenched against his sides as if trying to restrain himself from inflicting anymore pain on the defeated ghost. Of course, the billionaire didn't blame the teen in the slightest for his obvious resentment. Dazzler deserved that and much more.

And with the 'much more' is where Vlad came in…

The older hybrid placed a hand on one of Danny's shoulders, feeling him relax a bit with his touch, before he told the boy, "I'll take it from here."

Dazzler gasped when his employer suddenly lifted him off the ground. And knowing how Plasmius planned to end this, he quickly pleaded, "No! Don't destroy me!"

But Vlad was not swayed in the least, and his hand quickly sparked with red energy that soon molded into a red sword.

"No one betrays me. Not without paying dearly for it. And you, Dazzler, will not be the exception," Plasmius growled darkly, before arching back the energy-made weapon with every intention of finishing the ghost off.

"Wait!" Danny quickly said, grabbing the man's wrist to stop him.

Vlad frowned down at the young hybrid. But instead of receiving an explanation from him, the boy flew off in some direction.

"Daniel? What are you---?" The rest of the man's question dissolved from his lips when the teen quickly came back, holding one of his red-and-white thermoses, which the boy had dropped eariler.

Plasmius' frown deepened with the teen's obvious idea. But Vlad quickly shook his head, and turned his dark gaze back to Dazzler. "No. I'd rather destroy him."

But Danny stopped him again. "Don't, Vlad. Just…let him go back to the Ghost Zone."

Vlad looked at the teen in slight disbelief for a second, before he scowled at him and snapped, "Are you insane? He'll just come back later and cause you more grief!"

"Maybe," Danny muttered, glancing seriously at Dazzler, who was shocked into silence by the boy's intervention. "But he can't do anything to me—or you---anymore."

Vlad growled indignantly; but still yielded to the boy's wishes. He stared darkly back at Dazzler as he hissed at him, "If I **ever** see you again, I **will** destroy you."

Danny uncapped the thermos as Vlad threw the ghost back on the ground. And knowing he was off the hook with his former employer, Dazzler glared back at the younger hybrid, not willing to admit he owed him his after-life. Instead, he continued to fume at the fact that the teen had single-handedly took away his control and his chance to become 'all powerful'.

"Mark my words, Danny Phantom. _You_ will see me again. And I will take from you what you rightfully took from me. I'll have my revenge against you someday! Just wait and see!"

"Dude, that's what they _all_ say," Danny said in a dry tone of voice, before activating the thermos and sucking the ghost inside.

"Oh, and say 'hi' to your crazy sister for me," the teen added with a cocky smirk, even though he wasn't sure if the ghost could hear him or not. He then looked back up at Vlad, only to frown when he finally notice the man was just staring at him.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"You really astound me, sometimes, Daniel," Vlad said with a shake of his head.

Danny just shrugged lightly, knowing the man didn't understand the mercy he had shown to Dazzler. But he had never destroyed a ghost. And he did not care to see Vlad do it, either. It just didn't feel right to the boy.

Vlad sighed in surrender, before he quickly remembered something as equally astounding. "Daniel…?"

"Yeah?" the teen asked, now really confused with the man's even more bizarre look.

"Did you see that you…?" But the man trailed off, suddenly deciding it was best not to mention to the teen how close he had come to making blue energy. It had taken _him_ years to learn how himself. And, yet, after a little over a month, the teen had come so very close… It had really shocked him...

But Vlad's thoughts switched gears once more when he finally noticed something else about the boy; and that he quickly voiced. "Why are you glowing like that?"

Danny blinked, not sure what the guy was talking about. But then looking down at himself, he realized he meant his ghost hue. He had noticed himself that it was unusually bright. It had happened when he had touched the man's life-force…

"Um… I don't really know," Danny said, inspecting his hand. "Dazzler kinda took out this, uh, glowing thing out of you. I had to get it back to you… So, I touched it…I guess it's some weird side-effect or something. But it was brighter before. So, it looks like it's going away."

Vlad raised an eyebrow. He understood that the boy was talking about his life-energy. But even if he had touched it---which was strange enough---it should not have had that effect on the teen.

But before he could question it further, Danny lowered his hand and frowned worriedly at him, remembering how close the controlling ghost had come to wasting the man. "But you're okay, right?"

Vlad chuckled lightly before nodding. "As _okay_ as you, I suppose," he answered, before taking the thermos off the boy's hands and clipping it on his own black belt for the moment. In reality, the man felt like he had just been hit by a train. But at least he had recovered from that brief weak spell he had intially felt after waking up...

Danny smirked and retorted, "Then make sure you make me one of your 'special teas', too."

The billionaire laughed a little louder. "I was under the impression you disliked my 'special teas'."

Danny's smiled widened. "I think they're an acquired taste. And, believe me, I've gotten acquired. Besides, I'm seriously sore and I have a massive headache. And anything that can at least get rid of some of that for me is gonna be under my list of 'favorite things'."

However, in spite of his comment, the teen was feeling surprisingly better than he should. After all, he had been using his powers for several hours now, including when he and Vlad had been training in the simulation room. And now with his fight with Dazzler, he had actually used his raw ghost energy, which was usually pretty draining---well, not so much as of late. Still, he really should not be able to even stay in ghost form at this point. And yet. He was still Phantom without any effort…

"_Guess all that training is paying off_…," Danny concluded with a small satisfied smile. _"But even so, a tea would be great right about now…"_

Vlad chuckled lightly again, but nodded and said, "Alright, let's get going, then. Surely it has to be past dinner time," he added mostly to himself, as he briefly glanced at the darkened sky. So much for heading to 'Vladco' anymore…

The man sighed to himself. But just when he was about to take to the sky, Danny suddenly stopped him.

"Wait. Vlad?"

The billionaire just raised a questioning eyebrow in reply to the odd tone in the boy's voice.

Danny lowered his gaze slightly as he sighed and said, "Look, about what happened. I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have---"

"It's alright, my boy," Vlad cut him off with a small reassuring smile. "It's all done with. And nothing of permanent consequence came from it; so, there's really no need to trouble yourself over it."

But Danny just nodded slightly before bringing his hand up and nervously rubbing his neck. Something was still bothering him.

"Is everything alright?" Vlad asked, slightly puzzled.

Danny finally looked up at him; and lowering his hand, he seriously said, "You knew. You knew I would break Dazzler's spell and regain control. How? How could you have known that--let alone known it for sure? Vlad... why did you do_…that?_" he asked, unable to voice what he meant: that the man had risked his life for him. Even though Danny wasn't sure what had happened after he had gone unconscious, he had clearly heard Dazzler's ultimatum right before he had---one that he was sure Vlad had agreed to. Otherwise, he would not be alive now, or Dazzler would never have come so close to wasting the older hybrid…

But the billionaire unexpectedly smiled cleverly at him, before almost playfully replying, "Instincts, dear boy."

Danny frowned deeply in response. But before he could say anything, Vlad took to the air. The teen briefly watched after him, now sure that the man's smile and reply was an attempt to mask a deeper truth. After all, not even Danny was about to believe that _Vlad Masters_ had just gambled with his life on a whim of 'instincts.'

Now slightly annoyed, Danny took to the air himself, quickly overtaking the older hybrid. In the next instant, the boy turned and squared himself in front of him, purposely blocking the man's flight.

Vlad looked briefly surprised by the boy's odd behavior. But before he could question it, the teen crossed his arms in front of his chest and seriously said, "I don't believe you."

Vlad raised an eyebrow as he replied, "And I don't understand what you are talking about. But whatever is bothering you, I'm sure we could talk about it once we get inside."

Danny's eyebrows creased, not knowing what to make of the man's calm voice. And as he spoke again, his confusion and disbelief was evident in his voice. "Vlad, Dazzler almost _wasted_ you! Doesn't that bother you in the slightest?"

"Danny… what else do you want me to say?" Vlad asked, his own eyebrows creasing. "I told you. It's done with. You're breathing. I'm breathing. What else matters?"

But the teen didn't reply, and instead, just stared back at the man with a strange intensity, almost as if he was trying to read the older half-ghost's mind.

"Alright," Danny finally said with a small nod, having decided to respect the man's refusal to talk about what happened. The teen then shook his head a bit; and giving Vlad a small unreadable smile, he added, "Anyways. Thanks for saving me back there."

Vlad opened his mouth to reply; but the boy unexpectedly turned from him and continued back to the castle. He didn't see Danny's smile widen a bit more as he flew on. Even if the billionaire would not tell him why he had done what he did, the teen knew. Vlad could not have _truly_ known that he would break Dazzler's spell. But he had had faith that he would---that he could. The older hybrid had believed in him. He had trusted him with his very life. And nothing the man said---or _didn't_ say—could cover something of that magnitude.

And nothing Danny could ever say would express how Vlad's actions made him feel at that very moment…

Plasmius hesitated to follow after the young hybrid, his eyes suddenly reflecting the deeper feelings aching to shove his outward calm demeanor aside. Before he knew it, he was gripping his still slightly throbbing chest just as his gaze drifted back to the stables. Those same emotions only seemed to grow inside him as he felt his heart pound under his grip…

But, suddenly, as if snapping out of whatever had him so troubled, he briefly closed his eyes and sighed. He glanced back at the now barely visible form of the young half-ghost, before abruptly teleporting.

"Just a moment, Daniel," Vlad said when he suddenly appearing beside the teen.

Slightly surprised by the man's unexpected presence and now more serious tone of voice, Danny slowed his flight until he stopped moving all together. "Yeah?" he asked slowly when Vlad did not continue.

But a small calm smile returned to Plasmius' face, putting a lighter tone in his voice as he said, "You do not need thank me, Daniel. But I do. And I am." But he then smirked slightly as he added, "After all, if I recall correctly it is _you_ who saved _me_."

Danny knew Vlad was being sincere. And he appreciated that. But it still slightly saddened him to see the older hybrid's strange need to hide his real emotions from him. And although the boy could not decipher what they were, he knew they were there, just under his cool demeanor and light smirk.

Still, Danny gave him a small smile in return and replied, "Then, I guess we're even. I mean… well, kind of," he added sheepishly, remembering how the older hybrid had saved his neck more than once now.

Vlad chuckled. "No, we're even."

Danny nodded, his smile growing a bit more. But then he suddenly sighed loudly as if to push away all his thoughts of just moments ago.

The teen looked back at Vlad, smirking almost playfully, before saying, "The castle's still a bit of distance away… I'll race you back…"

But when he saw Vlad give him a strange look in response, the teen chuckled, and cheekily challenged, "What? Are you afraid I'll beat you?"

A wicked grin slowly spread on Plasmius' face, before he answered, "Afraid, little badger? Hardly. In fact, I'll give you a head start…"

Danny grinned. "Suit yourself," he quipped, before suddenly darting off at full speed towards the castle.

Vlad watched after the boy; but although he looked amused, there was another emotion in his red eyes. And he then sighed with that same emotion, before whispering in a fatherly voice, "Such a special child, indeed..."

But the man just as quickly shook those thoughts out of his head, and his wicked grin returned to his face. "Even so. I simply cannot let him show me up, now, can I?"

He chuckled smugly at his own idea, before he spun his cape around his body and vanished into thin air…

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**Ah, so you have arrived. I didn't lose anyone, did I? Anyways, I hope you liked this one. It was a fun one for me and my muse; but I did have to split it into two chapters again; because it was just too long. But, heh. We have reached the end of Dazzler. Wow. He was introduced in chapter 15; and 41 chapters later we reach the end... Talk about extensive. Who is sad to see him go, eh? lol! But it's bittersweet for me. I had a ot of fun with him---even if he super evil. Anyways, we'll be wrapping _this_ story arch in the next chapter; which will probably be up sooner than you think. Maybe. My finals are next week. So, as soon as I get past that headache, I'll get back to this. Well! Ta for now, my dear readers! I look forward to your thoughts!**


	58. Chapter 57: Speaking Without Words

**I'll be working on replies for last chapter as you read! Hope you like it! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

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Chapter 57: Speaking without Words.

Finally inside, Danny and Vlad quickly noticed it was close to eight at night. And although neither of them was hungry, they both knew they could definitely use one of the older hybrid's 'special' teas. So, while Danny had gone up to quickly shower and get changed for bed, Vlad had left for his private lab to drop off the ghost thermos with Dazzler inside.

"I'll deal with you soon enough," Vlad said, his voice darkening significantly as he unclipped the thermos from his belt. He briefly glared silently at the device, before saying to the ghost within it, "Consider youself lucky that the boy is more merciful than I am. Then again, he really isn't around anymore to keep me from destroying you. And I really should. I hardly lack the incentive to do so…." But then, as the man thought about it some more, a wicked smirk briefly touched his lips as he added, "Then again, I know of someone else who might be interested in meeting you… I think I know what I'll do with you. But that can wait for now..."

With a last glance at the thermos, the man walked out of his secret lab and then to his private study. But a heavy frown came to his face, when he suddenly felt the weight of everything that had happened moments ago return to his mind. He really did just want to shower and go to bed. But… he had promised the boy a tea. And he knew having one as well would help his overwhelmed, though tired, mind get some rest for the night...

Vlad sighed, briefly closing his eyes to keep his emotions and thoughts at bay. He really did not want to think about them right now. He was drained enough as it was. And trying to deal with them now would only make things worse for him...

However, just as the man turned the corner and then passed some hallways, his thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a familiar feeling. He was now aware of some nearby…external force. And he instantly froze in place. His eyebrows creased when he was certain of his inner ghost sense's alerting him to the presence of a specific ghost. The man quickly turned, and walked right back to the hallway he had just past.

"Niane?" Vlad called with a heavy frown on his face as he spotted the ghost girl in the hallway. Had she just appeared? He really wasn't sure. He had been so deep in thought that now he was wondering just how long she had been around before he had finally noticed…

The girl looked like a deer caught in headlights; which only made the billionaire even more suspicious.

"What are you doing?" he asked her, clearly bristled with the thought that the ghost had been following him.

Niane jolted at his tone of voice, before she quickly spoke up, "It's not what you are thinking, I can assure you! Well, somewhat… George was worried because neither you nor the young Master came to dinner. So, he asked me to look for you both. But it seems you two were out…?"

Vlad studied her for a moment; but then he calmed and nodded. "Yes, you could say that. Apologize to George for me. I will not be eating tonight. And neither is the boy." But remembering the tea and suddenly feeling too tired to make it himself, he quickly added, "But do tell him to prepare us both a spectral tea. Then have Derek bring it to the east-side terrace, hmm?"

"Of course, sir," Niane said with a small bow, before she vanished into thin air.

Vlad shook his head at the girl's odd behavior, before finally making his way downstairs…

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About ten minutes later, Danny was in his pajamas, looking a lot more alert in spite of the time and his recent battle. And even though his emotions were still raging about certain things, he internally felt calm, even, liberated. His mind was so clear now, and that alone put a lighter step in his walk.

But as he descended the main stairs, barefoot, and saw Niane quietly floating in the foyer, he slowed his steps, a slight unsure look coming over his face. The ghost was staring in some direction; but what had him unsure was the sight of the ghost's troubled face.

"What's wrong?" he asked her, jolting her out of whatever she was thinking.

Niane smiled nervously, before shaking her head. "Nothing, Master Danny. I was just waiting for you to inform you that Master Plasmius is waiting for you at the east-side terrace." But when she saw the boy's confused look, she then pointed the way and added, "It's that way."

Danny glanced in the direction in which she was pointing, before nodding in recognition. "Yeah, okay. Uh, thanks," he told her before slightly waving her a 'good-bye' and heading in that direction.

When he finally made it to the veranda, he slowed just as he entered it, suddenly enthralled. He really hadn't explored this part yet. He knew it was here, but he had never ventured into it until now. It was… nice. At least, with its glass windows all around the area he could see a good view of the lit-up outdoor pool a distance away.

But then when Danny finally noticed Vlad, he frowned a bit. That didn't seem…right. The man was in the shadows looking out of one of the darken windows. Why would Vlad do that when the more spectacular view was much further to his left? Maybe he was just look at the stars…?

However, before Danny could really think about it too much, Vlad, having heard him come in, turned to him and finally walked into the lighted area. With his own teacup in hand, the man attempted a slight smile before silently nodding towards the direction of the other steaming cup of tea on the center coffee table.

But rather than glance at the tea, the boy's eyes had caught Vlad's awkward smile instead. And that only added to his previous confusion.

"You okay?" the teen asked a bit hesitantly, unsure of what to make of Vlad's odd expression and behavior.

Vlad just calmly nodded, before taking a sip of his tea.

Danny's eyebrows creased; But then, unable to find any reason to think the billionaire wasn't telling him the truth, the boy mentally shrugged off his thoughts; and his eyes finally drifted over to the tea on the table. Danny smirked. "I never thought I'd be so happy with the prospect of drinking something that glows," he commented with slight amusement, before walking over to the hot beverage.

"Who would have thought?" Vlad lightly teased back, before taking another sip of his own tea and then turning back to the view outside.

Danny chuckled a bit with the billionaire's comment, before picking up his tea cup and settling into one of the couches with a tired sigh. For a moment, there was a calm silence between them as the teen just indulged in the hot beverage's calming and healing qualities. It was enough to make him so ready for bed. But when he glanced at Vlad again, that desire slowly began to fade.

Maybe he had been reading too much into the man's odd behavior just a moment ago, but now Danny knew he wasn't. The way Vlad was staring blankly into his tea cup and the sight of his slightly lowered shoulders was something Danny clearly recognized from past encounters with Vlad---specifically from the day at the dining room when the man had actually apologized to him over what had happened with Walker… His body language had said it all then. And it was saying it all now:

Something was definitely up.

And when the teen then caught Vlad smother a sigh, Danny could not keep quiet anymore.

But Vlad seemed to have other thoughts; and before the teen could really say anything, the man suddenly turned to him and said, "I think I am going to go shower and then turn in for the night, my boy. I will see you in the morning, hmm?"

Danny blinked as the man placed down his half-empty tea cup on the carrier in the center of the table. But when Vlad lightly and affectionately patted the boy on his head in a parting gesture just before he began to retreat from the room, the teen quickly spoke up, saying the first thing that came to his mind to stop the him from leaving.

"Are you really that tired?"

Vlad paused; and now curious, looked back at the boy. "I am honestly surprised you are not."

Danny took a sip of his tea, now thinking more carefully of what he was saying, before shrugging. "Well, I'm not as tired as I was. This tea is making me feel better. But I am a bit tired. It's just not… _your_ kind of tired…"

But the teen's last words were even more carefully chosen than his first. He knew the man was not as calm as he let on. And especially when Vlad was bent on doing a quick exit, Danny was clearly aware that something more than _physical _exhaustion was weighing down the billionaire… But the teenager already knew the man was not willing to talk about it. So, perhaps, he could get it out of him indirectly…

"And what 'kind of tired' do you think I have, little badger?" Vlad asked, slightly amused, believing the boy was actually talking about being physically exhausted.

But Danny didn't smirk back and seriously replied, "That's what I'm wondering."

The billionaire just stared at the boy for a moment, finally realizing he was not talking about 'actually being tired'. He had a hunch that the boy was trying to get him to talk about all that had happened again. And really, it wasn't unreasonable. But although he himself had suggested that very thing right before they came to the castle, it had only been to push it off at that moment. He didn't want to talk about anything, then. And he still was not inclined to do so now. However, Vlad knew the boy was not going to let this go without his saying _something_.

With a small reluctant sigh, the billionaire walked back over and sat in the loveseat in front of the teen.

"It has been a long day, Daniel," Vlad finally replied, crossing his legs and messaging his throbbing temple. "That, and I have a lot on my mind. I had some very important matters at 'Vladco' to which to attend today. Obviously, I was unable to go."

Danny slightly cringed, suddenly remembering the man mentioning that before the whole thing with Dazzler. And feeling slightly bad again, he creased his eyebrows and honestly said, "Sorry."

Vlad lowered his hand, looking at the teen for another brief moment before quietly insisting, "Don't apologize."

Danny sighed as he lowered his tea cup to his lap. It was times like these that he really wished he could read minds. But he didn't need that to know Vlad was not just troubled about not being able to go to his company… But even with the teen's indirect approach, the man wouldn't tell him. So, then, Danny knew he would just have to resort to his usual approach.

"You don't want me to thank you and you don't want me to apologize," the teen said quietly, lowering his gaze just briefly, before looking troubled at the man and finally saying what really was on his mind all this time. "Dazzler almost wasted you, Vlad. And because of me. Do you know how that makes me feel?"

Vlad didn't reply. Of course he knew how the boy felt. It was exactly how he felt---only worse. It was now twice he had come close to watching the teen die and twice that it had been his fault. He felt extremely guilty---among other things. But he just didn't want to think about them, much less talk about them, now.

"Look, I get it," Danny said, when the man continued to remain quiet. He knew that he shouldn't have said anything. But he tersely added, "You don't want to talk about it. And that's fine. But could you at least be honest with me?"

Vlad slightly frowned. "I am being honest with you. But, I told you, it's done with. I am just glad you are fine now."

"Yeah, I am fine. But _you're_ not," Danny quickly interrupted with a bit more force.

Vlad blinked, before a small teasing smile tugged on his lips. "Are you concerned about me, little badger?"

But Danny just sighed and shook his head, somewhat frustrated at the man's teasing.

The older hybrid quickly frowned; and creasing his eyebrows in slight worry, he asked, "Daniel, I don't understand what you want. Do… you want me to be angry at you for what happened? "

"Honestly, yes!" Danny replied, slightly exasperated. "I mean, it'd be better than you acting like what happened wasn't a big deal. It was to me! And you acting like it's not is kinda creeping me out!"

Vlad sighed again, now understanding that the boy really was worried about him. That made two of them. But the teen didn't need to know that.

Instead, the billionaire just smiled weakly and said, "Alright, Daniel. I accept your apology and your gratitude. And I appreciate your concern as well as your saving my life. But, really, I'm fine. I just need a shower and a good night's rest. And now that I know that treacherous ghost has been taken care of and that you are safe and sound, then I will be able to do that. So, do you think you can stop looking so upset? It just does not suit you, dear boy."

Danny studied the man's light-hearted expression for a second or two, before slowly nodding his head. "Okay," he said, the tension easing from his face as he looked down at his tea cup. "And I'm glad you're okay, too. But although I don't get how you can be so calm about this, I guess I can just pass it off as you just being a fruit loop again..."

Vlad jolted with the last comment, not believing that the teen had just insulted him. But just when he felt his anger flare up, Danny grinned widely at him and a said, "Oh, good! I finally got a reaction out of you! Sorry, I just had to make sure Dazzler didn't mess you up permanently or something."

The billionaire looked unsure of how to react to the boy's comment now. But then he huffed in annoyance and rolled his eyes. "Well, it's good to see he had no lasting effects on you, either, you little rat."

"Hey!" Danny quickly objected, scowling at the insult.

But Vlad smirked at him and mockingly replied, "Sorry, I had to make sure, as well…"

The teen rolled his eyes, though he was obviously amused by the man's comeback. But then, the teen narrowed his eyes, pretending to be angry again as he said, "Yeah, looks like you're back to your usual self, then. And your usual tricks. After all, you did cheat in our race back to the castle. Don't' think I'll forget that. And I'm gonna get you for that one, just wait and see."

The older hybrid chuckled before smugly answering, "Now, now, Daniel. You never said I had to _fly_ back. So, my teleporting was not cheating. You are just sore that I won your little challenge fair and square."

Danny rolled his eyes at him again, though he did have to admit—begrudgingly--that he had not been specific about the rules. Still, he was certain that Vlad had known that he was supposed to only use flying when they had raced. And he had the sneaky suspicion that the man had just teleported to annoy him. The teen was definitely going to have to get back at him for that…

But then, he brightened with a sudden idea. He could do that _very_ thing _right now._ He smiled mischievously before quickly putting his tea cup down and sitting forward in his chair with anticipation. "Teach me how to do that."

Vlad was jolted out of his amusement by the boy's abrupt 'request'.

"Teach you how to do what?" he asked, confused.

Danny grinned. "To teleport."

Vlad's eyes widened in disbelief. "_Teleportation_? You want me to teach you teleportation _right now_?"

But when Danny nodded excitedly, Vlad quickly frowned. "Daniel, you have used your powers _all day_. And might I need to mention that just moments ago you defeated a very dangerous ghost? No, dear boy. Not today. Maybe tomorrow, alright?"

But the young hybrid shook his head; and morphing, he insisted, "No, we can do it now. Seriously, I feel fine. And you owe me."

But Vlad didn't move from his seat, let alone morph. "Owe you? For my _fair_ win? But never mind about that right now. You expect me to believe you are not utterly exhausted after all _that_?" he replied in slight annoyance, though it sounded more like it was _he_ who was utterly exhausted. And, of course, he was.

"Naw," Danny said with a shrug, though he knew he was _kinda_ tired—but just not tired enough to ignore his sudden idea. "I guess I shouldn't expect you to think I wasn't exhausted. But, I'm not, you know! Like I said, that tea really helps. Plus, no matter what you say, we both know you cheated in that race. So, you gotta pay me back now; and you can do that by teaching me to teleport."

But when the teen still saw the man's reluctance, he urged him, obviously set on learning teleportation. "Come on, Vlad. Just show me. At least just some of it? Please?"

Vlad sighed tiredly, but still nodded in acceptance. "Fine. But when you pass out, don't say I didn't warn you."

Danny rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to pass out."

The older hybrid just shot him a condescending look, but did not say anything else on it. If the teen wanted to be stubborn and pretend like he was not exhausted, then, he'd just let him realize it the hard way. With another sigh, Vlad finally stood up and gestured the teen to follow him out. Once they were standing at the pool's deck, the man finally morphed.

"Let's see… teleportation…," he said tiredly, looking up at the night sky as if asking it for the energy to get him through the rest of this never-ending day. But with another sigh, he looked at the currently amused teen and began to explain, "Well, it's a very common ability. And very simple at that. In fact, once you understand the concept behind it, it is really _almost_ as simple as intangibility or invisibility. See, all three are just different forms of physical manipulation---teleportation being the trickiest, of course. None the less, all three fall in the same category."

"Huh. I never would have guessed that," Danny mumbled, crossing his arms and furrowing his eyebrows in thought. But remembering how Vlad had teleported him during the Walker event in the Ghost Zone, the boy quickly realized that made sense.

"That's why you can use it on other people, like invisibility and intangibility. All three are really just different branches of the same tree or whatever, right?" the boy asked.

"Correct," Vlad said, smiling at the boy's allegory, but also impressed by how quickly the teen had caught on. "Intangibility is merely the manipulation of solid matter, while invisibility manipulates the light reflected on the surface of said matter. However, when it comes to teleportation, it is slightly trickier because it's a combination of those two and a bit more. See, teleportation takes matter and completely converts it into spectral energy that travels _faster_ than the speed of light, and then returns said matter back to its natural state."

Danny winced slightly at the concept, before muttering, "Uh, maybe this was better left for tomorrow, after all…"

Vlad smirked. "No backtracking now, Daniel. You got me started, now you're going to have to endure with me until the end."

Danny rolled his eyes, but then smiled again. "I'm stubborn, remember? There's no way I'm backing out. So, keep going, cheese head."

"Well, since you're _so stubborn_, then, I will," Plasmius quipped, his smirk widening. But he sobered up just a bit as he finally did continue, "Luckily for you, that's all technicalities. The practical aspect of teleportation is much simpler to understand. As I said, it's a very common ability. In fact, _all_ ghosts possess it in some degree or another. Of course, the degree in which a spectral entity can will teleportation---like any ability---depends on how experienced and powerful said entity is. So, you see, Daniel. You naturally already have the ability to teleport. You just merely need to understand how to trigger it."

Danny grinned at the fact. But he did not say anything, wanting the man to keep going.

"Ghosts are just spectral energy, Daniel," Vlad explained. "_Everything_ they are can be reduced to _spectral energy_. In fact, that is precisely what those spectral containment devices you like to use so much do to a ghost to trap it," the man added as a side thought, before continuing, "And it is because ghosts are only energy that they do not truly have a solid form. They are transparent, almost as if _they_ _are_ _not really there_. Do you follow me, my boy?"

"Kinda," Danny replied, his eyebrows creased in concentration.

Vlad nodded. "I think the best comparison I can give you is that of light. It's there, correct? You see it. You can use it. And even feel it. But then, light is also just a type of energy. You can perceive light in many ways, and yet, it's intangible, practically untouchable. It's everywhere at once and nowhere at once. So, if ghosts are all spectral energy, do you see why teleportation is possible for them? They can materialize _their energy_ anywhere they want. And can just as quickly make it disappear from that 'anywhere'. Just like light. See?"

Danny nodded in understanding, before saying, "And because we are _half_ ghost we can do the same, right?"

"Correct. I'm right in front of you now. But in a blink of an eye---" Vlad instantly teleported. "I can be right behind you…"

Danny quickly turned around, slightly surprised by how quickly the man had switched locations. It seemed that no matter how many times he saw the older hybrid teleport, it still amazed him. And now that he understood the concept behind it, the teen was even more astounded by it---and more eager to learn it himself.

But then suddenly curious with his next thought, he asked, "I know you said that how well a ghost can use teleportation depends on how powerful and experienced that ghost is; but, how far can a ghost teleport? Or actually, how far can _you_ teleport?"

Vlad nodded, "Excellent question. And that brings me to a very important point in all this. But to answer your questions: A full-fledged ghost can teleport as far as it wants and where it wants. But that differs with us. You see, dear boy, when it comes to teleportation, _we_ are limited by the fact that we are also _half_ human. Or more specifically, we are limited by our need for oxygen."

"Wait… So…" Danny gasped, remembering the suffocating feeling he had briefly felt when Vlad had teleported him. "We can't breathe when we teleport?"

"No, because to teleport, we have to convert our _entire_ self into spectral energy. Our human body needs oxygen to function. So, although we can do without breathing for minutes at a time, we cannot do without oxygen indefinitely. And, of course, the longer the distance you teleport, the longer your body will go without taking in oxygen. You will not notice your missing it very much when you teleport. But you will feel it when you get to your intended location and you solidify your form again."

Danny frowned. He didn't know teleportation was _that_ dangerous… "So… If we don't do it right or try to go too far, it could….waste us?"

"As easily as jumping into the ocean without knowing how to swim, Daniel," Vlad said seriously. But his tone lightened as he continued, "But I'm going to teach you to do it correctly; so you will be fine. Besides, spectral energy travels faster than light energy, remember? We might have limitations on how far _we_ can teleport, but, believe me, in the minutes we can go without oxygen, we can go impressively far. To give you can idea, I have managed to teleport from here to Amity Park with only a minor faint feeling to show for it. Even so, I do not recommend it. It takes too much energy, anyways. And, besides, taking a plane is a more practical mean of transportation," Vlad quipped with a smirk.

Danny chuckled in agreement, though he now sounded a bit nervous about all this.

"Alright. Time to get your feet wet, little badger," the man said with a larger smile, before floating up several feet into the sky. And once Danny was floating in front of him, the man ordered, "Close your eyes."

Danny hesitated slightly, before complying.

"Now, the first thing you have to learn is to think like a ghost---so to speak. Forget you are human for a moment. You really do lock out a lot of your potential, my boy, when you do not fully embrace the fact that you are a ghost."

However, the comment quickly made Danny open his eyes again and he frowned at the man as he told him, "But I'm not just a ghost. We both know that."

"Yes. And our limitations when it comes to teleportation because of our human self makes that all too clear," Vlad replied calmly; but then he hitched an eyebrow as he added, "But when you are in _ghost form_, you **are **a ghost. Therefore, to accomplish anything with your powers, you must _be_ one."

But Danny still felt uncomfortable with the concept.

Vlad noticed how the teen had obviously tensed over that, which only puzzled him.

However, the teen then suddenly sighed when he recalled everything that had happened moments ago because of his inability to control his fears. But then, why was he even nervous about this? It was just a simple concept. And Vlad had said he was going to teach him to teleport correctly so that he wouldn't hurt himself. So… why be afraid? Why... shouldn't he trust him? The man had trusted him with his own life, after all. Maybe now, in some way, it was his turn to return that trust…

Danny quickly dispelled his doubts and closed his eyes with confidence, now certain that nothing was going to happen to him. Vlad would not allow it…

"I'm a ghost. What next?" the teen asked, his voice unwavering. And he was unaware that upon declaring with certainty what he was, his ghostly body became even more transparent.

Vlad smiled, instantly noticing the boy's changes. "Wonderful. Now listen closely. You are behind me."

But this time, the boy did not so quickly believe that one.

Danny opened his eyes and stared quizzically at the man. "What are you talking about? I'm in front of you."

"Would you care to let me finish?" Vlad asked, slightly annoyed with the teen's interruption of their progress.

Danny rolled his eyes before complying.

"You are behind me," Vlad assured him.

"Uh-huh."

"_Stop_ doubting it. Now, where are you?" the man questioned, crossing his arms and staring intently at the boy.

"Behind you," Danny replied, but there was still disbelief in his voice.

"Daniel, you have to _believe_ you are behind me. Otherwise, this won't work," Vlad said, sounding even more exasperated. "So, I'll ask you again. Where are you?"

Danny hesitated to reply as he tried to get his mind to let go of what it logically knew. It wasn't exactly easy. But concentrating a little more, the boy finally nodded and answered in certainty, "I'm behind you."

"Good. Now, what I say next might sound repetitive to you, but I want to try to get you into a certain state of mind. It should trigger what your ghost body can already naturally do. Understand?"

Danny just nodded.

Vlad let a small silence fall over them, before he began again. "You are ghost. And like any ghost, you are mere spectral energy. You have no physical body. Therefore, you can be anywhere. Now, focus on that and focus on _the fact_ that you are behind me…"

Danny concentrated. He understood what Vlad was saying. He tried to focus on not having a physical body which was easy enough since it was what he thought about when turning intangible or invisible. But being _just_ energy….?

"Here, I have an idea," Vlad suddenly said, realizing the boy was still confused.

Danny's eyes slowly opened at the man's tone of voice. But then, he looked to the man with curiosity as Vlad approached.

"Extend your hands with your palms facing upward. Yes, just like that."

Danny's intrigued gaze never left the older hybrid, even when the man lifted his own hands and placed them directly above his, palms facing down.

"I'm going to tell you exactly what I'm going to do so that you---" Vlad began, but was suddenly interrupted by the teen.

"No, you don't have to explain it to me. Just do it," Danny said, staring calmly at the man he used to call his arch-enemy…

Vlad blinked in surprise, but then he just nodded, though he briefly looked away, finally understanding what the boy was really saying:

"_I trust you."_

With a lot of effort, Plasmius stilled his suddenly wavering emotions again, and forced himself to focus back on what he was about to do. Still, he was a lot more quiet as he said, "Maybe if you know how it feels, it will come easier to you."

Danny watched in awe as Vlad's form slowly mystified, until he was so transparent that he almost wasn't even there. But even so, the boy could clearly see by the sparks of pink energy flickering through the man's entire body that he had just turned himself into pure spectral energy.

"As I said, my boy, in ghost form we are just spectral energy," Vlad continued, his voice now holding a deeper echo, almost as if it was everywhere at once…

"I've never seen you do this before" Danny said, still in awe.

"Yes, you have," the man quickly assured him. "This is the first step to teleportation, Daniel. It just all happens in a fraction of a second, so you cannot hope to notice it, then. But I'm now slowing it down, so that you can see it. But also… feel it…," he added with a small smile, before Vlad's energy began to invade the teen's body.

Danny gasped in surprise at the feeling of his own body quickly becoming nothing but energy. But even when he suddenly lost the ability to breathe and that uncomfortable feeling he had briefly felt in the Ghost Zone appeared in his chest, he did not recoil from the person causing it.

Instead, the teen looked down at himself, watching the sparks of pink energy shooting all across his own body. It was so amazing how teleportation could be transferred like intangibility and invisibility. The teen even felt as light as he did when he himself used the latter two abilities. But this was also nothing like that either. He completely felt---for a lack of better word---_energized_.

Danny lips slowly curved upwards, before he finally looked back at Vlad and said, "This is really cool."

The older hybrid smiled in response, still amazed to find no trace of fear in the boy's eyes; but, rather, a calm excitement… and still that…. trust… _in him_…

"Glad you think so," Vlad finally answered; and then without warning, he teleported them both.

This time, Danny yelped. But only because of the bright light and intense rush that blinded all his senses at that instant. However, it was over and they were in another spot in the sky before he could even process it.

Vlad quickly solidified them both, before removing his hands from the teen and taking a much needed breath. "Are you alright?" he asked the boy.

Danny blinked back the spots in his eyes as he, too, took a breath of air. "Yeah. That's just much more intense then I remember it being in the Ghost Zone. Then again, I was kinda half-conscious, huh?" he said with a sheepish smile.

Vlad smirked. "If you thought that was intense. You're going to _enjoy_ doing it alone… Think you can now, little badger?"

"Only one way to find out…," Danny replied with a bit of excitement in his eyes, before he closed them and concentrated on the very feeling he had just felt…

Vlad smiled when the boy's form suddenly began to flicker in and out of existence. "That's it, Daniel. You have it. Now, enhance it."

Danny slowly let the feeling inside him surge through all his body; and a moment later, he felt as energized as he had a few minutes ago. But now that he was doing it himself, he felt a bit light-headed; and instead of feeling a warm tingle all through his body, it was a cooling sort of rush…

Vlad briefly observed the young hybrid's now mystified form. Instead of sparks of pink energy, there were sparks of green energy shooting through him. And even when the man did not touch him, he could still feel a strange coldness radiating off his wispy form. It was a curious aftereffect, to say the least…

But knowing the teen was ready, Vlad pushed back his thoughts and asked, "Daniel? Tell me. Where are you?"

"Behind--" Danny began to answer; but having already internally believed his words before he got them out, his body instantly reacted. And in an instant, he was gone.

This time, the boy didn't even have time to yelp against the brightness and rush of feelings that left him senseless. But he did notice his inability to breathe was more prominent this time around. It was almost like being winded.

However, before he could really react to the sensation, it abruptly vanished. He gasped in surprise, before his eyes snapped fully open… only to realize he was behind Vlad.

"Well done," the man praised him as he turned around to face the teen.

Danny stared at the billionaire in disbelief, before looking down at his now completely solid body. "I did it?" he whispered.

"You did," Plasmius answered with a smile.

Danny's entire face lit up with utter happiness, before he exclaimed, "That's so awesome!"

Vlad chuckled, feeling internally as content as the boy at seeing him so happy. Still, he kept his voice light as he said, "Yes. But this is only the beginning. In order to really use it to your advantage, you need to be able to will teleportation much more quickly. And that will only happen with constant practice. Once you are able to do it almost subconsciously, then you will be ready to try it for longer distances, which will require more precision, endurance, and energy on your part. You will also have to learn to transfer it to inanimate objects, much like intangibility or invisibility. And finally, when you have _truly_ mastered teleportation, you could even use it on others…"

Danny just nodded adamantly, only half hearing what the man had said in his excitement. "I bet I can do it again!" the teen said with a grin, before he closed his eyes and concentrated.

Vlad didn't object and just watched on in amusement as the young hybrid repeated the process of teleportation once again. It took him about a minute or so, before he abruptly disappeared from in front of the billionaire and reappeared slightly to his left.

Danny took a breath, before exhaling with his lingering rush. "Man, that has got to be the weirdest feeling," he said with a smile as he placed a hand against his chest.

The older hybrid chuckled again, but nodded in agreement. "Yes, but you will get use to it."

But the man's pleased gaze quickly melted into a frown when Danny closed his eyes yet again and began to repeat the teleportation process once more.

"Daniel, I think that's enough," Vlad said seriously, just before the teen teleported again.

"Are you kidding?" Danny replied, once he reappeared, a grin still on his face. "This is so much fun! And it _definitely_ makes up for the fact that I can't duplicate yet!"

Danny quickly closed his eyes once more, ignoring the man's disapproving gaze. The teen was too high on all the new feelings that came with teleportation that he could not get enough of it. And now he was sure that teleporting was becoming easier and easier with his every attempt, which only fed his sudden infatuation…

Vlad rolled his eyes as the boy blocked him out completely and just continued to amuse himself. And knowing he wasn't going to talk reason into him at this point, the man just crossed his arms in front of his chest and watched expectantly…

"_One…. two…,"_ the older hybrid thought, mentally counting along with the number of times the boy teleported, while noting how the teen's once abnormally bright ghost hue due to the teen's touching his life energy quickly began to return to normal. _"three… four,"_ he continued, even when the boy's ghost hue now began to abnormally _**dim**_… _"Five... six… se---"_

Danny gasped quietly, suddenly feeling extremely light-headed, and finally realizing he had overdone it. But as he floated back unsteadily, attempting to blink back the black spots in his vision, Vlad floated over to him.

The man let out a bored sigh as he calmly gripped one of the teen's wrists. The boy was only barely able to look at him, before Vlad told him with a raised eyebrow, "I warned you." And with those last words echoing in his hazed mind, Danny lost his grip on consciousness and fainted.

Vlad just shook his head as Danny reverted to his human self. He then got a better hold of the unconscious teenager before finally flying back to the castle. And arriving to the young hybrid's room, he set him down on the bed, before placing the covers on him, sure that the teen was not waking up until tomorrow…

But just as Vlad turned human himself and was about to leave, his gaze caught sight of the picture frame on Danny's nightstand. He looked at it briefly, before suddenly picking it up and studying the boy's loved ones more intently.

A sad look shrouded the man's face, before he glanced down at the senseless boy. And now knowing he had no need to keep his emotions under control, Vlad surrendered to them with a shaky breath.

He still couldn't believe what had happened. How close he had come to losing _his life_…And all for the boy in front of him!

Vlad placed the picture frame down with an unsteady hand; but his gaze returned to Danny.

"_You knew. You knew I would break Dazzler's spell and regain control. How? How could you have known for sure?"_

Looking even more troubled by his recollection of the teen's question, Vlad sadly whispered, "How could I answer you truthfully, my dear boy, when even I cannot understand how you have become such a dangerous weakness to me?"

"_Vlad, why did you do that?"_

"I…trust you, Daniel. Against all my logic, I trust you to an extent I never thought possible… And even if I tried, I could never express to you just how much that frightens me…"

However, as the older hybrid suddenly reached down and lightly pushed back a strand of black hair out of the boy's face, the tension in the man's face eased a bit, replaced by a small sad smile as he muttered, "But I think you somehow understand. Just like I understand without your voicing it that you have chosen, also against your better judgment, to return my trust. So, what am I to do now, little badger?" he asked quietly, retracting his hand and glancing back at the picture of the boy's loved ones. "How do I stay true to myself without betraying your trust?"

Vlad just silently stared at the still teen for a long moment, searching for the answers to his troubles and uncertainties in the boy's senseless face. But, suddenly, the man sighed deeply, and pinched the bridge of his nose. "What's wrong with me lately?"

Honestly, here he was speaking to the sleeping young hybrid because he could not bring himself to tell him all this while the boy was awake. And he was now at a loss, all because of his suddenly unstable feelings. Feelings that were overwhelming him with uncertainty and fear. Since when was he so insecure about anything? Since when was he so blinded by his emotions that he lost all sense of logic? This just wasn't him. He was the confident and distinguished Vlad Masters. He was the cunning and all-but-invincible Vlad Plasmius. Not… Not _this_.

And yet, it was because of _this_ that he finally had the boy's trust and some form of fondness. It was being _this_ that he could pretend that there was nothing holding Daniel here and that he was here because he wanted to be. And it was with _this_ that he could have his half-ghost son…

But by being _this _…he was losing so much. As _this_, he was losing his allies and making dangerous enemies. As _this_ he could not seek revenge against Jack or obtain Maddie. As _this_… he was losing himself. And as _this_… he had almost lost his life…

Was this boy worth so much of him?

Vlad shook his head, not even wanting to know the answer. And suddenly feeling even more drained by these thoughts than everything that happened moments ago, he finally turned and exited the boy's room.

Maybe trying to think through all this was not the best approach. Perhaps, just once, he'd take a lesson from the young hybrid and just take things as they came. At least, it's all he could do at this point to retain some control of his emotions and uncertainties.

The billionaire sighed tiredly again.

"Hey, boss!"

Vlad glanced up at the three vultures that had just phased through the roof, before rolling his eyes in annoyance. " Wonderful," he muttered sarcastically to himself.

"Ve been looking all over for you!" one of them said, irritably. "You said ve vere going to talk later. But you said that since yesterday and it's already dusk now today! Ve've got things to do, too, you know."

"Really? Like what?" Vlad questioned dryly, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Uh…," the same vulture answered, before looking at his companions for help. But when they shrugged in reply, the speaking vulture rolled his eyes at them and then looked back at his employer. "Vell, ve are still deciding. But that's not the point."

"Fine," Vlad said, rolling his own eyes. "What do you have to report to me--if anything at all?"

"Okay, vell," the same vulture began, only to be interrupted by one of his companions.

"Oh, just let me tell him. You take too long," the second bird said.

"If you three start arguing again, I am going to bind your beaks permanently with ecto-glue," Vlad quickly assured them angrily when he saw they were about to do just that.

The ghost vultures jolted, before the second one said, "No, need! Really! He can tell you the story as good as me," the bird said nervously, nudging his companion before moving away from Vlad.

The first vulture briefly glared at his companion, before turning his head again and saying, "Okay, as I vas saying, ve had just reunited with Norbert here, since he had stayed behind to vatch the hunter couple vhile ve came here to vatch those kids. But vhile ve vere vatching the hunter couple, they suddenly vanished! And the next thing ve know, they attack us and hold us at gun point! And then they tortured us into telling them about the Phantom kid!"

Vlad instantly tensed; but just as quickly he glared at them; and with red eyes, he took three steps towards them as he growled out. "What did you tell them?"

"Uh… the truth," the bird replied, though he floated back closer to his companions.

"_What_ truth?" Vlad demanded, looking angrier by the second.

"Vell, that the kid is vith you."

"You dolts! You told them that?" the man fumed.

"Hey, vhat part of 'they vere torturing us' do you not understand?" the bird snapped back.

"You three really like to test my patience. Sometimes I wonder why I even have you three around," Vlad told them angrily.

The three birds looked at each other, before they shrugged in response to their employer's rhetorical question.

Vlad sighed angrily; but he still calmed a bit, knowing getting upset wasn't going to help the matter. "Just what were your exact words to them?"

The birds quickly told the man what they had said to them; and although the billionaire was severely displeased, he was relieved to at least know the three specters had not been foolish enough to reveal his or the boy's secret.

"Ve were lucky that one of their devices malfunction and ve managed to escape!" the bird finished.

Vlad's eyebrows creased, wondering what they meant by 'one of their devices malfunctioning.' But not interested enough to ask, he just nodded in acceptance. He was still surprised to know that Maddie and Jack were ghost hunting again. For one, Jack had been very distraught when he last saw him. And Jack had mentioned that Maddie had been worse off.

The billionaire briefly wondered why they had decided to ghost hunt again. But since he really had no way of knowing, he pushed back the thought. It really shouldn't surprise him, though. Since he met him, Jack had always been the optimist one, while Maddie… _his_ Maddie, had always been a strong and responsible woman… That was one of the things he loved about her…

"Uh, boss?"

"What?" Vlad asked, snapping out of his musings.

"Is there anything else you vanted to know?" the vulture asked, deciding not to ask what had had the man smiling to himself a moment ago.

Vlad slowly shook his head. But suddenly remembering a certain trio of teenagers back in Amity Park, he quickly asked, "What has Jasmine been up to?"

"Vhich girl is that?" one of the vultures asked, confused.

Vlad rolled his eyes and impatiently replied, "The older one."

"Oh! Vell, besides school? She has mostly been spending her time at home. But those other two kids are alvays visiting her…. I think they are plotting against you. Oh, and they stole some jewelry thing from you," the bird added, remembering the younger teens' conversation outside of school.

"Yes, well, none of that is news to me," Vlad replied, slightly annoyed. Still, the man questioned himself just how much Danny's friends and sister knew about everything. They obviously were certain the young half-ghost was with him against his will--in spite when Daniel himself had assured them otherwise… But just what did they know?

"Boss!"

Vlad quickly glared. "Must you shout? I am right in front of you."

"Vell, you keep going all spacey on us. I mean, I know it's something that starts happening vith old age, but---" The vulture quickly stopped when he saw his employer glare in response to his last words. But chuckling nervously, the bird quickly changed subjects and said, "Anyvays, I asked you if you vanted us to return to Amity Park again to spy on the Ghost Boy's relatives and friends?"

The question quickly melded the man's heavy annoyance into apprehension. He knew any future plans when it came to Maddie and also making sure Daniel's sister and friends did not find out anymore than they had relied on his being able to keep watch on them all… But…

Vlad glanced back towards the teen's room, his face creasing again with sadness…

"No…," he suddenly replied softly after a long moment, though it sounded like he had said it mostly to himself.

But the birds still caught his answer and blinked in surprise. "Are you sure?"

Vlad turned back to them, his calm composure instantly returning as he said, "Yes. Your work there is done. However…" The man silently gestured for the birds to follow him.

He _soon_ got to his secret lab again; and picking up the thermos with Dazzler in it, he turned to the curious birds and extended the device to the one closest to him.

Hesitantly the ghost vulture accepted it in his talons, but still asked in confusion, "Uh, vhat's this for?"

"I want you to deliver this to Walker. Tell him it's a gift from Vlad Plasmius. Inside, he will find the true ghost responsible for his best guard's demise."

"Sure, ve'll head there right now," the vulture replied.

"Good," Vlad replied with an evil smirk, before he began to leave the lab again. He might be willing to respect the boy's wishes of not destroying Dazzler, but he wasn't letting that traitor get off the hook _that_ easily… And, in spite of their quarrel, the billionaire was certain Walker would not fail to keep the controlling ghost's 'hook' _painfully_ secure…

"Vait a moment!" one of the ghost vultures suddenly said, stopping the man in his tracks.

The older hybrid sighed tiredly before asking, "What is it now?"

"Vell... ve vere vondering… vhat should ve do after ve return from Valker's?"

The question quickly triggered the man's memories of what they had done to the boy at the pool yesterday and he quickly glared at them. "I really do not care what you three do. But I will only warn you this one last time to keep away from the boy. In fact, if you are going to linger around here, then, _linger_ _outside._ If you three try anything like you did yesterday, I will personally show you what _real_ torture is."

The three ghost birds jolted with the man threat, before one of them angrily said, "Geez! You don't have to be so explicit. Ve get it already."

"Make sure it stays that way," Vlad warned seriously. And ignoring the vultures' grumbles about 'being too old for all this abuse', he turned from them and finally left for his room.

But as he did, the older hybrid creased his eyebrows with uncertainity. He did not know what would come of his decisions regarding Daniel and his loved ones. He didn't know where things would go from here now that he and the boy amazingly trusted each other in spite of _the_ _truth_ of their relationship _still_ hanging above them... But Vlad did know, _he was certain_, that he did not want to do anything to ruin what he had with the boy---whatever it was. And if it took doing away with all his planning and just taking things one day at a time, then....

He would do just that.

* * *

**And this marks the end of the third story arch. Now on to the fourth and final story arch---I think you guys can guess what this one will be about. Oh, by the way, I think I confused some of you with my talking about story arches. No, the story is not exactly finished yet. Actually we've got plenty of chapters---but I'll get to that in a second. What I mean by story arches; is that I structured this story to have four of them---four main plots that mark a big change in the story by the end of them. I think you can see what the big change with this third story arch is. But, anyways, as I said, we do have one last story-arch to go through before we finish this story. And for those who are wondering how many chapters are left, I'll tell you that my story draft goes up to chapter 74, plus an epilogue. But the chapters really depend on me not having to split chapters up because they are too long. Point is, if you do the math, we have loosely sixteen chapters left---seventeen if you count the epilogue. So, those who are eager to come to the end of this story, just hold on for a moment longer. And for those who don't want it to finish, well, you guys can see we are not just there yet---close, considering the length of this story; but not just there. **

***winks***

**Anyways, thank you all for your support and thoughts and comments and critique and all that great stuff! I love writing DP stories; but you guys are the fuel that keeps me going! Heh-heh! Until next time!**


	59. Chapter 58: Emotional Battles

**Heh. Sorry for the wait. It seems that I'm more busy while out of school than while in it. Talk about irony... Anyhow, here is the next chapter. It's of those... interesting ones. But I'll let you read for yourself! See ya at the bottom.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

* * *

**Chapter 58: Emotional Battles**

* * *

About a week had passed since the incident with Dazzler. And with the evil controlling ghost gone for good, an indescribable calm had fallen over the Wisconsin castle in which resided the two half-ghosts. But even when _everyone_ there, in some way, perceived that peaceful feeling, no one felt it more than Danny.

As the emotional turmoil of his and the older hybrid's near-death experience faded, the teen was able to fully appreciate how liberated he now felt. It somewhat reminded Danny of how he had felt after the first time he had met and defeated Spectra way back then. And, really, that made sense, since Dazzler and Spectra were siblings and their powers worked very similarly.

Indeed, when Dazzler had been around controlling him, Danny had felt oppressed and helpless. But now that he was gone, he couldn't help the light-hearted feelings inside him. It was as if in these past days, he had no weight on his shoulders. It was as if it was easier to ignore---and, at times, even forget---that he was not truly free. But it was nice to feel very close to it.

And what made things even better was that, aside from the three ghost vultures, the young half-ghost had not seen any of Vlad's evil allies around since his argument about them with the older hybrid. Still, by the odd way the three ghost birds kept outside of the castle and completely ignored him, it was as if they were not even around---though, it really was even stranger to see them perching on trees like normal birds.

But Danny knew he could handle those three ghost birds; so he hardly gave them much thought. And although their change of behavior was strange, the teen had questioned himself more over the _absence_ of the older hybrid's _other_ allies.

Danny, at first, had not known what to make of it. After all, in their argument before the incident with Dazzler, Vlad had clearly told him he would not stop dealing with his allies. And, yet, in this past week, not even the ecto-puses had been around… The teen had been tempted to ask the billionaire about it. But he had long since decided against it. Whatever the reason Vlad had somewhat swayed in his decision regarding his allies, the boy decided it was better to accept it and not look a gift horse in the mouth.

However, today, his thoughts were on something else completely. Danny, for once, had actually woken up very early, way before breakfast and before his schooling with Ms. Thomas. He had gotten a strange idea---or more like, an urge---yesterday. So, this morning, after sweet talking George into letting him do what he wanted, Danny had begun to get everything ready before breakfast time.

His actions, though, had gotten him a bit of an audience. While George had looked horrified the whole time, the two older maids, Derek, and Carl had just watched him with a mixture of curiosity and bewilderment. Niane, on the other hand, had looked highly amused.

Danny had just ignored them, knowing that he couldn't really explain his strange urge to them, since he did not understand it himself. But if he had to take a guess, the teen would blame it on the fact that he had wanted to do something different. That, and… he wanted to prove Vlad wrong…

"Okay, I'm done," Danny announced to everyone in the kitchen with him. "You guys can take over from here. I'm gonna go find my guinea pig now."

"Wait. I thought you said you've done this before!" George exclaimed, now really worried.

Danny grinned at him. "I have…. Once."

George's eyes widened; but before he could say anything else, Danny changed into Phantom and flew out of the kitchen. And all too familiar with the large house now, the teen made his way to Vlad's room in no time.

Without a thought, Danny poked his intangible head through Vlad's bedroom door. And finding the man still asleep in bed---as he had expected---the teen smirked. He phased all the way in and then strolled closer to Vlad, only briefly pausing when the billionaire unconsciously brought his covers closer to his body; probably due to the chilling ghostly presence now in his room.

Crossing his arms, Danny thoughtfully looked at him for a small moment, before he smirked again. But just when the teen was about to reach down and wake him, he paused as he got a better idea…

With a mischievous grin on his face, the ghost boy scanned the man's room for something he could use. And finding the perfect thing sitting right on the man's dresser, Danny's smile widened, before he flew over to the elegant furniture.

"What a nice and _suitable_ pen," the teenager quietly and amusedly said to himself as he lightly touched the delicate and antique feather pen standing erect within an ink container. He had not known these sorts of writing utensils even existed anymore. This was the first time he had seen an actual one with his own eyes. And if he wasn't so focused on his latest idea, he would have taken the time to actually appreciate its beauty.

Instead, the teen quickly plucked the feather pen from its holder and flew back over to the billionaire. The ghost boy then turned the pen upside down and brushed the feather across the older hybrid's slumbering face.

Danny chuckled when Vlad swatted it away, before turning over to his other side. The teen fixed that problem by simply flying over to the other side. As he continued to mess with the man, he had to bite his lip to keep himself from laughing too loudly. In fact, the teen was so amused and focused on what he was doing that he failed to notice the black ink running down the inverted pen and then down his glove-covered hand holding it. And as the ink collected on the palm of his white glove it began to drip into the billionaire's white hair…

It was all too clear that the older hybrid was not as heavy a sleeper as the younger one from how his face was contorted with persistent annoyance. So, it didn't take long before he stirred and his eyes finally fluttered open…

But not fully awake, Vlad just stared at the figure in front of him, trying to comprehend why there were two large glowing green eyes staring back at him. Wait... Two glowing…?

"Ahh!" the man screamed as he shot up on his bed with a jolt.

But just before his instincts could kick in to defend himself, the billionaire jolted again at the sound of hysterical laugher. Very _familiar_ hysterical laughter…

"Daniel?" he asked in disbelief. But then the man quickly exclaimed, "Daniel! What are you doing in my room?!"

The young hybrid just laughed some more, before smirking and teasingly asking, "Hey, Vlad? Did you know that you snore?"

The billionaire angrily grabbed one of his pillows and threw it at the teen in response. But when the pillow harmlessly passed through the ghost boy's head, the man growled in his throat, but just threw his covers off and finally got up.

Danny just continued to laugh at the peeved man, even as Vlad passed an aggravated hand through his hair and closed his eyes with a sigh, clearly trying to regain control of his shot nerves. But, abruptly, the boy's amusement vanished after he suddenly caught sight of the black blotches now spread all over the man's white hair. And realizing that it was ink, Danny quickly stared down at the feather pen in his hand; and when he saw that his hand was not only covered with ink but that the black liquid was still dripping off of it, the teen cringed, seeing that he may be caught red--,er, black-handed.

The boy jolted at the thought and quickly hid the leaking pen behind his back. He just grinned nervously at the oblivious billionaire.

Vlad let out another sigh, briefly pinching his nose with the same hand which he had just used to touch his hair, before he finally opened his eyes again. That really was no way for anyone to wake up. But a bit calmer now, he looked back at Danny and scowled, too annoyed with him to really notice the teen's nervousness.

"Since when do you wake up before me?" he asked, before moving around him and heading towards his bathroom.

But knowing what that would mean, the young hybrid quickly flew in front of him, stopping him in his tracks. He was still smiling nervously, though his voice now sounded amused as he replied, "Since I decided to make breakfast."

Vlad raised an eyebrow; but his irritation melded a bit into a small amused smile as he questioned somewhat skeptically and bewilderedly, "_You_ made breakfast?"

Danny was having a real hard time not bursting into laughter again. The sight of the man's silk, green and gold pajamas and the black blotches of ink on his disheveled hair---and now face, too---was just all too comical!

Still, the teen managed to grin brightly and nod his reply.

Vlad rolled his eyes; and crossing his arms, he tried to hide his being pleased with a dry tone of voice as he questioned, "And you had to scare me half to death to tell me this?"

Danny smirked. "Naw. That was just for fun!"

"Uh-huh. Well, I'm glad I was able to provide such 'entertainment' for you," Vlad replied sarcastically, before moving around the teen and finally heading into his bathroom.

Danny, this time, didn't stop him. Instead, he crossed his arms, and mischievously counted, "three, two, one…"

"_DANIEL!"_

"Hurry down, Vlad!" Danny called back, mirth in his voice; before quickly zooming over to the dresser. And after putting the pen back, he then phased straight through the floor, laughing heartedly.

His dive led him to the large laundry room. And finding a sink there, he simply turned his hands intangible and got rid of the ink on his white gloves. "I almost forgot how much fun it was to mess with _Uncle Vlad_," he said with a wicked smirk, before he turned on the facet to rinse away the mess in the sink.

With a last chuckle, Danny turned human again and headed back to the kitchen. On his way, he ran into the three cleaning maids. But knowing they were busy with their morning routines, he just smiled at them and carried on to the kitchen.

"Hey, George?" he called once he was there and had spotted the ghost getting everything in order for breakfast. And seeing the ghost jolt at the sight of him, the teen quickly smirked and said, "Relax, I'm done with the kitchen---at least for now. I just wanted to tell you that Vlad's getting ready. I'd give him, like, thirty minutes, maybe more…," he added, grinning again at the thought of the unintentional prank he had just pulled on the man.

George, alarmed by the boy's earlier comment about the kitchen, gave no thought to Danny's mirth, and instead, the ghost quickly addressed what had struck him most about his words.

"Okay. But, what did you mean by 'at least for now'?" he asked, guardedly.

Danny grinned secretly at the ghost and replied, "You'll see…"

George looked more nervous; but before he could question the teen further, Danny waved and walked off.

Knowing he had some time to spend before breakfast, the teen decided that now would be as good a time as any to make a trip to the green house. Ever since he had gone with Vlad to see those ghost plants some time back, he had been meaning to take a better look at them at his own leisure. He was growing more fascinated with the ghost flora, especially after learning a bit about them from the billionaire. He would have never guessed spectral plants could be so complex and useful, and was even more curious about them …

However, his desire to check out the plants quickly diminished the moment he entered the green house and found Vlad's two ghost gardeners tending to the spectral and non-spectral plants there. But to the teen's surprise, the ghosts did not glare at him as they had every time they crossed paths in the past. This time, the gardeners just frowned before going back to their work.

Danny hesitated, wondering if he should just leave. But deciding to attempt to speak to the two ghosts who obviously did not like him, he walked a bit closer to them. He hesitated again before shyly saying, "Uh, sorry to bother you two… You're obviously busy and all… But… would it be okay with you two if I check out some of the ghost plants? I mean, I don't want to get in the way or anything. I just…"

The gardeners looked back at the teen when he trailed off. But then briefly glancing at each other, one of them shrugged and finally replied, "You are the second master around here, right? You can do what you want."

Danny blinked when the ghosts turned away again. Although he had heard the comment before in one way or another, it really bothered him this time… Yes, Vlad usually did pretty much let him do whatever he wanted around the castle; but he had never felt--and _still_ did not feel--like he had any authority over the billionaire's workers. At least, not so that he felt he deserved the title of 'master'.

Danny frowned. Is that why these ghost gardeners never liked him? Did they see him as an intruder who they now had to obey? But he wasn't that. And he did not want to be that. And although after all these months, the ghosts had grown to tolerate his presence, they obviously were still tense around him.

The teen did not know why he did what he did next. Maybe it was because he felt that these ghosts were not evil. After all, besides the glares, they had never tried anything against him. Or, maybe it was because he was sure they had gotten the wrong impression of him; and even _he,_ when he had first met them, had gotten the wrong impression of _them_. Or maybe it was just a sudden desire or impulse.

Whatever the reason, Danny took a few steps closer to them and this time asked, "Can I help?"

The ghosts quickly stopped what they were doing and turned to look at the boy with a confused look. "Help? You want to help _us_ with _our_ duties?"

Danny shrugged slightly and weakly smiled. "Well, I don't know much about taking care of plants, let alone ghost plants, but…I'll do whatever you guys need…"

The gardeners studied him quietly for a moment before the one that had been addressing him this entire time whispered something in the other's ear. The second ghost shook his head in response. And then once again, the same ghost that had been talking, finally said, "Although we are astounded by your offer, we do not feel it is… _right_ for you to be doing our work…"

Danny frowned in confusion. "But I'm not. I would just be helping. Plus, I have time to spare. So, really, it's okay."

Again, the ghosts conferred with each other, before the same one crossed his arms and said, "Alright. See that water container behind you on the stand?"

Danny turned to look at it and nodded.

"Well, at the far end of the greenhouse are the watering hoes. Although the human-world plants have an automatic irrigation system, the spectral plants must be watered by hand. So, if you want to make yourself useful, fill that container with water and then bring it back over here."

The teen was actually surprised by how easily they had agreed to let him help. And they even seemed a little more relaxed now. But not finding anything to say, Danny just nodded and did as he was told.

When he finally returned with the water-filled container, the two ghosts turned to him. And the one, who had yet to talk, silently took it from his hands. The ghost nodded his 'thank you' but also made a strange gesture with his unoccupied hand to Danny before turning his full attention to the water container.

Danny was confused by the hand gesture, but then his eyes widened in astonishment when the quiet ghost gardener brought up the container closer to his face and then blew into it a strange green mist. But what really had Danny amazed was how the action left the container---or more specifically, the water--- glowing ghostly green.

"What did you do to it?" Danny asked, still awed by the whole strange event.

"Just added spectral energy to the water," the other ghost answered for the quiet one. "Ghost plants need energy-rich water, you know."

"I… uh… didn't... But that makes sense and it's pretty cool. So, what now?" Danny asked, smiling slightly.

The quiet gardener gave the teen the container back, before the other one replied, "Now, you just water them. Go for it, kid. Oh, but stay away from---"

"---the ghost plant with the attitude, I know," Danny quickly finished for the ghost with a smirk. Of course, the teen knew all about the large flytrap-like ghost plant with the grumpy personality. After all, it had almost bitten his hand off that one time when he was with Vlad…

The two ghost gardeners smirked back, as if understanding that the teen had already had a close encounter with the plant.

But they did not say anymore and just returned to their duties with Danny now lending them a hand. The teen and the two ghosts did not talk much during the time the young hybrid was helping out. But, with a bit of effort, Danny managed to learn that the quiet one's name was 'Jasper'. And that the reason that he did not talk was not because he was shy, but because he physically could not. So, he communicated through signs and face expressions. The other one's name was 'Bennie'. And aside from being 'Jasper's voice', he was also his close friend; and so they watched out for one another.

Danny could tell that they were still unsure of him; but seeing them calm and actually talking to him was definitely a big step. He wasn't sure if they would ever fully accept him; but it was nice to know they were willing to interact with him---even if it was just to water plants.

A little over thirty minutes later, Danny headed back in, leaving the two ghost gardeners to tend to the ghost-plant-with-the-attitude. They were going to feed it. And being that it was a carnivorous plant, the teen had decided to leave right then rather than watch how that worked; _especially_ when the Venus-like plant had kept its beady eye-like sensors trained on him more than the glowing meat the two gardeners had been waving in front of it…

When Danny got to the dining room, Vlad was already there waiting for him, drinking a cup of coffee. Even though Vlad usually preferred drinking tea most of the time, the teen had learned some time back that the man only had coffee during breakfast.

Vlad glanced briefly away from his newspaper when he heard the boy come in. But the man didn't say a word and just shot the teen an annoyed look.

Danny grinned back as he sat down, before saying, "What? It's not my fault you have a pen that leaks."

Vlad lowered his newspaper to fully address the boy, and answered with a condescending tone of voice, "It's an antique, Daniel. _Of course _it's going to leak if you hold it upside down."

Danny laughed in response. "Well, no harm done, right? I mean, it looks like you got _most_ of it out…"

Vlad immediately looked worried. Had he failed to wash all the ink out of his hair?

But when the teen laughed some more, the man quickly scowled, realizing the boy was messing with him again.

"You have a skewed sense of humor, Daniel," Vlad muttered.

Danny just continued to laugh; but seeing the man looking as annoyed as ever with him, he forced himself to calm down and seriously say, "Alright, Vlad. I'm sorry..."

But the moment after he said that, the teen laughed again as he added, "But, come on. You gotta admit that was funny!"

"As funny as my sneaking into your room at night and pouring, say… white paint on your own hair…," Vlad replied, his eyes narrowing with slight wickedness before his irritation melded into jest.

Danny briefly frowned at the thought. But then, he smirked again, not believing that the billionaire would stoop down to his level of pulling pranks. After all, the guy was usually very formal and typically dealt with things in a mature and thought-out manner.

Of course, the teen didn't realize just how much _his_ way of doing certain things was beginning to rub off on Vlad. In fact, it was more than he—or even the man himself---knew just yet…

"You wouldn't," the boy said confidently. "But even so, you forget that I so happen to style white hair half the time. So, that doesn't exactly scare me, cheese head."

"Hmm," Vlad simply replied, a mysterious smile on his face, before he raised his newspaper up again and continued to read it.

Danny raised an eyebrow at that, now really wondering if Vlad would dare do what he had insinuated. But before he could think about it anymore, Derek and Niane came in with their breakfast.

"Thanks," the teen said to the young maid after she had placed his covered meal in front of him.

She just nodded and smiled, before leaving Derek to tend to Vlad. But for once, the billionaire seemed to notice her quick departure, though he did not say anything about it.

But then, the sight of their breakfast quickly reminded Vlad of whom exactly had made it. And he smirked over at Danny as he amusedly questioned, "Tell me, Daniel. Just how exactly did you convince George to let you use his kitchen?"

Danny smiled cleverly. "I can be very persuasive, Vlad. But even when I did manage to convince George to let me make breakfast, I was so sure he was going to pass out as he watched me. It's a miracle he didn't. Seriously, though, his obsession is kinda disturbing. Aren't you afraid of having such a possessive ghost in charge of your kitchen?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Vlad laughed heartedly at the question. But he still managed to reply, "Not at all, Daniel. You see, I seldom touch hiskitchen."

Danny chuckled. "That explains it." But the teen then grinned as he grabbed the cover on his breakfast. "Okay. I'm all good for George's way of making French toast, but _this_ is what French toast is really supposed to look like," he said before lifting the cover off and waving at the meal in front of him.

Vlad gave him a strange look, before uncovering his own plate and staring down at his own slices of French toast. They were definitely not his ghost chef's work. For one, instead of George's bun-like style, the slices of French toast were the typical square-shape. Also, the breakfast item was served plain, except for the white power and cinnamon. There were no pecans sprinkled on top of the French toast or cut pieces of strawberries or bananas around it---as was typical of George's style. But aside from the visual differences, Vlad honestly did not see what the big deal was. Daniel made it sound like 'his' French toast was a completely different entrée than what George made.

"It might look different. But, really, Daniel. It's all the same," he told him in amusement.

But Danny shook his head and replied, "No, it not. This tastes totally different."

"Uh-huh…," Vlad mumbled skeptically as he looked back at the food in front of him. And then with a small shrug to himself, he poured some syrup on the toast from the saucer beside him and finally tried them.

Danny watched Vlad's reaction as he, too, added syrup to his toast. And as he guessed, a perplexed look fell over the man's face at finding that the boy was absolutely right. It was like he was eating something completely different!

"You know, Vlad," Danny said casually, "You should learn to try things before judging them…"

Vlad looked up at the boy, who gave him a mocking smile before taking a bite of his own breakfast. And knowing the teen had purposely thrown back the same words he had once said to the boy at the dining table, the billionaire then rolled his eyes at him.

But now more amused than anything else, the man smiled and reluctantly admitted, "Alright, Daniel. You were right. It does taste very different. Hmm. Who would have thought? You're actually a fairly good chef, little badger," Vlad complemented with a teasing tone, though the warm smile on his face showed he was being sincere.

Danny smiled appreciatively; but then his eyebrows creased and his eyes slightly lowered when the comment triggered a sudden thought---one that he accidently voiced…

"My…mom taught me…"

Vlad, who had been about to take another bite of his breakfast, instantly froze. He could only stare at the boy, literally feeling the single, unexpected comment blast him in the gut with guilt.

Danny, as if sensing the man's sudden tension looked at him. And when he saw the look on his face, the boy's eyes slightly widened, finally realizing that he had just said his thought out loud. Nervous, the teen quickly looked away, mentally berating himself for his slip up. But it also made him recall just how much he missed his mother… and everyone. Something that for some reason he had almost forgotten as of late…

Vlad slowly lowered his own gaze at the plate in front of him, though he suddenly wasn't very hungry. But unable to bare such a tense silence anymore, especially when it had not been present between them for a while, the man quickly thought of something to say. But although his voice sounded calm, it was also quieter as he said, "I see that she has taught you good things…"

Danny felt his heart briefly jolt with sadness; but just as quickly, he pushed it down and slowly nodded at the man's comment "Yeah…," he then said in a serious voice. "She really has..."

But with the thought of what his mother had taught him, he readily—and this time, silently--remembered the same thing about his father. But then something further came to the teen's mind; and this time he privately added, "_They have taught me more than I could ever tell you. And if it wasn't for the things they've taught me, __I wouldn't be trying to do what I am... I wouldn't be sitting here with you right now…"_

"You know…," Vlad said after a moment, his voice somewhat distant and hesitant. "When your parents and I were in college, your mother never really liked to cook. She knew how and did so quite well. But, aside from baking cookies---she's always enjoyed that, at least---she never really liked preparing meals. And, Jack…. well, you know."

Danny slowly looked up, and found the man staring down at his drink. But the comment swelled a strange feeling inside the teen. Even when, after all the things that had happened between them, they had grown more at ease with each other, they were both very much aware that Danny's loved ones—especially his parents---were a dangerous topic. And yet, even with a strong uncertainty hanging in the air, Vlad, for whatever reason, was not attempting to change the topic…

The teen found himself unable to either, even when there were warning bells going off in his mind.

"So, then… you guys just ate out most of the time?" Danny asked, a touch of curiosity within his hesitant voice.

Vlad looked at him, a flash of surprise passing through his blue eyes, before he smiled slightly. But although his voice sounded calm now, he was more guarded than ever as he lightly shrugged and replied, "Sometimes. But with our limited income, we just bought groceries most of the time and I'd just cook for us---well, if I was not too busy, that is. You see, your father and I were roommates, while your mother and Harriet Chin---you met her at the reunion, remember? Yes, well, they were roommates. So, Harriet and I used to take turns with the cooking. And on a little more than the rare occasion, your mother would take a turn. Your father…He would buy the groceries…"

Danny took a drink of his juice, somewhat astounded with hearing how… _normal_ things were between Vlad and his parents back then. And the actuality of that surprisingly and greatly eased the sadness that he felt with the mentioning of his parents. In fact, it slightly amused the teen to hear what the billionaire was saying…

"Well, the part about you cooking doesn't surprise me as much. But only because I've already tried some of your cooking once before; otherwise, I'd never believe that. But my dad buying groceries?" Danny asked, growing slightly more animated. "My mom never lets him shop for food. The last time he did, Dad came home with a two weeks supply of fudge and cookie mixes. He said that's all anyone needs."

Vlad huffed in mild mirth. "Ironically, he did fine with it in college. Then again, your mother or I would always make him a list of things to buy. Still, he did manage. Although, yes, fudge was always something he would buy…," The older hybrid smiled a bit wider to himself with the thought before sighing and adding more soberly, "As you can see, time changes some things…"

Danny's own amusement faded and he just nodded, unable to think of anything else to say. But the comment only drove home the fact that Vlad had considered Jack his friend at one point. And now, the teen understood just why his father cared so much about the billionaire: His dad had seen---and still saw---another side of Vlad Masters. It was the same side that Niane saw. And the same side _he_ now could see…

The boy's private contemplation was interrupted by Vlad when he suddenly smiled again before saying, "And then, there are things that never change."

"Yeah," Danny answered, a small smile returning to his own face. And not wanting the tension still around them anymore, the teen quipped, "Like your fanaticism with the Packers."

Internally relieved with the chance to change the topic, Vlad smirked and retorted, "Tsk. I've told you, Daniel. 'Fanatic' is such a negative word. I prefer the term… _admiration_."

"Yeah, you even _admire_ them in your sleep. Seriously? Green and gold pajamas, Vlad?" Danny asked, now fully grinning at the memory of how comical the man had looked.

"Now, Daniel," Vlad began with a clever look. "I know you are not mocking my choice of sleep attire when you very often wear similar, _**pink**_ ones…"

Danny jolted in surprise before his mouth fell open in disbelief. "W-What? Hey, wait a minute! They are **not** pink!" he then quickly protested, clearly appalled by even the thought.

Vlad laughed at the boy's reaction, feeling smug at the chance to get back at him as he retorted, "Oh, really? Then, pray, tell. What color are they?"

"Uh...they're…" Danny quickly glared and again denied, "They are not pink!"

Vlad just laughed some more, though he nodded in fake agreement.

Danny scowled even more at the billionaire; but then, on a sudden impulse, the teen quickly grabbed his nearby spoon and chucked it in the laughing Vlad's direction. And since his intention was not to directly hit the man, but to just slightly startle him, he had aimed lower and just to the left of the older hybrid. However, the teen ended up aiming a little _too_ low and the spoon hit an untouched glass of orange juice. Instantly, the glass tilted forward with enough force that some of the juice splashed Vlad in the chest while the rest fell on the table and then on Vlad's lap.

Whatever amusement had been on Vlad's face instantly turned into shock; and with a yelp, he jumped out of his seat, staring wide-eyed at the orange mess all over his suit and white shirt. For a moment, all he could think about was how he was going to be late for his meeting now that he was going to have to change! After all, even if he turned intangible, the suit was still going to reek of the acidic drink!

But when the billionaire finally managed to get pasthis shock enough to look back at the teen responsible, the anger that had started to coil his stomach abruptly vanished when he saw Danny's own shocked look.

But when he met the man's gaze, Danny's surprise melded into a smug smirk, before he flippantly said, "Well…I didn't really mean to do that, but then again, you did kinda deserve it."

"Oh, really?" Vlad quizzed, a mixture of annoyance and something else in his voice.

"Really," Danny answered smartly, before he continued to eat his breakfast as if nothing had happened. Even so, the teen never once took his blue gaze away from the billionaire.

And Vlad clearly understood and could _see_ why: The boy was challenging him.

Not doing a thing to clean off the mess on him, Vlad instead sat back down on the chair next to his former one and just frowned at the teen for a moment. But then, with a strange sigh, the man turned his gaze to the small fruit salad to his right and calmly moved it closer to him.

"You know, Daniel…," Vlad began after a small silence, though he sounded a little too calm considering what the teen had just done to him. The man stabbed a piece of strawberry with his fork and lifted up to oddly inspect it, before continuing, "This was one of my favorite suits. And you just ruined it."

"My bad, Cheese head," Danny replied mockingly.

At that moment, Vlad turned his gaze back to the teen, who raised an amused eyebrow at finally seeing the unmistakable glow in the older hybrid's eyes. It was the very glow that was always present in them when the man was about to do something. And with the way he was holding the fork with the strawberry it was not hard to guess what exactly…

"You wouldn't," Danny assured him with a confident smirk, honestly not believing the refined billionaire would do what he had in mind.

Vlad sighed dramatically as he lowered his fork a bit. "Yes, you're right. I wouldn't… But I believe this is the _second_ time today you have gotten something on me…Therefore, I think this calls for an exception. You see, I simply could not live with myself if I did not return the favor…just in a more slightly drastic way…"

Having been focused on the hand with the slightly raised fork and strawberry, Danny had not noticed that the older hybrid's other hand had been holding the side of the fruit bowl on the table that entire time. So, the teen did not even manage to gasp when Vlad, in one fluid movement, tossed the bowl's contents right at him.

Chuckling at the stunned look on the fruit-and-juice-covered young hybrid, the billionaire finally ate the strawberry on his fork, before he mockingly said, "My bad, Daniel."

Danny's eyes turned green and they narrowed, for a moment actually looking angry. "You want a fight, Vlad?" he asked as a mischievous grin curved his lips, proving he was anything but upset. And before the billionaire could process the teen's quick mood changes, Danny morphed right where he sat.

Vlad slightly shielded his eyes against the bright rings. Unfortunately for him, that was all the time Danny needed to fly right at him and then land behind him before the man could properly react.

"Then, bring it on, Cheese head," Danny quipped, and then dumped the saucer of syrup right on the man's head.

Vlad gasped and jolted in surprise. "Daniel!" he exclaimed; but the teen just flew out of the dining room, laughing.

The billionaire groaned as he grabbed his napkin, trying to get rid of the sticky mess running down his face. Now he was going to have to shower again as well!

But quickly remembering the teen responsible, a dark smirk curled the man's lip as he calmly rose from his seat, before picking up his own saucer of honey and saying,. "Very well. If it's a battle you want, Daniel, it's a battle you will get."

In an instant, the man morphed, just as quickly his sticky white hair and soiled clothing becoming respectively replaced with shiny black hair and his ghostly white, spotless ensemble. As he turned invisible and flew after the boy, the older hybrid had to laugh at the irony and absurdity of how their past physical, hateful fights had now turned into childish food fights. He honestly couldn't begin to guess what in the world had possessed him to play such a silly game with Daniel. But he simply **could not** let the boy win…

As the older hybrid followed his ghost sense after the younger one, the latter had now arrived at the kitchen.

George, Derek, and Carl had been engaged in a conversation; but they instantly jolted when Danny zoomed right by them, heading straight for the fridge.

"Don't mind me, boys. I just came to get some arsenal—I mean, condiments," Danny said with a chuckle as he pulled out a bottle of ketchup and another of whip cream from the fridge.

"You could have just called me…," Derek replied, thinking the teen meant they needed more condiments, though he didn't understand how that was possible.

Danny had been about to respond when Vlad suddenly phased through the kitchen doors, his eyes quickly narrowing on the boy. "Nowhere to run, dear boy."

"Who says I'm running, Vladdy?" Danny answered cheekily, tightening his hold on the bottles in his hand.

Meanwhile, the look on the three male ghosts' faces was nothing short of comical as they tracked the two hybrids on the opposite sides of the kitchen. Were they fighting again? If so, why did they need so many condiments?

"Ah," was Vlad's only answer to the boy's retort, before he suddenly teleported in front of the teen.

But as if expecting the move, Danny quickly squeezed the ketchup bottle, causing a stream of the red condiment to shoot forward at the older hybrid. But with a gasp of surprise, Vlad turned intangible in time to avoid getting hit. However, the three ghosts behind him did not and so two of them became accidental targets.

George and Derek yelped at being those two unfortunate victims, while Carl stared wide-eyed at what was going on.

"Opps," Danny said with a slight cringe. "Sorry about that, you two."

But Vlad quickly ceased the opportunity to teleport behind the boy and readily dump the syrup container in his hand right over Danny's head.

Danny spun around, shocked by the unexpected attack while he tried to keep the sticky fluid out of his eyes. "Aw, darn it!"

"Tsk. Still easily distracted. Have you learned nothing from our lessons, Daniel?" Vlad teased smugly, his arms folded in front of him, though he was ready for any move the teen could make---or so he thought.

Danny grinned in challenge as he said, "Let's find out." The teen suddenly shot forward, shocking Vlad at seeing him come at him so quickly. But to the man's further surprise, the boy actually turned intangible and flew through him.

"Ugh! Daniel!" Vlad exclaimed, touching his chest with the odd sensation before spinning around.

Only to get ketchup right in the face.

Vlad yelled out and recoiled. But when he managed to see again, he scowled at the cocky grin plastered on the face of the boy floating a few feet from him.

"What was that about being _easily distracted_, cheese head?" Danny asked smugly, before waving and phasing into the employee lounge room.

Not about to give up, Plasmius quickly moved to the fridge and quickly looked through it. And finding a nice bowl of raw eggs within it, he grinned and said, "This should nicely crack that ego of his..."

With the entire bowl in hand, the older hybrid teleported after the boy. The billionaire hardly had noticed his three stunned ghost employees' stares. But even after he was gone, the three ghosts did not say a word for few more seconds, not knowing what to make of what they had just seen.

But, then, a sudden loud laugh from Carl broke through George and Derek's own shock.

"Ha! You two got hit with ketchup!"

The ghost chef and butler quickly glared at the laughing chauffeur; but then the two former ghosts smirked evilly at each other, before Derek quickly aimed a hand at Carl and fired ectoplasmic goo at his mouth.

The ghostly driver let out a muffled shout as he fell back on the ketchup and syrup mess left behind on the floor by the hybrids.

"Welcome to the team," George said smartly to Carl, before crossing his arms and adding to Derek, "The girls are going to _love_ this latest _fight_."

Knowing the chef was referring to maids and the different kind of disaster the hybrids were going to leave behind for them to clean up, Derek grinned widely. "Yes, as much as you are going to love cleaning this kitchen now."

George's eyes widened in realization, before you yelled, "My kitchen!"

* * *

Meanwhile, knowing that Vlad could sense him and he could not do the same, Danny decided to level the playing field. Turning human, he quickly hid behind one of the lounge couches. And with ketchup and whip cream still in hand, he waited for the billionaire to appear.

Danny had to bite his lip to keep from cracking up when he heard a sudden 'whoosh' of air with the older hybrid's entrance. The teen waited behind the couch for the man to reveal his exact location in one way or another. And he did not have to wait for very long.

"Little Badger, tell me…. How do you like your eggs?" Vlad asked evilly, tossing one of the eggs up and down in his right hand as he scanned the lounge. By his inability to sense the boy anymore, the man knew Daniel had turned human. And if that was the case, then the teen was hiding somewhere in this lounge…

Now sure of Vlad's exact position, Danny quickly took hold of the whip cream in the same hand as the ketchup, before placing his now free hand flat against the floor. He readily sent an intangibility power beam right across the room towards a small decorative table. And turning the floor briefly intangible under one of its legs, the table wobbled, getting the man's attention as he expected.

Vlad quickly moved towards the table, which was at the left of the teen's current location.

Danny then instantly took advantage of the man's close proximity and jumped to his feet, aiming the ketchup bottle at the older hybrid.

"Hey, Vlad? I like my eggs with ketchup!" Danny quipped before he fired.

But as Vlad got hit by the condiment, the billionaire just as quickly reacted and threw an egg right at the boy's face.

Danny yelped and staggered back. But when he saw another egg coming his way, Danny turned ghost again and darted to his right, only to tumble right over the couch behind which he had been hiding before.

Vlad laughed as the boy rolled off the front of the couch and to the floor. "That was quite a move. Mind if I make one of my own?"

Danny jolted when Vlad appeared in front of him, ready to throw another egg at him. But all of that practice of his most recently learned abilities finally paid off as Danny squeezed his eyes shut and teleported himself.

Too bad that his 'arsenal' stayed behind.

Vlad laughed as the ketchup and whip cream containers thumped on the hard wood floor. And when a second later Danny reappeared to his left, the man grinned at him and teasingly asked, "Forget something?"

Danny rubbed his neck, a bright blush on his face as he walked closer to the man and mumbled, "You still haven't shown me how to transfer teleportation to other stuff…"

Plasmius chuckled and nodded. "I'll show you at practice today…. But until then, you are at a disadvantage," he added with a smirk, before smashing an egg on the boy's head.

"Oh, yeah?" Danny asked, a wicked smile quickly curving his lips just before he suddenly teleported, this time reappearing right behind the billionaire.

And quickly grabbing the first item he could reach on the ground, which happened to be the whip cream container, he quickly fired it at Vlad just as the man whirled around.

Plasmius quickly shielded himself with his cape; but before he could do anything else, the teen suddenly turned invisible and flew out of the lounge room, taunting, "Catch me if you can, V-man!"

Vlad chuckled at the boy's childish words; but he still readily followed Daniel's ghost signature to the foyer. However, the moment he got there, the teen's 'feel' vanished and the older hybrid frowned, realizing he had turned human again.

Not wanting to be caught off guard again, Plasmius turned invisible and floated forward, trying to listen to any small noises that might give the young hybrid's location away. It wasn't long before the man heard the sound of footsteps behind the close door of his first-floor lab.

A knowing smirk curled up Vlad's lips as he slowly floated closer to the door, while grabbing another egg from the bowl in his other hand.

However, the man was not aware that the person in the lab was not Danny. In fact, Danny had been hiding in a nearby hall, also listening to any sounds that might give away the older hybrid. And when the human teen, too, heard the sounds of footsteps in the lab, he turned invisible again and slowly made his way to the closed lab door…

The both now invisible hybrids were now actually standing right next to each other without knowing it since they were so focused on the door. Slowly, they simultaneously raised a hand towards the door handle, 'arsenal' ready in their other hand. However, before either could open the door, the person on the other side did.

Both hybrids jolted at the unexpected happening; but wanting to be the first to catch the other off guard, they did not wait for a visual and just quickly reacted.

"Take that! / Got ya!" the older hybrid and the younger one yelled respectively as they threw their arsenal at the entity in the lab, before turning visible again.

But at doing so, they finally noticed each other.

Vlad and Danny jolted, before their eyes widened and they simultaneously yelled at one another, "I thought that was you! Then… who…?"

Both hybrids darted their eyes back to the entity standing at the lab's entrance, only for their eyes to widen in horror at finding an egg-and-whip-cream-covered Ms. Thomas.

"Ms. Thomas!" Vlad and Danny exclaimed, before a blush appeared on both their faces.

The ghost teacher just stared at them both in disbelief for another moment; but her expression then melded into pure anger. And with a flash of red from her usually blue eyes, she demanded, "What is the meaning of this?!"

The half-ghosts cringed at the furious-air radiating off the female ghost. But it was Vlad who reacted first, knowing he needed to calm her down.

Vlad readily changed back into his human form; and with a nervous smile, he said, "My sincerest apologies, Ms. Thomas. We had believed you to be… someone else…Isn't that right, Daniel?" the man asked the teen, discreetly nudging him with an elbow.

"Oh, uh… Yeah! Heh-Heh. Sorry about that," Danny quickly apologized, a nervous grin also on his face.

Believing that it had been an accident and that their apologies were sincere, Ms. Thomas' anger melted into plain annoyance and she just rolled her now blue eyes at them. With a sharp sigh, the ghost turned intangible, instantly removing the mess on her.

"I suppose you will require some time to change before we can begin today's lesson?" she dryly asked the food-covered teenager, before her eyes moved to Vlad. And finding him in a similar fashion, she silently raised a condescending, yet questioning, eyebrow at him.

The now bright red billionaire quickly cleared his throat, before he looked away from the ghost teacher and down at the boy instead. "Well, I have a few things to which to attend today… So, then, I'll see you after lunch, Daniel."

Without waiting for a response, Vlad walked off, clearly embarrassed at having been caught in such an undignified position.

Rubbing his neck, Danny just stared after him, not feeling too far off himself. This was worst than when Mr. Lancer unjustly blamed him for staring a food fight at school---though, this time, although accidental, he actually _did_ start one...

Ms. Thomas suddenly cleared her throat expectantly, reminding the teen again of her presence.

"Oh, right," Danny said with a shy smile. "I'll be right back."

Ms. Thomas watched him run up the main stairs with a shake of her head. But now a lot calmer, she stared around the foyer and one of her eyebrows hitched again at the food mess all over it.

"Well, this is something you don't see every day," Ms. Thomas mumbled to herself, giving the foyer one last look, before shrugging it off.

But as she finally headed up the main stairs to the mapping room---where she gave Danny his lessons---two sudden screams coming from the employee lounge got her attention. She blinked, recognizing the voices as that of the two older maids. And when they suddenly phased out of the lounge and into the foyer, Ms. Thomas was proved right.

The teacher cringed as one of them screamed again, just before the younger one also flew out of the lounge, looking slightly worried about the two older maids. But not wanting to stick around to see the now two angry older maids and the nervous younger one's further reactions, Ms. Thomas continued to her location.

Still, the maids angry yelling was loud enough for her to hear it for a good long time…

* * *

Jazz sighed deeply as she shut her laptop in defeat. Tucker had sent her what they had recovered from the bracelet; and although she had agreed with Tucker and Sam's earlier theories on what some of the codes meant and how they were linked to that mainframe they had discovered at Vlad's mansion over a week back, even the older teen could not conclude what the rest meant---especially that 'BS-NB 3501' code…

But their searches had not been all in vain, Tucker had analyzed the ecto-filtrator Vlad had inserted into the Fenton Portal. And the teen had indeed found foul play. Although the concentrated energy was normal enough, it was what was floating around in it that had captured the teenager's attention: microchips. And lots of them. And upon further inspection, Tucker was sure they were meant to control the portal's function. But with what purpose did Vlad want to control the Fenton portal?

It did not take Jazz long to come to a conclusion. After all, if those hidden microchips, the cameras, and the malfunctioning Specter Deflector---which she was now certain was Vlad's doing---did not scream 'evil plot', nothing did. And without Danny around, the fruit loop's next target would be her father.

Vlad was after her father**.**

It sure made things more complicated. As much as Jazz hated to admit it, there was only so much she could do to protect her father against a high-powered ghost hybrid with a more than twenty year grudge fueling him. She honestly didn't think the billionaire would push his luck like this. Didn't the creep know that she would tell her mom everything if something happened to her father?

Unless Vlad had planned on making it look like it was not his doing…

Whatever the evil man had been planning was now blown out of the water thanks to her and Danny's friends. But it did make Jazz wonder why Vlad had not acted sooner when he obviously had had everything in place to do so…And then an even more troubling question remained: would Vlad try another plan to hurt her father?

Jazz really felt trapped. She wanted to protect her dad. She wanted to save Danny… But she also did not want to expose her brother. And she did not want to risk Vlad doing what he had threatened her with if she did not keep her mouth close. Still, she had to do something. She had to stop Vlad before he did anything further…

And she could only think of two ways. One of them was, of course, telling her parents everything. And the other…

Jazz frowned deeply at her closed laptop. She couldn't deny that she had now grown desperate. She was ready to do just about anything... And this second option would be that 'anything'.

She glanced at her clock that read almost two pm, before reaching across to her night stand. She pulled out a phone book on which she had very recently scribbled a few new numbers---acquired by Tucker. As she turned through the pages, looking for a specific number, her gaze darkened and she muttered, "You're not the only one who can blackmail, Vlad…"

Finding the number she wanted, she pulled her cell phone out and quickly dialed it. Her eyes narrowed as the line began to ring…

* * *

Entering his castle, Vlad glanced down at his hand watch and noticed it was a quarter till two. He had gotten back later than expected; but at least, he had finished all his business affairs. In retrospect, he could have done most of it in the comfort of his private office. However, the billionaire was finding that, lately, he never could get much work done at home.

Vlad faintly smiled at the thought as he headed up the stairs. But his thoughts soon returned to his work when he remembered he needed to call his secretary. Being that he had not stopped by DALV, he had yet to talk to her today, but needed to do so to ask her about a matter dealing with Mark Vazier…

Arriving at his private study, he put away his briefcase and filed a few papers, before sitting down at his desk. He pulled out his cell phone; and with a single press of a button speed-dialed his secretary.

"Hello, Stephanie," Vlad greeted her when she finally picked up.

"_Oh, hello, Vlad. How are you?"_

"Quite well, thank you," he replied with a smile as he leaned back in his chair.

"_Hmm… sounds like it," _she teased.

The billionaire chuckled a bit. He couldn't hide the truth. This past week had been so… peaceful. It was a nice feeling after everything that had gone on with Dazzler. Aside for the brief tension with the teen this morning, which had been readily forgotten after their interesting 'fight', things really could not be better with Daniel. It was as if the boy's being here was…natural. And that put the billionaire in more of a lighter mood than he could ever explain…

"_So…Is there something in specific you called for? Or should I leave you to your musings?" _Stephanie suddenly asked with humor, snapping the man out of his thoughts.

Vlad cringed, internally glad Stephanie was not physically there. But he then quickly rolled his eyes and answered smoothly, "I was not under the impression that I needed a reason to call you, my dearest friend..."

He smirked at her silence, before he added, "However, yes, I do have a reason for calling you."

"_Then, by all means, Mr. Masters, state your reason."_

Vlad raised an eyebrow. Was she angry? He shrugged it off, knowing he had not said anything to offend her---or so he thought.

"Has anything been sent to me from Mark Vanzier recently?" he asked calmly.

Stephanie sighed for some reason, before just as calmly answering, _"Yes. In fact, I dropped it off at your house earlier today. I gave it to Daniel."_

Vlad frowned; but as if reading his thoughts, his secretary added, _"You were still not back from your other business and he so happen to be there when I came. Plus, judging by what you have told me, I figured I could trust him to deliver it to you. Was I wrong?"_

The older hybrid rolled his eyes, catching the woman's underlying tease with her last words. But not wanting to encourage her, he calmly replied, "Well, I have not seen Daniel since I returned. But I'm sure he'll give it to me. Is there anything else you gave him?"

"_Just some financial papers for DALV you need to look over."_

Vlad just nodded even if he knew Stephanie could not see it. But before he could say anything, she spoke up again.

"_You know, you should take him. It'll be a good experience for him."_

Vlad reclined back, looking thoughtfully towards his fireplace. So, what Mark Vazier sent him really was what he had expected. It didn't surprise him. After all, this had been talked about when he had gone to Germany---in fact, he had mentioned it to Daniel…

The billionaire just had not expected it to be so soon. Or, actually, how soon was it?

"Do you know when?" Vlad questioned, knowing he didn't need to elaborate since she knew what he was talking about.

"_The end of this month."_

"Hmm…," was all the man said. But then he paused; and sitting up a bit, he asked, "You are going, too, correct?"

"_It depends. Do you want me to go?"_

Vlad creased his eyebrows in confusion, finding the question odd. Didn't she already know the answer to that? But he still answered, "Of course. I'll need you there."

"_The usual, then... Very well. But I still think you should take him. I'll bring Annie along if you do…"_

"I'll think about it," Vlad replied, momentarily glancing at the picture of the Fentons on the fireplace mantel.

"_Alright. If there isn't anything else, I must leave you. I'm driving to Annie's school for one of her after-school engagements."_

"Ah. But, yes, that is all. Good-bye, Stephanie. And tell Annabelle I wish her the best of luck, hmm?" Vlad answered.

Stephanie agreed to do as he asked, before she said her own good-bye and finally hung up. With a small sigh, Vlad stood from his desk and headed back out to find the young hybrid. It was some time before dinner and about an hour before their daily training session; so the teen could be anywhere at this current time. Still, the billionaire figured his best bet was the boy's room…

But when he got there, Daniel was not there. Vlad briefly concentrated to see if he could sense the teen's ghost signature. But he had no such luck.

"Wonderful. Now he has me playing 'hide-and-seek' with him," Vlad mumbled sarcastically, though he looked amused, too.

The billionaire headed back down, deciding to find one of his ghostly employees instead and just ask them if they had seen Daniel.

However, as Vlad neared the kitchen doors, he smiled when very familiar laughter revealed the boy's location…

"Relax, George. I won't blow up your kitchen," Danny assured the nervous ghost. But then the teen grinned wickedly and added, "That's only happened once to me. And it so happen to be the only time I ever used a kitchen!"

Not knowing the teen was just messing with him, the ghost chef gasped in horror. But before he could say anything, the billionaire made his presence known; and the man noticed that Daniel was making something again…

"You know, little badger, if you keep this up, George here might be out of a job soon," Vlad commented, shooting an evil smirk at his chef as he walked closer to him and Danny.

George instantly frowned at his employer, for a moment wondering if he was serious. But then, he shook his head and suddenly looked very angry. "Sir, you have to stop him! He's going to blow up the kitchen! I mean, just look at the mess he's making!"

Vlad opened his mouth to reply, only to be interrupted by his ghost chef, who suddenly gasped loudly and exclaimed at the teen, "Wait! Don't put that there!"

The teen, who had just set down the container of oil on the counter beside the stove, blinked in astonishment when George grabbed the container. The ghost then clutched it against his chest, before floating several feet away from the stove.

The older hybrid suddenly laughed heartedly, getting Danny's and the still fuming George's attention.

"Honestly, George," the man said, quickly able to hide how entertaining this all really was to him. "You really should calm yourself. After all, if Daniel does 'blow-up' the kitchen, I will just hire someone to construct another one."

Danny grinned widely. "See? Problem solved!"

"But I like this one!" George exclaimed, this time sounding like a pouting child.

Vlad rolled his eyes, though he was clearly still amused. But knowing that it was impossible to talk logically to his ghost chef, he just let him be and turned his gaze to the kitchen.

"Exactly what are you making, Daniel, that has George so upset, anyways?" he asked curiously, unable to tell from either the smells or the items scattered around the kitchen.

Danny readily lifted up a bag of marshmallows and box of chocolate chips; and with a grin, replied, "Cookies."

Vlad raised an eyebrow as he came closer to the teen and began to study the different things on the counter. "And… where did you get the things to make cookies, Daniel?" he slowly asked, knowing that half the things the teen was using was not things he normally kept at his house…

Danny, who had now returned to preparing the cookie mix, cracked an egg into the bowl, before he smiled cleverly at the older hybrid and replied, "Derek goes grocery shopping on Tuesdays, remember? I had a serious craving for cookies, so I just told him to get what I needed for me… Oh, and then a few other… things…"

Finished with the eggs, the teen moved passed Vlad to return them to the fridge. But the boy's last comment had really gotten the billionaire's interest and he didn't hesitate to voice it.

"_Other things_, Daniel?" Vlad questioned, his eyes never leaving the boy.

"Uh-huh," Danny replied distractingly, his head in the fridge. But when the man didn't say anything else, the teen finally looked at him; and with a questioning look of his own, added, "I didn't think you'd mind…"

"Of course not," Vlad replied calmly, before he crossed his arms and added more seriously, "But if by 'other things' you mean _junk food_, then, you understand that it is not to replace your _actual_ meals."

Danny rolled his eyes at him, before sticking his head back in the fridge and replying annoyingly, "Geez, Vlad. How many times do I have to tell you? I'm not two years old."

George suddenly squeaked, getting the hybrids' attention. And seeing the ghost chef fly over to the beeping stove and turn down the heat level, Danny just smiled and shook his head.

Finding the condensed milk for which he had been looking, he pulled it out and returned to what he was doing. Vlad just silently watched him for a moment; but then suddenly asked in genuine curiosity, "Why are you so interested in playing chef today, Daniel?"

"Because he wants to torture me," George grumbled under his breath, as he continued to watch the teen with crossed arms.

"Aside from that," Vlad said with a smirk at his chef, catching his comment.

Danny chuckled, before shrugging. "Well, I told you. I just really wanted homemade cookies. And as for this morning, I just wanted to prove you wrong—which I did…and then a bit more," he added mischievously, tightening his hold on the spoon he was using to evenly mix the things in the bowl.

Vlad smirked, though he readily raised his hands up in a pacifying gesture. "Now, now, Daniel. I believe that was a draw. So, don't get any ideas, hmm?"

Danny smirked back. "I don't like draws. But, fine. Truce… for now."

The teen chuckled when Vlad replied with an unsure frown; but Danny just ignored it and returned to what he was doing. But then before he really could, he suddenly remembered something and jolted. "Oh! I almost forgot!"

Danny quickly pulled the mixing spoon out of the bowl and set it down on the counter, before suddenly turning into Phantom and telling Vlad, "Stephanie came by. She said to give you some stuff she gave me. It's in my room, though. Hold on."

Vlad watched him phase through the ceiling, before looking back at George. But the ghost was not paying him any mind. Instead, the chef quickly moved to turn off the oven, before moving around to clean up as much as he could before Danny came back.

"George," the billionaire began with a sigh; but deciding against it, he just shook his head and watched him. But then, as the man's eyes moved to the cookie mix on the counter, a thoughtful look crossed over Vlad's face, before he suddenly smiled, and said mostly to himself, "You know, I honestly don't remember the last time I had cookies myself…"

George's eyes quickly darted to the billionaire when he moved over to a cabinet and began to look through it. "Uh… what are you doing?" the ghost asked nervously.

But before the older hybrid could answer, Danny came back. "Here. She said…What are you doing?" the teen asked, looking quizzically at the billionaire when he noticed the things in his hands.

Vlad smirked. "Cookies."

"What?!" George exclaimed. Having to watch one halfa cook was bad enough. Now two?!

"Seriously?" Danny asked, a bemused smile curving his lips, while he ignored the ghost chef.

And also paying no mind to George, Vlad nodded, before moving past the teen and placing the things in his hand on an unused part of the counter."Yes. But I like Macadamia cookies," he commented casually, before moving to find a bowl.

Danny made a distasteful face. "Gross. I don't like them."

Vlad smirked back at the teen again as he assured him, "Oh, you will like mine, dear boy. They _taste different_."

Danny raised an amused eyebrow at hearing the man throw him back his own comment from breakfast that morning.

"Alright. But if I try yours, then you gotta try mine," Danny countered as he walked over to the billionaire and handed him a sealed large folder and a very fancy-looking invitation card…

Vlad smiled. "Sounds fair," he answered, before taking the items from him. He briefly inspected the closed card, a slight thoughtful look on his face.

"Stephanie asked me to go to some park with her and Annie this Saturday…," Danny suddenly and hesitantly commented.

"Funny, she didn't mention that to me a moment ago," Vlad mumbled. But noticing the teen's questioning look, he added, "I spoke with her on the phone. But it doesn't matter. Are you interested in her offer?"

Danny shrugged. "I told her to ask you."

"Well, she probably assumed I would just tell her to ask _you_---which _is_ what I would have told her. So, I ask you, are you interested?" the man questioned, this time with a bit more curiosity.

The teen rubbed his neck for a moment, before suddenly moving away from Vlad and going back to making cookies. The billionaire raised an eyebrow after him; but not wanting to press the issue, he left to put the papers on the kitchen table before also returning to getting the things he needed to make his own cookies.

There was a small silence, before Danny finally spoke up. "Look, don't tell her I told you this, but… Stephanie… I don't know. She kinda…creeps me out…"

Vlad paused what he was doing; and although the teen looked serious about it, the man couldn't help but grin as he wryly asked, "How so?"

"I don't really know. It's just this… feeling. Maybe it's because she knows more about me than I know about her. Or maybe it's the way she looks at me. I mean, she's nice and all. And I really like her daughter---I-I mean, not 'like-like', but she's… cool. I kinda want to go with them but then I kinda don't…Stephanie just… I don't know…," the teen finished with a sigh, not wanting to voice what he really was thinking. Stephanie, actually, reminded him of Vlad in some ways. And although it wasn't in any bad way, Danny honestly feared that he would slip up somehow and she would figure out the truth about him and Vlad. Or worse, find out his secret! How was it that that didn't worry Vlad? Or, at least, he didn't act like it did…

"As you know, Daniel, I have known Stephanie for a long time. She's harmless, dear boy. She just thinks you're a delight---I can't say I disagree," he added with a warm smile, which the teen returned with a meek one of his own. But the billionaire sobered up a bit as he assured him, "Trust me, if she had any ill-intent towards you, I would not allow her to get this close."

Danny nodded, feeling a bit better with the comment. After all, Stephanie had never done anything to make him wary of her. But the teen really couldn't help the feeling… Still, he should at least give her a chance before judging her.

But the thought of the woman quickly reminded Danny of the one thing he was dying to know ever since he met Stephanie…

"Vlad?" Danny called, stopping what he was doing to look at the man again. And getting his attention, he asked, "What does 'jie' mean?"

Although the teen had mispronounced the word, Vlad knew exactly what he was asking. The older hybrid mentally cursed his secretary for ever calling the boy that. But knowing he could not tell him what that meant unless he wanted to see Danny _really_ angry at him, the billionaire thought of something else he could say. However, before he could, the phone rang.

The billionaire raised an eyebrow in the direction of a nearby lounge where he kept the nearest phone. Odd. He rarely got calls to his house phone.

And by the confused way Danny was staring in the same direction, the teen was thinking something along the same. In all the time he had been at Vlad's castle, the boy had never once heard the house phone go off.

But before the teen could say anything, the older hybrid was already beginning to walk out of the kitchen as he muttered, "Excuse me, Daniel."

As he headed down the hallway, the man walked into the first room on the left, where the phone was still ringing.

Internally glad for it, being that it saved him from having to answer the teen's question, Vlad calmly picked it up and said, "Vlad Masters Speaking."

"_Listen up, fruit loop, because I'm only going to tell you this once!" _

Pure shock overcame Vlad's face, instantly recognizing the voice on the phone as that of Jasmine Fenton. He unconsciously gave the room's still open door a nervous, fleeting look, knowing just how close he was to the kitchen... and Daniel.

But the thought of teen quickly snapped the billionaire out of his surprise and his gaze instantly darkened as his grip tightened on the phone in hand. "Jasmine," he said coldly. "I have absolutely _no_ desire to talk to you. Ta."

Before the girl could say anything more, Vlad angrily hung up the phone, and then grabbed the line and disconnected it. But knowing that it would do little good to keep the other phones around the house from ringing should Maddie's daughter call again, he quickly turned into Plasmius and teleported to his home's basement.

"So much for peace of mind," he grumbled bitterly as he floated over to the fuse box. But just as he found the switch for the phone line, the house phone began to ring again.

"Overbearing girl," Vlad growled, before flipping the switch, instantly cutting off the phone line. He glared another moment at the fuse box, before turning human again and heading back out, deciding to walk back to the kitchen to give himself the time to calm down…

* * *

Danny, who had been putting the cookie mix on a baking tray, paused when Vlad finally returned. The man did not look bothered at all; but for some reason, Vlad didn't meet his gaze and just silently went over to the sink to wash his hands…

And that only raised the teen's curiosity over the strange call…

Before he could stop himself, Danny blurted out, "Who was it?"

Vlad finally looked at him, though he raised an eyebrow at the question. But when Danny just continue to stare expectantly, the billionaire shrugged in disregard, answering, "No one of importance, Daniel."

Danny didn't reply. And although he was slightly bothered with the man's answer, the teen decided not to press the matter any further and shrugged it off himself.

"I think I'm gonna go," Danny suddenly said in thoughtful voice as he moved to turn on the oven again.

Stuck in his own thoughts, Vlad blinked at the teen's comment, not understanding what he meant. "Come again?" he asked, confused.

"Oh, I mean, with Stephanie and her daughter on Saturday," Danny elaborated, glancing at the man to measure his reaction.

"Well, you have no opposition from me, dear boy," Vlad said with a small smile. "But, good. I'll let her know your reply."

"Why don't you come, too?" Danny readily asked, an encouraging smile curving his lips.

"Stephanie put you up to that?" Vlad asked dryly.

"Huh?" the teen replied, confused.

But realizing the teen had no idea what he was talking about, Vlad shook his head and replied, "No, Daniel. I only meet with Stephanie in public for business purposes. Anything else would be unwise."

"How come? She's your friend, right?" Danny countered, not getting what was the big deal.

"She's also a single mother and I happen to be the unmarried billionaire who employs her," Vlad replied seriously. "The press, Daniel, is always looking for a new scandal to smear all over their front page. And I won't allow my reputation---nor Stephanie's---to be what they smear."

Danny was somewhat awed by the man's conviction to not only protect himself but also his friend. But he then quietly nodded when a sudden question came to mind with what the man had said. But he feared it was too personal. Still, he really wanted to know.

"You guys have known each other since high school, right? So… uh…Did you ever meet Annie's… father?"

The billionaire paused with what he was doing; and when he didn't look at the teen nor reply to him, Danny quickly realized that that was a bad question. But before he could apologize, Vlad finally spoke up.

"I did," he answered coldly. "But I can assure you he is not even worth mentioning. A man who abandons his pregnant fiancé is fouler than… well, something I don't dare say in front of you."

"I think I get the idea," Danny muttered, agreeing for the most part with the older hybrid. But then, he couldn't help but smile at the man's anger as he said with a tease, "You really care about her, huh?"

"Naturally… We have history," Vlad replied guardedly, somewhat disturbed by the strange tone in which the boy said the comment.

Noticing the man's apprehension, the teen just nodded and continued making the cookies. However, a small daring smirk curled on his lips, one that the man did not see…

"You know…Stephanie's very pretty… I mean, for an older woman… Don't you think so?" Danny commented offhandedly, though he never looked at Vlad.

The billionaire instantly frowned and turned to look at the boy. But seeing the teen was not even looking at him, the man's eyebrows creased in confusion, "Yes. But---"

"RING!"

Vlad growled at the sound of his cell phone. And doing nothing to hide his annoyance at being interrupted, the man pulled out the device and pointedly answered, "Vlad Masters speaking."

"_You hang up on me again and I'll tell my mom who you are!"_

Vlad's face turned ash white with Jazz's voice and comment. But suddenly furious, his eyes flashed red, something the teen noticed.

"Vlad?" Danny asked hesitantly. "Are you…?"

"Just a moment, Daniel," Vlad cut him off a bit too harshly, before walking out of the kitchen. Making sure the kitchen doors were closed, the man quickly pressed the phone back to his ear and angrily demanded, "Just how the blazes did you get this number?"

Jazz scoffed. _"What? Do you think you're the only one who can access other people's private things? Tucker's got more on you than you could ever imagine! Does the name 'Mark Vazier' ring any bells?" _

Vlad's eyes turned bright red; and it took all his will power to hiss instead of scream, "How _**dare**_ you and those brats stick your noses into my private doings!"

"_It doesn't feel good to have someone invade your privacy, does it?"_ Jazz sneered back.

"What do you want, Jasmine?" Vlad asked coldly, clearly in no mood for 'small chat'.

"_You really are demented,"_ she said in disgust. _"What do you __**think**__ I want? I want you to let my little brother go, you creep!"_ she shouted angrily, though it was clear she was also trying to keep her voice down.

And by the fact, Vlad guessed that Maddie and Jack had to be home. Still, the billionaire tightened his hold on his cell phone as he glanced at the kitchen's closed doors, before angrily replying, "I thought your_ little brother_ made it clear to you that he had no desire to see you or anyone else in Amity again---just like I have **no** desire of talking to you now---or ever again!"

"_I mean it, Vlad, don't you __**dare**__ hang up on me!" _Jazz all but screamed when it was clear the man was about to do just that. _"I know what you did!_ _We found all your little toys in my parents' lab and how you messed with the Specter Deflector! Congratulations, then, you jerk!. You effectively hurt my mother with it,"_ she ended in cold sarcasm, knowing the news would cause at least some pain to the evil man.

Vlad's eyes widened with horror with the news. And feeling his mouth go dry, he was unable to deny the device's malfunctioning had been his doing. It took him a moment to finally reply in a quiet voice, "That was never my intention."

"_Yeah, I know. You're intentions were for my father. Too bad for you that your scheme backfired,"_ Jazz spat back.

Vlad's eyebrows creased in worry as he glanced at the kitchen entrance again, before seriously asking, "Is she alright?"

"_Are you worried, Vlad? Does it fill your black heart with guilt and sorrow to know you hurt the supposed 'love of your life?' Good. Maybe now you can imagine a fraction of what I feel every day that my brother is there with you!"_ she said hatefully, though pain was also clear in her voice.

Vlad's eyes flashed red again, the comment definitely hitting home. But as usual, he quickly pushed back his emotions and chuckled carelessly in reply. "So… You think that Daniel is with me against his will, hmm?"

"_I don't think. __**I know**__!"_ Jazz replied angrily. _"I don't care what he said the day we found him at your castle! I know he didn't mean any of it! You made him say all that!"_

Vlad just chuckled again. "Oh, please, Jasmine, do you really think _I_ could have made Daniel say such things to the people for whom he supposedly cares? We both know every one of his words that night were his own."

"_No! No, they were not!"_ Jazz firmly denied. _"I don't know how you made him say all that or how you are making him stay there, but I suggest you drop your act right now! I want my brother back, do you hear me? Give him back to us! Or I'll tell my parents everything! I'll tell __**everyone**__ your secret! I'll destroy your life, Vlad Masters! I swear it!"_

The billionaire's anger returned ten-fold. "You are in no position to threaten me, girl! You even attempt to destroy my life, and I'll destroy your father!"

"Like you've been trying to already?" Jazz growled back.

"Foolish girl," the older hybrid spat back. "Did it ever occur to you that if I had wanted to destroy Jack, I would have by now? We both know you can do little to protect him from me---even Daniel, when he was around, hardly had a chance. However, you try me enough, and I might just change my mind…"

"_Yeah? And then what are you going to tell Danny?"_ she challenged, sure that her brother would not continue to stay with the man if he did anything to their father.

Vlad's anger subsided significantly with the mention of the young hybrid. But he still kept up his cold demeanor as he replied, "What he does not know can't hurt him, Jasmine."

But then knowing he was not going to get anywhere butting heads with the girl, the billionaire sighed in annoyance and said seriously, "Listen, Jasmine, we both obviously have substantial threats that we could wave in front of each other's faces all day. But in the end, neither of us is going to go through with those threats. We are at a stalemate, dear girl. I am not foolish enough as to try anything to jeopardize my identity, especially when it comes to your mother. And I believe you are smart enough not to jeopardize your father's safely by divulging the truth about Daniel and me. In any case, we both know you couldn't do that to your dear brother, anyways."

"Yes, I can!" Jasmine firmly assured the man. "And I will if it's the only way to get my brother away from you! I won't sit here and do nothing anymore while he's forced to suffer your unspeakable torture!"

Whatever composure Vlad had a hold of instantly slipped from his grip with the girl's last comment. And too blinded by sudden rage to really think about why he was so angry, let alone what he did next, the man all but exclaimed, "Unspeakable torture?! You know **nothing**, you ignorant brat! But then, you tell me, does this sound like I'm _torturing_ him?!"

In one fluid movement, the older hybrid turned his hand and his cell phone invisible and intangible and phased it right through the kitchen's closed doors, allowing Jazz to hear Danny's laughter on the other side…

A second later, Vlad pulled his hand back out and placed the phone back against his ear just as it and his hand reappeared. "You better act fast, Jasmine, I don't know how much more of my _torture_ Daniel can bear," he spat sarcastically.

But when all that reached his ear was dead silence, the billionaire pulled the phone away slightly and sighed deeply. Now more worried than angry, he glanced again at the closed kitchen doors just as the faint sound of Danny's amused and George's worried voices reached his ear.

"_He… really wants to be there?"_ Jazz finally asked, her voice now cracking and subdued.

Vlad brought the phone closer to his ear, his mind's silent voice cracking with its own sad and mixed emotions when it barely answered the girl:

"_No."_

But instead, he replied soberly, "Jasmine…Daniel is just fine. Why can't you accept that?"

"_Because he's my little brother and I miss him!"_ she replied, sounding close to tears. _"I know you don't care how I feel. But, please, __**please**__, think about my mom, Vlad. You care for her, right? Danny's disappearance is destroying her!"_

Pain instantly stabbed Vlad's heart with Jazz's last remark, leaving him unable to say or do anything, but close his eyes against it.

But unable to see his expression, Jazz only became more desperate with the man's silence.

"_**Vlad, please!**__ Even __**you**__ can't be this cruel! Don't you see that he belongs with his family?!"_

But when the billionaire still did not reply, Jazz finally broke down and began to cry.

For a moment, Vlad just listened to the distraught girl on the other end. He never had much interest in Maddie's daughter and he honestly doubted he would have much more of it even if it had been her who had ended up half-ghost instead of her brother. But hearing her so upset, hearing about Maddie, and… imagining how upset Daniel would be if he knew, utterly troubled the man. It utterly saddened him.

But the sudden thought of the teen returning to Amity Park instantly returned the coldness to the man's eyes as he gripped his cell phone a bit harder and just as coldly finally uttered, "No. He belongs nowhere near there, Jasmine. He is better off with me. Here, he does not have to worry about having his fat oaf of a father use him as some lab rat! Here, he doesn't need to live a double life or carry the burdens of what he is alone! And, here, Jasmine, he does not have to risk his life to protect some fools who thank him by either shunning him or trying to shoot him down! Accept it, girl! There is nothing but misery, pain, and rejection for him there! Daniel is happy **and** safe here! So, why don't **you** stop being cruel and leave him in peace?!"

Vlad's only response was even louder sobs. But it was enough to peel off his uncaring demeanor, allowing his previous feelings of sadness and… guilt to claw at him again.

"I know my word means nothing to you….," he said with sudden softness. "But I can assure you that Daniel is well taken care of. And I will do everything in my power to keep it that way, Jasmine."

"_Click."_

With a soft sigh, the older hybrid lowered the phone from his ear, the beeping of the dial tone barely echoing in his mind. He briefly pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, all the while trying to shove down the guilt and other emotions swirling inside him.

But remembering the young hybrid still in the kitchen and how curtly he had left him, Vlad let out a sharper sigh this time, and quickly put his phone away. With just the slightest hesitation, he opened the kitchen door and went in.

"Quit, George! Seriously, I can't make anything if you don't let me turn on the oven!" Danny protested, though he was unable to contain his laughter at the sight of George hugging the stove protectively.

"No, you'll burn her!" the chef replied, gripping tighter.

Danny rolled his eyes; but before he could say anymore, Vlad finally made it back. The teen raised an eyebrow, though a smile also curled his lips as he said, "I thought you had left me hanging."

An unbearable amount of guilt unexpectedly gripped the older hybrid when he saw the boy again, and his throat constricted under its assault. But not wanting the boy to notice, Vlad forced a warm smile on his face before walking past him to wash his hands in the sink again.

But Danny still noticed the man's strange silence and his amusement and smile melted away as he quizzically asked, "You okay?"

Vlad clenched his teeth against the emotions gripping at his heart. But refusing to yield to them, he forced them down enough to speak again.

"Of course, dear boy," the man answered, flashing the teen a confident smile before moving to continue the cookies he was going to make. But finally noticing George who was still holding the stove protectively, he frowned and silently gesture at him to move away.

George whimpered; but seeing his employer was serious, he abided, though that didn't keep him from grumbling as he retreated to another side of the kitchen.

Danny grinned as he quickly darted over to the unprotected stove and began to reset its oven's temperature and time. Luckily, the state-of-the-art oven was quick to heat up and only took a minute or two to do so.

So, as he waited for the oven to be ready, the young hybrid went over to the fridge for something to drink. As he looked through it, though, he spoke up again, "Hey, Vlad? I was telling George he should make raviolis for dinner. What do you think?"

Vlad smiled faintly in the direction of the teen as he replied, "Whatever you want, my boy." But the moment he turned his eyes back to the things he was measuring out, the man's face fell back into a sober look…

Pulling out a can of soda---one of those 'other things' he had asked Derek to get him---Danny asked, "Okay. But what kind?" He popped the carbonated drink open and took a large gulp before grinning with his next sudden idea. "I say we experiment! We could stuff them with pepperonis! Or, hey, how about macaronis! Yeah! We could stuff one pasta with another. Hey, George, can you do that?" the teen asked, turning his attention to the ghost.

George, who had been looking at his quiet employer with a quizzical frown, jolted with the question. But then, he frowned even deeper at the boy's suggestion. "Uh… I'm not sure about that…"

"Why not? I bet it would taste great!" Danny answered, smiling at the thought. But then he got a better idea and he grinned back over at Vlad. "Wait, I got it! We can stuff them with that sweet Chinese chicken you like, Vlad! Yeah! They would go great together!" The boy briefly paused in thought, before asking the man, "What's that chicken called again?"

Vlad, who had been fighting against his emotions, which had been gaining ground with every passing second, finally lost to them. And he only realized how hard he had been gripping the large wooden spoon in his hand when it suddenly snapped in half.

Danny froze at the sight, while the billionaire cursed under his breath. However, before the teen could say anything, the man walked over to the sink and all but threw the broken spoon in it and then began to angrily wash his hands.

The teen briefly glanced at George, who shrugged apprehensively at him before he suddenly disappeared completely from the kitchen.

Danny hesitated slightly, unable to measure if the man was angry at him or just angry in general. But remembering he had been fine before he left, the young hybrid took a step closer and tentatively asked, "Hey…are you sure you're okay? …Who called you, Vlad?"

The billionaire finally turned off the facet; and grabbing a clean rag, he finally turned to Danny, though his eyes stayed lowered to the cloth in his hands as he said, "I'm sorry, Daniel. An issue came up and…" Vlad sighed, before shaking his head and placing the rag on the counter.

"I have to go, Daniel," he suddenly said soberly, moving past the teen. "I have some things to take care of. So, we'll have to skip our session today. I'm very sorry."

"What?" Danny asked, trying to process the man's sudden departure and all his words at once. But then he quickly bolted after the man. "Vlad, wait!"

The man instantly paused with the teen's hurt tone of voice. He looked back at him, feeling even more guilt flare within him as he realized how coldly he was suddenly treating the teenager.

"I…," Danny began, looking away briefly. But then his eyebrows creased as he met the man's gaze again and quietly asked, "What about the cookies?"

Vlad smiled sadly at the teen, before approaching him. And placing a hand on one of his shoulders, he warmly replied, "I'll try yours when they are done. And I'll make mine tomorrow. I promise." He gave the boy's shoulder an apologetic squeeze, before grabbing the envelope and invitation on the table and finally leaving.

Danny just frowned as he watched him go, honestly unsure of what to think of the man's bizarre attitude. But when he heard the oven beeping for the tenth time, announcing it was ready to bake, the boy sighed loudly and went back to put the cookies in.

* * *

Jazz had hung up. It was the only thing she could do after hearing her brother's laughter, after hearing the truth in Vlad's words…and after hearing the man's sincere promise to her. It had all been too much. She didn't know what to make of it. She didn't want to think, believe, that _that_ evil man truly cared for Danny; it wasn't possible. It couldn't be! Otherwise… Otherwise her brother wasn't in real danger; otherwise she had nothing to fight against…. Otherwise, she didn't have that extra push to tell her parents the truth…

But… She had clearly heard Danny laughing. He had sounded so at ease, so carefree. He had sounded so….

"Happy!" Jazz exclaimed, before burying her face into her pillow and sobbing.

What was she supposed to do now?

The answer came to her with the memory of her conversation with Clockwork, but more of his poignant words. And although it had never been---and still wasn't---the answer she wanted to hear, she couldn't keep at least some of her conversation with the ghost at bay…

"_You make no sense. You won't help my brother. But you are here to 'help' __me__ see __my__ choices?"_

"_The three of you, Jasmine, have stood by his side every step of the way; even when you didn't initially know of his powers, you have aided him. But there comes a time in everyone's life when they must stand alone. Your brother's time has come. He does not need my help. And he does not need yours or theirs. This battle, he must fight alone."_

"_I-I won't leave my brother there."_

"_He is there for more than one purpose. And your presence will only delay his completion of them. I understand how this must sound to you, but I know what lies in his path ahead. And I will assure you that if he does not succeed now, he stands no chance of success for what's to come."_

"_You still haven't answered why you're talking to just me."_

"_You will find out soon enough," Clockwork replied. ""For now, I leave you with the knowledge that everything Danny needs right now is at his reach. I recommend that you stay on the sidelines for this one." The ghost suddenly smirked again as he added, "But then again, the choice is yours…" _

Jazz finally understood. She finally knew why Clockwork had only talked with her that day. The choice of how all this played out really was in her hands---just in more ways than the girl truly knew yet.

But it was. She could tell her parents about Danny. She could risk Vlad keeping his threat and risk destroying her brother's life by divulging his secret. But, at least, he would be home. Surely, her parents and she could find a way to deal with whatever repercussions her choice could bring. Didn't all that matter was that Danny would be with them again?

Or… she could listen to Clockwork. She could trust in her brother's own strength and let **him** decide how all this ended. But then… that meant ignoring her responsibility to protect her younger brother. That meant leaving him in the hands of that, that selfish jerk…

"_I can assure you that Daniel is well taken care of. And I will do everything in my power to keep it that way, Jasmine."_

"A selfish jerk," she whispered into her pillow, still unsure of what to make of Vlad's words.

She honestly regretted feeling bad to hear her brother seem so happy. Shouldn't she be _glad_ that he was okay, that he wasn't suffering?

But then if he was happy, that meant that what he said to her and his friends the last time they saw him was all true. Did her brother really not want to see them again? Did he really want to be there with Vlad?

Should she… respect his decision…? Or should she continue to find a way to bring him home?

"I don't know what to do!" Jazz cried out in despair; and unable to come to a decision, she just bawled even harder. She just cried until she couldn't anymore…

* * *

It was almost eight at night by the time Vlad finally decided he couldn't stay where he was forever. He gave his personal lounge a last glance, before standing up and heading to the stairs. His personal lounge, interestingly, connected to his private study, much like his secret lab. In fact, to access his personal lounge he would simply tilt the left golden football on the fireplace mantel---instead of the right golden football which opened up his secret lab.

But he seldom visited his personal lounge unless he needed to think---_a lot._

To his misfortune, his pondering had gotten him nowhere. And as the fireplace closed behind him in his private study, the billionaire turned to the Fenton picture on the mantel, the sadness in his gaze intensifying. Being that he was alone, he did nothing to hide his emotions, which had him feeling as bad as he did ever since his conversation with Daniel's older sister.

Ironically, the news of his hurting Maddie was not what disturbed him most. Still, the first thing he had found himself doing after leaving the kitchen had been to go to his secret lab to confirm that Jasmine and the other two teenagers had indeed found the gadgets he had put in the Fentons' lab. But considering that Daniel's sister had yet to reveal his identity, Vlad then had to conclude Maddie was fine---not that that did anything for his stabbing guilt. After all, whatever had happened to her had been his fault. Even the teenagers' finding the hidden camera and the microchips in the Ecto-filtrator had been his fault. He should have had the foresight to remove the devices the instant he had decided to terminate his plan of Fright Knight wasting Jack.

But… he had been so… occupied that he had not thought about it. Somewhere along that time, he had lost focus of his plans and of all his doings. His focus had moved solely to the young hybrid---for better _and_ for worst.

And that was why nothing bothered him more at the moment than the things Jasmine had said about Daniel. But there was one single comment that bothered him more than any other:

"_Don't you see that he belongs with his family?!"_

In spite of what he had said to Jasmine---which the man did firmly believe---he could see the truth in her own words, too. And worse, he could see how much Danny missed them. No matter how much the boy tried to hide it from him, it still showed in his eyes---and at times, it would slip out---like at breakfast this morning. It was why Vlad knew that if Daniel truly had a choice, he would not hesitate to leave his side and return to them---return home. After all, the billionaire had also noticed how the teen never called the castle his home.

It wasn't. It never would be.

But as much as this guilt was hurting him lately, Vlad _could not_ do the only thing that would ease it. Because letting the boy leave would cause him greater agony than anything he could feel now. In fact, just the thought of his life without the boy now left him suddenly breathless.

He _needed_ him now.

"I really am obsessed," Vlad whispered despairingly, though deep down he knew that it wasn't just _obsession_ anymore that had him so troubled and so attached to the young hybrid.

The man was so overwhelmed with all his conflicting emotions that he didn't even hear the knock on his private study's door. And he didn't even hear it open…

* * *

Danny was sure something was very wrong with Vlad when he didn't even show up at dinner. The man usually told him when he wasn't going to eat with him. But honestly believing that that 'something' was work-related and that the man was just busy, the teen decided to let him be.

But when late evening came around and he had yet to see even a glimpse of the older hybrid, the younger one couldn't ignore the strange feeling in his chest any longer. And thinking up of an excuse to interrupt the man---just in case he was being paranoid and the guy really was just working---Danny headed to the kitchen to pick up what he needed and then went back up to the billionaire's private study.

He knocked a few times; but not getting any response, he slowly opened the door. However, whatever he had been planning to say or do instantly left his mind the moment he saw Vlad supporting himself against the chimney while staring sadly at a picture of his family…

And, suddenly, Danny knew. He was certain he knew exactly what was wrong with Vlad and exactly who had called him.

An array of emotions swept over the young hybrid; and feeling his hands shaking slightly, he then recalled the carrying tray holding two cups of milk and a plate of cookies in his hands. But he quickly set it down at the nearest place, suddenly feeling like the thing was burning him.

He stared back at Vlad, suddenly feeling more than a little resentful towards him. And it rang in the boy's next cold question.

"My mom called you, didn't she?"

Vlad jolted with the sound of the boy's voice, finally realizing his presence. The man's eyes snapped towards him, a mixture of completely new emotions flashing through his eyes. What was Daniel doing here? How dare he come in here when he was so--so exposed?!

But finally taking in the question and sensing the boy's own emotions that were just behind the sudden coldness towards him, the man couldn't bring himself to be angry at him---especially when he briefly noticed the tray sitting on a nearby stand…

Vlad sighed, before turning his attention back to the chimney and placing the picture back on the mantle. Still, he said nothing.

Danny took a step closer, feeling as if he could no longer contain his emotions. It wasn't fair! It made him so angry, so hurt, so… _jealous_ that Vlad could talk to his mother, hear her voice and tell her anything he wanted when _**he**_ **couldn't**!

Not trusting his voice, the teen whispered, almost threateningly, "Answer me, Vlad."

The older hybrid just stared soberly at the fireplace, but he did finally and truthfully reply, "No, Daniel. She has not called me."

His feelings of resentment suddenly snuffed away, leaving Danny just utterly confused. He wasn't sure if it was because of all the time that he had been here, interacting in one way or another with Vlad--or if the older hybrid's changes towards him made the man easier to read—but Danny was completely sure that Vlad was telling him the truth.

But if his mom had not been who called him, then, what had the man so upset? Why had he been looking so troubled at the picture of his family? Who else but his mother could invoke such sadness within the man? Stephanie? Annabelle?

Now worried more than anything else, Danny's gaze softened as he asked, "Who called you, then? …What's wrong, Vlad?"

The older hybrid suddenly glared at the hearth'sdancing flames, feeling even more horrible with the sound of the boy's concerned voice. He felt so frustrated with himself now that he couldn't get a grip of his emotions! Since when did he let them control him? Since when did he have enough conscience to care about anything else other than what he wanted?

**Why in blazes did Jasmine's words torture his mind?!**

Vlad was so busy arguing with himself that he didn't see when Danny walked up to him. For a moment, the teen just silently stood beside the man. He reflexively glanced down at the fire like Vlad, but the red and orange flames only reflected off his anxious eyes.

Danny knew he wasn't the most attentive person; but he knew what guilt looked like---he experienced it firsthand almost daily, after all. And the teen knew that if it wasn't his mother at whom Vlad had been staring so troubled in the picture, then that only left _him_… And by Vlad's reaction to his question, the boy was even surer he wasn't being conceited…

But even when he understood all that, the teen honestly couldn't even begin to guess what Vlad was thinking or why the man was so upset about _him_. However, he utterly hated seeing Vlad like this… Somehow, it made him feel just as bad as the man looked.

"If it means anything to you, Vlad, you are not who I thought you were," Danny uttered soberly, though he kept his eyes trained on the fireplace. The teen didn't even know what he really meant by the comment or why he had even said it, but he just felt the urge to voice it…. That, or he was hoping for it to stir something more within Vlad…

The older hybrid finally noticed the boy beside him. But when he saw Daniel refusing to look at him, Vlad returned his own gaze back to the fireplace. He didn't need to see the young half-ghost's eyes to see the teen's own turmoil and pain. It was radiating off his form. And that, plus Danny's comment, just squeezed the man's heart with further pain.

Vlad knew what the boy meant; what he thought… and what he was hoping for.

Too bad the young hybrid was not only utterly wrong; but was hoping in vain.

Aside from their relationship, nothing had really changed.

"Don't do this, Daniel," Vlad uttered seriously, knowing entertaining this sort of subject would only end them both up in disaster.

Danny felt a lump form in his throat; but he swallowed it down, knowing that dwelling in his own despair would not get him anywhere. But it still hurt. Vlad's single comment put everything in prospective for him. The older hybrid… He _had_ changed.

But that didn't mean he still wasn't _Vlad_.

"Yeah," Danny replied with sudden sadness, before turning to leave. But just before he reached the door, what he heard next froze him in place.

"Don't go," Vlad pleaded softly, though his distraught gaze remained on the fireplace.

The teenager slowly turned to the man, not believing that it was _Vlad Masters_ who had just said that to him and in _that_ tone of voice! But it was. And the teen couldn't understand it, let alone react to it. He had _never_ heard the older hybrid sound so…. _vulnerable_.

It was almost frightening.

But before Danny could think of anything to say to that, Vlad shook his head at whatever he had been thinking and turned to look at the teen. And to Danny's astonishment, all traces of the trepidation and vulnerability the billionaire had shown a second ago were gone from his face.

"At least… not without telling me what you have there," Vlad said with a small smile, before he walked over to the tray the boy had long since forgotten.

Danny, still reeling from the man's abrupt and drastic change in demeanor, could only stare at him for a moment more; before quietly uttering, "It's the cookies I made…I thought you'd be hungry since you didn't eat dinner…"

"Well, you guessed right, dear boy," Vlad said with a slight teasing edge as he grabbed both glasses of milk off the carrying tray. "But I do believe one of these is for you."

Danny stared down at the glass that the billionaire extended at him, before slowly walking over to him and quietly accepting it. But he wasn't feeling much in the mood for milk and cookies anymore… He was now not only upset, but very confused.

And noticing that, Vlad sighed and more soberly said, "I'm sorry about today, Daniel. I promise it won't happen again. But… I am glad you're here."

Danny looked up at the older hybrid with his last comment. And somehow feeling that he had meant more by it, the teen smiled a bit before taking a sip of his milk.

Vlad sighed again, though a bit more quietly this time, before grabbing a cookie from the tray and taking a bite of it.

"Daniel?" he suddenly asked after a short pause, a small smile returning to his face. "Why don't we take a stroll around the forest? I think we both could use a bit of fresh air, hmm?"

Danny blinked a bit in surprise. "Now? Isn't it… kinda too dark?"

Vlad shrugged, before grabbing another cookie. "I don't think so. Actually, aside from early morning, I think it's the best time. So, what do you say? I can even give you that horse riding lesson I promised you some time back," he coaxed with a small smirk, before taking a sip of milk.

Danny smiled weakly again, but said, "I'd like that…"

"Done, then," Vlad answered with a wider smirk. He grabbed another cookie, before moving past the teen to head out.

But now confused by the man's sudden departure without him, Danny quickly blurted out, "Where are you going?"

"Well, you don't expect me to ride in dress pants, do you?" Vlad asked, pausing to address the teen with an amused smile. "I'll meet you downstairs in about ten minutes, alright?"

"Oh, okay," Danny replied.

But just when the teen turned to put his cup of milk back on the carrying tray, Vlad called to him again.

"And, Daniel? You have my compliments. These are quite good," the man said warmly, slightly lifting the cookie in his hand to show the boy what he meant. "Ten minutes," he then repeated, before finally exiting, showing absolutely no problem with leaving the teen alone in his private study.

Danny had just smiled in response, before grabbing the carrying tray to take it back to the kitchen. He knew he didn't really have to; but he figured he could help out Niane and her 'sisters'. But as the boy walked out of the study himself, he paused and glanced at the picture of his family on the fireplace mantel.

Instantly, his gaze saddened again. But he then sighed away his emotions and left, telling himself to stay focus on the things he had control over---not that it was much…

* * *

**By the way, I mentioned Danny thinking Vlad had never pulled a prank on him because in the first two seasons we never saw Vlad react to Danny in such a....childish way as in EfaE---not that I didn't think it was hilarious. But I did find it strange that Vlad would resort to pulling pranks and even stranger that Danny would initate such a fight--or any fight--with Vlad. So, I decided to create my own 'explantion' again for that. And hence the reference. I mention this since my lovely beta Truephan commented on this part, and so I just wanted to clear that up for you guys, too. :)**

**Okay, two other things. One, you can expect a DoaS chapter for my next update, okay? And, two, I have recieved several new fan drawings for this story in the past months. But, I still haven't had the time to get the direct links up on my ff. profile. But if you go to my DA account, you'll find them all under my favorites. I think you'll enjoy them! I sure did! And if you can, do leave the artist a comment. I sure know how helpful and wonderful feedback is! So, thank you to all my loyal readers who drew me all those lovely pictures! They seriously mean the world to me. ****And, of course, so does everyone's thoughts on my stories. *winks* **

**Well, until next time, everyone! Happy New Year to you all! May 2010 bring you all prosperity and new blessings! **

***Holds up Vlad muse* Free fruit loop hugs for everyone! lol!**

**Oh, P.S. **

**I was not able to get to replying to everyone's review. It's pretty late already; so then, I think I got like six left to reply to. So, I'll be finishing that up tomorrow, okay? Thanks a bundle!**


	60. Chapter 59: Confining Fear

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

**Beware! My Vlad muse overshadowed me for this one! lol!**

* * *

**Chapter 59: Confining Fear**

* * *

Vlad, now dressed in what he would call 'street clothing',--that is, black jeans and a dark green causal shirt--was finally at the stables with Danny. He then had wasted no time in asking the boy which of the horses he preferred to ride, even if he had mostly asked that in order to get the teen to stop teasing him about his attire… Honestly, it made the billionaire think the boy had never seen someone wear casual clothing before.

Expecting the teenager to reply that he didn't really care which horse he got, Vlad was startled when Daniel answered him immediately.

"That one," the teen said, pointing at the large solid black horse that had caught his attention from the very moment he had laid eyes on it.

But Vlad just as quickly declined his request. "No, Daniel. Not the Friesian. It is very headstrong and too large for you to handle."

"So? It's a cool horse," Danny said, dismissing the comment with a shrug, as if _that _fact outweighed anything else.

Vlad frowned when the teen's now obvious awestruck and excited gawk instantly returned to the black stallion. However, when the billionaire glanced at the horse itself, he quickly shook his head again.

"How about the Thoroughbred?" Vlad suggested, walking over to a solid white mare. "She's my fastest and most agile horse. You'll like her."

The billionaire knew that, typically, Thoroughbreds were more temperamental than Friesians; however, the Friesian that _he_ had was definitely the exception. He knew firsthand how unpredictable that black stallion could be…

"You ride her, then," Danny replied with a smirk, before turning back to the Friesian and opening the stable door.

"Daniel!" Vlad exclaimed, already regretting his idea of this outing. _Of course_, the boy would want to ride his most untamed horse for his _first_ horse ride at eight o'clock at _night_!

"What, Vlad? Seriously, what's wrong with him?" Danny asked, a frown forming on his face with the man's constant refusal.

"What's wrong with him?" the billionaire repeated in exasperation. "How about the fact that he's knocked me off more than I care to recall? Not even Dazzler could control him. And he would spend most of his time in here!"

But Danny just smiled again. "If you are trying to change my mind, neither of those two comments is helping you do that. Actually, that makes me want to ride him even more."

"Have I ever mentioned that you are really stubborn?" Vlad asked, annoyed.

"So I've heard," Danny quipped with another shrug.

Vlad didn't reply as he watched the boy pet the stallion down its forehead. He didn't understand why Daniel had his heart set on that horse. If the teen had only been here once before---as he had mentioned to him on the way here---then why did it matter to the boy which horse he got on?

But then, when the billionaire saw the horse respond warmly to the teen, Vlad raised a questioning eyebrow. How… interesting.

A smirk slowly curled the man's lips as understanding began to dawn on him.

"_Of course... A spirited horse for a spirited boy…How quaint,"_ he thought with a roll of his eyes, though he looked highly amused.

Vlad sighed deeply, but then he nodded and said, "Fine, Daniel. I'll let you ride him. But you are to stay close to me, understood?"

Danny grinned and nodded.

The billionaire gave the Friesian a last distrusting look before walking over to the riding equipment. It actually took him a moment to find exactly what he needed being that he hardly went horse riding anymore. When he was younger and had first come to his castle, horse riding had been a common pastime. In fact, at one point in his life, the billionaire had actually enjoyed participating in horse racing and dressage—and to be sociable, even polo.

But that had been long ago.

Now, of all the horses he had once owned, Vlad only had six. Of course, they were only the best of pedigrees. And even if he hardly had time or interest for his past hobby now, Vlad still genuinely appreciated the beauty of these majestic creatures.

"So, who's taking care of your horses now that Dazzler is gone?" Danny asked, slightly curious as he continued to caress the black stallion.

Pulling out of his own thoughts, Vlad causally answered, "For now, Jasper and Bennie. They know the _basic_ horse caretaking. However, I have been meaning to exercise them myself. It's a bit of difficult when I lack time for it. Even so, I will have to find someone to care for them on a permanent basis soon. That, or just sell them. Truth be told, I hardly use them anymore…"

"What? Don't sell them!" Danny protested, quickly walking over to the man, forgetting that he had opened the Friesian's stall…

Vlad turned to look the teen to reply, "Well, I---Sugar canes!" the man suddenly exclaimed in surprise when he saw the black stallion right behind Daniel. Blasted horse had followed the boy!

"Huh? Oh. Heh. Well, now I know he won't knock me off, right?" Danny said with a small chuckle as the horse nudged him a bit for attention.

"Perhaps," Vlad muttered, before cautiously walking up to the Friesian and began to saddle it up.

"Geez, Vlad. Don't tell me you're afraid of a horse?" Danny teased, moving back a bit to give the man some room to work.

Vlad rolled his eyes. "No, I'm_ cautious_ of _this_ horse. It likes to---" The man suddenly jumped back when the stallion unexpectedly reared up a bit, neighing with discontent.

"---misbehave," Vlad finished, glaring briefly at the horse before moving closer to it again and resuming his work.

Danny chuckled and asked, "What's wrong with that?"

Vlad scoffed. "You'll know the answer when you're wheezing on the ground after he throws you off."

Right then, the horse reared up again; but with the rein on, Vlad managed to hold the animal in place.

"Are you sure about this, Daniel?" the billionaire asked, this time looking worried.

"I fight ghosts, Vlad, remember? I think I can handle a horse. Besides, you're gonna be right next to me, right?"

Vlad slowly nodded. It still amazed him that the young hybrid trusted him…

Still, when Danny grabbed the rein from him, the man hesitated to hand it over. But then Vlad sighed again and turned to get his own horse. He was definitely taking the Thoroughbred mare. He could trust her to keep the Friesian under control for the most part. And she was also faster than the stallion… So, it assured the billionaire that he would be able to catch up in case the stallion went astray….

"So, how exactly are we going to see in the dark?" Danny asked, smiling at the Friesian as it relaxed under his touch again.

"Look at the front of the harness, Daniel," Vlad simply replied, busy with the Thoroughbred.

Danny glanced down at the leather straps on the front of the Friesian's chest and raised an eyebrow at the circular lights built into the harness.

"Oh. That'll work…," he muttered to himself, before he turned his attention back to Vlad when he finally approached him with the white Thoroughbred.

"Follow me, Daniel," the older hybrid calmly ordered, slightly raising the reins in his hands to show him what he meant.

Danny nodded, before tightening his grip on the reins in his own hands; and raising them a bit as well, he coaxed the black stallion to follow. And to his excitement, the animal did it without trouble. However, when they had finally left the stable, Danny suddenly gasped when the stallion continued forward instead of stopping beside Vlad's horse like he had wanted it to.

"Hey, Heel!" he told the stallion, raising his hands up a bit in front of it as if he could physically stop the large creature.

Luckily, Vlad quickly stepped in and gripped the black stallion's rein, stopping it.

"First off, Daniel. It is not a dog. He does not understand the meaning of the word 'heel'," Vlad said with a raised eyebrow at the boy. "However, he does understand _this_," he explained, tugging at the reins to show to what he referred. "If you are on the ground with the horse, try to stay in front but slightly to the side where it can _see_ you. Pull forward and up on the rein to move him forward. And lower it and tug back to stop him. See?"

Danny just slowly nodded.

Vlad smirked for some reason, before handing Danny the reins back. He walked over to where he had left the white mare and walked her up along the right side of the stallion.

"Since I really do not want to see how you handle a runaway horse, then, I'm going to strap the mare along side of the stallion. At least, until you get the gist of this. It's a loose connection, meaning if that stallion wants to, it could break free. So, you still have to be careful."

Danny watched as Vlad began to add an extra lead connecting both horses, before the boy walked back to the front of the Friesian and asked, "How do you turn these light things on?"

"There's a small knob on the upper right side of the harness," Vlad replied absently.

"Oh," the teen muttered when he found it; but when he turned the knob and the bright lights hit him in the face, Danny yelped, instinctively raising his hands to shield his eyes----but he failed to recall he was holding the stallion's rein.

Vlad gasped as the Friesian jolted back; but luckily, the man had already managed to tie the mare to the stallion; so her own weight kept him from moving back too far.

Oblivious to what he did, Danny rolled his eyes and dryly said, "Geez, Vlad, no wonder this horse doesn't like you, you keep freaking it out with _your_ freak-outs."

Vlad opened his mouth to protest; but then thinking better of it, he closed it again and just rolled his eyes, before he moved to regulate the built-in lights on the mare's harness.

And seeing their path quickly light up, much like the lights on a car lit up the road, Vlad turned his attention back to the teen.

"Alright, Daniel. I think we are set. Watch me. To get up on the horse, place your left foot in the stirrup and push up with your right. Use the saddle horn on top of the saddle to hang on," Vlad instructed, before demonstrating by mounting the mare.

Danny hesitated a bit, before moving to the stallion's left side and mimicking the man's actions. Or tried to. It wasn't exactly simple to raise your body up so high and then get your leg over such a large animal.

Vlad watched the teen struggle to climb on; and by the grin curving his lips, the man was clearly too amused to say anything right then. But when Danny suddenly got his shoe tangled in the stirrup and then lost his footing, causing him to fall on the ground, the billionaire burst into laughter.

Danny scowled at him when he got back on his feet. "Hey! Aren't you supposed to be helping me with this?"

Vlad wiped a tear from his eye as he managed to control his mirth. "Sorry, dear boy. You just looked to be handing it quite well, so I didn't want to interrupt you," he teased, before adding _a bit_ more seriously, "However, if you need a hand…"

"No, I can do it myself," Danny grumbled irritably, before trying to get on again .

Vlad shook his head, but then lightly shrugged and just silently waited for the teen to finally figure it out on his own. After all, he told the boy--_and insisted_--that the horse was too large for him. But, like always, the young hybrid was too stubborn to listen.

Suddenly fed up, Danny growled and stopped trying all together. He was just about to give in and begrudgingly ask the man for help, when an idea hit him.

With a sudden grin, Danny just as abruptly morphed into Phantom, flew up on top of the horse and then turned human again. However, the unexpected flashes of bright lights startled the Friesian and it reared up with a loud neigh.

"Whoah!" Danny yelped, instantly gripping hard against the reins to keep himself on the horse.

Vlad gasped in alarm himself, having to steady his own horse since it was tied with the stallion. But his worry was mostly for the teen; though to his relief, the boy managed to stay on.

"Opps, my bad," Danny said with a nervous laugh, while he patted the horse to calm him down.

"I can't decide who I should be watching more closely: you or the stallion," Vlad said dryly to the boy.

"Oh, just be quiet, Vlad. I told you I've never rode a horse before, _remember_?" Danny retorted.

"I better teach you, then, before you get us both killed," Vlad answered with a dramatic sigh, earning a light glare from the teen.

But now calmer, the man proceeded in explaining and showing the teen how to use the reins to steer and control the horse's movements. It took a couple of minutes, but they soon started moving.

"Calm down, Daniel. The horse can sense your fear and that's going to make _him_ nervous."

"I'm not afraid," Danny protested; but when he suddenly swayed on the saddle, he instantly gripped the reins tighter and nervously added, "Okay. Maybe a little."

Vlad smiled; but didn't say anything as they continued their slow place towards the forest.

But about a mile in, the teen had finally gotten more at ease with the experience; and feeling a bit daring, he urged the man, "Let's go faster."

"No, Daniel. The horses are strapped together; they cannot safely move any faster," Vlad answered.

"Then, unstrap them," Danny quickly replied, a suggestive smirk on his face.

Vlad regarded him with a studying frown for a moment. But then, he huffed. "Fine. But for the record, this is your idea."

"Recorded," Danny quipped with a grin.

Vlad bent forward on the mare to get a grip on the linking strap. And although any other person would have had to stop the horse and get off it to undo the strap, the older hybrid simply turned the piece intangible, instantly freeing both horses from one another.

"Stay at my side, understood?" Vlad then said in a stern voice this time.

"Completely," Danny answered, before gesturing for the man to get on with it.

Surprisingly though, Vlad smiled and said, "Come on. I want to show you something..."

"Uh, okay," Danny answered, now intrigued.

But the billionaire didn't elaborate and just picked up their pace to a canter. And aside from being a little nervous again, the teen managed the quicker pace just fine.

* * *

"Wow! This is amazing!" Danny gasped out as he stood on a steep slope and looked below. The bright moonlight made it easy for him to see the white cascades falling into the raging river several feet below.

Vlad chuckled at the boy's awe as he finished tying the horses at a nearby tree. "Indeed. This was one of the main reasons I bought this property. There is a lot of natural beauty. In fact, a couple of miles from here, there's even an abandoned bat cave. But I'll have to show you that another day," the man added with smile, though he was thinking how he had very _special_ plans for that cave…

Danny hardly attended to the older hybrid's words, too marveled over what he was seeing. It was unbelievable how in all the times he had gone out here on his own, he had never seen this place. Then again, he had never been out this far into the forest. But now that he knew this place existed, he would definitely have to come out here on his own during day hours to get a better look. At the moment though, the darkness blanketing the forest made the place feel ominous and yet alluring at the same time. The water almost seemed to glow under the moonlight while the soft breeze almost whispered to the teen.

Danny suddenly took a step closer to the edge of the cliff, watching tiny little bugs, resembling the stars above, flutter above the water below, as if dancing with one another. In the distance, he could hear wolves howling; but, somehow, it didn't frighten him. Their cries, along with the croaking of frogs, the chirping of crickets, and the occasional hoot of an owl, were like music to the boy's ears. It was all very soothing.

The teen smiled softly, suddenly understanding why Sam liked nature so much.

"_She would love this place,"_ he thought, walking even closer to the edge to get a closer look down the cascades.

"Daniel?" Vlad's sudden wary voice called to him, interrupting his thoughts.

The boy looked over at him. "Yeah?" he asked curiously, not getting why the man was staring at him like that.

"Why don't you back up a bit?" Vlad asked nervously as he began to make his way up the steep slope himself.

Finally understanding why the man was freaking out, Danny laughed. But then a wicked grin curved his lips as he turned to face the older hybrid. "What's wrong, Vladdie?" he taunted, moving another step back towards the fall below. "Do you think I'll do something like… this?"

"Daniel!" Vlad shouted when the boy suddenly jumped backwards and fell towards the rocky and angry river below.

But just as the horrified billionaire raced up the steep slope, the younger hybrid, now in ghost form, slowly floated back up. The white-haired teen burst into laughter and clutched his stomach in mid-air against the dull ache of his hearty mirth.

"Are you serious?" he asked the man in between his laughter. "Hello? Ghost powers!"

But Vlad glared back at the teen, honestly feeling like his heart had just skipped a beat.

"That wit of yours is going to be the end of you some day, Daniel," he said angrily, before pivoting on his heel and walking right back down the slope.

Danny's mirth instantly melded into a frown as he softly landed back on top of the cliff, honestly surprised that the man was angry at him for that.

"Seriously, Vlad, you need to lighten up. I'm just messing with you," he told him as he turned human again.

Vlad quickly turned to look at him and hotly replied, "Really? So giving me a heart attack is funny to you?"

The man was frankly sick of the teenager always getting himself into some form of danger. He had already seen Daniel come close to death several times too many for him to find his little trick now even remotely funny.

But the man's reply quickly put a glare on the boy's own face, and he sarcastically replied, "Oh, that's right. I forgot you don't have a sense of humor!"

Danny stomped off towards the tree where his horse was tied down. He should have known this was a bad idea! The man had already been acting all moody since that mysterious call earlier. Why the heck did he ever think coming out here with Vlad would make either of them feel better?

Suddenly realizing he was being a little too dramatic, Vlad sighed in exasperation. He had hoped a bit of fresh air would help his whirling mind and emotions slow down. But the man now realized he was still as edgy as ever. And he would be until he did something about the cause of it…

But refusing to let what happened with Jasmine plague him anymore at the moment, let alone put him and the boy in bad moods, the man quickly walked over to the teen, who was standing next to the stallion, quietly petting it.

"Come now, Daniel, let's not argue. You merely caught me by surprise with that stunt," Vlad explained, his eyebrows creasing into an apologetic look.

But Danny didn't reply nor did he look at him. Clearly, he was still angry.

Vlad suddenly smirked, an idea forming in his mind. "Hmm. Have I ever mentioned to you that I so dislike being ignored?" he asked causally as he moved around the boy. And when he was right behind him…. he poked him in his side.

Danny jumped and yelped at the unexpected prank. But now even angrier, the teen whirled around; and raising a finger, he snapped, "Quit---" But the rest of it instantly lodged in his throat when he found Vlad nowhere in sight.

The teen rolled his eyes. "What? Now you want to play? Well, now, _I_ don't!" he exclaimed, glaring in all directions. But when Danny heard the older hybrid's laughter echo all around him, the teen scowled some more. The man had turned ghost.

"Play?" Plasmius amusedly repeated from everywhere at once. "No, little badger. I just want to prove to you that I do have a sense of humor."

"Whatever," Danny replied angrily. He turned his attention back to the horse, deciding to ignore the guy. Seriously, just how many mood swings could one person have in one---?

"Ah!" the teen cried out, jumping once again when Vlad poked him for the second time. "Darn it, Vlad! Would you cut that out?" Danny fumed, whirling around again to glare around his darkened surroundings.

But the older hybrid just chuckled smugly. "I never thought you were the ticklish type, little badger."

Danny crossed his arms and just silently continued to look around him. But then, suddenly, the teen got an idea and a ghost of smirk pulled at one of the corners of his mouth.

"_Fine. I'll just have to __**make**__ you stop_," the young hybrid thought smartly as he turned back to the stallion and pretended to focus his attention on it again.

But in actuality, the teen just closed his eyes and focused on the sounds around him. Even when he was sure that the billionaire had turned into his ghost form, his heartbeat and breathing, though not as audible as they were when human, were still present.

So, the teen focused on finding those specific sounds. He had never tried enhancing his hearing while in human form; but if he could access his more basic powers when human, why not one of his ghost side's more natural abilities?

And that proved true when Danny suddenly heard the faint sound of calm, rhythmic thumping---and it was coming closer…

"_There you are, fruit loop__,"_ Danny thought smugly, causally stroking the horse's mane, even when he felt the temperature around him drop a bit. _That_ definitely was something he had never noticed until now…

But then, there was suddenly something else. For a moment, Danny almost felt a strange hot tingle run down his spine. And it was so unexpected that he almost lost his focus. However, his being, as if suddenly having a mind of its own, abruptly reacted.

With a flash of white light, Danny turned into Phantom and spun around, just as Plasmius materialized in front of him.

The older hybrid actually jolted in surprise; but before he could do anything, the younger one suddenly lunged at him, tackling and pinning him to the ground.

Danny's lips curved into an evil smile as he stared down at the utterly shocked Vlad Plasmius. "Too slow, cheese head," the teen whispered smugly.

Vlad's expression slowly melded into a mixture of bewilderment and mirth. But then with a sigh of surrender, the man turned human again and moved out of the boy's hold.

"Hmm… I see you are finally wising up," Vlad quipped, shooting the teen a smirk, before getting to his feet and dusting himself off.

Danny got to his feet and then changed back, too. There was a triumphant smile on his face, though he was honestly surprised he had just out-smarted the older hybrid.

But deciding to act suave about it, the boy shrugged; and as he walked past the man, he causally threw back, "I just don't like being poked."

Vlad chuckled at Danny's antics, before following after him. Clearly, all anger had been forgotten—on both sides.

As the teen went over to sit against a large tree next to the cascades, Vlad unstrapped a small leather bag tied onto the white mare's harness. He then walked over to the boy and sat beside him.

"You know… if you think about it, this is kinda dangerous. I mean, you hear the wolves, right?" Danny asked, tilting his head slightly with bemusement.

Vlad smirked cleverly. "As you said, dear boy._ Ghost powers_."

"You're so full of it, you know that?" Danny answered dryly.

"Yes, well, with over twenty years of experience, _I _can afford to be," the man answered smugly.

"Oh, I feel safer already," Danny answered sarcastically, though deep inside, he really did. It was an odd feeling, considering that not too long ago the man had stirred the complete opposite emotions within him. Although, if he thought about it, ever since he had met Vlad, the confidence that the man projected in everything he was and did had awed the teen. Though, when it was being used against him, it was more than intimidating.

But now…it was comforting. It was nice to actually be able to relax, to go to sleep at ease even, with the knowledge that under the same roof there was someone more powerful than he----there was someone who could protect _him_ for a change. Then again, the guy could also overdo it sometimes…

"You are getting stronger, though, Daniel," Vlad commented after a small silence. The man opened the bag he had with him and pulled out an apple as he continued, "And, believe me, things will come easier for you as you get older and your developing body stabilizes."

Vlad tossed him the apple and Danny quickly caught it, though there was a thoughtful look on the teen's face as he stared down at the fruit.

"Did _you_ have any troubles when you got your ghost powers?" the teen asked, looking over at the man.

Grabbing an apple for himself, the billionaire looked up and frowned in confusion. "Of course, I did. You honestly don't think I automatically knew how to use them, do you?"

Danny blushed. "Well, no. I mean, that's not what I meant. I meant, did they give you _troubles_. You know… like what happened to me after not using my ghost powers for a long time…?" he asked, though he looked away again.

Vlad's eyes lit with understanding, though he briefly frowned at the memory of the teen's powers spiking out of control after the first month of his being at the castle. The man would never forget the sight of the boy that night---or the feel of him. It had been so painful and frightening. Vlad never did figure out what had been that strange red mist that had left his own mouth that night---and then at one other time after that.

The older hybrid honestly tried not to think about it. It bothered him that something had happened to him that night that he couldn't explain. He had been able to explain to the teen why _his_ powers had spiked like that. But he had not been able to explain why _his own_ powers had reacted in such a way to the boy's own. And it bothered him more that he had somehow _known_ something was wrong with Daniel even before he visually confirmed it----and that was not even the only occurrence of that, either… And most often, he couldn't even blame his own inner ghost sense. It was something different…

"…_Haven't you noticed that you always know how to find me?"_

Vlad frowned as he recalled the boy's question on their plane ride to Germany. How odd. Even Daniel had noticed it. But… what did it mean? Or did it mean anything at all? Maybe it was just coincidence or random luck?

"Uh… Vlad?" Danny suddenly called to him, confused by how quiet the man had gotten.

The billionaire blinked a few times at the teenager as he tried to recall what they had been talking about. "Oh, I'm sorry, Daniel. I was…Never mind. Going back to your question. Yes, I did have troubles with my own powers---though not anything like you experienced. I have found that we both hold very different types of energies---which explains why you have developed abilities I do not have and why there are some abilities I have that _you_ will never develop."

"Like?" Danny probed.

"Electrical energy," Vlad replied. "Your energy is too… cold for it."

"Okay…," Danny replied slowly, never having heard of ghost energy having 'temperatures'.

"It's complicated. And I prefer not to dive into that right now; especially when it might confuse you. I prefer you focus on developing what your body is currently ready for. But, yes, our ghost powers, as you experienced, can be a burden for our human body at times. They can be harmful---especially when our ghost body begins to develop a new ability or increase in power. It sometimes takes time for our human body to adapt. And then sometimes, it never really does and instead just tolerates it."

"That doesn't really sound encouraging," Danny muttered, before finally taking a bite of his apple.

Vlad smiled a bit. "That is why I haven't mentioned it until now. And I wouldn't have if you hadn't asked. But I think you can handle the news now. Though I am sorry to say our abilities are not all fun and games."

"Yeah, well, I could have told you that already, anyways," Danny answered with a shrug. "But give me an example. It's hard to imagine _you_ having any troubles with your powers. So, I'm curious. And… it will make me feel better to know _Plasmius_ isn't really invincible… Oh, wait. I proved that myself just now, didn't I?" the boy quipped, grinning.

"You just got lucky," Vlad grumbled back.

"Whatever," Danny answered, his smile not faltering.

Vlad rolled his eyes. But then his expression melded into a thoughtful look as he took a bite of his own apple. There was a small pause before he answered a bit more soberly, "I have had my electrical powers for less than ten years. But I still remember vividly how… problematic they were when they first began to arise. I would have constant hot flashes; and at times, I would run fevers high enough to kill a normal human being. As they progressed, things began exploding or short-circuiting around me---_that_ was annoying. Then, they became physically harmful. It constantly felt like my heart and lungs were on fire. And every time I attempted to use my powers they literally burned my hands---be I human or ghost. It was nightmare," he finished, muttering the last comment.

"Wow," Danny answered quietly. That sounded worse than when his powers spiked, though it made him wonder why he had suffered from cold flashes while Vlad suffered from hot flashes. Maybe it was that difference in energy he had mentioned? Or… maybe they just had nothing to do with the other.

"Well, then, I'm sure _glad_ I can't develop the whole 'electricity' thing. Sounds way too painful," the teen then further commented.

"Let's hope you don't have to deal with anything _similar_ to it any time soon," Vlad added with a raised eyebrow, though he decided not to voice his further speculations. But then he frowned again. "As I said, there are some abilities your human body learns to tolerate. My electrical ability is actually one of the few powers I cannot use while in human form. It still physically harms my human body. However, I have learned to control it in my ghost form by now---though I'm still working on willing them properly. It is not particularly easy to regulate the strength and energy-flow of a power like electricity---which is naturally intense and unpredictable."

"I guess ghost powers are one of those things you never really finish learning to use," Danny commented with a small smile---though he was reminded of that one time, when they had not been on exactly the 'best of terms', that he had found Vlad practicing his electrical powers in the simulation room. Now, what the teen saw that one time made a lot of sense.

Vlad nodded to the boy's comment. "Indeed."

Danny sat up a bit more and brought his knees up. He absentmindedly bit into his apple again before wrapping his arms around his legs. As the wind softly blew past him and a peaceful silence shrouded them, the teen's thoughts drifted away, and his eyes lifted upwards, towards the star-lit sky…

It was a really nice night. Perfect for star gazing…

"I have never seen anyone look at the sky like you do, Daniel…"

Danny slowly looked over at Vlad and found the man staring at him with this strange intensity in his blue eyes. The teen didn't understand it.

"What do you mean?" he asked, confused.

Vlad raised an eyebrow in response; but then he turned his gaze to the sky himself; and before taking a bite of his apple, he causally assured him, "You know what I mean, Daniel."

Danny looked back at the sky and smiled. Maybe he did understand after all.

"I…," the teen began, a bit timidly. But then his blue eyes sparked with his passion for the wonders above him, and it seeped into his voice as he continued, "I can't really explain it; but…It's just so perfect, you know? I mean, how can something so vast, _so infinite_, be both constant and ever-changing? It's so reassuring to me because no matter what happens I can always count on that. I can always count on it to bring about the next, new day---or even, the end a difficult one. I know for most people, the sky makes them feel small. But it makes me feel almost the complete opposite. I can't really describe it; but it's like the sky provides me with whatever I need. When I need warmth, the sun's rays are always there providing it. And then it's so comforting to watch the clouds drifting away without a care in the world. It's like they can clear my mind by just watching them. But then when I need to find a bit of peace after a long day, the night sky's there. The tranquility of the moon, hope in each twinkling star, and, heck, even the cool night air is as refreshing and restoring as any ghost tea. The sky…and everything it is made up of, holds so much for me. I can look up at it at any time, from anywhere, and it always makes me feel…free."

Vlad smiled softly, truly awed by every one of the boy's words. They were so deep and… revealing. At that very moment, the older hybrid had learned more about the younger one than he had in his entire time of observing and studying his every move…

Danny blushed when the man didn't say anything. "Sorry. That was kinda lame, huh?" he asked, daring a glance at the billionaire.

The man slowly shook his head; and still smiling, he softly answered, "Not at all, dear boy. Quite the contrary."

Danny sighed almost in relief before he admitted in a half-tease and half-embarrassed tone, "Good 'cause I've never told anyone that. And I don't need to give _you_ another reason to tease me."

"Hmm, how to reply to such comment," Vlad answered playfully, though there was a deep warmth in his voice.

Danny chuckled a bit, before looking back up at the sky. "It also makes me wonder," he suddenly continued, thoughtfully. "I can look up and only see so much. But I know that past what my eyes can see, there is so much more. And... There was this one time that for a brief moment, I actually got to see some of that 'much more'," the teen said, thinking of the time when he had to go into space to stop Technus. Too bad he had been too occupied with the ghost _and_ Valerie to _really_ appreciate that rare opportunity.

But seeing the man give him a questioning look, Danny smiled and said, "It's a long story. But, you know, even when I got to see it for that brief moment, it was only like taking a glimpse into some unsolvable mystery. I look up and I wonder about it; because no matter how much I learn about what's above, there are things up there that I can only _imagine_, things that are…unreachable."

Vlad's eyebrows creased in thought as he studied the sky again. "I honestly never thought about it that way… But you're right." Vlad chuckled softly. "Is that why you want to be an astronaut, little badger? So you can _reach the unreachable_?"

Danny curiously looked over at the older hybrid, wondering how the guy knew that he wanted to be an astronaut. He didn't recall ever mentioning it to him….

But he quickly dismissed it as he focused on the man's last question. Danny shook his head, and gave the sky a wistful look as he replied, "That's what so great about it, Vlad. It's never reachable---and never will be---not for me or anyone. Like I said, what's up there is like an unsolvable mystery. But if I become an astronaut, at least, I won't have to imagine what's out there anymore, because I could finally _see_ it----at the least, _some_ of it."

But thoughts of his future dream also brought a pang of sadness with them. And the boy sighed softly against it, before taking a bite of his apple again to focus on something else. But a sudden uncertainty remained. And it made him wonder: Was his dream even possible anymore?

Ironically, Vlad was thinking along the same lines and he looked towards the cascades to hide the sadness slowly creeping into his eyes. The boy's aspiration was nice. And although it would take a lot of dedication, it was not impossible. Even with his less than desirable grades, the teenager still had time to fix them and make himself a promising candidate for the space program. But…there was one thing that would keep him from reaching his dream. And it wasn't exactly being with him. Quite the contrary. It was something that, in some form or another, the boy continued to hold on to _even_ when he was now with him:

Daniel's 'responsibility' towards Amity Park.

The older hybrid had never understood it. Why would a teenager believe that he had the obligation to protect complete strangers? Like he had told Jasmine, all that decision would ever bring to the boy was suffering. How could Daniel ever attend to his own needs when he was too busy trying to fulfill others' needs?

Danny could never be an astronaut if he didn't start thinking more about himself. The boy's want of using his powers for the greater good was only going to destroy him---sooner or later.

And Vlad didn't want that. The boy didn't deserve that. He deserved the chance to reach his goals and dreams. And it made the man angry to know some undeserving strangers would keep the boy from them.

Then again, the billionaire had to admit to himself that he wasn't helping the matter. No matter how many private lessons Ms. Thomas could give Daniel, it really wasn't enough. The teenager needed to attend an actual school, or, _at least_, have an _acredited_ private instructor, for him to even have a remote chance of getting into that space program. Of course, that was something that Vlad could easily fix----if only the boy would _willingly_ be with him….

The man had to hold back a sad sigh. Why couldn't Daniel see that he was better off with him? That things would be so much easier for him here? Vlad would do even the impossible to make the boy's dream a reality….

"May I ask you something, Daniel?" Vlad suddenly asked in quiet voice, slowly looking back at the teen.

Danny's eyebrows creased. Was the man upset again?

But deciding it was better not to ask, the teen silently nodded, though he stared intently at the man.

Vlad hesitated, not wanting to upset Daniel. But he really needed to know.

"Daniel…Do you truly believe that your special abilities obligate you to help others?"

But the teen just stared back at him, both shocked and fearful of the man's question. It had been so unexpected… Why would he even ask him this? Wasn't this the type of conversation that Vlad had quickly prevented them from getting into only an hour ago in his private study? They each had such different points of view about such things. So then, why was the guy now trying to delve into something like that again?

Danny looked down at his half eaten apple, a tentative frown on his face. "I…Why are you asking me this, Vlad?" he finally answered, though he didn't look at the man.

"A passing thought, I suppose," Vlad replied with a light shrug; before looking back over to the river. The teen clearly had not liked the question and the billionaire wasn't about to push him to answer it, either.

But to his surprise, Danny answered it a brief moment later. "I don't know if I'd call it an obligation, exactly. I… don't even know if it's a responsibility, anymore… But I am sure it's the right thing to do. If it's in my power to help someone, in whatever way it might be, then, why not help them, Vlad?"

"What if the person whom you are trying to help doesn't deserve it?" Vlad retorted, looking over at the teen with a serious gaze.

Danny quickly looked at the man, his eyes slightly widening. Did…Did Vlad know of his intentions to help him? No. How could he?

But when the boy saw the man raise a questioning eyebrow at his nervous look, Danny quickly realized the man was still oblivious. Even so, his question was definitely ironic.

"Who exactly decides what someone does or does not deserve?" Danny finally answered. "Maybe a kind act is all someone needs to change."

Vlad frowned, before asking in a mixture of annoyance and disbelief, "So, you would sacrifice for those who do not deserve it with the false hope that it will bring about a change of heart from them?"

Noticing his tone of voice, Danny pursed his lips and coolly answered, "No, I would sacrifice for the greater good. And let's not forget that most people are good, Vlad. But either way, I can't just stand there and watch someone get hurt when I could do something about it. That would be totally wrong."

"You think most people are good?" Vlad asked, or more like stated since the teen had already said it.

"Yeah, I do," Danny still answered seriously.

The billionaire just shook his head and looked away.

But the simple gesture really bothered the teen, and he asked a bit forcefully, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Calm down, Daniel. It means nothing…," Vlad answered quietly, not looking at the teen. The young hybrid's innocence both awed and saddened him. It was so rare nowadays... Too bad it was only going to cause him disappointment…

Danny relaxed a bit, mostly because of the man's oddly subdued tone of voice. But he then turned his gaze away and sighed. There was another short silence before Danny couldn't keep quiet anymore, and soberly, almost sadly, questioned, "You don't think so, huh?"

Knowing the boy referred to their discussion on the 'goodness of people', Vlad shook his head in response. But then he sighed deeply and his voice turned graver as he added, "I do hate to disappoint you, my boy; but although it would be wonderful if the world really was how you picture it, it's nothing like that. And that's something you will slowly realize over time."

Danny glanced at the older hybrid; but when he found the man looking at the river, the teen also glanced over in that direction, though it didn't keep him from bitterly answering, "Why is it that _my view _of the world has to be wrong? Have you ever considered that maybe it's _your_ view of it that's wrong?"

"Oh, Daniel…," Vlad answered, sadness and sincerity ringing in his voice, yet he still didn't look at the boy. "Truly, I wish it were so. But, you see, _I_ once lived in your 'dream world.' It was long ago, before acquiring ghost powers, before your parents even---but I still experienced it... Until I woke up one day and discovered that that 'dream world' was only that. A dream. A fantasy. Ultimately, it only brought me misery---just like it now only brings you misery as well."

Danny's eyes flashed green, the last remark stinging him, even when there was no malice in the man's voice.

"Oh, so then the 'world' _you_ now live in brings you happiness, Vlad? Because it sure doesn't seem like it," he replied, pain and anger now coloring his voice. If the man was going to take a stab at how he thought of things, then the teen wasn't about to hesitate to return the favor.

But the boy's reproach quickly reawakened one of Vlad Masters' less-than-desirable sides; and it suddenly made Danny recall that he was sitting next to his arch-enemy.

An uncaring, almost mocking chuckle rumbled in the older hybrid's throat, washing away all his previous softer emotions. And when he finally looked over at the teen, there was cold confidence in his eyes as he raised an eyebrow at him, and replied, "No one is ever _truly_ happy, my boy. You can't be. Life, fate, whatever you want to call it, is always _taking_ from those ensnared in its cruel game. And for those who do not wise up to its unkind hand, they end up destroyed by it. That's why in 'my world', Daniel, only _I_ exist. And that's how it should be for you as well. You can't possibly win or obtain what you want if you are more focused on fulfilling other's needs. Why the effort, anyways, when those same 'others' will _never_ lift of finger for you? When they are more likely to _condemn_ you before helping you?"

Danny's jaw clenched as the ice in the man's voice only turned more frigid with his every passing word. And Vlad was clearly not finished.

"Most people are not 'good' as you so naively believe, Daniel. Quite the contrary. People are treacherous. Ultimately, you cannot depend on anyone but yourself. You can only count on _your_ _own _potential. And, Daniel? _We_ have a lot of it." Vlad smirked as his voice adapted a smug and superior tone as he asked, "You want 'perfect', Daniel? You want _unreachable_? You already have it. You and I are that and _so much more_. I've told you before, my boy, we are above the world's laws and restraints. We even have a trump card against Fate's cruel game. It can take from us, but we have the power to take right back from it."

"Well, I happen to think this 'fate' or whatever also gives back to those who do good," Danny snapped back.

"Oh, please, Daniel," Vlad scoffed. "_You_ are solid proof of how untrue that is. Do you want me to tell you why you feel free when you look at the sky? When you go flying?" But the older hybrid didn't give the teen time to reply and continued, "It's yearning, my boy. You feel incomplete because you have locked yourself within a mediocre world, trying to defend it; and at the same time, fool yourself into thinking you are like everyone else. You yearn_, _long_, crave_ to be who you really are. You are dying to free yourself from the confinement in which you have placed yourself. All your being is _burning_ to just let---"

"Enough!" Danny suddenly exclaimed, jumping to his feet and backing away from the older hybrid, anger and fear in his eyes.

But Vlad just raised an eyebrow at the boy's reaction; before calmly taking another bite of his apple.

Danny just stared at him, a million thoughts running through his mind and his emotions spiraling in his confusion. "Enough," he repeated firmly, before fisting his hands and adding a bit louder, "That's not true! I don't believe any of that!"

"Oh, yes, you do," Vlad assured him without hesitation, his expression as cool and composed as ever.

Danny's glare hardened when he couldn't even bring himself to deny it. But he remained firm in his belief that Vlad was wrong, and he quickly asked, "Tell me, Vlad. What good is it to be above everything and everyone when you are all alone?!"

But the man was hardly fazed with the direct jab.

"Tsk,Tsk," Vlad replied with clicks of his tongue, while making a scolding gesture with one raised finger. "Do not try to create a fact from a signal individual circumstance, Daniel. It has no validity. And, therefore, neither does your question and argument. But if you would like an answer, it is this: When you have superiority, _everything_ is at your fingertips. You can have whatever you please---be it material possessions or something more significant, like the company of others. Take it from me, Daniel, people have prices."

But when the teen gave him a disturbed look, Vlad chuckled, and added, "Don't look so stricken, dear boy, it's the truth. Not the most inspiring of truths, but nevertheless…"

Danny stared expressionless at the billionaire for a moment. But then he crossed his arms, and coolly asked, "So, then, you think _I_ have a price, Vlad?"

Vlad frowned, clearly not expecting that comeback. But the question actually melted some of ice within the man's eyes and he shook his head. "You are an exception, Daniel. One of those, 'individual circumstances'," he soberly replied.

Danny looked away, not knowing how to react, let alone reply to the comment. It had sounded like a compliment, and yet, it made him feel very sad.

"Look," the teen finally spoke up again, shaking his head to force his confused mind to focus on his own thoughts. "I don't know what sort of people you associate with to make you believe things like that, but _I_ can't believe it---not when I know _good, honest, and loyal_ people. But even if you were right, that doesn't give **us** the right to take advantage of anyone---and especially not because we have the power to do it. Just because we_ can_ do something, doesn't mean we _should_."

"And that is the mindset that will never let you truly be free."

Vlad paused only briefly before waving a casual hand behind them towards the tied-up black stallion and asking, "Look. You see that horse, Daniel? …Why do you think it's so rebellious?"

Danny mentally jolted with the unexpected change of subject. What the heck was Vlad on today?

"The _horse_?" the teen questioned, looking at the man like he was insane. "What the heck does the horse---?"

"It's tied down, Daniel," Vlad cut him off, ignoring the teen's reaction. "It's confined to one place when it's meant to roam free. Unfortunately for that creature, it has no way of escaping its chains or confinement. _You_ are _just_ like that horse---except that you have _chosen_ to wear your chains. And you wear them for a world that strikes you down, that doesn't respect you. I _know_ you believe every word I said to you regarding your feelings of longing. I know because it's part of a ghost's nature---_our nature_---to ache for our true potential. Our spirit _needs_ to have, _needs to_ _conquer_, **true **freedom. And I know I speak the truth because I can see it in your eyes. They glow with your need to let go of everything that's holding you back. They reflect your wants, your true desires, your wish that, just once, for a moment, you could---"

"**Stop it!"** Danny yelled at him, unable to take anymore. "I-I… I'm not listening to this anymore!"

Vlad watched the teen stormed over to the tied horses; and with shaking hands, he quickly began to work the knot on the Friesian's rein. The billionaire quickly stood up, not willing to let the teen go until he listened. He was tired of seeing Daniel live some half-life! He was sick of watching him endure suffering and responsibilities that he should not!

"Daniel, I know you're afraid," the older hybrid continued seriously, though he didn't move towards the teen. "And it's understandable. _I_ _understand_. But, do you not see? You are not alone anymore in all this. You are here, with me, where you should be. You have nothing of which to be afraid now. Daniel, I can help you free yourself, my boy---if you'd only let me."

Danny growled in frustration and desperation. Why couldn't he get this stupid knot undone?!

"If you do not believe my words, then, just _look_ around you. Look at how far you've come under my guidance," Vlad continued with growing fervor, while taking slow steps towards the young hybrid. "Do you think I do not notice how you marvel at every little thing I teach you about yourself? Did you think I did not see the empowerment glowing in your eyes when you used your raw energy on Dazzler? It felt good, didn't it? Using your powers without restraint? Dear boy, you were so enthralled that you didn't even realize you were seconds away from creating blue energy!"

Danny instantly froze, paralyzed by the man's last revelation. It…It couldn't be, could it? He had almost created blue energy?

A hand was suddenly on his shoulder, and the young half-ghost shut his eyes to suppress a shiver from his mixed and almost overwhelming emotions.

"Why do you deny who you are?" Vlad whispered, all other emotions replaced with softness and concern. "Why are you so afraid of what you feel within you?"

Danny couldn't stop himself from answering truthfully---not when his mind began to jog with the memory of his once dark future.

"Because I've seen what I'm capable of," he admitted quietly. "And I'm afraid that I won't be able to control it."

Vlad slowly turned the boy around and lifted his chin to stare questioningly into his eyes.

"Daniel… What do you mean?"

But this time the young hybrid could not answer, and he just stared back at the man with fearful eyes. However, those same eyes revealed _so much more_ to the older hybrid.

Vlad slowly let go of the boy and actually took a step away from him. What he saw in the boy's eyes had his mind and emotions in a whirl. He suddenly had so many questions, but he could only voice one, and only a single emotion leaked out with it.

"What happened to you?" he whispered warily.

Danny sighed deeply and looked away. He was not about to share with Vlad _their_ alternate dark future. He had not even been able to share the whole thing with his sister or friends. That's how much it had affected him. And even after so many months had passed by, he still had not come to terms with all of it yet----he still feared the possibility of becoming his evil self---especially as of late. Even so, he was firm of one thing: he would not break his promise to his loved ones---not ever.

"Daniel?" Vlad questioned when the teen wouldn't answer him.

But the boy suddenly shook his head, banishing his fears, and soberly replied, "Nothing, Vlad. At least, nothing I can't prevent."

Vlad's eyebrows creased with pure confusion. But then the man also shook his head; and resumed talking about the boy's insecurity.

"Daniel, you cannot lose control of yourself unless _you_ allow it. I've told you many times before, your powers are your own. Permitting yourself to reach your true capabilities can only do you good. It will make you a stronger person. Do you not understand? Nothing would be unreachable for you!"

Danny shook his head before returning to untying the black stallion's rein. Still, he asked tiredly, "Why are you doing this? Just stop, alright? I don't think like you, Vlad."

"I'm not asking you to share my beliefs, Daniel," Vlad replied seriously. "This is not about that. This is about you."

Danny finally got the reins free; but instead of leaving as he had previously wanted to, he turned to face the man with a firm look and asked, "You want me to admit that you're right about me? Is that it? Fine, Vlad. _You're right._ There is something within me that yearns and desires to live without rules, responsibilities, or heck, even boundaries. I do wonder how things would be for me if I could just be a regular kid. And maybe that's really what I want. I don't even know anymore. But I do know that even if there is a part of me---whether it's the main part of me or not---that wants to just break free from everything, I don't _really_ want that---at least not _completely_. You know why? Because it's those same desires that make me feel alive! And having restraints on those desires is what separates me---_us_---from normal ghosts!"

Vlad frowned with some unknown emotion, but Danny just continued, conviction ringing from his every word. "We don't need force and superiority, and definitely not ghost powers, to obtain our desires, Vlad. Sometimes using your own two hands to accomplish something is much more fulfilling---and definitely more significant. You can't learn the value of something unless you work for it. You like playing chess, right?" the teen asked, but didn't give the man time to reply and added, "I don't know much about it myself; but I bet winning a game means nothing if someone just _lets_ you win. It is the work and effort you put into wining the game that lets you _truly_ win. Well, it is that same work and effort that you put into _rightfully_ achieving your desires that really matters. And maybe, yeah, I might not reach everything I want like that. After all, it's always going to be easier to just _take_ things. But you know what? I rather live my life working towards something and never reach it, then, reaching it through tricks and short-cuts. And you know why? …Because it gives me something to look forward to every day. It gives me a reason for living and to keep going when things seem hopeless. You want to know what's left after you've reached everything, Vlad? …_**Nothing**__!_"

Genuinely blown away by the teen's speech, Vlad could only watch in silence as the boy commanded the black stallion forward a bit. And, somehow, finding the strength he needed without the aid of his ghost powers, the boy mounted the horse on his first attempt.

Danny turned the horse around so he could look back at the billionaire. And seeing the man just staring soberly at him, the teen sighed and briefly looked away. "I don't know what it is exactly that you are expecting of me. But I'm pretty sure it's not what I want. I'm…I'm not out to conquer the world like you… just my dreams," he admitted softly.

But the man scoffed with the boy's last comment. "Is that what you think? That I want to conquer the world?" he asked bitterly. "I have told you before, and I will now tell you again: I am _not_ a villain. My interests do not lie in something so insignificant… I only want to conquer _my dreams_ as well."

"Then, stop going about it the wrong way," Danny replied seriously.

But that simple answer sparked the man's anger, and his voice turned hard again as he countered, "And you know what's the 'right way' to go about it, Daniel? How could you--a fifteen year old child who has never _truly_ lost _anything_--instruct _me_ on what's right and wrong? The world isn't black and white, Daniel Fenton. There is no distinct line between good and evil. The world doesn't take away from only the unjust; it takes away from everyone! So, then, do not tell me there is a _right_ way to reach what I want _and_ need---Not when you have not lost the things _I_ have!"

Danny quickly glared back with green eyes. "I don't want to fight with you, Vlad. But you are seriously pushing it!"

Vlad turned his glare away, not wishing to get into a real dispute with the boy, either. But he was tired of the teen drawing him out to be something he was not. Yes, perhaps many of things he had done classified as 'evil' in most people's book. But the boy had no right to judge him for it---no one did! Not when he was _forced_ to become what he now was. But whatever he was, he was certain that he was _no_ _villain_. He was not some _monster_!

The man glared some more at nothing in particular. But then knowing that they had gotten off the main point and really not wanting to think about his own problems right now, the billionaire sighed away his anger. He glanced at the black stallion for a moment, before passing his hand down its strong neck. It really was a beautiful creature.

"I'm going back inside," Danny suddenly mumbled. But seeing the man finally look up at him, he added, "Don't worry; I know the way back and I'll just leave the horse in its stable for you…"

Vlad almost smiled in amusement with the teen's 'not-so-subtle' attempt to change the subject. But the older hybrid was not having any of that---not with _this_ conversation. He had always suspected the teen's insecurities towards his powers had a deeper reason----now he was sure of it. And although their conversation had encompassed many things, Vlad didn't care for any of the rest as much as he did for this mysterious chain of fear that limited the young hybrid.

"Look, Daniel," the man began soberly again. "I am not trying to change your point-of-view or morals. But it bothers me to see how some of them weigh you down. However, that's your choice. All that I really want is for you to _accept and embrace_ who and what you are. If what you fear is becoming a 'villain', then, let me assure you that embracing yourself doesn't turn you into anything you don't desire. Hear me well, Daniel, your powers are not going to make you 'evil'. Quite the contrary. You experienced firsthand the consequences of suppressing your powers. They are a part of you now. You are as much human as you are a ghost. _Danny Phantom _is as equally important as _Danny Fenton_. And that is something you cannot keep denying."

Danny just kept his gaze lowered on the stallion, his hand almost shaking when his throat briefly constricted. Did Vlad even realize how close he was to the root of his fears? But then, there was also a lot the older hybrid did not comprehend or know----and the teen couldn't tell him.

"One day, you're going to realize that I know a lot more than you think," the boy whispered sadly.

"I don't doubt it, Daniel," Vlad didn't hesitate to answer. "But, one day, you, too, will realize that there is _still_ a lot you _don't_ know."

Danny just kept quiet.

But Vlad sighed again, suddenly glad that this day was coming to its end. It really had been a mistake to come out here, especially with the problem of Jasmine over his head. But he and the boy were here now and they were finally talking about something the man had wanted to discuss with the boy for a long time. He was intent on finishing this conversation---no matter if it ultimately left a bitter taste in both his and the teen's mouths.

"Daniel, why do you think Dazzler was able to control you?" Vlad asked, breaking the silence.

Danny finally looked at him, feeling even more uncertain about their current topic. But although deep down the boy kind of knew why, he did not want to voice it; so, he just shrugged in response and looked away again.

But the billionaire did not hesitate to voice it himself.

"You are afraid of yourself. And _**that**_, my boy, is the greatest weakness anyone can possess. Dazzler knew that, too. He knows how that type of insecurity can cause a person to loss control----and that's where he comes in to claim it. Your fear wasn't for Dazzler, Daniel. What you felt, that overwhelming fear within you, was the very same fear you feel for _yourself_. It's the very same fear you still carry around with you. Dazzler can only control things that are _already_ _there_, Daniel. So, he used _that_ fear against you---to control you; to _confine_ you."

Vlad sighed when the teen didn't react or say anything; but it was clear he was listening to his every word; and it was clear that it was affecting him. Danny was gripping the rein so tightly that his hands were turning white.

The older hybrid gently grabbed one of the boy's tense arms. And the touch was finally enough for the teen to turn his troubled blue gaze back to Vlad's similar-colored, though concerned, one.

"I don't know what could have caused you to develop such a deep fear for yourself," Vlad said gently. "And I am certain that even if I would ask, you would not tell me. But whatever it is, you will have to surpass it someday. Otherwise, Daniel, you will never be free with its holding you down."

"Good night, Vlad," Danny said softly, before commanding the horse to take off.

The billionaire tensed as he watched the boy ride away at a slightly quicker pace than he would have liked. But when the man saw the teen had left in the right direction and looked to be handing the horse pretty well, Vlad sighed away the urge to go after him.

The boy needed his space now---and so did he.

The older hybrid turned his attention to the white thoroughbred mare and undid her reins before mounting her. He slowly commanded her forward, no particular direction in mind. He just didn't want to return right now. He still needed to think of how he was going to handle his problem with Jasmine.

He hated to admit it, but he was fearful of her becoming so desperate that she would forget all logic and really tell Maddie and Jack his and Daniel's secrets---or, just as bad-- for her to tell them he was keeping Danny from them.

If she did either thing, the outcome of it would not only be utter disaster for him, but for everyone.

However, although he knew he had to do something about this more sooner than later, Vlad was honestly worried more about Danny. The older hybrid had _always_ felt the boy needed his help----at least so that the teen would not have to face his powers alone. Of course, Daniel had never accepted his help until now---when he was forced to be with him.

But their conversation now had shown Vlad that Danny was carrying things within him that no child should---not even one that was half-ghost. Yes, fear was natural; especially when you added ghost powers into the mix. But the sort of fear Daniel had was _not_ natural. It was even downright unhealthy.

What had happened to him? What could have possibly traumatized---for the teen was _clearly_ traumatized---him to the point that he was terrified of what he was; and worse, of _who_ he was?

Perhaps a fight with some ghost?

"Must have been a very serious fight…," Vlad mumbled, unsure. After all, the billionaire had spied on the teen enough to be certain he knew all his enemies. And not one of them was that much of a threat to the teen---most of the time, anyways. There had been the incident with Pariah; but that couldn't possible affected the boy _that_ much…

Whatever had happened to Daniel, the boy needed help---his help. But the older hybrid could not readily do that if he didn't find out the root of the child's fears.

Too bad that was easier said than done.

The boy was not about to tell him----which was a problem in itself. Daniel kept things bottled up and that just made things worse for the child. Still, if the teenager would not confide this matter to him, then, Vlad would just have to take the matter into his own hands…

"I will free you of that fear, Daniel," the man said determinedly, staring intensely at the star-lit sky. "Even if my forcing you to be here accomplishes nothing else, I will at least do that for you. I swear it."

The man stared thoughtfully at the sky for another moment more, though he now seemed to look at it with a whole new appreciation. But his trance was gone as quickly as it appeared; and with a firm command and a kick of his foot, the white mare took off at full speed, deeper into the darkened forest, only the lights on the harness lighting their way.

His high speed riding, however, had a deeper purpose than just a sudden desire. When he was younger, a full speed horse ride would always clear his mind and allow him to sort things out. Perhaps.... even after all these years, it still would work for him…In any case, it wouldn't hurt to try.

* * *

Danny walked into his darkened room with a tired sigh. He barely felt like changing into his sleeping clothes, let alone shower. But deciding to at least do the former, the teen raised his hand to flick the light on----only that when he did, the light didn't turn on.

The teen frowned in confusion. But before he could question what was wrong, he heard a soft 'sniffing' sound within the darkened room.

The teen scrunched his eyes, trying to peer through the darkness. But when he caught sight of someone sitting on his bed, his eyes widened.

"What?" the boy whispered, a wave of fear washing over him at how familiar that form looked, even in the darkness.

Danny swallowed, before slowly walking over to the figure; and as the teen went around the bed to get a look at the person's face, the boy felt the blood drain from his body.

"This is impossible," he whispered in horror as he continued to stare at _himself_ sitting on the bed, holding a picture frame of his family. The only difference between them was that this 'other self' looked just a bit older than him.

But the other 'Danny Fenton' seemed oblivious to his counterpart in front of him and just continued to weep quietly in the darkness.

"I'm sorry," the distraught 'Danny' whispered to the picture.

"Daniel?"

The shocked Danny's head shot up and he gasped at the sight of Vlad standing at the open doorway. Meanwhile, 'Daniel' on the bed, tensed before quickly wiping away his tears.

"W-What is it?" Daniel asked, his slightly-deeper-than-normal voice cracking.

There was a long silence; one that Danny quickly broke, completely confused and mortified.

"Vlad, what the heck is going on?" he demanded of the man standing in the doorway.

But the billionaire didn't even look at him. Instead, he suddenly sighed and flipped the lights on.

"Oh, sure, they work for him," Danny grumbled as he watched the man approach Daniel.

The billionaire only hesitated slightly before sitting right beside the teen on the bed. He gently took the picture frame from the boy's hands, before telling him, "This is unhealthy, Daniel."

Daniel didn't reply. But as the silence dragged on and Danny continued to watch, it slowly dawned on him that he was having a dream. What else could this be?

"I gotta be dreaming," Danny said to himself, too shocked to freak out like he wanted. He closed his eyes shut and told himself to wake up. This was just too creepy!

"They died today," Daniel suddenly whispered, causing Danny's eyes to snap open and stare at him in alarm. "Two years ago today everyone died and I was left all alone…"

"You're not alone," Vlad whispered sadly, squeezing one of the teen's shoulders.

Daniel tried to smile, but didn't manage it.

Vlad sighed again, before soberly telling the teenager, "Daniel, I know you blame yourself for their deaths. But it was not your fault. You could not have possibly---"

"Stop," Daniel demanded quietly, though firmly. "You know there is nothing you can say or do to convince me that their deaths weren't my fault. I cheated on that test! They would not have been anywhere near the Nasty Burger if it wasn't for me!"

Danny gasped. What was this?! He was not seeing this! _This was impossible!_

"Darn it, Fenton, wake up!" he screamed; but the other two people present continued as if he wasn't there…

"Daniel…"

"No! Just stop!" Daniel exclaimed, rising to his feet as his eyes glazed with unshed tears. "Look, I don't need your sympathy, Vlad! I don't deserve it! I don't deserve anything! You should hate me! I killed the love of your life, remember? She's gone because of me!"

"Enough!" Vlad suddenly yelled back angrily, rising to his feet as well. "Daniel Fenton I am tired of your self-destructive thoughts! I'm tired of watching you waste your life away staring at a picture. They are gone, Daniel! And I know it hurts! But that doesn't mean you're life is over! You have to move on!"

"I'm trying!" Daniel yelled back, close to tears. But then he took a shaky breath and painfully repeated, "I'm—I'm trying. But I _can't_. I can't stop thinking that I should have died with them. I don't deserve to be here. It's not fair. Why do I get to keep living when _they_ can't?"

"Curses!" the older hybrid shouted, his eyes flashing red. "What happened was an accident! Are we going to have to go through this same thing for the rest of our lives?!"

"You won't," Danny answered coldly. "I'll be eighteen in two more years; and then you won't have any legal responsibility towards me. I'll be out of your hair soon enough, don't worry."

Vlad just stared at him, unhidden hurt in his eyes.

Danny couldn't believe it. He had never seen the man show that kind of emotion so openly.

"I want you to get something to eat," the billionaire suddenly said soberly. "I want you out of this room. Take whatever work Ms. Thomas assigned you with you. When you are finished, I don't care what you do, but I do not want to see you in here until it's time for bed."

Daniel just looked away, though he weakly nodded.

Vlad stood there for another moment, before finally turning around. But as he reached the door, the man paused again; and without looking at the boy, he sighed and quietly said, "I wish I could take away your pain. I wish I could return them to you. But I cannot…. Even so, I will always be here for you; I will always be willing to help you----when you let me."

Daniel suddenly looked really guilty, and he quickly called out to the billionaire, stopping him from leaving. But instead of apologizing like he clearly wanted, he quietly asked, "…Can I get my picture back?"

Vlad regarded him with a mixture of emotions. But only anger leaked out of his voice as he replied, "You will get it back tomorrow."

The man finally left and the boy on the bed finally broke down into tears.

As he watched, Danny felt sick. He felt utterly sick. What sort of twisted dream was this? This was as bad as his dream of turning to his future evil self!

But Danny's thoughts were interrupted with the sudden appearance of a strange red smoke. It began to engulf the entire room like flames. And suddenly there was a bright red light. The boy cried out as the light blinded him and he stumbled backwards.

But then a second later, the smoke and the light vanished. And Danny was in a familiar living room within Vlad's mansion.

The boy's attention quickly went to the pair of arguing half-ghosts in the room with him.

"You have lost your mind!" Vlad screamed at Daniel, looking both angry and horrified.

"I know you can do it, Vlad! Please! I can't take this anymore! I can't take all this hurt anymore! **I can't!**" Daniel exclaimed back, looking desperate.

"Daniel, for goodness sake! Listen to yourself! Do you have any idea what you are asking me to do? I can't _permanently_ separate your ghost and human halves! It would kill you!"

"You wouldn't let that happen," Daniel assured him, firm on his idea. "I know you can find a way to make it so that I can live without my ghost half."

"So, what's this? You're now blaming your ghost powers for your loss?" Vlad asked in disbelief.

"I would have never needed to cheat on that test if it wasn't for my ghost powers and my stupid need to be some hero! I want them gone!" Danny said bitterly.

Vlad suddenly looked like he was ready to break down. But instead the man just fell back on a couch and buried his face in his hands.

There was a silence. And Danny as he watched on couldn't help but feel really sorry for Vlad. He was trying so hard.

"Oh, Danny," the man whispered; and for a moment, Danny thought he was talking to him. But, of course, he was talking to _Daniel_.

"My dear boy, you're sick," Vlad said looking up at Daniel with distressed eyes.

Daniel nodded and whispered, "Yes...with grief."

The man momentarily pinched his nose and closed his eyes. But then he suddenly stood up and grabbed the boy's face as he said, "I'm going to get you help."

But Daniel gently pushed his hands away and sadly replied, "You've already gotten me help. I've been to like five psychologists in the past year alone. They can't help me."

But Vlad insisted. "Then, we'll find a ghost one. That way you don't have to worry about your secret. I believe Skulker knows----"

"Vlad," Daniel cut him off, closing his eyes and sighing. The teen looked back at the man and soberly repeated, "They _can't_ help me. No one can help me. No one but…_you_. Please. I know you are afraid for me. I know you're afraid of me dying; but, Vlad, I already am. I have been slowly dying for the past two-years-and-a-half. I can't live like this anymore. It's… not fair to you."

"Don't make this about me, Daniel," Vlad answered. "And do not put me between a rock and a hard place. You know I want to help you; but not like this."

Daniel just stared at the man. But then, he suddenly did something completely unexpected for Danny--- and clearly for Vlad, too.

Daniel got on his knees right in front of the older hybrid.

Danny was breathing heavily and he quickly squeezed his eyes, not wanting to watch anymore. But even when his eyes were squeezed shut, he was still watching everything!

"Please. I'll do whatever you want. I'll give you whatever you want. I'll stay here with you for the rest of my life. I'll be your evil apprentice or your perfect son! I don't care! Just help me! You have to!"

Danny was shaking, his other self's words sounding so close to his own when he had surrendered to Vlad. What did this mean? Why was he looking at something he couldn't possibly know about?!

"Get up, Daniel," Vlad said seriously. But when the teen didn't, the man suddenly screamed, "GET UP!"

But Daniel just buried his face in his hands and began to sob loudly.

Vlad was on his knees in seconds, embracing the teenager.

And Danny would have found the scene awkward if he wasn't ready to break down himself.

"Please!" Daniel cried out, gripping the man's suit and burying his face against it. "Make all this hurt just go away! **Please!**"

"Danny," Vlad whispered, rubbing the crying teen's back. "Your emotions are not going to go away with your powers. They are part of your human half."

"Then get rid of it! Get rid of my humanity!"

"What?" Vlad asked, looking horrified again. "Daniel---"

But the boy in his hold suddenly screamed in agony before screeching out, "Just get rid of whatever you have to! I just want to be able to have a normal life again! I want to move on and I can't if I keep feeling all this hurt!"

"No," Danny whispered when he saw Vlad remain quiet. He was actually considering it!

"You would become a full ghost. You would be driven by just raw instincts," Vlad whispered, before pulling away and grabbing the crying boy's face. "Is that what you want? Is that the sort of life you want?"

"Anything is better than this," Daniel whispered back.

"NO!" Danny suddenly shouted, running over to the two other hybrids. "Don't do it! Vlad, don't do it!"

But Danny's shouts fell on deaf ears.

"I don't want to lose you, too, Daniel," the billionaire said sadly. "I would have nothing to live for."

"You're not gonna lose me," Daniel replied back, his crying ebbing with the realization that the man was considering his request. "On the contrary. We'll be able to put all this behind us. We can start over again. Everything will be so much better!"

"No," Vlad answered sadly. "Everything will be _different_. If I remove your humanity, you will never be the same boy again."

"That's just it. I don't want to be that boy anymore. I want to be someone new, someone _better_. Please."

Danny buried his face in his hands and moaned in desperation. "This isn't happening," he whispered to himself.

"I promised I would help you if you'd let me," Vlad finally answered. "And if this is what you want, if this is how I can help, then, I will honor your wishes."

Daniel's eyes lit up with hope, before he threw his arms around the man and hugged him. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Vlad sighed as he returned the hug. "Just give me some time. This has to be thought through carefully, alright? But you'll get what you want... No more painful human emotions will tie you down ever again. I promise."

Daniel just hugged the man tighter.

But Danny, still watching, felt nothing at the sight. He was feeling too utterly hopeless to feel anything else.

The strange red smoke returned again. And once more, it was followed by a flash of red light.

Danny stumbled back, pressing against the nearest wall as he found himself in Vlad's secret laboratory.

Daniel was on a stretcher, nervously watching the man prep some strange chamber on the opposite side of the room.

"So… is that chamber really going to convert my human DNA to ghost DNA?" Daniel commented, clearly repeating something Vlad had already told him just to break the tense silence in the lab.

"Yes, Daniel," Vlad answered, the man's voice more grave than Danny had ever heard it. The billionaire sighed before turning to look at the teen on the steel table.

"The procedure itself will be quick. What will take longer is the conversion of your human half to ghost. I am going to start by separating your ghost and human halves. That is why I will have to put you under. Once you are separated, I will take your human half to the conversion chamber so that your human DNA can be turned into ghost DNA. As I said, you cannot survive with only just one of your halves; so when the process is done, I will combine both your halves again. You will be a full ghost. No more humanity."

Daniel just nodded.

The billionaire nodded back and then continued to get everything ready. Time seemed to drag on as Danny watched everything that was going on. But all too soon, Vlad was standing right beside Daniel with a mask in his hand.

Vlad hesitated, his hands actually shaking as he brought the mask closer to the boy on the stretcher.

"Vlad," Daniel called to him, grabbing one the man's shaking arms. "It's gonna be fine. I trust you. You're gonna do fine. And I'm gonna be fine. And everything will be fine. I promise."

The billionaire smiled sadly, pushing his unoccupied hand through the teen's black hair in a fatherly manner. He removed his hand with a sigh, before bringing the mask over the boy's face.

"Don't do it," Danny whispered, dispassionately this time, knowing it was going to happen anyways.

As the gas began to take effect, Vlad suddenly lowered his face down so he could whisper something in Daniel's ear.

Danny didn't hear it. But whatever he had said, it made the groggy Daniel smile and slur out, "I know. I think…I've always…known." The boy's eyes began to close, going in and out of focus, as he continued to slur, "Thanks for every---thing. You'd make a good d-ad after all….fruit…loop…"

Danny's breath hitched in his throat when Daniel's eyes finally closed completely. The boy could only watch on in despair as everything began to unravel _exactly_ as the future Vlad had told him when he had been trapped in that alternate future.

But as the happenings turned for the worse, Danny cried out against them, even when they still unfolded, regardless. As soon as it was freed, his other self's ghost half went crazy as the future Vlad had said. And Danny could only squeeze his eyes against the scream that resonated out of Vlad's throat when his ghost half was also ripped out---even when through the horror of it all Danny could still see everything with his eyes closed.

Even louder screams came from Daniel's ghost half as it mixed with Plasmius, while the former older hybrid's human self quivered in the corner, looking horrified. The man hardly noticed the human Daniel on the table stirring from all the commotion...

And Danny still continued to watch---even as the evil young Phantom recovered from the effects of combining with Plasmius and turned his attention to his defenseless and groggy human self. For Danny, seeing it all with his very eyes was even more disturbing than having it retold to him by the future Vlad.

The ectoplasm…. _the blood_…

The future Vlad had been right. What happened to Daniel under Phantom's hand was better left unsaid---and Danny could have lived the rest of his life without seeing it now.

A sob caught in Danny's throat at seeing the human Vlad desperately attempt to save Daniel, only to be left within an inch of his own life.

Suddenly, everything went mute, making it seem to Danny like he was watching some graphic horror movie without sound. He watched as the badly beaten billionaire gripped the lifeless Daniel against him and buried his face against the boy's limp form. The man was shaking and his chest heaving up and down. It was a sight Danny could have never imagined if he was not seeing it.

Danny suddenly screamed out, wanting to do something when the evil Phantom towered over the broken man, clearly wanting to deal him the same fate as Daniel. And by the way the man did nothing to defend himself----not that he could do much---he didn't care anymore.

In spite the tears running down his face, Danny wondered something at that moment that he never had before:

How had Vlad survived that day?

The teen received the answer when Niane suddenly materialized in the room.

"What?" Danny whispered as he saw her fire a red blast at his evil future self before he could waste Vlad.

There was suddenly a flash of red light and Danny was blinded again. Only this time, the scene did not change. But Niane had---or at least her clothing had. Danny couldn't see her face because she was facing away from him.

But Danny didn't give it much thought at the moment, more focused on how Vlad had turned ash white as he stared at Niane.

The man said something to her; but because everything had gone mute, Danny did not know what it was. Suddenly, Evil Phantom blasted Niane into a wall and Vlad clearly screamed.

The man attempted to get to her, but the ghost girl raised a hand stopping his approach, clearly screaming something against it.

Evil Phantom was also now staring in shock between Niane and Vlad. But he then suddenly threw his head back and laughed insanely----judging by the look on his face.

Danny stared on in some sort of morbid trance as Niane shouted something again to Vlad.

This time, the man seemed to listen to her. And he suddenly turned to look at the lifeless form of Daniel. He hesitated; but then suddenly, he ran towards Daniel as fast as his clearly broken leg and bleeding body would let him.

Danny now understood why the future Vlad was crippled and had to use a cane in that dark future...

The billionaire picked up the unmoving boy; and with one last distraught look at the two fighting ghosts, he ran out of the lab, heading who knew where----but probably to safety, judging by the fact that Danny knew the future Vlad had survived this encounter.

Danny's eyes quickly turned back to Niane and Evil Phantom. But at the moment, Evil Phantom grabbed her by the neck and she suddenly began to glow green.

"NO!" Danny cried out when Niane's form began to dissolve until she was no more.

Evil Phantom threw his head back and laughed again; and it was at that moment, Danny realized the ghost was glowing green, too. But then the hue suddenly absorbed into his body... and... the evil specter's ghostly white hue instantly turned brighter….

Suddenly, the sound returned and Danny gasped at the onslaught to his ears. Evil Phantom was destroying everything, causing explosion after explosion within the lab; however, the force of each one shook the grand mansion more and more.

Danny began to back up, horror glowing in his eyes at the sheer evil radiating off the young Evil Phantom.

However, the ghost suddenly stopped in his rampage----and his head twisted in Danny's direction. A terrifying grin stretched on the ghost's foreboding face, his tongue slithering with sudden delight.

"Like your future, Danny?" he asked.

The boy screamed, backing away from the insane ghost in front of him----especially when he then repeated again the very phrase that constricted his heart with fear each time:

"I'm still here. I still exist. That means, you still turn into me."

There was a sudden flash of red light and everything was suddenly replaced by utter darkness.

"AHH!" Danny screamed as he shot up in bed. And seeing he was in his pitch black room at Vlad's mansion, the teenager scrambled off the bed, fearing he was still trapped in his nightmare. He ran for the lights, immensely relieved when they actually worked this time and light instantly immersed his room.

Sweating and breathing close to hyperventilating, the boy stared around his room for any signs of something being amiss. But… everything was in order---and he could see no one there save for him.

Danny quickly turned into Phantom and checked his appearance using the dresser mirror. He was soon relieved to see he looked as he should---and not like his evil self, as he had feared. However, his hand froze against his face when he saw the wet trails running down his cheeks.

He had been crying---just like in his nightmare.

Danny shivered as he recalled it; and suddenly not wanting to be in this part of his room anymore, he flew up to his private lounge. He quickly turned human again before falling against one of the plush couches and burying his face in his hands.

He didn't know what to make of his…nightmare. It had been so real---but not like his other past strong nightmares. This one…it had been like watching a movie. Or, no, more like _witnessing_ a real murder or something...

Suddenly feeling his raw throat ache, the teen also knew he had actually been screaming, too.

Danny slowly brought his legs up on the couch, barely noticing he was still wearing his sneakers. He now finally remembered how after returning from the stables, he had gone up to his room, plagued by Vlad's words in the forest. He had dropped on his bed with the intention of just resting his eyes for moment before actually getting ready for bed. But clearly….he had accidently fallen asleep---and with Vlad's words in the forest ringing in his mind, no less.

But how did such a nightmare spring from his talk with Vlad?

Suddenly shivering, he slowly moved a bit so he could curl up and just press his face against the soft couch, hoping to bury the horrible images fresh in his mind as well as his recent talk with Vlad.

"I'm so tired of this," Danny whispered. But he knew at that moment that if nothing at all, Vlad had been right about one thing in the forest moments ago: His fear of ending up with that dark future was confining---_and destroying_---him.

"_I will always be willing to help you----when you let me."_

"_Daniel, I can help you free yourself, my boy---if you'd only let me."_

Both comments had come from Vlad's mouth---well, the first had been from the 'dream' Vlad. But even so, they were practically saying the same thing. But what did that strange similarity even mean? Or, did it mean anything at all? Was his mind so confused that it was just jumbling all his memories and thoughts and _creating_ weird nightmares now?

But, somehow, Danny didn't believe what he just experienced was a nightmare. It had been more. It had been… _real_. It had really happened. But how could he have seen something like this when he didn't know _that_ much about that alternate timeline?

Perhaps…

"Clockwork," Danny whispered.

But since when did the Time Ghost do things like this? Why would his mentor traumatize him further with such images? It made no sense!

Unless… he was trying to warn him. Maybe… he was walking down that dark path again! After all, as much as he didn't want it to be true, everything happening now was definitely looking more and more like what had happened in that horrible future… It was too close for comfort.

Danny squeezed his eyes close, not wanting to think about the possibility of turning evil. And as he buried his face deeper into the couch, trying to just forget about everything he had seen, he never noticed the two glowing red eyes staring at him from a distance within the darkened room. And the teen never did, for the ghost to whom they belonged, quietly vanished out of the lounge.

* * *

Walking up the path toward his house, Vlad looked down at his watch which read a little past midnight. He had no idea he had been out riding for that long. But it didn't matter. He had accomplished what he wanted. He knew just how he was going to deal with Jasmine----and Daniel's problem, too…

Using his inner ghost sense, Vlad found three certain ghosts preening their feathers within a large tree.

"Keeping busy?" Vlad asked causally, looking up at the three ghost vultures and crossing his arms.

The birds startled at the man's sudden appearance. But then, they glared in annoyance, and one of them answered, "Actually, yes, ve are. Do you know how difficult and time-consuming it is to keep your feathers clean and glowing when you are our age?"

Vlad was tempted to point out that they were ghosts; so their feathers already _naturally_ glowed and they could simply turn _intangible_ to keep clean. However, the man just shrugged and replied, "I could never imagine. However, I am afraid I will have to interrupt your important task. I need your services."

The three ghosts looked briefly surprised at that. But then they flew down to a lower branch in front of the man as one of them replied, "Oh? And vhat are these 'services' exactly."

"For now," Vlad replied without skipping a beat. "I need you three to go to the Ghost Zone and locate the ecto-pusses. Then, I will explain the rest."

The vultures just blinked at the man; before a different vulture dryly said, "You know, you really should make up your mind. You said you didn't vant our services anymore. And you told the ecto-puses to return to the Ghost Zone, too. And now you vant our help and vant those two back? Geez, and I thought I vas indecisive!"

All too use to their complaining, Vlad just rolled his eyes and said, "Just do as I say." He turned around and began to walk away. However, he suddenly halted, quickly recalling one more thing. "Oh," he said, turning to face them again. "I still do not want any of you--_or them_--inside my house."

The vultures frowned in confusion. "But I thought you vanted us to---"

But the man interrupted the bird. "Once you find the ecto-puses, have them---and you three as well---wait for me around my portal _within_ the Ghost Zone. I will seek you five out in two days. Make sure you—and they---are there."

The vultures quickly began to protest about two days not being enough time to seek out the other two ghosts, but the man just ignored them and headed inside.

Knowing he needed to shower before he could go to bed, the man headed right up to his room. His thoughts, though, were completely on his new plans. But just as he was about to make a right at the main stairs towards his room, the older hybrid abruptly froze.

Vlad quickly looked to his left, towards the boy's room. He didn't understand it. Where had this urge even come from? Against his better judgment, something inside him all the sudden wanted to seek out the boy.

"No," he muttered. "That would just be asking for trouble. Besides, Daniel is surely asleep by now..."

But Vlad was clearly not convinced. And he couldn't get rid of the feeling that something was wrong---and that he _really_ needed to go find the teen.

"_I think your psychic… How else do you happen to find me when I'm in a tight spot?"_

The billionaire sighed with the sudden memory of the boy's question. _Of course_, he wasn't 'psychic'. But his intuition when it came to the teen was... troubling at best…

The man took a step in the direction of Danny's bedroom. Suddenly, though, thinking better of it, he quickly shook his head, and forced his urge away.

But then an unexpected scream jolted the man right back around; and though faint to his ears, he knew the boy had to have _really_ screamed for it to echo this far out.

Vlad frowned. The boy was having another nightmare. He didn't know he could know that, but he had no doubt. The man had a first believed the boy's fitful slumber was due to his worry over his loved ones. However, after what he had discovered tonight, the man was sure the boy's nightmares consisted of more than just his worries.

They consisted of his fears.

But even though he truly wanted to go to the boy's aid, Vlad forced himself to turn right back around and continue to his own room. It was better to leave him alone for now. After all, Daniel didn't want someone to talk to about his nightmares.

But the older hybrid was sure Daniel _did_ want someone to make them go away. And he was going to find a way to do just that or his name wasn't Vlad Masters.

* * *

**Liked my take on TUE? Heh. I have a lot of theories on it; but I couldn't possibly fit it all in this story---and it wouldn't all be relevant, anyways. But, okay, I know that last whole scene with Danny was weird and confusing. But it was supposed to be. Don't worry, you'll understand the reason for it soon enough. And it'll all be explained. Then again, I know some of you probably have figured it out already. Or… have suspicions at least. Heh. **

**Well, sorry to say I won't be replying to reviews this time around. I got school back on my back; so I need to juggle my time. I will try my best, though, if you had questions to answer you. And, I'll try to reply to reviews for this chapter, too. Thanks, everyone! Until next time! **


	61. Chapter 60: Emotional Meanings

**Gosh, was this one a challenge. I'm not completely happy with it. But, oh well. I gotta warn you all, though, more weirdness ahead. But do bear with me. I promise to explain all this eventually. **

**In any case, I hope you guys like it. It is longer than the usual, too. And that's sayin' something coming from yours truly. But I do owe you all for not updating in like two weeks now. Sorry! **

**Anyways, one other thing, if you have time, check out my DA account! More fanart under my favorites. Please check em' out and leave the artist a comment! I know they will appreciate the support! :) And, also, if you haven't, check out candelight's one-shots/side-shots for this story! They are awesome! **

**Well, enough of my yapping. I'll let you all get on with it. Enjoy, my dear readers!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. But the OCs are my own. Heh.**

* * *

**Chapter 60: Emotional Meanings**

* * *

"_You are afraid of yourself. And __**that**__, my boy, is the greatest weakness anyone can possess..." _

Danny blankly stared at the exam in front of him as Vlad's words haunted his hazy mind. He didn't need to see the dark circles under his eyes to know he looked terrible. After that horrible 'nightmare' last night, he was unable to sleep for the rest of the night; for every time he even tried to close his eyes, those same haunting images tormented his mind.

He hadn't even wanted to think about it today, either. So, he had to spend most of his energy trying to fight off the memories of last night even when he was awake. And that meant that on top of his physical exhaustion, he was now also mentally exhausted.

It was definitely a good thing Vlad had left early for work, so they had not had breakfast together… He was sure the man would have noticed something was wrong.

Now, though, it had been a few hours since the man left; and Danny's mind was so weak that it could no longer hold that nightmare at bay... And he had long since lost his fight with suppressing his conversation with Vlad from last night, too…

_Your fear wasn't for Dazzler, Daniel. What you felt, that overwhelming fear within you, was the very same fear you feel for __yourself__. It's the very same fear you still carry around with you…."_

Unfortunately, Vlad was right about that much. The teen had not wanted to admit it because doing so only filled him with further fear and confusion. But a lot of the things that had happened to him as of late were because of his fears.

His power spike a month after he had been forced to come to Wisconsin had been the result of his sudden anger at his half-ghost status combined with his uncertainty and fear. He still remembered how in his despair he had even had the urge of getting rid of his other self and had often wished he had never gotten ghost powers----though, he _still_ sometimes was inclined to desire the latter…

If it wasn't for his fear of being without his family and of it leading to his turning evil, he would have put more importance at the early warning signs that something was wrong with his ghost half. If he would not have been so overwhelmed by his fears, he would not have broken down that night… he would not have surrendered to his despair…and to Vlad.

Then, after his friends and sisters had discovered him, he had forced himself to bury his fears, to ignore them. And that only had caused him more trouble. Dazzler knew that; and had not hesitated to slowly begin to take control of his fears and in turn take control of him----because--although Danny did not want to admit it---his fears were like the very reins that he used to control that black stallion last night…

Danny's hand tightened on the pencil in his hand, unaware that Ms. Thomas, who was sitting at her desk, was watching him with a confused frown…

What happened with Dazzler… had been his _own_ fault. His fears had almost cost him not only his life, but Vlad's as well.

But the teen had also managed to push his fear aside that day….The moment he had acknowledged his fears, he had been able to get a grip on them. He had been able to control them---at least for that moment. At least, enough to pull out of Dazzler's spell and save himself and Vlad.

If only he could keep himself from falling back into those same fears…

Vlad was right when he had said that he _still_ was carrying his fears with him.

But how could he not? How could he not be afraid of turning evil? How could he not be afraid of his powers when he had seen the destruction they could cause?

_Did you think I did not see the empowerment glowing in your eyes when you used your raw energy on Dazzler? It felt good, didn't it? Using your powers without restraint?"_

What was frightening to Danny about that was that he was sure he could have condensed his raw energy _even further_ than he had that night. But he had stopped. What Vlad didn't know was that Danny had not let himself _truly_ use his powers without restraint that day. Almost. But not truly.

The teen had been scared to let his powers build any further because it really_ did_ feel good to hold that amount of power at his fingertips. It had felt _too_ good and _too_ tempting to not give in to that feeling of empowerment!

Then, there was more…he couldn't help but be curious… He wanted so badly to see just how much power he held. He wanted to see how far he could grow, how powerful he could become if he allowed his ghost half free reign…

But…

What if he then could not control it? What if he lost himself in all that power?

"_Daniel, you cannot lose control of yourself unless __you__ allow it. I've told you many times before, your powers are your own. Permitting yourself to reach your true capabilities can only do you good. It will make you a stronger person._

Danny bit his lip as he thought, _"Could I really use my powers to their full potential without losing control of them, of my ghost half? …Without turning into __**him**__?"_

The teen suddenly glared in frustration at his half-finished exam. What was wrong with him lately? Since _when_ did he even listen to Vlad? Seriously, the guy's views were twisted at best! And he got solid proof of that last night!

"_Hear me well, Daniel, your powers are not going to make you 'evil'. Quite the contrary. You experienced firsthand the consequences of suppressing your powers. They are a part of you now. You are as much human as you are a ghost. __**Danny Phantom **__is as equally important as __**Danny Fenton**__. And that is something you cannot keep denying."_

Danny sighed sadly with the memory of Vlad's further words. Vlad's views could be messed up, but…the man was right on a lot of things that he had said---and his fear of becoming evil and his inability to fully accept his ghost half because of it was two of those things.

"Danny?"

The young hybrid startled at the sudden sound of his name. But when he saw concerned green eyes staring at him from behind a pair of small eyeglasses, the teen relaxed again and smiled in embarrassment at Ms. Thomas.

"Sorry. Uh, you surprised me….," he explained.

Ms. Thomas eyed him quizzically, yet calmly, for a moment before looking down at the boy's exam.

"Are you having trouble with the exam?" she questioned, raising her eyes back at him.

Danny quickly looked back down at his test. He…had forgotten all about it.

"Um… not really. I just…" Danny sighed. "I guess I just got a little distracted," he admitted quietly.

Ms. Thomas frowned, worry returning to her face. "May I ask what has you so distracted today?"

Danny almost cringed at the question. But instead he rubbed his neck as he tried to think of what to say. "It's nothing, really. I guess I just didn't get a lot of sleep last night."

"Is that so?" Ms. Thomas replied with a raised eyebrow. "If that's the case, then perhaps I will have to have small chat with Mr. Plasmius about---"

"What? No!" Danny suddenly exclaimed. But when he saw Ms. Thomas frown at his outburst, he added more nervously, "I-I… You don't need to tell him anything. I'm fine! And it's just a one-time thing! I promise! Just…," Danny sighed and looked away before muttering, "Don't tell him anything. Please."

Ms. Thomas didn't reply right away. But then she sighed and calmly took the half finished exam from the teen.

Danny looked up, not liking the fact. Was she going to show Vlad his half-finished exam? The last thing he needed after last night was another awkward talk with Vlad, like explaining to the guy why he had failed one of Ms. Thomas' exams. Then again, if he couldn't complete the test, it wasn't because he didn't know the material. He just couldn't focus, that's all; so it wasn't exactly failing…

"Ms. Thomas, look, I'm sorry. I---," he began worriedly.

But the ghost teacher cut him off. "Calm down, Danny. You are not in trouble. I just think it will be better if you finish this exam tomorrow. I _know_ you know the material; and I would hate to see you do badly simply because you cannot seem to focus today----for whatever reason."

Danny just quietly nodded. It was true, though. He knew the material. In all the time he had been getting schooled by Ms. Thomas, he knew he had learned a lot and had improved a lot, too---heck, even math was starting to make sense. He had to admit, it was a nice feeling. And so was having time to actually study…

But the thought just made the teen suddenly feel really guilty.

"I will tell Mr. Plasmius we finished earlier for today," Ms. Thomas said, interrupting his thoughts. "But you should try to get some rest, alright? I do not want a repeat of this tomorrow---or, _then_, I will be forced to speak with Mr. Plasmius."

Danny smiled a bit. "Thanks. And I'll definitely be ready for that test tomorrow."

Ms. Thomas smiled and said, "Very well. Off you go, then."

Danny quickly nodded, before gathering his things and leaving the mapping room. He glanced at the grandfather clock as he passed it and saw it was not even ten-thirty in the morning yet. That meant he had about two hours before lunch. And he was going to try to use the time to take a nap. He was seriously so out of it that his vision was going fuzzy. He honestly had not felt this sleep-deprived in a while.

But Danny suddenly frowned at the thought of sleeping suddenly. He really hoped he could; and that if he did, he could actually have a _peaceful_ slumber this time.

* * *

"_You want to know what's left, after you have reached everything? …__**Nothing**__!"_

Vlad dropped the pen in his hands on the desk, before leaning back in his office seat and rubbing his temple. He might not have completely shown it, but a lot of the boy's comments directed at him last night had made him deeply uncomfortable.

In fact, he had had a really hard time sleeping last night thanks to his 'conversation' with Daniel. The man had tried to occupy his mind solely on the boy's problem and the issue with Jasmine; but then in the silence of his room, his own problems had started plaguing him…

And now, sitting in his private office at DALV, they continued to do so…

Was it truly possible that _his_ view on the world was wrong, like the boy stated?

Vlad glared at the papers on his desk, suddenly feeling angry with himself for even considering it. After all, thinking he was wrong was like saying everything that had happened to him held no importance.

No, that couldn't be. The boy was only fifteen! He still believed the world was a bed of roses', still unaware that it was overwhelmed by thorns.

"But that doesn't mean his words don't have some truth to them," he whispered, sadness suddenly gripping at his heart.

He had everything _anyone_ could _ever_ want---power, money, fame. The list went on. He had everything… _except_ for the one thing he truly desired. Everything except for… love.

"_Tell me, Vlad. What good is it to be above everything and everyone when you are all alone?!"_

Was that why he was alone?

Vlad sighed deeply. What was wrong with him lately? Since when did he question his actions or views?

It wasn't _his_ fault he was alone! It was fate's cruel hand! Fate's _and_ Jack Fenton's fault! _Not his!_

The older hybrid supposed he could admit to himself that perhaps he could have gone about some things in his life in a different way; but, ultimately, the things he had done were justified! Why couldn't he just _take_ the things he wanted if the things he had once cherished had been taken from him in the same unforgiving way? It was only fair now!

"_Sometimes using your own two hands to accomplish something is much more fulfilling---and definitely more significant. You can't learn the value of something unless you work for it."_

Vlad scowled, feeling annoyed that even in his private thoughts the boy could contradict him!

"What the blazes is Daniel talking about? I have worked for things! Perhaps not everything…. But that was only at the beginning when I had had no other way of going about it…And then also later under special circumstances…"

Vlad suddenly crossed his arms and growled out, "I do work for things! I'm working right now!" he added, glaring briefly at the stack of papers.

So what if he had overshadowed a few people to make his first millions? It wasn't like **all** his companies and money were obtained through 'short-cuts' as the boy had called them.

DALV and Vladco, were prime examples. They were _his_ companies! He had raised them from the nothing! He had not cheated anyone out of anything. He had practically built them with his two hands!

And then he had also bought Axion Labs fair and square from its former owner! And most recently, Mark Vazier Industries.

Alright, so, the M.V.I owner himself was not fully aware of Vlad's buying all his board of directors' stock holds. But the older hybrid had obtained them legally, all the same. It wasn't his fault Mark was too busy living the high life to realize that his company's power had just been turned over to Vlad. Furthermore, the fool had sold him part of his own stock, thinking that their negotiation had simply made Vlad co-owner of MVI and nothing else. So, then, it wasn't _his_ fault the man was an arrogant imbecile! He had obtained this recent company fair and square, too!

"…_Even if you were right, that doesn't give __**us**__ the right to take advantage of anyone---and especially not because we have the power to do it. Just because we __**can**__ do something, doesn't mean __**we **__**should**__."_

"This is ridiculous!" Vlad suddenly exclaimed, his eyes flashing red with his frustration as he slammed a hand on top of the papers on his desk.

"I thought so, too. But it's all about paperwork nowadays."

Vlad yelped at the unexpected voice and nearly fell out of his seat in his surprise. But when his eyes quickly darted to his closing office door and he saw a highly amused Stephanie staring back at him, he quickly glared at her.

"For goodness sake, woman! Can't you knock?!" he snapped at her.

Stephanie raised an eyebrow and dryly replied, "I did…. _Four_ times."

Vlad quickly deflated, embarrassment almost reaching his cheeks; but he quickly sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose to get a hold of himself. "My apologies," he mumbled out.

The green-eyed woman just shrugged lightly, seemingly all-too-use to the man's sudden tantrums.

Vlad regarded her again and tiredly asked, "What did you want?"

"Ouch," she replied, faking hurt in her voice. But when the billionaire quickly opened his mouth to explain himself, she cut him off with a small smirk and said, "Calm down, Vlad. I know what you meant. I'm here for two things: One," she said pulling out a schedule book, "I need you to tell me when you want to schedule those two meetings you have pending... I would have just scheduled them myself; but with your recent streak of not showing up or coming late or leaving early, I figured I'd let you decide…"

Vlad frowned at her for a moment; but then he just quietly took the book from her and quickly looked over at his different business obligations. He hardly gave it much thought, though. And picking up his pen he quickly marked the date and time for his two pending meetings.

"Good," she said, taking the book back. "I'll be sure to let them know this is a tentative schedule," she added with a smile.

Vlad sighed. Sometimes he had to wonder if Stephanie enjoyed torturing him.

"So, what's 'two'?" he questioned, lowering his gaze to the papers in front of him as he tried to determine where he had left off before 'spacing out'.

But when she didn't answer, Vlad quickly looked up, only to find she was not in front of him anymore.

"How can you do anything with so little light?" his secretary asked from the other side of his office.

Vlad rolled his eyes as he watched her open the curtains covering the wall-size window in his office; but he didn't say anything.

She turned to look at him, now that the office didn't look like a morgue anymore. And tilting her head a bit in contemplation, she calmly remarked, "I must say, Vlad---and mind you, it's not very often I can say it---but you look horrible today."

"Thank you, Stephanie. I could not have a kinder secretary," he replied sarcastically, before turning his gaze back to the papers on his desk.

Stephanie grinned. "I'm glad I could be of service, Mr. Masters. But I also must say that your office is a bit of a mess. So, exactly who are you and what have you done with my employer?"

In spite of not looking at her, Vlad still casually answered, "Your employer, _Mrs. Hui_, has more on his plate at the moment than he can chew. So, then, the condition of his office is hardly registering in his tired mind right now."

"I see…," she replied, though she now looked more curious than amused. But deciding her friend would tell her what was wrong when he was ready, she busied herself with organizing the bookshelf and files cabinets. In reality, Vlad was a very organized person; so the sight of his messy office honestly surprised her.

"Stephanie?" Vlad suddenly called to her, raising his eyes up to her. But he didn't see the brief smirk that curled his friend's lips at being right, and her causal voice gave no evidence of it.

"Yes?" she asked, not turning to face him as she placed a book back in its place.

"This might seem random. And, really, I don't even know why I'm asking. I suppose I'm just curious… But---" Vlad suddenly stopped and frowned at his rambling. He had to be really tired. He shook his head, before asking seriously, "Do you think most people are… for the lack of a better word, _good_?"

Stephanie slowly turned to look at him, her large cat-like green eyes blinking at him in confusion.

"You weren't kidding about the 'random' part, were you?" she replied with a slight amused smile.

"Just answer me," Vlad muttered.

Stephanie crossed her arms, genuinely thinking of the question. But it didn't take her long to answer, "Well… I like to think that there's more good in the world than evil. So, why not?"

Vlad's eyebrows creased with some unknown emotion, "You think that even after what Eric did to you and Annabelle? Even after what happened to…Annie?"

Stephanie looked at him with a hint of sadness. But she then quietly answered, "Yes. Even with that. I think most people are good… they just make wrong choices…. And in the case of Annie, as well in the case of _Jack_, people just make mistakes, Vlad."

"Don't mention that man to me, Stephanie, _especially_ not now," Vlad quickly muttered, briefly glaring down his papers.

Stephanie sighed. There was a brief silence, but then she spoke again, "I can't decide if having Daniel with you is doing you more good or bad…"

"Trust me, Stephanie. I have been asking myself that for a while now, too," Vlad told her seriously. But then his gaze softened as he added, "And yet…I cannot bring myself to care if it is the latter...," he admitted quietly.

His secretary smiled, but she sadly told him, "He won't be with you forever, Vlad. After all, I'm sure Maddie and Jack are not going to let him stay with you for that much longer. And how old did you say he is? Fifteen? He's won't even be with his own parents forever, either. Believe me, they grow up faster than you think."

"I… realize that," the older hybrid answered sadly. "But I'm going to enjoy him for as long as I can. Besides, the boy is better off with me than his parents."

Stephanie's eyebrows creased in concern. "Vlad? Daniel isn't _yours_. He has a father."

"Yes. A poor one," Vlad grumbled, standing up and walking over to a small bar to get something to drink.

"Are you sure that's not your jealously talking?" Stephanie retorted with a frown.

"Why are we talking about this?" Vlad suddenly asked, annoyed.

"You tell me. You were the one who started with the weird questions," Stephanie retorted dryly.

Vlad sighed sadly. He was quiet for a moment, before he said, "Jack has Maddie, Stephanie. And he has had Daniel for fifteen years. Is it so bad for me to want to be Daniel's father for the few years that he still needs one?"

"I'm sorry, Vlad," Stephanie said sadly, walking up to him and gripping his shoulder from behind. "But you are never going to take Jack's place, no matter what you do. But, I suppose that doesn't mean you can't be part of Daniel's life. You just need to find exactly where you fit in it. Or rather, find out where he _needs_ you. Perhaps if you ask him?"

"_That's just it. He doesn't want me in his life," _Vlad thought despairingly, knowing the boy would leave him without a glance back if he had a choice. But instead, the man shook his head and replied, "I know I can be a better father to him than Jack."

The woman removed her hand from his shoulder with a sigh of surrender. "I would tell you that perhaps you should just be satisfied with what you have so far with Daniel before you lose it…. But I know you are not going to listen to me," Stephanie muttered. It really was pointless to continue this argument. Vlad was clearly _too_ attached to this boy.

"Well, you're right," Vlad said, briefly glaring at her before moving away to his open window. "I can't be satisfied. I want Daniel as _my_ son. It's the least I deserve after Jack left me alone to rot at some hospital! After he took Maddie from me! The one person I cared for most in this world!"

"You were not alone in that hospital, Vlad," Stephanie said quietly, feeling hurt that he seemed to have forgotten that she had been with him for a good part of that----even when for the longest time he would all but force her to leave his side, ashamed of his hideous appearance.

"And…you did not always care for Maddie, either," she added as an afterthought--- which she had not meant to voice out loud…

Vlad froze with that last comment. Did his friend just say what he thought he heard?

The older hybrid turned to look at Stephanie, some strange emotion in his eyes as he replied, "You're right… I didn't." But in his mind he added, _"I once cared for you…"_

In fact, he had been sure at one time that he loved Stephanie. In his silly teenage mind, he even would dream of marrying her someday… But they had been children, then. Hardly older than Daniel and Annabelle. But he had moved away, _moved on_. He had gone to college, and met Maddie… The person he now loved.

Suddenly realizing what she had said, Stephanie's face lit up bright red with embarrassment. How could she have said that out loud?!

At any other time, the billionaire would have teased her at how flustered she was; but right now, he was too confused. Why would she say that to him?

Trying to explain herself, Stephanie quickly said, "Vlad, I-I didn't mean that. I mean, _I did_. But I was just referring to the fact that maybe you should try to find someone that returns your feelings."

"Like?" he drawled out, not getting where she was going with this.

Stephanie gave him a sheepish smile. "Come on, Vlad. You _know_ there are plenty of, uh, women who care about you."

"You mean about my money," the billionaire answered with a roll of his eyes.

"Well, perhaps _some_. But I'm sure not _all_ of them have that sort of mindset," she quickly retorted, before turning around and going over to the bar. She _really_ needed water----to drown herself in!

Vlad sighed, too focused on the thought of giving up on Maddie to really notice his distressed friend.

"Perhaps…," he muttered, looking back out the window. "But I could never return their feelings. Believe me, Stephanie, if I could stop loving Maddie, I would. But… I can't. You understand, right? Surely you have not forgotten about Eric in spite of everything?"

Stephanie took a deep breath, getting a grip on herself, before replying, "Funny thing about love, Vlad. If you're not careful, it can easily be confused for other emotions, especially when you have the _need_ to love---or be loved."

Vlad frowned, not sure how to reply to that. He looked at her, and asked, "Stephanie, _are_ you still in love with Eric?"

She shook her head, staring down at the glass in her hands. "I got over him a long time ago. But… that's what I'm saying, Vlad. Love really is a funny thing… I was sure I was in love with him. But now that I think back, I don't think---I _know_ now—what I felt wasn't love…"

"Don't let Annabelle hear you say that," Vlad muttered, unsure of how he felt about her revelation.

Stephanie chuckled quietly. "We both know she wouldn't care. The closest thing to a father-figure she has had is… you."

Knowing it was true, Vlad smiled lightly at the comment. But his expression soon melted back into a frown, his thoughts never really having left Maddie. He understood what Stephanie was saying. But he didn't believe his emotions for Maddie were the same as hers for Eric. He _loved_ Maddie.

The billionaire took a sip of his beverage, before turning back to the window. He was quiet for a moment, before sincerely telling his friend, "Even if it had not been love, I know you deeply cared for Eric. So, I'm glad you have gotten over your feelings for him. You deserve better than what he could have ever offered you, Stephanie."

But also still thinking of his own emotions for Maddie, he kept his gaze to the window, unaware that Stephanie had walked up to him and was now standing right behind him.

"Thank you… And I want you to know that I hope you find the love you're looking for, Vlad. Truly I do," she told him with a small smile.

The older hybrid turned to look at his friend, suddenly aware of her proximity. And it became more prominent when a question from Daniel suddenly sprung into his mind:

"_You know…Stephanie's very pretty… I mean, for an older woman… Don't you think so?"_

"Yes…but then, I always have," he muttered absently to himself, looking at his friend's green eyes almost in a trance-like state. She really had gorgeous eyes…

"You always have what?" Stephanie abruptly questioned, confused by his out-of-the-blue comment.

Vlad's eyes widened, before he violently jolted, startling the woman in front of him. Wait. Had he just…?

"Goodness, Vlad! What's wrong with you today?" Stephanie questioned, holding a hand against her pounding chest.

As if suddenly afraid of her, the older hybrid quickly moved away, actually running into one of his file drawers as he did so. "I-I'm sorry. I just… Uh, I need another drink," he muttered with a sharp exhale.

He mentally cursed the young hybrid, while thinking, _"Blasted, Daniel! You are going to drive me insane!"_

Vlad was so frustrated with himself. What the blazes was wrong with him?! He needed to stop giving the boy's comments so much importance!

Not that his friend wasn't very beautiful…

Vlad suddenly groaned, before taking a swig of his drink. He was going to strangle Daniel when he got home!

Stephanie just blinked at her flustered friend for a moment, before advising, "Maybe you should head home. I think you need some rest."

"What I need is a mallet to knock my senses back into place," he muttered angrily under his breath.

"What?" Stephanie questioned, not catching the comment.

But Vlad just shook his head and said, "I think you're right. I should go home." He turned to look back at her; but he almost tensed when he saw her approach him again. Still, he forced himself to get a grip on himself, and further asked, "Wasn't there something else you came to address with me?"

This time Stephanie jolted and gasped, "I forgot! Carl is waiting for you just outside. He said he wanted to ask you something. Oh… it's been a while now," she added, cringing at realizing she had forgotten all about Vlad's chauffeur with their strange conversation. Not that this kind of talk they had was anything new to either of them. But this one was stranger than usual, and had somehow twisted into a _really_ awkward one at that.

"It's fine," Vlad said, glad for the excuse to move away from his secretary again. "Although, I am surprised that he would leave the car at all…"

Vlad, of course, knew full well of his ghost driver's obsession with cars….

The billionaire walked around his desk and began to gather his things. He _really_ needed to go home.

"Could you tell him I'll be there in a moment?" he suddenly asked his secretary.

Stephanie quickly nodded, and just as quickly left.

Vlad paused in what he was doing and looked after her. But then he shook his head and went back to what he was doing. Stephanie was in the past. A past he had long since buried. His present --- and, hopefully, future---was Maddie Fenton. No one else.

Putting the documents he still needed to finish in his briefcase, he closed it up and then placed his finished documents in a folder that had been in his hand. He glanced at his slightly messy desk, before frowning and quickly tidying it up.

Finally, he left his office, locking it after him. He walked over to Stephanie, who was already on the phone at the desk. He quietly handed her the folder in his hand.

Accepting it at once, the woman then quickly told the person on the other line to hold for a moment, before telling her employer, "I couldn't find Carl."

Thinking his ghost driver had been unable to stand being away from the limousine for so long and had just returned to it, Vlad just nodded, and replied, "I will see you tomorrow, Stephanie."

She smiled and nodded. But as Vlad walked off, Stephanie's smile vanished and she let out a quiet but frustrated exhale of air from her mouth...

Vlad hardly paid mind to the rest of his employees as he headed for the elevator. But when he suddenly heard loud laughter over to his right, just pass the robotic mailing system, he glanced over in the direction, only to pause right in his tracks.

He blinked for a moment at the sight of Carl, sitting crossed legged on top of one of Vlad's younger female employees' desk, clearly flirting with her.

"The world is officially coming to an end," the billionaire muttered, unable to believe just how many bizarre things he had experienced today---and it wasn't even noon yet!

Vlad sighed before walking over to his ghost chauffer, who, of course, looked very human at the moment. The billionaire cleared his throat, getting Carl and the young woman's attention right away.

"Mr. Masters!" she exclaimed, jumping up from her seat and staring wide-eyed at him, while a blush worked its way into her face.

"What are you doing, Carl?" Vlad asked, ignoring his human employee and focusing on the ghost one with a raised eyebrow.

But Carl grinned calmly at the older hybrid and replied, "Oh, not much. I wanted to ask you if I could take a ride downtown while you were here. But since you never showed up, I started talking to _Ms. Brax_ here…She's _very_ interesting…"

The girl giggled, only to choke it back right away when Vlad turned his unimpressed stare at her. "Yes, well, as 'interesting' as she may be, _Ms. Brax_ has a job to do. Correct?" he asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"Correct," she quickly said, before sitting back down and gathering the papers she was working on.

Vlad looked over at Carl and added, "And, you and I, Carl, are returning to the castle. So, how about you wrap it up?"

The ghost driver blinked in surprise. They were going home already? But he quickly pushed past his surprise and nodded. "Okay! Sure! Just give me one second…"

Vlad crossed his arms as he watched the ghost pull out a pen from his suit and then scribbled his number down on a nearby pad on the young woman's desk.

"Call me," he whispered in her ear, before finally heading off with his employer.

The woman giggled and waved after him, quickly grabbing the number and putting it somewhere where she wouldn't lose it.

When Vlad and Carl got to the elevator, the older hybrid finally spoke up again, "You do realize just how many kinds of wrong that was?"

Carl, who was looking quiet smug with himself, shrugged. "I can't help it if the human likes me. Besides, she really likes cars! Can you imagine? I could talk to her all day about them!"

"Uh-huh. Just don't do it while she should be working," Vlad replied dryly.

"She has a lunch break, though, right? Hey… You don't think I could…?" Carl made a spinning motion with his hand, signifying what he was thinking.

And knowing he was asking if he could take the girl out in his limousine, Vlad quickly answered, "I don't think so."

Carl pouted.

But Vlad then rolled his eyes; and with a sigh, added, "At least not in any of my _registered_ cars. Heaven forbid someone mistake me for you, Carl."

The ghost chauffeur actually squeaked with happiness. "You know what, Mr. Masters? You are the best employer I have ever had!"

"Carl," Vlad said dryly. "You have only had one other employer before me. And he passed away a _long_ time ago."

The ghost blinked, but then he shrugged when the elevator dinged and opened in front of his employer's private parking garage. "You know what I mean."

Vlad rolled his eyes again as he stepped out of the elevator; but now, an amused smile also tugged on his lips as the ghost opened the door for him, "Well, then, Carl. I have to say, you are the best chauffeur I have ever had, too."

The male ghost raised an eyebrow. "I'm the _only_ chauffeur you have ever had."

"Exactly," Vlad said with a smirk.

"You're also the _funniest_ employer I've ever had," Carl added dryly, before closing the door after Vlad, who just chuckled back.

Still, when Carl got into the driver seat, a smile curled the ghost's lips. Although his employer had always respected him and the rest of the ghost he employed, it was nice to see the man acting… dare he say, _warmly_ towards them now?

"Whatever that young halfa is doing, he definitely needs to keep it up," Carl commented to himself before finally driving off.

* * *

Vlad arrived at home around noon. He was tempted to go find the young hybrid, suddenly worried that the boy might have been upset with him about last night. Then again, they had not really argued. But he supposed the things they talked about were of a sensitive nature to each of them in their own way.

But reminding himself that lunch was in thirty minutes, he decided it was best to just wait until then. So, after putting his briefcase in his private study, he came back downstairs and headed out into the veranda facing his pool.

He sat down on one of the couches there with a tired sigh, before propping his elbow on the armrest and then resting the side of his face on his hand. He closed his eyes for a moment, suddenly aware of how tired he was. But he was hardly the type to take 'naps'. He felt it was a waste of time, really.

But even as his tired mind spun with his worries and uncertainties, it slowly began to grow even murkier; and he found his senses shutting down.

Perhaps he could just rest his eyes for a few minutes after all…

"_Vlad, darling, __**please**__, just talk to her for a moment!" the mother pleaded with her son as she followed him around with a phone in hand._

_The eighteen-year-old glared at his mother before continuing to look around for more things to pack. "I have nothing to talk to her about," he muttered stubbornly._

"_For goodness sake, Vlad. You have refused to talk to Stephanie ever since we moved! It's been two years!"_

_The young man paused, before turning back to his mother. He grabbed the phone from her; and without hesitation, he pressed the disconnect button._

_Mrs. Masters sighed in disappointment, before shaking her head and saying, "I thought she was your friend---__**more**__ than your friend. Vlad, sweetheart. What happened isn't her fault."_

_Vlad lowered his gaze, some sadness leaking out from within as he whispered, "I know, Mother. But I can't talk to her. I can't stand looking at her. It's too painful."_

"_Vlad," his mother said, grabbing his face in her hands. "No matter how far away you go or how much you want to break away from your previous friends, it's not going to change what happened. Pushing Stephanie away is only going to make you feel worse."_

"_I need to forget. And I can't do that if Stephanie is still in my life," Vlad answered sadly._

_His mother let go of his face, and assured him, "You will never be able to forget. We both know that."_

"_I am going to try," Vlad assured her, before continuing with what he was doing. "And moving to Wisconsin for college is going to help me do that," he added._

_Realizing she was not going to talk reason into him this time, the mother sighed. However, her attention suddenly went to one of her most prized family pictures hanging on the closest wall. She walked over to it and paused to look at it. But then she took it down; and as she wiped the frame's glass with her blouse's sleeve, she quickly followed after her son. _

"_I'm sure going to miss you," she said in a motherly voice once she had caught up with him._

_Vlad looked at his mother again; but this time with a concerned look, "Are you sure you will be alright? I… don't have to go, you know. I could very well study here in Florida." _

"_I know," she replied with a sad smile. "But I know you really want to go. And as much as I'm going to miss you, I want you to as well. I want you to move on, Vlad. Do what you want. Make something of yourself."_

_Vlad sighed, before suddenly hugging her tightly. "You know I love you. And I am going to make you proud." He let go of her; and with a confident smile, he added, "You'll see. When I have my career, things will be different. We're gonna start anew, away from this place. Perhaps, in Wisconsin, if I like it enough while I'm there. We'll live out in the country as before. And there, I will buy us both a big castle to live in!"_

"_A castle?" she asked amused. "You don't say…"_

_Vlad grinned. "That's right. And you're going to have servants and staff who will do everything for you, too. Everything you can possibly ever want will be at your fingertips. I promise you, Mother; you will never have to work again."_

_His mother chuckled, but then shook her head and said, "That sounds nice, Vlad. But I just want you to be happy, darling. That… and perhaps grandchildren someday," she added with suggestive smile._

_Vlad made a face at her. "Don't push your luck."_

_His mother chuckled a bit; but then she grabbed one of his hands and said more seriously, "I also hope that someday you understand that some 'things' should not be forgotten."_

_Vlad's smile fell; but he didn't reply._

_The mother let go of her son's hand before putting in it the family picture that had been on the wall. _

"_Take it with you."_

_Not wanting to deny her that much, Vlad accepted the picture, briefly looking at it with sad eyes before smiling up at his mom and saying, "I promise I'll call you every day."_

"_You had better," she answered, raising a stern eyebrow, at which her son laughed._

"_You know, I think I'm gonna take a walk around one last time. I'll be back for dinner, okay?" he asked, looking more light-hearted._

_She nodded, before Vlad walked off to his room. He put the picture frame and a few articles in his hands down on his bed, beside his almost completely-made suitcases. He glanced around his half-empty room, before heading back out._

_However, as he got to the door, he thought better of his walk, and decided to go somewhere a little further away instead. He peaked into the kitchen; and seeing his mother was not in there, he quickly grabbed the car keys hanging on the small key holder, before finally heading out of their small apartment._

_It took him a good thirty minutes to get where he wanted. But when he finally got there, he hesitated to get out of his car. But after several minutes, he finally managed to step out with the set conviction that this would be the last time he would ever come back here. _

_As he began to slowly walk into a familiar cemetery, his feet began to feel heavy and his breathing turned shallow. He swallowed hard with the emotions welling up within him. But he __**had**__ to say 'good-bye.' _

_Finally, he was standing in front of his father's grave. And in a trembling voice, he whispered, "I'm sorry. But I __**need**__ to forget."_

"_Vlad...," the blowing wind suddenly whispered sadly in his ear. _

_Vlad gasped in fear; but before he could tell himself that the voice had been his imagination, a strange red mist began to rise off the grave that was beside his father's own…_

_Then, with a sudden flash of red light, his surroundings changed into a place he had never been..._

"_Vlad…," the wind called to him again, though the voice sounded more familiar than he cared to admit. "You're running out of time…"_

_The eighteen-year-old suddenly yelped when that strange mist returned, and this time engulfed him. And the second after it vanished, Vlad's breath hitched in his throat at finding he was no longer a teenager, but the adult he presently was---suit, white-hair, and all._

_Vlad quickly turned his attention to where he was, only to wish he had not. He was still in a graveyard; but not one he knew. But by the sights around him, it was definitely in Amity Park…_

_Feeling close to being sick, the man dared to look at the graves in front of him. _

"_What is this?" he asked in horror. The graves… They were that of Daniel's loved ones! His two young friends, Jasmine, Jack…. and….Maddie. _

_**His**__ Maddie!_

_But instead of an answer, the mist returned and another grave was soon left in its wake. The billionaire felt the blood drain from his body at the sight of the new, __**fresh**__ grave. And on the tomb, in haunting letters was the name, 'Daniel Fenton.' _

_The sight clenched the man's heart more painfully than he thought possible._

"_You want so badly to aid him with his problems…," the familiar, yet melancholic, voice said to him. "But how can you when you have yet to cope with your own? How can you possibly guide the boy down the right path when you have strayed so far from your own that you have lost sight of it?" _

_Vlad was so horrified with the sight of Daniel's grave that he barely registered what the voice was saying to him now; let alone attempt to find a response to it._

_Suddenly there was a flash of light again and standing in front of him was Danny Phantom----only that this Danny didn't have green eyes, but pupil-less blood red eyes! _

"_Daniel?" Vlad gasped out, taking a step back._

_Danny smiled at him with an eerie calmness before his eyes suddenly narrowed. And before Vlad could even comprehend it, the teen was right in front of him. _

_A gasp of disbelief left the man's lips as the boy thrust his hand right into the older hybrid's chest, gripping at something invisible and yet tangible at the same time._

"_You need to understand one thing, Vlad," Danny said to him as he tightened his grip on whatever was within the billionaire. "Everything is connected. Past. Present…And future."_

_The man cried out in agony and horror as he watched Plasmius being ripped right out of him. But then a strange force pushed the human Vlad back on his bottom as the red-eyed Danny laughed while holding the unmoving form of Plasmius in his grip. _

"_What did you…?" Vlad began in disbelief; but when the man suddenly saw a green hue light up his ghost half before it then slowly began to dissolve away in the boy's hands, the man jolted; and in a panicked voice, he yelled, NO!" _

_Vlad reached for his other self; but ultimately was able to do nothing as it vanished out of existence. Suddenly angry, the man glared at the boy responsible for his ghost half's demise. But Vlad was sure this was not '__**his**__ boy.'_

"_Who are you? __**What**__ are you?!" the man demanded, rising to his feet._

"_I think this is enough," the mysterious voice suddenly muttered. _

_Vlad gasped at seeing the red mist reappear and move around him. It felt almost comforting; but at the same time it was frightening. _

"_You can wake up now," the wind whispered tenderly at him; and then a red light suddenly blinded all his senses._

Vlad jolted in his seat, before taking a sharp intake of air and gripping at his chest. The man breathed heavily for a moment, unaware of the red mist leaking out of his mouth with his every exhale. But it soon stopped after a second or two. But Vlad still remained oblivious, too focus on trying to figure out where he was and if he was in any immediate danger.

But as his mind finally began to clear, and he realized he had been dreaming and that he was safely sitting in his veranda, he leaned back against the couch in relief. For a moment, he just covered his eyes with a hand, trying to control his heavy breathing and heart rate.

"This is what I get for dozing off in the middle of the day," he muttered to himself.

Honestly, that had to be one of the most bizarre dreams he had ever had. And yet it didn't surprise him as much as it should. After all, with all the things churning in his head as of late, his mind had been bound to twist it all up somehow during his slumber. It was something that could happen to anyone…

Still, watching Daniel rip out his ghost half was too disturbing for words. He definitely didn't know where _that _had come from.

Somehow, though, having an actual memory from his childhood turn into such a nightmare towards the end was more disturbing. Still, the memory was bizarre in itself… How long had it been since he had even the remote dream or remembrance of his past?

Vlad shuddered. He did not need this now. He had gotten over all that! Blast! Why was his past suddenly haunting him?! Wasn't it enough to have his present troubles depriving him of sleep? He _did not_ need this right now!

Refusing to let some odd dream shake him up, Vlad stood up and forced the images out of his mind. But as he left the veranda, he looked down at his watch, only to freeze in place.

"It's four in the afternoon!" he gasped out. How in the world had he been asleep for over three hours?!

"Oh, just wonderful," he muttered angrily, before briskly continuing on. He had completely missed lunch and it was almost time for his training session with Daniel. But with their talk last night, the man wouldn't be surprised if Daniel thought he purposely skipped lunch…

Vlad sighed, not even sure if the boy would even show up for their training session today. Either way, the man decided to head to the simulation room now. At least, getting rid of some pent up frustrations via his ghost half was sounding really good about now.

* * *

Having finished with his 'school' work, Danny left his study room and sat down on his bed with a heavy sigh.

He had to admit, he was sort of relieved that Vlad had not shown up for lunch. He was still feeling really uncomfortable with the prospect of being around him since last night, and most especially because of that horrible dream.

The teen, however, was convinced of one thing: Although he had been asleep, what he saw was not just any nightmare. They were images from his alternative future. And the only person Danny knew that had access to such information was Clockwork.

Danny glanced out his window and frowned. He was sure Clockwork would not purposely torment him like that. All this had to have a reason. **It **_**had**_** to!**

But Clockwork knew how badly he was affected by the discovery of his turning evil. He knew how guilty he felt for being responsible for his loved ones demise----for the entire world and Ghost Zone's destruction!

So then, why would the time guardian show him things that were only making him more terrified of what the future could bring? And how could Clockwork possibly instill such images in his head? He wasn't aware the time ghost had that sort of power…

Whatever was going on, Danny knew there was a reason for it…

"What are you trying to tell me, Clockwork?" Danny asked his empty room.

But not receiving an answer---not that he expected one---the teen sighed. He glanced at his clock and saw it was time for his training session with Vlad.

Danny bit his lip. Would the man even show up? He really had to wonder if Vlad had purposely not shown up at lunch. Maybe the guy was upset with him…?

Either way, the teen did want to go to the simulation room. Even if Vlad wasn't there, he could still run a program himself…

Danny's eyebrows creased as he left his room. He didn't exactly feel ready to face Vlad again. But the teen was sure he was going to feel worse if he kept it off any longer. Hopefully, the man was there…

* * *

Vlad had been practicing for a good thirty minutes when Danny finally arrived at the training room. However, the man remained unaware of his presence since the teen was currently in the control room watching him…

The billionaire sighed deeply as he failed for the umpteenth-time to create a blue electrical bolt. He, of course, could will all the different sorts of ghost energies. And after ten years of having the ability to create electricity, he could do wonders with it.

But he still could not reduce his electrical power's intensity to that of blue energy—at least not completely! He could hold the blue electricity in his hands; but a small moment after he would try to fire it out as a bolt or in large amounts, it would become unstable and switch back to its overly-destructive red form.

He could understand why it was so difficult, though. Electricity was just naturally intense and unstable. Who could truly tame it?

"Me, that's who," Vlad muttered determinedly. He raised a hand and electrical energy began to cackle in it. As in his previous attempts, he let his electrical power come out in its most natural red state; and then he began to change it, turning it purple, pink, and finally green.

Vlad stared down at the green electricity in his hand, before he raised it and aimed it at a nearby round target made of ice. The green electricity suddenly turned blue; and drawing in a steady breath of air, the man fired it out as a bolt of lightning. However the second it left his hand, it turned bright red.

The intense power actually vaporized the ice target and continued forward and slammed into the ice-layered walls. As the previous time, the lightning bolt began to ricochet off the walls.

But Plasmius just raised a shield around himself and glared at his stray energy, watching as it eventually faded away. The bolt usually stayed blue for a second or so before turning red like that. But, today, it was just turning red instantly.

And Vlad knew why:

He was too tense.

That was the problem with blue energy. One needed complete stability to will it correctly. And even if he was trying to keep a calm focus right now, the older hybrid was having trouble doing so with everything that was happening as of late. And as much as he hated to admit it, his emotions were not faring well, either. And even that affected his control over his powers.

"Why even try to make it blue?" a familiar voice suddenly asked him from behind.

Plasmius startled a bit and he quickly turned around to face the young hybrid.

"Daniel…How long have you been watching me?" he suddenly asked with a frown, after having realized the teen had teleported from the control room. After all, the simulation room's door was locked and there was a ghost shield around the room, too--but _that _shield was one of those that could only be trespassed by teleportation.

Danny frowned back. He had been so focus on watching what the man was doing that he had momentarily forgotten all about their conversation yesterday; but with the unpleased look on the man's face now, the teen was already regretting even coming.

"Why? You don't like being watched?" the teen asked, raising an eyebrow, attempting to remain causal.

"Not particularly. No," Vlad answered seriously. "Furthermore, what I'm doing is highly dangerous. Even if you are in the control room, you could still be hurt."

"Fine, then. I'll go," Danny snapped, obviously insulted.

"I'm not telling you to go," Vlad quickly answered before the teen could even turn around. "I am just telling you to let me know when you're around when I'm working on such things."

"I was in ghost form, Vlad. I figured you would sense me like you always do," Danny said, crossing his arms.

Vlad opened his mouth to say something, only to find he could say nothing to that. If Daniel had been so close while in ghost form why had he not sensed him? Or maybe he did and just didn't notice… Could…Could it be possible that he was _that_ unfocused today?

"Maybe I should just go," Danny suddenly muttered, his gaze falling. Clearly, the billionaire was upset with him or something.

"No, Daniel. It's fine. And you're right…I should have known you were there," Vlad answered with a sigh. The man smiled a bit as he asked, "You are not angry with me, are you?"

Danny knew by the way the man was looking at him that he was not just referring to his forcefulness right now but also to what happened last night. The teen honestly wasn't angry, per se… just really confused and unsure of some things they had talked about. But… not mad.

The teen shook his head, but his eyebrows creased as he answered, "No…Are you?"

Vlad's smile widened. "Of course not, little badger."

Danny smiled weakly in return; but then knowing that neither wanted to dwell on yesterday anymore, the teen changed the subject, asking, "So… are you going to answer my question? Why is it so important to you to make your electrical energy blue?"

Vlad looked at him for a moment, debating if he should tell the boy. But figuring there was no harm in doing so, he said, "Because combining the qualities of blue energy with the properties of electrical energy would expand the use of my powers; especially when I specifically hope to use natural conductors, like water, for example, to expand that potential. However, I first have to create blue electricity in the way that I want."

Danny's eyebrows creased as he tried to make sense of that. He sort of understood what the man was talking about, but not completely.

And seeing the teen's uncertain look, Plasmius waved a hand in disregard. "Perhaps I'll show you what I mean at some other time."

"Why not now?" Danny questioned. But with a small smile he added, "I don't mind watching you practice for once… Maybe I can even help you."

Vlad raised a skeptical eyebrow. But then, he shook his head. "Perhaps another time. Let's work on _your_ powers. I want to see how far you can condense your raw energy…"

Danny frowned. But deciding to just let it go, the teen nodded, before closing his eyes and concentrating on building his energy from within. He noticed it took him longer than usual to focus enough to do that; but when he finally did, he let his raw energy pour out of his hands before opening his eyes.

"More," Vlad ordered.

Danny's eyebrows creased, before he looked down at his hands and allowed more dark green energy to build in his hand. "Now?" he asked.

But Plasmius crossed his arms and shook his head.

The teen swallowed hard, suddenly feeling a bit nervous. The man had never asked him to build his raw energy anymore than this. But deciding to just go with it, he clenched his jaw and willed more of his raw power.

A moment later, Vlad finally said, "Alright. Condense that."

Danny stared up at him with a nervous look. "Vlad, I don't think---"

"Do it, Daniel. I know you can," Vlad assured him.

The teen sighed before he began to do as the man wanted. But as the strain became stronger from compacting so much intense energy, so did the stress on his physical body. And all too soon, that familiar feeling of empowerment started to build inside the teen as well.

"T-That's it. That's as far as I can go, Vlad," Danny grunted, trying to keep the darkening sphere from exploding out of control.

"No, Daniel. You can condense it further. I saw you do it with Dazzler. So, do it now," Vlad said firmly.

"Y-Yeah; but it wasn't with _this_ amount of energy! It's too much!" Danny replied, suddenly growing desperate. "I-I need to let go."

"No," Vlad quickly said, before he raised his hands, palms down, just above the boy's own. Red energy quickly encased the boy's dark green energy, acting both as a barrier to keep Danny's intense energy from burning Vlad's hands and as a constricting force to keep the boy's energy restrained.

"W-What are you doing?" Danny asked fearfully, staring up at the man when he felt the man's surrounding energy begin to force the sphere in his hand to condense further by constricting it.

"I'm not letting you stop," Plasmius replied determinedly. "You can fully condense this energy, Daniel. You can make blue energy. I _know_ you can. And you are going to. I will not let you be afraid anymore."

Danny gasped as his core began to _almost_ burn and his arm began to shake with the effort of _unwillingly_ concentrating so much energy in his hand.

"Vlad, seriously, just stop!" Danny exclaimed, before squeezing his eyes shut when the older hybrid's only response was to add more pressure to the sphere in his hand.

The billionaire knew he was being harsh; but the boy would thank him when he succeeded in creating blue energy. He was going to prove to Daniel that he had nothing to be afraid of!

Danny began to back up, feeling his head begin to spin and his legs grow weak. What was Vlad doing?!

But to the teen's misfortune, the man moved forward in step with his retreat; and suddenly Danny found himself backed up into an ice-layered wall.

"Vlad! Please! This isn't working!" Danny yelled at him, now as desperate as he was terrified.

But the man continued to constrict the boy's energy sphere to the point that it almost looked black under the red energy covering it. However, at that moment the boy opened his scared eyes. And for a second, the man's bright red energy actually reflected off the teen's tear-glazed eyes, making them glow red…

It was enough to play a trick on Vlad's troubled mind…

Suddenly recalling his dream, the billionaire gasped in fear, his focus dropping as quickly as the red energy covering the boy's sphere did. And that was like the detonation of a bomb.

Danny cried out as the dark green energy in his hands instantly exploded out of his control; but his cry of alarm was quickly echoed by Vlad's own painful one, being that his now unguarded hands had been right in the raw energy's path.

The boy's energy slammed into the ceiling, briefly shaking the room and instantly evaporating the ice on the ceiling.

A fume of vapor rained down as Danny fell on his knees, panting heavily. But as the vapor cleared out, the teen quickly looked over at the man; and suddenly furious, he screamed, "What the heck is your problem?!"

But Vlad didn't answer him. And when the teen finally noticed that the older hybrid was gripping his hands with a look of pain on his face, Danny quickly realized why.

The boy's anger snuffed and his eyes widened in horror as he slowly got to his feet.

"Vlad…?" he asked worriedly, taking a step towards the man.

But Vlad quickly raised a hand, and in pained voice said, "Stop."

Danny did so, but his eyebrows creased further as he noticed the man's black gloves had completely been singed off, leaving behind the man's blue, though reddened, hands.

Lowering his hands to his sides, the man briefly closed his eyes against the stinging pain. But when he opened them again, he focused his gaze back to the teen. However, there was no anger in his eyes. How could he be angry when the young hybrid was so upset and weakened by what he had forced him to do that he was visibly shaking?

Vlad's pain suddenly didn't matter compared to his guilt. What had he been thinking? After all this time, had he not learned that forcing Daniel to do anything---even if it was done with the best intentions---always ended in disaster?

That's just it. He wasn't thinking. He kept letting his emotions get the better of him. He was letting his own uncertainties mess with his judgment.

"_You want so badly to aid him with his problems…But how can you when you have yet to cope with your own?"_

"I have to go," Vlad whispered sadly. And before the teen could stop him, the older hybrid suddenly vanished out of the room.

The teen crossed his arms around his abdomen; and lowering his head in sadness, he let out a quiet sigh which echoed in the now empty room.

* * *

It had taken him a lot of work, but the older hybrid had eventually calmed his troubled mind and emotions. He also forced himself to push away his bizarre dream and his thoughts on his past. It was pointless to give any of it importance.

Still, in order to refocus his unsure mind, Vlad had decided to spend the rest of the day in his private office---so he had asked George to bring up his dinner. The man knew avoiding the teen was not going to help the matter. But Vlad was sure he had put the boy through enough with what had happened last night and with what he had done in simulation room.

Even if he had only been trying to help the teen, it did not justify trying to _force_ him to let go of his fear. If anything, all he had probably accomplished was to make the boy even more fearful of his powers. And, really, now that the man was _thinking_ about it, ultimately, his forcing the boy to make blue energy would have never worked. He knew first hand that you needed complete control and tranquility to will such a stable form of energy. And the teen had been anything but in control and tranquil then.

It had been utterly foolish. And getting his hands burned was the least he deserved for it.

Luckily, Vlad had been in ghost form; so he had not acquired any permanent damaged. After applying some of that special healing cream, his hands were fine, except for them now feeling overly sensitive and they were also still slightly pink. But both of those things would be gone in a day or two.

Finishing his office work, Vlad stood up from his desk and stretched. He glanced at the large clock in his private study as he did and notice it was eleven at night. Although he really wasn't very tired, he knew he should head to bed; especially when he would be getting up very early tomorrow if he was going to meet his ghost allies in the Ghost Zone…

The thought brought his focus back on Daniel. He really was going to have to apologize for doing that to him in the simulation room. Still, Vlad was determined to help the boy surpass his fears. And the first one would be his fear of his powers. But this time, he would not be using force. He would exert his patience and understanding. After all, the older hybrid had once held the same fear, too. So, who better to help Daniel surpass such a fear than he?

Vlad sighed tiredly, before putting his documents in their place. He then walked out of his study, heading towards his room. That is, until he suddenly remembered something----something he had promised the boy.

The billionaire glanced at his watch again, debating his sudden idea.

"I did promise," he said quietly with a small sad smile.

Vlad sighed again; but then changed his destination towards the kitchen. At least it would be easy, being that he was sure George had retired for the night by now…

* * *

Lying on his side on his bed, Danny opened his eyes, just barely making out in the darkness of his room that the clock on the wall read 'midnight.' He had given up on finding sleep two hours ago. He was just so worried, and anxious, and fearful, and confused, and _everything else_ to be able to relax enough to sleep.

He also felt bad for hurting the older hybrid like that. And he felt equally hurt that the man would force him to do something he did not want---again. Yes, it was true that when they were enemies they hurt each other all the time. And Vlad constantly would force him into things, just like he had been forced to come here. But that was just it. They were not enemies anymore. They did not hate each other anymore. They… trusted each other. They had a different relationship---something akin to friendship, but not exactly that. After all, Danny considered Sam and Tucker friends. And the older hybrid definitely did not fall into the same category as they….

But although the teen was still trying to figure out where Vlad fell in his life now, Danny knew it was an important and even _unique_ space the man occupied…

The point was that what he had done to Vlad in the simulation room _and_ what Vlad had done to him wasn't right, not anymore. Danny understood that the man had not done what he did with bad intentions; just like he had not purposely hurt the man. But still… Danny felt bad. And it did not help matters that the older hybrid had avoided him for the rest of the day.

Danny was also kind of worried about Vlad. He was acting so… unstable? Well, at least, he could definitely say that the man had been really moody these past two days. Honestly, it was really getting mentally exhausting trying to keep with how many times the man changed his mood as of late. At times, Vlad was his usual collected and even annoyingly smug self. And then, when the teen managed to get the man to drop his all-too-common facade, Vlad would either jump right back into it, or unexpectedly spiral out of control---going from apprehensive, to angry, to downright illogical!

The most recent proof was what happened in the simulation room.

That had been totally unexpected.

In addition, with the man's instability in these last two days, Danny couldn't help but think of Dazzler. If that controlling ghost was still around, the teen had to wonder if Vlad would be in big trouble right now…

However, Danny also couldn't help to wonder what he himself was doing in all of this. He wanted to help Vlad. The man obviously had a lot of issues. But… was that a good idea when the teen didn't know just how deep those issues went? Maybe he was just making things worse. But then, the teen's actions had also accomplished a lot. For one, there was the fact that Vlad and he were not enemies anymore. And two, as selfish as it might make the teen feel, he really was learning a lot here. Then, finally—and most importantly to him—his friends and family—especially his dad—were safe. Vlad promised him he was not going to hurt them---and Danny believed him.

So, no, he couldn't be wrong in his trying to help the older hybrid. Perhaps the man's mood changes were just temporary. And _maybe_ it would lead to something good---perhaps a significant change in Vlad even. Danny could only hope. And until then, he would just have to bear it---even though it wasn't exactly easy. And right now, with his own troubles weighing him down, it was _very_ hard.

Along with Vlad's issues, though, Danny had been thinking about his nightmare yesterday. He was convinced that it meant something. And that's what he was trying to figure out. He still didn't understand… what would drive him---in that _alternate_ timeline, that is---to become so desperate and illogical as to want to get rid of his humanity? _Especially_ when he was so careful as to always keep in mind that he was human. That he was not _just_ a ghost. Why would he do that when he very often had the secret desire of _just_ being normal Danny _Fenton_?

But… in the 'dream', Daniel had first asked Vlad to help him get rid of his ghost powers. That sounded more…. er, logical---or, rather, it sounded like something more 'believable' of him under such tragic circumstances. After all, Danny at the _present_ time had at one point grown so unstable by just being _away_ from his family that he had wished he could get rid of his ghost half; especially when the teen had been sure that Vlad's interest in him only was for the fact that he was half-ghost. But although the older hybrid had yet to tell him where _he_ fit in his life---and possibly heart---Danny was sure the man's care for him wasn't as shallow as he once thought.

So, then, why go to such an extreme as to get rid of his _humanity_ in that timeline?

"_Danny….Your emotions are not going to go away with your powers. They are part of your human half."_

"_Then get rid of it! Get rid of my humanity! ...Just get rid of whatever you have to! I just want to be able to have a normal life again! I want to move on and I can't if I keep feeling all this hurt!"_

Danny quickly sat up in his bed, his eyes widening slightly as the alternate Danny and Vlad's words rang in his mind.

In that alternate timeline, he had asked Vlad to get rid of his ghost-half first. But Vlad clearly understood that it wasn't his ghost powers that were the problem, but his _emotions_. And… and when the man had told him that his emotions were part of his human self, his alternate self had finally said to get rid of his humanity. But not with a conscious purpose of getting rid of his human self, but with the desperate, need to get rid of his _emotions_!

"_No more painful human emotions to tie you down…"_

But what emotions would he want to get rid of _that_ badly?

Well, his grief, of course. But…there had to be more. Aside from that, what other emotion was so blinding as to make him do something so drastic, _so illogical_, as to get rid of his humanity?

"Fear," Danny whispered almost immediately. "That's what Clockwork's trying to tell me," the teen added, pressing his face into his hands, now even more certain Clockwork was responsible for his 'dream' and not just it being some odd coincidence.

The teen was trying everyday to keep his grief of not being with his loved ones anymore under control. And although it was more difficult on some days than on others, he _was_ fighting against it. But his fears…

At times, he would successfully manage to keep his fears at bay or rise above them... But more often than not, especially as of late, he would fail---and fail miserably. And it would bring about pretty bad consequences, too.

Just like it had brought a serious consequence for his alternate self.

His other self had ultimately lost to his fears. They had led him down a path that had completely destroyed his life---and destroyed many others as well.

And Danny did not want that to repeat itself. Not ever. But… things just continued to keep moving towards that horrible future. Why? Had he not changed all that when he had defeated his evil self?

Apparently not _everything_.

But Danny refused to walk down that dark path! He could not! He would not! But…how could he stop it? How could he keep things from moving in that direction, especially when he was at Vlad's----the place where that dark future had been born?

Danny removed his face from his hands and looked up at the dresser mirror in front of his bed. He could still remember vividly how in his _other_ nightmare, during the night he lost control of his powers, he had turned into his evil self. He remembered how it felt. How it looked. It had been so terrifying.

And that was one of his fears: turning evil. Then, his fear about his powers played into that. And then, his most weakening fear was losing everyone he loved… He was afraid of ending up all alone…all alone like…Vlad.

Danny bit his lip. He really had tired for so long to get rid of these fears. But, even with all his effort, he long since knew he could not. So, he had forced them into the corners of his mind… Too bad they had now returned with a vengeance.

But if he didn't get rid of them, he was going to end up just like his evil self…

Standing up, the teen turned into Phantom and walked over to his dresser. He pressed his hands against the vanity as he looked deeply and fearfully at his reflection, as if searching for something within himself.

"_I don't know what could have caused you to develop such a deep fear about yourself… But whatever it is, you will have to surpass it someday. Otherwise, Daniel, you will never be free with its holding you down."_

Danny suddenly fisted his hands. Vlad was right! He couldn't continue like this! He had to surpass his fears and what had happened with his evil self! He didn't know how he was going to do it, but he had to! And he was going to start by the one fear he could overcome _right now!_

Danny briefly glared in determination at his reflection, the brighter glow now in his green eyes illuminating the mirror's frame. But then the boy's gaze lowered to his right hand as he raised it with his palm facing upward.

"…_You didn't even realize that you were seconds away from producing blue energy."_

Danny took a steady breath, before closing his eyes and concentrating on his ghost energy. He knew it was dangerous to practice this in his room----he could not only seriously hurt himself, but he could also cause serious damage to the house. It was why Vlad never let him do this outside of the simulation room. But letting his fear for his powers continue to dominate him was even more dangerous---and his powers' spiking, Dazzler almost wasting him and Vlad, and most recently, his hurting the man, was more than enough proof.

He wasn't going let it go this time. He was going to condense his raw energy. He was going to create blue energy. And with it, banish his fear of his powers!

* * *

After having finished in the kitchen, Vlad had finally headed to his room and got ready for bed. But just as he left his bathroom, a now all-too-familiar and still bizarre feeling passed over him.

The billionaire froze. His eyes slightly widened when his sudden need to seek out Daniel only swelled more inside him.

He was really inclined to just ignore it, as he had last night. His logic told him that the boy had to be asleep by now, that there was nothing wrong, and that he was being _paranoid_ again.

"This is not normal," he muttered to himself, slightly glaring at nothing in annoyance----and unease.

But the man's mind quickly reminded him that 'normal' had stopped existing in his life more than twenty years now---and if he really thought about it, normality in his life had ceased even _further_ back.

The billionaire quickly shook his head, banishing his last thought, feeling even more annoyed with his brief thought of the past again.

But his growing worry quickly surpassed his other feelings. He… supposed it wouldn't hurt to just make a quick check on the boy really fast. Just wanting to be safe rather than sorry did not make him paranoid, right?

Vlad sighed in exasperation. But before he could change his mind, he quickly immediately grabbed a black robe and headed out of his room. His steps were quick, though for the sake of his sanity he told himself that he just wanted to prove his bizarre intuition for the boy wrong so it would let him go to sleep.

However, as the man rounded the hallway in which Daniel's room was, another sensation traveled down his spine; this time, though, it was also more tangible, more physical, which was how his hot, tingling ghost sense always was.

"What in the world…?" he whispered, realizing he was sensing Daniel's ghost signature. What was Daniel doing in ghost form at twelve thirty in the morning?!

The question only quickened Vlad's steps. But as he finally found himself in front of Daniel's room, he hesitated to knock. He really didn't like invading the boy's privacy like this… but he was compelled to do so now.

He was just going to check on him, after all. It wasn't like he was spying or anything…

Deciding to just quietly open the door, the man poked his head in, only to forget anything he was thinking of saying or doing. He walked in slowly, barely noticing his closing the door behind him. He was too focused on the teen in front of him.

The boy was staring strangely at himself in the mirror. And although he only had a side view of Daniel, he could see the boy was deeply troubled over something.

Vlad's eyebrows creased. He didn't like seeing the young hybrid so distressed. He hated how it dimmed the brightness of his eyes and made his youthful face appear older than he was.

However, the older hybrid's thoughts were suddenly interrupted when Danny's expression hardened with a strange form of determination; and before the man could question it, the teen closed his eyes and began to clearly concentrate on his powers.

"_What is he doing?"_ he mentally wondered, feeling apprehensive again with his growing suspicion. And a moment later, Vlad suppressed a gasp when he saw he had suspected right.

The boy was willing his raw energy! He was going to try to condense it in _his room_!

Vlad quickly took a step forward, only to then freeze in place. Something inside him was urging him, _pushing him_, to stop the teen---to _protect_ him. But even with that and with the further knowledge that the boy could really hurt himself, the older hybrid also couldn't bring himself to intervene. It went against all his instincts, but something in his heart told him to just wait… and watch.

But his need to keep the teen safe only intensified as Daniel quickly tripled the size of the dark green energy in his hand. Still, the man held his ground.

Meanwhile, in spite of his determination, Danny quickly felt his fear spark when he opened his eyes and saw the ominous-looking energy raging in his right hand. But with it, the teen could also feel that feeling of empowerment pulsing within him---and he had not even started to concentrate his raw energy yet!

Still, the teen took a steadying deep breath and ignored the different feelings; and with even more determination on his face, he let his raw energy grow to the size he had made it in the simulation room several hours ago. As a result, even when he was holding his hand just below mid-torso, the intense energy reached the teen's eye-level and the intensity of the energy bathed his room with a dim green light.

Danny looked at the flame for a moment, before tensing his jaw in preparation. He then slowly began to force the energy into itself, while molding it into a large sphere that he soon began to condense.

The energy obeyed its master as it became smaller and darker, its intensity and power still the same in spite of that. Still, untamed energy soon began to push back against the one directing it. But the growing surge of empowerment, kept Danny from giving up. It was such an addicting feeling that suddenly he only wanted more of it.

But when Danny began to feel his hand become almost painfully hot and his reflection on the mirror in front of him showed how his body was now encased in green energy, the boy snapped out of it.

His determination suddenly faltered as he questioned whether or not feeling so empowered was right or not. But his uncertainty instantly began to twist into utter fear and it suddenly consumed him.

Danny gasped loudly when the raw energy in his hand suddenly expanded out of his control. But knowing all too well what would happen if he lost his hold on it, the teen quickly squeezed his eyes shut and forced himself to concentrate and rein his untamed energy back in.

Meanwhile, Vlad had also gasped in fear when Daniel had lost control. Luckily, though, the teen was too focused on what he was doing to have heard him. Still, Vlad had not been able to keep himself from moving a few feet closer. And, really, the only way he had been able to force himself _not_ to have stopped the boy right then and there was by gripping onto one of the bed canopy's legs.

Now Vlad was torn in what to do. He needed so badly to keep the boy safe, but he also wanted so badly to see the young hybrid finally let go of his fear for his powers. Vlad knew, _he_ _was certain_, that if Daniel would succeed in making blue energy, the teen's feelings for his powers would change. The boy would finally understand that he did not need to fear them. Vlad knew that; because it had been with the creation of blue energy that he had conquered his own fear of his powers…

When Danny finally condensed the sphere in his hand as far as his raw energy would allow, the boy instantly hit a barrier----a barrier which the teen understood he would have to break to accomplish what he wanted. However, the pressure in his hand was so great by now that the teen grunted against the effort of controlling it. Still, he refused to give up.

"_It's now or never,"_ the young hybrid thought determinedly. And dismissing his uncertainly and fear, Danny embraced his powers completely, instantly shattering the barrier that was limiting him.

The result was just as sudden. That feeling of empowerment washed over him like a tidal wave. And his aura only flared with even with more green light, then going as far as engulfing the boy's pupils in that same bright green.

Danny didn't see any of it, though, even if it was reflecting off the mirror. All his focus was on taming that dark sphere in his hand.

And, suddenly, like his untamable energy had abruptly given up the fight, the strong heat almost burning his hands washed away. Then, the pressure his raw energy had been exerting on him slowly began to ease.

Danny watched almost in a trance as the sphere seemed to open up like a flower, turning into a small olive-colored flame in his open palm.

And that's when it started to flicker a blue color.

That feeling of empowerment suddenly transformed into something less fierce, into something softer. It was something very akin to tranquility; and the feeling seem to originate from the flickering flame in his hand, but it soon settled all throughout the boy's being and further caressed his core.

Danny had never felt anything like it before.

The flame finally began to settle as well. It only flickered a few more times, slowly waning so that it was now bluer in color than green. And suddenly, it stopped—glittering as brightly as sapphire.

Danny stared at the small blue flame in his hand with complete awe. This energy felt _so much _different than his green energy. It was so stable and calm and---

The boy paused in his thoughts when a large hand slowly grabbed his arm. And although at any other time the teen would have startled at any unexpected visitor in his room during this moment, this time he did not. The boy was too overwhelmed by the feel of the flame in his hand that all he really did was stare up to confirm his suspicion of who it was.

"Hold on to that feeling, Daniel. Remember it," Vlad whispered as he stood by the boy's side.

Danny turned his attention back to the soft blue energy in his hand and began taking in how it felt, how it made _him_ feel.

"Let it die," Vlad said, his voice as soft and tranquil as the very energy in the teen's hand.

Almost unwillingly, Danny slowly coiled his hand, extinguishing the little blue flame.

But to the teen's surprise, Vlad was not finished.

"Close your eyes. Call forth that _same_ feeling once more. Let it fill you."

Danny closed his eyes, focusing on that wonderful feeling he had felt only seconds ago. And it returned to him almost instantly.

A calm sigh escaped the teen's mouth as wave after soft wave of stability washed over him. It was just so relaxing and placid. It reassured him, something his powers alone had never been able to do for him before. It made him feel so confident and in control.

"Now call forth your energy."

Danny did so as easily as always. But when he felt Vlad release his arm, Danny opened his eyes, only to find not his green energy as he had expected, but that soft blue energy from a moment ago.

"You see, now that you know how blue energy feels, you no longer need to condense your green energy to produce it."

Danny was speechless as he stared at his glowing blue hand. How something so seemingly insignificant could make him feel so _fulfilled_, he would never know. But it did.

Vlad smiled warmly, before softly telling the boy, "I'm proud of you, Daniel."

A soft smile curved the teen's lips in return as he slowly dispelled his blue energy from his hand. Hearing Vlad express those words to him with honest sincerity in his voice truly touched him.

"Thank you," the teen replied, looking up at the man with his own sincerity.

But before Vlad could say anymore, Danny changed to his human self once more, eliminating the only source of light that had come from his natural ghostly glow.

"Oh," Danny said when he became aware that he could no longer see a thing. And feeling a bit sheepish now, the teen chuckled lightly, before slowly making his way to the nearest lamp, which was the one on his night stand.

Vlad smirked in the darkness; but when he could finally see the boy again, the man crossed his arms and said, "You know, I really should reproach you for what you just did…"

Danny smirked back and in a smug tone he replied, "Hey, I did it, didn't I?"

The man nodded, his smile softening again. "You did."

The teen didn't know what to say after that. It was so rare to see the man's softer emotions, that when he did see them, Danny did not know how to react. All he knew was he liked it when Vlad was like this.

But the thought quickly brought back what had happened in the simulation room, and the teen frowned a bit as he said, "Since you're here, I wanted to ask if you were… okay? And, really, I didn't mean to---"

The man quickly cut him off when he realized what the boy was talking about. "I'm fine, Daniel. See?" he told him, raising his hands up a bit to show the teen he had no real damage. "And that was as equally or more so my fault. So, let's just put it in the past, alright? May I ask, though, why are you up so late?"

Danny blinked with how fast the man had jumped away from their discussion. But glad that Vlad seemed to be fine, the teen let it go as well. However, his stomach fluttered nervously when he refocused back to Vlad's last question.

"Well…I, uh…," Danny began, not wanting to lie, but also not wanting to tell the man the truth of how he had been really bothered by their conversation and then some bizarre dream. However, at that moment, he realized something else and paused. Then looking inquisitively back at the man, he asked, "Why are _you_ up?"

Vlad smiled. "Main reason? I was working on some documents..."

"_And…you just so happened to decide to come check on me?"_ Danny wanted to ask. But knowing that if he questioned the man that meant he was going to be questioned right back, the teen instead just said, "Oh."

But Vlad's smile widened as he added, "Yes, well, since neither of us is clearly ready to go to sleep just yet, then, why don't I show you my _other_ reason for being up downstairs?"

Danny smiled back, relieved that the man clearly was not going to press him for his reason for being awake so late. But also curious to know what Vlad was talking about, he quickly agreed; and putting on a pair of slippers, he followed the older hybrid downstairs, internally glad that things seemed to be back to normal between them.

* * *

"So… let me get this straight. You suddenly remembered you told me you would make those macadamia cookies today. And so you decided to make them at twelve at night?" Danny questioned in disbelief.

Vlad shrugged as he finished washing his hands. "It was more like eleven. But, yes. I figured I'd keep my word."

Danny shook his head in astonishment. "That's sounds really cool of you and everything. But, seriously, you're such a---" However, realizing the man would not appreciate it if he finished this comment, the teen just rolled his eyes and closed his mouth.

But knowing what the boy had been about to say, Vlad rolled his own eyes and dryly said, "Might as well finish it, Daniel. I already know what you were going to say."

Danny grinned. "Oh, in that case: You are a seriously crazed-up fruit loop!"

Vlad just shook his head, before pulling out a closed container from the microwave. "Now that you got _that_ out of your system, here, try this," he said, offering him a cookie from the container.

Danny took the macadamia cookie and studied it skeptically. It looked like any other he had seen. But knowing by now that things were not always what they seemed, he just tried it----only to realize some things _were_ exactly what they seemed.

But not wanting to disappoint the man, he forced a smile on his face and quickly swallowed what was in his mouth. "It's… pretty good."

However, the man suddenly grinned at him and said, "liar."

Danny quickly opened his mouth to explain himself, but the older hybrid cut him off when he smugly said, "I know you don't like it because I just gave you a traditional macadamia cookie."

"Then why the heck did you make me try it?" Danny asked, annoyed.

Vlad's grin widened. "I wasn't aware that a 'fruit loop' required a reason for his actions…"

Danny scowled, realizing the man had done that just to get him back for the 'insult'. "

Okay, fine. I guess I had that coming. So, now excuse me, while I find something to wash the taste out of my mouth."

But Vlad quickly stopped him. "How about just trying something different?" he suggested, offering him another cookie.

Danny was about to decline when he realized this cookie looked slightly different. He hesitated, looking untrustingly at the man this time. But then with a shrug he quickly accepted it and tried it.

"Okay, this is not macadamia," Danny said, taking another bite of the cookie. "It's just white chocolate."

Vlad smirked. "Well, I did add white chocolate to make them sweeter. But they are still macadamia cookies. I just grounded the nuts so that the taste of them wouldn't be so prominent."

"Huh. Well, they're really good like this," Danny said, finishing up the cookie and smiling.

"Are they?" Vlad questioned, before grabbing one himself and trying it. "…Hmm… they're not too bad. But I personally still prefer the traditional…"

Danny frowned at that. "Wait. You hadn't tried them like this yet? So, what was that about 'me liking _your_ way of making these cookies'?"

The billionaire smiled mischievously. "Well, you did, did you not? I just had not 'invented' _my way_ of making them until now. Good to see my experiment passed with flying colors."

Danny opened his mouth to say something; but he just rolled his eyes instead. And knowing he had liked the cookies in spite of Vlad using him as guinea pig to test them out, the teen snatched the container from Vlad's hands. He took out another cookie as he walked off with the container toward a nearby cabinet.

The man chuckled quietly at the teen's actions before turning his attention to the tea kettle he had put on the stove.

A moment later, both hybrids were settled in the living room closest to the foyer. Danny sat down on the couch before bringing his legs up and crossing them. He then glanced over at the lit fireplace before taking a sip of his self-made cup of hot chocolate.

The billionaire was also comfortably settled in a chair to the right of the teen, the decorative table in between them creating a complete 'L shape' with the two pieces of furniture.

The billionaire crossed his right leg above the other, while sipping calmly on his tea and calmly watching Danny grab a cookie from the plate on the table between them.

However, as the boy's gaze drifted to the larger coffee table in front of him, his attention went to a very fine looking chess game decorating the center of the table…

The teen lowered his hot drink on the table next to him, before leaning forward and picking up one of the chess pieces, which happen to be the 'king' piece.

Meanwhile, Vlad smirked in mild amusement into the cup at his lips as he watched the boy.

"This is really nice… What's this made of?" Danny asked distractingly, studying the well-crafted game piece in his hand with interest. It looked to be made of some sort of clear crystal… but he wasn't really sure.

"It's made of diamond," Vlad lightly answered, before picking up a cookie.

Danny's jaw dropped in disbelief; but he then quickly looked back at the rest of the chess set; and seeing that the opposing side was sculpted out of another crystal, he quickly questioned, "And the---"

"It's emerald," Vlad cut him off, knowing what he was going to ask.

Danny just stared stunned at the game. The thing was sculpted completely out of those two precious gems! One side of the game pieces were emeralds and the other side was made of diamonds.

"Care to play?" Vlad asked calmly as he wiped his hands with a napkin, having finished with the bake good he had been eating.

Pushing back the awing knowledge that the chess set in front of him had to have cost _a lot_ of money, Danny finally looked back at Vlad, and meekly replied, "Uh… I don't really know how."

Vlad raised a clever eyebrow. "Never too late to learn."

Danny smiled. "Alright," he said, quickly taking another bite of his cookie before putting it back on the plate and wiping his hands.

Meanwhile, Vlad rose from his seat and sat on the larger couch right across from the teenager. He then placed his tea cup on another smaller lamp table beside him. And with a press of a button, the coffee table rose up about two or three more feet, giving both hybrids a more comfortable view of the chess game in between them.

The billionaire had this expensive chess set more for decoration than anything else, since it was so delicate. But he didn't mind making an exception tonight.

"Alright, let's start with the objective of this game, hmm?"

Danny sat up a bit more as he said, "Well, isn't it to pretty much topple the other person's king?"

"Yes. Properly put: the goal is to _checkmate_ your opponent's king by using both short-term tactics and long-term strategies," Vlad explained. "And to do that you have in your control sixteen pieces: one king, one queen, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, and eight pawns."

Danny just nodded when the man had pointed at each different one as he named them.

"Chess, my boy, is a very imaginative game," the man continued. "You see, it takes someone with _vision_ to master it. Although you control just your own pieces, the moves you make directly influence and can even manipulate your opponent's moves. You have to try to predict the other's choices and use that knowledge to your advantage. You also want to keep them guessing by using your pieces to create what I like to call 'false strategies' that keep your true intentions hidden. The purpose of it is to guide your opponent into a trap, one that by the time the other realizes that they have fallen into it, it is too late. Your opponent is trapped. Therefore, he or she has no other choice but to surrender. Understand?"

"That's deep," Danny muttered. "Sounds like I'm going into battle or something."

"In a sense, 'yes'," Vlad said with a small chuckle. "But, alright, then. On to the rules."

Danny closely listened to the man as he explained the more practical details of the game. Several minutes later, they finally began to play, though the man continued to explain things here and there.

"Don't move there," Vlad quickly said when the teen intended to move his rook up. "That would leave your queen exposed; and that's the last thing you want to do with such a valuable piece. Try another move."

Danny's eyebrows creased slightly in concentration as he studied the pieces on the board to decide on another move.

As the man waited, he sipped on his tea, also studying the board.

Finally, the teen smiled and quickly moved his King's knight.

"Good," Vlad said, impressed that the teen made the move he would have as well.

"You know, this game isn't as boring as it appears," Danny said as he grabbed his cocoa again and waited for the billionaire to make his move.

However, Danny's mind quickly went to a sudden thought, "Hey, Vlad? I forgot to ask you. Did you tell Stephanie I said 'yes' about Saturday?"

"Saturday?" Vlad asked, looking up at the teen with confusion. But he then quickly remembered and grimaced. "Apply strudels! I completely forgot."

But Danny smirked in amusement at the man's quirk of uttering pastry names when aggravated by something.

"Well," Vlad said with a sigh, remembering it was Thursday---or, judging by the current time, _Friday_. "I will call her about it. That is, if she does not call me first. Believe me, Daniel, that woman does not forget anything," the man assured the teen with mild amusement.

Danny nodded, not that worried about it. He just had told Stephanie he would let her know of his decision about going out with her and her daughter on Saturday; so he just wanted to make sure he did that.

Vlad finally made his own move. But as the teen sat up a bit again to figure out his next move, the man remembered something else with the mention of his secretary...

"_Has anything been sent to me from Mark Vanzier recently?"_

_Yes. In fact, I dropped it off at your house earlier today. I gave it to Daniel….You know, you should take him. It'll be a good experience for him."_

"_Do you know when?" _

"_The end of this month."_

Vlad looked thoughtfully at the young hybrid, who had his own gaze focused on the chess game. Although Stephanie had mentioned the idea to him, it was an idea that had _already_ passed through the billionaire's mind when he was in German finishing his last negotiations with Mark Vazier. The older hybrid just wasn't sure what the boy would think of it…

"Daniel?"

"Hmm?" the teen replied distractingly, before suddenly deciding on his next move and taking with it one of Vlad's pawns.

But the man hardly noticed, not really interested in the game anymore. Still, he hesitated a bit, before saying, "I've been meaning to ask you something, dear boy."

Noticing the sudden unease in his voice, Danny quickly looked up questioningly at the man.

"Well, it's really more of a request…," the billionaire corrected himself, still somewhat tense.

"A request?" Danny repeated before taking a sip of his hot chocolate, though he never took his inquisitive eyes off of the older hybrid.

Vlad glanced down at the tea in his hand before taking a drink. But he then set the cup down and finally leaned back on the couch, his demeanor suddenly back to its usual collectiveness.

"Do you remember the man with whom I was talking on the phone at the zoo?"

Danny nodded. "Yeah. The same guy you've been spending months buying his company or something, right?"

"Yes…," Vlad slowly replied, deciding not to comment on the fact that said man had still no idea that his company belonged to Vlad now, since he had bought 80% of it, forty of which Mark himself had sold him…

"And?" Danny prompted when the man got quiet.

"_And," _Vlad repeated, "I also mentioned to you in Germany how there was going to be a formal engagement to make my… partnership with Vazier public…"

Danny slowly nodded, looking both curious and confused.

"Well, as agreed in Germany, it will be hosted here in Wisconsin. And Mark Vazier has set the date for the last Saturday evening of this month. And… I would love for you to join me," the man finally said, looking expectantly at the boy.

Danny was clearly surprised by the 'out-of-the-blue' request. But then he grew uncertain when he began to realize what the billionaire was really asking of him.

"…How big is this…uh, engagement, exactly?"

Vlad hesitated again, knowing the boy was not going to like his reply. "Big enough---_significant enough_---to attract the media and many very important people from around the world… After all, M.V. Industries is one of the largest communication enterprises in the world… And with myself and Vazier being one of the richest men… Well, you get the point."

But as Vlad predicted, Danny pressed back against the couch, looking even more apprehensive. The teen really didn't like the idea of being around… _so much_ attention. Yes, it was true that back in Amity Park the local media was constantly on his tail---_literally_. But that was just it. The media was on him as Danny Phantom, _not_ Danny Fenton! And that was also just the _local_ news! But Vlad's big important business event was surely to get more then local attention! And then also there was---

"It's just a request, Daniel," Vlad reminded the teen, interrupting the boy's mental freak-out. "Really, my boy. You are free to accept or decline it," the man assured him calmly, before he sat up and turned his gaze back to the board game.

Danny just stared at Vlad, before looking down at the board himself---of course, the game was now the last thing on his mind… And he soon voiced his true concern.

"Aren't you worried that I'll embarrass you or… something?" the boy asked, his 'something' clearly a loaded word… Of course, the teen was thinking of the possibility of those in Amity Park finding out. But he just couldn't bring himself to say it right out to the billionaire.

"No. If I was, I would not be asking you to come with me, would I?" Vlad causally answered, before moving one of his pawns on the board.

But the older hybrid, of course, knew that the teen was partially asking about the possibility of those in Amity Park finding out. There was always a slim chance that the news of his most recent business conquest would travel to such a remote town as was Amity Park. But it was very highly improbable. Even so, if it would reach Amity Park, Vlad knew the media would be more interested in broadcasting about his deal with Vazier rather than Vlad's having brought along 'his nephew'---especially when Daniel would surely not be the only teenager there. Usually, rich parents liked to bring their eldest children to such engagements so that they would start learning early how to properly behave in higher circles…

Point was, the risk was very minimal; and if worse came to worse and the media did become interested in Daniel, it wasn't anything _Plasmius_ could not later fix.

Noticing the silence, Danny glanced back at Vlad and smiled a bit, before he began to chuckle with his next thought. "Hey, is there going be music? Because I really couldn't imagine _you _dancing!"

But the man just stared seriously back at the boy, killing any attempt from the teen to liven the mood between them.

Danny sighed, before rubbing his neck and admitting, "I don't know, Vlad. I mean, I really don't like cameras in my face. And I don't want to mess things up for you…I know how important this business thing is for you…"

"Do not fret. Their attention will be mostly on me. I, of course, will introduce you as my nephew, and that is all they will know," Vlad answered calmly, his attention still on the chess board.

But Danny still didn't look convinced. After all, one thing was learning about and just viewing Vlad's life from the outside. If he went to this _party_, he would have to submerse himself in it and he wasn't sure if he could do that…

The billionaire finally looked up at the boy when he didn't say anything; but the man suddenly let out a small light chuckle, "I honestly don't understand why this makes you nervous. I would think that you, _Danny Phantom_, would be use to the 'spotlight' by now."

Danny just frowned.

"In any case," the man continued, ignoring the teen's reaction. "You can be sure that I will never leave you alone with the media." Vlad smirked as he added, "All you have do is smile. I'll do the talking. Unless… your hesitation has nothing to do with the media. Perhaps you're just intimidated by the thought of going to such an important event with me?" the man asked, raising an eyebrow in a teasing way.

Danny's frown only hardened with that. He was _so _tired of the older hybrid's need to put on some false façade every time they had to talk about something serious or sensitive.

"Why do you always act this way?" the teen asked, sounding more exasperated than anything else. "Why can't you just say: 'Danny, I would like you to come with me to a party?'"

Vlad's smirk widened. "Alright… Danny, I would like you to come with me to a party," he repeated right back.

"I'm being serious, Vlad!" Danny said forcefully, even more frustrated with the man's attitude.

"So am I!" Vlad snapped, suddenly very defensive. "Does it _sound_ like I'm joking with you? _Why_ the blazes do you always have to make even the simplest of things so difficult?!"

The man didn't understand why the teen always seemed to want to push him past his limits. It was like Daniel _expected_ something of him or from him, and it filled Vlad with so much _frustration_ to not know what it was!

The man's angry tone of voice suddenly mixed with some sort of desperation as he further asked, "What do you want from me, Daniel? Do you want me to beg? To grovel? _What?!_ I---"

Vlad suddenly stopped himself when he finally noticed Danny's hurt look.

"No… that's not what I want," Danny said quietly, looking away. What he wanted was the man to just be himself. _To be sincere_. Was that really that much to ask for? Was sincerity _that_ hard for Vlad?

The billionaire sighed quietly, before he shook his head. "I'm sorry….I shouldn't have asked you this. Let's pretend I never mentioned it," the man added almost sadly, before staring back at the chess board.

But at that moment, Danny looked up again, a small smile slowly returning to his lips. It was not very often that Vlad said 'I'm sorry'. But when he did say it and _the way_ he would say it held enough sincerity to cover a lot of the man's faults.

"Does that mean you don't want me to go with you to that party anymore?" Danny suddenly asked, feigning hurt in his voice.

The billionaire quickly looked up at the boy in disbelief. But when he saw the teen smiling calmly at him, Vlad shook his head and huffed in a mixture of amusement and surrender. He didn't understand what had changed the teen's mind so quickly, but he also decided that he rather not know and just accept it.

Still, the man raised an eyebrow and commented, "You really are something, my boy."

"I know," Danny said with a small shrug; but then he smirked and added, "But then, so are you…"

Vlad shot the young hybrid a smug smirk and quipped back, "I know."

Danny rolled his eyes, but said no more and turned his gaze back to the chess game. The teen had to wonder if he and Vlad would ever have a stable relationship. In spite of their efforts, there was just so much differences between them, and a lot of it was personal issues...

But at least they always did manage to fix their differences. And isn't that what really mattered at the end of the day?

Danny smiled weakly to himself as his thoughts then drifted to the 'party thing' at the end of the month.

"_That's going to be… interesting,"_ he thought, nervously.

* * *

**Gosh, I am beat. Not the greatest chapter. But important, never-the-less. I still have like... five reviews left to reply to from last chapter; so I'll do them tomorrow at school. And that reminds me, I have gotten some reviews from people who didn't sign it. And that's fine and all. But if you would like me to reply, definitely sign in. Otherwise, i can't do so. Well, ta my fellow readers! Until next time!**


	62. Chapter 61: Assurance

**Alright! I am finally back with a new chapter! Let's see what you guys think… Heh. I will also have to apologize, but I will be unable to reply to reviews this time. I know you guys understand; but I do feel it's the least I can do for you all for sharing all those wonderful thoughts with me and my Vlad muse. Thanks a bundle, guys. But, sadly, I have so many things going on as of later---which is why my updates have slowed down so much. But I am trying! And you guys can at least be sure I **_**will**_** update as soon as I can! Enjoy! And let me know your thoughts! **

* * *

**Chapter 61: Assurance**

* * *

"_Daniel?"_

The whisper of his name hardly penetrated the young hybrid's slumbering mind. But when he slowly began to perceive someone's touch on his left shoulder, Danny finally stirred.

"Daniel?"

The teen finally opened his eyes, which he blinked a couple of times to clear the haze from them. It took him a moment to realize Vlad was sitting at the edge of his bed staring down at him.

"Vlad?" he asked, his sleepy voice carrying a tone of confusion.

The billionaire's eyebrows creased, before he quietly said, "I'm sorry for waking you. But I wanted to let you know that I need to go… somewhere today. And I most likely will not return until nightfall."

But still only half awake, the young hybrid barely understood the man's words, let alone did he have the clarity of mind to question them. Instead, more interested in the fact that he was tired, Danny groggily asked, "What time is it?"

Vlad smiled in mild amusement. "About ten till five."

Danny groaned, before grabbing his sheets and throwing them over his head.

"I apologize, Daniel, really," Vlad said sympathetically, knowing the boy was exhausted. "But I didn't want to leave without telling you anything..."

Danny lowered the sheets again to look at the man. "Vlad, we went to bed at almost three in the morning. How can you even keep your eyes open?" he asked, both perplexed and irritated.

Vlad lightly chuckled and ruffled the boy's already messy locks. "I'll see you tonight, little badger," he then said, finally standing up to leave.

"Um-hmm," Danny mumbled groggily as he turned away from the older hybrid and went back to sleep.

Vlad smiled at the young hybrid for another small moment, before finally turning and walking out of the room. But as he quietly closed the door after him and then headed down the hallway towards his private study and secret lab, the man's smile vanished.

He let out a quiet sigh, internally relieved that Daniel had not questioned him over where exactly he was going for so long…

Vlad would have hated if he would have had to lie to the boy…

* * *

A couple hours later, the sun was brightly shinning down on Amity Park. But Danny's two friends looked as if a cloud was looming over them, keeping the bright orb's rays from warming their gloomy moods.

As they quietly walked to school, Tucker glanced over at Sam, who looked more angry than anything else. The dark-skinned boy had hoped his female friend would have cooled down by now; but then, when it came to issues regarding Danny, Sam was not that quick to forget about them. And after Jazz's telling them yesterday how she had talk to Vlad about two days ago,… and about… what she had heard, _and_ what she was now considering… well, his goth friend was ticked off…

Deciding to try to get her to talk to him, he cleared his throat and casually asked, "Did you study for Lancer's test today?"

Sam shrugged and adjusted her spider backpack on her shoulder before she indifferently answered, "Not really. But I know enough to pass."

"Yeah…Same here…," he mumbled back.

There was another silence; but then, Tucker suddenly asked, "Did you hear how the school board is considering extending school for about a week or so more because of all the missed school days from all those ghost attacks?"

"No. But it doesn't exactly surprise me. This whole darn town is being turned upside-down by all these evil ghosts," Sam replied angrily.

Tucker frowned. "Well… It's gotten _a little_ better with the Guys-in-White around; and also with Mr. and Mrs. F's help…And we're also kinda helping. Oh, and I think Valerie's back out there, too…At least, she looked kinda beat when I talked to her yesterday..."

"Oh, so you had time to go over her house, but no time to go to mine, right?" Sam said coolly, briefly looking up and glaring at the bright sun.

"It's not like that, Sam," Tucker replied, now sounding a bit annoyed himself. "I talked to Valerie on live _web_-cam. I didn't go over her house. And I didn't come over to _yours_ because: One, I was tired after three hours of chasing around five different ghosts with you and only catching two of them. And, two, you were so mad yesterday I, honestly, was kinda scared to come over."

"Of course I was mad, Tucker!" Sam suddenly exclaimed, pausing in her step and glaring at her friend. "I mean, how can Jazz even consider doing what Clockwork insinuated to her?!"

"That didn't mean you had to blow up on her, Sam," Tucker replied, crossing his arms. "You can't really think this whole thing with Danny is any easier for her than it is for us, you know."

"Yeah, well, it's clearly _easier_ for her to just leave Danny on his own with that evil jerk!" Sam snapped back.

"Come on, Sam. You know that's not what she meant! And she would never do that! But we don't exactly have a lot of options at this point. Or haven't you noticed that everything seems to be working against us when it comes to helping Danny out?"

"So then what? Are we just going to give up?" Sam asked, appalled.

Tucker was quiet for a moment. But lowering his gaze, he quietly answered, "Maybe there's nothing to give up on. Maybe there isn't anything we can do about all this---Maybe there never was..."

Sam just stared back at him in angry disbelief. But then she scoffed. "I can't believe you and Jazz are just going to give up."

"Darn it, Sam!" Tucker suddenly exclaimed, glaring back at her. "Look, if there was anything I could do for Danny, I would. But don't you get it? There isn't anything we _can_ do! And I don't know what more proof you want than Clockwork himself practically telling Jazz that!"

"I don't care what Clockwork said!" Sam yelled back.

"Yeah? Maybe you should. Last time I checked, the guy has helped Danny out on more than one occasion," Tucker snapped.

"You mean manipulated him," Sam retorted, not willing to accept the possibility that the Time Master could be right. "Clockwork only cares about keeping the 'time line' in order! And if he ever had to choose between keeping his silly order and Danny, he'd pick his order without any hesitation! And you know that, too!"

"Fine. Let's say Clockwork is _suddenly_ against Danny or something," Tucker said in sarcastic anger. "Then, what about Danny himself, huh? Are you going to ignore the fact that he seems to be quite content where he's at? Are you gonna drag him back here against his will, Sam?"

Sam's bravado faltered with the thought of what Jazz had told them yesterday. But the goth girl couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe that Danny was happy enough without them to laugh as freely as Jazz had said he did…

Sam shook her head. "Jazz has been stressed lately, Tucker. Maybe she--"

"Sam," Tucker cut her off, knowing what she was about to say. "Jazz wouldn't hear wrong or make a mistake on something like that! And don't you say it had to be some trick because Jazz told us herself that_ she_ called Vlad! There's no way Vlad could have planned that and forced Danny to act happy or something. And you know what? I'm starting to even think that---Ugh! I don't know!" Tucker suddenly exclaimed, raising his arms in the air in frustration. "I don't know what to think anymore. All this is so stupid and confusing on so many levels!"

But the boy's hand movements jolted Sam's mind with a sudden observation. Now no longer frustrated, she asked in slight worry, "Where's your PDA?"

"What?" Tucker asked, not getting why she had changed the subject so abruptly. But then he sighed and shrugged. "I don't know. I forgot it at home, I guess," he muttered, before he stuffed his hands in his pocket and started walking towards school again.

Suddenly shocked and disheartened over her friend's reply, Sam watched sadly after him. She knew Danny's absence was affecting them all, but she had not realized until this very moment just _how much_ it was affecting Tucker. Her friend had to be _very_ upset to _forget_ his PDA! And that only drove the point home now more than ever just how important her half-ghost friend was to her and Tucker, his family, and even the people of Amity Park.

But now that she thought about it, Danny's absence was even taking a toll on his ghost enemies…

She still remembered how she had caught sight of Skulker about a week or two back. It had been the strangest thing, too. But the oddest thing about it was that Sam was certain Skulker had noticed her and Tucker that day. But he only briefly regarded them with a frown and flew off, not even bothering to ask about his 'favorite prey' or even gloat over his absence.

Of course, Sam was sure that by now all of Danny's ghost enemies—the usual as well as some obviously new ones-- were aware of Amity Park's protector being gone. And that did explain the increase in ghost attacks.

But although she was partly right, Sam and everyone else remained oblivious to the fact that the increase was also in part due to Vlad's doing…

Still, there were now so many ghosts wanting to 'take over' Amity Park at once that they were beginning to fight amongst each other over who was going to rule----Technus and Ember, whom were both still at large, were a good example of that.

In short, everything was all wrong without Danny.

Sam sighed, before quickly moving forward and catching up her friend. "Look, Tucker. I know this is all confusing, but…" She sighed again, before forcefully saying, "Something just isn't right in all this! And I know you feel the same way! We have to keep trying, Tucker!"

But Tucker shook his head sadly. "Maybe we should just be happy that he's happy, Sam. Maybe it's time we start accepting that Danny _wanted_ to leave. I…I sure can't blame him for wanting to leave behind all he had to put up with …even if it meant leaving us and his family behind, too…," the boy finished in a quiet and shaky voice.

"That's not true," Sam said right away, though her own voice faltered. "Danny has never run away from his responsibilities! He isn't the type to do that!"

Tucker suddenly paused again and glared at her. "Look, Sam. Danny isn't made of stone! We both know he puts up with more crud than everyone in this entire town combined!"

Sam just as quickly grew angry again and sarcastically answered, "Oh, so you think it's alright for him to leave and let all of us rot just so he can be _happy_?"

"Yes!" Tucker exclaimed. "He has every right! So, why don't you just _stop_ being so selfish, Sam! If Danny wants to let all this go, then we should respect that! It's time to let him go!"

"I CAN'T!" she suddenly screamed back at him in pain and anger.

Tucker fell silent when Sam started trembling, fighting with everything she had to not cry.

She wrapped her hands around her abdomen and looked away. And as she blinked back tears, she added in a shaky whisper, "I-I can't do that, Tucker. Nothing is right without Danny." She looked up at him with a sort of desperation as she told him, "I _need_ him to come back. We all do. He _has_ to come back."

Tucker sighed sadly. "That's just it. We _can't_ get him to come back."

Sam remained quiet for a moment. But then she lowered her hands; and quickly regaining control of her emotions, she shook her head. "Yes, we can. I _know_ we can get him back. And we _will_ find a way, Tucker," she told him determinately before resuming her walk.

Knowing they were just arguing in circles, Tucker suddenly made a frustrated noise from his throat. Still, he was not willing to let this go and quickly followed his friend, all but exclaiming, "For crying out loud! Would you just stop and listen to yourself for _one_ second? What 'way' are you talking about? We have tried everything _all three_ of us can think of! We have broken into Danny's arch-enemy's home two times! The first time Danny all but literally kicked us out! And the second time, we came _this_ close to being wasted by Vlad's freaky servants! Oh, and let's not forget that stupid bracelet and how the jerk that made it almost blew us up for taking it! And do you know how much crud I know about Vlad Masters', Sam? ...Probably enough to run most of his freakin' companies myself! It's insane! So, please, Sam, tell me if there is _anything_ we haven't already tried that hasn't failed us miserably?!"

"Look, Tucker," Sam said, as angry as ever again, and she stopped walking once more. "If you and Jazz want to give up, I'm not stopping you. But don't tell me to give up, 'cause I'm not going to!"

"Stop making me and Jazz sound like jerks!" Tucker snapped back. "Do you know what 'giving up' means, Sam? …It means that you have a chance or a way to do something and you don't do it or use it! _We_ don't have _anything_! So, what's there to give up on? What more proof do you want? And let's not forget that Danny told us himself that he wants to be at Vlad's. And, okay, maybe I did believe at first that it was all a trick somehow. But you know what? If Danny didn't want to be there, then, why would he be all happy and laughing, Sam? If all this is a lie like we had thought, then why is Danny so content where he's at?"

Sam opened her mouth to argue back; but Tucker quickly pressed on, his voice growing more agitated and even slightly bitter. "But, fine, let's say he _doesn't_ really want to be there. Then what? What's he doing, Sam? What has he been doing in these past three months? He has fought against Vlad all the time before, then why doesn't he now? Why did _he_ give up? Why isn't he trying to find a way to get back home instead of laughing and having a good time at his arch-enemy's?!"

Sam just glared quietly at Tucker for a moment. But then she seriously asked, "Since when do you look at things with such cold logic?"

"SINCE THE DAY DANNY LEFT AND _YOU_ BECAME ILLOGICAL!" Tucker screamed, finally at his end.

Sam was taken aback by his shout. Her friend hardly got this upset. But instead of yelling back at him like she normally would have at any other instance, she just lowered her eyes sadly and continued on her way to school.

Tucker watched her go for a moment, his anger snuffing out like a fire that had just been thrown a bucket of ice water over it. Their arguing suddenly made him realize Sam was right. Everything was just wrong without Danny. Even their fights. Without their half-ghost friend around to intervene in their all-too-common arguing, they really were having a hard time controlling themselves.

But the thought also had Tucker further realize that he and Sam couldn't depend on Danny to always be around to break up their fights. They had to start knowing when to call a truce. Even if he and Sam had a lot of differences and even if he had met the goth girl through Danny when they had been younger, Tucker knew that Sam was as much his friend as she was Danny's. Perhaps at first Danny had been 'the glue' that held his and Sam's friendship together, but after so many years, it wasn't like that anymore. Even if Danny wasn't around now, Sam was _his_ friend and would always be his friend. And he wasn't about to let their differences of opinion get in the way of that.

"Sam!" Tucker suddenly called after her, running to catch up to the girl.

Sam paused, allowing him to catch up, though she didn't turn to face him.

"Look, Sam, I'm…I'm really sorry," Tucker assured her with regret. He sighed deeply and shook his head as he added, "I shouldn't have blown up like that on you. I just… I don't know what to do, Sam. I want to respect whatever Danny's decision is. But I just don't know _what_ it is! And it makes me so angry! I feel angry at myself! And at him, too! And I don't even understand why!"

But when his goth friend still wouldn't look or say anything to him, Tucker's eyebrows creased in despair. "Sam?" he pleadingly called to her.

The girl finally looked at the boy but her eyes were laced with the same pain as her friend's.

"I'm tired of feeling so helpless," he told her softly. "I want nothing more than for all this to be some nightmare. I would love to keep believing that Danny wants to come home, that there is something we **can** do to get him home. But how do I believe all that when _everything_ points at the complete opposite? How do I keep hoping like you do?" he asked desperately.

A sad smile finally curved Sam's lip, before she confidently answered, "You just need to remember him for who he was, Tucker. Danny never gave up, even if the odds were stacked against him. He would put everyone else before himself. He's _a hero_, Tucker---_our_ hero. Amity Park's hero. And I believe he still is. I believe that even with everything that has happened, he still is that person. That's why I have faith that he's going to back; because who he is _right here_. And Danny would never forget who he is."

Tucker smiled in sorrow at his friend before he reached out and hugged her. "You're right, Sam. And I'm sorry I was being a jerk."

The girl pulled away, a discouraged smile still on her face. "I'm sorry, too, Tucker. And I think you're right, too. I shouldn't have yelled at Jazz like that yesterday. And maybe we shouldn't completely blow off what Clockwork told her, either. But I also don't think we should lose hope. I know things look impossible and nothing makes sense; but we gotta keep trying to help Danny; even if, for now, all we can really do is just try to keep the ghost numbers down around here..."

Sam paused and sighed, but then she smiled a bit more as she continued, "I don't like the idea of not being there for Danny. I mean, I'm just so use to being able to help him whenever he needs it---and I know you feel the same. So, it's hard for me to accept that, Tucker. But I think I see what you and Jazz are saying. Maybe…Maybe this is a fight we are not meant to be at his side for…But _that_ is _exactly_ why we _have_ to believe in him more than ever. That's _exactly_ why we can't give up hope. He wouldn't want us to, Tucker. And… he wouldn't want us fighting, either…"

"No, he wouldn't," Tucker agreed, his mood greatly lifting. And it further showed when he suddenly smirked and teasingly said, "Wow, Sam, that was a pretty cool speech. Since when did you become so in tune with your emotions?"

Sam smirked back, though there was still a bit of sadness in her voice as she retorted, "Since the day Danny left and you became _Mr. Logic_."

Tucker laughed lightly. "Yeah? Well, as long as we're back to normal by the time Danny gets back, then, I think we'll be okay. Then again… Maybe Danny would like the new 'emotional Sam'. Maybe _she'll_ finally tell him how she really feels about him… eh?"

"Or maybe the 'old Sam' is about to kick you in the knee if you don't shut it," Sam retorted with a mock glare.

Tucker raised his hands to pacify her. "Heh. Come on, Sam. Think of Danny. He wouldn't want ya doing that."

An evil smile grew on the goth girl's face. "No, I think he would…"

"Uh…Wow! It's late! We better hurry up and get to school!" Tucker said quickly, before suddenly sprinting towards their school in the distance.

Sam rolled her eyes, though there was a smile on her face. But then she let out a small sigh, looked briefly up at the blue sky, and then finally followed at a normal pace after her friend.

* * *

Jazz frowned with indecision as she glanced over at her brother's friends' lockers. She wanted to talk to them about their conversation yesterday, though she wanted to talk mostly to Sam.

Danny's sister could understand how the things she said to the younger teenagers had upset Sam. Really, her own words even upset _her. _But Jazz had pondered a lot about her thoughts before voicing them to Sam and Tucker. That was why she had not told them about her conversation with Vlad until yesterday. Jazz had needed time to process it all before talking about it.

But although Danny's sister had told Sam and Tucker about her calling and threatening Vlad and about how she had heard her brother's laughing voice, there were some things about her conversation with the man that she had kept to herself. She decided it was best not to mention the billionaire's strange tone of voice with which he had spoken every time he mentioned Danny. And she definitely did not tell them about the man's seemingly sincere promise to her that he would not let harm come to her little brother...

After all, she was sure Danny's friends would have never believed her.

She hardly believed it herself.

But she couldn't deny that it was making her consider things which she had not before. And that, in turn, had her mulling over Clockwork's words more carefully.

When he had spoke with her, the time ghost made it clear that he believed her brother had some purpose or duty or _something_ to fulfill at Vlad's. Actually, it was more like several things to fulfill. And it was supposedly for her brother's future good….At that moment, Jazz could not fathom how her brother's being at Vlad could do her brother any good, let alone could she fathom that Danny could possibly have some 'reason' or _reasons_ for being there.

But now…After her conversation with Vlad…

She was honestly considering the possibility. In fact, she had started to guess at what her brother's 'purposes' for being at Vlad could be. But although a few of her ideas were somewhat plausible, most of them were outrageous and unbelievable.

But whatever the reasons, Clockwork had made it quite clear that Danny did not need her or his friends' help. And that had been—and still was---hard to accept. Actually, it was as bad as having to accept the fact that her brother was living with a man who has shown nothing less than being dangerous and evil.

How was she supposed to leave her brother on his own under such circumstances?

Her emotions and her sisterly instincts kept insisting to her that she could not leave her brother with that man. But she couldn't get over her strange talk with Vlad. She couldn't get over the sound of her brother's laughter. Still, she forced herself to get a grip on her overwhelming emotions and be like her old self again. It was time to _think_ through all this like she was always able to do until this happened to her brother.

Although she had acquired some interesting pieces, she knew she was still missing several more pieces of this complicated puzzle. And that was why it was so hard to come to any conclusion or decision.

But having needed to voice her thoughts, or at least, some of them, she had made the mistake of sharing with Sam and Tucker the possibility of letting her brother handle this problem with Vlad himself. She had admitted to them that she was considering Clockwork's words about waiting on the sidelines in all this----at least, for the moment. After all, Clockwork had warned her that interfering would only delay Danny's completion of whatever he needed to do. So, Jazz couldn't help but worry about that. She didn't want to cause more problems for her brother. And she definitely did not want to be the reason he could not come home as soon as possible.

Jazz had shared those logical thoughts with Sam and Tucker… only for the younger girl to verbally attack her.

Of course, Jazz had grown angry, too, which led to a quite unpleasant fight with Sam---one which, not even Tucker could break up. Jazz had not cared as much about the goth girl's insults as she had cared about the fact that Sam could not at least hear her out. After all, it wasn't like Jazz had _decided_ to do what she was telling them. She was simply considering it. And she had wanted to share it with them to hear their opinion on it. But Sam had just blown up over it.

Honestly, Jazz was still upset with the younger girl. But she knew that she would have to talk to her brother's female friend eventually; especially when they had more important things to worry about than their pride and differences.

Jazz sighed. "I don't know why I even said anything to them," she muttered. But shaking her head and deciding to wait till lunch to speak with Danny's friends, the sixteen-year-old turned from the lockers and walked off to class.

* * *

Plasmius landed invisibly at the top of a building that was tall enough to oversee the surrounding area for several yards out. He quickly rematerialized, having no need for being invisible at his current location. For a brief moment, he just calmly surveyed the area; until, finally, his red gaze locked onto one specific place just two yards away:

Casper High School.

At that moment, two well-known specters materialized, one at each side of the older half-ghost. But Vlad didn't pay the pair of ecto-puses any mind, not even when they hissed quietly with impatience.

It was only when Plasmius felt the return of his three other accompanies did he finally speak up, though his gaze did not stray from the school.

"Anything?" he asked calmly when the three vultures appeared to his left.

"Nope!" one of them answered. "Not a vhite hunter guy in sight. They're probably on a lunch break."

As if to back up what the ghost bird had said, the city hall clock struck noon some distance away.

There was a small silence, one which caused the vultures to frown in confusion at their employer.

But before they could question him, Plasmius spoke up again, his voice emotionless as he said, "Alright, then…. You five know what to do."

The ecto-puses suddenly perked up and evil grins broke across their faces before they suddenly took off into the sky towards Casper High.

"One distraction coming up! Come on, Boys!" one of the vultures exclaimed, before all three flew after the two ecto-puses.

Vlad soberly watched as his five allies soon disappear into the distance; but then crossing his arms, an empty sigh escaped his mouth.

* * *

"Tucker, will you stop looking at the clock already and hand me the buffer?" Sam said with a role of her eyes while she stirred a clear, bubbling liquid inside of beaker that was on a hotplate.

"I can't help it, Sam! I'm starving! And we still got twenty-two minutes, thirty seconds and counting before lunchtime! How could I have forgotten to pack my snacks?" He moaned, wrapping his hands around his gurgling stomach.

Sam glanced at the clock herself and saw it was more than a quarter past noon and indeed less than a half hour before lunch. But her friend's whining was hardly anything new to hear from him.

"We've been through this before, Tucker. If you keep staring at the clock, the twenty something minutes we got left in chemistry class is going to feel like forever. So, could you just help me finish this buffer reaction and _pass me the buffer_?"

Tucker looked over to his left at the different chemicals and gave them a confused look. "Uh…?"

"It's the one that says 'buffer', Tucker," Sam said dryly.

Finally noticing the labels on the different liquids and finding the one his friend meant, the boy smiled sheepishly at Sam before grabbing the other clear liquid and handing it to her.

Unable to completely hide her amusement with her friend, Sam smirked and shook her head. But she then went back to what she was doing and quickly added the necessary amount of buffer to the bubbling liquid already on the hotplate.

"Whoa," Tucker gasped out when he saw both clear chemicals combine and suddenly turn bright yellow. "Dude! How did it do that?"

Sam was about to reply, but right then, a certain dark-skinned girl walked over to their lab bench.

"Hey, Tucker…Hi… Sam," Valerie greeted them, though her voice was very hesitant when it came to the goth girl.

Sam frowned at the other girl. Although she knew that Valerie had chemistry class with her and Tucker, she was quite surprise to see the girl willingly talking to them; especially when Danny wasn't around and with everything that had happened between her and Valerie after Danny's disappearance.

"Hey, Valerie! What's up?" Tucker greeted her with a calm smile.

Sam looked between her male friend and the hunter girl, unsure of how to feel about their blossoming friendship as of late. Although Tucker hadn't said anything about it, Sam was sure that he was not just talking to Valerie outside of school, but even hanging out with her at times…

"Not much. I just wanted to know if you two were done with the buffer. There's not one at our bench and Star and I need some," Valerie explained.

Sam slid the buffer closer to the girl; and although she did not say anything, her suspicious frown was still on her face.

"Thanks," the hunter girl muttered to the goth girl, noticing her look.

But when Valerie didn't leave as Sam had expected, the goth girl raised an eyebrow, asking, "Did you need anything else?"

Valerie rolled her eyes, before saying, "Geez, Manson. Calm down. You act like I'm some evil villain or something. I just want to talk to Tucker."

Sam instantly scowled; but just when she was about to protest, Tucker quickly cut her off.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" he asked, moving slightly in between the two girls.

Tucker clearly remembered when Sam and he had gone to visit Valerie at the hospital when the huntress had overworked herself just a few weeks back. Both girls had talked and all but apologized to each other over their past heated arguments regarding Danny. Since then, Tucker had expected them to be more at ease with each other; but it seemed both girls would be forever destined to clash in one form or another so long as Valerie hated Phantom's guts…

But that didn't mean Tucker couldn't talk, or even develop a friendship with Valerie. He knew, of course, he would have to be careful when it came to topics regarding Danny, but the dark-skinned boy was really beginning to see Valerie's better qualities. In spite of her tenacity to hold grudges, Valerie really was a nice, cool, and…. pretty girl---though, the latter was something Tucker had always admired…

"Well…," Valerie said after a small pause and a quick glance at Sam who was now completely ignoring her. "My dad's finally letting up on the 'grounding' thing and I'm actually off from work tomorrow; so… I wanted to know if you wanted to hang out?"

Unbeknownst to Tucker, the hunter girl's thoughts were very similar to his. In some weird way, Danny's absence had brought her and Tucker closer in a friendship sort of way. At least, she didn't think the boy a loser or just 'one of Danny's friends' anymore. But, rather, he was his own person; and a pretty cool one at that. She really enjoyed talking to him----not that she was interested in him as a boyfriend or anything like that. Her hunting job would not allow it. But, she did want to be friends with him…

"Seriously?" Tucker asked, surprised. Aside from talking to her online and having gone to her house a few times to see how she was doing after her 'physical breakdown', they really hadn't gone out anywhere together…

"I mean, if you're busy…" Valerie began, looking slightly disappointed.

"No!" Tucker said right away, grinning at her. "That would be cool. I'll, uh, go over to your house and then we'll go wherever from there?"

Valerie smiled in relief and nodded. But then she glanced over at Sam; and with slight hesitation, she added, "Um, you're welcome to come, too, Sam. If you want, that is."

Sam paused in what she was doing and looked over at the other girl with a raised eyebrow. But then she shrugged and said, off-handedly, "Thanks. But I've already got plans."

Valerie shrugged back; but then with a wave and smile at Tucker, she walked back over to her bench again.

"Tucker, what are you doing?" Sam quickly spoke up when they were alone.

"What do you mean?" he asked with a slight frown.

"I mean, _you and Valerie_. Look, I know you like her and everything. But friendship comes first. And you seem to be forgetting that the girl you like---for reasons I cannot even understand---is the same girl that has tried to waste your best friend on a regular basis!"

"I know that, Sam!" Tucker answered with a slight glare. "And I know my friendship with Danny is more important than any girl or anything else. Why do you think I backed off from Valerie when she and Danny were going out? But, look, it's not about that. We're just friends; or we are trying to be, anyways. So, what's wrong with that? Danny's friends with her and she's _his_ enemy."

Sam frowned; but then crossed her arms and sighed. "Look, I just don't want to see you get hurt like Danny, okay? Just… be careful."

A smile returned to Tucker's lips. But just when he opened his mouth to tease his friend's growing sentimentality, the room suddenly dropped drastically in temperature just before three ghost vultures materialized in the chemistry lab. They cawed loudly; and their echoing voices instantly caused several beakers and glass objects to explode or shatter.

The result was instant panic.

"Everyone, head outside! Quickly!" Mr. Falluca exclaimed, though he could hardly be heard above the screaming and stampeding teenagers. The teacher, therefore, didn't even notice that three of his students were not following the others out.

"Tucker!" Sam exclaimed in alarm. "Those are Vlad's cronies!"

"I know, Sam… Do you think…?" But the boy trailed off, staring uncertainly at his friend.

But right then, they suddenly remembered Valerie and they quickly looked over at her, only to find her crouched on the floor beside her bench, glaring darkly at the three ghost birds flying around her.

However, at that same moment, the hunter girl finally noticed Danny's friends and she frowned at them in confusion. Why were they not running like everyone else? Heck, even Star had panicked enough to forget about her and flee for her safety----much to Valerie's fortune.

But noticing her questioning stare, Sam and Tucker looked at each other before suddenly screaming; and pretending to panic like everyone else, they ran out of the chemistry lab, hoping the hunter girl had bought their act…

Valerie watched them go. But then knowing she had a job to do, she shook off her bewilderment and returned to the matter at hand. Making sure she was the only one left in the room, she quickly activated her hunting gear and just as fast jumped on her jet-board.

"You spooks picked the wrong class to interrupt!" she shouted, before drawing out a large ghost gun from her suit and firing at the three ghosts---though she made sure to keep her aim high enough to not accidently hit something flammable in the lab.

The vultures briefly scattered in their sudden panic. But then they quickly regrouped; and without any more hesitation, they turned intangible and took off into the sky, flying as far away from Casper High as they possibly could.

And since the ghost huntress was too intent on catching her quarry, she never once questioned why the ghost vultures entangled only with her, instead of chasing after the fleeing students like most ghosts usually did…

* * *

Meanwhile, Sam and Tucker had been watching everything from the small glass window on the door. Unlike Valerie, they had noticed the vultures' odd behavior…

"That's weird," Tucker muttered, "It's as if those birds _want_ Valerie to chase them…."

"That's because _it is_ what they want. And they got it, too," Sam added angrily when she saw Valerie chase after the vultures. Sam then turned her attention to the screaming and running students around them, and suddenly said, "Come on, Tucker. We have to find Jazz. Something tells me that Vlad is after her…"

But just when they were going to take off to search for the older girl, a panicked voice jolted them out of their plans.

"Romeo and Juliet!" Mr. Lancer exclaimed. "Ms. Manson! Mr. Foley! Don't just stand there! Get to safety!"

And before they could protest, their vice-principle urged them forward towards Casper High's exit.

* * *

Unfortunately, Danny's friends were right. Though, at the moment, Jazz remained oblivious to the fact that she really was Vlad's target. But she _was_ aware that she was the target of _two unfamiliar ghosts_; since she was currently fleeing from them. She had never seen these ghostly octopuses before; so Jazz had no way of knowing that they weren't acting alone...

The girl gasped when the two ecto-puses managed to corner her in a hallway by cutting off both sides of her escape route. And seeing them coming closer, she quickly took off her backpack and began to search frantically for the Fenton Ghost Peeler. She just knew it was in her backpack! She never left home without it since she had found out about Danny!

But just as she managed to pull it out, a tentacle wrapped around one of her wrists. But she quickly used her other hand to smack the ecto-pus in the face with the Ghost Peeler.

The ghost instantly retracted with a hiss of pain. And the girl quickly used the opportunity to dart around the ghost and take off down the hall again.

The second ecto-pus growled in anger before he quickly gave chase. But his partner just as quickly vanished from sight…

Jazz grunted, now fearfully aware that she should not be exerting her body like this. Her illness still kept her blood cells at a low count; therefore, her system couldn't get enough oxygen at the rate that her pounding heart was demanding of it right now. And that was also the reason why she was struggling to slip the ghost device on her hand and activate Her vision was spinning; so she couldn't see straight. Nevertheless, she forced herself to keep moving.

But as she looked back and saw one of the ecto-puses quickly closing in, she realized the other was missing.

"Where is it?" she panted worriedly as she finally managed to slip on the Ghost Peeler. But just when she was about to use it, her question was answered right away.

Jazz's eyes widened when the second ecto-pus was suddenly right in front of her, forcing her to halt in her tracks. She quickly took aim with the peeler and was about to press the handle to finally activate it when she felt cold tentacles from behind her wrap around both her wrists.

She gasped as the ghost animal then wrenched her hands behind her back, its grip strong enough to make her wince and release the device in her hand onto the floor and to her side.

"Let me go!" she demanded, struggling against her captor while she glared at the second ghost in front of her.

But the ecto-pus in her sight just grinned evilly at her demand before it suddenly moved closer and wrapped its own tentacles around her waist.

Jazz screamed as she was suddenly lifted into the air by both ghosts. But all that did was cause the ecto-puses to tighten their holds. And with low hisses of triumph, they turned themselves and their captive intangible and phased straight through the school's roof.

* * *

Just outside, Sam and Tucker were looking around frantically for Danny's sister.

"Tucker, I don't see her anywhere!" Sam exclaimed with worry.

But, right then, a familiar scream caught their attention.

"Sam, look!" Tucker exclaimed, pointing just above the school's rooftop at Jazz's struggling against the two ecto-puses.

Sam gasped; but then she quickly grabbed Tucker's wrist, and said with determination, "Come on!"

But the two teens intentions of going after Jazz and her capturers was cut short by a large hand taking a hold of one of their shoulders.

"And where do you two think you're going?" Mr. Lancer asked in a stern voice.

"Mr. Lancer!" the two exclaimed.

But then Sam quickly added, "Didn't you see? Jazz is in trouble! We have to help her!"

"There's nothing you two can possible do," he replied.

"But, Mr. Lancer---," Tucker began to protest.

"No, 'buts', Mr. Foley," the teacher interrupted him with a frown. "I will not risk the safety of two more of my students. I have already alerted the Guys-in-White of the ghost attack. They will see to Ms. Fenton as well. So, unless you want to be _suspended_, I suggest you two return to your current teacher so we can take role."

Sam glanced back over to where she last saw Jazz, only to find she and the ecto-puses were now nowhere in sight.

"Don't test my patience, Ms. Manson," Mr. Lancer warned when he could tell that she was already considering disobeying him.

The girl scowled before turning on her heels and stomping off towards where her chemistry class was gathered.

Tucker sighed before quickly following after her. But when he made it to her side, he noticed she had pulled out her phone and was dialing a number.

"Who are you calling?" Tucker asked curiously.

"Tucker, we can't help Jazz. Even if we could blow off Mr. Lancer, we now have no idea where Vlad's cronies took her. And with Valerie biting that creep's bait to lure her away and those Idiots'-in-White probably being on a lunch break, who else is left to save Jazz?"

"Mr. and Mrs. F," the boy answered with a hopeful smile.

"Exactly," Sam replied.

But what the two friends did not realize was that Vlad had already thought and planned for his two college friends…

* * *

Afraid of being dropped from this height, Jazz squeezed her eyes shut and stopped her struggling. Unlike her past flight with her brother, this one was anything but pleasant. And as time seem to slow down, she began to feel queasy.

But just when she was sure she was about to be physically ill, the ecto-puses began to descend. Jazz snapped her eyes open and only managed a gasp just before she was roughly dropped on the very top of a large building.

Jazz groaned as she got to her feet; and as she rubbed her sore bottom, she looked up and noticed the two ecto-puses fly off again, but this time, in the opposite direction of her school...

Confused, she walked over to one of the building's ledges and looked down, trying to get her bearings. But it was when she glanced at the buildings around her and caught sight of her school several hundred yards away, did she finally realized what was happening.

Jazz's eyes darkened with hate as she turned around; and angrily crossing her arms, she demanded, "Come out, Vlad. I know you're here."

The older hybrid's laughter instantly echoed around her in response. She swallowed hard, feeling uneasiness spread through her body at the sound; especially when she couldn't see the evil man anywhere in sight.

"Jasmine… How good to see you have inherited your mother's intelligence."

Jazz gasped in alarm and whirled around to face the voice that had just spoken from behind her. And finally seeing the smug Plasmius standing at the ledge of the building with his arms behind his back, she unconsciously took a few steps back.

"You do realize my parents are going to be looking for me, right?" Jazz snapped, hiding under a glare the fact that she was very fearful of being alone with the sadistic man.

"My helpers will distract them long enough for us to have a nice little chat," Vlad said dismissingly with a calm smile before floating a bit closer to the girl.

Jazz tensed while she silently tried to decide if she should scream for help, try to escape, or just see what Vlad wanted. But seeing that the first two options were probably not going to get her anywhere, she was forced to stick to the last option.

"Our conversation on the phone was quite unpleasant," Vlad spoke up again, mock sadness in his expression. But then, a dashing smile curved his lips as he added, "So, I decided to come make amends with you, dear girl."

Jazz's eyes quickly lit up with understanding and she said, "You mean you came to make sure I don't tell my parents who you are…"

But Vlad just huffed in mild amusement. He then, however, let his pink energy suddenly coat his left black-gloved hand, which he causally began to inspect before answering with disregard, "I told you before, Jasmine, your threats are of no importance to me. I know they are merely bluffs."

Jazz didn't reply right away, her gaze locked on the energy burning in the man's hand. But realizing he was just trying to intimidate her without deliberately doing so, she forced herself to get a grip and her glare quickly returned.

"Don't be so sure, Vlad. You have no idea how close I've come to telling them _everything_."

Plasmius looked back at her before extinguishing his energy and lowering his hand. "Hmm. And yet something keeps holding you back," he said with a smirk.

Knowing he was right, Jazz could only stare angrily back at the older hybrid. But the fact suddenly brought an even important thought to her mind; and her gaze just as quickly saddened as she softly asked, "How's Danny?"

An unknown emotion suddenly transformed Vlad's look entirely. But as quickly as it had come, it vanished and his eyes were as cold as ever.

Even so, Jazz had noticed the brief change…

"I already told you. Daniel is just fine," he replied with an off-handed shrug. But then, the man suddenly chuckled smugly, adding, "He's even learned quite a lot from me..."

Jazz quickly scowled with that comment. "Oh, yeah? Like what? To be a sleaze ball?"

"Now, Jasmine, you are not insulting your _little brother_, are you?" Vlad mocked with a wicked smile.

"No, I'm insulting _you_!" she exclaimed angrily.

"Ah," Plasmius replied, his smile calming. "Well, then, if that's the case, I will have to remind you that we are all alone on top of a very high building with no one to rescue you. So, I'd be careful if I were you, dear girl."

But Jazz just scoffed uncaringly. "You don't scare me, Vlad. And you're not going to hurt me. You already tore my mom's heart in half by taking Danny away from her. I doubt you could destroy what remains of it by wasting me," she said coldly, knowing her words would strike the man close to home.

Vlad instantly glared at her, before snapping, "Accidents happen. So, don't feel so sure."

"Does Danny know you're here?" Jazz abruptly asked, catching the man off guard---as she had planned.

Vlad was taken aback by her question. So much, in fact, that he couldn't think of what to say.

Jazz couldn't keep a smug smile from curling her lips. "He doesn't, huh?"

But when she saw Plasmius' eyes narrow at her, she suddenly turned from him and walked over to a nearby metal box that was part of the building and sat down. She was very tired from all her running. But right now, her focus was on something more important. And although she was still having a hard time believing it, she was now seriously considering it.

"But what I would really like to know is why my question makes you so nervous, Vlad?" she asked with a raised eyebrow while calmly folding her hands on her lap.

The man just stared at her for another moment; but then his lips slowly curved back into an amused smile. "Jasmine… Do you really think you can outsmart me?"

"I've done it before, remember?" Jazz retorted with a clever smirk as she recalled the time she had tricked him into believing she had ran away from home and wanted to live with him. Of course, the whole time she had just wanted to uncover his secret weapon…

"Things are not always what they seem, girl…," Vlad replied darkly, thinking about the nanobots circling in her body, which had been injected that very same day she so foolishly believed to have tricked him. If she only knew the irony of her words…

But not liking how his tone of voice had sent a shiver down her spine, she quickly narrowed her eyes again and hotly said, "Look, quit with the runarounds. Why are you here, Vlad?"

Plasmius smirked. "You mean aside from wanting to see for myself how things in Amity Park were faring without Danny Phantom? I wanted to assure myself that you and Daniel's little friends were not thinking of doing anything foolish, like, for example, running your mouths and revealing to someone Daniel's current whereabouts. As I said, I doubt that you will. But I did want to come and personally make sure of it."

Jazz frowned suspiciously. She didn't truly believe that _that_ was the man's _only_ reason for coming to Amity Park; especially when he seemed so sure that she wouldn't tell her parents the truth. Still, she played along, knowing the man would reveal his true reason sooner or later.

"Oh. So, you mean, like, my convincing my parents to, I don't know, pay their old 'college friend' a visit; and have them _accidently_ find Danny at their college friend's castle?" she retorted boldly.

"Do not _force_ me to 'draw straws' with your brother, Jasmine," Vlad warned, seriously. "I can assure you that if you so much as hint at Daniel's being with me to your parents, I will personally make sure that your brother gets the short end of the stick in the mess that would follow _your_ stupidity."

But to the man's sudden unease, the girl smiled calmly back at him. "Wow… Vlad Masters resorting to empty threats? That's a first. If I didn't know how cunning you are, I'd start to believe that you've run out of schemes. But you haven't, have you? There is plenty more you could do than just make empty threats..."

"Empty threats? Is that what you believe?" Vlad asked coolly, crossing his arms. "Even if that were true, Jasmine, you said it yourself. There is plenty I could do to _force_ you and Daniel's annoying friends to hold your tongues."

"And yet, something holds you back," Jazz retorted without hesitation.

"Not for long if you continue to try me," Vlad replied, darkly.

Jazz shook her head, clearly not believing the man's words. "Give it up, Vlad. You are not going to do anything against me or anyone close to Danny, let alone against Danny himself. You wouldn't hurt him now any more than you would purposely hurt my mom."

"And what makes you so sure, Jasmine?" he asked coldly.

Jazz chuckled smugly, before answering in the same tone of voice, "Because you've gotten _soft_. I'm honestly still having a hard time believing it. But I heard it in your voice when we talked two days ago and I can _see_ it in your eyes now….Vlad Masters, my brother has _changed_ you," she assured him with a triumphant grin.

Vlad's eyes quickly narrowed and his energy began to sip into his hands as he darkly asked, "Are you sure?"

But in spite the now direct threat, the girl's smile didn't falter and she calmly answered, "Completely."

Vlad regarded her with an angry look for a moment longer; but then, the expression slowly eased from his face and was replaced with a sudden evil smile.

This time, Jazz tensed when the older hybrid moved closer to her, and leaned down to whisper in her ear, "You fail to realize one thing, Jasmine…Just because I've grown fond of Daniel doesn't mean I hold the same liking towards you…"

Fear flashed in the girl's eyes with the fact; but before she could do or say anything, Vlad abruptly pulled away and walked over to the ledge.

There was a silence as Plasmius seemingly surveyed their surroundings. But then, he turned back to her and with a smirk spoke up again. "No need to look so fearful, though. I have no quarrel with you _or_ Daniel's friends so long as you and they don't cause me or your brother any troubles. _That's_ why I have yet to resort to more persuasive methods. You see, I have faith that I can willingly make you see things my way, dear girl…"

Jazz looked uncertainly at the man, but then nodded and muttered, "Go on."

Vlad was honestly surprised with how quick the girl was willing to listen; but he hid it within his calm smirk.

"Well, I am aware that Daniel's absence is taking a toll on this pathetic town---not that I care. But… perhaps you do. I could, perhaps… _alleviate_ the ghost threats in return for your silence."

Jazz frowned suspiciously. "How?"

Plasmius chuckled. "How? Jasmine, please, I am one of the most powerful ghosts in existence. You cannot begin to imagine the influence I have over the Ghost Zone's inhabitants. With hardly any effort, I could claim this place as part of my territory and no ghost would dare set foot in it again…And just as easily, I could have Amity Park in ruins in a matter of days," he added darkly.

Jazz quickly glared; but before she could say anything the man continued in a lighter tone again.

"But that's not such an interesting bargain for you, is it? After all, the silly heroics are not as much of a trait in you as they are in Daniel. So, I suppose Amity Park's safety is not that important to you…" he commented off-handedly, though he almost couldn't hold back a grin when the girl bit into his baited words.

"Of course it's important to me!" Jazz quickly snapped. "But so is my family's safety; so is _Danny's_ safety! And I honestly don't believe he's all that safe when he's anywhere near you!"

"But he is," Vlad replied, his tone slightly changing. "He's safer now than he has been in all his time as a half-ghost. And you know why that is, Jasmine? …Because he's finally where he belongs. He's with me---the only other half-ghost. The only person who could possibly, _truly_, understand him."

"His family and friends understand him just fine!" Jazz said angrily.

"Really? Is that why he had to constantly sneak out and lie to Maddie and Jack?" Vlad retorted sarcastically. "Is that why he would fall asleep at school and was all but failing it? If you all understand him so well, then why does he have so many fears festering inside him?"

Jazz's eyebrows creased as the man's words quickly filled her with a mixture of emotions, but mostly, worry.

"The truth is, Jasmine, that although you all and this pathetic town might need Daniel, _he_ does _not_ need you or anyone else here. _He needs me. _He _is_ safe with me; because unlike you or Daniel's friends, I can actually protect him. So, then, why all the effort to bring him back to this wretched place? If you are so protective of him, then why don't you let him be where he is best off? Or do you enjoy watching him struggle with his secret and school? Do you _like_ seeing your young brother come back from his daily battles with scrapes and bruises, Jasmine? Tell me, if he were to return to his life here, how long will it be until one day he _doesn't_ return from one of his battles?" Vlad asked, an intense seriousness in his voice.

Jazz just stared at the man with wide eyes, clearly herself having thought about all those things before.

"Have I convinced you yet, Jasmine?" Vlad asked, his calm smirk returning to his face. "Or should I add the fact that your brother is quite content with me? Why don't you prove yourself to be a caring sister and just respect his wishes, hmm?"

Jazz just looked away, sadness replacing all her other emotions, especially when at that moment, like a recording, Clockwork's words replayed themselves in her mind. And, somehow, they now made more sense than ever before…

"_The three of you, Jasmine, have stood by his side every step of the way; even when you didn't initially know of his powers, you have aided him. But there comes a time in everyone's life when they must stand alone. Your brother's time has come. He does not need my help. And he does not need yours or theirs. This battle, he must fight alone..."_

"_He is there for more than one purpose. And your presence will only delay his completion of them. I understand how this must sound to you, but I know what lies in his path ahead. And I will assure you that if he does not succeed now, he stands no chance of success for what's to come…."_

"_For now, I leave you with the knowledge that everything Danny needs right now is at his reach. I recommend that you stay on the sidelines for this one….But then again, the choice is yours…"_

Jazz looked up at Vlad, her eyes filling with tears as she softly said, "If you promise me that you will take care of him, that you're not hurting him, and that he's _happy_, I won't say anything. I'll let him stay with you, even if it means I won't see him again...But you give me your word, Vlad Masters. You look at me in the eye and tell me that this isn't some trick. You tell me my brother is safe and happy with you."

Vlad's gaze softened, more than he was aware of. "I already gave you my word that I won't let any harm come to him. As for my intentions…I just want to help your brother, Jasmine," he answered truthfully.

"Promise me he's happy," Jazz pleaded when the man failed to mention anything about that.

For some reason, the man couldn't bring himself to lie to the girl about that. And, so, instead, he quietly uttered what he truly believed, "No one is ever truly happy, Jasmine…"

But since, in the end, it was not what she wanted to hear, Jazz finally couldn't take it anymore and she buried her face into her hands and wept. She was just so torn and confused. She didn't know what to do!

But the sound of the distraught girl suddenly awoke an all-too-familiar feeling of guilt within Vlad. And with a sigh, he turned from the girl and looked sadly at his surroundings, a depressing silence falling over both of them.

But finding his voice again, the older hybrid spoke up again, his gaze now focused on something that wasn't there as he quietly said, "If it makes you feel better, I can assure you that he smiles everyday… He laughs everyday…It's contagious, sometimes," he added, smiling to himself as his mind turned its thoughts and complete focus to the younger hybrid back at his castle.

"Daniel is _so full_ of life and energy," Vlad continued, amusement and now also tenderness coating his every word. "Every day is practically an adventure with him around. I honestly have trouble bringing him down from the clouds---and I do mean that both metaphorically and literally," he said with a chuckle. "Your brother just loves flying---a little too much, in my opinion. It's quite…"

The man suddenly halted in mid-thought, his eyes widening when he finally realized what he was doing. What the blazes was wrong with him? There was no way he had just said everything he just did, had he?

Vlad turned around to face Jasmine, and judging by the girl's disbelieving stare, he knew that he had indeed just said all of that. She wasn't even crying anymore.

The man mentally growled at his slip; but instead, he glanced down at his ghost suit and pulled out a handkerchief from seemingly nowhere and causally offered it to the girl.

Jasmine accepted it; but she was just as shock as ever. She couldn't believe Vlad Masters had just said such things and in _that_ tone of voice! She had never heard it from the man before… not even towards her mom! Once more, she heard the echoes of her conversation with Clockwork...

"_You must not really know Vlad Masters…"_

"_The first half-ghost to exist? The man whose past is as obscured and dark as is his present and future? Your brother's…enemy? I know who he is, child…" _

Yes, Clockwork would know who Vlad was… But Jasmine wondered: Did _she_ know who he really was? Did anyone?

Vlad felt very uncomfortable with the way Jasmine was now staring at him. But refusing to show it, he quickly decided to turn to his other reason for coming to Amity Park.

"You know, Daniel has told me some very interesting things in our time together..."

But Jazz just continued to watch the man, still clearly trying to figure him out.

The older hybrid ignored it, however, and calmly continued with his train of thought, "A couple of our conversations have consisted of his fights as Danny Phantom. And although most of them are not news to me, there was one in particular that caught my interest. …One that _really_ affected him…?" Vlad asked with a raised eyebrow, though he hardly made it sound like a question. In reality, he and Danny had not talked that often about the boy's fights as he was leading Jazz to believe. And the boy had definitely not mentioned this 'supposed fight' that had 'really affected' him. Vlad's words were just his suspicions as to why Daniel was so fearful of himself; suspicions which he was about to prove right or wrong… And by Jasmine's reaction to his words, Vlad knew his suspicions were right.

Jazz's eyes widened with disbelief, and all other thoughts were suddenly not as important as what the man had just said to her. After all, she knew exactly what he was talking about. But she couldn't believe it!

"He told you…about… _that_?" she asked, more shocked than ever.

"Yes," Vlad lied causally, while inside he was smirking with triumph.

But Jazz suddenly shook her head, before glaring suspiciously at the man. "You're lying. Danny couldn't have told you about _that_ fight."

Vlad chuckled calmly. "Dear girl, I'm not the only one who has grown a new appreciation and fondness in these past three months… He has told me more then you could imagine…," he assured her, though he barely resisted the urge to brag about how the boy had told him things he had not even told his loved ones yet. But that was something between him and Daniel. Furthermore, he didn't want to give Jasmine more information than she already knew thanks to his foolish slip-up. Vlad still couldn't believe he had let his emotions run out of control like that…

But Jazz was still not buying it. "No, Vlad. He _couldn't_ have told you about _that_."

Vlad didn't answer and just calmly stared back at the frowning girl. However, inside, the billionaire was getting annoyed with the girl's usage of 'that'. This was one of the reasons he had come. He wanted to know what 'that' was! Why didn't she just say it, already? She made it sound like it was taboo to speak of it. Was this 'that' truly _that_ serious? …Of course, it was. It had left the poor boy traumatized, after all…

"How else would I know about it now if he had not told me about… _that_?" Plasmius finally retorted.

Jazz quickly spoke up. "I don't know how you know; but I'm sure he didn't tell you! You know why? Because, after it happened, he never talked about it to anyone, _not even his friends_! You think I didn't notice how badly that fight and everything else that happened that day affected Danny? He had really bad nightmares for at least a month after that! It was why I tried for the longest time to get him to talk to me about it! But every time I or his friends would ask him to tell us the whole story, he would just look away and shrug and tell us it didn't matter anymore; that it was over. But I know it has always mattered to Danny; it has never been 'over' for him. What happened wasn't his fault; but I know he thinks it is. I know he's still afraid of turning evil, of turning into _him_."

Vlad frowned; but he didn't dare interrupt the girl, hoping she would reveal who this 'him' was…

Jazz shook her head. "I can believe he has talked you about anything _but_ that, Vlad. If he never talked about it to me or his friends, there is no way he has talked about it with you!"

But the man was hardly paying mind to her anymore and instead was thoughtfully rubbing at his goatee. "Ah… So, it was a fight after all," he muttered to himself. But remembering the girl still in front of him, he quickly focused back on her. He was suddenly not interested in runarounds. He wanted direct answers. He tossed his antics aside and seriously asked, "Who was he fighting that day? Who is this 'him' of which you speak, Jasmine?"

"I thought he told you, Vlad," Jazz retorted with a heavy frown.

"More or less," Vlad answered with as smirk. "But I'll admit, I don't know who he fought that day. But… you're now going to tell me," he assured her with a slight threat in his voice.

But Jazz just crossed her arms and coolly replied, "No, I'm not. I might be willing to wait on the sidelines and watch how this all plays out _for now_, but I'm not doing it for you. I'm doing it for my brother. I want him to finish what he's started. So, don't think for a minute that I trust you anymore than I ever have. I'm not going to tell you who Danny fought. If you're so sure that my brother will talk to you about anything, then ask _him_."

Vlad frowned, though he didn't know for which reason. He didn't like the girl's comment about 'Daniel finishing what he started'. What was that supposed to mean? And he surely wasn't very happy about not getting the answer he wanted.

"You make it sound as if I could possibly use this information against him… Have I not made it clear that I no longer have any ill intent towards Daniel?" Plasmius questioned with an impassive raise of an eyebrow.

But Jazz just crossed her arms and smirked. "If you want to know so badly, then, _work_ for it, Vlad Masters. Instead of sneaking around here, maybe you should go back to Wisconsin and find a way to get Danny to trust you and tell you himself…"

An amused smile erupted on the older hybrid's face at the comment. If she only knew that Daniel _did_ trust him…. And yet… Daniel still wouldn't talk to him about his fears. But, then, he clearly did not talk about them to his friends and sister, either---and, obviously, he blindly trusted them. So, maybe, getting the boy to open up was not only about trust; but required something more…

Jazz frowned in confusion at the man's look. But before she could question it, he suddenly tensed, and just as quickly whirled around in time to face one of the ecto-puses, which had just materialized in front of the man.

The ghost animal hissed at the older hybrid.

But as if the ecto-pus had actually talked, Vlad sighed in annoyance and told it, "I thought I told you two not to get caught."

The ecto-pus hissed again; but the man just waved a hand of disregard at it and turned to face Jasmine again.

"Well, it seems we've run out of time," he told her with fake sadness.

"Wait. What?" Jazz asked, glancing between the ecto-pus and Vlad apprehensively.

But Vlad just smirked, and said, "Thank you for your cooperation, Jasmine. Keep in mind what we've talked about, hmm? Be a good sister and I'll stay true to my word…Ta!"

Jazz's eyes widened. "Wait, you can't leave yet!"

But Vlad ignored her; and with a whirl of his cape, he and the ecto-pus were gone.

"Vlad!" she exclaimed into the empty air. But then she sighed, knowing he was gone.

Remembering where she was, Jazz walked closer to one of the high building's ledges and quickly scowled. "Great. How am I supposed to get down from here?"

But as if to answer her question, a large white chopper suddenly appeared to her right, it's proximity almost blowing her away.

"Jasmine Fenton!" A Guy-in-White suddenly called to her with an amplifier near his mouth. "You have just been the victim of a ghost attack! Remain where you are; we are here to rescue you!"

Jazz rolled her eyes at that before dryly muttering, "My heroes."

The girl, however, did not know that just a block away, her parents were on their way to aid her as well. They would have gotten there sooner; but, unfortunately, they had been attacked by two green glowing octopuses. And so, that had delayed them. But, luckily, they had trapped one in a Fenton Thermos, and planned to take it back home to run experiments on…

"I hope Jazz is safe," Maddie said worriedly as they got closer to their intended location. She was glad that Danny's friends had called her; otherwise, she would have had no idea of her daughter's predicament; especially when they had been attending to another ghost attack clear across town.

"Don't worry, Mads! We're almost there! And you just wait! When I find the spook responsible for taking her, I'll rip it apart molecule by molecule!" Jack exclaimed vigorously.

But before his wife could agree with him, the second ecto-pus that had escaped capture suddenly slammed into the Assault Vehicle's windshield, instantly blinding Jack's view of where he was going.

The couple screamed in alarm as their car swirled out of control. But all too use to such things, Jack managed to bring the vehicle to a sudden stop, though not before crashing into a large public mailbox.

The ecto-pus almost seemed to laugh as it pulled away from the window and vanished into thin air. But knowing the ghost was probably still around, Jack and Maddie quickly jumped out of the Assault Vehicle.

And while Jack quickly pointed in front of him the Fenton Thermos he had brought with him at the ghost, Maddie charged the Fenton Bazooka.

However, at that very moment, a figure Jack and Maddie had not seen in a while suddenly materialized a few feet in front of them.

"YOU!" Jack exclaimed in a mixture of alarm and hate.

Plasmius just stared at his college friends with an indifferent look in his eye. But then, he calmly told Jack, "You have something that belongs to me…"

And before Jack could understand what he meant, Vlad extended a hand and a red hue suddenly encased the Fenton Thermos. The orange-clad hunter gasped as the device literally flew out of his hands and levitated over to the Wisconsin Ghost's extended one.

"Maddie!" Jack exclaimed.

And his voice instantly triggered the woman to act and with burning anger quickly filling her, she fired a blast at Plasmius.

But Vlad simply teleported out of the way of the attack and then quickly pressed the release button on the thermos, freeing the ecto-pus that was within it.

Jack growled. But Maddie quickly charged the ghost device in her hand again, demanding, "I want answers, ghost scum! Or I'll blow you to pieces right now."

Plasmius just raised an eyebrow, knowing full well that the device in the woman's hand simply made temporary ghost portals and forced a ghost within it. Still, the older hybrid also knew that his college friends always had more devices up their sleeves—literally.

And as if to prove him right, Jack suddenly pulled out a ghost weapon seemingly from thin air and aimed it at him.

"Jack Fenton… If you only knew how lucky you truly are," Vlad commented with a heavy frown, thinking of his promise to the young hybrid. He could so easily finish his enemy off; and although he still had the desire to do so, it was hardly there. Quite honestly, what he mostly felt for Jack as he stared at him right now was… indifference.

Too bad he couldn't say the same thing about Maddie…

"You know where Phantom is!" woman yelled, more in accusation than inquisition. "I demand you tell me where he is! Or are you just as equally involved in my son's disappearance?!"

But the thought only made Maddie's anger grow and she quickly pulled out another device and fired it at Plasmius.

This time, the older hybrid did not have time to dodge it; and was barely able to form a shield to protect himself.

"Tell me where he is! Where's my son?!" Maddie suddenly screamed as she fired attack after attack at Plasmius.

Vlad frowned as the force of the attacks forced him to take a step back. The woman was asking him for answers; and yet she wasn't even given him a chance to answer.

Maddie was clearly very angry… and desperate.

"Enough!" Vlad suddenly demanded before pushing his shield forward and pushing both hunters to the ground.

Maddie and Jack gasped; but quickly stumbled back to their feet.

"Don't worry so much," Plasmius muttered soberly to Maddie as she pointed her weapon back at him. "You're son is safe."

Maddie's eyes widened with a mixture of emotions, her weapon lowering as a result.

"You have our son?!" Jack exclaimed in rage, quickly charging his weapon.

But Vlad didn't reply; and instead, abruptly, disappeared.

"NO!" Maddie screamed, running towards where Plasmius had once been. "Come back! Please!"

But knowing the ghost was gone, the woman dropped to her knees and sobbed in sudden despair. Jack, on the other hand, lowered his gun and just stared soberly at the place where the Wisconsin Ghost had once been…

The couple didn't even see the three ghost vultures in the sky fly past them, heading towards the outskirts of Amity Park…

* * *

**By the way, check out my DA under favorites, if you haven't yet. I have some new fanart for Checkmate from Fantasy and DancingPhantom. And also for Dawning of the Sun, by Baggeralareinedumond and EDante! They are all wonderful! And they know how much I am grateful for each one and love each one! Now, EDante's are the most recent and if you guys are reading 'DoaS' and are into Desiree-x-Vlad pairing and cute six-year-old Danny, then you gotta check them out! I'm still fawning over them! Muchas gracias, amiga!**

**And thank you all for your support! Until next time, my dear readers!**


	63. Chapter 62: Rash Emotions

**Hello! Time for CM again! And I am quite happy about finally getting to post this particular chapter. It's one of my favorite. Let's just say it stirred up **_**my**_** emotions---and I'm the writer! Heh! Oh, and on another happy note, I'm on spring break! YAY!!! So, hopefully I'll update quicker than I have been lately! Sadly, I am pretty busy this weekend, so I'm gonna have to post this chapter without replies to reviews again! Sorry! But I'll try my best to answer them for this new one! **

**Lastly, this chapter is dedicated to dizappearingirl. And she will know why about one-fourth of the way into reading this chapter. As for the rest of you guys, I'll tell ya at the end!**

**Okay! Enjoy, my dear readers! And thanks for your support! And also a special thank you to my beta, Truephan. I don't know what I'd do without you! *winks***

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. But OCs are my own.**

* * *

**Chapter 63: Rash Emotions**

* * *

Back in Wisconsin, Danny's day had progressed at its usual pace. He had had his tutoring session with Ms. Thomas, which he was quite content about. After all, he couldn't remember the last time he had gotten A's on his exams at school. It sure was a nice accomplishment for a change…

From there, he had gone up to the Astronomical room and had finished up mapping some pictures he had taken of some star clusters a while back. He had eaten lunch up and did not finish until about three. It worked out, since he usually went to the simulation room around three or four. However, the teen didn't feel like practicing his powers today. So, instead, he skipped it all together and went to look around for some company.

He had ended up in the kitchen with George, who had been busy preparing a snack for him. And that led to Danny's helping him out and even learning a new food recipe. However, it had been in the ghost chef's presence that the boy had finally voiced what he had been wondering all day:

Where had Vlad gone to?

Unfortunately, George was oblivious of the answer. In fact, Vlad had not even mentioned anything to him about leaving all day. Danny did remember the billionaire coming to his room and telling _him_ that he needed to go somewhere. But it wasn't until the young hybrid had fully awakened a few hours later that he realized Vlad had never mentioned to where _exactly_ he was going for so long.

Eventually, Danny tossed the question aside, figuring the man was having one of those days where he visited all his companies in Wisconsin on the same day. Danny still did not see how the older hybrid did it. The one time he had gone with Vlad on such a long trip had been one of the most boring days of his life. At least, this time, the man had not asked him to come along.

After his time with George, Danny left to watch TV for about an hour or two at one of the castle's living rooms. It wasn't something he often did around here; but it did keep him occupied. Eventually, however, he had lost interest, especially when he suddenly had an idea on how to spend the rest of his evening…

"Come on, Niane!" Danny urged the young maid with a grin while floating in front of her in ghost form. "I really want to show you this place. Vlad showed it to me a couple days back. It was pretty cool; so, I know you're gonna like it!"

"I'm sorry, Master Danny," Niane said with an apologetic look and a shake of her head. "But I have work to get done."

"Well, can't you do it when we get back?" the teen slightly pleaded. "The sun's still out now. But if we wait for too much longer, it's gonna be gone and then we're not gonna be able to barely see anything anymore."

"I would love to, Master Danny. I really would; but my duties must come first," the ghost girl replied with a sigh. "Perhaps you should go on without me. You could always just show me at another time?"

Danny sighed himself before turning human and shaking his head. "No, it fine. Whatever. We can go another day…"

"I am very sorry," Niane told him, feeling bad that she had just ruined his fun.

The teen smiled at her. "Don't apologize. It's not that big a deal." But then remembering something else and deciding to ask for the heck of it, the boy raised an eyebrow at Niane and questioned, "Hey, you don't know where Vlad went, do you? All he told me was that he wouldn't be getting back until late at night…"

Niane glanced down at the glowing duster in her hands, before shaking her head. "I couldn't say where Master Plasmius has gone, Master Danny. I did not even see him this morning…"

"Yeah, no one did," Danny muttered, before asking, "Does he always disappear like this?"

"Well, he is half-ghost," Niane quipped with a smirk.

Danny laughed at that. "Oh, so, you're funny, too?" he teased back.

"I have my moments," she replied, smugly.

Danny grinned; but then seeing the duster in her hands, he quickly took it from her, saying, "I'm gonna help you clean."

"Heavens, no!" Niane suddenly exclaimed in alarm and the duster just as quickly vanished out of the boy's hands and back into hers with a puff of red smoke. "I couldn't possibly make you do my work!"

Danny stared at his empty hands, genuinely stunned by the strange vanishing act the girl had just performed with the duster. She had not even touched it to make it do that! But finally taking in her words, he looked at her with a frown and answered, "You're not making me do anything, Niane. I'm offering."

But the ghost shook her head. "No, Master Danny. If Master Plasmius---"

"Could you stop with the 'Master' stuff?" Danny suddenly asked with a roll of his eyes. "I'm not anyone's 'Master'. And you don't need to call Vlad '_Master_ Plasmius' in front of me, either. Seriously, Niane, it's really creepy."

"But I was told to---," she began in an unsure voice, only to be cut off again.

"Yeah, well, you don't need to. I think I've been around long enough for you to realize that I have never really liked that title. Look, just call me 'Danny', alright?" he said with a small encouraging smile.

But Niane just stared back nervously.

Danny shook his head with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. "Come on, Niane. You really need to relax. Look, if Vlad questions you about it, just tell him I told you to call me 'Danny', okay? I doubt he'll say anything, then."

The girl looked down uncomfortably at her hands for another moment; but then she nodded and smiled back at the boy. "If you insist…_Danny_. However, I refuse to call my employer anything but 'Master Plasmius.'"

"Just around me?" Danny insisted with a small pleading look; though, in reality, he was just trying to get her to bite.

Niane frowned. "What do you want me to call him?"

Danny smirked. "How about _Cheese head? _That's always promising. But if you want to be original, you can go for something new, like… _Vladdycakes_," the teen said, thinking of the man's usage of pastries when he cursed.

Niane's eyes widened in disbelief. "I-I can't call him such things!"

"Why not? He's not here," Danny said innocently, before grinning again and suggesting, "But, okay. Then, how about you call him, _Fruit loop?_ Just make sure _that_ _one_ stays between us…," the teen finished in an evil whisper.

Niane just stared back, appalled. In fact, one would think Danny had just insulted _her_.

But that only added to Danny's mirth and he finally laughed. "I'm just messing with you, Niane! Look, just call him _Vlad_, alright? I mean, that is his name; so it can't be that big a deal."

"I suppose… If you really want…," she muttered warily, though she knew there was no harm in calling her employer by his first name if it was just around the young hybrid…

Danny smiled in triumph. But then, he grabbed the duster from her hands again. But seeing her sudden alarm return, he quickly hid the cleaning tool behind his back and took a step away from her. "You're not going to change my mind, Niane. I _want_ to help you. So, let's just both save time and just tell me what you have to do."

Niane sighed before reluctantly pointing at the object hidden in the boy's hands and answering, "I need to dust---"

"Really? That's all? Well, that's not so bad," Danny said with a smile. And here he had thought she had to do _more_ than simply dust.

But the ghost maid raised an eyebrow at the teen and finished her words, "---the whole house, Danny."

"Oh," the young hybrid replied, his smile instantly vanishing. "Wow… and I thought my chores were bad," he mumbled to himself. But then he suddenly shrugged; and quickly changing into Phantom again, he said, "In that case, I'll do the top floor."

"Wait!" Niane quickly exclaimed when the teen had been about to fly off.

Danny looked back at her with a questioning hitch of his eyebrow.

Niane stared worriedly for a moment before saying, "M---Danny… I'm sure dinner is ready by now. Why don't you go eat, instead? I assure you, I can take care of my duties just fine on my own."

"Naw, I'll eat later," Danny quickly and dismissingly replied. And before Niane could say anymore, he phased through the ceiling and ended up in one of the top hallways.

He looked around for a moment, trying to decide where to start. Though the mansion had two main floors, it also had upper and lower rooms, and even towers. The Astronomical room was an example of one of those 'upper rooms' and the laundry room and basement were two of those 'lower areas'.

But as the boy thought about the layout of the castle, a realization dawned on him and he glanced towards a specific direction with a frown.

"Wait a minute. Vlad's private study is on this floor…," he mumbled uncertainly. He honestly wasn't thinking about it when he had opted to dust the top floor. Really, his choice was mostly random, though his own room being on the top floor did have something to do with it. After all, he figured he might as well clean his own room for once.

Danny rubbed his neck nervously. "Well…Vlad didn't care that I went in there before," he reasoned, before shrugging and heading towards the furthest hallway to the right to get started.

Surprisingly, it didn't take him that long to finish up the first hallway and all the rooms on it. Of course, having ghost powers really helped. He didn't have to worry about moving anything, since he could just turn things intangible and dust through them. He could also fly up and reach things, like the ceiling lights and fans, which a normal person would require a ladder to clean. Danny could definitely see how having _ghostly_ servants rather than human ones was much more beneficial in a house this large.

But his steady progress was also due to the ghostly duster in his hand. It was freakin' amazing! The cleaning tool's feathers were charged with electrical energy, which he found out when he accidently touched them. But the feathers were like a magnet for the dust particles. The moment it would touch the duster, the dust simply vanished. Danny wondered whether the duster literally ate the dust, or if it just zapped it out of existence….

He decided he liked the latter explanation, since the idea of a dust-eating, electrical ghostly feather duster was just a bit too extreme for him. Then again, he was sure his mom would love it. She would probably be as happy at getting this ghostly duster as she would be at getting the chance to dissect his ghost form.

The creepy image that it left on his mind made the boy cringe; so he readily pushed it away, especially when the thought of his mother swelled a dull ache in his chest…

As he made it to the hallway which contained Vlad's room and study, Danny ran into Martha in one of the extra rooms there.

"Oh, hey, Martha," he greeted her.

"Young master?" the older maid questioned, turning off the vacuum she had been using and staring quizzical at the teen. "What are you doing?"

Danny grinned. "Dusting!" he announced, holding up the glowing duster.

Martha raised an eyebrow before smiling in amusement. "I don't think I have ever seen a child so happy about dusting."

Danny laughed; but then shrugged lightly and explained, "I wasn't doing anything; so I thought I'd help Niane out. But, you know, after not doing chores for so long, it kinda has made me want to. Weird, huh?"

"Not to me. I like cleaning," the ghost maid answered casually before turning on the vacuum and resuming her own work.

Danny looked at her strangely; but then he just shook his head and returned to his own 'chores'.

* * *

"_My brother has changed you, Vlad."_

With a deep frown on his face, Vlad exited his helicopter and headed down the path to his castle's entrance. That single comment that Jasmine had uttered had been circling his mind all through his ride back and it still continued now. He really couldn't get over it. It simply couldn't be true...

Could it?

Sure his growing care for Daniel had him doing certain things differently. And he had even promised the child not to hurt his loved ones. But that did not mean he had gotten _soft_, let alone did it mean that Daniel had 'changed him.' It was just absurd!

So... why did Jasmine's comment greatly disturb him?

With a sigh, Vlad climbed up the main stairwell before absently glancing at his watch and reading it was ten till seven.

Jasmine was very wrong. She believed Daniel was changing him only because she did not know the truth. She didn't know of the means he had used to get the boy at his side. She did not know that he would never let Daniel go, _especially_ now. The boy was his. He now had the perfect son he had always wanted. And Vlad would never let him escape from his grip.

But then Vlad sighed as he instantly felt that annoying sense of guilt pang at his heart with his thoughts. He didn't particularly like having Daniel at his side under such circumstances. Perhaps at first it had been his intention to make the young hybrid suffer the same way he had suffered under Jack's hand. At first, it had been about revenge and about teaching Daniel a lesson for his defiance. But now, it had nothing to do with that. The boy wasn't some pawn in his game of chess against Jack anymore.

He cared for the young hybrid---so much that it truly frightened him. He really had not meant to get so attached to Daniel. He didn't even understand why he wasn't fighting against these growing feelings. After all, the man knew the teen was only here by force--by his using Jasmine as an ultimatum. If the boy had the chance to go home, he would do so without a second thought. So, how could his relationship with Daniel be anything but a ruse?

Vlad's face tensed with the thought, but he still continued down the hall towards his room.

No, his relationship with the boy after all this time now had to be more than that. And if it wasn't, then, he could turn it into something more than some ruse. Vlad needed to, because the child, in some very special way, held the love he had sought for so long. Daniel, along with his mother, was all Vlad needed and wanted. So then, how could he possibly give up Daniel?

Or Maddie for that matter?

Vlad almost halted with his sudden thought of Daniel's mother. It was killing him. His stalemate when it came to Maddie was almost unbearable. The only thing that surpassed that horrible feeling was his two-fold sense of guilt whenever he thought about the love of his life.

That was why he was back at home earlier than he had anticipated.

Aside from talking to Jasmine, he had also originally planned to visit Maddie and Jack to see what they knew or believed about their son's disappearance. But after his brief encounter with them as _Plasmius,_ he had decided against it. He knew his growing conscience would not have been able to handle sitting down with Maddie at her house and hearing and seeing how sad she was over her son's absence.

It had been hard enough seeing her so full of anger and desperation.

"Blasted ghosts," the man suddenly grumbled under his breath, thinking of the ecto-puses. "I told them not to get caught."

He really should have just let Maddie and Jack keep and dissect the one that got caught for being stupid enough to get captured. Now, not only did Vlad have to watch out for Daniel's friends and sister, but with this development, he also had to be on the lookout for the boy's parents.

The older hybrid knew that he had _really_ put his foot in his mouth when he had told Maddie not to fear for her son. Thanks to that, his college friends now not only suspected that 'Phantom' had something to do with their son's disappearance but also suspected the 'Wisconsin Ghost.' And the problem with their suspecting Vlad's ghost persona was that they knew where _Plasmius_ resided:

Wisconsin.

Vlad sighed again. That really had to be one of his biggest stupidities yet. But it had just slipped out. It hurt him so much to see Maddie so upset that he couldn't stop himself from trying to comfort her. Of course, his words of reassurance were anything but that coming from _Plasmius_.

_"Why did I even go to Amity Park?"_ Vlad suddenly thought bitterly.

But he knew it had been necessary. He had needed to speak with Jasmine in person. And he had needed to see how things were in Amity Park. He honestly didn't care about the town itself, but Vlad understood that if he was to keep Daniel at his side, he could not let things in Amity get so bad that it would leave Jasmine with no choice but to reveal the truth about her young brother…

At least _that_ part of his plans had gone well. He was actually quite surprise how easy it was to convince Jasmine that her brother belonged with him. The girl actually agreed to keep his current location a secret from others. And in return for her holding her tongue, all the older hybrid would have to do was flaunt a bit of his power to get the ghosts numbers down in Amity Park. Of course, Vlad wasn't about to get rid of the ghost problem _completely_. After all, it did serve him well to keep Daniel's loved ones busy. But Vlad had no problem with alleviating _some_ of that wash-down town's ghost troubles---or, rather, he was going to just have Fright Knight to do it for him.

As for the other part of his deal with Jasmine, that is, the part of his 'promising to keep Daniel safe and happy', that was even easier for the man. After all, it was already one of his personal goals. So, he had just promised her the truth. In fact, Vlad had been more truthful with her than he had really wanted to be.

Still, in the end, what was done was done. If anything came of his slip-ups at Amity Park today, he would just have to deal with it accordingly. For now, Vlad had enough to focus on here in Wisconsin---namely, his companies and Daniel. Luckily, both of his main focuses here were going well.

Well, the boy did come with some problems; but it wasn't anything that Vlad couldn't handle or anything that he wasn't _willing_ to work with.

Actually, the boy's problems had been what had finally made him decide to visit Amity Park. He really wanted to get to the bottom of the boy's fears and help him overcome them. But it was hard to do that when Vlad did not have all the pieces. And, sadly, he had not acquired the main piece he had hoped to get from Jasmine. Blasted girl would not tell him everything!

But Vlad at least did get some information from the girl. Whatever had happened to Daniel had to do with a ghost---one that Vlad had now concluded that he did not know and that Daniel had never encountered until 'that' day.

It was odd, though, that Vlad did not know this ghost. After all, he had kept a very close watch on the boy for many months during that time he had been interested in cloning him.

Vlad mentally cringed at the memory. What on earth had he been thinking?

With a shake of his head, the billionaire turned his focus back on the matter at hand. This mystery ghost that Daniel had encountered had obviously been quite powerful. And judging by the way Daniel and Jasmine spoke of him, this ghost was now gone---very likely defeated by Daniel himself. But then, how 'gone' was this ghost? Danny would never destroy a ghost, no matter how evil it was.

Dazzler was solid proof. Silly child did not even let _him_ destroy that treacherous ghost!

But what Vlad found more concerning was how the young hybrid feared becoming evil all because of this mystery ghost. Daniel related with this specter enough to believe there was a chance that he would become like him somehow—which explained the boy's screaming, '_I won't turn into him',_ when he had had his breakdown a month after his being in the castle.

However, that very comment the young hybrid had screamed at him that night troubled him now as much as it had when it had happened. Just who was this 'him' whom Daniel was so bent on not turning into? If anything, in Vlad's opinion, the right to be that 'him' was reserved exclusively for him, and no one else, especially since the boy considered---or use to consider---the older hybrid to be his 'arch-nemesis'. Yet, contrary to how it sounded, the man's opinion wasn't a matter of pride or anything of the sort. It was just the natural order of things. The 'supposed hero' was always worried about turning into their rival. So, if Daniel was the 'hero' and he was the 'villain'---how quaint---then how was it that the 'him' to whom the boy was referring in his desperate declaration wasn't Vlad, but someone else? Vlad just didn't comprehend how Daniel could possibly relate to any other _ghost_ to the point that he feared becoming _like_ said ghost.

Daniel just simply couldn't be _like_ any mere ghost because he wasn't like _any_ of them. The only 'ghost' to whom the boy shared any similarities was _Plasmius_---and that, of course, was because they were both half-ghosts.

Vlad rolled his eyes suddenly. Well, there was Danielle. But the girl was hardly a real 'human-ghost hybrid'. She was simply a mistake. An unstable clone. And she was unstable because her body wasn't _natural_. It could hardly handle the fact that she was a _human_ _clone_, let alone that she was _unnaturally_ part ghost. Sooner or later her body was going to destabilize completely and she would be gone just like all the other clones…

The billionaire frowned both in confusion and annoyance at realizing he was straying again from his important musings. But then, he quickly returned to them.

He knew that no matter what the boy had said to him in the past, Daniel could see _and_ feel that they shared many things in common; they had a _connection_---one that had been growing almost tangible as of late. But that latter fact was best saved for a future musing.

The point was that Daniel did fear becoming like Vlad in some way. And that was understandable---though, in some way illogical, too, since Vlad's intentions had never been to turn Daniel into _him_; but, rather, turn him into someone _better_ than he. But even if the child constantly denied it, the billionaire knew their similarities worried the boy---he wasn't sure how much as of late, but Vlad knew it was still there…

And yet Danny's fear of ending up like the older hybrid was clearly not as troubling for the teen as it was the thought of ending of like this _mystery ghost_. And that brought the billionaire back to his initial question:

How could it be possible that Daniel saw in _some ghost_ a similarity so much with himself that the child feared turning into it? How was it possible that a _mere_ ghost could make the young hybrid afraid of _himself_?

The possibility was hard to grasp, let alone, understand.

Whoever this 'him' was, Vlad knew that he wouldn't understand his relationship with Daniel until he knew exactly who this ghost was. Too bad he was sure Daniel wouldn't tell him even if he did ask---as Jasmine had 'advised'.

But if this mystery ghost was as powerful as Vlad suspected, perhaps he could find something on it in one of his ghostly books---he would have to check.

Vlad's other option would have been to ask Skulker, since the ghost was very knowledgeable of the Ghost Zone and its inhabitants. Plus, the hunter had spent more time than Vlad himself studying his 'favorite prey'.

Too bad they were not allies anymore.

Pausing in front of his room, Vlad's frown deepened again at the thought of Skulker. As much as he did not want to admit it, he couldn't deny that he really missed the hunter's help---and company.

The older hybrid just sighed tiredly, briefly pinching the base of his nose and closing his eyes. "It seems I…"

But the man suddenly trailed off as he finally realized something:

He could feel Daniel's ghost signature….down the hall.

The man's eyebrows creased as he slowly turned his eyes down the hallway. And as he concentrated deeper on the boy's feel, a wave of fear and some other emotions began to overwhelm him to the point that he physically felt queasy.

Why was Daniel in _this_ hallway?

Vlad hardly realized it when he slowly began to walk down the hall, following the teen's ghost signature. But when he found himself in front of the one place at which he had feared to end up-- _in front of his private study--_ Vlad felt the blood drain from his face and body, followed by a sudden chill.

Frozen in place, it took his mind a moment to catch up with what was happening. And when it did, it triggered a memory---one that made horrifying sense at that very instant.

"_I'm not doing it for you. I'm doing it for my brother. I want him to finish what he's started…"_

Vlad suddenly drew in a sharp breath through his teeth as if something had just burned him. And just as quickly, pure panic began to grip at his mind when his dormant suspicions of the boy's 'change' towards him all being an act returned to him.

"No…," he whispered before phasing through his office door.

But the sight of the opened fireplace, leaving his secret lab's staircase in full view, only confirmed what he didn't want to believe.

It now all made sense. The boy's sudden 'niceness'. His friends and sister's sneaking in when he and the teen had _conveniently_ gone to Germany. Jasmine's comment about Daniel 'finishing what he started'…This whole time… Daniel had been playing him. He had been waiting for Vlad to let down his guard, waiting for the man to trust him and leave him without supervision so that he could carry out his _real_ plans...

Vlad felt like he had just been stabbed in his heart.

But as sudden as his hurt came, it was as quickly consumed by his sudden rage.

"How could I have been so stupid?" Vlad hissed furiously before he stormed towards the lab...

* * *

Still amidst his 'cleaning duties', Danny sighed deeply as he stared at the picture of his family sitting on the fireplace mantle in Vlad's private study. The teen had told himself he wouldn't come in here---or in the man's bedroom. Even if the older hybrid no longer seemed to care if the younger one entered his personal areas, Danny had felt it wasn't right to go into either of them when Vlad wasn't around.

But when the teen had remembered the picture of his family that the billionaire kept in his study, the teen couldn't stop himself from coming in here. He had never really gotten a good look at the photograph and it certainly wasn't a picture Danny had at home.

The teen had wondered how Vlad got it. It was a complete picture of Danny's family, too: Danny's parents, his sister, and the teen himself.

Perhaps it had been taken during his first visit to the billionaire's mansion? He clearly remembered the photographers that had been there at the college reunion taking pictures of people. And the boy remembered begrudgingly taking a picture with Vlad that day, as well as one with Vlad and Danny's entire family---though the fruit loop had made sure to be right next to his mother for it, while his dad had been pushed to the side.

Point was that Danny clearly remembered he had been frowning in both of those pictures. But in _this_ picture that the man kept on his mantle, the young hybrid and everyone in the picture was smiling. It had to have been taken when Danny wasn't looking at whatever photographer had taken the shot and Vlad had decided to keep it…

The teen was actually somewhat surprised at that. After all, why did Vlad keep a picture of him and his family in such a private place? If anything, Danny would have thought the billionaire would have just kept the picture of him beside Danny's mother.

"I don't think I'm ever going to finishing getting you, Vlad," Danny muttered as he picked up the picture off the mantle, while the glowing duster still remained in his other one.

But the teen's real thoughts were on his family.

It was becoming a lot easier to go about each day without them. And being that he stayed occupied most of the time had made it so much easier. The pain was there; but he could manage it now. Ironically, Vlad made it easier for him, too. Part of it was due to the man's change in attitude toward him. But Danny just supposed it made him feel better that his loneliness had a purpose. It was hard, but he was willing to sacrifice his happiness for the greater good.

The teen could see that giving Vlad a chance was doing some good. Aside from his mood swings in the past week, the man seemed more… calm and even more sincere when he was around him. Besides, Danny had to admit that even_ he_ was getting some benefits from his time with Vlad. Heck, he could teleport and create blue energy now!

Even so, Danny did sometimes worry about how things were moving so seemingly well. It usually troubled him just late at night when he was left alone with his thoughts, since it was then that he would think about one very troubling _unanswered_ question:

Where was all this going?

Danny finally knew what he was expecting to accomplish by giving Vlad a second chance. It took him a while to understand it. But now he knew. He was sure what his goal was.

But would the teen ever reach it? And if he did, how long would it take him?

The thought of failing to accomplish what he wanted with Vlad was actually very painful for Danny. But so was the thought of his now uncertain future. And so was the very likely possibility of his never seeing his family again…a possibility that was even more likely than ever now…

For all as clueless as people thought him to be, Danny could see Vlad was attached to him in a way he never had been before…. If the man had not been willing to let him go when the teen had done everything possible to make the man know how much he hated him, even going so far as to make the man's life miserable during his first month here, then Vlad definitely wasn't going to give him up now that they weren't enemies.

But that was something Danny had accepted the day he had decided to give the man that second chance.

He knew that doing so meant surrendering whatever slim chance he had ever had of returning home. That was why Danny couldn't even stand the thought of failing in what he had started with Vlad. And it was now more than just doing the right thing. The teen's hopes and emotions were now wrapped up into what he was doing. He couldn't fail.

And in order not to, he had understood a while back that he had to forget about his own sorrow and focus on his goal. And, really, that decision was also helping him get through each day with a smile, even if he had to force it out on some days…

With a sigh of resignation, Danny put down the picture of his family before looking around Vlad's private study. He really shouldn't be in here; but since he was, then he might as well do what he was doing prior to his musings' distracting him.

"Not that there's anything really to clean around here," he muttered after walking over to the study's large desk and running a finger across its immaculate surface. Vlad really was a very clean guy, which was, in Danny's opinion, weird for _a guy_.

Then again, his opinion was based on the three guys he most closely knew: himself, his father, and Tucker.

Trying to fit Vlad in that list was really like trying to place a round peg into a square hole… Maybe that's why the billionaire appeared to be so loopy in the teen's eyes…

"Or maybe he really is a fruit loop," Danny commented when he gazed up and found a large portrait of the billionaire creepily grinning down at him. A weak smile curled the teen's lips as he then added, "He's also an egotistical dude. Geez, who has such a big picture of himself in their office?"

The teen shook his head before moving away from the desk and heading for the study's exit. It would really be pointless to try and clean something that was already clean. Besides, he was kind of hungry by now. All the dusting had actually worked up quite an appetite for Danny.

However, as he was about to leave, he looked back at the picture of his family, only to pause as he suddenly remembered that just past the fireplace on which the picture frame was sitting was Vlad's secret lab…

Danny did not understand what compelled him to move back over to the fireplace or what he was thinking when he tilted the golden football to open up the lab. All he knew was that he needed to see it again. He needed to see the machine that was practically keeping him captive here.

As he descended the stairs in almost a trance, the teen eyes stayed focus in the direction he clearly remembered the mainframe to be. And it wasn't long before he found the large machine looming over him.

Danny just stared at it, not knowing that his face had tensed and his eyes were glowing with a deep intensity. But he could feel a sudden and illogical disgust for the machine clench his heart.

This stupid thing was what stood in his way of going home. This stupid, harmless, inanimate object. He hated it. He hated how it just stood there, not doing anything and doing everything at the same time. He couldn't destroy it. Oh, how he wanted to. But Danny couldn't, for if he did, he knew it would take his sister with it. The mainframe was his sister's lifeline in that it kept the nanobots from fully activating. But it was also her noose since, with a touch of a button, it could waste her, too.

Danny hated the machine for doing that to his sister. But he also hated it for taking away his own life.

He suddenly glared at the quietly humming machine. The screens were off, but it was clearly on. It had to stay on for his sister's sake.

The boy's thoughts were interrupted by the feel of his fingernails digging into his skin. He looked down and realized his hands were tightly fisted. But that only allowed him to _realize_ what he was thinking.

He quickly frowned with unease. Why in the world was he glaring at a _machine_? Why was he blaming his misfortune on something that wasn't even alive?

Danny suddenly sighed loudly, quickly dispelling all his previous emotions. He was going crazy! How else could he explain his coming down here just to look---no, _glare_---at this stupid mainframe? It was beyond absurd!

But deep inside, the teen knew that his sudden surge of anger and hatred was not for the machine. It was for its creator. He couldn't help but feel bitter with Vlad every time he thought of how the man had had the nerve of _gambling_ with his sister's _life_ just to force him to be at his side. How could Vlad do that? Why couldn't he have just threatened _his_ life?

Danny knew the answer to those questions, though. Vlad would have never gotten him here any other way. But that thought only depressed the boy again and he sadly asked himself, "Why do things have to be this way?"

Why did he and Vlad have to be enemies? Why did it have to be _Danny's_ father who the billionaire abhorred? Why did it have to be _his_ mother with whom the man was obsessed? Why? Why did the man have to choose a path Danny could not follow?

If only the older hybrid would not have been out for revenge when they first met, if only he were not out to hurt others, especially the teen's loved ones, Danny would have welcomed the man with open arms. He would not have even thought twice of accepting the man's offer if it had been one of goodwill. And Danny believed that now more than ever.

There was so much more to Vlad Masters than the young hybrid could have ever imagined. They shared more than with what the teen honestly felt comfortable. Danny loved his family and friends, he trusted them with his life, he knew they were his strength; but… they could never offer him what Vlad's presence could. And although it still slightly scared the teen, at least he could accept it now.

There was something about the older hybrid that made Danny feel like he could do anything, like he could take chances and it was okay because Vlad was standing right beside him. Danny felt an unexplainable connection, _a_ _bond,_ with the man which went beyond their just both being half-ghost. He had felt it from the moment they had met; but Danny had refused to acknowledge it until now.

As the days continued to move forward, the teen's bond with the older hybrid seem to only grow stronger with every passing one. It was now almost… tangible.

Yet, for all the teen knew, Vlad hadn't realized that. And Danny was not about to tell him---he was already having a hard time with the fact himself…. But…ever since the teen had come here, every time he had been in trouble, his instincts naturally had called for help. _His being_ had called for someone, _anyone_ to save him from whatever was happening to him at that moment.

And each time….Vlad had shown up.

It had hardly been comforting at first. After all, the last person Danny had wanted to see after his nightmare and power spike that night was _Vlad_. But as their relationship changed, the teen's instincts to call for help when he knew he was in serious trouble had become more specific. He would call for _Vlad's_ help---the latest example being his problem with Dazzler. Or, so the boy thought. He had done it unconsciously a few more times since then….

Thing was, Vlad only seemed to come to his rescue all the quicker.

It was comforting at the given moment. But when Danny thought back on it, like he was now, it was really disturbing. He really wanted it to be coincidence. But the occurrences were now too many that it would be plain denial to try to argue otherwise. However, if it wasn't coincidence and it was something else, Danny could not fathom what this connection to Vlad could be----not to mention it was creepy, in his opinion.

But, ironically, it was that same creepy bond with the man that gave Danny a sense of ease. He didn't even keep his guard up now. He just felt he had no need of that anymore. The older hybrid's presence invoked that much calm in him.

But nothing was ever perfect.

It was actually this very relationship with Vlad that _also_ instilled a sense of foreboding within Danny. But it wasn't worry for himself; but, rather, of what could _result_ of his bond with the man. It would make the teen begin to think of a lot of things. But mostly about what would happen if he someday _did_ get a chance to go back home without hurting Jazz…. Could he just leave after all that had happened in these months?

He couldn't even imagine fighting Vlad anymore. It's as if their fights were some nightmare he experienced long ago. Or as if the Vlad he once called his arch-enemy was not the same Vlad he was living with now----the man was _that_ different towards him now.

But no matter how close he and Vlad got, there would always be the man's threat against his sister over them. But, at least, as long as he was here, Danny could have the peace of mind that Vlad would not hurt his sister again.

Danny looked sadly at the mainframe before leaning his hands against the console and whispering, "Jazz..."

He missed her so much. He had treated his sister---and also his friends---so badly when they found him here. And although he knew he had done it to protect them---especially Jazz---Danny still felt terrible about it.

The boy squeezed his eyes close for a moment, trying to keep his sadness and pain from overwhelming him. He couldn't go back to it. He couldn't handle breaking down again. He wouldn't be able to recover from it this time. Besides, it did him no good to wallow in the pain of his losses.

With a deep sigh, the teen pushed aside his emotions and removed his hands from the console. He looked around Vlad's lab until his eyes locked on the closed portal. Several memories passed through his mind, including his close call with Walker. But just as quickly as it came, he banished them with a shake of his head. Being in this place was really making his thoughts and emotions run around in circles. He didn't want any more of it.

He stared down at the duster in his hand; and briefly smiling sadly at it, he then suddenly headed back to the lab's stairs. But just when he was about to climb them and leave, something in the boy's peripheral vision caught his attention.

Danny raised an eyebrow at a table in the far corner with a white cover thrown over it. But it was the lump hiding under the cover that intrigued him. What could it be? It was the only thing in here concealed deliberately out of sight.

"Maybe a new invention?" Danny guessed as walked over to the lab table. He absently placed the duster in his hand on top of another nearby table before grabbing the edge of the white sheet to lift it up.

"What are you doing here?"

Danny jolted at the unexpected voice and quickly turned around to face it. "Vlad!" he exclaimed, in his surprise forgetting where he was. But then, the teen quickly sighed in relief; and placing a hand against his heart, he added in annoyance, "Geez, could you not sneak up on me like that? You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Vlad just stared at him.

But still too surprise to remember where he was, let alone realize that the man was angry, the teen tilted his head at the billionaire; and with a bemused smile, he added, "I thought you were going to come back really late? I mean, I guess it's kinda late. But when you said late, I was thinking, like, I wouldn't see you today…"

The man's eyes suddenly flashed red as he growled, "I asked you a question. And I want an answer!"

This time, Danny noticed the billionaire's anger and the teen's smile faded as he finally remembered that he wasn't supposed to be in here. But unable to explain for it, the teen warily answered, "I-I…was just dusting…"

But his truthful answer just made Vlad finally snap.

"Get out. Get out right NOW!" the older hybrid screamed, his eyes going completely red.

Danny jumped back with the man's sudden burst of fury before quickly backing away from the covered table, jabbing himself in the side with it in his sudden fear. Even still, the teen slightly raised his hands up and he stuttered out, "V-Vlad, calm down. I don't know what you're thinking, but I'm not---"

"Did you not hear what I just said?!" Vlad shouted at him as he threateningly approached the boy. This whole time! This whole blasted time the boy had been playing him! Vlad wanted to strangle the brat! He had never felt the urge to hurt him as much as he did now! But it was because he couldn't bring himself to do it that really infuriated him. Still, he wanted the boy gone; gone from his presence! He wanted him out of his lab!

Danny felt his heart and breathing rates instantly pick up as alarm bells went off in his head as the man approached him with the clear intention of hurting him. But he was suddenly frozen, unable to move in his shock of what was happening. For the first time in a while, Danny only saw his _arch-enemy_ in front of him. And yet, he couldn't defend himself…

"Vlad, listen to me," Danny suddenly pleaded when the man was standing right in front of him, glaring darkly. "I know I shouldn't be down here. But I promise you I wasn't doing anything! I mean, come on! I couldn't do anything even if I wanted to! Look, I just told Niane that I wanted to help her clean and I---"

"**Enough!**" Vlad yelled, stunning him into silence. "_Stop_ lying to me! Do you think me such a fool as to believe your absurd excuse?! No, you're probably right! I am a blasted fool! I should have known this was your intention all along! All this time, you were just waiting for me to trust you, to drop my guard, to leave myself open to you, so you could trick me! **You treacherous little rat!**"

Danny yelped when the man suddenly grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him in his rage. The teen was absolutely shocked. What the heck was wrong with the guy?! He had never seen him act so… illogical!

But his disbelief was quickly replaced by a burst of indignation at being treated so unfairly and the boy suddenly reacted, jerking himself away from the man as he growled out, "Let go of me!"

Suddenly even more ticked off, Vlad suddenly changed into Plasmius. He was going to make him pay for this! He would _force_ himself to make this brat pay for ripping out his heart like this!

Danny was shocked once again when he saw the man's hands quickly begin to glow with red energy. But then disgust replaced the emotion and he suddenly glared back at his arch-enemy.

"Oh, you're so smart, Vlad," the teen said in sarcastic anger. "How stupid of me to think I could fool you, huh? But it looks like my _intricate plans_ to gain your trust and make you lower your guard didn't work." Bitterness and disgust melded again with his anger as he added, "You _don't_ trust me. If you did, you wouldn't be doing this. If you did, you would see how much of an idiot you are for thinking I've only been playing you this whole time."

Danny ignored the man's surprise look as he turned his gaze over to the duster he had left on the table close to the covered one. With a tense frown on his face, he moved over to it and picked it up, briefly staring at it. However, he soon looked coldly back at Vlad and said, "Here. Give this back to Niane for me."

The teen tossed the duster at Vlad's feet; but all the man could do was blink at it. However, he then quickly looked back at the boy, his throat constricting with dread at realizing how badly he had just jumped to conclusions. What had gotten into him? It was now clear the boy was telling the truth. But he had felt so overwhelmed by anguish with the thought of the boy's betraying him that…

"Daniel…," Vlad began warily, all traces of anger now gone from his voice.

"No. You're not fixing this," Danny told him bitterly before abruptly turning intangible and phasing right through the lab's ceiling.

"No!" Vlad shouted after him. But the boy was gone. And suddenly infuriated with himself, the older hybrid screamed, slamming one of his fists on top of the edge of the covered table. The force instantly made the table fall forward, leaving two objects resembling some sort of metallic hands or gloves half-exposed and half-entangled within the sheet that had once been on top of them…

But the man didn't even notice it when he suddenly felt a sense of panic overwhelm him. He couldn't lose him. He _couldn't_ lose Daniel!

With a panicked gasp, Vlad abruptly took flight and followed after the boy, whose ghost signature was quickly moving further and further away from him.

"**Daniel, wait!"** Vlad screamed at the top of his lungs as he poured on more speed, his chase taking him straight towards the darkened forest not too far in the distance.

Meanwhile, Danny was experiencing a sudden panic of his own. This couldn't be happening to him! He couldn't be all alone again! He didn't want to be here without anything to fight for, without a purpose! He couldn't handle it!

"_I don't want to be here anymore!" _Danny thought as his desperation and angst overwhelmed him completely. He needed to get away from this place, from Vlad, from all this suffering!

"DANIEL!"

Danny gasped at the sound of the older hybrid's approaching voice and his panic only heightened. With a whimper of deep anxiety, the boy quickly poured on more speed, zooming at full speed towards the covers of the dark forest. He didn't know where he was going. All he knew was that he needed to get away from the source of his pain.

Only about a yard back, Vlad abruptly halted, gasping for breath as he watched the teen disappear into a maze of trees. He never thought the boy could fly so fast! ….Or was it that the older hybrid was so panicked that he couldn't focus enough to fly any faster?

But knowing he had to catch up to the teen, Plasmius quickly concentrated on his energy signature and teleported to its location.

In that short time, Danny had traveled pretty deeply into the forest. But he was using up so much energy in his top-speed flight that his body suddenly screamed at him to stop. And unable to ignore it, the teen roughly landed down on the forest floor, his only company being the numerous trees towering over him.

Danny gasped for air as he moved over to the closest tree and leaned his back against it. But he then shut his eyes; and grasping at his white hair, he moaned in anguish.

He didn't want to go back to Vlad's castle! But he couldn't go home, either! He couldn't go anywhere! He was utterly lost! Maybe he could just hide here; find a cave somewhere and stay there until his sorrow finished him off. At least with him out of the way, Vlad would have no reason to hurt his sister. Yes. That's what the teen was going to do. He was going to just run away for real this time. Far away where Vlad couldn't find him, where he couldn't hurt him anymore!

"Oh, Daniel... I'm so sorry."

Danny jolted, his eyes quickly snapping up at Plasmius, who was now standing a few feet in front of him staring at him with utter regret.

But, this time, it didn't move the boy in the slightest.

"Stay away from me," Danny warned with a hateful glare, while he backed away from his arch-enemy.

"Please… Don't look at me like that," Vlad pleaded, reaching a hand forward with his need to stop the boy from moving away from him.

But Danny just turned around and flew off again, wanting the man out of his sight.

Too bad Vlad was set on the complete opposite.

"Daniel," the man began again when he teleported right in front of the boy, cutting off his exit. "I didn't mean to hurt you like that. I thought that----"

Vlad sighed sadly when the teen darted away, not letting him finish.

But the man knew he couldn't give up. And he quickly teleported again, this time grabbing the boy's right wrist in mid-flight. "Danny, please! Just _listen_ to me!"

Danny quickly closed his eyes and teleported himself. He reappeared a few feet behind the man and quickly took off, this time flying faster than before.

But no matter how fast he flew or where he went, Vlad just kept appearing in front of him.

"**Leave me alone!"** Danny suddenly screamed, now fed-up with the man's persistence.

"Not until you listen!" Vlad said more forcefully.

"I'm not going to listen to you! You didn't listen to me!" Danny yelled back, this time sounding more hurt than angry before taking off once more.

"I know! But I _should_ have! And I swear I'm sorry!" Vlad answered in despair when he caught up again with the boy.

But the boy didn't care for his apology and instead shouted back, "Stop following me, Vlad! Don't you get it? I don't want to see you! I don't want anything to do with you!"

"Daniel, just stop!" Vlad yelled, forced to chase after the teen again. "I know you're upset! You have every right to be! But I won't let some misunderstanding ruin things between us! Please, I just want to talk to you!"

"Well, I don't want to talk to you!" Danny growled back.

The two hybrids continued to argue; and all the while, the older one chased the younger one all over the forest. If their fight wasn't so serious, the sight would have actually been comical.

But, eventually, Danny was forced to give up since he could no longer even try to get away from the man. Exhausted, the boy abruptly landed back on the ground, panting and sweating from his efforts.

Vlad shortly landed a few feet in front of the teen also out of breath, though he looked more upset than tired.

There was a brief silence between the two before Danny suddenly shook his head and glared over at Vlad.

"Why? Why would you do this?" the teen asked through his pants. "Things were fine... _Why_ did you have to destroy that? Why do you _**always**_ destroy_**everything**_?!" Danny exclaimed in a mixture of hate and anguish.

"Daniel…," the man pleaded sadly, taking a step towards the boy.

"**Don't come any closer, Plasmius!"** Danny screamed, his fury exploding as violently as his hands did with his green energy.

Vlad froze on the spot as fear gripped at his heart. But it wasn't because of the boy's clear threat, but because he was now sure that his own stupidity had just cost him everything he had gained with the boy…

The older hybrid suddenly lowered his gaze in utter defeat. "You're right," he whispered sadly. "There is nothing I could possibly say to you to take back what I just did…"

Vlad looked up at the boy and took a single step towards him.

"**I mean it! Stay away from me**!" Danny quickly screamed in threat, though his glowing raised hand began to shake.

Vlad just sighed; and ignoring the boy's warning, he slowly approached him.

Danny's eyebrows creased in desperation. He didn't want to attack Vlad. But the man was not giving him any other choice! Why wouldn't Vlad just give up and let him be?!

"_Please_… don't make me do this," the teen pleaded, his voice all but a whimper.

"I want you to…," Vlad quietly and dejectedly answered as he stopped right in front of the boy.

That single statement finally broke the dam holding back everything the boy had been working so hard to keep inside. And with a sudden surge of fury, Danny blasted the older hybrid right in the chest, sending him slamming into a tree.

"That's all you can do, isn't it?! Force me to do things I don't want to do!" Danny screamed at him.

Vlad could only groan and grip at his burning chest for a moment. But even when the pain slightly subsided, he did not bother to get back to his feet.

"You're right," the man said softly, unable to meet the boy's angry gaze from all the guilt he now felt. "All I have done since we met is to manipulate you, to force you to do what _I_ want---especially now in these past months. But I'm not forcing you now, Daniel. You want to do this. You have wanted to do this for a long time…And I don't blame you. And I'm not going to raise a finger to stop you…This is the least I deserve from you…"

Vlad was utterly serious, too. And although his mind was screaming at him to get back up and defend himself, that he could not humiliate himself in such a way, especially in front of the young hybrid, the man's heart was set on one thing: He couldn't lose Daniel.

And if it meant he had to sacrifice his pride in order to fix his mistake just now, then so be it.

Danny suddenly screamed in anger, hating that the man was right. But he couldn't stop anymore and his resentment towards Vlad just began to pour out of his mouth as quickly as his ghost energy did from his hands.

"You've taken away everything from me!" Danny cried out in a mixture of pain and fury. "My family! My friends! _**My life!**_ **You took it all!**"

The young hybrid fired two consecutive beams of energy at the older hybrid. But his aim was so wild that one of the beams hit a feet above the man's head, snapping in half the tree behind him. However, the second attack hit the man dead on; and without the tree in the way, Vlad was sent tumbling back several feet.

Still, the man did nothing to defend himself. Even as the boy's barrage continued…

"But that wasn't enough for you, was it?! Since the moment I got here, you began messing with my head! You tortured me more times than I can remember! You pushed me to the brink of my sanity until I snapped! And then, you took advantage of it! You took advantage of the fact that I was completely overwhelmed by my ghost powers going haywire and by the fact that you were keeping me away my family and friends! You _tricked_ me into joining you! You made me surrender my pride! And then you treated me like I was some kind of puppet or dog that had to follow everything you said! And if that isn't bad enough, you then forced me to hurt my sister and friends!"

With his every sentence, Danny continued to attack the man. The boy was filled with so much sorrow and he was so past reason that he didn't care for the fact that Vlad was just taking every one of his hits.

"You always want me to listen to you, but you _never_ listen to me!" Danny screamed at the man. "And I told you! **I told you!** Or did you already forget that it was because you didn't listen to me that Walker almost wasted me?! It wasn't Skulker's fault! It was **yours**! And even with everything, I forgave you! I was willing to give you a chance! Darn you, Plasmius! **I gave you my trust! **And for what? So, you can throw it back in my face now?! I've had it with you! **Can you hear me now?! **I'VE HAD IT!"

Danny's Ghostly Wail exploded out of his mouth with his last words. As a result, everything that was right in front of him was thrown back from the force. And in that 'everything' was included the older hybrid.

But having already wasted a lot of energy in his previous high speed fleeing, Danny's attack didn't last long. However, it had been enough for the boy to level about a yard of the forest in front of him.

But Danny hardly noticed as he fell to his knees, reverting back to his human form out of sheer exhaustion. But just as he was physically spent, the teen was now also emotionally spent. All that remained was his grief.

He didn't want to be alone. But Vlad was all he had here. And it was the teen's want to do the right thing by helping the man that kept him going. Without that, Danny didn't know what he was going to do.

The heavy silence was eventually interrupted by the sound of soft footsteps. And hearing them, the boy slowly raised his sad blue gaze; and as he expected, he found a similar set of eyes, holding the same emotion in them, looking back at him.

Human, hurt, and exhausted, Vlad all but fell to his knees in front of the young hybrid, waiting for the teen to say something.

Danny just looked at the man for a moment, knowing that all Vlad deserved from him was hate. But as much as he wanted to, the teen couldn't hate the older hybrid---not anymore. Vlad had even taken _that_ from him now…

With a brief bout of anger, Danny punched the ground with his right fist. But it was clear the boy was just full of sorrow when he shook his head and whispered at Vlad, "You're so unfair…"

Vlad sighed shakily, but whether it was from weakness or from his overwhelming emotions was hard to say. It was probably both.

"Yes," Vlad agreed, his voice just as quiet, even as he added, "And you're far too noble."

Danny looked up at the man with a mixture of confusion and surprise. And he momentarily lost his train of thought. But then with a sigh, he passed a hand through his messy hair and his emotions melded into fear as he asked the man, "What are we going to do? You know we can't keep this up forever."

"Why not, Danny?" Vlad asked in despair. "We were doing fine before. I know I shouldn't have doubted you back there. But I promise you that it will not happen again. We have been through so much in these past months and we have been able to get through it. Why not this? Why can't we put this behind us and continue as we were before?"

Danny shook his head. "I miss them too much. I miss my family, my friends. I want to see them again. I want to see my mom. I want to hug her and my dad. I want to tell them that I love them. I want to tell my sister and friends that I'm sorry for what I did to them." The teen felt his eyes glaze with tears and his throat constrict, forcing him to stop. But swallowing hard, he painfully added, "But I can't. I can't do any of that."

Vlad lowered his gaze from the boy. He was quiet for a moment, but then he sorrowfully said, "I'm sorry, Daniel. But I can't let you go. _Not anymore_."

"I know," Danny answered, a single tear escaping one of his eyes. "But I can't keep pretending anymore that it isn't your fault that I can't be with them."

Vlad sighed before seriously asking, "If that's the case, then why have you bothered pretending before tonight? Why are you doing this, Daniel? Why don't you just hate me like you should?"

Danny met the man's gaze again and answered, "I can't hate you. Not after everything."

"Why? You said so yourself. I have taken everything away from you. So, why? I don't understand. Why do you care about me when all I deserve from you is your hatred?" Vlad questioned, his voice filled with confusion and desperation.

Danny stayed quiet for a moment. But realizing he now had nothing to lose in telling the man the truth, he finally admitted, "I want to help you... Vlad, you're not a bad person, you've just made bad choices. I didn't know that before, but I'm sure of it now. There's still good in you. And I want to help you see that."

Vlad just stared sadly at the teen for a moment, but then he shook his head, saying, "Oh, dear boy…Is that your reason? Has that been the reason for all this all along?" The man smiled with melancholy. "You really are very noble, Daniel. And it's because you are that I can't let you get your hopes up. You see, my boy, you cannot help someone that does not want to be helped. And even if I did want what you offer, I can assure you that I'm the one person you cannot help. …You can't save _me_, Daniel," Vlad told him seriously.

Danny lowered his gaze to the ground as he contemplated the man words. Vlad seemed quite sure of what he had said. And maybe he was right. But…

"I can still try," the boy replied, hopeful.

Vlad smiled again; and at that moment, he just wanted to grab the child in his arms. He couldn't believe it, let alone could he understand how Daniel could hold so much hope for him after all he had put him through.

It was enough to stir anyone's emotions.

But as much as Vlad wanted to hug the teen right now, he pushed the urge away. He couldn't keep the boy from clinging to such false hope. But the man wasn't about to do anything to encourage it, either. Vlad knew he would always be who he was; and nothing, nor anyone, could change that. But he didn't want to see the teen so upset, either. He knew he missed his loved ones; but it was only because the boy had yet to realize that he didn't need them as he believed.

"I can help you forget them, Daniel," Vlad suddenly said with creased eyebrows. "You don't need those in Amity Park. You don't need that life…," he assured him softly.

Danny sighed and shook his head again. "You can't help me forget them, Vlad; because I don't _want_ to forget them."

"I can still try," Vlad retorted, using the boy's exact words back at him. But then he added with a small encouraging smile, "So, until one of us succeeds, let's go back to how things were before tonight, hmm?"

Danny remained quiet for a moment. But then he nodded; and with a weak, though sad smile, he replied, "Deal."

Vlad smiled a bit more; but then calmly said, "Come. Let's go back."

The boy just nodded before getting to his feet with a bit of effort. But when Vlad tried to do the same, he faltered and hissed in pain, gripping at his right side.

"You sure pack a punch, little badger," the man said with a weak chuckle, though the humor was lost to the teen with how strained the older hybrid's voice sounded.

Danny bit his lip as he watched Vlad finally manage to get back on his feet. The teen really felt bad now. He had just pummeled the guy out of sheer anger. And, worse, Vlad didn't even raise a finger to at least protect himself from it. The man had practically let him degrade him….If that didn't prove how sorry the older hybrid was for what he did in a lab a moment ago, Danny didn't know what did. But, even if the man probably deserved his beating just now, the boy knew it hadn't been right.

Sighing, the teen lowered his gaze, though he sincerely said, "I'm sorry, Vlad. I really am. I was just so---"

"Upset?" Vlad finished, his voice as pained as ever. His ribs were absolutely killing him. He was hurting all over the place; but his ribs hurt! Not that he expected anything less after being hurled into several trees by the boy's wail…

"Yeah…," Danny replied softly, feeling even worse at seeing how much he had just hurt the billionaire.

But catching the guilt in the boy's tone of voice, the man forced a reassuring smile on his face and forced himself to stop gripping his side. "Don't worry about it, Daniel. I say I had it coming, hmm? After all, I was an utter---"

"Jerk?" Danny finished for him this time, a real smile finally appearing the boy's slightly amused face.

Vlad smirked, though he felt an immense relief to see a lot of the sadness in Daniel's eyes finally gone. "I was going to say 'fool'; but that actually sums it up pretty well…"

Danny weakly smirked this time and quipped, "Yeah, I think so, too."

But the man just slightly huffed in amusement before turning his attention to their surroundings. But as he slowly began to realize that he had no idea where they were, except that they were very deep into the forest and very far from the castle, Vlad's smile faded.

"I don't know about you, Daniel, but I'm beat. I really don't know if I can morph any time soon. And on top of that, I have no clue where we're at….," Vlad remarked worriedly, though he continued to look around in hopes of finding something remotely familiar.

Danny frowned himself when he realized the man was right. They had traveled so far into the forest that neither of them recognized their location, especially when all the light they had was from the moon. And even that wasn't much. If it wasn't for their ghost halves' possessing nocturnal vision, they probably would not have made it this deep into the forest. Problem was, they were both human now and could practically see no more than a two or three feet in front of them. Of course, the easiest solution was to just fly up above the tree tops to see where Vlad's house was. But, Danny was with Vlad on this one. The boy didn't know if he had the energy to transform, either.

Still, Danny knew they were not utterly lost.

Looking up at the stars, the teen quickly began to hunt for Polaris, or more commonly known as the 'North Star'. And finding it, he asked the billionaire beside him, "What time is it?"

Vlad looked down at his watch; and answered with a raised eyebrow. "Almost nine. Why?"

Danny didn't answer right away and instead just continued to stare at the numerous orbs above them. But he soon pointed up at the stars and replied, "The location of the stars change depending on the time of night, except for Polaris. So, if your watch is right and that's Polaris---which I'm pretty sure it is---then, your house is in _that_ direction," the teen said, pointing then to their left.

"That's impressive," Vlad muttered.

Danny shrugged lightly. "No, we're just lucky I finished mapping out the placement of the constellations around your house all the way up to eleven at night. That, and remember we were out up until this time when we went horse riding. So, I'm positive your house is in the direction of that constellation there. You see it? It has the three aligned stars and then----"

"I'll just take your word for it," Vlad cut him off, since the boy's finger pointing did nothing to help him see at whatever he was looking. Honestly, the stars all just looked the same to him. Perhaps some brighter than others, but he didn't see much difference in them.

Danny rolled his eyes; but just dropped it.

"Even if you're right---Alright, fine, you're right," Vlad corrected himself when the teen frowned at him. "There's no telling how far away we are from the mansion."

"Yeah, I don't know. I think like about two hours walking distance. So… we better start walking," Danny said before stuffing his hands in his pocket and then moving in his decided direction.

Vlad blinked. But then he followed after him, though he cringed against his quick movements.

"Daniel, perhaps we should just try to morph again," the man suggested, once he caught up with the teen.

"Why? What's the big hurry?" Danny asked, seemingly unbothered by the prospect of walking for two hours through a forest. He honestly was in no hurry to get back. Besides, he wasn't planning on walking the whole way, just until he didn't feel so drained.

But the sudden howl of a wolf, sounding a little too close for comfort, instantly made both hybrids freeze.

"_That's_ my big hurry," Vlad quietly answered, his eyes darting towards the sound of rustling leaves to their right.

"Yeah?" Danny asked fearfully, though he was looking in the opposite direction. "How about mountain lions?"

Vlad quickly looked at the boy. "Mountain lions?"

Danny pointed at a bush some distance from them as he squeaked out in reply, "I-I think the glowing eyes staring at us right now belongs to one."

Vlad tensed as he finally noticed the bright, cat-like eyes staring at them. "Still want to walk back?"

Danny shook his head. "I suddenly feel a lot better."

"Good…," Vlad muttered, grabbing the teen by an arm and coaxing him to slowly back away with him. "On my mark."

"How about on _his_?!" Danny yelped when the large cat suddenly charged at them.

Vlad jolted in alarm; but not about to be any animal's toy or dinner, the man quickly morphed, ignoring how his body protested against it. Danny was just as quick to shift into his ghost form; though he, too, ignored how weak he felt with his forced transformation.

Of course, escaping the charging cougar was hardly an effort for either of them. They just flew up away from its reach.

Danny slightly smiled at the sight of the growling cat, pacing around in circles below them. "Heh. I've never see a mountain lion before. It's actually pretty cool."

"I'm sure," Vlad answered sarcastically. But then with a tired sigh, he asked, "Can we leave now?"

Danny looked back over at the older hybrid and smirked. "Okay." But then he glanced back at the cougar and told it, "Sorry, buddy, no half-ghosts for you tonight."

Vlad rolled his eyes, but said nothing.

But when they finally flew out of the trees, Danny pointed at the barely visible castle in the distance, "See? I was right. Come on."

So you were…," Plasmius quipped with a small smile, while the teen returned one of his own before they began to slowly head back. But in his mind, the man more soberly added, _"And I promise you that this will be the last time I ever doubt you again…" _

* * *

When they finally did return home, Vlad and Danny parted ways. Even if they both felt better now that they had finally released so many pent-up emotions---especially in Danny's case---they were very exhausted. Plus, they each needed to be alone in order to process what had just happened between the two of them. At least, that was true for Vlad.

The man was also very relieved that tomorrow Stephanie would be taking Daniel and her daughter on an outing. The man had a lot of personal things to resolve, and it would be easier if the teen wasn't around. Plus, he was sure the young hybrid wouldn't mind spending some time with other people—and away from him.

But although Vlad had no problem with leaving everything he needed to do for tomorrow, there was something he refused to let wait until then. But in order to address it, he knew he needed the boy out of the way---otherwise he would just interfere. Luckily, the billionaire didn't have to wait very long before Daniel had retired for the day…

Entering the employee lounge, Vlad found all his ghostly servants engage in conversations with one another. That is, until they noticed him.

But the older hybrid didn't pay any mind. Instead, he focused his attention on his youngest maid; and with an unreadable tone of voice, he asked, "Niane. May I speak with you for a moment?"

The ghost girl stared back at him for a second or two but she then nodded and quietly answered, "Of course, sir."

She glanced briefly at her sisters, who just stared worriedly at her, while the other male ghosts just looked between Niane and their employer in bewilderment. Still, no one said anything---at least, not until the billionaire had finally left with the younger maid following warily behind him.

His hands calmly behind his back, Vlad made his way towards the back veranda. It was only when he finally got there that he turned towards the girl ghost again and calmly ordered, "Close the door."

Using mostly her own weight, Niane did as she was told, but didn't move away from the door and just kept her back pressed against it with her eyes locked on her employer.

There was a brief silence in which Vlad just regarded her presence. But then he suddenly spoke up, a serious look on his face as he said, "I found Daniel in my secret lab a couple of hours ago. And when I questioned him, he told me he had been helping you clean…Care to explain the rest?"

Niane looked down nervously at her joined hands before explaining, "Well…You see, sir, I was on my way to do my usual chores when Danny----"

"Danny?" he interrupted her, raising an eyebrow in question.

Niane tensed but she still quietly answered, "He said to call him that..."

But when her employer said nothing else, she understood he had accepted her answer and continued with what she was saying, "He wanted us to 'hang out' as he deems it. But since I was occupied, I was forced to decline his wishes. So, he then insisted on helping me dust the house." She paused and looked up at her employer with a troubled look, "You must believe me, sir. I did my best to decline his offer. But I could not deter him."

Vlad nodded but said nothing. He was quiet for a moment, his gaze on nothing in particular as he seemingly thought of something else.

Niane just watched him and waited, knowing the man was not done; otherwise, they would not be here.

"How long have you worked for me, Niane?" Vlad unexpectedly asked as he moved a bit closer to the girl. He stopped next to a sofa; and leaning against the back of it, he crossed his arms, waiting for the maid's reply.

Niane was clearly confused and even wary of the sudden question. But she still answered, "Almost fourteen years, sir…."

Vlad nodded. "And you have been loyal to me since. May I ask you something more personal?"

"O-Of course, sir," she replied, though the girl was suddenly even more nervous.

"Why did you choose to be a housekeeper here? Unlike Patricia and Martha, you were not anything of the sort when we met six years prior to my purchasing this castle. I offered you something better when you inexplicably came to me. After all, we both know you are quite talented, dear girl. Even if you have never directly shown it, I can _sense_ it," he told her with an analyzing gaze. But then he suddenly turned and grabbed something resting on the front of the sofa. Lifting it up, he continued, "Besides, someone who could have saved me from three powerful ghosts and conjure up something _this_ _intricate_ with her own powers cannot be weak."

Niane's eyebrows creased as she watched her employer study the ghostly feather duster now in his hands with mild interest. But knowing he was waiting for her answer, she timidly began, "Sir…I…"

"You what?" Vlad pressed when the ghost hesitated, his gaze back on her.

But Niane looked away from her employer's intense stare. Still, she quietly replied, "I-I just want a peaceful afterlife, sir. I left the Ghost Zone and came here for that. It was why I had to decline your offer of working directly for you as does Skulker. You will always have my loyalty, sir. But I cannot to get involved in your… affairs. That is why I choose to be a simple maid. And I am quite content with it, sir."

"Well, what if I do not require three housekeepers, Niane?" Vlad asked seriously.

Niane looked up at her employer and guardedly replied, "I-I do not follow what it is you are trying to tell me…"

"Then, let me tell you forwardly: I do not wish for you to be one of my housekeepers anymore."

The ghost girl couldn't hold down a gasp with the implications of her employer's words; and she suddenly panicked, "S-Sir, I'm sorry! I promise I never meant---!"

Vlad raised a hand, silencing the young maid. "I'm not done, Niane. So calm yourself."

She nodded in reply, but her distress was obvious. She didn't want to be dismissed! Especially not now!

Vlad extended the duster to the girl, who quietly accepted it, before he continued in his sober voice. "Just to make it clear: I'm very displeased to hear of Daniel doing house work. _Obviously_, I did not bring him here to clean my house. Not to mention, I have you and your sisters for that. Furthermore, you and everyone else in this house know full well that unless I say otherwise, the boy has full authority here. Therefore, I do not want to hear of him doing anything of the sort again."

"Yes, sir," she replied calmly.

"That being said," Vlad continued, "I have come to the realization that it's really unwise to leave Daniel by himself. It's not that I don't think he can handle it or that I don't trust him, but, rather, that boredom is any child's most dangerous enemy. And on top of that, I have to take into consideration the fact that Daniel has made himself a number of enemies. I doubt anyone will try to hurt him here again. But considering that I was wrong at least twice before, I think it's time I take some precaution against future incidents. And that, Niane, is where you come in…"

Niane instantly frowned. "How so…?"

Vlad slightly shrugged as he causally remarked, "Daniel's attachment towards you has not gone unnoticed by me, Niane. Not that it's all that surprising since you do _resemble_ a teenage girl. As I told you, I do not require three maids. Even with Daniel now here, not even half of this house is used on a daily basis. It is for those two reasons that I have decided that I want you to do something else for me instead of housekeeping… I want you to focus fully on the boy. Keep him safe. Keep him happy. I want you to protect him when I'm not around to do so. _That_ will be your job from now on."

The girl ghost stared uncertainly at her employer. "Sir… I'm not sure. I don't think I can---"

"I will not take 'no' for an answer _this_ time, Niane," Vlad cut her off with heavy warning in his voice. "I honored your wishes the first time only because of what you did for me. This is what I _want_ you to do. If you still wish to help Martha and Patricia, then do so. But the boy comes first. Am I clear?"

Knowing the man had made up his mind on this, the red-eyed ghost had no other choice but to nod and reply, "Yes, sir."

"Good. That is all, then," Vlad calmly replied before uncrossing his arms and walking over to the door.

Niane quietly moved out of the way to let him by. But just as the billionaire opened the door, he paused and looked back at the girl ghost. "One last thing: this conversation stays between us," he told her sternly before finally exiting the veranda.

Niane watched him go for a moment; but then a small smile slowly curled her lips as she whispered, "As you wish… Vlad."

* * *

**Heh. Close call for Vlad, eh? Yeah, he messed up big time. But at least the half-ghosts finally acknowledge one of those delicate matters hanging over their heads. And Danny finally told Vlad his intentions… And gave him a good beating, one that the fruit loop had coming from chapter one of this story! Lol!**

**Ahem, well, I'll let you guys ponder this chapter on your own. And believe me it has plenty about which to ponder, though, some things are more obvious than others… *winks***

**Well! I'm sure Diz knows why I dedicated this chapter to her now! Heh-heh! The 'new nickname' Danny uses for Vlad is her own invention. 'Vladdycakes'. Every time she reviews she calls Vlad all sorts of nicknames! It's quite amusing! And she said this was her favorite pet name for Vlad, so I added it in this chapter, which I thought fit quite well! Heh! **

**Speaking of contributions, I got a few more from some very awesome artists: Fantasy 93 did some neat sketches for this story! And Newghostgirl did a beautiful drawing of Prince Phantom and his pal, Elliot! Also, littlejuniper did a cute picture of lil' Danny, too! Thanks guys! As I've told you all, you guys are my inspiration. And so are all the rest of my readers! And I just love hearing your thoughts, so… you know what to do! *grins***

**Well, that's all for now! I still haven't had time to put up the links for the new drawings on my profile yet; but if you go to my DA account you will see these new arts and others under my favorites. Check em' out! **

**Okay, time for my Vlad muse and I to take our leave. Ta for now! **


	64. Chapter 63: Ties and Tales

***So much for an early update. I have realized that when I say something or plan for things, it never happens. So, I'm gonna keep my mouth close from now on… yup. Well, at least, I'm not late. Two weeks exactly, though I would prefer to be able to update weekly. Tsk. Anyways, I hope you guys like this chapter. It has lots of ties that are meant to lead into season three; oh, and a scene that a lot of you might find quite familiar. Yes, I added it on purpose. I figured it's a good time to remind you guys of it… *winks***

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. But he OCs are my own.**

* * *

**Chapter 63 Ties and Tales **

* * *

It was Saturday; and as planned, Danny had accepted to go on that outing with Stephanie and her daughter. As much as he had grown use to Vlad and even felt pretty at ease with him, hanging around with other people, especially with someone his age, would be quite refreshing—and welcomed. Besides, it felt nice to take a break from the drama that commonly seemed to follow him and Vlad around whenever they were together…

Still, Danny had encouraged Vlad to come with them as they, Stephanie, and her daughter ate breakfast at the mansion. But the man had refused and changed the subject. However, when the billionaire at one point had pulled out his wallet to give the boy money, it was Danny's turn to refuse, reminding the man that he still had the money he had given him from their last outing. So, after having breakfast and some more light conversation, Danny had left with Stephanie and Annabelle.

They had spent the earlier part of the day in the city, looking around different shops and places. The young hybrid had even bought some CDs at a music store and rocket model kits at a science store. The latter had stirred up a conversation about astronomy between him and his two companions. Needless to say, Stephanie and her daughter had been impressed with the boy's knowledge of the stars, as well as his future goal to become an astronaut...

Lunch soon had come and gone, and they were now walking around Olin-Turville Park, which was close to the University of Wisconsin and on Lake Monona. For a moment, Danny almost felt like he was back home. Almost. As nice as Annie was, she could never replace his two best friends. But there was something soothing about the park's familiar and cheerful atmosphere. It felt close to home. However, even as he was still thinking about that, Danny's attention drifted over to something a couple of feet away from him. In an instant, that comforting feeling vanished and was suddenly replaced by a full blown case of home sickness.

"Danny?"

The teen slightly jolted at the sound of his name and quickly snapped his gaze back to the blond-haired girl beside him.

"What's wrong?" Annie asked him, confused by how quickly he had sobered and gone quiet when they had been happily chatting away seconds ago.

Danny glanced again at the Dalmatian playing Frisbee with his owner some feet away before shaking his head. "Nothing…" But then he smiled sadly and pointed at the dog at which he was looking and said, "I have a dog just like that one. Well, not exactly. Mine is still a puppy…My best friend Tucker gave him to me for my birthday just a few months back."

"Oh… That was nice of him," Annabelle mumbled, realizing the boy was homesick, but didn't know what to say about it.

Danny nodded. "Yeah…Tucker's a good friend. And Sam is, too."

"Another of your friends?" the girl questioned.

Danny nodded again.

Annabelle was quiet for a moment, but then she suddenly asked, "If you miss every one this badly, why don't you go home?"

Danny looked away from the Dalmatian and back at Annabelle. "It's… complicated, Annie. But I guess part of it is because I feel I have something to do around here… Kinda like a job or a mission. Uh, I don't know. It's hard to explain…," he mumbled, looking away in embarrassment.

But the girl seemed to understand what he was trying to say and she smiled and further questioned, "Does it have to do with your _uncle_ by any chance?"

Danny smirked lightly. "I think so."

Annie chuckled. "Then, it looks like we're both on a mission, Danny."

Confused, the young hybrid asked, "What do you mean?"

Annabelle pointed over at her mother, who was easily several yards away from them, getting them all ice cream. "She likes him."

"Huh?" Danny replied, not getting it.

"My mom, Danny. She likes Vlad," Annie elaborated.

Danny's eyes widened before he stared back over at the woman. "Seriously?"

"What? It's not obvious?" Annie retorted with a raised eyebrow. But seeing the boy's honest surprise, she chuckled and teased, "And here I thought Vlad was the only clueless one."

Danny rolled his eyes, remembering how his friends would call him that, too, sometimes. He still didn't get the inside joke with that.

"It's not like I don't believe you. But, I don't know. Vlad says they're just friends. And your mom has never said otherwise, either," the boy explained.

"Well, that's because they are just friends now. But they were not always _just friends_, you know. I bet Vlad never told you that they dated in high school for over two years, did he?"

Danny mentally jolted. "Wait. Vlad used to like your mom?"

"Yup," Annie said with a smirk; but then she frowned as she thoughtfully added, "They broke up, though. Thing is, I don't even know why. My mom has never told me. But I know by the way she gets upset when I ask her that it was something serious." The girl sighed. "All I know is that right after they broke up, Vlad transferred to another high school. After he graduated, he then quickly moved to Wisconsin for college. My mom and he didn't speak again for almost _five_ years. And the only time they saw each other since they broke up had been for his mom's funeral."

Danny's eyes widened again. "Vlad's mom died?"

Annie nodded. "I don't know that whole story, either, though. I just know that my mom tried to talk to him at the funeral but he refused to speak with her."

"How did they become friends again, then?"

Annie frowned. "My mom told me that in Vlad's junior year of college he had some accident that left him in the hospital for years."

Danny had to swallow down a gasp. "You two know about that?"

The girl nodded slowly, not getting why it was a big deal. "Yeah. I think everyone knows about Vlad's accident when he was young. It was all over the papers, you know. I mean, how many people do you know get radiation poisoning and live through it? Then again, Vlad did almost die. It's a miracle he didn't."

The teen glanced away and nodded. So, was that what the press had called Vlad's ecto-acne and accident? Radiation poisoning? Well, that made sense, since most people didn't believe in ghosts, let alone, ecto-acne or spectral contamination----Unless they lived in Amity Park, that is.

"My mom found out about it and came to Wisconsin to see him. She was dating my biological father in that time. But she stayed in Wisconsin as much as she could to help Vlad out. I think it was like a year after he got out of the hospital, though, that my mom found out she was going to have me and my father left her. Then, I don't know. I guess, my mom moved to Wisconsin and Vlad helped her out with me. It's a long and complicated story; and I am still trying to figure it all out myself…" Annie said with a deep sigh.

Danny just stayed thoughtful for a moment; but then he mumbled, "What would cause Vlad to get so mad at your mom as to not talk to her for years?"

"That's the thing," Annie said with a deep frown. "When I asked my mom why Vlad had been so mad at her, she assured me that he _wasn't_ mad at her. But, then, I don't get it, either. Why wouldn't he talk to her? It makes no sense!"

"Uh, Annie?" Danny called to her when he saw her getting riled up with her thoughts.

The girl blinked. "Oh, sorry," she said with an embarrassed smile. But then she sighed and wistfully added, "I just really like Vlad, Danny. I have known him since I can remember. Even if he doesn't want to be, I see him and _want_ him as my father. And it kills me that he's single and my mom's single and they are friends and used to like each other, but they won't get together now! It's crazy! But I'm not going to rest until I get them together!"

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Why doesn't your mom just tell Vlad she has feelings for him? Maybe that's all she needs to do."

Annie shook her head. "I told her to do that, too. But she told me he's in love with someone else. Can you believe that? But I have never really seen Vlad with anyone! So, I'm not even sure about that."

Danny mentally cringed. That's right. Vlad was in love with someone else. He was in love with the teen's mom---unfortunately.

"_Vlad's such an idiot, sometimes,"_ Danny thought, feeling slightly angry with the guy. When was the man going to get through his head that Danny's mom was off-limits to him, that she would never love him back?! Vlad was so obsessed with the idea of having Danny's mother as his wife that he was completely blinded to the fact that the family he has always wanted was right in front of his eyes----and apparently has been for years!

"Danny?" Annabelle suddenly called to him.

"Yeah?" Danny replied, a frown on his face from his previous thoughts.

"Your parents were close friends with Vlad in college, right?" Annie asked. And getting a nod, she further questioned with a hesitant frown. "Your parents haven't told you anything about Vlad, have they? I mean, have you heard anything about this woman who Vlad supposedly likes?"

Danny tensed, unsure of what to answer. All he knew was that he couldn't tell the girl that Vlad was in love with _his_ mother! It would just be way too awkward!

"Kids?"

Danny and Annie jolted with Stephanie's sudden voice. They quickly glanced back over at the woman; and finding her approaching them, the blond-haired girl gasped before quickly whispering to Danny, "Don't tell her anything I told you!"

Danny just nodded.

But when Stephanie finally made it over to them and handed them their ice-cream, she raised an eyebrow at her nervous daughter. "Is everything alright?"

"Of course," Annie quickly answered innocently before moving away from her mom and continuing down the walkway they were on.

Stephanie looked after her before glancing at Danny. But he just smiled weakly at her and shrugged. The woman shook her head, deciding she did not want to know, and followed after her daughter down the walkway.

Danny also went right after both of them, quickly catching up to Stephanie. For several minutes everyone just silently enjoyed their ice-cream and the sights around them. However, it was Stephanie would eventually spoke up...

"I wanted to thank you for accepting to come with us, Daniel," she told the teen walking alongside her.

Danny's smiled more openly this time and replied, "Heh. Well, thanks for inviting me. It's been really fun."

"I'm glad to hear it. But it's the least I can do for you for spending time away from your family to spend it with Vlad. He's really fond of you, you know. I haven't seen him this light-hearted in a while---or this distracted, at that. Makes my job slightly harder; but since it's for a good cause, I don't mind," she added with a smirk.

Danny rubbed his neck. "Sorry. I don't mean to distract him." But then the boy lowered his hand and added more seriously, "But Vlad does work too much. Every time I blink he's doing something else. It's like he _likes_ to keep busy or something."

"Maybe he does," Stephanie retorted with a raised eyebrow.

"But why? Why work so much? I mean, he obviously doesn't need to. He's a friggn' billionaire!" Danny exclaimed.

"True. And I also agree that he does work too much. As to why, well… Ask him," the woman said with a wink.

Danny looked at her with uncertainty. Although being around Stephanie had eased his hesitation about her, the woman still gave him that 'creepy' vibe---though, it wasn't the same creepy vibe that Vlad often made him feel when he acted like a fruit loop. It was different. But there was still something about the way she… _looked_ at him…

The teen glanced away when he realized she was staring weirdly at him again and just continued to walk. But then, suddenly, something else captured Danny's attention.

The boy instantly paused and frowned over in the direction of a small gathering of trees just off the path.

"What's wrong?" Stephanie asked, honestly surprised with the teen's abrupt stop.

Annie, who was still walking ahead of the other two, instantly heard her mom's question. Wondering what it could be, Annie looked back at her and Danny and asked, "What happened?"

"Do you two hear that?" Danny questioned before slowly walking off the trail and heading towards the small gathering of large trees; though, as he did so, he tossed his almost-finished ice-cream cone in a nearby trashcan.

Stephanie and her daughter glanced at each other, but then quickly followed after the young hybrid.

Danny just kept walking, following the noise. It had been quite soft when he first heard it; and if it wasn't for his training with Vlad as of late, he would not have noticed it at all. But as he walked closer to the sound, the boy was sure he wasn't hearing things and he was quickly starting to realize what the noise was…

"Daniel! Where are you going?" Stephanie called after him, not understanding what the boy was doing.

But before she could say anymore, the teen abruptly stopped right in front of one of the larger trees.

Annie glanced back at the barely visible trail behind them before looking back at Danny. And seeing him staring down at something, she asked, "What is it?"

The young hybrid didn't answer; and instead, kneeled beside a small, closed cardboard box with just a few holes on the top. He readily opened it and smiled in bemusement at what was inside it.

"Meow…"

"_Cats_?" Stephanie questioned, surprised by the sight of the two small kittens meowing from within the box…

"Aw!" Annie quickly exclaimed before asking her mom to hold her ice-cream. She then came and knelt right beside Danny. She readily picked up a light grey kitten with green eyes and delightedly said, "They're so cute! Who would leave poor kittens like this?"

Danny didn't reply and instead pulled out the second kitten from the box and got back to his feet with it. He tilted his head slightly at the small meowing white fur-ball in his hands.

"You're kinda cute," the teen commented with a smile, while the kitten just stared back at him with large yellow eyes.

Stephanie looked at the cat in Danny's hands for a moment before looking over at the other one Annabelle was holding. But when the woman saw her daughter stare back at her with an all-too-familiar look that told her she wanted something, Stephanie quickly frowned. "I don't think so."

"Oh, please, Mom!" Annie pleaded. "They need a home!"

"Yes, and the humane society will make sure they get one. Come on, you two," Stephanie said firmly as she began to walk back out towards the trail.

But her daughter quickly followed after her, trying to convince her mother to let her keep the kittens.

Meanwhile, Danny just slowly followed after the mother and daughter. But his attention was on the little white cat in his hands. He already knew what Sam would say about taking the kittens to a shelter. But what else could they do with them? Unless Annie convinced her mom to let her keep them---though, so far she wasn't having much luck.

It was a shame, really. They really were cute little cats, especially the one in his arms…

* * *

Vlad Plasmius entered his secret lab via his ghost portal after having met up with Fright Knight at the ghost's abode to discuss his next orders for Amity Park. The plans were quite simple: Get rid of the more powerful ghosts by any means necessary, and leave the rest of the specters for the ghost hunters. That way, Vlad knew that there were plenty of weaker ghosts flying around the town at the least to keep Daniel's loved ones occupied; plus, with the most powerful ones gone, he would be upholding his end of the bargain with Daniel's sister. A simple and fair compromise for everyone.

The older human-ghost hybrid absently locked up his portal before heading out of his lab. As the fireplace glided back to its original place, he changed back into Masters and then sat down at his desk.

Vlad then turned on his laptop; and as he waited for it to boot up, he glanced over at the clock on the wall. It was just past two in the afternoon, but he was fairly certain Daniel had not returned yet. Stephanie said she'd have him back by dinner, which was still some hours away. But that was fine. The man still had several things to do. And right now, it required his making several phone calls.

The engagement party was a little more than a week away and he still did not have things set for that. For one, he was going to have to hire one or two bodyguards. Not that he needed them in the end, but it was really for appearance. Plus, with the boy going, it would assure him that someone would be watching Daniel when he could not… He also needed one or two wardrobe designers and perhaps a hair stylist---Danny needed a haircut.

"He's going to love that…," Vlad said with a smirk as he pulled up the numbers he needed on his computer. It took him about an hour to make all the calls. But knowing he had more work to get done, namely to read over a few contracts, the man pulled out his briefcase. Luckily, he did not have as much to do as he usually did.

But even so, he ultimately did not get much done since his stomach soon reminded him that he had not had lunch today. With a sigh, he glanced at his clock again before standing up. He could very well get his work done after dinner.

"Besides, I still have a bit of research to get done," he muttered absently, remembering that he wanted to read up on some 'Ghost Zone' literature for some possible information on Daniel's mysterious ghostly enemy.

Moving over to the fireplace again, he tilted the left football, which was the one that opened up his personal lounge's entrance. He walked down the steps and moved right over to the back wall, which was really a wall-size bookshelf filled with all sorts of books. And some of those books were glowing…

"Hmm… where to begin…?" he mused out loud as he skimmed a specific section filled with ghost books. He finally pulled one out and quickly flipped through the pages. He had so many ghost books that it was hard to remember which contained what. And, really, there were some he had yet to really sit down and read completely. After all, just like normal books, some ghost books were less appealing than others…

The man shook his head and put the book back, only to pull out another. It was finally on the fourth try that he found something promising and he soon turned back to leave his lounge. As he then walked out of his private study and headed down the hallway towards the kitchen, he flipped through the ghost book, his eyebrows creased in concentration. How the distracted man managed to make it downstairs without running into something was a mystery.

Vlad honestly didn't know for what he was looking, let alone did he know if he would find it. Really, searching for a clue about Daniel's mystery ghost in a book was a long shot. But he might as well try…

When he got to the kitchen, his concentration finally broke away from the glowing book when he heard the two older ghost maids bickering with each other. The billionaire couldn't keep a small amused smile from curling his lip at the sight, especially when the rest of his employees, including his gardeners, were quietly listening to them. The only one that wasn't really listening, but rather, trying to break up the two arguing maids was Niane. But, ultimately, the whole scene looked like it was directly taken out of one of those overdramatic soap operas… All his employees were so into it, too, that none of them notice their employer's entrance…

Quietly walking over to Derek, the man whispered with mirth, "Who's winning?"

The butler startled slightly, though the only one who noticed it was Carl, who was standing next to Derek. The two male ghosts were briefly surprised to see their employer present, but finally registering the man's question, Derek smirked and answered, "Hard to say. They started on laundry detergents about half an hour ago, now they're on electrical appliances. Don't ask me how they got from one thing to another. I don't even know."

"I'm betting on Patricia," Carl added with a grin.

"Uh-huh," Vlad replied, crossing his arms and glancing back at the two older maids. What was really amusing about the whole thing was just how used to this he was. But it made him realize that Daniel was very right. He had a strange ghost staff. And yet… as the billionaire stood there with them, he further realized he wouldn't have it any other way. After over a decade with them, these ghosts were part of his life, the _normal_ part of it, ironically.

Vlad huffed at the thought. But then deciding to try to break the two up himself, he finally made himself known to everyone as he causally asked the two arguing maids, "Have you two ever considered that _both_ of you could be right…?"

Martha and Patricia slowly turned their heads towards their employer, while a small smile ghosted Niane's lips with the man's question. Everyone else just curiously stared at the older hybrid and the maids, waiting to hear what the two ghost women would reply to that.

However, they both glanced at each other for a brief moment before looking back at their employer and simultaneously replying, "Impossible."

Vlad opened his mouth to point out that they had just now both agreed on something; but realizing he probably wouldn't convince them anyways, he closed his mouth again and shrugged. "Well then, carry on..."

Patricia turned back to her sister to do exactly that, but then she paused and frowned. "What were we arguing about?"

Martha tapped her lips in thought. "Um…"

Suddenly Jasper, the mute gardener, tapped his friend's shoulder and quickly signed something to him. And nodding in understanding, Bennie grinned over at the older maids and said, "Jasper says you two had been arguing over garden plants!"

Carl and Derek each frowned at the other in confusion. They were sure that that was not true. And yet, the two older maids had no trouble jumping right into an argument about garden plants… As for Jasper and Bennie, they high-fived each other and continued to listen in on the two maids, obviously quite entertained by the whole thing.

Vlad had watched the exchange between his gardeners with a raised eyebrow. But knowing it was pointless to even try to understand what that had been about, he finally turned and headed deeper into the kitchen to find something to eat.

But noticing that, George quickly followed after his employer, asking, "Would you like me to make you something?"

But the man shook his head and replied, "No, it's fine, George. I'm just going to grab something from the fridge."

George frowned slightly. But then he questioned, "What should I make for dinner?"

Vlad grabbed a small tray of sushi and a bottle of water from the fridge before looking at George and shrugging. "I can't say I have given it much thought… Just make whatever you want."

"Whatever I want' has a fairly long list of recipes, sir. I need someone to help me narrow it down… When's the young halfa coming back?" the chef asked with slight annoyance.

Vlad chuckled at that. "I'm sorry, George, but I don't think Daniel is going to be back in time to help you decide what to make for dinner. You're on your own, my good ghost."

George pouted in return, earning another amused laugh from the older hybrid. But Vlad said nothing else and went over to sit at one of the bar chairs. As he ate, he opened the ghost book in his hands back up and returned to his search. Interestingly, the man seemed to have no trouble concentrating, even with the two older maids' arguing and his other employees' whispering and movements.

However, barely fifteen minutes had passed when the man found something in the book that had caught his attention. How odd. He had actually read up on this very subject before finding it here. He had even lightly discussed it with Skulker at one point. And although it was an interesting myth, the man had never given it much thought since he had yet to find any evidence of its existence. Even Skulker's knowledge of this was limited. But now very curious about this too coincidental discovery, Vlad suddenly tuned back in to everyone around him, especially when it had him thinking about a certain possibility in regards to Daniel's mystery ghost…

"Have any of you heard of a place in the Ghost Zone called 'The Realm Beyond Time?" Vlad abruptly blurted out.

His servants quickly turned their attention to their employer, though the man was still staring down at the book. It was George, though, who answered him.

"Yes… It's also referred to as the Timeless Realm. Supposedly only spirits, such as the Ancients, know of its location. They are the only types of specters that live there."

Vlad finally looked up and replied curiously, "So, it really exists? How do you know?"

This time Carl answered. "Well, I guess none of us truly know. But the existence of this realm is a pretty heavy rumor in the Ghost Zone. Although no one has ever seen the Ancients since they defeated Pariah Dark, others like them have been spotted outside of their realm."

"Others?" Vlad inquired, clearly interested.

"The Observants," Derek jumped in. "They supposedly watch over the realms and time...They hardly ever leave their realm, but there have been sightings of them on rare occasions."

"Hmm," Vlad mumbled, looking back at the book and briefly glancing at a picture of one of the mentioned spirits. But also under the same lists of spirits were others that he had never seen before---they were _myths_, in his opinion, since he had yet to find evidence of their existence. But his employees seem to strongly believe in the existence of this 'Timeless Realm' and their inhabitants…

"So… this place…," Vlad spoke up again. "The tale goes that it exists outside the reaches of time? …Do you all believe that? It's quite a strech for the imagination, do you not think?" Vlad further inquired.

Carl shrugged. "Believe me, Mr. Masters. When it comes to the Ghost Zone, very few things are outside the imagination."

Vlad just nodded in agreement.

"I heard that the entrance to this place is actually accessible," Martha suddenly said, her and her sisters now interested in the conversation themselves. "But you have to know where exactly in the Ghost Zone to go, _as well as_, know the precise spot at which to stand. Rumor has it that time actually stops when you stand right at this realm's entrance."

"That's not completely true," Patricia suddenly interrupted. "Rumor has it that you have to be a _spirit_; you have to exist outside of time to gain access. And anyone who stumbles upon it dies a gruesome death if they don't meet the qualifications."

"How can that be true when everyone in the Ghost Zone is already _not alive_?" Martha asked dryly.

"You know what I mean!" Patricia snapped.

"Yes, well, I so happened to have heard that if you stumble into the place, they send you into another time period and no one ever hears from you again!" Martha argued back.

Vlad's eyebrows creased as the older maids began to squabble again, their argument only getting more absurd by the second. But it was then that he noticed Niane frowning quietly at her sisters...

For some reason, he suddenly wondered what she was thinking; though, ironically, when he did, Niane slowly turned her red eyes to him.

Vlad just stared back at her for a moment; but he then broke his gaze away from hers and took a sip of his water. However, the moment he lowered his bottle, he turned his blue eyes back on the girl ghost and abruptly asked, "What about you, Niane? Have you heard or know anything about this 'Realm Beyond Time"?

The young maid slightly jolted, clearly not expecting the sudden question. But then her eyebrows creased for some reason before she answered, "I have only heard that the spirits there do not like intruders. That is why it is dangerous to attempt to venture into their territory…"

"Yes, well, what isn't dangerous in the Ghost Zone?" Vlad retorted with a dismissive wave of his hand. However, he then became thoughtful again. "...I suppose the existence of this realm cannot be all myth. After all, I have proof of the Ancients' existence right in my private study," he added, thinking of the scroll Fright Knight had obtained for him not too long ago. "If they exist, then they must have a realm somewhere…"

"If I may ask, why the sudden interest for this Timeless Realm?" George asked curiously.

Vlad thoughtfully looked back at the book in his hand, but then he shrugged and replied, "A passing thought, I suppose." He paused for a moment, thinking how he usually did not share these sorts of information with his ghostly employees. But realizing it wouldn't hurt, he further commented, "I'm really skimming this book for a particular ghost, perhaps one capable of instilling fears… Any of you heard of one like that?"

His employees thought about it for a moment, but then they shook their heads. However, Carl added out loud, "No, not that I really know of. But, really, what ghosts isn't capable of instilling fear in humans?"

Vlad frowned. "Good point," he mumbled. The man flipped through some more pages, passing by more tales of different ghosts and other hidden realms. He then, though, briefly paused on a page talking about the legendary Infi-Map. But knowing the story all too well—and the fact that it was not what he was searching for right now, anyhow--he soon continued to flip through the book's pages again.

It was a moment later that the man paused again on a particular ghost by the name of Vortex. And not having really read much about him, Vlad quickly and fully concentrated on studying the information about the specter. However, just as he started to read, his house phone went off.

Vlad curiously looked up towards the kitchen's exit.

"Did you want me to answer, sir?" Derek asked, getting his employer's attention.

Vlad slowly shook his head before he stood up. "No. I'll tend to it." Marking the page he was on, the man then closed the book and left it on the table before walking out of the kitchen.

He never noticed Niane watching him with the intensity of a hawk…

Vlad soon reached the tea room, where the closest phone to the kitchen was. Whoever was calling was sure persistent, considering his phone was still ringing…

"Vlad Masters speaking," he answered calmly.

"_Vladdy?"_

The billionaire instantly tensed.

"_Hello? You there, Vladdy?"_

"Jack," Vlad finally muttered coldly, already feeling his veins igniting with hate.

There was a brief pause on the other end before Jack asked, _"…Are you okay, Vladdy? You sound… strange."_

The billionaire barely contained a scoff of disgust. Leave it to the fat buffoon to finally grow enough sense to notice the obvious _only after_ his son goes missing. But Vlad knew that nothing was going to come out of telling his former idiot friend that what he deemed as 'strange' in his voice was really unrelenting hatred for him. So, forcing himself to calm down, the older hybrid replied, "I'm not sure what you mean, Jack. But something is obviously wrong with you. Otherwise, you would not be calling me…"

"_Uh…Not sure what you mean by that, either, Vladdy. I mean, I call you all the time… You just never answer…Actually, I'm surprised you did now…,"_ Danny's father added, sounding both confused and thoughtful.

"I'm a busy man," Vlad replied coolly.

"_Yeah… I know. That's why I really hate buggin' you with this, V-man. But it's very important. I mean, it's about Danny!" _

The older hybrid mentally cursed, now sure he knew exactly what this was about. But still forcing himself to keep calm, he answered, "Daniel, you say…? Then by all means, what can I do for you, Jack?"

"_You know how you mentioned the possibility of the Ghost Kid, Danny Phantom, having abducted my son out of revenge against me?"_

"Yes," Vlad replied, though he rolled his eyes at the memory.

"_Well, Maddie and me have pretty good evidence of that being true, V-man! But that's not all! Yesterday we ran into the Wisconsin ghost! Here, in Amity Park! Can you believe that?"_

"The Wisconsin Ghost? Is that the same specter you said attacked you and Maddie at the college reunion?" Vlad inquired, faking ignorance.

"_The very one, Vladdy! I know you said you never saw it, but it was definitely after me and Maddie that day! But now, I think it is in cahoots with the ghost kid! Vladdy, I think those two spooks are working together to keep my son captive!"_

The billionaire continued to play along. "That sounds terrible, Jack. But I fail to see how I can help…."

"_Well… Maddie and I figured that since the Wisconsin Ghost's natural haunting grounds is Wisconsin that perhaps that evil spook and the Phantom kid have Danny somewhere in your hometown, Vladdie. So, we wanted to scope out the place for any signs of either of those two spooks. And that's why we were kinda hopin' we could start at your house. But also, I don't know, could we maybe spend a couple of days at your place while we investigate the Wisconsin area?" _

Vlad pursed his lips and without a second thought replied, "I'm sorry, Jack, but that's not possible. At the moment, I am far too busy to properly attend to you and your family. You see, I have a very important event in a few days' time and then I will be traveling out of the country for an unknown amount of time. I cannot have you over."

Vlad heard Jack whisper his reply to Maddie. But then the older hybrid heard the woman sigh and ask her husband to hand the phone over to her. Vlad instantly tensed again when the love of his life's voice sounded over the phone…

"_Vlad? It's Maddie…,"_ she said.

The billionaire didn't reply right away. But he soon forced himself to answer, "Hello, Maddie….How are you?"

"_My youngest child is missing, Vlad. I think you can imagine how I am…"_ But when her former friend didn't say anything, she sighed and more soberly said, _"Look, we wouldn't be calling you if this wasn't important. But we need to find that Wisconsin Ghost, Vlad. And our only lead on that evil spirit is that it was haunting your home the first time we saw it."_

Vlad cringed at being referred to as an 'it'. But he quickly got back to the matter at hand and replied, "Perhaps. But I can assure you that the ghost you seek is no longer around here."

"_How can you be so sure?"_

"You forget I know quite a lot about ghosts, too, Maddie. I have my own devices to check my house and keep my place ecto-free. There are no ghosts here."

Vlad heard her say something to Jack. And with a bit of help from his enhanced hearing, the older hybrid was further able to note the sound of his former male friend's retreating footsteps from whatever room he and Maddie were in.

There was a small silence before Maddie spoke up again.

"_Listen to me, Vlad, I know you have no interest in helping Jack. I'm even beginning to doubt that that detective you supposedly hired has really been doing anything to find Danny. Still, even when I know you won't do it for him, I'm not going to ask you to do it for me, either. You know how I feel about your creepy obsession with me. But…,"_ Maddie paused and sighed shakily before continuing, _"But at least help us in the name of our past friendship. I know that at one point you, Jack, and I were friends. __**True**__ friends, Vlad!"_

"Until Jack betrayed me; until he left me disfigured at some hospital!" Vlad suddenly snapped, unable to keep his emotions under control at the mention of their once genuine friendship.

"_He didn't do it on purpose, Vlad!"_ Maddie exclaimed back.

"No, he didn't," Vlad agreed seriously. "But I told you once before, I could have forgiven Jack for a lot of things. I could have and would have forgiven him for that accident, for his ruining my life, and, yes, even his stealing you from me!"

"_For goodness sake! He never---"_

"But _not_ after his betrayal," Vlad cut her off coldly. "I will never forgive him for that. Do you understand me, Madeline? Never."

The woman remained quiet on the phone for another moment. But when she spoke again, her voice sounded angry. _"So, is that it, Vlad? You won't help us find Danny out of revenge? Do you hate Jack that much?"_

"Revenge?" Vlad repeated in a strange voice. There was a small silence before he shook his head, though the woman could not see it, and answered, "No. It's not about revenge---though, if it was, I think I would have every right to it. But, no, Maddie. It's not about revenge. This isn't about Jack…it's not even about you."

"_Then, what? Why won't you help us?" _she asked in desperation. "_Please, Vlad. Just give us one day to check your home for any ghost activity. I promise we will leave right after."_

"I told you. There are no ghosts here, Madeline," Vlad interrupted her in all seriousness.

"_It doesn't matter, Vlad!"_ Maddie suddenly exclaimed, still sounding desperate. _"Maybe we can find some ecto-residue or something, __**anything**__ that can help us get a lock on the signature of one of the two ghosts that have our son!"_

"Do you really believe your son was taken by these two ghosts?" Vlad asked soberly.

"_Of course I do!"_ she answered, sounding aggravated again. _"Danny Phantom disappeared at the same time Danny did! And now I had some ghosts telling me that Phantom is working with the Wisconsin Ghost, and then the latter piece of ecto-slime feeds me some line about __**my son being safe**__?! What more proof do I need, Vlad?!" _

"Or perhaps believing that ghosts abducted your son is easier to accept than believing that he perhaps just left on his own?" Vlad retorted coolly.

Maddie was silent for another moment; but then she asked in disbelief, _"Are…you blaming me and Jack for Danny's disappearance?" _

Vlad frowned. Was he? Even he could hear the accusation in his tone of voice. But that was illogical considering that the older hybrid knew all too well that Daniel had not simply 'ran away.' So, what was he really accusing them of?

"_You listen to me, Vlad Masters,"_ Maddie suddenly and angrily said. _"We might not be the greatest parents in the world, but we __**love**__ our children! Danny had no reason to run away from home! He knows that we love him and give him the best we can! So, don't you dare insinuate otherwise!"_

"Calm down, Maddie. I am not insinuating anything. After all, what would I know about your parenting of Daniel?" Vlad answered soberly. But when the woman didn't reply, the billionaire sighed and added, "I would really like to help you, Maddie. You cannot imagine how it makes me feel to hear you so upset..."

"_Don't start, Vlad,"_ Maddie warned him seriously.

The man chuckled bitterly. "Don't worry. For once, I do not plan on saying anymore. You know how _I_ feel about you and I know how _you_ feel about me. But like I said, this isn't about you or Jack. I just simply cannot have you over. I meant what I said to Jack. I'm extremely busy. Otherwise, I'd gladly have you over at my home. However, I can reiterate and assure you that the ghost you seek is not here. You can choose to believe me if you want. And if you don't… then I am sorry, but I cannot do anything more for you."

"_You're a selfish man, you know that?"_ Maddie asked coldly.

"Considering the things I've been through, I say I have every right to be. Good-bye, Madeline. I wish you the best of luck with your son," he answered seriously before hanging up on the very woman he loved.

However, as he placed the phone back on its stand, the man's hard gaze quickly melted into sadness. He was quiet for a moment, but then whispered to himself, "I wish this still was about revenge…Everything would be so much easier."

* * *

Maddie stared at the disconnected phone in her hands in shock. Vlad had actually hung up on her!

She frowned in confusion; but before she could ponder it anymore, Jack returned to the living room with a cup of water in hand. "So, what he say?" Jack questioned, offering her the glass of water.

"That he's busy," Maddie muttered, taking the glass from her husband.

"You mean… we can't go to Wisconsin?" Jack asked, a disappointed frown falling over his face.

"We could…," the woman said with a sigh. "But we don't have any way of tracking the Wisconsin Ghost. We do not have his ecto-signature on any of our instruments, which was why we needed to start at Vlad's castle… But he doesn't want us over…," she added bitterly.

"Then… what are we going to do? I mean, we can't even go after that Phantom kid, since we don't have his ecto-signature, either," Jack asked, sitting beside her.

"I don't know, Jack," she said quietly, her mind still mostly on her strange conversation with Vlad. There was something odd about the way he spoke to her… It almost worried her.

"He kept calling me Madeline…," Maddie muttered with a confused frown.

"Who? Vladdie?" Jack questioned, confused.

"Yes," Maddie answered, looking up at her husband.

"Is that bad?" Jack asked, not getting what the big deal was.

Maddie slowly shook her head. "I suppose not… But, it's just odd. Vlad never calls me Madeline. Actually, I think the only time he called me that was when we first met…"

"Huh," Jack replied thoughtfully. "Actually… now that you mention it, he did sound pretty strange when I was talkin' to him, too… Wait… You don't think…?" he added, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.

Maddie rolled her eyes. "Don't start with that again, Jack. Vlad isn't a ghost and he isn't being overshadowed by one. He's just being… Vlad," she added distastefully.

Jack was about to say something when a sudden creak from the stairs got his and Maddie's attention.

"Princess?" Jack questioned, finally noticing her at the stairs.

Jazz jolted before quickly smiling nervously at them. "Hi, Mom. Dad."

Maddie raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing there?"

"Oh, ha-ha! Nothing. I was… just on my way out!" she quickly explained. "Yes, I'm going to Tucker's house to meet up with him and Sam."

Maddie smiled. "I'm so glad to hear you and Danny's friends are spending time with each other. I'm sure that would make him very happy…"

Jazz forced a smile on her face and nodded. "Well, I'll see you at dinner," she then said before disappearing through the kitchen. She quickly got her car keys; and then with a last wave at her parents, she was soon out the front door.

Outside, she paused and let out a sigh of relief. For a moment, she had thought her parents would figure out she had been listening in on their conversation with Vlad.

Jazz bit her lips. She had not known what had given her parents the sudden idea of going to Wisconsin. And it had further worried her that Vlad would think it was her doing. But after hearing her mother's words to Vlad over the phone, Jazz was sure the billionaire himself had something to do with her parents' sudden idea.

But it was strange. Why would Vlad say anything that would risk her parents finding out about Danny being with him?

Did Vlad say something he had not meant to? If so, when? Did the man talk to her parents yesterday, after he had left her up on the tall building's roof? But such a careless slip-up just seemed so out of character for the sly billionaire. Still, it would explain why, over the phone, Vlad had clearly refused his parents' visiting his home. But what had stomped her most about what she had heard just now from her parents was that even they, even her _dad_, had noticed Vlad was acting weird…

What was going on at Wisconsin between her brother and the evil man?

Jazz sighed, knowing she had really no way of knowing. But although her excuse of 'going over to Tucker's house' had been nothing but a quick save, the girl quickly decided she was going to do just that after all. She had to talk with Danny's friends about her parents' interest in going to Wisconsin. But also about her own conversation with Vlad yesterday...

Not having felt too well with all her running around and having her mind in a jumble with everything she had talked about with Vlad yesterday, Jazz had decided not to talk to Sam and Tucker about it right away. But when they came over to see if she was alright, she didn't think she could avoid their questions. That is, until her mother inadvertedly helped her to do just that. Her mother had insisted that she needed to rest and couldn't talk or see anyone at the moment, and had sent Sam and Tucker on their way. And, truthfully, her mother had been right.

But now, she knew it was time to talk to them about it. She had to tell them about Vlad's interest in Danny's evil future self. And also…. about the agreement she made with Vlad…

Jazz was certain of one thing:

Sam was going to strangle her for the latter…

* * *

"**Are you crazy?!"** the goth girl exclaimed at Danny's sister. "How could you have told Vlad that you're going to let Danny stay with him? And in exchange for that jerk to bring down the ghost numbers in Amity?! Not only is that completely insane! But do you actually think he's even going to keep his word?!"

"Sam, for the hundredth time, it's _more_ than just Vlad's promise of bringing down the ghost numbers!" Jazz said with a tired sigh, glancing briefly at Tucker, who was just quietly sitting on his bed, watching the two girls argue. She looked back at Sam and added seriously, "Something is happening at Wisconsin…I'm not sure what; but---"

"Jazz, the only thing happening in Wisconsin is that Danny is being tortured by that evil creep!" Sam cut her off. "He's probably trying to turn him evil or something! That's probably why he wants to know more about Danny's evil self! He probably somehow found out about it and now is trying to create that alternate future all over again, but with Danny as his evil puppet! We can't let that happen, Jazz!"

Jazz frowned worriedly at the possibility. But she had her own idea of why Vlad was asking about Danny's evil self. And it was nothing like what Sam believed. But if she shared with the younger girl her own thoughts on Vlad's questioning, Sam would not just call her crazy again, but call up that mental institution she would insist she had to go to.

"Jazz, listen to me," Sam suddenly said when the older girl stayed quiet. "You can't let Vlad fool you like this. We have to stop him! We have to help Danny! Jazz, we can't let the jerk hurt Danny!"

"That's just it, Sam…I don't think he's hurting him…," Jazz replied quietly, glancing away.

But Sam only became more livid. "Are you serious?! Since when does Vlad do anything besides hurt Danny?! How can you even try to assure me that that lunatic is not hurting him? What? Did Vlad tell you that, too? And you _believe_ him?"

"Yes, I believe him!" Jazz suddenly snapped. "I know how crazy this sounds! And I promise you that I'm having one heck of time believing it myself! But we have to back off, Sam. I don't know how I know that, but you have to trust me. You have to trust _Danny_! At least…" Jazz paused; and with a sad sigh, she added, "Let's wait and see what happens, okay? I mean, what else can we do at this point?"

Sam shook her head, though she said nothing else. But recalling her male friend, the goth girl looked over at Tucker, finally noticing how quiet he was.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" the goth girl asked with a frown.

The boy sighed and looked down at his room's carpet in thought. But he then shook his head as well and finally said, "I don't know… I mean, I don't believe a word Vlad says, either. And I don't think he's capable of being nice to anyone, especially Danny. Not to mention, his interest in Danny's jerky self is beyond scary. But… I do trust and believe in Danny. I mean, he has been able to handle Vlad before."

"Just barely," Sam quickly reminded him.

"But he has, Sam," Tucker retorted. "I mean, maybe Danny has needed help before when it comes to Vlad… but the point is that he is capable of handling the guy… I don't know…Maybe we should just let him do that now, you know?"

"Do what?" a disembodied voice suddenly asked.

The three teenagers gasped in alarm. But before they could do anymore, a certain girl with white hair and green eyes materialized in front of them…

"Danni?" Tucker asked in disbelief. The boy clearly remembered how a few weeks after Danny's disappearance, he and Sam had ventured into the Ghost Zone, looking for their friend. And instead of finding him, they had run into the ghost girl. When they had told her about Danny's disappearance, she had offered to help them search and ask around in the Ghost Zone for Danny. But… that had been months ago! And now she was back?

"Where have you been?" Sam asked, voicing Tucker's thoughts before he could.

The younger girl smiled weakly, but before she could answer, Jazz cut her off.

"I'm sorry… You are?" the older girl inquired, cautiously studying the ghost in front of them.

"Oh," Sam jumped in, remembering that Jazz had yet to meet Danny's 'cousin'. "Sorry, Jazz. This is Danielle---"

"Danni," the twelve-year-old corrected her with a deep frown.

"Right. _Danni_," Sam repeated with a roll of her eyes. Did the younger girl not realize how unoriginal that was? But it was so like a twelve-year-old to copy someone they looked up to. Still, it annoyed Sam to no end.

But remembering the matter at hand, the goth girl shook her head, looked back at Jazz, and continued, "You see… Danni is, well…"

Sam looked over at Tucker before they both turned back at Jazz and simultaneously advised her, "You might want to sit down for this one…"

Danielle smiled nervously at Jazz after Danny's friends told her the entire story revolving around her. But seeing the older girl's look of disbelief, Danielle sighed and turned human to help sink everything in. But to the twelve-year-old's surprise, the sixteen-year-old just began to pace the length of Tucker's room.

Sam and Tucker just kept quiet, already guessing what was going to come next from the older girl.

"So, let me make sure I heard this right…," Jazz finally said, pausing and looking at the twelve-year-old. "You're Danny's _clone_? A clone _Vlad_ made?" she asked in disbelief.

Danielle lowered her gaze and nodded.

"And you two didn't tell me this until now because…?!" Jazz demanded, suddenly very angry with her brother's friends.

"Danny told us not to tell you, Jazz," Tucker replied nervously. Seriously, girls were scary when they were mad…

"Ugh! Danny makes me so mad sometimes!" Jazz exclaimed, crossing her arms and glaring at nothing in particular. She didn't understand it! Why was her brother always keeping things from her? Did he not think she could handle it? Didn't he trust her?

"Look, Jazz," Sam quickly jumped in. "Danny didn't want to worry you… or _disturb_ you on top of that---No offense, Danni," Sam added with a glance at Danielle, who shrugged in reply. "But, do you see why we can't let Danny stay with Vlad?" the goth girl pressed. "The guy is sick! He has some crazy obsession with Danny, Jazz! And obsessions are dangerous! We can't let that creep hurt him!"

Danielle looked up at the older kids with a frown. "I…I think Sam's right. My Dad-I mean-- Vlad doesn't care about anyone but himself. Whatever his plans are with my cousin can't be good."

Jazz looked over at the twelve-year-old with a serious look. She couldn't believe Vlad had the audacity of disrespecting not just her brother in such a way, but the natural order of things. _Cloning her brother?_ That was… It had no name! But then… this girl had helped the man at one point… She was no better than her creator!

"Why?" Jazz asked coldly.

Danielle stared back in confusion. "Why what?"

"Why did you change your mind? What made you turn against Vlad and help Danny? I mean, you had been ready to hurt Danny if it meant your being saved, right? So what if Vlad hadn't lied to you, would you have done it? Would you have helped Vlad hurt my little brother? What makes you any better than him?!" Jazz demanded angrily.

Danielle lowered her gaze in shame. "I…I don't know. I don't know what I would have done if my dad had not turned against me. Maybe you're right. Maybe I would have helped him hurt Danny. Maybe I wouldn't have cared that it was wrong as long as it meant that my dad and me could be together and that I could be stable…"

The young girl paused. However, she then seriously looked back up at Jazz and added, "But it didn't turn out like that, Jazz. Maybe I wasn't any better than Vlad back then; but things are different now. _I_ _changed_ because Danny helped me see how wrong I was. I changed because of him. And whether you trust me or not, I'm going to do everything I can now to return the favor. It's the least I can do after he _saved_ me not just from Vlad, but from myself, too."

Jazz's hard look unexpectedly melted away, and she lowered her gaze as she whispered mostly to herself, "Danny saved you…Now this makes sense…"

Sam and Tucker shared a look at the older girl's odd tone of voice and comment. But deciding not to ask, they turned to look over at Danni, though it was Tucker who asked, "You never told us where you've been…"

Danielle sighed. "Well, I have been trying to find information on Danny. But all I've heard has been that Walker had been after him or something. But he got away."

"Walker?" Sam repeated, unsure of what was worse: the sheriff's being after Danny or….

"Danny's been going to the Ghost Zone?" the goth girl asked apprehensively.

Danni shrugged. "I guess. But _I_ haven't seen him. That's not all, though. I've actually been trying to get back here for a while now. But it's not really easy to find open portals. Sure, there's the Fentons' portal, but it's usually locked. Plus, I couldn't risk getting caught by Danny's parents. I don't exactly have the energy to fight anyone…," she said with a sigh.

Jazz looked up at the young girl with a questioning look. "Why is that?"

Danielle sadly replied, "I'm still unstable, Jazz. I can't use my powers without…well, melting. So, I'm spending as much time as I can in the Ghost Zone. The natural energy there helps me keep more stable or something. But… lately… I haven't been doing too good…"

"Are you gonna be okay?" Tucker asked worriedly.

Danielle sighed and shrugged. "There's not much me or any of you can do about it. But I'm okay for right now. Listen, what I came to tell you guys was something I heard about Vlad in the Ghost Zone. I… I think he's responsible for all the attacks around here…" she told the older kids seriously.

"How so?" Sam asked warily.

"I heard he put up a bounty over Amity Park. His lackeys have been spreading the word. Whoever can take over Amity Park wins whatever he's offering…," Danielle answered.

"I knew it!" Sam growled out. "See, Jazz? Vlad's just lying to you, like he always does!"

"Okay, fine, Sam! I get it!" Jazz snapped, finally fed up. But then she began to pace again. Maybe Vlad was lying about everything. Maybe he was scheming something. But the way he had talked about Danny… that, at least, had been real. She was sure. And she was still sure that Clockwork would not have told her everything he had for no reason…

"Alright, look," Jazz said with a deep sigh. "We won't stop trying to find a way to get Danny back ourselves. But let's give him a few weeks before we do anything drastic, okay? I just… I want to make sure we're not going to cause Danny anymore trouble. I mean, what if he is working on a way to get back? We can't risk ruining that for him."

Sam opened her mouth to protest. But Jazz quickly cut her off, pleading, "A few weeks, Sam. Please. Just…trust me on this."

The goth girl looked angrily at the older girl for another moment; but then with a huff, she crossed her arms and looked away.

"What about Vlad?" Tucker suddenly asked. "Maybe he's not scheming anything. But if he _is, _we can't let the dude do whatever he wants, _especially_ if Sam's right and the guy is trying to plot something against Danny by using his knowledge of his evil future self. Not to mention, that the whole conversation you told us that Vlad had with your parents could also be part of some scheme, you know?"

"We're just going to have to keep watching him, Tucker," Jazz replied. But then getting an idea, she looked at Danielle and added, "You want to help, right?"

"I have been helping!" the younger girl protested.

"Well, then, you can further help by helping us with keeping an eye on _your father_," Jazz retorted with a slight distasteful frown.

"Me?" Danni squeaked back. "I can't help with that, Jazz! Vlad will waste me if he catches me!"

"I'm not asking you to get close to him, Danielle," Jazz said seriously. "Just keep doing what you are doing. Keep scouting the Ghost Zone for any news on him or anything of the sort. And maybe you can even stay close to his portal in the Ghost Zone. If Vlad's planning something, then he's going to be calling on his allies and they're going to have to come through his portal."

But seeing the twelve-year-old's fearful and still reluctant look, Jazz's softened her gaze and implored, "Please, all I'm asking is that you keep an eye out for anything suspicious. You don't have to do anything. Just come right back and let us know if you see any weird activities around Vlad's portal, okay?"

Danielle sighed, but slowly nodded. "I'll do my best…. But, I kinda also need you guys to catch me up on what's been going on in these past two months that I haven't been around."

Danny's friends and sister looked at each other before Tucker said, "Okay, I'm gonna go get us some drinks and snacks. This is going to take a while…"

* * *

"Hey, Derek," Danny greeted the butler as he, Stephanie, and Annabelle finally returned to the castle. "Where's Vlad?"

"He's…uh… at the backyard… veranda," the butler replied slowly. But then he suddenly added in disbelief, "Are those _cats_?"

Danny glanced down at the white kitten in his arms before looking over at the other one in Annie's arms. "Yeah, I think that's what they are," he answered with a chuckle.

"They're cute, huh?" Annabelle added with a happy grin.

Stephanie just sighed and walked off, clearly going to look for her friend.

Both Danny and the blond-haired girl beside him smirked at each other before they followed after Stephanie. As they expected, the billionaire was indeed at the veranda, sitting on a couch.

But the moment the man saw them come in, he quickly hid in between the sofa's pillows the book he had been reading. Still, Danny had caught enough sight of it to know the book had been _glowing_…

"Hmm... You three are back early," Vlad muttered, standing up and looking curiously at his friend.

"Meow…"

The billionaire froze at the quiet sound and slowly looked over at Danny, finally noticing the little ball of fur in his arms.

"That's why we're back early," Stephanie said with a sigh.

Vlad stared apprehensively at Danny, who just grinned sheepishly at him, while the kitten continued to wiggle and 'meow' in the boy's hold. "Stephanie… Tell me you bought that cat for your daughter," the man finally said, though he kept his gaze locked on the young hybrid.

"Sure, if that's the equivalent of Daniel finding them abandoned in the park," Stephanie replied sarcastically.

"Them?" Vlad quickly looked over at Annabelle. And finding a second cat in her hands, he frowned deeply back at the girl's mother. "And why are they now here, _in my house_?"

Danny quickly interrupted. "Well, you didn't expect me to just leave them abandoned at the park, did you?"

"Actually, yes," Vlad quickly answered, now looking very displeased at the boy. "If you found them, someone else could have just as easily. Now, you probably have fleas all over you and my house is being infested with them as we speak!"

"You sound like I just brought back rabid dogs, Vlad," Danny answered with a roll of his eyes. "Plus, in spite of what you believe, I couldn't just leave them there. It's not like I could've made sure someone else would have found them, you know."

"So, you just _had_ to save the mangy things, right?" Vlad asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, I did," Danny answered with a heavy frown, not liking the man's tone of voice.

"This is all I needed," the man muttered to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose in aggravation. But then he looked over at his friend and seriously told her, "You're taking these cats with you."

Stephanie scoffed. "Oh, I don't think so."

"Well, they're not staying here!" Vlad snapped at her. But then he looked back at the boy and ordered, "Daniel, go get rid of those cats right now. I don't want them another second in my house. And when you're done, go take a shower and throw away your clothes."

"What? Vlad, I don't have fleas!" Danny said, now really annoyed with the guy's exaggerated reaction. "And I'm not gonna just go dumped them outside! That's just cruel!"

The billionaire let out a sharp exhale of air with Danny's reply. However, suddenly deciding his friend was responsible for this, the man quickly rounded back on her. "Why did you even let them bring these cats back, Stephanie? You should have left them in the park!"

"Maybe because Daniel is right! That would have been cruel!" she quickly replied.

"If you think so, then why didn't you just drop them off at a shelter?" Vlad retorted.

Stephanie fell quiet before glancing over at Danny.

And seeing the older hybrid turn to him for an explanation, the younger one admitted, "I didn't want to leave them there, either..."

"Daniel, look at me," Vlad said seriously. "What made you think I would accept this? Have I ever given you any reason to make you think I want a cat, or any animal, at that, in my house---now, let alone _two_?"

The question instantly made Danny recall all the times he had jabbed the man about being a fruit loop who needed a cat. Well… that explained why he was so ticked off about the cats now…

Danny would have rubbed his neck if he didn't have both his hands occupied. So, instead he blushed lightly and looked away.

And realizing the teen wasn't going to answer him, Vlad sighed and looked back at his secretary and gravely told her, "You're going to have to take these cats, Stephanie. I already have enough to worry about. I don't need to add some filthy animals into the mix."

Danny curiously glanced back up at the billionaire, wondering what he had meant by 'having enough to worry about.'

Stephanie just stared back at the man, who returned the same intense gaze. Clearly, the two were having some silent battle.

But suddenly the woman sighed and reluctantly said, "I'll take one of them."

However, the billionaire was not satisfied with the answer and he sternly said, "You're taking both."

"No," Stephanie said just as sternly. "I'm taking one. That's it. You're going to have to figure out what to do with the other one."

"Blast, woman! What part of 'I do not want a cat in my house' do you not comprehend?" Vlad snapped.

"Why are you making such a fuss over a cat, Vlad?" Stephanie snapped back, now clearly very annoyed with her friend. "If the creature bothers you that much, then just call the pound and have them take it off your hands, alright?" And before the man could even open his mouth to argue back, the woman added to her daughter beside her, "Come on, Annie. We're leaving,"

Annabelle, who had been quiet this entire time, quickly jolted when she saw her mother suddenly turn on her heals and briskly head out of the veranda. "Mom? Mom! Wait up! Don't be mad!" she quickly exclaimed, running after her.

Vlad was briefly stunned by Stephanie's sudden retreat. But then snapping out of it, he quickly followed after her as well. "Stephanie! Where are you going?" he demanded.

"What does it look like? I'm leaving. You are clearly having a bad day. So, I'm going to do us both a favor and leave you be," she answered back curtly, though she continued to walk back towards the mansion's entrance.

"Fine. But take the other cat with you! I don't want a cat in my house!" Vlad said angrily when he finally caught up with her at the front entrance.

"Yes, well, neither do I," Stephanie retorted, finally turning to look at the billionaire. She then shrugged carelessly before adding off-handedly, "I guess that leaves us in the same boat, Vlad… See you at the office."

"Stephanie!" the man exclaimed; but the woman left with her daughter without further words.

The billionaire pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to control his anger. But then hearing soft footsteps coming up behind him, he finally closed the front door and turned around to face the teen, who was now standing at the foyer with him.

Vlad frowned in earnest at Danny for a moment; but then he abruptly exclaimed, "Derek!"

The butler quickly materialized in the foyer and quickly asked, "Sir?"

"Get me the number for the closest pound or shelter," he ordered.

But hearing that, Danny quickly protested. "What? Why? Vlad, it's just a cat!"

"I don't want a cat, Daniel!" Vlad replied angrily. "I don't have time to take care of some animal!"

"Who says you have to take care of it?" Danny retorted with a heavy frown.

"Oh, you're going to, then?" Vlad asked sarcastically.

The teen shrugged and looked down at the kitten in his arms. "I wouldn't mind…"

"And then what?" Vlad further questioned.

Danny looked up at the man, frowning with his confusion. "What do you mean?"

But the older hybrid didn't answer him and instead his gaze moved down to the small kitten in the boy's hold. Vlad knew he was overreacting; but with everything on his mind, he was having a hard time controlling himself. Not to mention, all the times Danny had mocked him over getting a cat was now gritting at his mind like nails on a chalk board… Besides, if these gossip tabloids got wind of the richest man in Wisconsin owning a cat when he still wasn't even married, he was never going to hear the end of that. He didn't need something as insignificant as a cat tarnishing his reputation…

Still, he forced himself to calm down a bit and asked soberly, "Why are you so set on keeping this cat, Daniel?"

"I'm not. I just…," Danny trailed off, a bit hesitant about telling the man his exact reasons for not wanting to get rid of the kitten. But then realizing he could ask the older hybrid a similar question, the teen frowned back at him and questioned, "Why are _you_ so worked up about this cat?"

"_Oh, I think you know why!_" Vlad angrily answered in his mind. He had never even understood the boy's past constant jabs! He wasn't so desperate for love that he needed some filthy feline! The idea was just appalling!

But as if reading the man's thoughts, the teen sighed. He looked down at the kitten again before finally saying, "Look, she doesn't have to stay. I just…I don't want to take her to some pound."

"Why not?" Vlad demanded.

"Because Sam wouldn't like that, alright?" Danny suddenly snapped back.

The billionaire's anger instantly deflated with the boy's words.

But before he could say anything, the teen sighed again and added, "She'd kill me if I took this cat to one of those places. And that's also why I couldn't leave them out there…. Please, just… let me find her a home. I could put up posters or something. I'm sure it won't take long to find her an owner. I mean, come on, she's pretty cute," the teen said, holding up the little kitten with a small smile.

Vlad rolled his eyes but then he sighed and looked at the small white cat in the boy's hands.

"Alright," he muttered reluctantly after a moment.

Danny instantly grinned.

"But on three conditions," Vlad quickly added with a stern frown. And seeing the questioning look on the boy's face, he elaborated. "First condition: this is just temporary. A few weeks. If you don't find it a home by then I'll turn it over to the pound."

"Okay," the teen agreed with a slight frown.

"Second condition: I don't want to hear your naming it. That's always the first step to getting attached to something, and as I said, this is only temporary. Don't name it."

"Fine. I'll call the poor cat 'it' until I find her a home. Happy?" Danny said with a roll of his eyes.

"I'd be happy if you'd just let me get rid of the thing," Vlad retorted in a matter-of-factly voice.

"Condition three?" Danny asked with an annoyed sigh.

"Condition three…," Vlad repeated. "That one requires that you and I make a trip to the city."

"Huh?" Danny asked, confused.

"If that cat is staying even a day at my house, I'm going to make sure it's parasite and disease free."

"We're taking her to a vet?" Danny questioned, an amused smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Yes," Vlad replied, choosing to ignore the fact that the teen was having a little too much fun with this.

"Cool. And while we're at it, we can get her food and stuff," Danny said, scratching the little cat's ear.

The kitten purred back happily and Vlad resisted the urge to roll his eyes again. Honestly, why did people get so worked up over some mere cat---or dog, at that? All they did was dirty your home…

"I think I found the number you wanted, sir," Derek said as he finally walked back into the foyer, holding a phone book.

Vlad nodded. "Thank you, Derek. You can put that away now. But ask Carl to bring out one of my cars. I need to make a trip to the city."

Derek blinked down at the phone book in his hands. But he then slowly nodded and turned back around to put away the phone book and do as he was ordered. He wasn't even going to try to understand his employer this time around…

"Daniel," Vlad began when his butler left, only to gasp when a little white kitten was unexpectedly thrust into his arms.

"You don't mind holding her, right? Good! I'm just gonna go get a drink. Meet you outside!" Danny said quickly as he ran out of the foyer and towards the kitchen before the billionaire could protest.

Vlad scowled in the direction the boy had left before looking down at the cat in his hands. "I honestly think he's doing this just to annoy me," the man muttered before wincing when the cat moved a bit and her sharp little claws dug into his skin. "Oh, you're getting declawed, too. Last thing I need is for you to destroy my house. I think Daniel has that one covered…"

"Meow…"

Vlad smiled slightly when the little cat looked up at him with her large yellow eyes, as if she was listening to him.

"Well…He's right about one thing….You are cute," the man said. But he then shook his head and walked off to get his wallet in his room…

Several minutes later, Danny and Vlad were outside, getting ready to leave. But at seeing their ride, the teen's eyes widened in amazement…

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you?" Carl asked his employer, looking disappointed.

"It's a quick trip. I can manage," Vlad assured his chauffeur. He then looked over at the teen; but finally noticing his awestruck look, the man smirked and asked him, "Like the car?"

Danny nodded. "Heck, yeah! Vlad, this car is sweet!"

"Isn't' it?" Carl suddenly jumped in, grinning excitedly. "This baby has a W16 engine, which lets it run well over 400 kilometers per hour!"

"Carl?" Vlad called to his employee, only to be interrupted by Danny this time.

"Dude!" Danny exclaimed. "It's a Bugatti, right?"

"Yes, a Bugatti Veyron 16.4!"

"Carl?" the older hybrid called again.

"It is named after racing driver Pierre Veyron, who won the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1939 while racing for the original Bugatti firm!"

"Carl?"

"The Veyron engine produces between 1020 and 1040 metric hp, so it's classified with a "1001 horsepower" in both the US and European markets. This easily makes it the most powerful production road-car engine in history! And did you know that--!"

"Carl!" Vlad finally exclaimed, jolting his chauffeur out of his 'kid in a candy store' mode.

The ghost blinked at his employer and still clueless replied, "Yes, sir?"

Vlad creased his eyebrows at his employee. But then he sighed and tiredly dismissed, "Never mind. And, Daniel? You can stop laughing now."

The teen snickered some more, but then waved at Carl and said, "Later."

With that, the hybrids got into the car and soon drove off.

"I meant what I said in Germany. You got really good taste in cars," Danny said, still appreciating the vehicle and now also how it purred as softly as the kitten on his lap. "Man, if I were you, I'd be driving myself everywhere with all these sweet rides that you have!"

"If the way you fly hints to the way you would drive, I'm glad you are not me," Vlad retorted.

"I might be impulsive sometimes, but I'm not reckless, Vlad," Danny replied with a roll of his eyes.

"_You will be if your father teaches you to drive,"_ Vlad thought, knowing all too well about Jack's less than exemplary driving. But that very thought suddenly brought another one to the man's mind and he just as suddenly pulled over to the side of the road.

"Uh… why are we stopping?" Danny asked, confused.

"Because we're switching places," Vlad said causally as he opened his door.

Danny's mouth gaped open. "You're gonna let me drive?!"

"You were pestering me in Germany to let you. Well, here's your chance," he told him before stepping out of the car. In truth, the thought of Jack teaching Daniel to drive had made him uneasy enough to decide to do it himself…

Danny was still completely floored; but not wanting to waste this opportunity, he quickly switched places with Vlad.

"You're gonna have to hold her," Danny then said, putting the kitten on the man's lap before turning to put on his seat belt.

"Remind me to buy a carrier," Vlad grumbled, but still held the cat on his lap as the teen got everything adjusted to drive.

However, now that he was sitting in the driver's seat, Danny began to have second thoughts. "Uh… are you sure about this? I've only backed out of the driveway a few times. And I don't exactly have a license and um… what if I crash?"

"Are you afraid of breaking the law, little badger?" Vlad teased. But seeing the teen scowl at him, the man chuckled and shook his head. "Relax. We're going to be on this empty road for miles. We can switch again before we get into the city. And about crashing… it's _possible_… But highly unlikely," Vlad assured the teen.

"What makes you so sure?" Danny asked skeptically.

Vlad just silently placed a hand on the car's dashboard; and in an instant the whole car, including him and Danny, were intangible.

Danny smiled at that, remembering he could do that, too. "Right… Then, let's see how my driving compares to my flying…" he added mischievously, as everything solidified again.

Vlad eyes widened at the comment; but before he could say anything, the teen pressed down on the accelerator and they zoomed forward. "Daniel!" the man exclaimed in alarm.

But the teen just as quickly pressed the brakes, jolting them to a stop. "Whoa… I didn't mean to do that," he said sheepishly.

"Liar," Vlad grumbled.

Danny chuckled before this time lightly pressing on the accelerator. He listened closely as Vlad then began to talk him through his first actual driving experience…

* * *

Deep in the Ghost Zone, in the Realm Beyond Time, Clockwork was watching several images on his time sphere, all of them related to Danny…

A smirk curled his lips for some reason; but he said nothing as he continued to watch. However, as he did, his face fell back into a calm, almost indifferent look. That is, until he realized he had company.

Clockwork sighed. "Speaking of Observants…," he muttered in annoyance under his breath before using his staff to make the frozen image vanish from the viewing sphere in front of him.

"Clockwork."

The time ghost turned to the two Observants before him, his annoyance melting into a cool look. He was clearly not surprised by their visit, though. It was almost as if he had been expecting it…

"We need to talk to you about the boy," one of the two present Observants said in that usual dire tone of voice of theirs.

"What 'boy' are you referring to?" Clockwork retorted, his tone filled with annoyance again, though his gaze lowered to his staff.

"Danny Phantom, Clockwork," one of them replied. "We have seen his current situation. And we are not pleased. Things are rapidly resembling the events that led to his dark future. We allowed you to spare the boy's life with the belief that you could keep those events from occurring without going to such extremes. And now, things are repeating themselves. He is your responsibility, Clockwork. What are you going to do about this?"

Clockwork just sighed in irritation. But he then looked thoughtful for a moment until he finally looked up and simply replied, "Nothing."

The Observants just stared, their eyes widening in shock.

But before the two ghosts could protest, the Time Master elaborated, "I will do nothing. This is something he has to solve on his own. _If_ he chooses that dark path this time around, then I will step in. And this time, I will not spare his life," he assured them gravely. "Last time, you wanted me to let him choose, and I did, except that I cheated a bit. _This_ time, there will be no cheating. He now _knows_ what will happen if he chooses to turn evil. And he must make his choice even when those he cares about are no longer at his side."

Each of the Observants studied the other's reaction before looking back at Clockwork and nodding. "Alright. But what of his entrance into Vlad Plasmius' life? What if he discovers—"

"It's possible, yes," Clockwork interrupted. "But it would not make much of a difference…"

"It cannot even be a possibility, Clockwork! The boy cannot find out!" the Observants stressed, clearly not happy with the time ghost's response. They paused, before one of them added, "You know, it is best if we talk to—"

"I already have," Clockwork interrupted once more. "I know what I'm doing. And I am well aware of whom and what I am responsible for. So if you do not have any other topic to discuss with me, then could you both be so kind…?" the time ghost added seriously, emphasizing his silent demand by pointing his staff towards the door.

The two Observants looked at each other once more before they simultaneously replied, "Very well."

"But you will have to take action if he does go astray once more," one of them added.

But then the second one reminded the time ghost, "We cannot risk the future with another evil Danny Phantom."

Clockwork didn't say anything else. But when they left, the time ghost glanced over at a darkened hallway to his left, knowing that beyond it was a room with a table, which held on top of it a certain container holding a certain evil ghost…

The time ghost knew that he wouldn't be trapped in there forever. And that was why it was so important that the boy went through what he was going through now. By what he had seen, Danny's friends and sister had finally taken his advice---though he knew it wouldn't be for long. Still, things were rapidly changing, which _almost_ made it difficult for Clockwork to follow the boy's fluctuating timeline. The ghost knew, though, that how things went from here depended on the boy's coming choices… and even on the choices of another certain, older half-ghost…

At least, so far, things were going as they should…

With a knowing smile, Clockwork turned back to his viewing glass and resumed his previous actions… and quiet musing…

* * *

It was both amazing and disappointing to Danny how time moved forward whether he wanted it to or not. It was almost surreal that today was finally the last Saturday of the month, meaning that he was just about two weeks shy of being at Vlad's for four months now…

It was very hard to say how he felt about that… especially when a large part of him didn't really feel anything towards the fact. It was as if he now saw it as… normal. In fact, he probably could say for a fact that being with Vlad was natural for him if it wasn't for that single picture that was on his nightstand, reminding him every night before he went to bed about his _real_ life back in Amity Park.

He was probably always going to miss them, no matter how many months…. or years would go by… But he couldn't say things were horrible or even bad with Vlad. Actually, they were very good. Strangely enough, their serious argument a week ago in the forest had melted the remaining tension around them. They both knew what the other's intentions and feelings were regarding their relationship. So, Danny no longer felt he had to hide his thoughts and feelings about his family and friends. In fact, he now could almost freely talk about them with the man, which was the most ironic part of it…

Or maybe the most ironic part was that Vlad would listen and smile at some of his stories…

Staring into the mirror, Danny focused on the reflection of a small white kitten currently napping on his bed. He smiled slightly at her. Taking care of the cat, while trying to find her a home—in which he had yet to succeed---was definitely a good, new past-time for him…

However, his light musing faded away when Danny's eyes slowly shifted to his right, where the picture of his family was also reflecting off the mirror. A small sad frown instantly melded onto his face. But before he could give the picture much thought, a voice broke him out of his thoughts and brought him back to reality---that is, he was getting ready to leave with Vlad to that important party they had discussed about two weeks back…

"You got a special lady friend, young man?"

Sitting on a stool-like chair, Danny glanced through the mirror at the male hair stylist Vlad had hired just for him. The billionaire had insisted on it, really. But although the teen knew he did need a haircut, he was starting to regret letting the man talk him into it; especially when the fruit loop had conveniently left out the fact that he had hired two other people—and had sprung the news on him just two days ago…

But remembering the question and seeing the grin plastered on the face of the overly-peppy man currently doing his hair, Danny raised his eyebrows inquisitively and replied, "No… not really…"

"Oh, then you'll definitely get one tonight," the man assured him confidently, removing a black cover on the teen and then dusting any remaining strands of hair from the boy's face.

Danny blushed at the comment, hardly noticing that the man had focused back on his hair for a last touch-up. However, before the boy could even think of what to say to that, a second man, the fashion stylist the billionaire had hired, moved in front of the teen and then jumped into the 'conversation.'

"Come on now, why settle for one lady friend when you could have several?" the other man countered with a smirk, while fixing the boy's tie.

"Um…," Danny could only reply, feeling uncomfortable talking about something like this with two men he only met two days ago. Seriously, where did Vlad get these people?

Right then, the fashion designer moved to the side to tend to the boy's shirt cuffs. But the teen's view was just as quickly obstructed by a large powder buff that was unexpectedly pressed against his face by the female cosmetologist---the third hired help.

Danny almost jumped out of his skin. But he then coughed lightly, while waving a hand in front of his face in hopes of dispelling the thin powder tickling his nose, only for that very hand to be captured by the man fixing his shirt. The young hybrid could now definitely say he knew what dolls felt like…

But when the buff was pressed against his face again, Danny finally protested.

"Oh, gross! Could you stop? What's that even for?" he asked the woman irritably.

The cosmetologist chuckled in response before answering, "That's to get rid of the shine on your face. Greasy-looking complexions are a big 'no-no' for pictures, you know," But before the boy could say anything in response, she raised a small brush she had been dabbing in some creamy material and sweetly said, "Now, be a good boy and give me a nice pout."

"What?" Danny asked, confused. But when she saw the woman explain what she meant by pouting out her own lips, the boy's eyes widened and he exclaimed, "No freakin' way! I'm not wearing lipstick!"

The three adults around him burst into laughter. But the woman quickly calmed down and amusedly explained, "It's only a _moisturizer_. It'll keep your lips looking soft and alluring, instead of cracked and repulsive. So… a pout, please?"

"I'm going to kill Vlad," Danny muttered before giving the lady what she wanted. Of course, if the teen wasn't so annoyed by it all, he would admit a little lip moisturizer and an oil-reducing buff for his face wasn't a big deal. He had seen enough movies and a lot of those 'inside stories' on famous people to know it was commonly used when they went in front of cameras and such. He was sure Vlad used it for big events, too. But, come on, did _he_ have to, too?

About a good hour later, the three stylists finally finished playing 'dress-up' with the young hybrid. And after the three adults nodded in satisfaction at their work, they finally left the teen alone, though they said something about his being so much fun to work with…

Danny was just glad to see them go and finally stood up from the stool to which he had all but been physically tied for two hours. He then pressed his hands against his dresser and closely stared at himself in the mirror with an unreadable expression on his face.

He looked so… different.

His hair, for one, was styled back, save for a few strands of hair framing his face. The hair stylist had said something about bringing out his blue eyes... Over all, his face looked a lot more… definitive.

The teen took a step back from the mirror, frowning at his attire. He usually liked darker suits; but he was actually wearing a light grey tuxedo. Silver trimming decorated both the jacket and pants. And although he had yet to put on the jacket part of the suit, he had seen the silver-and-black buttons and links that well accented the suit's light color. And, of course, no fancy get-up was complete with slick and shiny black shoes…

Fiddling with the tight tie around his neck, Danny looked at his reflection with disgust. He looked like such a spoiled rich kid, it wasn't even funny.

But his thoughts were interrupted by a familiar chuckle.

The teen turned his head to find Vlad now standing at his open doorway, looking highly amused.

"Oh, Daniel, It's not _that_ bad. Actually, you look very dashing, my boy," the man complemented as he entered the rest of the way. He then grabbed the teen's suit jacket from its hanger and offered it to the young hybrid.

But Danny didn't say anything and just took his jacket and slipped it on.

"Turn around," the man calmly ordered; and when the teen did, he stepped closer and straightened the teen's collar and tie. However, Vlad had clearly noticed the boy's reticence and quietly asked him, "What's wrong?"

Danny sighed at the question, though he raised his arm a bit to let the billionaire fix the black-and-silver-button's on his suit's sleeve.

"I'm, uh…I'm starting to have second thoughts about this," the teen quietly admitted, looking nervously up at the older hybrid.

"I told you, Daniel, you don't have to go if you do not wish it," Vlad replied seriously; but then he gave him a small smile and added, "But it would mean so much to me if you did…"

Danny huffed and muttered, "Like I could say 'I don't want to go' after a comment like that."

A clever smirk curled the man's lips as he retorted. "I know. That's why I said it."

"Manipulative fruit loop," Danny grumbled back, though there was a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He was nervous, yes. But he had said he would go, so he wasn't about to back out at the last minute… especially when it meant a lot to the older hybrid that he went…

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," Vlad replied dryly. But then, he took a step back from the teen and gave him a quick inspection. He then grinned in satisfaction at the boy. He really did look dashing. Shame the child didn't wear things like this more often.

"I see you dressed up, too… well, you know, more than usual," Danny said with smirk. Instead of the usual black suit and bow, the billionaire was wearing a deep olive tuxedo with a tie. His links and buttons were gold in color, and were clearly made just for him by the looks of the 'V.M.' initials on his cuffs' buttons. His hair was done in the usual manner, but the guy seriously looked… 'picture perfect'.

Vlad shrugged and causally said, "It pleases the cameras, I suppose. Oh, and that reminds me…" The man moved over to the boy's dresser and grabbed an aerosol that was left there by the fashion designer. "Hold still," the man then said when he returned to the boy.

"What? You're gonna play _dress-up Danny_, too?" the teen muttered, annoyed, though he let the man spray his suit with whatever the heck the guy had in his hand.

Vlad chuckled. "You're so dramatic, little badger. This is just to keep your suit from wrinkling," he explained.

"Oh," Danny replied.

Vlad moved over to the boy's dresser mirror and gave his own attire one last look over before looking back at the boy. "Time to go," he told him with an encouraging smile. But seeing Danny's nervousness return to his eyes, the billionaire added, "Daniel, I promise. You have nothing to worry about. I'll be close by the whole time, alright?"

Danny weakly smiled and nodded. But then in a timid voice, he asked, "Stephanie and Annie are going, too, right?"

Vlad raised an amused eyebrow at the question, but he still nodded.

Danny sighed. At least he would know someone there…

"Alright then, Vlad Masters," the teen quipped, throwing his uncertainty aside and smirking at the man. "Take me to Hollywood."

Vlad laughed at that. But then placing a hand on the boy's shoulder, he walked out of the room with the teen and retorted, "If you insist, Daniel Fenton."

* * *

**Well, I think you guys know what's coming up in the next chapter. I actually like the next one; it's a light-hearted one, but it has some little twists in it, too. I'll do my best to get it up soon. Oh, and don't worry you are not suffering from Déjà-vu, that Clockwork scene is straight out of the one-shot I wrote. If any of you were wondering where that scene fit in the story, well here it is; not to mention it might make a lot more sense now to those of you who are good at figuring things out beforehand. *winks***

**Well, more fanart your way, too! Look at my DA for the new ones from: deadlydaisy8o8 **

***Thanks a bundle, DD!***

**And thank you all for your support! Vlad muse hugs for everyone! Lol!**


	65. Chapter 64: Joining Worlds

**Well…. Not quite the Saturday I had promised, but it took a lot longer to edit this chapter than I thought. But it is one of those very long chapters, so I hope that makes me for the delay and long wait. And if any of you didn't read my message on my profile or on the DA, then it's still there; so if you don't know why it took me so long to update, then you can see why there. But, hey, I am a free gal now! My graduation is this Friday! I will be taking a couple day trip down to Miami with my family right after, so I am very excited! And I'm also excited to finally have my bachelors in Molecular Biology and Microbiology! Heh! But I still got medical school to jump over, so my school life isn't finished just yet. However, I probably won't be going into med school until next year, so that means I will have a lot more time to work on stories---or I hope so anyways! Okay, well, you guys have waited long enough; so let me stop rambling! It's not exactly an exciting chapter, but it's an interesting one, nevertheless. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. But the OCs are my own.**

* * *

**Chapter 64: Joining Worlds**

* * *

Riding for the first time in a white and gold limousine, the two hybrids finally made it to their destination.

"Is that it?" Danny muttered, staring out the window at the grand hotel that they were slowly approaching. If he wasn't so nervous, he would have been awed by the sight. But the commotion just outside the limo's tinted windows was hard to ignore.

There were limousines and other expensive cars parked around the hotel's main entrance. And as the hotel's employees busied themselves with all the VIPs, the security team, with the help of a set up of ropes, kept the press and curious bystanders at a distance.

Vlad didn't answer the obvious question and just glanced outside himself. But it hardly took him by surprise, of course. And yet, he was suddenly a bit anxious, though it was mostly for the boy. Maybe this was just a bit too much for him… And after Vlad's conversation with Maddie and Jack just a few days back, the man also had to acknowledge that he was taking a risk by bringing the teen in front of cameras.

Still, it wasn't as great a risk as it seemed. He had long since planned for this. For one, Maddie had been right in suspecting that the investigator the billionaire had hired was hardly raising a finger. Not only that, but Vlad knew for a fact that it had been a good two months since the police had given up on actively searching for Daniel. His case was now just placed under the 'missing' files, along with the thousands of teenagers that disappeared each year in the US.

No, the police weren't the problem. And, really, neither was the nosy press itself. Vlad's _slight_ concern was due to the boy's friends and sister. Vlad was sure they were going to find out about this. But there was nothing he could really do about it. And the man honestly didn't care what they thought on the issue as long as they kept their mouths shut.

Furthermore, there were so many influential people at this event, including himself, of course, that Danny's accompanying him would all but fall into the shadows. The press liked to focus their stories on scandals or economical events. And with the teen always seemingly wanting to blend in, the billionaire knew he would hardly be an interest to the cameras for very long.

Really, the hardest part of all this would be stepping out of this limo and their reaching the hotel's entrance. After a minute or so, and then everything would be fine... The boy would do fine.

"Mr. Masters?" Carl suddenly called to him, rolling down the window separating him from view.

Vlad just nodded at his chauffeur when he realized they were now stopped directly in front of the entrance.

And all too used to these sorts of things himself, Carl nodded back and rolled the window back up, though not before winking at the nervous teenager.

Danny tensed when he then saw Carl step out of the limousine and go around to open their door. And instantly, there was an uproar outside as the press all but stampeded towards the white limo, trying to be the first to 'greet' the people within the expensive car.

The teen's jaw almost fell open as he watched two tough-looking men, who he now knew were the hired bodyguards Vlad had mentioned, as well as the hotel's security, move everyone back from the limo.

The teen just stared at the craziness outside, unaware that his fingers were digging into the tan leather seat he was on.

That is, until he felt one of Vlad's hands wrap around one of his arms. Danny could only look over at him in earnest.

"Stay close," the older hybrid told him with a smile and a small squeeze to the teen's arm.

But Danny wasn't even able to nod, since at that instant, Carl finally opened the door.

Vlad stepped out first to greet the cameras, and somehow Danny found the courage to follow suit. However, the instant he was out of the car, he took a surprise step back at the sudden bombardment of flashes and voices. Actually, if it wasn't for Carl who quickly grabbed one of his shoulders to steady him, the teen would have fallen against the car behind him.

"Vlad," Danny whispered, not knowing what to do under the assault of cameras and questions.

And somehow, even with all the commotion, Vlad heard him and lightly pressed a hand against the teen's back to get him to move forward with him.

"Ignore them," the man said under his breath when the boy was right alongside him, though that didn't keep the man from flashing the cameras another dashing smile.

Danny just stared around, watching as the guards kept everyone from getting too close to them as they walked down the carpeted path leading to the hotel's entrance.

However, when a sudden question was asked over all the others being thrown at him and Vlad, the teen tensed.

"Who is accompanying you, Mr. Masters?"

Clearly hearing the question himself, Vlad paused to look at the reporter who had voiced it. "This is my nephew. And that is all I will say until the press conference tonight," the man answered casually.

But even with his reply, people continued to question the billionaire about the teen. However, Vlad just simply ignored them and continued towards the hotel's grand doors with the stunned boy.

The moment they entered the lobby, the commotion and lights instantly vanished, leaving Danny briefly dazed from the abrupt change.

"That wasn't so bad, right?" Vlad suddenly asked him, mirth dancing in his voice.

"Yeah... better than the cramped up hallways of Casper High after the tardy bell," Danny muttered as he took a deep breath to calm his nerves.

"Mr. Masters, good evening," one of the hotel's managers suddenly greeted the billionaire before tipping his head at Danny and adding, "Young sir."

"Good evening. Is my table ready?" Vlad asked calmly.

"Of course, sir. Right this way," the man replied.

As they were escorted towards the hotel's celebrity ballroom, Danny glanced around, this time ignoring the different people who greeted the billionaire as they passed them. The man's magnet for attention was something the teen was now used to---or so he thought…

"You own this place, too?" Danny suddenly questioned the older hybrid.

Vlad chuckled. "No. But I know who does."

"Right," the teen said as they finally made it to their destination---judging by the ushers stationed at the ballroom's doors.

When they finally made it in, Danny began to scan the place for the only person his age he knew would be there: Annie. But the ballroom was so grand and there were so many people, that finding her amongst it all was looking close to impossible.

The young hybrid couldn't even focus on searching for a _teenage form_ among the crowd, since there were many other teenagers present. Vlad had mentioned that most of the wealthy people here liked to bring their older children to teach them from an earlier age how to behave and perform in higher circles.

That had made Danny briefly wonder if there was a chance of running into Sam's parents---or even Sam herself. But then the teen remembered that his friend rarely went with her parents to what she deemed 'their snob parties.' Besides, Mr. and Mrs. Manson didn't readily visit Wisconsin; so it wasn't really possible.

"Daniel?"

"Huh?" the teen said snapping out of his thoughts and looking up at Vlad.

He raised a bemused eyebrow at the teen before pointing towards a small group of spread out tables almost right in front of a large stage in the far back and center of the room.

"Our table is over there. Did you want to sit down?" Vlad asked.

Danny glanced over, noticing the tables were marked as reserved and looked to have specific names under the sign, too.

"Uh… Do _you_ want to sit down?" Danny asked him back as he turned his eyes back on the man.

Vlad's eyebrows creased. "I have to talk to a few people…."

"Oh," Danny said, glancing away.

But realizing by the boy's reaction how wrong his reply had come out, Vlad quickly added, "You don't _have_ to go to the table, Daniel. I would actually like you to stay with me, but… if _you_ prefer…"

"Where's Stephanie and Annie?" the teen interrupted.

Vlad glanced around. "I'm not sure. They will be sitting with us at our table, but… they might not be here yet."

The man paused, realizing why the teen was asking him that.

He didn't want to be left alone.

Vlad smiled. "Why don't we see if we can find them, hmm? If not, you can just stay with me until they get here. Come."

Danny opened his mouth to say that wasn't necessary, but seeing the man had already made up his mind, the teen nodded instead and just followed beside the billionaire.

However, the two hybrids had not even gotten more than a few yards into their search when a man with brown hair and blue-gray eyes suddenly stopped them.

"Well, well, Vlad Masters…."

The billionaire briefly frowned at the smirking man, holding a glass of champagne. But finally recognizing him from pictures, Vlad's lips curled upward. "Mark Vazier," he replied.

"That's right," Mark said before extending a hand at Vlad and adding, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Masters."

"The pleasure's all mine. How wonderful to see that you managed to make it all the way from Germany," Vlad answered, shaking the other wealthy man's hand.

"Well, I am the host of this grandiose event. And you, Masters, are my guest of honor," Mark replied with a grin. "Not to mention, my new _business partner_. What better time for us to finally meet than on the day we make our partnership public, eh?"

Vlad smiled back and nodded.

But remembering the teenager beside him, he placed a hand on Danny's shoulder and said, "Well, since we are doing introductions, then allow me to present to you my nephew."

The billionaire then glanced at the boy and informed him, "Daniel, this is Mark Vazier. He owns M.V. Industries. You remember our visiting the branch here in Wisconsin, yes?"

Danny nodded; and politely extending his hand at the man, he greeted him with a simple, "Hi."

Mark calmly shook the teen's hand, but the man's sudden intense gaze quickly made the young hybrid uncomfortable. It was making him feel like he was some specimen under a microscope...

"Daniel, is it?" the brown-haired man asked with a smirk as he let go of the teen's hand and then tapped his lip thoughtfully. "Ah, I know who you are."

Danny tensed. "You… do?"

"Yes. You are the kid who rudely hung up the phone on me," Mark replied with a strange mixture of amusement and… something else in his voice.

Danny's cheeks instantly flushed red. Oh… so this was the guy from the phone who had yelled at him and the teen had then left hanging…

"Now that we can speak in person, I do want to apologize for being unable to attend our meeting while I was in Germany," Vlad suddenly said, turning the man's attention back to him, not missing the slight bite in the man's attitude towards the boy.

"Yes, why was that?" Mark questioned, raising an eyebrow at the billionaire.

"I was simply booked with other affairs. You know how that is," Vlad answered with a light shrug.

"Of course," the man replied. "Quite the inconvenience…," he added, glancing down at Danny with a tight smile.

And while the teen uncomfortably averted his gaze, Vlad frowned; but before he could say anything, a shrilled voice quickly got everyone's attention.

"Vlad Masters!"

Danny startled when a woman in her thirties was suddenly right in front of them, grinning dreamily at the older hybrid.

Mark frowned in distaste before he looked back at his business partner and nodded. And with that, he walked off.

Danny raised an eyebrow when the woman giggled.

"Where have you been?" she asked in a playful voice. "Goodness, just look at you! I haven't seen you in ages!"

"Ms. Ramon," Vlad said, grabbing one of her hands and placing a polite kiss on it. "What a lovely surprise..."

The woman just flashed him another grin as she replied, "Is it really? I haven't seen you in so long, I thought you had forgotten about me."

"Of course not," Vlad replied, but then sighed dramatically and added, "I have just been so dreadfully busy. But… how are things at the polo club?"

"Not the same without you, let me assure you," Ms. Ramon answered, obviously flirting while placing a hand lightly on the man's suit.

"Oh, come now," the billionaire answered with a smirk. "I'm not one to deserve such charm from a woman as lovely as yourself."

"Oh, stop it," she said with fake modestly and a giggle. "Honestly, Vlad, you sure know…"

But the woman trailed off when she finally noticed they had an onlooker right next to them…

Danny was just staring at Vlad and the woman in utter shock. In his time with the older hybrid, he had experience many of the man's different faces. In fact, it both disturbed and amazed the teen just how many he had. But _this_ one…. Danny had _never_ seen Vlad talk, let alone act, like this… And… was he _flirting_ with this woman?

"And who is this lovely young man?" Ms. Roman suddenly asked, examining the teen with both confusion and curiosity.

"Oh, forgive me," Vlad suddenly said. "This is Daniel. He's my nephew." And then looking down at Danny, he further introduced the woman to the teen. "Daniel, this is Ms. Vanessa Ramon. She's an acquaintance from the local polo club."

The woman nodded; and with a bright smile at the teenager, she extended her hand at him, though not exactly in a shaking position…

"Uh… hi…," Danny muttered, still slightly shocked, though now he was also confused by the weird way the woman was extending her hand at him. But the teen just grabbed her hand and shook it the best he could, anyways.

The woman frowned in bewilderment at the boy; but then dismissed it and went back to chatting with the billionaire.

* * *

Throughout the extent of two hours, Vlad introduced Danny to several more people. And some of them would also introduce their children to the hybrids. The teen had slowly began to relax, or more like, get use to the whole thing. But even with his mild chatting with some of the other teenagers he had met, things began to grow dull for the boy after the first hour…

"Thanks," Danny muttered when a waiter took his empty glass of cider from his hand and gave him a new one.

A giggle turned Danny's attention back to Vlad and some new woman talking to him. _That_ part of the whole 'meet and greet' deal had grown annoying for the teen after the first two women, who included 'Mrs. Ramon' or whatever her name was. Danny could hardly stand seeing his own parents all lovey-dovey now, let alone, stand seeing Vlad get fawned over. And what was the weirdest and most disturbing thing about it all was that whenever the man got a hint of a flirt thrown his way, he would either laugh with ease and throw one right back, or he would flash a charming smile at them, only to have them fawn over him even more.

Danny rolled his eyes when another woman joined into the 'conversation' with the billionaire. And hearing them continue to giggle, the teen took a swig of his cider to keep himself from voicing his annoyance of the whole thing.

Honestly, he was tired of this. Not just of the swooning women, but of, well, just standing here. With everyone demanding the man's attention, the teen had not even crossed a single word with Vlad in the past two hours. The man would introduce him and the teen would just politely smile back at whatever stranger; and from there, Vlad would just start talking away with whoever, forgetting all about the boy. The teen had never been sure about going with Vlad to this event in the first place, but had done so because he knew it did mean a lot to the billionaire; but at the moment, the teen had to keep reminding himself why he had even come to this thing to begin with.

It wasn't that Danny was angry that the man wasn't paying attention to him. He got that the billionaire was very important and busy at the moment. And he got that he was now submerged in _Vlad's world_, so he couldn't pull the guy out of it. The teen just wished _he_ could get away from it. He wanted to go sit down at their table. He didn't even care anymore that he would be alone over there---since he had yet to see Stephanie or Annie.

But every time Danny tried to open his mouth to get a word in with the older hybrid to tell him he wanted to leave for their table, some new stranger interrupted him. So, he had just given up and was now taking out his frustration on the closest waiter with cider.

"Hi, Daniel?" someone suddenly called to him while tapping on his shoulder from behind.

The boy turned around, only to choke on his cider with his surprise at finding two teenage girls he had meet earlier standing in front of him. The two were identical twins, yet their pretty smiles were captivating in their own way.

"Oh, hey, uh…Tiela and Terra, right?" Danny asked, coughing a bit to clear his windpipe.

The two nodded simultaneously.

"You look so bored. Why don't you come with us?" one of them then said.

But then the other added, "Yes, come with us. We want to chat with you."

Danny grinned. "Yeah, okay! Just let me…," But he trailed off when he glanced back at Vlad and found him completely submerged in a conversation with some guy. The teen didn't really want to interrupt him. But he also really didn't want to waste his chance to get away from his boredom.

The boy suddenly shrugged to himself, deciding to just leave. It's not like Vlad would miss him or anything.

But the teen had not taken more than a few steps away from the billionaire when the man's voice and sudden question jolted him with surprise.

"Where are you going, Daniel?"

Danny turned back to the older hybrid and just blinked at him for a moment. And by the way the guy that was conversing with Vlad had his mouth opened, it was clear that the stranger had been left hanging in mid-sentence by the older hybrid.

How did Vlad even realize he was leaving when in this entire time the billionaire barely even had glanced down at him?

"With them…," Danny slowly replied, pushing away his bewilderment and pointing at the girls beside him.

Vlad just glanced at the twins, but didn't say anything.

And figuring that meant the man didn't care, Danny turned back around and finally walked off.

"Masters?" the man who had been speaking to the older hybrid called to him, a little annoyed now.

But Vlad continued to ignore him as he followed the teen with his eyes for another moment. But the billionaire then glanced over in the direction of one of his bodyguards nearby and gestured with his head for him to follow the boy.

With that, Vlad turned back to the man in front of him and asked calmly, "You were saying?"

* * *

When the young hybrid had left with the twins, they had taken him over to a group of teenagers. And while some of them he had been introduced to previously, the others he got the chance to meet now. Danny had just chatted with them for a bit, until a boy named Henry, who was actually the son of the guy who owned the very hotel they were in, had snuck them all out of the ballroom and into a game room on another floor...

"So, Daniel, how come we haven't seen you around here before?" Henry asked him as they played a game of ping-pong.

Danny smacked the ball back at the teen as he replied, "I'm not from around here. I'm just visiting my uncle, so he asked me to come with him today---Oh, and call me, Danny."

"We'll call you whatever you want," one of the new girls, who he had just met and was standing right beside him, suddenly said with a flirtatious grin.

The comment distracted Danny enough for him to miss Henry's next pass.

"Ha! You're out!" the teen said with a smug grin.

"That was so unfair," Danny muttered over at the boy.

He shrugged and said, "Everything's fair in the war of ping-pong. Even the girls," he added with a smirk.

"Sorry, Danny," the girl who had distracted him said, moving closer to him.

The young hybrid just shrugged and nodded, not really all that bothered by it.

"So, how long are you hanging around here?" Henry asked as Danny gave his racket to another boy.

Danny shrugged again, while glancing over at the twins who were playing air hockey to his right. "Hard to say..," he replied absently.

"Oh, one of those vacations, eh?" the other boy now playing with Henry said with a knowing nod.

Danny forced a smile on his face, while internally thinking how far from a vacation being with Vlad was. Well… he supposed he didn't have as many of the pressures he did in Amity Park, but then he had new sorts of pressures here…

"Having fun?" a familiar voice suddenly asked right next to his ear.

Danny quickly turned his head and brightened at finding Annie there. "Hey, I was wondering where you were," the boy said, but then added, "Wow… you look nice."

Annie smiled, ignoring the glares that got her from the two other girls that had been flirting with Danny a moment ago.

"Thanks. And I got here about an hour ago. Henry's father told me you might be here," she said, waving over at Henry, who returned the greeting with a nod and smile since his hands were occupied.

Danny nodded before glancing over at the bodyguard standing at a corner of the room. Seriously, Vlad was so paranoid.

"Hey, is Vlad still in there?" the teen asked Annie, not realizing the irony of his own previous thought and current question.

Annie shrugged. "I haven't seen him. Actually, I lost track of my own mother about forty minutes ago with all the people in there. I wouldn't worry about him, though. He'll find you."

"I'm not worried," Danny said with a slight frown. "I was just… curious."

Annabelle raised an eyebrow, but then suggested, "We can go find him, if you want…?"

Danny shook his head a little too quickly. "No, that's okay. We---"

"Hey, Danny," Henry suddenly called to him as he placed the racket down and moved over to him and Annie. "Me and some of the other kids are gonna head down the block to this place that plays some _real_ music---rock music! Wanna come? Annie, you should come, too," the boy added, shooting her a suggestive wink.

Annabelle frowned. "I don't think our parents would like that."

But Henry waved a hand. "We'll be back in an hour, tops. The folks won't even know." But then he looked at Danny and added, "Come on, Danny. I'm gonna show you where all the really hot parties are around these parts. Not like this lame one!"

Danny glanced at Annie, who just stared back with uncertainty. But then the boy smiled back at Henry and said, "Sounds like fun… But I'm just gonna stay here. My uncle is a bit paranoid," Danny said, jabbing his thumb in the guard's direction. "If I leave, he might have a heart attack or something."

Henry frowned, but then shrugged. "Alright. But it's your loss. See you later! Come on, guys! Rock time! And sodas are on me!" he added to his friends, who whooped and followed him out.

Danny blinked after the boy and his group of friends before glancing around and finding he was the only boy left. The twins, who had rolled their eyes at Henry, were still playing air hockey with each other. And the two girls that had been flirting with Danny were in the corner whispering to each other.

"I guess most of the kids prefer sodas as oppose to sparkling cider," Danny muttered. "Not that I disagree."

Annie was about to reply when the twins suddenly came up to them and Tiela said, "We're going to head back inside, since dinner will start in about half hour."

Danny nodded. "I guess we should head back, too," he then said to Annie.

"We're coming with you!" the other two girls suddenly exclaimed.

Annie gasped when the two girls pushed her out of the way and each entangled an arm in each of Danny's.

"Lead the way, Danny," one of them said with a sweet smile.

Danny smiled nervously; and not really able to think of anything else to say, he nodded and said, "Uh, okay."

As they headed back to the ballroom, Annabelle scowled at the two rude girls, but said nothing. However, the twins, who were walking alongside Annie, suddenly asked the girl, "So, you know him?"

Annie slowly turned her eyes to the twins and said, "Kind of. I just met him a few months back. Why?"

"Because we want to know if he has a girlfriend," Terra whispered secretively. And then Tiela added, "Yes, and also if he likes twins."

Annie smiled weakly. "I don't really know. But I think those two there beat you to him," she added, frowning back at the two giggling girls in front of them.

"We can take on those two airheads," Terra said.

"But… if _you_ already called dibs on him…," the other added, a frown falling on her and her sister's faces.

Annie chuckled. "Well, I can't say he isn't cute and I wouldn't mind 'calling dibs on him.' But I think someone else might already have… I don't know. It's just a guess, really."

"Well, since this 'supposed girl' isn't here, we're gonna take a shot," Tiela replied.

Annie just shrugged and said nothing.

When Danny and all the girls finally got back in the ballroom, they saw that a lot of people were already sitting at their tables, while others were on the stage, dancing to some piano music. Still, there were plenty of people still gathered around conversing.

Danny and Annie tried to look around for Vlad or Stephanie, but after ten minutes of not finding a glimpse of them, they gave up and eventually fell back into their own conversation, with the twins and other two girls quickly joining in.

"So, Danny, what sort of music do you listen to?" Terra asked, though the smirk on her face showed the question had some underlying meaning.

But oblivious, Danny lightly shrugged and answered, "Mostly rock, I guess."

"Dumpty Humpty?" the other twin asked.

Danny grinned. "Definitely."

Annie smiled at his reply and said, "I like them, too. But I only listen to them when my mom's not home or I'll put it really low. She hates it. She calls it 'mindless ruckus.'"

"I have my own music room; so, _I_ don't have to worry about disturbing my parents," one of the other two girls said with a conceited smirk.

"Of course, being the nephew of a billionaire, I'm sure you can relate, right, Danny?" the other added, placing her hand lightly on the front of Danny's jacket.

Danny chuckled nervously. "Heh. Yeah, sure." But inside his teenage mind, he was thinking, _"Man, now __**this**__ I could get use to…"_ He might not be that quick on the uptake, but he knew when a girl was flirting with him. And these girls were flirting with him!

The fact put a goofy grin on the teen's face.

"Well, we also like soft, _romantic_ music," one of the twins continued, ignoring the other two girls.

"Yes, it's nice to dance to… Do you like to dance, Danny?" her sister further questioned.

Annabelle raised an eyebrow when the other two girls glared furiously at the twins. But although Danny began to notice the tension between the girls, he wasn't following what they were trying to hint at.

"Yeah, I do. Why?" he asked, clueless.

"You know, in polite company, a gentleman is expected to offer to dance with a lady," one of the other girls said, getting a hated look from the twins.

This time, Danny got it and blushed. "I-It is?"

"Uh-huh," all four girls said, as they all took a step closer to him.

Danny rubbed his neck and took a step back when he saw the girls openly glare at one another.

"_Wow… they're actually fighting over me. Heh… Tucker would so love to be here right now,"_ Danny thought, while he tried to figure out how to respond without upsetting any of the four girls. Maybe he could just offer them all a dance? But who was he going to ask first?

"Excuse me, young ladies," Vlad suddenly said, pushing the boy out of his debate with a small jolt of surprise.

"Vl---," Danny began, only to get a jab from Annie on his side, causing him to quickly correct himself, "Heh. Uncle Vlad."

The billionaire raised an amused eyebrow at the boy before looking back at the four girls and adding with a smirk, "I'm dreadfully sorry, but I must steal this dashing young man away from you."

The girls frowned in disappointment, but still nodded.

Vlad then turned his gaze to his secretary's daughter and asked her, "Annabelle, have you seen your mother?"

Annie shook her head. "Last time I saw her was over an hour ago. She was talking to your business lawyer, Mr. uh... Claire!" she said, snapping her fingers when she recalled the man's name.

"I see...," Vlad muttered, briefly glancing around; but still not seeing his secretary, he smiled back at Danny and Annie and said, "Come, Daniel. Let's go to the table. You, too, Annabelle."

"Okay, but I'll meet you two there. I need to go to the wash room," she said.

Vlad nodded, but then he suddenly stopped her by placing a hand on her shoulder. "Oh, one more thing…," The man leaned down and whispered in her ear, "You look lovely, sweetheart."

Annie smiled and whispered back, "Thanks, _Bàba."_

Vlad smiled at her before turning back to Daniel and gesturing him forward, while Annie walked off to the restroom.

The teen, having heard the exchange, raised a questioning eyebrow, "What does that Chinese word mean?"

"I'll tell you at another time," Vlad replied. But he then raised his own eyebrow as he added, "I have been looking for you for a while now…"

"Oh, Henry, uh… the hotel owner's kid," Danny elaborated when the man frowned in confusion. And seeing Vlad nod in recognition, he continued, "We went with him to some game room on the tenth floor."

"Ah, and those girls have been following you since?" Vlad asked with a teasing smirk.

Danny blushed, knowing he meant the four girls he had just left behind. "Yeah… And just so you know, your whole 'dashing young man' line didn't exactly help. I can seriously feel their eyes on my back right now," he muttered, suddenly feeling self-conscious with the voiced fact.

But Vlad grinned at that before leaning forward a bit to whisper smugly in the teen's ear, "Don't be coy, Daniel. You know you like their attention."

Danny lightly scowled. But unable to deny it, he then asked in fake annoyance, "Well, if you _know_ _that_, then why did you pull me away? …I was about to ask them for their number," the boy added with a cocky grin.

Vlad chuckled with the boy's answer, but still explained, "Dinner will be served shortly."

"Oh, right," Danny said, remembering the twins had mentioned that.

"By the way, I'm sorry for ignoring you, my boy," Vlad said, suddenly serious as they reached their table. "You see, many of these people are either business associates or are socially influential. And if you don't at least cross a few words with them they take it the wrong way."

Danny nodded. "It's fine, Vlad. You don't have to worry about me the whole night. I can take care of myself. And I also can handle being on my own for a few hours," the boy said with a raised eyebrow, though he knew the latter comment was not entirely true. He had at first felt very uncomfortable at being on his own with so many strangers and in such a new environment. But now, he was more at ease about it.

Vlad just nodded and sat down when a waiter pulled out his chair for him. Danny, too, actually waited for the same to be done for him by another waiter before sitting down himself.

"Thanks," Danny said when the waiter put a glass of cider in front of him, while the other served the billionaire a glass of red wine.

Vlad took a sip of the wine before looking back at the young hybrid and smiling at him. The teen was actually sitting up properly and being mindful of his manners. It really wasn't something the older hybrid had asked of him. Actually, the boy a few days back had asked him to give him those etiquette lessons he had promised him in Germany. Danny had picked them up quite rapidly, too. The boy really was a fast learner…

"What?" Danny suddenly asked when he lowered his own glass from his mouth and found the older hybrid just smiling at him.

"You---" Vlad began, only to halt in mid-thought when he caught sight of someone approaching them.

"Huh?" Danny asked, confused. But realizing the man was looking at something behind him, he turned his head and blinked at the sight of Stephanie, as well as Annie, coming towards them.

The woman had her attention on her daughter but the light make-up highlighting her natural beauty, especially her eyes, was hard to miss. Her straight black hair for once was down, too. And her backless and sleeveless long blue dress complimented her body quite well, just like her silver jewelry nicely accented her attire itself.

Danny smirked mischievously as he looked back at Vlad and said, "Hey, Vlad…It your _secretary_."

The billionaire quickly snapped his eyes towards the boy and frowned at him in confusion. Why was the teenager staring at him like that? And what in world did he mean by his comment?

However, before the man could question the boy, Stephanie and her daughter made it over to their table. Vlad quickly stood. And guessing that was the proper response, Danny did the same.

"Good evening, Mr. Masters," Stephanie greeted him with a smirk as a waiter pulled out the chair beside the man.

"Good evening, Mrs. Hui," Vlad replied back with his own smile.

Once the woman and her daughter were seated, Vlad and Danny sat down again. But the billionaire then said, now a bit more causally, "I was beginning to think you were not here."

"Hmm," Stephanie replied after taking a sip of wine. "Well, I spotted you a while ago. You looked quite busy, though... Oh, and before I forget, Mr. Claire has the legal papers ready for Mark Vazier. Are you going to break the news to him at the press conference or in private?"

Vlad tapped his chin in thought. "I still haven't decided. It depends."

"On?" Stephanie asked with a raised eyebrow.

"_If I require a scandal,"_ Vlad replied in thought. But he instead shook his head and said out loud. "We'll see when the time comes."

Stephanie gave her employer a strange look, but then she shook her own head and looked over at Danny, "Well… don't you clean up nicely."

Danny smiled at her meekly, but then he added more sardonically, "Yeah, it just took fifty kinds of chemicals. Oh, and your employer here thought it would be funny to make me wear make-up like him."

Vlad choked on his wine, and Annabelle and Stephanie laughed.

"Hilarious, Daniel," the billionaire said dryly.

Danny smirked. "Yeah, they thought so, too," he answered smugly.

Stephanie chuckled some more before adding to her employer, "I see you finally met your match, Mr. Masters."

Danny grinned haughtily with the comment.

But Vlad slightly narrowed his eyes at the young hybrid in challenge as he answered, "So it seems…"

Throughout dinner, the four continued with their light-hearted conversation. Danny almost felt like he was back at the quiet and calm mansion instead of in some grand hotel eating around prestigious people. The boy had to say this was one of the nicest dinners he had had---and he wasn't referring to just the food, either.

Eventually, though, it came to end when a man with a headset on his head walked up to their table.

"Excuse me, Mr. Masters?"

"Yes?" Vlad asked.

"The press conference will begin in ten minutes."

Vlad glanced at the stage, finally realizing that it had been transformed from a dance floor to a conference floor. In front of the stage, there was a roped off section where he knew the press would soon be gathering once they were allowed inside.

"Thank you," Vlad finally said with a nod.

"The moment of truth, Mr. Masters?" Stephanie asked with a knowing smile.

"Hmm," Vlad replied, glancing at Danny for some reason.

The teen just creased his eyebrows in confusion. What were they talking about?

But before he could ask, the billionaire looked back at his secretary and shook his head. "I think I'll just talk to Vazier in private," he finally answered, deciding he didn't want to cause a scandal in front of the boy if he did not need to do so…

"Well, make sure you let Mr. Claire know. He said he would wait for you near the stage before the conference," Stephanie replied calmly.

Vlad looked back towards the stage; and finding his lawyer nearby, he nodded his reply. But he briefly frowned when he noticed Mark still with a drink in hand, talking to Mr. Claire. However, the older hybrid quickly dismissed it and then turned his attention back at Danny again and said, "This conference should not take more than an hour, Daniel. Will you---?"

"Yes, Vlad," Danny said with a helpless sigh, knowing what the man was going to ask. "Seriously, I'm fine. Just go do what you gotta do." But then the teen smirked and added, "I'll be sitting right here the entire time, so feel free to look my way as much as you want to make sure I'm still alive, okay?"

Vlad just rolled his eyes and finally stood up. "I'll be back in a bit," he muttered before walking off.

"Jeesh, he's so paranoid," Danny mumbled mostly to himself as he picked up his glass and took a drink.

But having heard the comment, Stephanie shook her head and commented with a mixture of bemusement and curiosity. "It must be only around you, because I have never seen him behave as such around anyone else."

The teen blinked at that, not knowing what to reply. Danny had thought the whole overprotective behavior was just part of the man's personality. But then, why did act like that with _him_? After all, considering the things the teen could do, Danny was sure he didn't need as much protection as other, 'normal' people. But perhaps… maybe it was because he _wasn't_ _like_ _others_ that the man worried. After all, in his time with Vlad, they had both faced a few very close calls. It was like danger and trouble followed them around, especially the younger hybrid…

"So, little jie," Stephanie suddenly spoke up again, pushing the boy from his musing. "What happened with that other cat you rescued?"

Danny didn't answer right away, since the woman's pet name had him once again wondering what the heck it meant. But knowing she wouldn't tell him if he asked, the teen pushed his question aside and just answered her question.

"She's still at the mansion. I convinced Vlad to let me keep her until I find her a home. What about Annie's cat?" he then asked, glancing at the woman's daughter.

Stephanie sighed. "You said it yourself, Daniel. _Annie's_ _cat_."

Danny grinned over at the girl. "So, you convinced your mom to let you keep the cat after all?"

Annabelle smiled back. "I did. It was easy. I just promised to take care of it and then I gave her a few kisses and told her she was the best mom in the world."

"You know, I'm right here, Annie," Stephanie said dryly.

The girl smiled meekly at her mom, but still said, "Well, it's true. And I did mean it, you know."

"I know," Stephanie said with a warm smile before giving her daughter a peck on the cheek.

Danny just watched them with a smile, though a small pang of pain suddenly clenched his heart…

"I'm surprised Vlad agreed to let you keep the cat, even if it's just temporary," Stephanie continued when she turned her attention back to the boy. "Considering his initial reaction…That's why I haven't dared ask him about the cat myself."

Danny took a sip of his cider to buy himself a second to get a hold of his emotions before he shrugged lightly and said, "Well, I guess he finally realized it wasn't that big a deal. What's ironic is that the cat seems to find him more interesting than me." The teen smiled at the thought and then added, "Vlad acts like he doesn't noticed it, but I know he does."

Stephanie and Annie chuckled. However, their conversation was interrupted by a sudden commotion and they all looked in its direction.

"Press is here," Stephanie muttered.

Danny frowned. "Where were they before?"

"Outside. This is a private engagement, Daniel," Stephanie explained. "Mr. Vazier specifically ordered for the press to be granted access _only_ for the conference."

"Should have made it 'for never'," Danny said, annoyed when the flashes of light began to go off again. At least, the press now had other more interesting people than Danny at whom to point their cameras.

Eventually, the conference began and the press, as well as everyone else's full attention focused solely on the two people on the stage: Vlad and the other guy from Germany, Mark.

The two were mostly talking about their new partnership and the direction in which M.V Industries would be heading from here on out. Everyone seemed to think it was very important and interesting----save for Danny.

The teen had spaced out after the first fifteen minutes of it. Even when the floor was eventually opened for the press to ask questions, Danny was hardly listening anymore. He just found the whole thing more boring than Mr. Lancer's history lessons.

"_I'm never going into business,"_ Danny thought, squelching a loud sigh. He focused on Vlad for a moment as the man answered one of the press' individual questions. Seriously, how many more could they ask? The teen was sure that had to be the hundredth question, and that wasn't including the questions they were throwing at Mark Vazier, too. In fact, Danny discovered at that moment that Mark was also a unmarried and had inherited M.V.I from his father…Clearly, the questions had turned more personal; and Vlad was soon being asked a few himself. Still, the man looked quite at ease by those types of questions, too.

"_Well, at least now I know why Vlad is such a good actor_," Danny thought dryly. _"…He practices every day."_

Despite his inner monologue, the teen also had to admit the man's ability to handle so many eyes on him was impressive. Vlad never once hesitated in front of so many cameras. His words and replies to the press were so smooth and certain that if Danny didn't know better, he would say the older hybrid had rehearsed it. Of course, considering some of the oddball questions he was getting asked, it was obvious none of this was prepared.

Danny glanced over at Annie who was quietly listening, though by the way she tapped on the glass in her hand, the teen was sure she wasn't all that excited about this, either. Stephanie, on the other hand, seemed to be carefully listening to it all.

Turning his bored gaze back over to his glass of sparkling cider, he picked it up and took a drink. He briefly wondered just how many glasses he had had since he got here. He was sure enough since he now could tell the difference between the ones made from apples, the ones made from white grapes, and the ones made by red grapes. He decided he liked the apple cider best, which didn't surprise him since he liked apple juice over grape juice… But then… what would happen if he mixed the flavors? Too bad he was at some ritzy party and doing that would probably get him at least a few frowns, otherwise he would so find out right now…

"Danny," Annie suddenly whispered urgently at him.

The young hybrid blinked up at her, pushing back his pointless musing. But when he suddenly realized the room was dead silent and everyone was staring at him… and the cameras were pointed in his direction, Danny swallowed hard and glanced down at himself, fearing his pants or something could have gone intangible. Sure, it had been something that hadn't happened to him since his first month with his powers, but… what if..?

"Daniel, don't be so modest. Stand up and greet all the nice people," he suddenly heard Vlad say through the microphone, a hint of mirth dancing in his voice.

Danny quickly looked over at Vlad, finally realizing why everyone was staring at him. The guy had clearly introduced him to everyone. But since he had been so busy thinking of how much cider he had drank, the teen had completely missed it.

Stephanie suddenly cleared her throat, which quickly pushed the boy out of his shock and he finally stood up.

"Uh… Hello," Danny said with a small wave and a hot blush on his cheeks. But then he quickly sat back down before his pants really did disappear from how nervous he was.

With that, everyone turned their attention back to Vlad, especially when he was asked a bit more about Danny. But the man simply told them that his 'brother', was out of the country, so Danny was just visiting for an undetermined amount of time. The teen also noticed how the billionaire never once mentioned his last name.

However, Danny was so occupied getting over his own embarrassment that he didn't notice that Mark Vazier seemed a bit fidgety and was staring quietly at him as Vlad turned the questions away from Danny and back to business. The teen also didn't notice that after Vlad's 'little story' to the press about him, Stephanie was now watching Vlad with a deep frown…

But the young hybrid _did_ notice how the billionaire discreetly shot him a smirk. Danny replied to it with an annoyed glare, knowing full well that the guy had embarrassed him on purpose.

The conference finally came to its end ten minutes later and the press was escorted back out, so that the private engagement could continue.

Danny shot the billionaire another irritated look when Vlad took his seat at the table again.

However, the billionaire smiled smugly in return and said, "I do apologize, Daniel. But you looked so dreadfully bored that I figured a few eyes on you would make you feel better."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Oh, yeah, a whole lot better," he answered sarcastically.

"How good to hear," Vlad quipped back. But, suddenly, a light pat on his back lightly startled the billionaire and he looked back at the person responsible.

"Decent job up there, Masters. I knew I partnered up with you for a reason," Mark Vaziar told him with a wink. But before Vlad could reply, the man walked off towards a waiter, got a glass of wine from him, and soon vanished within the crowds.

Vlad stared after him in honest confusion; but not understanding his partner's bizarre actions, he quickly dismissed them and turned his gaze to his secretary and smugly asked, "What do you think? Could my months of hard work have had a better closure than this?"

Stephanie, who had also been quietly watching after Mark, hesitated in her reply. But she quickly realized that her friend was talking about his M.V.I. deal and she forced a smile on her face and answered, "No, I couldn't imagine a better one." She then smirked more softly and raised her glass before adding, "Congratulations on another accomplished endeavor, Mr. Masters."

Vlad chuckled and returned her toast. "Yes…But then, I couldn't have done it without you, Mrs. Hui."

"No, I suppose not," the woman quipped back with a light shrug.

Danny raised an eyebrow at the exchange before looking over at Annabelle and quietly asking, "Is this, like, normal for them?"

"You mean the gloating thing? …Yup," she said with a roll of her eyes, though there was a smile on her face.

Danny opened his mouth to reply to that, but at that moment a woman he had met earlier interrupted the four at the table.

"Eh-hm, Vlad? Are you not forgetting something?" Ms. Ramon asked with a sensual smile on her lips.

Since he still had been talking to his secretary, the billionaire was briefly surprised by the other woman's presence. But it quickly melded into a calm smile even as he questioned, "And what would that be?"

Ms. Ramon playfully pouted as she replied, "Tsk. You haven't offered to dance with me. You don't think I'm going to let you get away with that, do you?"

"Ah," the billionaire answered, noticing the music that was now playing in the background. However, he didn't notice how Stephanie raised an impassive eyebrow at the woman, or how her daughter just right out glared at her. He also didn't see Danny staring at him with an odd look.

Instead, Vlad stood up; and with a casual smile, added, "That would be a crime, wouldn't it?"

Ms. Ramon grinned.

But then Vlad suddenly paused and glanced down at the others at the table, but specifically at Stephanie, though she didn't notice it.

"You know…," the billionaire slowly said, turning his eyes back to Ms. Ramon. "At any other time I wouldn't dream of committing said crime…However, I already did promise my dance for the night to someone else…isn't that right, Mrs. Hui?"

Stephanie instantly snapped her eyes up at her smirking employer, genuinely shocked by his question. Vlad had to be joking…But when he further extended a hand to her, the woman realized he wasn't kidding.

Stephanie's eyebrows creased as she looked down at her friend's hand before looking over at an unhappy Ms. Ramon. However, her hesitation left her when she finally looked at Vlad, and a small smirk crawled on her own lips.

"Yes… that's right," she finally answered, accepting her friend's hand and standing up.

"Good. If you all will excuse us," Vlad then said, though he just politely tipped his head at the other woman.

And while Annie grinned as she watched her mother leave with Vlad, Ms. Ramon huffed indignantly and walked off.

"Huh," Danny said, not knowing exactly how to react to what he had witnessed. Talk about surprises…

"I can't believe it!" Annie suddenly whispered excitedly, getting the boy's attention. "Can you believe it, Danny?! He asked her to dance! Oh! I have to do something about this! I'll be back in a minute, okay?"

"What?" Danny asked, a bit taken aback by how fast she had said all that. But before he could even ask her where she was going, she had already got up and ran off somewhere.

"Okay," he mumbled. But he then shook his head and turned his eyes back in the direction of the older hybrid. However, the then teen readily smirked at the sight of him as he said, "Heh. The fruit loop can actually dance…" He then added more sardonically, "I'm gonna have to forget that."

"More sparkling cider, young sir?" a waiter suddenly asked.

Danny shrugged. "Sure, hit me with the apple kind."

The waiter looked at him strangely, but said nothing and did as he requested.

The teen was about to take a sip of his new glass of cider when he suddenly notice the lights dim and the music go from a soft piano to an actual song…a love song.

"Oh, that's where she went," Danny said with a chuckle. "That's totally smooth, Annie. Might as well dress up like cupid and shoot an arrow at Vlad."

But the thought of the billionaire turned Danny's eyes back to him as he comically added in thought, _"I wonder if I could conjure up an ecto-arrow. Maybe that would work. Seriously, anything to get Vlad over his obsession with my mom…"_ But then with a roll of his eyes, the boy ironically said out loud, "He's so clueless…"

Danny shook his head and continued to just quietly watch the older hybrid, unaware that someone was now watching him…

* * *

"Is she gone?" Vlad quietly asked Stephanie when they made it to the stage, and taking her hand, he began to dance with her.

The green-eyed woman glanced in the direction of their table before replying in amusement. "Long gone."

"Good. I cannot stand that woman," he mumbled back. But then he smiled and added, "Thank you for playing along. You're quite the lifesaver, Stephanie."

His secretary shrugged. "Think nothing of it. Although… I could say you owe me now, hmm?"

Vlad smirked before he suddenly spun her around and then pulled her back to him. "Oh, really? And how should I repay my debt?"

Stephanie pretended to think about it before telling him wickedly. "I'll get back to you on that."

"Alright, then," Vlad answered with mirth.

But at that moment, the lights suddenly dimmed and the music changed. Stephanie suddenly tensed, which, of course, her friend noticed.

"What's wrong?" he asked, confused.

_Take me, back into the arms I love. Need me like you did before…__Touch me once again... _

_And remember when there was no one that you wanted more…_

Stephanie was suddenly glad it was darker. She could feel her embarrassment stain her cheeks. _"Nothing's wrong… I just want to strangle my own daughter right now,"_ she thought despairingly, sure that this was Annie's doing.

_Don't go, you know you'll break my heart..._ _She won't, love you, like I will… _

_I'm the one who'll stay_… _when she walks away…. __And you know I'll be standing here still..._

"Vlad," Stephanie suddenly said more seriously as she looked up at him. "You realize everyone is watching, right? What happened to keeping appearances?"

The billionaire stayed quiet for a moment, but then he surprisingly shrugged. "The press is gone. Besides, you are my friend, Stephanie… And…we have absolutely nothing to hide, right?"

_I'll be waiting for you… Here inside my heart…. __I'm the one who wants to love you more._

_You will see I can give you everything you need… _

_Let me be the one to love you more…_

The woman shook her head and smiled a bit. "Right," she replied, though she knew that wasn't the point…

The two were quiet for a moment and just simply enjoyed each other's company. However, a brief moment later, the older hybrid smiled again and suddenly said, "You look beautiful, Stephanie…Then again, you have always been beautiful…," he added with a softer smile.

Stephanie just stared at him disbelief. Her friend was acting so odd…asking her to dance… now this?

"That's… nice of you to say," she said quietly, though she looked away.

"No… it's just the truth, Stephanie," he told her a bit more seriously.

But when he suddenly got quiet, Stephanie looked back up at him. And curious of his sober and thoughtful expression on his face, she asked, "What is it?"

Vlad sighed quietly. "I…have been doing a lot of thinking as of late… _more_ than I have wanted, actually… You know, Eric was a fool for leaving you, Stephanie," he suddenly said, an intense seriousness in his blue eyes.

"Eric?" Stephanie questioned, not understanding why her friend was suddenly bringing up her daughter's father.

"Yes… But I have been a fool, too," he continued.

The woman's eyes widened again. What was he saying?

"I hurt you. I pushed you away. You didn't deserve that," Vlad assured her. "Not when you have never failed me." The man huffed and shook his head for some reason. "I suppose what I'm trying to say is that you are a good friend. A true friend. And I'm sorry I don't always treat you as such."

Stephanie just gazed at him for a small moment. Although she had initially thought her friend was going to say something else, what he had said was almost as impacting…

"I am staring to wonder how much wine you have had tonight…," she finally muttered.

Vlad chuckled weakly. "Are my words that hard to believe?"

Stephanie shook her head. "No, I know you're being sincere… I just..." She paused. But then shaking her head again at whatever she was thinking, she finally smiled and said, "You don't have to thank me. And you can be sure that no matter what ever happens, I will always be here for you, Vlad. You are my friend, too. And… I think that Annie, wherever she is, is happy to know that I'm keeping an eye on you for her…"

Vlad lowered his gaze as he quietly questioned, "Do you really think so?"

But before she could answer, the song came to an end and the lights returned to their normal lighting.

"I think we're done," Vlad said with a weak smile as he let go of his secretary.

"So we are," Stephanie replied back, trying to keep the disappointment from her voice.

Vlad creased his eyebrows, not understanding why there was this sudden awkwardness between them… much like that time in his office. But not wanting to dwell on it, Vlad cleared his throat and said more lightly, "We should return to the table."

"Oh, of course," Stephanie replied with a smile. "Let's---"

"Mr. Masters!" Vlad's lawyer suddenly interrupted them. "Looks like you beat me to the punch. I was hoping to ask the lady for the first dance of the night. She's lovely, isn't she?" the man said, smiling over at Stephanie and taking her hand and kissing it.

"Yes," Vlad answered, though he wondered why it was a bit hard for him to smile at his business lawyer right now.

Stephanie just smiled politely at Mr. Claire, but didn't say anything.

"I wanted to congratulate you as well, Mr. Masters," the man continued, turning his gaze back to Vlad after letting go of the woman's hand. "It took us months, but… M.V. I. is yours…," he said, whispering the last part.

"Yes, it is," Vlad answered, glancing at Stephanie. "But I plan to tell Vazier the news in---" The older hybrid suddenly trailed off and his body tensed.

"Mr. Masters?" Stephanie questioned, confused. But before she could say anymore, the entire ballroom suddenly went dead silent.

Vlad quickly whirled around towards where he had left Daniel. And his eyes flared red at what he saw… Luckily, everyone was staring at something else at the moment. But the man was as angry with the scene before him as he was with himself. Of course! How could he have not noticed the signs before?!

"Why that…," the billionaire whispered darkly under his breath, though he trailed off again and just stormed over to his table…

* * *

After watching Vlad and Stephanie for few moments more, Danny lost interest in them and turned his head to see if he could spot Annabelle. In spite of the low lighting, he soon caught sight of her, though it looked like Henry had kept her from coming back as readily as she had said.

"I guess he got bored of the rock music and sodas," Danny said with slight amusement.

"So, Daniel…"

The young hybrid startled at the sudden foreign voice and he quickly turned his head in its direction. But when he realized that the voice belonged to Mark Vazier, the boy blinked in surprise.

"Sir?" he asked, watching in confusion as the man sat across from him at the table with two drinks in hand. The teen didn't even notice how the soft music had stopped and the lights returned to their normal setting.

"Or, should I call you 'Danny'? …That's what you said your name was over the phone, remember?" Mark asked with a calm smile on his face, while placing his two half-empty glasses down on the table.

"Uh…yeah… Danny," the boy slowly replied, while trying to figure out why this man was starting up a conversation with him, though he briefly noticed the odd fact that the man had two completely different kinds of drinks with him…

"Alright…Do you have a last name, _Danny_?" Mark further inquired as he placed his hands on the table and interlaced his fingers.

The question instantly melded the teen's confusion into apprehension. "Yes… I do," he mumbled in reply, though he briefly glanced towards the stage, hoping to spot Vlad again… But he wasn't there anymore…

"And it is?" the man pressed casually.

Danny snapped his eyes back to Mark. And on a sudden impulse, he quickly answered, "M-Masters. Danny Masters." The boy mentally cringed as he said that; but he knew full well that he couldn't chance giving this guy his real last name. The man was already a little too curious about him for his liking.

"I see...," Mark answered with a click of his tongue. "That sounds sensible, considering Masters told the press your father is his brother…"

Danny just nodded.

"Do you have any siblings?" the wealthy man abruptly asked him, raising an eyebrow this time.

"N-no," Danny replied with a nervous shake of his head. But the teen glanced back towards the stage, quickly searching through the crowd for any signs of the older hybrid. Where the heck was he?

"Ah, a single child. Isn't that something?" Mark teased. But then he turned thoughtful while he lightly drummed a few of his intertwined fingers against his own hand. "Huh… it's almost quite convenient… I mean, your uncle doesn't have children…He's not even married…" Mark raised an eyebrow back at the young hybrid as he then added, "That leaves you with a high chance of inheriting his fortune and his business empire, doesn't it? …Why is it again that you are with him? He mentioned to the press something about your parents being out of the country…How odd that they would leave their only child for such a long period of time…Surely, you are not even eighteen yet…"

Danny frowned this time. He knew what a loaded question was when he heard it. And this guy was throwing several at him at once… He wasn't about to fall for any of it.

"Look," Danny began, his tone a bit more calm and serious now. "I'm sorry about hanging up the phone on you. I can understand why that would upset you. But---"

"Upset me?" Mark cut him off with a chuckle. "Not at all. Why would I be upset about being rudely interrupted and cut off? Besides, how can I expect anything more out of someone like you?"

Danny's eyebrows creased deeply. "What do you mean, _someone like me_?" he questioned, this time not hiding the fact that he was looking around for Vlad. The teen really didn't want to talk to this man anymore, but he couldn't just get up and walk away. Darn it! Where did Vlad go?!

The man chuckled, but it was anything but pleasant. He suddenly picked up one of his drinks and took a swig before speaking again. "Why are we beating around the bush, Danny? I know you are not who you and Masters say you are. What? Did you think that just because you are nicely primped and dressed that you can pass for someone decent? I can see right through you, boy. So, tell me, who are you really? The result of one of Masters' flings, perhaps? Or maybe you're just some hooligan he decided to adopt from off the streets just out of charity?"

Danny stared in shock at the smirking man. Was this guy serious? The teen had no clue who this guy was, and, clearly, the man didn't know him, either. And yet, he was just… outright _insulting_ him? _…_Clearly, this guy was a real jerk…

Danny clenched his teeth to keep his sudden indignation in check. But he still coldly answered, "I already told you, I'm his nephew."

But Mark instantly glared at his answer before sneering, "I am not an imbecile, boy! Masters has no family. Do you not think I would have dug deep into his life and history before selling him half of my company?"

"_Obviously_, you didn't dig deep enough," Danny replied, a glare growing on his face.

"Or maybe you are some filthy little mongrel, pretending to be Masters'_ precious_ _little nephew _just so he can pass on to you his fortune and assets without revealing the skeletons in his closest concerning you! And, boy, I'd be a _monkey's_ uncle if I let Masters hand over his half of _**my**_ company to some low-life brat like you!"

Danny's anger instantly flared with the man words. And he jumped to his feet so fast that his chair fell back with a loud bang. The teen suddenly couldn't care less if he was supposed to respect his elders, let alone care where he was. This had gone far enough! This jerk had now gone too far! And as much as he had not wanted to mess things up for Vlad, Danny couldn't let some guy he didn't know continue to insult him like this!

"Dude, I don't care who you are! You have no freakin' right to talk to me like that!" Danny suddenly exclaimed back, his hands balling at his sides, clearly too angry to notice that his display of anger had silenced the whole ballroom.

And if _Mark_ noticed it, he clearly didn't care.

"I can talk to you however I please, you conniving little riffraff! You are _nothing_ compared to me! In fact, I have more respect for my dogs than you!" Mark sneered back, rising to his feet himself, though he staggered a bit.

"Oh, yeah?" Danny growled back, finally noticing the stench of alcohol on the man "Then, since you're so sure I'm _nothing_ but some _low-life punk_, then I better not disappoint you." Without an ounce of hesitation, the teen grabbed his glass of cider on the table and threw its contents right at the man's face.

Everyone gasped, while Mark briefly stared at the glaring boy in shock. However, the wealthy man's disbelief erupted into absolute fury as he wiped his face with his hand and screamed, "How dare you?!"

"I could ask you the same thing, pal!" Danny bit back.

But the man suddenly threw his chair aside, starling the teenager when he stomped over to him and roughly grabbed the teen by the tie and yanked him forward.

"What the heck, dude?!" Danny yelped in surprise.

"Obviously no one has ever taught you respect," Mark growled, his grip tightening on the boy's tie. "So, allow me to be the first…"

Danny's eyes widened when he saw the man's hand raise with the clear intention of striking him. But then the teen received another sort of surprise.

"Do. Not. Dare!" Vlad hissed furiously, suddenly moving in between the boy and his business partner and grabbing the man's raised hand by the wrist. The older hybrid then quickly shoved Mark away from the younger one, and just as readily, put the teen directly behind him.

The other wealthy man gasped in alarm, barely able to keep himself from tripping and falling from the forceful push. But he quickly recovered and glared furiously at Vlad, his hands quickly balling into fists with the obvious intention of not backing down. At that moment, however, the older hybrid's hired bodyguards tried to intervene, but the billionaire quickly raised a hand, stilling them.

"What are you going to do?" Vlad jeered, internally wishing the foolish man even tried to lay a hand on him or Daniel. "Are you going to show everyone how pathetic you are? Oh, wait, you _just_ did, didn't you?"

At that moment, Stephanie finally arrived to the scene; and honestly fearing that Mark would have the audacity to take things to a more physical level, she quickly grabbed Danny's wrist and pulled him away from the line of fire. She hardly knew a thing about Mark, but this was not something she, nor anyone else, had expected from their host. She could even tell Vlad had not foreseen this…

Danny only weakly protested, since he was now more shocked than anything else by what was happening.

"Hear me well, Masters," Mark growled back, though it seemed he thought better about what he had wanted to do and his posture turned less threatening, though he seemed to have a hard time standing still.

"You can forget our partnership! Do you hear me? Your brat-of-a-_nephew_ just cost you my company! I know what your intentions are, Masters, and I won't allow it!" Mark assured the other man, while pointing a finger in Danny's direction.

Vlad briefly silenced, hearing the sudden whispering around him. He was suddenly glad the press had long since been escorted out. Otherwise, they would have had a field day with this… Still, with all the people here, rumors were sure to spread about this…Unless…he gave these people something juicer to talk about…

"You know, I was going to save you the embarrassment," Vlad suddenly told Mark, a cool smile curling his lip. "But…"

The older hybrid suddenly turned his back to the other wealthy man and although everyone was already watching him and Mark, Vlad said loudly, "Ladies and Gentleman, if I could have your undivided attention for a brief moment."

Everyone perked up with the prospect of what the billionaire might say.

"I believe everyone knows Mr. Mark Vazier," Vlad continued smugly, waving a hand in the other man's direction. "He is our host tonight, after all. And yet, even more important than that, this renowned businessman is the owner, though, through simple _inheritance,_ of M.V. Industries, one of the world's leading companies in communication technology. However, as you all know, Mark here has sold me half of his stock holds, making me now co-owner of M.V. Industries."

"Not for long, Masters! I will oust you with the help of my board of directors!" Mark snapped back.

Vlad chuckled at that. "Yes, you could... That is, if you _**had**_ a board of directors."

"Excuse me?" Mark demanded.

"Oh, that's right. You don't know, since you are always so busy enjoying the 'high-life'; and instead of being on top of your company, you foolishly leave everyone else to do your work," Vlad jeered lightly. "Well, if you did a better job at keeping in touch with your _directors,_ at least, maybe they would have informed you of their private dealings with me. Or should I say, you would know how they sold you out? That's right everyone, Mark Vazier was sold out by his very own business directors!"

There were a series of gasps, which included Mark's own. But he still denied it and exclaimed, "That's preposterous!"

"Hardly, my good man," Vlad replied smugly. "You might hold the majority stock of M.V.I, but the board combined outweighed you. And guess what? …They sold all their holds to me just a few months back. Why else do you think they are not here today? They have all left you. Not that anyone could blame them, since you are obviously quite unpleasant to be around. All I had to do was offer them a better deal, and they didn't even hesitate to hand over all their holds to me and leave you. _And_ being that you recently sold me half of your own shares of M.V. Industries, _**I**_ am now the majority stock holder of your company. Or should I say, _**my**_ company?" the billionaire added with a smirk.

The ballroom instantly burst into an uproar, all knowing that the news was going to significantly tilt the business world on its axis.

However, Vlad raised a hand, silencing them. "Now, now, I'm not finished. You see, I have one more announcement as the new owner of M.V.I. First, from here on out, M.V. Industries shall be titled V.M. Industries. Furthermore, I would like to announce that my first line of business for my newest conquest is to dispose of unwanted _attachments_," the older hybrid said, aiming his smirk at Mark.

Mark glared in return, understanding fully what Vlad was implicating. "Oh, don't make me laugh! You cannot get rid of me! I still hold a large portion of _M.V_.I's stocks! You break me off, Masters, and you will lose millions!"

Vlad chuckled carelessly as he briefly glanced in Danny's direction before turning his eyes back to Mark. "Indeed, I will…But like my nephew once told you, I have _plenty_ of money. You, on the other hand…. I do believe that this just left _you_ in ruins."

This time, Mark could only stare at the billionaire in utter horror, knowing the other man spoke the truth. Even those listening had fallen silent with Vlad's last comment.

However, the older hybrid quickly broke the silence when he turned from Mark and further announced, "Ladies and gentleman, it's been privilege. But my nephew and I must take out leave. Do enjoy the rest of your night... And, Mark?" Vlad suddenly added, briefly regarding his less-than-sober former business partner with a look of disgust. "You should go home."

The room instantly came back to life as they mostly stared accusingly at Mark, who was still too shocked and horrified to do anything but watch after the other billionaire as he calmly walked away from him.

But knowing he really needed to leave before things got any worse, Vlad quickly went over to Stephanie and Danny's side.

"Stephanie, have Claire take care of everything," the man whispered seriously to her.

The woman nodded, knowing the man referred to the press. They would find out about this fairly quickly, but she knew Vlad's lawyer had her friend's ownership of Mark's company in legal writing. "Don't worry. I'll do that," she told him.

Vlad just nodded back before looking over at Danny. However, he just soberly gazed at him for a moment before he glanced back at his bodyguards and ordered "Let's go."

Danny's eyebrows creased when the billionaire moved away from him, instead, leaving it to one of the guards to urge the teen forward. The young hybrid could not believe what the older one had just done. But the boy knew all too well that the smugness and calm demeanor was just an act. In reality…

Vlad was ticked off.

* * *

The tense silence was killing him. They were only twenty minutes into their drive back home and it already felt to Danny that it had been hours. Vlad had yet to say a single word to him since they left the gala. Actually, he wouldn't even look at him! The boy didn't understand why, but his silent treatment felt worse to him than if the older hybrid would have yelled and insulted him.

Not to mention… Danny could see how the man's eyes, reflected off the car's window, kept flashing red.

And seeing the red reflect off the window again, the boy lowered his troubled gaze down to his fiddling fingers. He really had not meant to make such a mess of things for the man. But that guy… What was his problem?

Danny sighed softly. It didn't matter right now. He just wanted Vlad to say _something_ to him!

The teen looked back up at the older hybrid; and no longer able to bear the silence, he suddenly blurted out, "Look, Vlad, I'm sorry, okay? But you should have heard---!"

But Vlad raised a hand at the boy, instantly silencing him.

However, when the billionaire still didn't say anything to him, Danny sighed in surrender and just turned his gaze towards his own window. That is, until Vlad finally spoke up a few minutes later...

"I'm disappointed in you, Daniel," he told him in a surprisingly calm voice, though the man kept his gaze on the moving views just outside the car window. "Why would you throw your drink at someone like that?"

Danny just stared at the older hybrid, at a loss for what to say to that.

"You see," Vlad suddenly continued, his voice cool and his gaze penetrating through the boy, "_I_ would have overshadowed him and stuck his head inside the punch bowl." Though, internally, he darkly added, "_And I would have left that imbecile's head in there __**permanently." **_

Danny's eyebrows shot up in disbelief. "I…you're not mad?"

Vlad's jaw tensed and he looked out the window again to hide the fact that his eyes had flashed red again. "I'm beyond mad, Daniel," he growled out. But focusing more on the teen again, his gaze softened a bit as he assured him, "Just not at you. Why would I be? Actually, I'm surprised _you_ are not upset with me. I should have known from the moment I saw that fool's behavior around you that he wouldn't leave well enough alone…especially when he clearly does not know the meaning of the word 'moderation'…" Vlad's eyebrows then creased slightly as he added, "I shouldn't have left you alone."

"It's not your fault," Danny replied, the corner of his lips curving upwards in relief. Vlad was definitely paranoid… but sometimes he had a reason to be. Plus, it was kinda cool to have someone as powerful---in all aspects of the word---as Vlad looking out for him.

"You know…," Danny continued, his smile widening, while his eyes began to glow with mischief. "I didn't think about that… The whole punch bowl thing, I mean…"

Vlad's anger eased with the boy's smile, though he only half-jokingly said, "I think there's still time to turn back around and correct your oversight…"

Danny laughed heartedly with the man's reply, even when the teen could see that if he agreed, Vlad would really turn them back around.

"As tempting as that sounds, I think you punished him enough," the teen finally said after calming down. The teen definitely didn't like how the billionaire conducted business, but the move he played on Mark back there…It was pure genius.

"I don't believe so… _But_ if that's how you feel… then I suppose I can let it go, too," Vlad muttered, suddenly angry again. But the man was serious in his words. He would let this go… _once_ he finished crushing Mark Vazier in every way possible. That man had no idea who he just got on his bad side. If Mark thought losing his company was the worst Vlad could do, the older hybrid was going to enjoy proving him wrong. As he told Dazzler once: No one betrayed him. And no one touched what was his...

Not without paying dearly for it.

Of course, Vlad knew all too well how men like Mark Vazier worked. The fool would probably try to get revenge on him as well. And he would start by trying to uncover the truth about Daniel…

That would present a big problem… if Vlad wasn't who he was…

With a bit of ghostly influence, Vlad could easily make anything that could compromise him 'disappear'; namely, the missing person's report on Daniel filed by Maddie and Jack from the police database.

He had not seen any reason to do it before… But it was something he would have to do now just to be safe. Though, really, it was only a minor inconvenience. Considering the police wasn't actively searching for Daniel anymore; and the Fentons had stopped keeping contact with them a while ago---and instead were searching for their son on their own.

No one would even notice the report gone. And it would be as if Daniel had never gone missing. Therefore, if by some slim chance Mark, or even, the press, discovered Daniel was Daniel _Fenton_, it would be of no consequence. The most they could find out was that the boy really wasn't his nephew, and instead, the son of his old college friends. That was hardly a big deal.

Even so, Vlad had wanted to keep away from Amity Park after everything that had transpired between him and Jasmine and Maddie. Now… he might just have to return to assure tonight didn't bring about worse consequences...

"Hey, Vlad?" Danny suddenly called to him, having noticed how the man had suddenly gone quiet again.

"Yes?" Vlad asked, pulling out of his thoughts and focusing on the teen.

"What happened back there… Is it gonna cause you any...._serious or permanent_ problems?" the teen questioned, his eyebrows creased with uncertainty.

Vlad's eyebrows creased as well, a bit surprised how the boy almost seemed to pick up on his thoughts. But the man just shrugged lightly and replied, "Nothing I cannot handle, Daniel. I am more concerned about you… I'm sorry you had to go through that." The man suddenly huffed bitterly as he added, "So much for my wanting you to enjoy yourself."

"No, but I did," Danny quickly said. He paused and smiled weakly as he more calmly added, "I mean, it wasn't _that_ bad. Sure, that guy was a jerk, and I felt a bit awkward with so many cameras and new people around, _and_ your little 'shout out' was just plain wrong…" He gave the man a mocked annoyed look with his last comment, but he smiled again and finished, "But it wasn't bad. It was nice to do something new and different. And, well… thanks for taking me."

Vlad smiled at the boy's sincere words and nodded. But the man then abruptly glanced down at his watch, reading ten till nine PM. "Hmm…It's still fairly early… considering it's a Saturday."

The man looked up at the teen, and still smiling, calmly asked, "Would you like to do anything else?"

Danny instantly perked up at the question and nodded. "Heck, yeah!"

"And what would that be?" Vlad further questioned, raising an amused eyebrow.

"Wait…you're asking me to pick a place?" Danny questioned, his excitement melding into utter surprise.

Vlad just nodded.

Danny's eyebrows creased, trying to process this turn of events. "You sure? Anywhere?"

"Of course, dear boy. I think it's only fair," Vlad replied.

Danny's smile returned to his face, though he was quiet for a moment as he thought about where he wanted to go…

"Hey…Do you know any good carnivals around here?" the teen finally asked.

Vlad chuckled, though the boy's choice hardly surprised him. "Hmm…I think I might," he told the teen with a nod.

"Cool!" Danny exclaimed. But he abruptly paused in his excitement when he remembered something. "Uh, Vlad? We can't go like this to a carnival," the teen mumbled, looking annoyingly at his suit. They couldn't exactly go back to the castle to change, either. They were still at least an hour away…

But to the teen's surprise, Vlad replied to his dilemma by pulling out his cell phone and dialing a number.

"Who are you…?" Danny began, only to trail off when whoever the man had called picked up.

"Hello, Cesar. This is Vlad Masters….Yes, good to talk to you, too. Listen, I need a _favor_. And it would entail that I make a late-night stop at your shop, say, in about fifteen minutes?"

There was a pause as the person on the other end gave his reply. And by Vlad's calm chuckle, it seemed to be the one the billionaire wanted. "Wonderful. See you soon, then."

Vlad quickly hung up his cell phone before grabbing the one in the limo and further informing his chauffeur, "Carl, slight change of plans. Take us to Cesar's Boutique, hmm? …Yes, Carl, that would mean turning the car back around," Vlad added with an eye roll. But the billionaire finally hung up; and with a smirk at Danny, announced. "All taken care of."

Danny raised an impressed eyebrow before saying, "I gotta admit… being rich has its perks."

"Indeed," Vlad said with a chuckle.

* * *

"Seriously, you should wear things like that more often. You actually look normal," Danny said with a teasing chuckle.

Vlad looked down at the khaki slacks and black-and-gray polo he was wearing before rolling his eyes at the boy.

"_Normal_ is in the eye of the beholder, my boy," the man pointed out. But then he waved a dismissive hand as he added, "And I wear whatever the occasion calls for."

"Yeah, well, I wear what's comfortable," Danny replied with a shrug. "Although…some of the things that Cesar guy had sure made me want to reconsider. And I kinda did… "

Danny brushed off some imaginary dust off the red and black T-shirt he was currently wearing with a pair of white jeans. It felt good to get out of that 'rich-boy' outfit he had been wearing at the party. And with a quick stop at the bathroom at the boutique and the help of a little water, the teen had also returned his hair back to its normal look. Still, this outfit he was wearing was sweet!

"Hmm, in that case, we will have to make another, less rushed visit to his shop. Perhaps I can get him to make you 'reconsider' a bit more. Surely it wouldn't hurt for you to… expand your choice in wardrobe…," Vlad said with a suggestive smile.

"Don't even start with that again," Danny said, rolling his eyes as he remembered their argument about wardrobe in Germany.

"How can I 'start' something that you already have?" Vlad retorted smugly. "I'm simply finishing it by pointing out that _normal_ people enjoy looking their best from time to time… "

"Normal is in the eyes of the beholder, remember, Vladdie?" Danny said with a grin, not hesitating to counter the man with the same words he had used against him.

But having expected that comeback, Vlad slyly answered, "Ah, so you agree. Good, then…"

"Agree to what?" Danny questioned, now confused.

But Vlad just grinned in response.

"We're here, sir," Carl suddenly said, capturing both hybrids' attention.

Forgetting all about the older hybrid's weirdness, Danny quickly looked over to the window and grinned at the bright lights of the carnival just outside. "Now, _this_ is my kind of party!" the teen exclaimed, this time not waiting for Carl to open the door for him and just hopping out on his own.

Vlad raised an eyebrow when the boy suddenly reminded him of an excited rabbit. But he said nothing and just stepped out of the car himself. However, as he did his best to keep up with the animated teen's pace, the billionaire looked around his lively and bright surroundings.

"This should be interesting," Vlad muttered to himself, though he was anything but serious.

But having caught the comment, the teen slowed down his pace and raised a questioning eyebrow at the man. "What? You've never been to a carnival before?

"Of course, I have…just not since my college days," Vlad replied absently as he continued to look around. But then he finally turned his gaze to the boy and questioned, "Are you sure you don't want me to close this place off for you? It's going to be a hassle just getting to anything with the amount of people here."

Danny rolled his eyes with the man's insistence of buying off the carnival for the night. "Yeah, Vlad, I'm sure I don't want that. I mean, the craziness is the whole point of coming here! Sure, the games and rides are fun. But having to make your way through the crowds and hearing all the commotion others make is what makes these places awesome!"

"That's an odd comment coming from the boy who looked severely uncomfortable around a large crowd just a few hours ago," Vlad replied with a hitch of an eyebrow.

Danny shook his head. "Like I've told you before, just because something looks the same doesn't make it the same. At places like these, no one cares who anyone else is. Everyone is here for the sole purpose of having a good time---like we are!" the teen added with a grin.

Vlad gave the boy a strange look, but didn't say anything since they finally arrived at the booth. He quickly paid their tickets and the hybrids soon headed in. But the billionaire halted in his steps when he saw that inside the gates, the carnival was even _more_ crowded and noisier than outside. Again, it wasn't like the older hybrid had never experienced these sorts of environments; but, rather, it had been so long since he had been to a place like this that it almost made him cringe.

And seeing Vlad's hesitation, Danny smirked and quipped, "Welcome to the fun side of life, Vladdie!"

"Oh, I bet," Vlad muttered, glancing around the different death-traps. He had also forgotten how unsafe these places were. Figures the boy would find them so appealing…

Still, he couldn't help but smile when the excited teen led the way and he followed after him. It was nice to see the boy so carefree… That alone made this place suddenly much more bearable…

Danny didn't hesitate to first head over to the biggest, 'baddest' coaster. And, of course, that meant a long line. But the teen didn't even pause in his steps and readily got into it.

Vlad sighed, not believing he was actually doing this. But he still followed the boy into the line. They soon started talking with each other about mundane things, which made their wait surprisingly endurable.

"Two," Danny said to the guy letting people on.

"One," Vlad readily corrected.

Danny instantly frowned at Vlad. "What? You're not getting on?"

"Of course not," Vlad replied, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Then, why the heck have you been waiting in line this whole time?" Danny asked annoyed.

"You tell me," Vlad said dryly, still not understanding why the boy wouldn't just let him flash this place some money and just get pass the cumbersome part of all this.

"Oh, come on, Vlad!" Danny protested, not realizing his and Vlad's holding up the line was beginning to get them dirty looks by other people. "Seriously, you have to ride this with me! It's so cool!"

"Yes, let me just take your word on that," Vlad muttered, crossing his arms, though he briefly glanced at the unhappy people behind them and slightly narrowed his eyes at them, clearly daring them to say anything.

Danny smirked. "You're not scared, are you?"

"Please, Daniel," Vlad said with a roll of his eyes. "I think you have forgotten what we can do..."

The carnival worker frowned in confusion at that comment, but he said nothing and just went back to watching the two hybrids in annoyance. He had to put up with so many crazy people like these two that it wasn't even worth the effort of saying anything to them….

"That's exactly my point!" Danny quickly retorted. "If you can do all… _that_ then this is nothing. So, come on," Danny ordered, grabbing one of the older hybrid's folded arms.

Vlad, however, didn't budge. "You go. I'll watch."

"No. We're both going," Danny insisted with a deeper frown, though he finally realized he was holding up the line and gestured for everyone to go around them.

"No, Daniel. I am not getting on that," Vlad said with a definite tone of voice.

"Fine. Then, I won't get on, either," Danny said in a huff, though his intentions was to make the man feel bad.

But Vlad just shrugged uncaringly.

Danny growled in indignation. But just when he was really going to get angry at the man, the teen paused as an idea hit him…

"You know, you're right. You shouldn't have to get on this if you don't want to," Danny said with a dramatic sigh. But then a clever grin melded into his face as he added, "But… it would mean a lot to me if you did…"

Vlad frowned deeply. Talk about your own words coming back to haunt you…

But knowing Danny had nailed him with that one, Vlad rolled his eyes in annoyance. And interrupting a group of people who had been about to tell the worker the number in their party, the older hybrid told the worker, "Alright. Two."

Danny grinned in triumph as they headed down the path to get on the coaster, though he threw back a quick apology to the family the billionaire had interrupted.

But seeing the look on the boy's face, Vlad lightly scowled at him and muttered, "You're sometimes just evil, Daniel."

Danny abruptly halted in his tracks at that comment. He whirled around and glared at the man.

"Do not call me that. Ever!" the teen hissed sharply, his eyes flashing green, though luckily no one seemed to notice with all the different colored lights everywhere.

There were very few times when things would truly catch Vlad by surprise, and this was definitely one of those 'times' and 'things'.

For a moment, the man could only stare at the boy with disbelieving eyes. But coming back to his senses, he quietly muttered, "Daniel…I was joking."

Danny's anger left so quickly that he just blinked rapidly, trying to process what the heck he had just been thinking. "I… I'm sorry. I just…Uh…," The teen rubbed his neck in sudden embarrassment and asked, "Can we just forget I said anything and get on this thing?"

Vlad stared quizzically at the teen, but just nodded. Still, as they finally got on the roller-coaster, the billionaire quietly observed the teen, now even more determined to get to the bottom of the boy's fears…

* * *

"Daniel, I'm begging you…no more rides," Vlad pleaded, currently looking extremely pale and sick.

The brief awkwardness between the two hybrids after the boy's reaction to Vlad's 'evil' comment was quickly replaced by the first rush of adrenaline from their initial roller-coaster ride. But it had also been right after they had gotten off that first one that the older hybrid remembered why had had never liked roller-coasters: they made him extremely sick.

And now as they got off the sixth gravity-defying, stomach-churning ride, the man just couldn't take anymore.

Danny laughed loudly with Vlad's comment. "You're kidding, right? How the heck can you feel sick from some _rides_?"

Vlad rubbed his pounding head before answering in aggravation, "Because unlike you, I don't use my _abilities_ for the sole purpose of giving myself adrenaline rushes!"

The truth was, the teenager was right to some degree. These man-made rides had nothing on the things that their ghost powers allowed them to do. But it was also quite true—and ironical—that before Vlad got his ghost powers, he had always had a fear of heights and a weak stomach, which was why he never did like carnival rides.

And although he now had had his ghost powers for over twenty years, those things had not completely left the older hybrid. As Plasmius, he had absolutely no problem with it. But as Masters… well, he wouldn't call it a phobia anymore, but his stomach wasn't agreeing with his going on a roller-coaster, let alone _six_!

Danny just shrugged, unable to counter Vlad's comment since it was true enough. But seeing the billionaire really wasn't feeling too well, the boy sighed dramatically. However, he readily grinned and said, "Alright! Let's go eat, then!"

"Eat?" Vlad repeated, swallowing hard when the word suddenly made his stomach flip.

"Yup. Come on," Danny replied as he walked off towards a food stand.

Vlad just went to sit down at the nearest empty table, and with a hand pressed against his mouth, he took a deep breath, trying to block the pungent fumes of carnival food and the screams around him that reminded him of those blasted rides.

But a few minutes later, the smell of food was literally right under his nose when Danny sat down across from him and placed a large tray containing double orders of burgers, corn dogs, chips and sodas on the table.

Vlad's jaw would have fallen open if he didn't fear truly being ill at that very moment. Still, as he watched Danny dig in, his eyes further widened in disbelief as he asked, "Are you really going to eat all that?"

"Of course not. Half of it is for you," Danny said, pushing the billionaire's part of the food closer to him. But with a smirk, he readily added, "Besides, you're always nagging me about eating more; so, I am."

Vlad watched on in disbelief as Daniel took a big bite of his burger. Honestly, how could the boy even be remotely hungry when they had had a big dinner just a few hours ago? But then, the older hybrid realized that when the boy was presented with the right foods, he could _really_ eat.

However, seemingly forgetting all the etiquette he had used at the grand party, Danny took a slurp of his soda before turning his attention back to his food. He opened both ketchup and mustard packets and poured their contents inside the paper tray holding his corn dog. He then used the corn dog to mix both condiments together before sticking the wrapped meat in his mouth. That was all Vlad could take.

"Ugh… I really am going to be ill," Vlad muttered, shutting his eyes for a moment and taking another deep breath.

Danny frowned as he swallowed the food in his mouth. "I'd rather you didn't," he said, feeling grossed out by just the possibility. "Seriously, though, you should eat. It'll make you feel better."

"I doubt that," Vlad replied dispassionately as he glanced down at the food in front of him.

"No, it will. Jazz isn't good with roller-coasters, either. And it helps her. So, eat, cheese head," Danny mildly ordered.

The billionaire looked skeptically at the teenager for a moment, but then he sighed in surrender. He might as well give it a try…

But the older hybrid would have definitely not even considered putting anything in his stomach if the younger half-ghost would have mentioned that they were not done with sickness-inducing metal death-traps….

* * *

It was about one in the morning by the time the hybrids left the carnival. And they probably would have stayed longer had it not been for the boy finally taking pity on the distraught billionaire…

Vlad shot a sick glance at Danny, who was absent-mindedly staring out the window while munching on cotton candy. The billionaire felt so ill that even their current car ride home was making him struggle to not tell Carl to pull the car over. But even if it came to that, the man doubted anything would come up anymore; not after some sling-shot type of ride had forced him to spend a good half-hour in the nearest stall, emptying the contents of his stomach. Vlad could now say with certainty that carnival food tasted ten times worse the second time around.

"I'm sorry I got you sick," Danny suddenly mumbled, getting the billionaire's attention.

Vlad couldn't help but smile weakly at the guilt-stricken boy.

"Don't worry about it, Daniel. I'll live," he assured him calmly.

Danny just nodded, though he looked down at the bag of cotton candy in his hand, still feeling bad…. He shouldn't have made the guy go on anymore rides after eating. Although, to the billionaire's credit, it had taken him five more rides to finally cave.

"It was fun," Vlad told him with a wider smile, slightly noticing he was feeling better now that he was focusing on something else beside his sick stomach.

Danny rolled his eyes. "You're just saying that so that I don't feel bad."

"Why, yes. Yes, I am," the man answered, not even denying it just to annoy the boy. However, he then sobered a bit as he added, "But, in all honesty, Daniel, I really did find our visit to the carnival much more enjoyable than that engagement fiasco..."

Danny smiled at that. However, his expression suddenly melted into a devilish smirk as he added, "Speaking of the party… who were those ladies?"

Vlad weakly laughed, though he probably would have showed more amusement at the boy's look and question if it wasn't for his aching stomach muscles.

"They're just a few acquaintances who are after my name and fortune," he replied with another chuckle, clearly not bothered by the fact.

"Well, you were flirting back with them," Danny countered, this time raising a more serious eyebrow.

Vlad just shrugged. "It's called 'playing the bachelor', dear boy. You of all people know full well I have no interest in any of them," he added off-handedly.

Danny bit his tongue, not knowing how to react, let alone what to say to that comment.

"But since we're on the subject, Daniel…. What about you?"

"Huh?" Danny replied, quickly forgetting the man's previous comment in his confusion, ergo, preventing any awkwardness from settling between them.

"Yes, any special young ladies whom you would like to talk about?" Vlad asked with a smirk. But then he leaned forward a bit and narrowed his eyes with amused wickedness as he further inquired, "Did you find any to your liking at the party? Or…. Are you already taken, little badger?"

Danny instantly flushed red. "I-I, uh…w-what?"

Vlad did nothing to hide his evil smile upon getting the reaction he had wanted. "Hmm…looks to be the latter, eh?"

"I-I don't know what you're t-talking about," Danny stuttered out in embarrassment.

Vlad chuckled smugly as he leaned back in his chair and teased, "Oh, sure you do…Tell me, Daniel…. What do you think of Ms. Gray? I might not be quick on the uptake when it comes to youth nowadays, but even I can tell that you are quite fond of her….Not that I would blame you. The girl really does have much to offer to a boy like you, hmm?"

Danny's jaw dropped, his face turning an even darker shade of crimson.

Vlad rubbed his chin, mocking thoughtfulness. "…Or perhaps we should talk about your female friend…. Samantha, is it?"

That finally got a reaction from the teen.

"Sam's not my girlfriend!" Danny exclaimed defensively, though his face stayed as red as a tomato.

Vlad grinned like the cat that ate the canary as he answered, "Daniel, I never said she was your girlfriend. But your defensiveness and remark has me now thinking otherwise… Oh, and have I ever mentioned to you the fact that I have _clearly_ heard you say her name a few times in your sleep…?"

Danny was so utterly mortified that he was starting to feel dizzy and queasy himself… Wait. That was it, wasn't it? The man was trying to get back at him for what he had said earlier!

Although he was still embarrassed, the boy forced a calm frown back on his face and finally replied, "Even if that were true, Vlad, Sam really isn't my girlfriend… But…"

"You would like her to be?" Vlad asked, even though his tone really had a smug edge to it.

Though the teen wasn't about to let Vlad get away with embarrassing him like this, the question really did make Danny think. Actually, it had been something he had thought about once before since he had left his friends and family. And somewhere along the time he had been with Vlad, he had realized that, yes, he did like Sam. He liked her so much that he did want her as his girlfriend…

The fact was still a bit confusing for Danny because he had never considered that possibility until now---until he realized how much he missed her. In all his time here, it wasn't Paulina or even Valerie that he longed to see, but his goth friend… Sure, as a teenage boy, he couldn't help but grin and feel pleased when he was in the presence of any pretty girl. But when he thought about that 'special someone' it was Sam's face that came to his mind… How ironic that in all the time of knowing Sam, of having her at his side, he had not realized just how much she had to offer, how _special_ she was. Well, the latter he did know, but he had only understood how special she was as a _friend. _Now, he understood how special she could be as _something more_.

In the end, his heart didn't belong to whom he had thought, but to the girl that had always been by his side, sharing his secret and dreams…

Noticing that the boy had suddenly fallen quiet, Vlad frowned a bit in worry. He had only been playing with Daniel. He had not meant to pry or anything of the sort. And he had not meant to upset him… He shouldn't have even brought up the boy's friends in the first place…

"Daniel, I was only---" Vlad began, only to be caught off.

"I guess you're right," Danny said with a small smile. "I do like her."

"Oh," Vlad replied, realizing the teen was being serious. Well, this was awkward… The man glanced out the window, trying to think of what else to say. But he was also surprised the teen wasn't hesitant about talking about one of his friends. Actually, the man felt more uncomfortable with the current topic than the boy seemed…

Vlad cleared his throat, and added with uncertainty, "Well, I suppose your next step would be to tell her…"

Danny absently nodded, his thoughts still on Sam, so he didn't really put too much attention to Vlad's comment. Otherwise, he would have realized the significance and irony of it. But he then focused fully back on Vlad; and noticing his sudden discomfort, the boy almost grinned. Oh, this was going to be good…

"Yeah, I guess… But I'm, uh, kinda shy… What if she doesn't like me back?" he asked, though he was being somewhat serious again. What if Sam _didn't_ like him?

But suddenly remembering his position and realizing it wouldn't matter either way if Sam returned his feelings, he felt a pang of sadness. And yet, it wasn't like before, somehow. Even the awkwardness of talking to Vlad about one of his loved ones was not really there anymore. But the boy soon remembered why…. He had released all his pent up emotions that time in the woods when he had beat up the older hybrid. He had told Vlad _exactly_ how everything he had done to him, as well as, how his loved ones' absences made him feel. He had also told the man his intentions…

Somehow, now trying to hide his emotions or thoughts felt unnecessary. Why do it when the man was already aware of it all? Of the truth? Plus, talking about Sam so…_normally_ made him feel better about her absence, and maybe even _all_ his loved ones' absences. It was hard to explain, since he didn't understand it completely himself. Then again, he also had to consider that his problem with Vlad only truly revolved around his family, not friends… Maybe that also added to the boy's being able to talk about Sam to the billionaire. That, and the teen was determined to get the man back for embarrassing him just now…

Vlad's eyebrows creased, suddenly regretting even bringing this up at all. Still, he bit the inside of his mouth and carefully replied, "Shyness at your age is natural, dear boy. In fact, it doesn't completely ever go away, especially when you are face-to-face with someone emotionally important to you… But that shouldn't stop you from confessing your feelings to Ms. Manson…someday…"

Danny rubbed his neck, pushing back his own thoughts and focusing back on the hesitant man. "I don't know…Hey, what if I first try to win her over before telling her?" the teen questioned with a small smile.

Vlad slowly nodded. "I suppose… if you wanted to make sure she returns your feelings…"

But the boy suddenly frowned. "But I don't know how to do that. A lot of the pretty girls already think I'm a loser and Valerie dumped me a week after we started going out…"

Vlad just arched an eyebrow at the news.

"Hey, wait…," Danny said with a widening grin, before he suddenly exclaimed, "Why don't you teach me?!"

"Beg pardon?"

"Yeah!" Danny continued. "I need advice on how to get a girl to like me. So, since you're such a charmer with the ladies, I'm sure you can give me a few pointers! …You are now practically my teacher, after all, _oh wise mentor_...," the boy added with an expectant smirk.

Vlad's face actually turned bright red with Danny's request. Was the teen asking him to give him some sort of _father-son speech?_ How do you even explain relationships to a teenager, let alone give him 'pointers' on capturing someone's affection? Not to mention, he wasn't exactly the best candidate for the latter, considering his bad luck with the boy's own mother…

"I-I---," the man began, only to realize he could not even form a single sentence in response.

And seeing Vlad's utter embarrassment, Danny couldn't hold back his amusement anymore. Gripping his stomach, he burst into laughter, not believing just how flustered the man was.

"You? Speechless? I never thought it was possible!" Danny exclaimed as he continued to crack up.

Vlad instantly glowered, finally realizing the teen had embarrassed him on purpose. But unable to do anything about it, the man snatched the bag of cotton candy from the boy's hand and took out his frustration on his stomach, which he seemed to have forgotten about its current delicate state.

"I guess I had that coming," the billionaire grumbled before sticking some cotton candy in his mouth.

Wiping a tear from his eyes, Danny's mirth finally died down into light chuckles as he agreed, "Yeah, you did."

But the boy then reached forward to take back his bag of cotton candy from the man, only for Danny to frown when Vlad moved it just slightly out of his reach.

"You know, I've never been much for sugary treats. But I do like cotton candy…," Vlad said off-handedly, grabbing some more from the bag and eating it.

"Yeah? Me, too. So, could you hand it back now?" Danny asked, reaching for the bag again. But when Vlad once more kept it away from his reach, the teen annoyingly snapped, "What gives, Vlad? Give it back! I thought you were sick!"

"Eating will make me feel better, _remember_?" Vlad mocked back smugly, all the while taking more bites of the sugary treat and keeping the bag away from the boy's reach.

Realizing the man wasn't going to let him have his candy back, Danny leaned back in his chair with an anger huff and crossed his arms. He just stared in aggravation at the smirking billionaire before assuring him, "You're not going to eat that whole bag."

"Watch me," Vlad countered, settling back in his own chair as he calmly continued to consume the boy's candy.

Danny growled, his hand unraveling and slightly raising up in his frustration. "Come on, Vlad! Quit messing around! I know you don't really want that!"

"If you want it, then come get it," Vlad challenged with a grin.

Danny crossed his arms again and just glared out the window while Vlad shrugged lightly and continued to eat. But then, out of nowhere, the teen suddenly lunged forward in an attempt to grab his candy back

But clearly having expected it, Vlad turned intangible and scooted across the seat, causing the teen to fall forward on the floor.

"Oh, now you're just asking for it," Danny grumbled as he pulled himself up from the floor and turned into Phantom.

Vlad laughed at that, but didn't hesitate to level the playing field and turned into Plasmius himself. And just as Danny all but flew at him, Vlad teleported to another part of the large limousine, always just slightly out of reach, which, of course, only continued to annoy the boy even more.

But even when at one point Danny tried to use teleportation himself to outfox Plasmius, the older hybrid continued to stay one step ahead of him by using simple intangibility or his own mastery of teleportation.

"Aw, do you want your candy, little badger?" Vlad cooed mockingly when Danny collided headfirst into the seat after another failed attempt.

That comment and tone of voice got a growl from Danny, but it also halted him in his tracks. A bit out of breath, the teen changed back and slouched back in his original spot and just turned his now sober expression out the window.

Vlad smirked as he took another bite of cotton candy before flippantly asking, "Tsk. Giving up so easily?"

Danny shrugged uncaringly. But then he turned his eyes back on the man; and with an evil smile, he replied, "I much rather watch you eat all that...And get sick again."

Vlad chuckled, knowing the teen was right. Daniel had bought the largest bag of cotton candy they had at the carnival, which was roughly twice the size of a box of cereal. But although the simple sugary treat really was making the man's stomach settle a bit, he also knew that eating the entire thing would return him back to square one----not that the billionaire could eat such a monstrous bag of cotton candy on his own even if he wanted. It wouldn't surprise him if Daniel could, though…

Vlad grabbed another handful of cotton candy before finally tossing the bag back to the teen.

Danny smirked in triumph before he switched his position to stretch across his large seat and laid back on it. With his cotton candy bag resting on top of his stomach, he pulled out some of the treat. The teen simply raised the candy above his face and began consuming it, clearly not bothered by the awkwardness of doing so in his current resting position.

There was a calm silence as the two hybrids just munched on the sugary treat. But as Danny continued to absently gaze at the dimmed lights on the white limo's ceiling, a sudden thought came to his mind and he causally asked Vlad, "Are you working or anything tomorrow?"

Having finished with the cotton candy, Vlad pulled out a moist wipe from one of the limo's compartment and cleaned his hands as he answered, "I just have a meeting from eight to nine….But I might have to stay longer…" he added, frowning to himself when he remembered he was now going to have to take care of a few more things with the whole fiasco at the party…

Danny turned his head to look at the billionaire sitting across from him. "Why do you work so much?" he suddenly asked him. "It's not like you need to. And I can tell the whole 'running a business'—or more like _several_---frustrates you more often than not. So, why do you do it so much?"

Vlad smiled at the boy's perception. "Yes, it can get very frustrating at times. But as I told you once before: owning or being in charge of anything comes with responsibilities. Just because I'm the proprietor of all my companies and enterprises doesn't mean I can sit at home and drink tea all day. I have to run them, Daniel. And believe me when I tell you that making sure each one is running at full efficiency entails more work on my part than what any of my individual employees do for me."

"Yeah… but don't you ever take time for yourself? You know, just to have _fun_?" the boy questioned with a small smile.

Vlad chuckled softly as he retorted, "Like now?"

Danny raised an amused eyebrow, even if it was a little awkward to turn his head to see the man while lying like he was on the tan leather seat. "Well, going to a carnival is what _I _consider fun, Vlad. I'm asking you what _you_ consider fun. You gotta like doing something besides work and using your ghost powers…"

The older hybrid lightly shrugged. "I like going to a good Packers game---but I'm sure you could have guessed that much." Vlad chuckled when the boy rolled his eyes at that, but the man then continued, "But other than that…the few moments when I do have, as you would call it, 'time off', I honestly just like to be at home, reading a good book…or playing chess."

"Really?" Danny questioned him with a skeptical frown. "I mean, sure it's nice to be at home and relax---trust me_, I know_. But…I don't know. Even when I'm tired from ghost fighting and stuff, I can't think of any better way to spend my free time than to _go out_ with my friends---or even just on my own, sometimes. I mean, you can go and see so many sights, and get the chance to meet people, and, you know, just experience new stuff."

But Vlad shook his head as he answered, "Oh, Daniel… you forget who I am, my boy. I have seen 'the sights' more than I can even remember now. As for going out and socializing, I'm so easily bored by it."

The billionaire paused, a frown falling on his face as he then said, "It's always the same people, Daniel. It's always the same hypocrisy and the same bland topics… Then there's the press… The moment I leave my home, I have to worry about the number of eyes possibly watching me. I have to worry about how one single decision or action could ruin my reputation, a reputation for which I have worked hard to get; and on top of that, a reputation that _greatly_ _influences_ the success of my companies. To put it in perspective for you, imagine if you could not turn into Danny Fenton and were forever stuck in ghost form, as Danny Phantom---or heaven forbid, have the world discover your secret. You wouldn't ever be left alone. You couldn't be able to do what you like anymore. You couldn't visit anyone, not even your friends, without others wondering why, or what you are doing. And if they can't find out, then they just as easily make up some obscene lie. _That's_ my life as Vlad Masters, Daniel. The moment I leave my home, I have to worry about all that. Not even as Plasmius do I have as many pressures or annoyances. No, my boy, believe it or not, I do get tired of having to act---I get tired of the facades and false pretenses. That's why I like to be at home. It's the only place I can have some normalcy. It's the only place I don't have to worry about acting or… secrets."

Danny just stared at the man in silence for a moment, both taken aback by his words and by the fact that Vlad was being so open about his thoughts and feelings with him. The older hybrid was certainly full of surprises, and apparently the teen was not finished discovering them all.

The teen turned his head and looked back up at the limo's ceiling. He let out a soft sigh before saying, "I guess being rich and famous isn't without its setbacks…I gotta give you credit, though. You handle all the craziness really well. I mean, I don't think I'd be able to do half of what you do without buckling under the pressure...It's gotta be hard."

"Was that a compliment?" Vlad asked, half-amused. But when the teen didn't say anything, the man sighed himself before muttering, "Actually, it stopped being hard long ago. Now it's just mostly…a routine."

"Whatever it may be, my point still stands, Vlad," Danny seriously said, turning his gaze to him again. "You can't just spend your entire life consumed in your work and responsibilities. Just because you can't do certain things in public doesn't mean you should do away with the things you used to enjoy before you became some famous billionaire. Heck, I'll even go as far as telling you that if what you do doesn't make you happy than you should stop doing it."

"Daniel, there are some choices you make in life that you cannot fix or change… There are no second chances in life, dear boy. And I choose this life a long time ago," the man told him just as seriously.

Danny frowned, now wondering if Vlad and he were even talking about the same thing anymore. But a certain comment that the man had just made really struck Danny and a sudden conviction swelled in his chest, making him sit up again. "No, Vlad. Second chances do exist. I _know_ they do." the boy assured him. "You said so yourself. We can be what we want. And we don't have to be or do anything we _don't_ want, either."

"That's true," Vlad said with a nod, but then he added, "However, I never said I wanted to change my life, Daniel."

"I'm not telling you to---I mean, not if you don't want to, Vlad. I'm just trying to understand why you can't take a break from it every-now-and-then. Why can't you take some time for yourself? Why are you so against it?"

"I'm not against it," Vlad replied with a raised eyebrow.

"I think you are," Danny quickly retorted, earning him a deep frown from the man in response. "You're _always_ doing something relating to Plasmius or your companies---Don't look at me like that, it's true. I mean, look, it's, what? …almost two in the morning and you're gonna go to some eight o'clock meeting at least an hour away from the castle? How can you do that? _Why_ would you do that?"

"I could ask you the same question, _Danny Phantom_," Vlad replied seriously.

Danny frowned a bit at that, now sure that their conversation had somehow veered into something deeper. Still, the boy persisted, "Don't make this about me, Vlad. You _know_ why_ I_ sacrifice my time and sleep. I want to know why _you_ do the same. You might have responsibilities as _Vlad Masters_, but I know it's more than that….If you get so tired of the acting and pressures, then why won't you even take a break from all of it?"

Vlad just looked at the boy for a moment. But he then shook his head and looked out the window. There was a short silence, and the teen then wondered if he perhaps had pushed too much. However, the older hybrid soon spoke up again, though now his voice sounded distant, and even, indifferent…

"I told you, Daniel. I'm use to it. I like keeping busy…Besides, why would I want to take time off? … It's not like I have a family waiting for me when I get back home."

Danny froze, his eyes widening slightly, though since the billionaire still had his gaze to the window, he didn't see the boy's reaction to his comment. That was it, wasn't it? That was the true reason why the billionaire always worked so much, why he always kept so busy…. So, he didn't have to think of what he didn't have…

The boy's blue gaze filled with sadness as he briefly glanced away, not knowing what else to say now. But deciding on something, Danny looked back up. "Vlad," he called to him, his voice soft in volume and because of a certain emotion…But when Vlad didn't answer him, he called to him a bit more worriedly, "Vlad, look, you---"

"Don't," Vlad suddenly cut him off, his voice as cold and piercing as a knife. He might have told the boy the truth, but that didn't mean he wanted his _pity_. He didn't want or need _anyone's_ pity.

But then suddenly realizing how hard he had just sounded, Vlad's tense face softened, though he kept his gaze on the view outside. "Please, Daniel," he said his voice now calm, though quiet. "…Let's not spoil this day."

Danny just looked at the man for another moment before turning his sad gaze out the window. There was a gloomy silence this time, but the boy's quiet voice suddenly broke it with an unexpected request.

"Don't go tomorrow."

Vlad finally turned his head to face the teen, though he raised an eyebrow in uncertainty, "Daniel, I can't do that. I need to---"

"Come on, Vlad," Danny cut him off, meeting the man's gaze with his now own serious one. "Your companies or whatever aren't gonna fall apart just because you don't attend to them for one day."

"Daniel, you have no idea how many things I have canceled or pushed back in these past months alone. It's a miracle I have finally caught up with everything just two days ago!" Vlad replied with slight exasperation. "And now you want me to start playing hooky _the day after_ Mark Vazier forces me to cause a scandal in front of all my business associates?"

"I thought you said that wasn't anything you couldn't handle," Danny said with a frown.

"Exactly! I need to go _handle_ it!" Vlad said seriously.

"But you don't have to handle it tomorrow---or, today, I guess," Danny countered, raising an eyebrow.

Vlad opened his mouth, but not knowing what else to say, he closed it and just sighed and shook his head.

But that only made the boy insist even more. "Please, Vlad. It's Sunday. I bet not even half of your companies are opened on Sundays and you wanna go to work?"

Vlad didn't answer. Truth was none of his companies were opened at all on the weekends. He had set it like that because it just made things easier with his employees. Everyone had the same days off; therefore, he could count on everyone being there on the weekdays, when he needed them for whatever reasons. Aside from Stephanie on occasions, he was really the only one that came into his offices on weekends. He just found it easier to get things done when he was alone.

"Come on, cheese head," Danny continued, the light teasing in his voice pushing the man out of his thoughts. "You know you want to play hooky. I know you're worried about your jerky ex-partner, but you're not gonna let him ruin your Sunday, are you?"

Vlad just stared hesitantly at the boy before quietly asking, "Why are you so intent on my staying home, Daniel?"

"I have nothing to do tomorrow," Danny answered him with a smirk. And getting an eye roll from Vlad, the boy chuckled weakly before honestly replying, "I just want you to, Vlad….Come on, hang out with me…" Danny suddenly grinned as he said, "If you do, I'll make breakfast…."

The single comment slowly curved a smile on Vlad's face. "Hmm… now _that_ makes me consider your request…"

"Seriously, Vlad, you're gonna chill out with me tomorrow. And that means, no work, no training, and no school stuff for me," the boy said dismissively with a wave of his hand.

"Oh?" Vlad quipped, raising an amused eyebrow. "It sounds more to me like you're trying to skip your own work and lesson and you're just using me as an excuse."

Danny smiled sheepishly. "Maybe a little."

Vlad chuckled, but still finally nodded and said, "Alright, little badger, you have my cooperation. But if we are not going to do the usual, then what exactly are we going to do to 'chill out'?"

Danny grinned in triumph, but he then creased his eyebrows and tapped his lips, trying to figure out what exactly they should do. "Well…since you said that you like to relax at home….then we'll just do exactly that. After breakfast, we could go to that huge theater room on the first floor and watch movies. Or, no, wait! We could go horse riding first, _and then_ the movies. But we also have to go swimming before lunch! Then, we can play chess---but only if you play a real game with me. None of that 'letting me win' stuff, okay? I'm also going to teach you a bit about the stars since you're so totally clueless on that. Plus, I just took pictures of these cool constellations a few days back and since there's no moon tomorrow, I could even show you through the telescope! Oh, and how do you feel about video games? I don't know about you, but I…."

Vlad just quietly listened to the boy rant. And although he was highly amused by the sight, the older hybrid also felt a deep emotion swell within him….He truly loved this child far more than he could ever express----let alone, show. How he could have ever thought he hated the boy, he didn't know anymore. He didn't even understand why he had been so intent on hurting him, on owning him like some trophy… or changing him… or cloning him.

Daniel was irreplaceable. He was perfect as he was. He didn't need to be turned into the 'perfect half-ghost son'. He already was just that----that, and so much more…

"Vlad!"

The billionaire jolted out of his thoughts, and blinked back his focus on the now annoyed Danny. But before the teen could say anymore, Vlad nodded and said, "That all sounds very good, Daniel. And I will agree on two conditions…" And seeing Danny raise an expectant eyebrow, Vlad smirked and said, "First, I must be allowed one phone call. I have to at least tell Stephanie I'm under house arrest, you see."

Danny pretended to think about it, but then he nodded and said, "Okay. But just _one_ call. You better not pull that stunt you did at the zoo in Germany, or this time, I really will drown your cell phone in a bucket of water."

Vlad raised his hands up in mock surrender, and the teen laughed. But then Danny asked, "Okay, what's the second condition?"

The smirk on the older hybrid's face returned before he answered, "_I'll_ be making breakfast."

Danny grinned at that. "Fair enough," he quipped before he spread his arms upward with a yawn and fell back down onto the leather seat.

However, when he heard the older hybrid shift in his seat, the teen turned to look at him, only to raise a bemused eyebrow when seeing that Vlad had mimicked his actions and was now lying on his back on the limo seat with his head resting on his left raised arm.

Danny smiled before turning his gaze back to the ceiling and thinking, _"You are definitely not who I thought you were."_

Vlad also steered his eyes to the dim lights on the ceiling even as a small smile played on his lips when he caught sight of the boy's brief glance in his direction. The teen was probably thinking he was weird, but the older hybrid was down-right exhausted. And he really didn't feel like he had to pretend like he wasn't. Actually, he didn't see the need to put on any sort of façade at all right now. The boy's presence was just… soothing. How someone that once could bring out the worst in him could now as easily bring out the better, _the honest part_, of him, Vlad couldn't even begin to understand…

But it just made Vlad all the more convinced that he needed to do everything in his power to help the young hybrid, to give him everything he needed…That is, to the extent that he could without having to give the boy up. Every time he even thought about the possibility, it almost frightened the older hybrid. How could he possibly give up something as precious as this child?

Vlad truly wished he could see the boy completely happy. He deserved that and so much more…But the boy was so convinced he needed his life and his loved ones in Amity Park… But the older hybrid knew it wasn't true. Maybe…if he could make Daniel realize it, too… Yes, he could do that. He could make him forget all about those in Amity Park. And once he did, the boy would be completely happy. Vlad would make sure of it…

A good half hour later, the limo came to a stop. And although he had fallen asleep, Danny noticed it and sat up with a yawn. He groggily looked out the window, slowly making out the castle right outside.

But remembering he was not alone in the car, the teen glanced in Vlad's direction, only to find that the man had also fallen asleep. But unlike the boy, Vlad was still completely out.

"_Heh, I knew he was tired,"_ Danny thought, amused. However, his attention went to the limo's right door when Carl suddenly opened it. But the ghost quickly stilled when he saw his employer fast asleep.

"What did you do to him, kid?" Carl quietly muttered, raising a curious eyebrow at the teen.

Danny playfully rolled his eyes at the ghost before standing up and moving over to Vlad. The boy briefly paused, as if considering something, before he smiled and lightly shook the billionaire.

"Vlad, wake up."

The older hybrid's eyes slowly opened to meet the boy's. But still out of it, the man asked in bewilderment, "Daniel?"

"And you wanted to go to work? Yeah, right," Danny said with a shake of his head. But still getting a lost stare from Vlad, the teen rolled his eyes before pressing a button on the limo door to brighten the ceiling lights, "Come on, cheese head, wake up. Or, do I need to tell Carl to carry you inside?"

"That's not happening," Carl said dryly, crossing his arms.

"Well, I sure can't do it," Danny replied to the ghost with a teasing smirk.

"You mean you _won't_," the ghost retorted, knowing that, in his ghost form, the boy _could_ lift the man and a _lot more_, if he wanted

"Same thing," Danny replied, crossing his arms.

"What are you two talking about?" Vlad asked, finally awake. But unable to squelch a yawn, he covered his mouth before muttering, "Sorry, I must be more exhausted than I thought."

"We noticed," Danny and Carl said at the same time.

Too tired to think of a comeback, Vlad just rolled his eyes and finally got up. But he suddenly paused and said out loud in surprise, "Oh… we're home."

Carl raised an eyebrow at his employer before looking over at Danny and saying, "Maybe we should carry him inside."

But when the teen and his ghost driver glanced back at him, as if seriously considering it, Vlad frowned and muttered, "I don't think so."

Danny chuckled as he watched Vlad get out of the limo before following him out.

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**Heh. How long did that take to read? Well, in spite the lack of true action, I hope you guys liked it. And… about Vlad and Stephanie, well, what can I say? I'm a gal who likes the cliché, romantic stuff. The song, by the way, which I did debate a lot about adding in or not---and decided to add at the last second—is from Celine Dion. It's called 'I'll be waiting for you'. She has awesome love songs, and this song kept hitting me as I wrote that 'little scene' between Vlad and Steph. But don't worry, if you were annoyed by it, just remember this story is cannon and takes place before third season, hmm? But I did want to show just how much Vlad's way of thinking and acting is changing; to the point that it even surprised Stephanie. And the funny thing is that Vlad doesn't really even realize it. Heh. You gotta give Danny credit for this. He's doing something that is all but impossible, though I'm sure you can see that this isn't happening without a cost to the teen as well. He might be changing Vlad, but Danny's changing, too. And whether our hybrids' changes are for the better or worse, are still to be seen… *winks***

**Anyways, like I said above, I will be out of town next weekend; so don't except anything, then. But I will try to have something up as quickly as possible! Though, you can expect an update from DoaS before CM. **

**Ta for now! And, of course, let me know your thoughts! **


	66. Chapter 65: Sharing Lives

**Hi there! Ah, yes! I got to finally reply to everyone's reviews this time. *nods proudly* I will tell you, though, you guys don't make it easy for me! Lol! But I wouldn't have it any other way! I love all your reviews; so, ehm, keep em' coming! Heh-heh!**

**Anyways, this was one of my harder chapters to write. And that is because you guys finally get to discover a few things. Isn't that nice? And that is why it is also one of my favorite chapters. I do think you will at least find this chapter interesting. That being said, do keep an open mind for this one. There a few theories thrown your way in this chapter as well. And, well, if you don't agree, that's fine. Just keep in mind that they are just **_**my**_** theories, which I have deduced from the DP series and my other knowledge and belief. Okay?**

**Well, then! Happy Reading. I will be hiding somewhere from here on out; so you'll probably get to talk to my muse at the end. *flees***

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. **

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**Chapter 65: Sharing Lives **

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The next day was just as Danny had said: the two hybrids where indeed spending the whole day together. The lessons were tossed aside, but so were the responsibilities, the worries and troubles…And even, the circumstances- -at least, for the day.

After breakfast, they went on a two-hour horseback ride into the forest, which naturally spiked both half-ghosts' competitive nature between one another which led to a perhaps less-than-safe race through the trees. Still, with the teen now being more used to horse riding, he was able to hold his own just fine. But with Vlad being the more experienced rider, he, of course, won their little race. Even so, Danny had refused to admit defeat, declaring that the man's horse was naturally faster. Vlad had just rolled his eyes and called him a sore loser.

It was a hot day. Actually, maybe a bit too hot, considering it was still spring. So, deciding to leave the indoor activities for later, they headed for the pool. Vlad wasn't much for swimming; but he didn't object seeing that he was enjoying the time with the teen.

Of course, in all this time, Vlad and Danny shared a variety of conversations; perhaps more than thought possible between them, considering their differences. But then, maybe that's why they had so much to talk about. And although most of their topics stayed mundane and neutral, one of their topics was about Danny's ghost fights. And to the boy's surprise, even Vlad threw in a few of his own encounters with other specters. Still, they steered clear of any topic relating to Danny's family, both knowing that it was the only taboo topic between them. And much to the billionaire's disappointment, the teen also kept his mouth closed about the fight in which Vlad was most interested. Still, the man didn't press the issue in the slightest.

Now in his swim-shorts, Vlad sat in a pool chair reading a book. The teen had momentarily gone inside to get drinks, insisting that he didn't want to bug the man's ghost staff and that he could get them himself. And with Daniel's being so stubborn, Vlad had not even bothered asking about his logic behind those thoughts.

The older hybrid's own thoughts briefly drifted back to early morning, or specifically, to the phone call he had made, then**- -**well, actually, he made _two_. The boy just didn't know about the first, since he had made it before Daniel was even up. And that first one had been to his lawyer.

Mr. Claire had informed the billionaire that there was no trouble concerning MV Industries- -or rather now, _VM_ Industries. His lawyer had already begun the necessary steps to break off Mark Vazier from the company all together. And although the mentioned man, finally aware of what a fool he had made of himself, had quickly returned to his home in Germany, Vlad and his lawyer were sure they would be hearing from the ex-wealthy man soon enough. Or more likely, from Mark's own lawyer. Even so, there was nothing Mark could do to get back his company. After all, he had practically sold it to Vlad himself.

His other call had been to Stephanie after Mr. Claire informed the billionaire that there was already 'talk' about what had happened last night. But as the billionaire predicted, it mostly centered on Mark. Not only had he lost his company, but the scandal he made at the party had left him in a very bad light in front of his important guests…

Still, the 'spotlight' was not completely taken off of Vlad and Danny. There was that problem with the press. But the least of his concern was the Wisconsin newspaper. Because its journalists had not been present during the scandal surrounding the party, it could only rely on rumors. And since it could not legally publish facts based on those rumors, the Wisconsin newspaper had just mentioned Daniel as being what Vlad had said to them at the conference: the man's nephew. Fortunately, other papers, like the business ledgers, just simply focused on Vlad's deal with Mark-and Danny wasn't even mentioned. However, Vlad had his suspicions in regards to what the 'less-than-credible' sources had said. And it took a call to Stephanie to confirm that the tabloids had indeed jumped into their own kind of scandal.

There still wasn't much on the topic, considering everything had happened just yesterday. But there were already one or two tabloids, which had 'the latest scoop and scandal on the business world.' Stephanie told him how they claimed to have exclusive interviews and one of them even claimed Vlad and Mark got into an actual fight! The billionaire hardly cared what some cheap tabloids were saying, but it was annoying at best. Still, Stephanie seemed a bit worried about all of it. And that had led the woman to ask Vlad a question he had preferred she had not, since it left him with no choice than to lie to her:

_Why did you tell the press Daniel is your nephew?_

Vlad had, of course, readily dismissed the question by saying it wasn't a big deal. And he covered up the truth by telling his secretary that it was to avoid too many questions from the press or anyone else. It was true to some extent, though.

Just not completely true.

Vlad didn't find out whether Stephanie had been satisfied with the response or not, since it had been then that Danny had interrupted him, insisting the man's time for work was up. And not really wanting to continue his conversation with the woman, anyways, Vlad gladly hung up the phone. And finally, with the thought that he would handle any problems tomorrow, he dismissed the whole thing with Mark all together.

Really, the only thing on his mind at the moment was the book in his hand and the boy, who still had yet to return…

Vlad briefly lowered the piece of literature in his hands to look in the direction in which Daniel had left. But not seeing any sight of him, the man lightly shrugged and turned his attention back to his book.

Or, he would have if his internal ghost sense had not suddenly alerted him to a ghostly presence-or, rather, three ghostly presences. And none of them was Daniel.

Knowing exactly which specters he was sensing, Vlad rolled his eyes and raised his book in front of his face in hopes of being left alone.

"Hey, boss?"

Blast.

"What do you three want?" the man questioned impassively as the three ghost vultures materialized around him and comfortably perched themselves on the pool furniture closest to the billionaire.

"Vell, ve have been roosting in the trees for a few good veeks. And ve are just now very bored."

"Yes, ve haven't seen any action in days! How are ve supposed to maintain our strong physique when we are practically caged canaries?" the second added.

But the third then said, "Not to mention, ve haven't found a good meal to scavenge in a vhile. All the good stuff is in the forest, and there's too many things in there that eat things like us. Ve are still too young to become dog chow!"

Vlad flipped the page in his book, before dryly questioning, "And what do you want me to do about it? Or is there any point to your babbling at all?"

"Vell, of course there is!" one of them said in annoyance, moving off a pool chair and hovering in front of his employer. "Ve vant to head to Amity Park."

"But ve vanted to make sure that's alright vith you…" another added, as he and the third vulture moved to hover alongside their first companion.

However, the third bird then commented, "It's not like you need us. Ve can all see you have given up your scheming, anyvays."

Vlad instantly glared at them; but when he suddenly caught sight of Danny's finally returning in his peripheral vision, whatever the man was going to say to the ghost birds was quickly forgotten.

But the teen, who had a pair of drinks in his hand, also paused when he noticed the vultures. The boy glared; but much to Vlad's surprise, the teen just as suddenly vanished, compliments of his ghost powers.

"Uh, boss?" one of the vultures suddenly called to the billionaire, not getting why he looked so confused, since they had not even seen Danny, let alone his disappearing act.

However, at that instant, Vlad felt the boy's ghost signature come to life and had a sudden hunch about it. It took all his willpower to keep a smirk off his face, and instead, the older hybrid turned back and calmly gazed at the birds.

"You can all do whatever you want," Vlad casually said, finally answering the bird's request.

"Really?" they asked, surprised.

"Of course…. But first….Could you three back up a bit?"

The vultures gave him a strange look. "Vhy?"

"Just do it," Vlad ordered calmly as lowered his book down onto his lap.

"Is this good?" the birds asked after floating back several feet.

"No. Further," Vlad replied, gesturing with his hand for them to keep moving back before then saying, "Right there. Don't move."

"Now vhat?" one of the vultures irritably asked, not getting their employer's weirdness.

But Vlad didn't reply, though he smirked when he saw Danny Phantom suddenly materialize right above the unsuspecting birds…. which were also oblivious to the fact that they were now hovering directly above the pool…

"I hope you three can swim," Danny said wickedly before suddenly blasting them into the pool.

The birds' screeches of alarm quickly melded into gurgles as they frantically tried to escape the pool. And while Vlad laughed heartedly as he watched the birds pathetically fail over and over again to get out of the water, Danny just crossed his arms and watched them with a satisfied and smug look on his face.

It was only after a moment when the three birds finally had enough sense to turn intangible and fly out of the pool. But when they did, they quickly glared at the hybrids and demanded, "Hey! Vhat gives?"

Danny just shrugged and evilly answered, "Sorry… I thought you three looked hot."

Further angered by having their own past words thrown back at them, along with hearing the sound of _both_ hybrids' laughter, one of the birds 'humphed' and said, "Come on, boys. Ve don't have to stand for this kind of abuse."

Danny and Vlad's amusement fell into light chuckles as they watched the birds shakily fly off. But then the teen, who was still hovering above the pool in ghost form, smirked over at the older hybrid, before suddenly becoming human and dropping into the pool below.

Vlad jolted in surprise when a good amount of water splashed him and his book. But he then just sighed and raised his wet book off his lap, while Danny swam over to the edge of the pool to grin at him.

"Could you warn me next time you're going to do that?" Vlad asked dryly as he got off the pool chair and placed his wet book on the table.

"My bad," the boy said, though he clearly wasn't sorry.

Vlad just rolled his eyes at him before moving over to get the drinks the teen had left on a table a little further away.

Danny chuckled but then quickly pulled himself out of the pool and grabbed another seat while he waited for Vlad to return. However, he suddenly turned towards a strange whirling sound to his left and realized it was coming from this 'field-goal shaped contraption at one end of the pool. He had seen it before, but he had never figured out what it was until now when he saw a large canopy expand out of it before connecting to another similar-looking contraption on the opposite side of the pool area.

It instantly shielded the whole area from the sun's midday rays.

Danny looked over at Vlad in time to see him put back a remote in one of his swim short pockets.

"It would have been nice to know you had that before," the teen muttered when the man finally returned with the drinks and put them down at the table closest to them. He still remembered how he had used the pool once before and had ended up with a bit of a sunburn from the lack of shade.

But Vlad just chuckled as he pulled the remote back out of his pocket and handed it to the boy, saying, "It has other features, too."

Danny smiled as he studied the remote; and seeing a button that created waves, the teen pressed it and watched as the pool's calm water slowly began to rock with the beginning of waves.

"Cool," he said; but now more curious about the billionaire's unique pool, the teen further asked, "How did you get a salt-water aquarium to surround your pool, anyways?"

Vlad shrugged lightly. "With enough money anything's possible, Daniel. But because of the aquarium's size and placing, it does require heavy maintenance. There is actually an underground room right under us that is used to care for the aquarium. The remote you have there opens the door for it."

"And who takes care of it? Jasper and Bennie?"

"For the most part," Vlad answered, grabbing his cup of lemonade and taking a sip. "But I do have more specialized individuals come every three-to-four months to do the heavier cleaning and procedures, which I'm sure you don't care to hear about. Point is, it's all well taken care of."

"Sure looks like it," Danny agreed, putting the remote on the table, and then standing up and moving over to the pool again. He briefly looked at the fish tank making up the pool's walls, though it was a bit harder to see with the now very noticeable waves in the water. But suddenly feeling mischievous again, the teen looked over at Vlad and asked, "Hey, Vlad? What kind of fish is the one with the orange-and-blue spots on its body?"

Vlad raised an eyebrow. "Orange-and-blue spots?"

Danny nodded. "Yeah, come look," he said, gesturing for the man to come over.

Putting down his drink, Vlad stood again and walked over to the edge of the pool and bent forward, trying to see what the boy was talking about. "I don't really-Peach Tarts!" the man abruptly exclaimed when he was suddenly pushed into the pool.

Danny burst into laughter as the man quickly swam back up, sputtering and hacking on the water that had gotten in his lungs. "Daniel!" the man exclaimed between coughs.

"Sorry," Danny said, still chuckling. "I forgot to ask you if you knew how to swim!"

"Then, allow me to rectify your mistake," Vlad retorted, his eyes narrowing on the teen before he suddenly vanished into thin air.

"Ah-oh…" Danny said, his amusement turning into nervousness when he realized he was about to get it. The teen took a step back and looked around, trying to spot the older hybrid. "Uh… Vlad? Heh. You know I was only kidding, right?"

"It still wasn't very nice," the teen suddenly heard behind him, just before he was suddenly lifted into the air and thrown roughly into the pool.

Danny only managed a gasp before his body hit the water. But the teen quickly managed to pull himself back to the surface. "Darn it! You jerk!" the teen coughed out, weakly glaring at the man.

But Vlad just smirked and quipped. "Likewise."

Danny grumbled something about the man, but otherwise didn't say anything and just watched Vlad go over to sit in the Jacuzzi.

But not really as upset as he had let on, Danny dived into the water before quickly resurfacing at the side of the pool closest to the Jacuzzi.

"You know, I do have an indoor pool," Vlad commented as the teen pushed back his hair from his face.

Danny shrugged. "Yeah, I know. But I like this one more. I mean, don't you? Look at the view!"

Vlad glanced over at the heavy forest in the distance and smiled. "I suppose I do..."

The billionaire had not used this pool in so many years that he had forgotten why he even had it made in the first place. But he now remembered why as he continued to observe the natural scenery and listen to the singing birds and the sound of moving water from the fountains. Then, there was the soft scent of flowers in the air, which oddly went well with the light scent of chlorine from the pool water…. And then there was also now the company… Yes, it was all quite nice.

"You said you've been pretty much everywhere. How would you say Wisconsin compares to the other places?" Danny suddenly asked.

Vlad quickly pulled out of his thoughts with the question and creased his eyebrows. "I don't really know, Daniel. I find every place has something unique to offer."

Now curious, Danny raised an eyebrow and questioned, "OK, so what does Wisconsin offer you?"

Vlad briefly pondered the question before seriously answering, "Shelter."

The boy's eyebrows scrunched with uncertainty. That had not been the answer he had expected. But then as he thought about it and thought about everything Vlad had told him in the limo on their return home yesterday, it began to make a bit of sense.

"What does it offer you, Daniel?" the man suddenly asked him.

"What?" Danny questioned, surprised.

"Wisconsin, Daniel. I told you, every place offers something unique. And what I mean by that is that every place one goes to offers something unique for _every_ person. So, while Wisconsin might offer me what I just said, I am curious to know what it offers you."

The boy looked quietly at the man for a moment, before turning in the pool and looking out at the forest in the distance.

"…A choice," he said quietly after another moment.

Vlad looked baffled. He wondered why the boy felt like Wisconsin offered him 'a choice'. In all honestly, the man thought it would be the opposite.

But what the older hybrid didn't know was that the teen was wondering the same thing. Danny didn't understand why he answered that. But it was the truth. A truth he couldn't figure out…

"What about the Rockies?' Danny then questioned, not wanting to think about his own answer right now, though he still kept his gaze to the view in the distance.

The older hybrid hesitated slightly, a bit thrown off by the teen's slight change of topic. But the man still calmly replied, "An escape."

Danny smiled weakly at the reply as he looked up at the sky. "That's always nice to have…"

Vlad smiled back, glancing at the sky himself, aware of it being the boy's own 'escape'. But the man then smirked and asked, "What have you to say about Germany?"

This time, the teen turned around and finally looked at the older hybrid with a calm grin, "Definitely, an _adventure_."

The man chuckled. "I suppose I'd have to agree with you after that last trip…"

"Yeah…," the teen agreed with a small amused huff.

But then, Vlad looked towards the table about a yard away at which he and the boy had left their drinks. With hardly a thought, his eyes turned a bright red right before he extended a hand in the table's direction.

Even as Danny saw what the man was doing, another place suddenly came to his mind: Amity Park. He could say it offered him a lot of things. But most of all, it offered- -_it gave him_- -a place to call 'home'. But he also couldn't help but wonder what came to Vlad's mind when he thought of Amity Park. Somehow, the teen doubted it was pleasant. However, his thoughts of his hometown brought yet another place to Danny's mind- -one that he was hesitant to mention to the older hybrid because the teen felt this place had as much significance to the man as Amity did to the teen. Even so, the boy still suddenly had the desire to know what the man would say…

"Hey, Vlad?"

"Yes?" he asked as he used levitation to bring the glasses of lemonade towards them. He gave the teen his glass, as his own landed in his hand.

Danny watched as the red hue around the glasses disappeared as soon as the man's eyes turned blue again. But still hesitant, he took a sip of his drink before finally questioning, "What does Florida offer you?"

Vlad, who had been about to take a sip of his own beverage, paused in mid-action and quickly turned his full attention to the boy. He studied the teen with such intensity that Danny suddenly regretted his curiosity. But then, as sudden as it came, the man's intense gaze melded into a calm look and he just took a drink of his lemonade.

"I suppose since it was once my home, you expect it to mean something to me, hmm?" the billionaire then said.

"I do," Danny answered truthfully.

Vlad took another drink, this time a bit longer than the first, before shaking his head and saying, "Florida offers me absolutely nothing."

The teen frowned, unsure of what to think of that. "Nothing? But… You grew up there. It was your home."

Vlad shrugged. "You said it, Daniel. It _was_ my home. If it once meant something to me, it is now in the past. Now… it offers me nothing. That is why I do not go there."

Danny just lowered his gaze to his drink, somewhat saddened by the man's words. Why would anyone feel _nothing_ for the place which held their childhood? Was the man's past that horrible that he didn't find anything worthwhile to hold on to?

"You… didn't like it there?" the teen quietly asked, looking back at the man.

But much to the teen's surprise, Vlad slightly smiled as he admitted, "No. I loved it there. Everything I ever needed was once there. But that's just it. It's not there anymore. Everything that tied me to my childhood home is gone, Daniel. So, why would it mean anything to me now?"

"Oh," Danny answered, unsure of what else to reply to that.

"Have _you_ been to Florida?"

The teen absently shook his head.

"But you must know they have an impressive space program, correct?"

Danny blinked at the man, a bit surprised by the change of topic. But he only slightly hesitated to answered, "Yeah, I know. NASA has one of its space centers there at Cape Canaveral. I've seen pictures…" But lowering his gaze again, he muttered, "It looks nice."

Vlad took another sip of his drink, before putting it down and sitting back in the Jacuzzi. He studied the thoughtful boy for a moment, already guessing what his current thoughts might be. And the man didn't hesitate to feed them by commenting, "If you plan to pursue your goal of becoming an astronaut, you will most likely have to go live down there. It would be a big step for you. And it would entail that you sacrifice and give up a lot of things… You just have to be willing to make that choice."

Danny looked back at him again, a bit confused by the comment. It was strange how Vlad had said that. In fact, this was the second time he talked about 'Danny's plans' as if they were possible. How could they be under his current circumstances?

But what the teen didn't know was that the man was very well aware of how unlikely it would be to keep the boy at his side for the rest of his life. He would have to be delusional to believe that. And although the older hybrid did not plan on giving the teen up any time soon, he agreed with Stephanie in that Daniel would grow up one day and not need parental guidance. And when that time came, it would be the teen who would have to choose how to live his life. But until then, as long as the boy needed a father to guide him, the older hybrid was not going to give him up. But that also didn't mean they couldn't talk about the child's future…

"Then, I guess I'll have to choose when the time comes…," the teen answered, playing along in spite his confusion. But deciding to turn the topic's focus back to the man, Danny then said, "But speaking of choices, why did you choose to come to Wisconsin. I mean, if you grew up in 'sunny Florida', it sure had to be a big change to come to this place."

Vlad chuckled, though he was mostly amused by the teen's clever way of redirecting the subject back to the man. Still, not finding any real reason not to answer the boy, he nodded and agreed. "It was a big change. But Wisconsin University offered me a very good scholarship, which I couldn't bring myself to turn down. Besides, I was at a point in my life where I needed a significant change. And that's something that happens to everyone."

But then the older hybrid paused and added with a new purpose, "Trust me, dear boy. You will one day find yourself at that fork in the road. So, it is wise for you to start thinking ahead, Daniel. Or…" He paused a moment before he added with a smirk, "Did you believe that the things I am teaching you now only apply to ghost powers?"

Danny opened his mouth; but not finding anything to say to something like that, he closed it and frowned. He suddenly did not like this strange and modified version of 'spin the bottle' that the billionaire was playing.

"Sometimes I wonder if you try to confuse me on purpose," Danny told him seriously.

"I have never tried to confuse you, little badger. I only wish to help you think outside the box," Vlad answered calmly.

Danny sighed and shook his head for some reason, but then he suddenly turned from the man and dove into the water.

Vlad watched the teen swim off to the other side of the pool with a small smile. He knew it was hard for the boy to think about his life outside Amity Park, but the man was sure that the teen was at least _unwillingly_ thinking about it. And although Daniel was trying to deny it, Vlad was sure the boy would eventually accept that the only thing truly keeping him captive was his ties to those in Amity Park.

But if the man had learned anything about the young hybrid in all this time, it was that it was pointless to pressure the teen. However, the older hybrid was not clueless. For some reason, Daniel was interested in learning more about Vlad's life. And although only a few months back the billionaire would have instantly raised a barrier against it, now, the man didn't feel so much of a need to do that with the boy.

He didn't really mind telling him a little bit, so long as it gave him the chance to also find out a bit more about those things which Daniel kept hidden within as well. If the boy was going to ask, so would he. If he pushed, Vlad would, too.

It seemed as if they were caught in a battle again. A very different one than ever before, but they were battling each other, nevertheless; each with a goal and purpose for the other. Only time would tell who won this latest struggle.

But Vlad was sure of one thing: he wasn't backing down.

* * *

After lunch at the pool area, Danny and Vlad went back inside to shower and change into dry clothing. They then watched a movie in the large theater room the billionaire had on the first floor. So, by the time they settled down to a game of chess in the lounge room close to the foyer, it was almost five in the afternoon.

The teen didn't know how it came up, but they started talking about Vlad's companies as they played their game. And although it wasn't the most interesting topic for Danny, it led to a very interesting discussion between them, and it all started with one sudden question on the boy's part…

"Did you always want to be a businessman?"

Vlad, who had been ranting about Vladco's various lines of technology advancements, abruptly paused with the teen's out-of-the-blue query. Actually, he was bit annoyed at being cut off, especially when he had been quite excited to tell the young hybrid all about his company's triumphs.

"Not precisely," Vlad answered slowly before asking, "Why do you ask?"

Danny shrugged. "I guess I've always wondered how you went from studying ghosts in college to knowing all about running multi-million dollar companies. I mean, it can't be something you learn overnight." But then he mentally added, _"Or by overshadowing people, either."_

"Of course not," Vlad said, for some reason a bit defensive about it. "It took me years of school. What do you think I did with most of my youth? Yes, perhaps I did overshadow a few businessmen to make my first millions, but even I can admit that short-cuts can only get you so far. So, I worked for the rest. I earned and worked for the _knowledge_ I now have, Daniel! If I hadn't, there would be no possible way to keep my businesses as strong as they are now!"

"Okay, geez. It was just a question," Danny said, quickly raising his hands up, honestly surprised by the man's sudden hostility.

Vlad frowned, though mostly at his own reaction. He didn't really know why the question had bothered him so much. And why did he even answer that? It had not even really been an answer to the boy's question.

The billionaire sighed and looked back at the chess game. He was quiet for a moment, ignoring the confused look on the teen's face. But as he suddenly moved one of his pawns forward, he all but muttered, "No, I did not always want to go into the business field…. It was originally just a minor I took up. In reality, I wanted to be a doctor."

Danny did a double-take. "Wait. A doctor? _You_ wanted to be a _doctor_?"

The billionaire rolled his eyes, though he now looked a lot calmer. "It can't be _that_ hard to believe. But, no, Daniel. It is not the type of doctor of which you are thinking. I did not want to be a _physician_. I had planned to get a doctorate in Biochemistry and Human Genetics. You see, that was my major in college…."

The man's face relaxed again as he further admitted, "I have always been fascinated by the human body and its complexities. I can assure you, Daniel, there is nothing more ingenious than all the different systems that work together to keep us alive. For all we know about ourselves, we still know nothing. And it is for that reason that it had been my goal and dream to focus my life on learning all about the human system. I had hoped to discover more of its inner functions. And even perhaps use those discoveries to prevent and cure a lot of human diseases that exist today."

Danny could only blink in amazement when he realized that the man was barely hiding his passion about the subject. He was sure that the man had never sounded this intense even when he talked about the Packers.

It put a smile on the teen's face. But it now made sense to the teen how Vlad knew so much about the human body… Heck, the guy could make clones! And although Danny wasn't exactly for that, it had to say something about the amount of knowledge the older hybrid possessed.

But then, that raised another question. And although he was hesitant again, he just had to know.

"So, if you majored in… Biochemistry and Human Genetics. How did you get into ghosts? I mean, my, uh, parents said you guys majored in Spectral…uhh…"

"Spectral Biomechanics," Vlad helped out, looking unfazed by the boy's brief mention of Maddie and Jack. And as he spoke, he gave no indication of unease, either. "And that is true, Daniel. But unlike your parents, Spectral Biomechanics was another minor I took up, just like Business."

Danny couldn't hide that he was impressed, but it did explain a lot…

Vlad paused briefly before further saying, "The reason I took up business as a minor was because my father's life had revolved around it. So, I suppose I did it as a way to uphold his love for it. I felt it was my responsibility to have _some_ knowledge of it…But it had never been my intention to end up practically in his shoes..."

The billionaire scoffed for some reason, and Danny couldn't help but recall once again their talk in the limo last night. For someone who supposedly did not want to change his life, the man sounded a bit too bitter about it…

But the teen didn't say anything, even when Vlad shook his head before continuing in a calm voice again, "As for my second minor, I took it up only after I met your parents. I suppose their passion for ghosts rubbed off on me. And considering my own passion for science, I got very intrigued by the possibility of finding and studying other beings that were not human- -or at least, were _no longer_ human. I developed many theories on ghosts after that. It was just such an exciting prospect to find out how they might differ and compare to living humans… It still is. And I think you more than anyone can appreciate how amazing it all really is. After all, _we_ are _both_ human and ghost," Vlad said with a widening smile. "We have the best of both systems…Do you realize how incredible that is? If the world knew about us, we would practically be the greatest scientific discovery!"

"Yeah… It's great to know that there's no better guinea pig around than me," Danny replied sarcastically, though a bit of mirth danced in his eyes.

Vlad chuckled. "Well, if it makes you feel better, you are not the only 'guinea pig' that exists."

"Oh, yeah, that's definitely a relief," the boy answered with the same sarcasm. But then with a smile, he sincerely said, "I gotta say, you're background's pretty impressive…"

The man smiled at the compliment, but he then readily added more arrogantly, though playfully. "Yes, I suppose it is."

Danny just huffed and rolled his eyes before looking back down at the chess board. And although he then remembered it was his turn to move, the teen still added with a mixture of mirth and cynicism, "It's a good thing you don't have any siblings… Otherwise, they would have had one heck of time trying to be as smart as you."

Vlad chuckled, knowing the boy's words came from his own experience with Jasmine. But he wasn't about to comment on that. Instead, he replied with some mirth still in his voice, "Hmm…. Actually, no. She had absolutely no trouble proving she was _smarter_."

But the single comment jolted the boy and he snapped his eyes up to look at the man in genuine surprise.

"You're not an only child?"

Vlad shook his head, though his gaze went back to studying the chess game. "I had a twin sister," he replied casually.

"No way!" Danny said with a smile, though he was completely floored. "Seriously? I mean, _really_? That's so…Wait…" The teen's face fell as he backtracked and replayed the older hybrid's words. He suddenly rubbed his neck as he uncertainly asked, "Did you say _had_?"

Vlad met the boy's gaze and passively smiled. "Yes, I did," he answered, surprisingly quite calm about it. "She passed away when we were sixteen. My father and she were in a car accident with a truck. Apparently the driver of the truck was more asleep than awake, and, well, he ended up on the wrong side of the road…They both died instantly."

Danny's eyes widened in horror, but a wave of guilt suddenly had him stumbling over his words for an apology. "Oh, my gosh! Vlad, I'm-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean-I didn't know!"

"Daniel," Vlad cut him off with a small chuckle. "Calm down. It's fine, dear boy. That was long ago."

But Danny still looked distraught. No wonder the guy didn't want to return to Florida! He had lost his dad and sister in some horrible accident! And… And Annie had said that Vlad's mother had also died!

Vlad had lost his family when he had been young…like… like his future self!

"Oh my gosh," Danny whispered again, suddenly feeling like he couldn't breathe, especially when something the future Vlad had said to him rang in his mind, suddenly making so much more sense:

"_With no one left, you came to me. I was the only one you could hope to understand your situation…"_

Of course, he could understand it! Not just because Vlad was half-ghost, but because he had been through that same situation. He knew what it was to lose a family!

"Daniel? Are you alright?" Vlad asked, suddenly very concerned with how pale the boy looked. One would think the man had just told him someone in _his_ family had just passed away!

But hearing the man's tone of voice, the teen forced himself to swallow down his emotions and calm down. "Y-Yeah. I just…" Danny suddenly looked sadly at the man and quietly said, "You lost your family…"

The way the boy had said the fact suddenly jolted the man's heart with a pain he had all but buried for so many years.

"It was long ago," the man repeated, lowering his now sober gaze back down to the chess board, while internally regretting even telling the teen this. Why had he? He wouldn't even talk about it with Stephanie and _she_ knew all about it already…

Danny didn't say anything at first, still reeling with what he had just discovered. But as he watched the man make another move on the board, he felt compelled to say something. In spite of the man's calm demeanor and words, Danny was sure he wasn't as 'fine' with it as he let on. No one was just 'fine' after something like that. And if everything the boy knew about his own alternative future wasn't enough proof, then he could easily see the proof in the man's actions right now:

Vlad had just taken a second turn when Danny had yet to make a move himself on the board. It was a small mistake, but it wasn't a mistake _Vlad_ made...

"What was her name?"

The billionaire slowly raised his gaze back to the teenager, and seeing the boy's small sad smile, the man felt compelled to answer him.

"Viviane... Her name was Viviane Masters."

But then a small smile curled on Vlad's lips before he softly chuckled at a sudden memory.

"What?" Danny asked, really wanting to know what the man was thinking.

"She disliked her name so much," Vlad answered with amusement, though there was a distant look in his eyes. "I never understood why. But no matter what she did, our parents and everyone else called her by her full name."

"What did she like to be called, then?" Danny asked, his smile growing with the softness in the man's voice.

"Annie'. I always called her 'Annie'... Stephanie also called her that, too... They were best friends, after all."

Danny's eyebrows heightened in surprise, but before he could say anything, the man continued, almost as if he couldn't stop now that he had started talking about his deceased sibling.

"She was a very special person, Daniel. One of a kind, really." Vlad huffed again before adding, "Then again, she could be a tad annoying at times. See, she always seemed to forget that we were the same age and so very commonly attempted to act like she was my older sibling. And yet…, even reluctantly, I would more-often-than-not find myself listening to her and doing what she would say…"

The man paused in thought again. But then he suddenly smirked and added, "Don't think I made it easy for her, though. When she did get too bossy, I'd mock her and tell her she'd make a great stepmother. That always got me a glare, though it at least never failed to make her back off."

Danny smiled weakly, clearly torn between amusement and sadness. And yet, the teen pressed forward, albeit a bit hesitant; but something that the man had said really struck him…

"You said that Stephanie was your sister's best friend…And, well… I can't help but notice that Stephanie's daughter also goes by 'Annie'. Does that have something to do with it?"

Vlad nodded, his face falling a bit with the question. "Stephanie wanted to name her daughter after my sister…But I was against it. So, although she ended up naming her daughter 'Annabelle', she nicknamed her 'Annie'. I'm honestly not fond of that, either, which is why I prefer to call Stephanie's daughter by her actual name. But, ultimately, the girl is her daughter and I can't tell her what to call her. At least, Stephanie respected my wishes enough to not name her 'Viviane."

"What did you do after your father and sister passed away?" Danny continued to question, though he now had an idea. Everything Annie had told him and everything he had found out so far about Vlad was finally falling into place. The one piece to Vlad's past that the teen had been missing had just been given to him by the older hybrid himself. But although the teen was pretty sure he could now piece it all together, he wanted to hear it from Vlad's own mouth.

"I was sixteen, so I still had a few years before I could move away to college. Not that it had originally been my intention," Vlad said, an unreadable frown on his face. "I liked Florida. It was a good place to grow up… and raise a family. But after Annie and my father's death, things just were not the same. You see…," the man said with a strange sigh, "My father was a wealthy man. Not a millionaire or anything of the sort… But he owned a good company and made a decent amount of money. We lived a good life. My mother didn't work, so she was always around. And my father hardly went away for too long. Everything he did was close to home; so the four of us were always together… I suppose that's why my sister and father's deaths were so unexpected."

Vlad paused, his eyebrows creasing as he quietly contemplated something. But realizing he had slightly strayed from the actual question, he focused back on the teen and returned to the topic.

"As I was saying, after they passed away, everything just wasn't the same. My mother's and my entire life just changed in a blink of an eye. Even our financial stability was taken away from us. Naturally, with my father's death, his company and assets were supposed to go to his family… But my father had a business partner. And even after everything my father had done for him, even after all the years he and my father had known each other, he never thought twice of cheating my mother out of what my father had left for her and his children. He took control of my father's company entirely and left us with nothing."

Danny resisted the urge to cringe as he wondered if this story could get any worse. Sadly, it could.

"…He was the first person I overshadowed and took down from his pillar after gaining control of my ghost powers," Vlad suddenly admitted coldly. "And you might not agree, but I don't regret it in the slightest. He deserved that and much more. It was thanks to him that my mother and I were forced to sell and move out of _our_ home- -the home my father had practically built with his own two hands!"

Danny just stared quietly at the older hybrid, who was clearly angered by the memory of his father's business partner. But although the teenager could understand why Vlad was so upset by the horrible hand that man had dealt to his mother and him, the teen still firmly believed that revenge was never the answer. It solved nothing. And, ultimately, it gained you nothing.

But as if reading the boy's thoughts behind his eyes, as well as, suddenly realizing he was letting his emotions get the better of him, the man's angry gaze relaxed a bit. He paused for a moment. But then suddenly, he got up and moved over to an intercom.

"George? Could you bring us a pot of tea, please?"

"_Right away, sir."_

Danny continued to quietly watch the older hybrid. It was almost unbelievable just how easy it was to read many of Vlad's mannerisms now. His way of handling his emotions….The things he did to regain control of a certain situation… Vlad was really good at all of it. He was very good at putting on and switching masks… But they had all but lost their effects on Danny when the teen had now seen most of them… and knew a good deal about the man's _true_ face.

"Anyhow," Vlad said with a now causal tone of voice as he sat back down. "We moved to an apartment and I transferred to another high school. From there, we both got steady jobs and just worked for our necessities up until I graduated from high school. Luckily, my hard work in school also paid off. I graduated with an impressive transcript and CAT scores. I applied for several universities. But as I mentioned, I picked Wisconsin because they offered me the best deal. I had a full ride with them, plus extra money for all my expenses and housing. And with their high standings, well, how could I say 'no'?"

"What happened to your mom?" Danny asked, a sober look on his face.

Vlad was a bit confused by the seriousness on the boy's face, but he was mostly surprised with the question itself. By the way he had worded it, it sounded as if the teen already knew she had also passed away. But… the man had never told the teen that. Did Stephanie tell him?

Somehow, he doubted it. When it came to such things, the woman was very respectful. Perhaps, Annabelle? The girl was Stephanie's daughter, so the man was sure she didn't keep a lot of things from Annabelle…

Deciding it didn't matter, the man finally replied to the boy's question, "My mother died during the end of my sophomore year in college, Daniel. She developed a terminal illness… and passed away."

The man paused again, but this time, he could hardly hide the sadness his next thoughts invoked within him.

"I… felt so guilty for so long after that. I shouldn't have left her alone. And although she encouraged me to continue my studies and make something of myself, I know she wished I had stayed in Florida. But… I just _couldn't.._. When I found out she was sick, it was just a few weeks before she died. She had kept her illness from me because she knew I would have dropped everything and returned home. Still, I should have known as much…I shouldn't have left," he repeated again, this time his grave look falling to the chess game in front of him.

Danny felt a sudden guilt of his own within his chest. How could Vlad have survived losing his loved ones? In his alternate future, the teen had fallen apart when he lost his. And even now, just the thought of losing them- -heck, just the fact that he couldn't see them- -had him all but desperate and broken.

But then, as the teen continued to think of everything else the man had gone through, Danny became much more aware of how stronger a person Vlad was than he had originally believed. At least, his spirit was strong. Unfortunately, his many hardships had also left the man with serious issues. And his biggest problem was how cold and uncaring he could be in the way he viewed the world and those in it. But… at least the teen now knew the reason behind it was not just because of what had happened with Vlad and his father in college…

"It must have been hard," Danny suddenly said, though his gaze was also on the board.

"Yes, it was," Vlad agreed, raising his now curious blue eyes to the boy, wondering why he sounded so upset. "But… I met your father shortly after my mother's death… And, well… even I have to admit he helped me a great deal. His friendship, and then your mother's- -when we met her a year later- -were the support I needed to move pass my loss. I probably would have fallen apart, otherwise…," the man muttered quietly before letting out a strange sigh.

But Danny still couldn't bring himself to look at the man, especially after hearing him talk about his parents. Not only did it saddened him greatly because he missed them, but also because he just couldn't understand how Vlad could hate his father so much after he clearly had greatly cared for him at one point in time. And by the man's tone of voice, the teen was almost certain the man was wondering something along the same lines.

And yet, the truth was that it was because the older hybrid had cared for Jack so much that his 'betrayal' had hurt so deeply. But that was something he couldn't share with the boy. Daniel would not understand.

"_And he never will," _Vlad thought both sadly and bitterly.

But not wanting to create any tension between them, especially when today was going so well, the billionaire pushed aside his thoughts of Jack and Maddie, and decided to continue with his story. That is, if the boy hadn't spoken up first.

"Why won't you return to Florida?" Danny questioned, turning his sober gaze on the man again. He knew better than to let their conversation linger on his parents more than necessary. Besides, learning the truth about Vlad's past right now felt more important than anything else, somehow.

"I told you, there's nothing there for me," Vlad answered seriously.

Danny's eyebrows creased, trying to understand the man's logic without much luck.

"But…Don't you want to… visit them? I mean, your family's graves? I don't know… I would think you'd want to…"

Although the teen trailed off, clearly not sure how to word what he wanted to know, Vlad understood it all the same. After all, Stephanie had asked him the same thing before, too. And the billionaire simply answered Danny with the same answer…

"I think people have different ways of dealing with the loss of loved ones, Daniel…" Vlad paused, only to continue with actual sadness in his voice this time, "And the way I dealt with it was by turning away from everything and everyone I knew in Florida and not turning back -ever." The billionaire smiled bitterly at the teen as he added, "I suppose that sounds cowardly, doesn't it?"

Danny shook his head. "No… it sounds sad. I guess if I were in your shoes I would want to… visit their graves…"

"And what good would that do?" Vlad questioned back, almost impassively. "When has wallowing in one's losses ever helped anyone? No, dear boy. It is both pointless and fruitless. I prefer to focus on the present and on my _gains_."

Danny found so many things wrong with the man's response. But not even knowing where to begin, the teen just shook his head. Still, the man's refusal to visit his loved ones graves only gave the teen more reason to believe that the man had not truly 'moved on' as he kept saying. Vlad had not gotten over his loss…. And maybe no one ever really did get over such losses… But… the billionaire had not even tried from what he was hearing. He had just _fled_ from his painful past.

And yet, right after he thought that, Danny recalled how in his alternate future _he_ had also left his hometown after his family's death. _He_ had _also_ ran away…and probably never returned…

"…Is that why you stopped talking to Stephanie? Because of your sister's death?" Danny suddenly questioned, watching the billionaire carefully for his reaction.

And the way Vlad briefly tensed and how his eyebrows creased affirmed the teen's belief that the man's sister's passing away was indeed the reason…

"How do you know about that, Daniel?"

"I don't think it really matters, Vlad. And just to get it out of the way, I also know you cared about Stephanie and even dated her when you were in high school."

The billionaire frowned.

But before he could say anything, Danny quickly assured him, "I'm not trying to pry or anything. I just… I just want to know."

Vlad stared at the boy for a moment, but then lowered his gaze to the chess game in between them. The man suddenly realized he didn't even know whose turn it was anymore. Then again, playing chess was obviously the last thing on his or Daniel's minds anymore…. But this was why Vlad avoided talking about his past… It just complicated things. He honestly had not really thought about his family in a long time. Actually… he had all but forgotten about them until the boy came into his life in these past months. And worse, he had dreamt about them- -something that had not happened to him for probably over twenty years now.

But the worst part was how it had not just been some passing dream. It had been… _horribly_ twisted and beyond comprehension. The part about his conversation with his mother had been normal enough. It was just as he remembered it. And then also his visiting his father and sister's grave one last time… But then…when he had been standing in front of their graves… he had suddenly seen that strange red mist rising off the grave beside his father's, rising off his_ sister's _grave…

And then hearing her voice, sounding both worried and sad… Hearing the things she said to him just before he had somehow ended up in Amity Park, in front of Daniel's and his loved ones' graves…It had been just awful-especially when he still vividly recalled the pain he felt when the boy had reached inside him, pulled out his ghost half and… destroyed it.

Vlad visibly shuddered.

"Vlad? Are you okay?" Danny asked uncertainly, having noticed the man's own unease.

The older hybrid slowly locked his gaze on the teen, trying to push the memory of a red-eyed Danny Phantom from his mind and instead to focus on the innocent and caring blue-eyes of the boy in front of him. But then, one of the things his sister had said to him in his bizarre dream abruptly returned to his mind:

_"You want so badly to aid him with his problems…But how can you when you have yet to cope with your own? How can you possibly guide the boy down the right path when you have strayed so far from your own that you have lost sight of it?" _

"Excuse me, sir?"

Danny and Vlad jolted a bit at the sound of Martha's voice as she came in with tea and cookies.

"Sorry to disturb you," she then said, noticing the heavy atmosphere in the room. "But here is the tea you wanted."

Vlad nodded at her and just watched as she put the tray down on the table before excusing herself and leaving again.

Danny reached forward and grabbed a cookie, though mostly to do something as he and Vlad just sat in silence. The teen was well aware that he had just pushed a bit too much, and the man's silence was his way of conveying that he didn't want to continue with their conversation. But now Danny didn't know what else to say. How do you change the subject after something like this?

But to the boy's surprise, Vlad suddenly sighed; and as he leaned forward a bit to pour himself some tea in one of the two empty cups on the tray, he soberly said, "I loved Viviane. I have lost much in my life, Daniel. But nothing has ever hurt me more than losing my sister…You see… we were very close…Perhaps like you and Jasmine."

Vlad picked up his cup of tea and leaned back on the couch before taking a sip of the hot beverage. He didn't have to look at the boy to know his mentioning of Jasmine had dimmed the boy's blue orbs with sadness. Even when the teen tried to hide it, the sadness was always there whenever Daniel's loved ones were mentioned.

But when the man finally did look at the teen, he was a bit surprised to find something more than sadness on the boy's face. There was also a small smile… A smile that showed Daniel understood and knew how special a bond between two siblings could be. The boy knew how deep that love felt.

And yet, Vlad had long since been aware of it. After all, it was the boy's love for his sister that he had used against Daniel to get him here…And it was because the man himself knew how strong that love was, because he had felt it for his own sibling long ago, that he had known the boy would submit…

However, now that he had compared so openly his love for Viviane to the boy's own for Jasmine, it suddenly left a foul taste of guilt in his mouth.

Still, he did his best to ignored it and focused on the boy's soft smile… It somehow made it a bit easier to share the rest of his thoughts with him.

"They say that twins share a unique bond with each other," Vlad said with a small smile of his own. "Annie and I might have been fraternal twins… but I know without a doubt that what they say is true. It was like we always knew what we were thinking… and how we felt. I can't explain it, but it was something almost supernatural. So, you see, when she died, I felt like half my soul had been taken from me… It was only with time that the feeling went away. But the pain had been so horrible that I simply had to do what I did….I left everything from my childhood behind…"

"Including… Stephanie?"

"_Especially_, Stephanie," Vlad said with a deep frown. The man took another sip of his tea before shaking his head and calmly sighing. "I tried, Daniel. I tried very hard to keep Stephanie in my life, knowing it would be what my sister would have wanted. Not to mention, Annie's death was also hard on Stephanie. As I said, they were the closest of friends. But, after Annie's death…I couldn't even look at Stephanie without being reminded of my sister- -of her and my father's tragic deaths. So, although I had cared deeply for her back then, I had to let Stephanie go, too. And the only way to do that was to break off all my ties with her. I, for all intent and purpose, simply pretended that she had also died that same day… It was only then that I was able to go on with my life…"

"I, uh…" Danny sighed, not wanting to upset the man, but also wanting to know. "Do you… uh… still care about her?"

Vlad raised an eyebrow, knowing he was talking about Stephanie. But deciding he might as well tell the boy the rest of the story, since he had already done so this far, the man calmly replied, "Stephanie is special to me, Daniel. And now you know the main reason why. But things have changed. She might be the only person I truly consider a friend; but there's nothing more. In fact, it was only by chance or fate that she came back into my life. She was currently with Annabelle's father when she found out through the papers about the 'freak accident' that occurred in Wisconsin University." Vlad rolled his eyes at the memory, but readily continued, "When she found out I was involved and that I was in the hospital, she traveled from Florida all the way to Wisconsin…."

Vlad suddenly frowned, feeling a light squeeze of hate to his heart at the thought of his time in the hospital and who was responsible. But knowing this was not a topic he wanted to get into, nor would Danny appreciate him doing so, the billionaire quickly moved passed it.

"I did everything possible to get Stephanie to leave. I had not wanted to see her before my accident, and my wishes had only doubled after it. But… that blasted woman is _so_ persistent."

Danny couldn't help but smirk weakly at the tone in which the man had said that. It was comical.

"…And then, when I later found out about her own misfortunes, I ultimately could not turn away from her a second time…I owed her _and_ my sister that much. Annie loved Stephanie like a sister. So, how could I have done anything else? Believe me, if it wasn't out of respect for our past and my sister, I would have not allowed Stephanie to return to my life after my accident in college…"

Vlad's serious voice softened a bit as he paused and then added, "And yet… I think I needed her as much as she needed me during that time…" The billionaire's eyebrows creased and he stopped talking. But the expression was gone all too soon and he lightly shrugged. "In any case, she's part of my life now -and has been for longer than I care to count at the moment."

Danny didn't say anything, and instead just lowered his gaze.

But seeing the troubled look on the teen's face, Vlad's eyebrows furrowed again and he asked, "What are you thinking, Daniel?"

The teen didn't reply right away, but when he finally did, his gaze remained distant. "I just…I find it…strange how one event can change someone's entire life and…future…"

One of Vlad's eyebrows hitched higher; but he then slowly put down his tea cup and casually inquired, "Speaking from experience, my boy?"

Danny instantly snapped his eyes to the man; and suddenly a bit tensed he replied, "What?"

The older hybrid rubbed his chin for brief moment before answering, "Well, it sounds like you can relate. Though, I cannot imagine why…Care to enlighten me?"

Danny instantly became apprehensive and just as suddenly, he reached forward and poured himself some tea. "I, uh… not really. I mean, I don't think I can totally relate…"

"You're such a horrible liar, little badger," Vlad said with a light smirk, though he had no intention of pressing the teen if he didn't want to tell him why he had voiced such a thought.

Danny didn't even try to argue against the man's claim. He was well aware that Vlad had the foresight to all but see right through him. And perhaps now, the man _could_ see through him. Just like Danny could now read the man more easily, the boy was sure Vlad could do the same with him, too.

But although the boy was surprisingly tempted to tell Vlad the truth, to tell him that he could indeed relate to how one event can alter one's entire life, Danny knew he could not do so. It would mean he'd have to share his fears with the man; he'd have to tell him everything. And he wasn't ready for that. And he couldn't imagine ever being willing to share it, especially with Vlad. They might trust each other now, but that trust could only root itself so deeply before the current circumstances and those differences that they avoided acknowledging blocked any further growth.

Danny sighed. "I guess I'm just wondering what would have happened if your sister was still alive," he muttered, though, obviously, it was only half true.

Vlad sighed deeply himself, though it was mostly because of the teen's quick change of topic. But deciding to humor the boy, he answered, though he did answer truthfully.

"Well, I know for certain I wouldn't be who I am…She would not have allowed it," Vlad added, frowning lightly at that. "I also know if she were still alive I would have not come to Wisconsin. I would have stayed in Florida."

Danny looked intensely at the man, suddenly realizing just how significant everything that he was saying was.

But as if realizing it himself, Vlad continued, a mixture of emotions on his face. "I… probably would have done what I had planned… I would have gotten a job with my doctorate; had a family…I would have probably married Stephanie…Now there's a thought," he added, sounding torn between feeling amused and disturbed. But then he paused and gazed right at the teen as he then said, "If my sister would not have died, I would have never come to Wisconsin. That means, I would have never met your parents. And the proto-portal…It took all three of our heads to make it work. Your parents would have never gotten it to work without me… And I wouldn't have ghost powers… But, Daniel, neither would you…" Vlad eyebrows creased, genuine anxiety in his eyes as he added, "I don't know how to feel about that."

"Neither do I," Danny whispered, looking as disturbed as the billionaire. After all, Vlad was right. The Fenton portal had been an improved version of the proto-portal his parents had made in college with Vlad. It had been their blue-prints. And if they had not had those blue-prints…there would be no Fenton portal. He would not have ghost powers!

"I…guess everything happens for a reason, after all," Danny muttered, though he still wasn't sure how he felt about what they had just realized.

Vlad's troubled gaze suddenly melded into a serious frown as he answered, "Perhaps…But that doesn't make things better. I'd give up my ghost powers, _everything_ I possess, in a heartbeat if it meant that Annie could still be alive. Tell me the truth, Daniel," the man unexpectedly ordered. "If you had the chance to go back and prevent your getting ghost powers, would you? What would your life be like if you didn't now have the weight you do on your shoulders?"

Danny gazed at the tea in his hand, honestly thinking of the questions. He knew from past experience that every time he had tried to do something to either avoid getting ghost powers or change his fate, it backfired. But… to be given that chance with _no strings attached_. To be given the chance to be normal without negative consequences…

"I'm afraid to answer that," Danny admitted quietly. "I… know I sometimes wish it… but I still can't decide if it's _right_ to want to be… well, a normal kid."

"What else are you afraid of, Daniel?" Vlad suddenly asked.

Danny's eyebrows drew together. "…You don't want to know, Vlad. Trust me."

"No, Daniel. I do want to know. Far more than you can understand," Vlad said, slightly worried.

Danny averted his gaze, honestly tempted to answer the man, which was confusing in itself.

"I'm afraid of a lot of things," he quietly admitted, "And one of my fears is… telling someone about them."

Vlad sighed, but still reluctantly nodded. "Then…you don't' have to, little badger."

The teen looked up at the man, clearly surprised by his answer. But Danny then smiled appreciatively and said, "Thanks."

Vlad shrugged helplessly before grabbing his tea and taking a sip of it. He then glanced at the chess game and questioned with light mirth, "You wouldn't happen to recall who's turn it is, would you?"

Danny smiled, deciding not to tell the man that it had been the teen's turn, but that Vlad had gone twice. Instead, he replied, "No idea." But then, the boy suddenly arched an eyebrow as he added, "I think I know your castle well enough to say that you don't have a single picture of your family… How come? And don't give me that, 'it's pointless and fruitless' speech," the teen further added, this time sounding serious.

Vlad frowned. "I have pictures. I just happen to find my childhood and family a personal matter. So, I just don't have such pictures displayed for everyone to see."

Danny ignored the slightly defensive tone in the man's voice, and he quickly sat up and said, "You have pictures? Where? Can I see them?"

The billionaire's frown deepened, though he now also seemed a bit apprehensive. "They are in my personal lounge…"

"That's okay. I'll wait for you to go get them," Danny answered with an encouraging smile.

Vlad stared uncertainly at the boy. "They're not that interesting, Daniel. Why don't I show them to you later? Don't you want to finish our game?"

Danny shook his head. "Not really."

The billionaire sighed loudly. "Fine. I'll be back in a moment," he muttered, before putting his tea down and walking out of the room.

Once Danny was sure the man was gone, he let his smile fade from his face, then sighed deeply and passed his hand through his hair…

But as Vlad headed up the main stairs, he paused at hearing Martha and Patricia whispering to each other from a nearby hallway.

"I don't know what got into her, Martha. I just asked her if she could take the tea to Master Plasmius and she outright refused. She had already looked very upset, but when I asked her to do that, she was more so. And when I tried to get her to tell me what was wrong, she suddenly flew off… I think she was crying."

"And you say you can't find her?" Martha inquired, sounding troubled.

Vlad turned his head in the maids' direction and one of his eyebrows rose in question. He was almost sure the older maids were talking about the younger one. And for a moment, he contemplated asking them what the problem was. But he then decided it was not any of his business and that he wasn't all that interested, anyways. So, with a light shrug to himself, he continued on his way.

When he got to his private study, he tilted the football that opened his personal lounge. It didn't take him long to find one of his picture albums, since it was neatly stored in his wall-size bookcase.

But when he pulled it out, his eyebrows creased as he placed a hand on the leather cover. He was tempted to just tell the boy he could not find it. After all, Vlad himself had not looked at such albums in years. So, why was he going to look at one now, especially with the teen?

Vlad sighed, before he turned his gaze at a portrait on his wall. It was of his family. The only picture that he had out in full view.

But as he specifically focused on his deceased sibling, smiling at him from the portrait, he bit his lip from anxiety.

"He reminds me of you," he soberly told the picture. In these past months he had not understood why thoughts of his family had started surfacing after all these years. But he now was sure he knew why. It was due to Daniel's presence. The boy's noble nature; his undying hope for even those who didn't deserve it…That purity and goodness inside him… Annie had had those same qualities…

He glanced back down at the album in his hands as his most recent dream about his family came to his mind. But then, another memory came to his mind; a memory that he had convinced himself _long ago_ had been a dream and _nothing_ more….

It had come to him the same day that his mother and he had been told the tragic news of his sister and father's death…

"_Vlad…"_

_The distraught sixteen-year-old quickly removed his face from his hands at hearing the familiar voice of his sister. But as soon as he did, he readily gasped at the sudden bright, white light that blinded him and encased the room. _

_But when the light faded and Vlad managed to rub his eyes into focus, his lips parted in disbelief at finding his supposedly deceased sibling sitting beside him on his bed._

"_Annie?" he asked in shock. But suddenly thinking that what the cops had told his mother and him only an hour ago was a mistake, the teenager's lips curved into a bright smile, before he threw himself on her in a hug._

"_Annie! I thought you…" Vlad's words died on his lips when he abruptly pulled away from her and weakly glared before snapping, "You scared me!" _

_But Viviane just stared at him with sad eyes. "I'm sorry," she answered as she raised a hand and wiped a tear from his cheek. _

_Vlad blushed, and quickly wiped his face himself, feeling embarrassed at having his sister see him cry at his age. But he then smiled again; and grabbing her hand, he stood up, saying, "Come, we have to tell Mother that you're alright." But he abruptly paused and frowned in confusion before warily adding, "Where is Father?" _

"_Vlad," Viviane said with a sigh. "I came to say good-bye," she said softly._

_Vlad stared at her, finally noticing she was wearing a glittering white dress that he had never seen before. But what really struck him was that it was glowing, like she was…_

"_I'm going to miss you so much...," she said, sparkling tears escaping her eyes and rolling down her pale cheeks._

_Vlad felt his own eyes fill with tears at finally realizing the truth. "No…Annie, you can't leave me. Y-You're my sister. Don't leave me alone!" he pleaded fearfully._

"_I'll never leave you," she assured him with a sad smile. "Since we were born, we have always been bonded, Brother, and that will always remain. I'll watch over you, even if you can't see me. I promise." _

_The siblings hugged tightly, before Viviane whispered to her brother, "Take care of Mother." _

_Parting from her, Vlad could only nod back as he stared at her for the last time._

"_Ta," his sister said with a wink before a bright light engulfed the room again, finally leaving Vlad's room in complete darkness. _

The older hybrid's jaw clenched, suddenly feeling both angry and annoyed with himself. Why was he thinking about this foolishness? After all, that had only been a dream… That's all it could be. But it didn't matter, anyways. His sister was gone forever. And the truth was that he wouldn't want it any other way…

The older hybrid glanced at the picture of his family one more time with an almost emotionless glow in his eyes. But then he suddenly looked away and headed back out.

When he made it back to the foyer lounge, he found Danny with the white kitten on his lap. The creature was licking at his hand, while the teen scratched her ear with a small smile on his face.

"I don't suppose you have found that creature a home yet?" the man asked with an almost condescending voice.

Danny looked up, clearly surprised with the man's sudden entrance. But hearing his question, the teen smiled sheepishly and replied, "I've been trying, but… Heh. If you haven't noticed, you live pretty far from civilization; so I haven't been able to put up any flyers. I asked Carl and Derek to help me out since they go out more often than me… But I think they get sidetracked. I asked Carl, like, two days ago about it, and he said he managed to get some lady's number. But when I asked him what she had said about the cat, he blinked at me, and asked me, 'What cat?" Danny rolled his eyes before saying, "And don't even get me started with Derek."

Vlad frowned as he sat back down, his eyes on the white fur-ball meowing for the boy's attention. "I don't understand why we can't just take her to a shelter. Considering her young age and nice nature, I'm sure she would not be there for very long."

"Maybe. But you agreed you'd let me try to find her a home, first. So, she's staying for now," Danny replied, though he readily smirked when the cat suddenly jumped off his lap and leapt up on the couch on which the billionaire was on. "Besides, she likes it here. And _clearly_ likes you," he added with a chuckle.

Vlad stared down at the kitten rubbing her face against his thigh. "Yes… and so does her fur," he muttered in distaste, glad he was wearing his white-and-red pants and robe, and not one of his usual black business outfits.

Danny just chuckled again; but seeing the man had an album in his hands, the teen asked, "That whole thing is filled with family pictures?"

Remembering the album, the man looked down at it and lightly shrugged. "More or less. It has childhood pictures and other old photos from when I lived in Florida." The man opened the book and briefly flipped through the pages before finally stopping on a specific one. He then raised his eyes back on the boy and quietly offered him the open album.

Danny quickly leaned forward to grab it; and placing it on his lap, his eyes quickly locked onto a picture of two adults and two kids- -Vlad and his family.

The teen studied the picture, a small smile curling his lips. But then he suddenly glanced up at Vlad and amusedly remarked, "You look like your dad."

The older hybrid just smiled lightly and nodded.

It was true, though. If Vlad still had his black hair before the accident, he would probably look exactly like his father. The older male in the picture had the same body and face structure as his son currently did. And Vlad had clearly gotten his blue eyes from him, too. Perhaps their noses were slightly different, but the only real difference Danny could see was that the older hybrid's father didn't sport the same type of facial hair as his son. In fact, Vlad's father only wore a mustache. The teen also couldn't help but notice that the man in the picture held that same air of confidence Vlad did. But then, after he thought this, the teen frowned a bit in confusion. For some strange reason, there was more to Vlad's father that this particular picture had somehow been able to capture. Vlad's father _was_ different. Unlike his son, who tainted his air of confidence with his arrogance and need for supremacy, the confidence that Vlad's father presented in this picture didn't have such a fault; but it did seem to be dressed with wisdom, and, possibly….tenderness.

Danny's eyes slowly moved to the woman in the picture. She was an attractive, slim and petite woman. In the picture, she was wearing her light brown hair up in a hair-clamp, but by the strands of hair framing her face, she clearly had very curly hair. Her light green eyes were as warm as her smile. Danny, of course, didn't know the woman, but just by that alone, he was sure she had been a very nice person and caring wife and mother.

Finally, the boy's eyes locked on the two kids in the picture. He wasn't sure, but Danny would say they looked to be between twelve and fourteen in this picture. So, clearly, the picture had been taken a few years before Vlad's sister and father had perished. And although the man in the picture had a hand on his son's shoulder and the woman had her own hand on one of her daughter's upper arms, the two teenagers in the picture seemed to be oblivious to their presence. They had their own arms wrapped around each other, smiling brightly at whoever had taken the picture.

Danny was sure he had never seen such a smile on Vlad Masters' face. And if it wasn't for the resemblance and because he knew the teenage boy in the picture was Vlad, the young hybrid would not have believed it was he. The boy in the picture also had a glow in his eyes that the current adult Vlad didn't have.

Danny could tell Vlad had been happy, then.

The teen quietly sighed, though the reaction was not lost to the man sitting across from him. Vlad briefly frowned at the teen, but ultimately said nothing and just waited for the teen to finish satisfying his curiosity. But all the while, the man absentmindedly stroked the cat now on his own lap…

Danny's eyebrows creased when he finally focused his interest specifically on Vlad's sister. The teenage girl looked like her mother in that she had the same light-peach complexion, small face, and the same curly brown hair- -although the girl's hair was cut shoulder-length and she had it down. But Vlad's sister had the same blue eyes as her father and brother. And aside from sharing the usual resemblances most siblings' shared, the girl in the picture did not look that much like Vlad.

Danny huffed when he then noticed that in the picture, Vlad's sibling was taller than him. "I see why she thought she was older than you," the boy said with a smirk.

And although Vlad could not see the picture, since he was sitting on another couch, the man knew why the boy had said that and smirked himself. "Yes, our height difference was probably one of the reasons." But the billionaire suddenly chuckled before adding, "Ah, if she could only see me now. I'd love to know what she would say."

Danny smiled at the comment. "Well, she couldn't call you _little_ brother; that's for sure."

Vlad chuckled, though it sounded a bit forced this time.

However, the young hybrid didn't notice since he had lowered his eyes back to the girl in the picture. But with his second glance, the boy's smile faded and his eyebrows drew in with confusion. Vlad's sister… Her smile looked _so familiar_…

"Are you alright?" Vlad suddenly asked when he noticed the boy's off look.

"Oh, uh…yeah…," Danny slowly answered, though his intense gaze was locked on the picture of Viviane. "…It's just that your sister reminds me of someone…"

"Really? Who?" the man asked curiously.

Danny didn't answer right away, but then shrugged and looked up at Vlad. "I don't' know. Just someone, I guess."

Vlad looked at him strangely.

But Danny ignored it and instead pointed down at the album and timidly questioned, "Would you mind if…?"

"Of course not, my boy," Vlad answered with dismissing gesture of his hand, already knowing what the teen was asking without his needing to voice it fully. "Look at it all you want," he added, picking up his tea and leaning back fully on the couch.

Danny smiled appreciatively before glancing back at the pictures. But when he soon flipped the page and found a picture of an older teenage Vlad, the boy abruptly laughed.

"You look like such a nerd!" the teen remarked.

Vlad raised an eyebrow. But then he got up from the couch, ignoring the kitten's discontent, and sat down beside the teen at the other couch. The man looked at the picture the boy found so highly amusing and seeing it was one that he had taken in high school, the man rolled his eyes and retorted, "Look who's talking."

Danny's mouth instantly parted in slight indignation, before he quickly defended himself. "Hey! I'm not a nerd!"

Vlad smiled mischievously as he replied, "You _look_ like one."

But the man suddenly yelped when a jolt of energy jabbed his side. And knowing it had been the teen's doing, he glowered at him as he rubbed his side and grumbled, "That was uncalled for, Daniel."

Danny dispelled the blue energy he had made in his hand, before he shrugged and retorted, "Makes me feel better."

Still annoyed, Vlad glared at him, but did nothing else, especially when the teen then returned his attention back to the album right away. The man's own eyes also soon focused on the pictures, and although he was quiet for most of the time the teen flipped through them, Vlad did answer the boy if he asked him something. And a few times, he even told him small stories in regards to certain pictures…

* * *

For some reason, no matter how many times Danny went to it, there was one place that never got boring and was truly amazing: the older hybrid's greenhouse. The two had spent some time there just before dinner and the teen was further captivated when Vlad taught him how he made that healing cream from the Ives Ghost Plant. After that, Danny had even gotten the courage to feed the Spectral Venus Flytrap… Too bad that the plant still seemed more intent on eating _him_ than what it was being fed. But the young hybrid could at least say he had confronted the ill-tempered and freaky plant, though he had been very tempted to just blast it right then and there.

Too bad Vlad had stopped him from doing so…

Now, it was just after dinner and the hybrids had gone to Vlad's monstrous library up on the second floor. And although the billionaire had gone there to show the boy a few books about astronomy that might be of some interest to him, they ultimately ended up looking at a small collection of books on ghosts that were written by ghost researchers and scientists.

Their 'expertise' to say the least was… hilarious.

With a grin on his face, the teen sat up with the book in his hand and said, "Okay, listen to this: 'Ghosts are mindless beings, incapable of real thoughts. Their drive is based on instincts and the closest thing to real thoughts is based on the obsession that has them rooted to the after-life."

Vlad laughed. "Clearly whoever wrote that book has never encountered an actual ghost."

Amused, Danny rolled of his eyes before replying, "Yeah, no kidding."

"Alright, I found another good one," the billionaire said as he raised up the book in his own hands and then began to read, "After several studies, it can be concluded that most ghosts reside in an unknown realm- -one that we have yet to discover. It is further hypothesized that 'wandering spirits' are simply benign beings who have lost their connection to this realm. And, therefore, in their confusion, they are forced to haunt the human plane."

Danny laughed. "_Benign beings who are forced to haunt the human plane_? Yeah, right! Spectra and Bertrand are _definitely_ 'benign beings' that are 'confused and forced to haunt this place," he added sarcastically, before chuckling again.

But Vlad arched an eyebrow with the boy's mention of the two ghosts.

And noticing it, Danny reminded him, "Spectra is Dazzler's sister. And Bertrand is the other ghost you met in the forest with her, remember?"

"Ah," Vlad replied, the boy's previous comment now amusing him as he recalled those two ghost _leeches_. They had mentioned their names to him; but given the circumstances that day, the older hybrid had hardly paid much mind to such an insignificant detail…

The man turned back to the book in his hand, but before he could continue to read, Danny suddenly spoke up, and Vlad detected a bit of unease and curiosity in his voice.

"Speaking of them… I'm surprise they haven't shown up again…I mean, it's not like them to give up so easily…"

Vlad's gaze suddenly darkened as he replied, "Oh, believe me, Daniel. They are not going to show up again. I can assure you that…"

"O…k," Danny answered slowly, looking oddly at the man. He wasn't aware that Vlad disliked Spectra and Bertrand that much. In fact, the teen could even bet the man disliked the two ghosts more than _he _did_-_ -and _he_ had many good reasons to pretty much hate the pair, especially after that one time that they had tried to waste Jazz. But that _wasn't_ a story that he had shared with Vlad, considering that the teen avoided speaking about anything relating to his family _if_ he could help it.

"How did you even get them to leave?" Danny asked. But then he paused, remembering how Vlad dealt with ghosts he didn't like. "You did get them leave… right?" the boy added uncertainly, slightly worried that the man had destroyed the ghost pair.

Vlad rolled his eyes at the boy's worry. "Honestly, Daniel…," he began. But the man didn't finish and just sighed, before saying instead, "Don't worry. They are-unfortunately-still thriving back in the Ghost Zone. But I _know_ they are not going to return here ever again."

Danny smiled weakly, really not knowing how to feel about the man's assurance. But although he was curious to know just what exactly the older hybrid had done to scare off two ghosts, like Spectra and Bertrand, he thought it best that he didn't really want to know.

Danny returned to the book in his hand and flipped the page, looking for another ridiculous claim from these 'ghost experts' that would be good for another chuckle or two. The whole book was practically filled with them, so it didn't take long to find another.

But instead of reading it out loud right away, the teen had to laugh to himself at this next one, which talked about how the only way of communicating with spirits was through séances.

"I'm sorry, but I gotta ask: why do you even have these books? They are as useful as George and Carl would be if they switched jobs!" the teen said with a hearty chuckle.

Vlad cringed at prospect of two of his ghost servants exchanging roles. But then he laughed lightly himself before answering, "Well, for the most part, you are right about these books being useless… Though, they do make an excellent source of amusement, don't they?"

Danny laughed again in agreement.

"However, before my first trip into the Ghost Zone and my encounter with an actual ghost, these books were all I had as reference to my ghost studies when I was in college," the man explained, a bit more serious. "I obviously don't pick them up anymore, since I have found many more…_credible_ ghost books in my years in the Ghost Zone. Still, there are a few things that these human-written books have come close to getting correct. And I suppose I still keep them since it's interesting to compare between them and _real_ ghost books."

"Ghost books?" Danny asked, not sure if he was following.

Vlad nodded, a small smile on his face. "Yes, actual spectral books."

Danny's eyebrows rose up with incredibility. "So, _you_ have books written by _ghosts_ here in your _house_?" he questioned, more astounded at the possibility of Vlad's _owning_ ghost books than the _existence_ of ghost books. After all, the teen already knew they existed thanks to his encounter with Ghostwriter.

Vlad shrugged. "Ghosts. Spirits. I, at least, know for certain they were not written by human beings."

But the young hybrid was only further confused. "You make it sound like ghosts and spirits are not the same thing."

The man instantly frowned. "That's because they are not, Daniel."

"What?" Danny asked, completely floored. "How can they not be the same thing? I mean, people call ghosts 'spirits' all the time. I have never heard of them having any difference. Isn't it just a name?"

Vlad chuckled. "Ah, little badger. You have still so much to learn. _People_ might use the terms 'ghosts' and 'spirits' interchangeably, but that's because they do not know any better. Ghosts and Spirits are very different, Daniel. Probably almost as different as ghosts are to humans."

Danny could only stare back in disbelief.

And seeing that, Vlad lightly laughed again; and with a sigh, he stood up and went over to a section of books in his library. But instead of reaching for a book on the shelf, he went to a large painting hanging on a seemingly empty wall. But he then turned the painting intangible, revealing a small hidden bookcase behind it.

Danny's eyebrows shot up, especially when he saw the billionaire pull out a _glowing_ book from behind the painting.

"Skulker gave me this book," Vlad said as the painting solidified and he returned to his seat. "I have a similar one to this in my study, but this one focuses more on spirits."

"Skulker gave it to you?" Danny repeated. "He doesn't strike me as the 'reading' type."

Vlad smirked. "Precisely. He found it; and since he knows _I_ like these sorts of things, he brought it to me. Besides, Skulker is very knowledgeable when it comes to the Ghost Zone. So, I'm sure there isn't really much in this book or any other spectral book that he doesn't already know. That really is one of his best attributes. He's very wise." The man paused before adding with a small smile, "He also played a decent chess game. Not good enough to beat me, of course… but…"

Danny just blinked at the man.

But as if suddenly realizing what he was saying, Vlad frowned and readily cleared his throat. "Anyhow, this book has the most detailed explanation on spirits."

The man handed it to the boy as he then said, "You might be interested in reading it at your own leisure later. But I can tell you a brief explanation on how spirits differ from ghosts."

The boy nodded as he grabbed the glowing book. This wasn't the first ghost book he had encountered, but it was his first time actually holding one and giving it thought… It just felt so…_alive_. At least, in the sense of how ghosts felt. The teen could just feel the energy that made up the book pulsing under his fingertips. It was very strange, considering it was an inanimate object.

"I have to admit, I have never encountered a spirit before," Vlad said thoughtfully. "But I am most certain they exist somewhere within the Ghost Zone. There are just too many accounts of them for their existence to only be a myth." His voice turned more causal as he further said, "The book goes into detail about a few of the more 'well-known' legends of individual spirits. And although there are a few I do find questionable, for the most part, I think their existence is possible. After all, 'impossible' is hardly a term one can use in regards to the Ghost Zone."

Danny nodded in agreement. But then asked, "So, how are they different? Looks?"

Vlad rolled his eyes. "Hardly, Daniel. It's more significant than that. But for you to understand what a spirit is, you have to understand what a ghost is, first. Ghosts arise in two ways. Either, they were once human and they return as ghosts, or, they are formed by two ghosts through their own energy."

The boy cringed, instantly remembering Box Lunch with the man's last comment.

"_And that's still definitely an 'eww," _Danny thought to himself.

"What?" Vlad asked, not getting the boy's reaction.

The teen mentally jolted before chuckling nervously. "Oh, nothing. I just… Don't you find it weird that ghosts can have kids?"

"They _make_ them, Daniel. And, no, not really," Vlad dismissed with a shrug. "Now, those ghosts that were once human are usually more malevolent and more territorial than ghosts that are _formed_ in the Ghost Zone. Because they clearly had something in life that they held strongly enough to keep them from moving on, these sorts of ghosts tend to be more obsessive by nature. But, ultimately, _all_ ghosts have _at least_ _one_ obsession, which, as you know, is usually what drives them to behave how they do most of the time. They rarely have any regard for humans, because of their selfish nature. And, of course, some of them, like Dazzler and his sibling, thrive off _harming_ humans or even other ghosts."

Danny frowned in thought. He understood what the man was saying, since he already knew most of that about ghosts. But that didn't answer what he wanted to know.

"So…what are you saying? That spirits don't follow these rules?" the teen asked.

"That's right," Vlad replied. "Sprits were never human. And yet, there is no account of them ever being formed, either…. They just are. The books I have read simply say they have always existed."

"That's… weird," Danny muttered, the concept honestly making no sense.

"It is indeed a mystery in itself," Vlad replied. "But the 'weirdness' does not end there. The reason spirits are said to have simply always existed is because unlike ghosts, and unlike humans, even, spirits are said to exist _outside_ the grasp of time."

Danny froze, though his eyes widened a bit in shock. Wait…spirits existed outside of time? So…that meant…

"_Oh, my gosh. That's what Clockwork is! He's a spirit!" _the teen thought in disbelief.

But then… Did Vlad know about _Clockwork_? The boy tensed even more at the possibility; but then he quickly remembered what the older hybrid had first told him: Vlad had never encountered a spirit.

And yet… Danny already had.

Vlad, of course, noticed the teen's reaction to what he had said. But oblivious to the boy's real thoughts, the man took it as simple shock over what he had been told.

"I know it's a bizarre concept to understand," the billionaire said, leaning back on the chair he was sitting on and crossing his legs. "But there are many legends on the existence of different timelines and even spirits who guard them. That book in your hand even talks about a spirit who can _control_ time itself. Furthermore, it says there are many realms within the Ghost Zone itself, some existing within the time-stream, while others exist outside of it. It talks about doorways and portals in the Ghost Zone that can even allow you to travel through time…" The man chuckled. "Wait until you read it. The things it says are really something."

Danny just stared at the man with widened eyes, not believing just how close and yet how far Vlad was from the truth. The teen swallowed before cautiously asking, "Do you… believe all that?"

Vlad shrugged lightly. "I have long since learned to keep an open mind, my boy. But until I find solid proof, I think of it as theory and nothing more. Still, as I said, I am certain that there are beings that exist outside of time. And those beings are collectively known as _Spirits_. At least, that's one of their characteristics. They are said to be very powerful, and from what I have read, they typically have unique abilities and are usually focused on a specific task. It's usually a task that requires their protecting or guarding something. But unlike ghosts, they are not obsessive at what they do. They are said to be very structured and wise beings. I think the best example I know of would be the Ancients. You do know the story, correct?"

Danny slowly nodded. "Yeah… They were the ghosts- -or, I guess, _spirits_, by your explanation- -that locked up Pariah and freed the Ghost Zone from his rule. But… then… Skulker said no one has ever seen them since."

The older hybrid nodded. "Yes, that's true. And it is also said that they do not interfere within any time-steam- -including the Ghost Zone's- -unless necessary. So, for them to have interfered in the matter of Pariah Dark, things had to have gotten very bad. As I said, most of these spirits are suppose to be protectors of the natural order. There is another book I have that even calls spirits…angels."

"Wait. _angels_?" Danny asked, baffled. He knew, of course, what angels were and how they served a higher power. But… it wasn't something he had ever associated with, well, ghosts and spirits! Or, weirder yet, with _Clockwork_!

Vlad chuckled at the boy's reaction. "Oh, come now, Daniel. Angels cannot be that far off your chart considering the things you have seen. But, yes, _angels_. At least, it would explain the whole concept of how, 'spirits have always existed,' hmm? As I said, I like to keep an open mind and if something makes sense, I have no problem in accepting it. In fact, some say ghosts are the polar opposite of spirits, if you catch my drift. And they say that because of a ghost's _evil_ and obsessive tendencies… But again, they are just theories, and well, I don't agree very much with the latter, since ghosts do vary in nature in spite of their common qualities. As you know, not all ghosts are malevolent."

Danny remained quiet, still reeling with what he had just been told. But his attention went back to Vlad as he continued.

"And then, you have us. You won't find _us_ in any book, Daniel," the man said with a smirk. "But I think it's clear we are similar, but also _very_ different from ghosts and spirits. We do not _entirely_ fit into either category, if you think about it. So, if anything, we are our own kind. And that also goes to show you that one cannot label everything with precision. There will always be things outside 'the box', per se. And, therefore, _exceptions_ to any rule."

"I can agree with that," Danny replied, looking down at the glowing book in his hand and finally opening it. He ran a hand down the first page, noticing that although the book felt energized, it looked just like any other book- -besides the glowing, of course.

"Why do you think spirits do what they do? I mean, if they are as powerful and wise as the books and rumors say, then, why focus on protecting or guarding the timeline or realms or whatever else it is they do."

Vlad smiled. "That's an ironic question coming from a boy who seems so intent on _protecting and guarding_ others…"

Danny blushed and looked away. "I… uh, I guess it is." The teen's face turned a brighter red as he shook his head and said, "Never mind. I'm not sure what I'm asking anymore."

"No, I think you are sure. And I'm also sure what you are asking. I just can't help but tease you when you walk right into it," the man said with a wicked grin.

Danny scowled at the man, though unlike before, he didn't find the jab even remotely funny.

Still, the billionaire pretended not to notice and chuckled again, before calmly continuing, "Well, I don't really know why they do what they do. It could just be for the same reason _you_ do it. But, my guess is that they are bound to a higher power. At least, that's _my_ conclusion after all I have _read and heard_. Supposedly, spirits have limitations. They are different from ghosts in that they cannot do whatever they want. They have vows that tie them, which keep them from interfering with those in the timeline. And legend says that if they ever deliberately break any one of these vows, they will be sent back."

Danny blinked. "Sent back? To where?"

Vlad shook his head. "I do not really know. But then, you have to ask yourself. If spirits are indeed _angels_, then were do angels come from?"

Understanding quickly shrouded the teen's eyes, but then, his eyebrows creased in thought. "Wow. That's pretty deep."

"Indeed. But whatever the case, they are clearly very careful when it comes to interfering with the timeline, and, in turn… _fate_. That is why there are some in the Ghost Zone who believe that the Ancients are no longer around. That because they directly interfered with the timeline by stepping in to defeat Pariah Dark, and, therefore, breaking their vows, they were sent back. Hence, why no one has seen them again."

But noticing the man's dismissing tone of voice, Danny raised an eyebrow. "And what do _you_ believe?"

Vlad smiled at the boy's perception. "I believe the Ancients are still around. I believe there is a realm that can only be accessed by those outside of time."

"But they broke their vow by interfering, remember?' Danny retorted.

"Well, that's what is believed," Vlad countered, the smile on his face showing he was very into what they were talking about. "But, perhaps, they interfered because they were **asked** to. Think about it. The problem with Pariah went on for _years_ before they stepped in. Why did they not put a stop to it from the beginning? …No, dear boy, I think they were ordered to stop Pariah Dark by whoever they answer to. So, then, if _that_ would be the case, they did not break their vows. They are still around in the Ghost Zone, and still protecting and watching over the natural order."

"Huh," the boy replied, internally admitting the man's conclusion made plenty of sense.

But then, the teen briefly studied the man's face before asking, "So, do you know anyone who has seen a spirit?"

Vlad slightly tilted his head in curiosity. "No…Why do you ask?"

Danny shrugged weakly. "I...am just wondering if you can tell a spirit is a spirit by just _looking_ at it..," the teen hurriedly replied, trying to cover his mistake. After all, he knew for a fact you could not tell the difference just by sight. He had thought Clockwork was just a ghost- -a powerful one, but a ghost, nevertheless- -until just now. No wonder the Master of Time was so different in how he behaved and perceived things than any ghost he had met. He had always known Clockwork was powerful and wise; but now knowing he was a _spirit_, a being _very_ different than a ghost, made the facts so much more significant.

Not to mention, Danny couldn't believe that he knew a spirit and that he probably could tell Vlad a lot more about spirits than what the man knew. For once, then, Danny had more knowledge about something than Vlad.

The fact almost tempted the teen to tell the man about his encounters. He was tempted to tell the older hybrid all about Clockwork, just to see his reaction… But what would the man do with that type of information? What would Vlad do if Danny told him he knew where to find the entrance into the spirit realm- -where the boy at least knew Clockwork and the Observants resided? What would Vlad say if the teen told him he even knew how to enter it and _had_ entered the timeless place?

But as tempting as it was, Danny knew better than to tell Vlad all that. It was too dangerous. Not to mention, it would raise too many questions- -questions that could lead to the discovery of his evil self by Vlad… And Danny couldn't let Vlad know about him.

Ultimately, the teen felt a bit guilty how Vlad was sharing all this knowledge with him; and the one thing Danny knew that the billionaire did not, he was keeping to himself. But… he couldn't tell Vlad.

The billionaire, who had fallen into quiet thought with the boy's question, finally shook his head and answered, "I doubt you could physically tell the difference, Daniel. But it makes me wonder if our ghost sense would work with spirits. And then, it further makes me wonder how exactly they would _feel_ to us…"

Vlad was quiet again, clearly pondering the thought. But the teen already knew the answer. At least, he was pretty sure he did. Danny was fairly certain that in all the different occasions he had encountered Clockwork, both at his domain and in the human plane, that the teen had never been able to sense him. The ghost—er, spirit- -had caught him by surprise every time… His ghost sense didn't work for spirits…

"There is one other thing about spirits," the older hybrid suddenly said, pushing past his thoughts as he remembered this other fact.

Danny turned his full attention to the man and waited for him to continue.

"They cannot be destroyed," Vlad said with a small shrug. "As you know, ghosts cannot be killed, since they are not alive. But they _can be _destroyed; they can be _eliminated_ out of existence. But with spirits, because they do not exist in the time line, and, therefore, do not have a true after-_life_, they cannot be destroyed."

Danny's eyebrows rose up in interest, while the man paused and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"However, there is a myth that says there is _one_ way to destroy a spirit…" Vlad suddenly raised an eyebrow as he further said, "If you can turn a spirit into a ghost, you can eliminate it."

The boy's eyes widened. "What? But how is that possible? I mean, is it _possible_?"

Vlad shook his head. "I do not know, Daniel. But when Skulker told me this myth, he seemed to believe it. He said that if a spirit is stripped of its power, and thrust into the timeline, it becomes a ghost. And, therefore, it can be destroyed. I do not know where Skulker learned this from; but I am certain it is not through experience, since he told me himself, he has never encountered a spirit. So, whether it is true or not is anyone's guess. But if it was possible, whoever could do this to a spirit would have to be _extremely_ _powerful_. So, the chances of doing this to a spirit must be close to zero to none. Spirits are clearly all but invincible. And I'm sure they have very little fear."

"It sure sounds like it," Danny muttered, though he also knew that for a fact.

Vlad didn't say anything, though his gaze lowered to the glowing book in the teen's lap. He couldn't help but think about Skulker with its presence. It felt… odd to know he and the hunter were no longer allies. They had known each other for many years now, even before either of them found out about the existence of a second ghost-hybrid. And although their partnership had only strengthened with their common interest in the boy, they still had always had that mutual understanding since they met. Even though they rarely interfered in each other's personal lives, they both had equally appreciated and could see the other for who they really were. Vlad had honestly and strongly respected the hunter. Perhaps he wasn't the strongest ghost and surely Skulker could never hope to match the older hybrid's power, but Skulker was wise and…loyal.

Something Vlad had forgotten when he had thought the young hybrid was going to die.

"Vlad?"

The billionaire slowly glanced up at the teen and quietly asked, "Yes, Daniel?"

Though the teen looked confused, he still replied, "I asked you what you want to do now?"

Vlad smiled warmly. "I don't know, little badger. What's next on your _elaborate_ schedule for today?"

Danny chuckled, but he then smirked and said, "I was thinking about another game…"

The older hybrid's eyebrow hitched in surprise. "You want to play chess again?"

But the boy shook his head and grinned mischievously. "Not exactly…"

* * *

"Wow, you catch on quick," Danny commented, impressed that Vlad managed to land a direct punch on his video game character.

"That I do," the billionaire replied with a smug grin. "Though, I'll admit, this contraption is more complicated than it looks."

"Not really. You just gotta know how to play the game," Danny countered, before suddenly tossing Vlad's game character to the other side of the ring. "Ha! Got you now, Cheese Head!"

Vlad instantly scowled and quickly demanded, "How did you do that?"

Danny laughed. "Those two buttons," he answered, quickly pointing at them on the man's game control.

"Ah…," Vlad said evilly, and then suddenly used the move right back on Danny's character.

"Hey!" Danny protested.

But the older hybrid just laughed loudly. "What's wrong, Daniel? Am I beating you at your own game?" he taunted the boy.

"You wish!" Danny said, narrowing his eyes in challenge at the man. "Video games are my thing. And don't forget I have more experience than you do when it comes to them!" he added with a grin when he quickly punched Vlad's character to the ground.

"Experience, my boy, can sometimes be overcome by wits. You just have to learn to use it to its full advantage. Allow me to demonstrate…"

Danny gasped when Vlad's fighter suddenly dodged one of the teen's fighter's swings; and then just as suddenly, landed a solid upper cut to the boy's character, throwing him clear across the ring.

"Oh, really?" the boy then said, pausing in their game to look mischievously at the older hybrid. "Thanks for the tip… I'll remember that when we play chess next time," he quipped.

"Now, now, Daniel. That's _my_ game," Vlad retorted smugly. "Do you really think you can beat me at my own game?"

Danny raised an eyebrow in challenge as he answered, "I bet I will one day…But until then…"

Vlad gasped when the teen suddenly used his distraction to waste his fighter. "Oh, snicker doodles!" he cursed.

"I win," Danny said triumphantly.

Vlad quickly clicked on his game control and reset the game. "Round three, Daniel. You forget how much I enjoy a good challenge. And, like you, I'm a fast learner. I'll beat you this time," the man assured him with a smirk.

"We'll see about that," Danny boldly retorted, not backing down.

But as they continued with their game and witty banter, a certain pudgy ghost with a crown on his head suddenly appeared behind them.

He blinked at the two hybrids who were so caught up with each other, neither noticed their ghost senses' alerting them of their new company.

"Well, gee golly! Aren't you two looking like a bucket of jolly cheese!"

Vlad and Danny startled at hearing the sudden voice. But unlike the teen, who then looked quite ecstatic at seeing the Dairy King, the billionaire looked completely shocked.

"What…? I don't believe it," the older hybrid muttered, staring at the apparition.

Danny creased his eyebrows in confusion. "What? You've never seen the Dairy King before?"

Vlad slowly shook his head as he watched the ghost take a seat on the empty chair beside him and then grin up at the man. "I have sensed him around from time to time, but…I have never seen him appear like this."

The teen's eyes widened in disbelief, before he suddenly burst into laughter. "Are you serious? You have had a ghost in your home all this time and you've never seen him until now?"

The older hybrid instantly scowled. "He always disappears before I can track him!" he said defensively, but then questioned, "And how is it that _you_ seem to know him so well?"

Danny smirked. "I met him at your college reunion. And he's been appearing around me since I've been here. Watch this."

The teen got up from his seat and switched out the game in the consol with a previous game he had played with the Dairy King.

"Ooo!" Dairy King exclaimed when he saw the pieces of cheese and other foods come up on the screen, waiting for him to use the character to eat them up.

Vlad's eyebrows shot up in surprise when the Dairy King unexpectedly grabbed the control out of his hands.

"You don't mind if I show these pieces of cheese a thing or two, do you, Sonny?"

"Sonny?" the older hybrid repeated with a frown.

But the pudgy ghost just laughed with glee, his large, excited eyes focused on the game on the screen.

Danny just smiled and watched the Dairy King.

"You actually taught him to play video games?" the billionaire suddenly questioned the teen with a condescending tone of voice.

Danny shrugged. But then when he saw Vlad gazed back at the jolly ghost and a calculating expression fall over his face, the teen raised an eyebrow and asked, "What are you thinking?"

His eyes never wavering off of the pudgy ghost, he seriously answered, "I cannot decide whether I should be annoyed or amused by his presence. In fact, I'm almost tempted to capture him and send him back where he belongs."

Danny chuckled. "He's just going to come back. Trust me. The Box Ghost is the same way. You can't get rid of them even if you try. At least, the Dairy King is pretty cool."

"Oh, yes. Except when he raids my kitchen and the next day I can't find a single dairy product in it," Vlad retorted, annoyed.

The teen burst into laughter.

But the boy's reaction finally brought a small smile back on Vlad's face. He supposed Daniel was right. The ghost wasn't really worth the effort right now. And he'd probably come right back, anyways. Hopefully, he wouldn't make it habit of showing up like this too often. Though, by what the teen said, the Dairy King seemed to just show up around him. It was quite odd.

But then, some ghosts did cling to humans, sometimes. And it was usually a specific characteristic that attracted the ghost to a certain type of person. Unfortunately, Vlad knew all about that, since he had that insufferable Klemper always bugging him. He didn't even know why the ice ghost was so insistent on wanting the older hybrid to be 'his friend'. But he was obsessed enough to try to sneak into his castle through one of his portals as often as he could- -an extreme he seemed to take only with the older hybrid.

"Come on," Danny suddenly said, standing up and gesturing for Vlad to follow.

"We are just going to leave him here?" Vlad asked uncertainly.

"He's harmless, Vlad," the teen assured the man. "And he'll wear himself out and disappear, eventually. So, come on. I want to show you those constellations I found while they're still visible in the sky."

Vlad glanced down at his watch and realized it was already nine at night. How long had they been playing video games?

The man shook his head in amusement, honestly not believing he had just been reduce to playing mindless video games for so long and, worse, had enjoyed it.

"Alright, Daniel," he then said after giving the Dairy King one last glance. He then sighed and followed after the boy. Even if all this did feel out of character to him, Vlad hardly cared. He was enjoying his time with the young hybrid and that's all that mattered to the man right now…

* * *

"…It wasn't the greatest fight, especially when Valerie just hates my ghost half even more, but at least I got to go up there for a bit. It looked so cool, Vlad," Danny said, pausing in what he was doing to smile at the memory of his only time of going up in space.

The billionaire smiled as well, though he was also internally surprised by Daniel's recollection of his intense fight with Valerie and Technus in space. Still, the man didn't comment further on it, and just replied to the boy's last words. "I'm quite happy you got the chance to go up there, little badger. And, hopefully, it won't be the last time, hmm?"

"Yeah…," the teen answered, his tone of voice taking a slightly bittersweet tone to it. But whatever the boy was thinking, he pushed it aside and turned his attention to the telescope he was currently using to look up a certain star.

"Okay, here it is," Danny mumbled. He then took a step back and gestured for the older hybrid to come look.

"You sure find these fast, Daniel," the man commented as he moved to look into the telescope. He was sure this was the sixth star the boy had shown him within the hour. The older hybrid didn't know much about astronomy, but he did know enough to know it could take hours to find a particular constellation, let alone one single star in the vast sky above.

"That's because I've already recorded their latitudes and I also already know the best time to see certain stars and constellations around here," Danny replied with a small shrug.

"Don't be modest, Daniel," Vlad teased. "You should just learn to enjoy compliments."

"Whatever, Vlad," the teen said, annoyed and slightly flustered. "That didn't even sound like a compliment."

"You're a brilliant boy. How's that for a compliment?" Vlad retorted with a smirk, though it was also clear he meant it.

Danny blushed, but still weakly glared and said, "Just look at the star already, fruit loop."

Vlad sighed dramatically. "If you insist, you little rat."

The teen scowled at the insult, but didn't say anything since he knew the man was just playing with him.

"Polaris, correct? And what constellation did you say it belongs to?" Vlad calmly asked as he looked at the bright star in the telescope.

"Ursa Minor; but it's not really an actual constellation. It's more, like, an _asterism_," the young hybrid explained, as he leaned against one of the consoles and glanced up at the night sky through the open ceiling.

Vlad hummed in understanding, before he backed away from the telescope and looked up at the sky itself. Now that he had seen the star and had a good idea of where it was in the sky, the man quite easily spotted Polaris without the help of the telescope. The boy was right. It was a very distinct star. No wonder people used it as a reference point to map out the other stars and constellations around it. And Daniel had even mentioned that people even used it to navigate at sea.

"You know, the stars have always looked the same to me," Vlad commented thoughtfully to the boy. "But now that you are pointing them out… They are quite different."

"There you go, Vladdie," Danny said with a chuckle. "And now you also don't have to worry about getting lost in the forest if you ever find yourself without ghost powers. You now know how to find the North Star and I just pointed out the other constellations around your house. You officially have nothing to fear," the teen teased.

"Your way with words never ceases to amuse me, Daniel," Vlad drawled out, though it was clear he really was amused.

Danny just grinned. But he then moved back over to the console closest to the telescope and began to use it to move the large telescope to different coordinates.

"Okay, that was just kid's stuff. I'm gonna show you some of the really cool things in a minute," the teen said, smiling to himself as he searched for what he had in mind.

Vlad just quietly watched him for a moment. But then, he looked back up into the night sky, his mind suddenly drifting. The boy's own fascination for the solar system was almost contagious. At least, it was enough for the billionaire to start contemplating about a few new investments in regards to it…Dalv already had a satellite in space, since it was needed for the function of many of its technological advancements. And Axion also had a section of developmental research on space equipment. Perhaps…he could give these areas further funding. It would be quite interesting to see what sort of discoveries the billionaire could make in space. And… maybe he would even build his own space station and space craft while he was at it…

"You know, _spacing out_ is my thing," he suddenly heard the boy quip. Vlad hadn't realized that he hadn't been paying attention to what the boy had been doing—and that the boy had noticed.

The older hybrid looked at the boy again and softly smirked. "What can I say, my boy? It seems your bad habits are rubbing off on me…"

"It's not a bad habit if you know how to use it to _your advantage_, Vladdie," Danny retorted, a slight mocking tone in his voice.

Vlad laughed. "Touché, Daniel."

The man stepped closer to the telescope again as he then teasingly asked, "Aside from your endless witty banter, what else do you have for me?"

Danny laughed back, but still replied, "Saturn."

The man instantly hitched an eyebrow. "You can view it from here?"

The teen nodded. "You can also view Venus around this time of year, though under a regular telescope, they just look like bright stars… But with _this_ one…." Danny gestured for the man to look into the telescope.

And when he did, the older hybrid was stunned at the beauty with which he was presented.

"Daniel… That's amazing," Vlad whispered out in awe.

"The rings are awesome, right?" Danny said with a smile.

Vlad nodded, though he continued to look through the telescope.

But then Danny's eyebrows shot up when he suddenly caught sight of a shooting star fly across the sky. He smiled. "And, sometimes, you don't even need a telescope to see some of those really cool things…"

Curious about the teen's sudden remark, Vlad looked at him, only to follow the boy's pointing, which redirected him to the sky above.

Vlad's mouth parted slightly in disbelief as he finally caught sight of the meteor shower in the sky. But a smile soon melded onto his face as he remarked with a mixture of amazement and mirth, "I don't think you could have picked a better day for us to do this, Daniel…"

But by the way he had said it, Danny could tell the man wasn't just talking about their star gazing, but about their whole day. It had gone by so quickly, but even the teen, who had done this mostly for Vlad, found it to be one of the best days he had had in a while… It had been nice to all but forget about his current situation, and just enjoy the day…

"Yeah… I think so, too," Danny answered with a small smile.

Vlad turned to the boy and smiled warmly, but then he grinned and requested, "Show me Venus."

Danny laughed. "Venus is not visible until just before dawn at this time of the year, Vlad!"

The billionaire frowned. But he suddenly grinned again. "Then we are going to need tea and cookies! I'll be right back!"

Danny burst into laughter, not believing how giddy the man was acting. "I hope he's not planning on going anywhere in the morning tomorrow, 'cause he's going to be so out of it."

The teen chuckled again before he turned his gaze back to the shooting stars in the sky. He let out a deep sigh as his amusement melded into a small smile.

"I guess he's right… I couldn't have picked a better day…"

* * *

***Vlad muse grins evilly* You may close your mouths now, my good people. Then again, I do enjoy those shocked looks on your faces. And I am sure Pearl- -wherever she is- -agrees.**

**Pearl: *Hiding under bed* I do not! **

**Vlad muse: *rolls eyes* In any case, you all know what to do next. I would like to hear all about how you all walked right into my trap. I'm quite certain none of you saw this coming. And for those who caught the many hints, you all know what I am talking about. And for those who did not… *chuckles* Well, I just get to have more fun with you all, don't I? *muse laughs evilly***

**Well, then, allow me to close this chapter with a parting smirk.**

**Ta for now, my little **_**pawns**_**. *cackles and vanishes***


	67. Chapter 66: At Odds

**At last, eh? Heh. Sorry for the wait! Good news, though, I already finished editing the next chapter for CM, so you can expect it a week from now. Anyways, I got a few things to say, but I'll leave them to the end. Kay? Well, enjoy, my dear readers!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

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* * *

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**Chapter 66: At Odds **

* * *

Jazz bit her lip as she stared at the picture of her brother and Vlad on a Wisconsin newspaper Tucker had pulled up on the computer. The older teenager knew that her brother's male friend had still been keeping tabs on Vlad Masters. So, Tucker had been the first to discover the hybrids had made the front page of all the Wisconsin papers- both the credible ones and the less-than-credible ones.

Still, being the second one to discover her brother and Vlad's doings didn't make the shock and… worry any less strong for Jazz.

"Have you shown this to Sam yet?" the older girl whispered after a long moment of silence.

Sitting in front of his computer desk, Tucker glanced at his friend's sister standing beside him and replied, "So that she'll freak out even more than she has been lately? I don't think so. _You_ can show it to her if you want, but at least give me the chance to buy the first plane ticket out of Amity Park, 'cause I don't want to be anywhere near Sam when she finds out!"

Jazz didn't reply, and just continued to look at the picture of her brother with Vlad, both smiling at the camera- though she could see her brother was not as comfortable with his picture being taken as was the man beside him.

Tucker suddenly sighed and shook his head. "Jazz… Man, I'm really trying here; but…what the heck is Danny doing? I mean, _look_ at him, Jazz!" the boy abruptly exclaimed. "He barely looks like himself in any of these pictures! He looks like some—some—"

"Spoiled rich kid?" Sam abruptly finished when she unexpectedly threw open Tucker's bedroom door before slamming it close behind her.

"Sam!" Tucker exclaimed; but readily cringed at the furious look on his friend's face.

"You still think he can handle things himself, Jazz?" Sam snapped at the older girl.

Jazz frowned. "Just how did you…?"

"Find out?" Sam finished for her. But then quickly raised a newspaper in her hand, which had all but been turned into a tight ball from how hard she had been gripping it. "Don't forget my parents love money and that they run a business, Jazz! They read the business ledger every day! And **this** so happened to be on the front!" the girl exclaimed, raising up the newspaper so they could see the same picture from the computer staring back at them.

Jazz's eyes widened. "Your parents saw that? Did they recognize Danny?"

Sam scoffed in disgust as she replied, "Fortunately, no. My parents are too short-sighted to ever connect 'the Fenton kid' to the '_nice-looking boy'_ with Vlad Masters'. They even dared to tell me I should find myself an 'upstanding boy' like him!"

"That's ironic," Tucker remarked mostly to himself.

"Jazz, you can't tell me that this isn't a big deal!" Sam suddenly continued, now sounding more worried than agitated. "Danny's _this close_ to getting his cover blown! I mean, what if your parents see this? Maybe _outsiders_ might not see the resemblance, but I think they would!"

The older girl crossed her arms, clearly having thought of the possibility. "…Luckily my parents are not into 'business affairs' as are your parents, Sam. So, I don't think they're gonna find out, especially when they are so focused with ghost hunting and finding Danny," she answered, though there was uncertainty in her voice.

"At least, nothing's come up here on our local news about it," Tucker spoke up, trying to add to Jazz's reassurance, though he also sounded unsure.

"Alright, fine. Maybe they won't find out. Maybe no one will recognize him—," Sam began; but Tucker interrupted her.

"Well, no one seems to notice the similarities between Fenton and Phantom, right?" Tucker supplied with a meek smile.

Sam rolled her eyes, but then pressed forward, "Look, that's not the only problem with _this_," she said, clenching her hand around the paper again. "Don't you see it, Jazz? He's changing him! Vlad's manipulating Danny to become his 'pretty little rich brat son'! So, what's to say he's not also manipulating him to turn into his evil apprentice?"

"Danny's not going to turn evil, Sam," Jazz said with a serious look.

"That's not what I'm saying!" the younger girl exclaimed. "Jazz, Vlad's turning Danny into something he's not! That jerk is using him to get what he wants and _how_ he wants it!"

"Sam," Jazz began with a deep sigh, only to be cut off again.

"Tucker, tell me you agree with me!' Sam pleaded, now looking outright upset.

The boy glanced at the picture on the screen again. He had read all about the scandal that supposedly happened at the party. But since the information came from some tabloids from Wisconsin he had looked up online, there were several versions, so he didn't know what to believe. He had shown them to Jazz, but he was sure Sam did not know about _that_ news. And it was better it stayed that way.

Tucker sighed. "I gotta give this one to Sam, Jazz," he finally replied.

He also didn't like one bit what was going on with Vlad and Danny. If things were now beginning to show up even in the papers, the boy could only imagine the things that happened when his friend was alone with Vlad— and his group of evil servants. The possibility that the evil hybrid was manipulating his friend was just too great to ignore. As strong as Danny was, Tucker knew his friend had always had a hard time keeping his arch-enemy from pulling his invisible strings…

Jazz lowered her gaze in thought, but soon spoke up. "Look, you two, I am just as worried as you are. But Clockwork said—"

"You don't even know him!" Sam abruptly shouted at the older girl. "You talked to him **once** and you suddenly trust the ghost more than what's in front of your face?"

Jazz suddenly exploded, now fed up with the younger girl. "I am so sick and tired of you thinking that only **your** opinion matters, Sam! I'm sick of you blowing up on me just because I don't agree with what you want! And mostly, I'm **sick** of you thinking you know what's best for Danny! Well, news flash, Sam! **You don't**!"

Tucker slapped his face, knowing the two girls were going to start arguing. Seriously, why couldn't they just talk out their difference? You'd think they'd tried to get along for Danny's sake at least!

"Oh, right! And you do?" Sam retorted, now seething.

"Probably a lot better than you, Sam!" Jazz snapped back. "You think just because he's your best friend and you have a crush on him gives you the right to make his choices!"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Sam retorted defensively. "And I _don't_ think that! But if I did, you're the one to talk! You're the one who's always acting like 'mother hen'! And I might not always know what's right for Danny, but unlike you, I can **see** when something's **bad** for him!"

"I'm his sister, Sam!" Jazz growled out. "I'm his _older_ sister! Watching out for him is what I'm supposed to do! And you forget I have been with Danny all his life; which is why I can guess a lot better than you can why he does certain things! But as much as you and I hate to admit it, Danny isn't a naïve little kid, anymore! The truth is he can take care of himself a lot better than we think! The truth is he isn't the boy you used to defend at the monkey bars against bullies anymore! And he's no longer the little kid that used to hold my hand to cross the street!"

Tucker's eyes widened in surprise when Jazz abruptly stopped talking and Sam, for once, had nothing to say. But he then heard the older girl sniff and he realized she was crying.

Still, Jazz continued, though now in a quiet voice. "Sam, I agree with everything you're saying. I don't trust Vlad. I don't even trust Clockwork. I am _dying_ to just go to Wisconsin and bring Danny back by any means necessary. But I can't—_we_ can't do that, Sam. Because as much as I hate it, I _understand_ what Clockwork was trying to tell me. And he's _right_, Sam. We can't always just run blindly to Danny's rescue. He doesn't always need _us_, like we would like to believe. Sam, we can't make his choices. At least, not anymore."

"But, Jazz, he's with _Vlad_," Sam answered desperately. "The man's just going to trick him into making the choices _he_ wants Danny to make!"

"Sam," the older girl said, walking up to her brother's female friend and grabbing the paper from her. Jazz held the paper up, so Sam could see the picture of Danny and Vlad, before continuing more soberly. "_This_ is _Danny's_ choice. I'm sure of it. I have no idea _why_ he'd do something like this; because I'm _sure_ Danny knows he's risking a lot with _this_. But he's gotta have a reason for it. There has to be a reason for whatever he's doing."

"What if Danny's _wrong_, Jazz?" Sam replied worriedly.

"Then, he's wrong, Sam," Tucker abruptly answered before Jazz could. And when he saw both girls look at him, he added, "But it's still _his_ choice. And I'm pretty sure if he messes up, he's going to find a way to fix it. He always does."

"You're back on her side now?" Sam questioned, though there was now a small smile on her face.

"Well, you know we're right, Sam," Jazz answered for Tucker. "Danny's strong- probably a lot stronger than we know. He's going to get through this without us. And I don't know how I know, but I'm sure he'll be for the better once this is all over."

"I hope you're right," Sam replied with a deep sigh, clearly still doubtful, but unable to argue against what she also believed true.

Jazz nodded. "I hope I'm right, too, Sam."

There was a short silence in the room. But then Sam muttered, "I hope for Danny's sake that this blows over quickly. Just because there's only a slim chance of your parents finding out through the papers that Danny's with Vlad doesn't mean there still isn't _a chance_."

"Yeah, I'm going to have to keep an eye on them for the next few days," Jazz thoughtfully replied. "They hardly sit down to watch TV, but still…"

"Well, if it makes you both feel better, I think this thing about Danny being Vlad's nephew will blow over a lot faster than we think," Tucker told them. "Everyone seems to be more focused on the fact the MV Industries is now _VM_ industries. So, if anything, everyone's going to be keeping an eye on how that goes rather than on Danny."

"Yeah, how _convenient_," Sam replied in disgust, sure Vlad had purposely done that just to keep the center-of-attention off Danny; and in turn, continue to keep any suspicions to an almost non-existent level.

"Yeah, well, that's Vlad for you," Tucker said dryly.

Jazz sighed. "I am actually—"

"BOOM!"

All three teenagers shouted in alarm at the loud explosion that rung from outside.

"W-What was that?" Jazz said, her eyes wide in alarm.

Sam and Tucker looked at one another, before they suddenly sprinted out of the boy's room.

"Wait for me!" Jazz exclaimed, quickly running after them.

When they got outside, the three teens instantly gasped at the sight of pink flames and electrical blue energy mixing and exploding in the sky some distance away. Clearly, there was some fight going on.

"This can't be good," Tucker muttered.

But right then, they saw a certain figure in red fly right pass them, heading towards the commotion.

"Hey, it's Valerie!" the teenage boy said with a small smile.

"Great," Sam replied sarcastically. But then in a more determined voice, she promptly added, "Come on, Tucker. We have to go see what's going on."

"Wait!" Jazz suddenly said when she saw her brother's friends about to run towards their parked mopeds at the side of the house.

And seeing them look at her, she quickly ran over to her parked car and popped open the trunk.

"I might not be able to help," she began with slight remorse in her voice. "But _these_ can," she told the younger kids, pulling out two ecto-foamers and a ghost thermos.

Sam and Tucker smiled at the older girl and took the devices from her. They knew they had another thermos and a small ghost gun in Sam's backpack, but any additional weapon was more than welcomed.

"Thanks, Jazz!" Tucker said, and Sam nodded in agreement.

Jazz nodded back before watching the two kids go to their mopeds. She sighed when they finally drove off towards the continuing battle in the distance.

"Be careful you two," the older girl whispered worriedly.

* * *

Every ghost had a specific territory of their own. And they usually respected each other's domains. However, when two ghosts wanted to claim the same territory, a battle of power was what usually determined who got it.

Problem was… more than two ghosts wanted to claim Danny Phantom's territory now that they believed he was gone.

And that was what currently had Ember and Technus in a brawl, while more of Danny's foes watched on the sidelines, waiting to challenge the winner.

"My money's on the old guy," Johnny 13 told his girlfriend.

"No way, Johnny!" Kitty snapped back. "Ember is going to win this!"

"And then,_ I_ will be defeating her," Desiree said smugly.

"Not if I kick your genie butt, first, _sweetie_," Spectra cooed at the other female ghost.

"I want to see you try, hag!" Desiree spat back, her hands glowing ablaze.

"Hag?" Spectra hissed out, her claws quickly growing longer.

Bertrand yelped and swiftly jumped out of the way when the two ghost women went at each other.

"Ha! At this rate, all we have to do is sit back and watch these idiots hammer each other," Johnny exclaimed with a laugh.

"Who are you calling an idiot?" Bertrand suddenly growled.

"Yeah!" Youngblood pouted.

But Poindexter quickly added with a hand on his hip. "I got a good mind to make you eat your words, bully!"

"Bring it on, then, _nerds_!" Johnny hissed back.

"Johnny!" Kitty shouted in annoyance as her boyfriend suddenly got into a brawl with Bertrand, Poindexter, and Youngblood.

Kitty sighed when she was ignored and looked around at all the fighting ghosts, only to realize there was still one left. Lunch Lady.

"What? Are we going to fight, too?" Kitty asked dryly.

Lunch Lady blinked, but then smiled sweetly. "Not at all, child. I am only here to hand out drinks and snacks. Would you like a cookie?"

Kitty slowly shook her head, while staring at the ghost woman like she was crazy.

But her response suddenly infuriated the Lunch Lady and her body abruptly lit up with her ghost energy. **"Then, you will feed on my wrath!"**

Kitty yelped when Lunch Lady came at her.

"Johnny!" she yelled out before taking off into the sky, trying to escape the crazed ghost after her.

In reality, there was one other ghost around.

The Box Ghost.

He briefly frowned at all the fighting ghosts. But then he smiled at his next thought. All these ghosts were fighting for Phantom's territory, which meant there was no one stopping him from conquering all the boxes in Amity Park!

"And they will all be mine!" Box Ghost exclaimed with glee. "BEWARE!" he suddenly shouted and then took off away from the fighting ghosts.

But right then, Valerie arrived. And her jaw fell open at the sight before her. What was going on? Since when did ghosts fight each other?

"It doesn't matter. They are still causing trouble and I'm going to stop them right now!" she said, pushing away her shock and charging the weapon in her hand. The girl hunter quickly set her eyes on the fighting Ember and Technus in the sky and took off towards them. She had already encountered both ghosts and she was more than ready for another round!

* * *

"See? I told you this is vhere the action is!" one of the three vultures employed by Plasmius said excitedly.

"Yeah. Seems ve have arrived just in time for the _leftovers_!" another said with a crooked grin as he, like his companions, watched from the safety of a large tree as Danny's enemies continued to fight and cause havoc.

"I vant first dibs on the remains of the first ghost that goes down!" the third said merrily.

"At this rate, ve'll have plenty from which to choose! Especially now that that girl hunter has arrived!"

"Yeah, and she's not the only one! Look!" the first one said, pointing at the arrival of several white vehicles.

"It's the vhite hunters," the second muttered, now looking unsure. "Perhaps ve should high-tail it out of here, boys. I do not vant to be on the hit list of those guys!"

"Naw! Ve'll be fine as long as ve stay hidden. Plus, they got plenty to choose from already!" the third vulture replied.

However, as they continued to watch, they soon saw yet more people arrive. This time, it was Sam and Tucker. They hardly paid them mind, though. It was only when they saw a familiar large vehicle with the word 'Fenton' on it that the three ghost vultures' feathers suddenly ruffled in fear.

"Oh-o… It's the crazy ghost hunter couple!" one of the birds exclaimed.

Then, another added, "I think this vhere I draw the lines, boys. I say ve high-tail it out of here before ve are spotted by _those_ two! Ve vere almost goners last time!"

The three birds glanced at one another and then suddenly nodded their heads in agreement. With loud caws, they quickly took to the sky, deciding to find dinner somewhere safer.

However, as they flew into the evening sky, they never noticed the appearance of yet another ghost…

* * *

Skulker was well aware of how much interest Amity Park held to many ghosts. It was, after all, the place where the most temporary portals formed anywhere in the world. It was why most ghosts dwelled around Amity Park. It was the surest ticket into _and_ out of the Ghost Zone.

But the constant formation of ghost portals in Amity had not always been the case. It had begun about a year ago- around the same time Danny Phantom showed up, actually. And from what his ex-employer had told him, the cause of the increase in portal formations in Amity Park was due to the permanent portal the whelp's parents had.

According to Plasmius, the unnatural portal had created instability between the Ghost Zone and the Amity Park, which, in turn, now caused the constant temporary portal formations. The unnatural opening the Ghost Boy's parents created was like a dam stretched to its limit, cracking and spouting multiple holes under the load. And, by 'holes' he meant the numerous temporary ghost portals always opening everywhere in Amity park. So as long as that unnatural portal existed, the pressure would continue to mount, with no hope in sight for anyone to plug the damage.

So, the fact that the whelp was gone from Amity Park was practically a free ticket to calling dibs on the best location for a ghost to inhabit. Skulker knew the child had no idea just how important his presence was in Amity Park- just like the pup had no idea how the ghost hierarchy worked.

Otherwise, the child wouldn't always have ghosts invading his territory.

Skulker knew Plasmius knew how it all worked. After all, the older half-ghost had established his power in the Ghost Zone and with its inhabitants. Therefore, very few ghost dared to invade Plasmius' territory…or challenge him.

But with the whelp being so inexperienced, Skulker knew other ghosts saw the boy as a challenge- The hunter was one of those, after all. But Skulker also knew that for many of the ghosts, it had long since stopped being a mere challenge of power with the ghost child….

Thanks to the whelp's constant intervention against the other ghosts' wants and plans, he was now classified as the Ghost Zone's number one enemy. To some ghosts, in fact, causing havoc in Amity Park was just out of revenge against the whelp. Then, there were those who saw the whelp's inexperience and inability to establish his power in the Ghost Zone as an opportunity to try and win Amity Park from Danny Phantom.

But with the child gone… It was a free for all—especially when Plasmius, one of the most known and most powerful ghosts in existent, was waving a white flag over Amity Park with his promise to compensate the ghost who took over Amity.

It had been a while now since the older hybrid raised that offer. But Skulker could only assume Plasmius had not retracted it. And the sight of so many ghosts at each other's throats only made him believe it even more. Still, even the hunter was shocked by what he saw.

Of course, Skulker was not currently in Amity Park to try to rule over it. He never took an interest in world domination or obtaining power. He had his own territory and he was quite happy with it. He also was quite happy with living in the Ghost Zone. If he came to the human world, it was to hunt. He had to follow his prey no matter where it went, after all.

And that was his reason for being out here now. Yes, it had been some time since Plasmius had asked the hunter to release some of his prey to keep the Ghost Boy busy and, therefore, prevent him from thinking up any ideas on how to escape the man's ultimatum. But, it wasn't until recently that Skulker had finally managed to recapture them all. So, he had been giving Amity Park one last look over to make sure he had not missed any of his escaped prey when he ran into the sight before him…

"And this has to be one of the most pathetic sights I've seen," Skulker muttered in disgust as he watched the battling ghosts from afar. But then, he scoffed and had every intention to turn away and continue on his way when a familiar figure got his attention.

Skulker's eyes widened when he saw Fright Knight on his flaming horse galloping towards the chaos.

"Surely he is not here to claim Amity Park," Skulker said out loud. He knew the ghost knight enough to know he also wasn't the type to waste his time with ruling or obtaining power, either.

"But he gladly serves someone that might…," the hunter added, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

He watched Fright Knight for another moment, debating whether or not to follow. He really should just be on his way. Sure, Ember was there; but his girlfriend could hold her own…

Still… he really wanted to know why Fright Knight was here.

Skulker growled at himself before activating his thrusters and flying after the ghost knight…

* * *

"Give it up, Grampa! You can't beat me! This place is gonna be mine and **only** mine!" Ember growled before plucking her guitar and throwing its furious power at Technus.

"I don't think so, Booby! I, Technus, will be ruler of the Ghost Child's technology-rich town! And then, the **world**!" the older ghost proclaimed as he dodged the attack and fired his electric-base attack from his staff.

The ghost diva quickly strummed her guitar to counter the other ghost's own power. And once again, their energies clashed, creating a flash of pink and blue light around them.

However, Ember used the distraction to suddenly vanish and reappear behind the older ghost. She giggled evilly before using her guitar to send a fist-shaped energy blast at the unprepared ghost.

"Ahh!" Technus exclaimed as he briefly spun in mid-air from the attack. But he soon regained control and raised his hands above him. In turn, Ember's guitar suddenly lit up and then instantly surrounded by a blue haze, just as quickly flew out of her hands.

"What the-?" Ember gasped out.

But Technus loud laugh cut her off as the electronic musical instrument landed in his own hands. "You should know whom you fight before fighting them, child! I, Technus, am Master of-!"

"-Of getting your butt kicked!" Valerie abruptly interrupted and fired an ecto-shot right at his back.

"AHH!" Technus exclaimed as he was hurled through the sky with the unexpected attack, in turn losing control of Ember's guitar.

"My guitar!" the diva exclaimed when she saw the instrument begin to fall. She hurriedly dove for it and managed to grab her instrument. But right then, a beam of pink energy caught her peripheral vision and she gasped when she saw the attack coming at her. Ember promptly used her guitar to create an energy barrier to protect herself.

"Oh, not you again!" Ember muttered in annoyance at the ghost hunter girl.

"Yes, me again!" Valerie answered, as she quickly drew out an ecto-missile and aimed and fired it at Ember.

The diva gasped and took off into the air as the missile rapidly began to follow her every move.

But at that instant, Valerie turned when she heard Technus laugh and then say, "Well, isn't this convenient?"

"What are you talking…?" she trailed off when she finally noticed the Guys-in-White below them—or more importantly, how many of their weapons and other technology lit up with Technus' power and came towards him.

"Ugh! They are so—!" Valerie's words meddled into a gasp when all the devices began to spin wildly in a ring around the techno-loving ghost.

"This is one fight you should not have interrupted, child!" the male ghost said before he began to fling electronic equipment at her.

Valerie quickly propelled herself forward with her jet and dove to miss the incoming attacks. She then flew around the ghost and began to fire at him. However, all the ghost did was laugh when not one of her beams or blasts penetrated the device-made barrier spinning around him.

At that moment, there was a loud boom behind her. But she didn't bother to turn around to see if her missile had finally hit Ember… or if the ghost diva had managed to destroy it…

"My turn!" Technus said and suddenly thrust forward a wall of glowing devices at the girl hunter.

"AHH!" Valerie screamed when it slammed into her and sent her tumbling backwards.

But right then, a pink energy blast, courtesy of Ember, hit the Red Huntress from the side, sending her hurdling further across the sky.

Ember lowered her smoking guitar and glared after Valerie. "Man, she's annoying," she muttered. But she promptly dismissed the human girl, knowing it would take her some time to recover. She darted her eyes to Technus and the large ring of technology circling around him.

"Where were we, booby?" the master of technology asked with a wicked grin.

Ember grinned back evilly and readied her guitar. "I was about to—"

"Leave," a deep voice suddenly said.

The ghost diva let out a growl of frustration and whirled around to face who had interrupted her once again. "What's with all the interrupt… You!" she abruptly said in alarm at the sight of the Fright Knight on his flaming horse.

Technus' own eyes widened in surprise, but then, he frowned in confusion and asked, "What is your business here? Especially when Pariah Dark has been vanquished by the Ghost Boy himself?"

Fright Knight dismounted Nightmare and quickly drew out his sword, though he held it at his side as he answered, "I serve a new master now. And I am here to deliver a message from him to all of you."

"And that is?" Ember pressed, crossing her arms in annoyance.

"This feud among yourselves is a waste of your time and effort," Fright Knight told them seriously. "I am here to announce that this place has already been claimed under the banner of a much more powerful ghost than all of you."

"The Ghost Child?" Technus scoffed.

And Ember added with her own mocking voice, "Yeah? The dipstick? News flash, Knighty, the kid is long gone. He's with Plasmius now. He's abandoned his turf, so now it belongs to me!"

"Not on your after-life, Ms. Smarty-britches! This place is mine!" Technus quickly snapped.

"Amity Park belongs to my new lord and liege… **Vlad Plasmius!**" Fright Knight proclaimed and suddenly raised his sword up and a beam of red light shot out of the sword and into the sky with a loud, resonating clap.

Ember and Technus jolted in alarm, while Valerie, who had just recovered and was zooming back into the fray, came to an abrupt halt as she watched two ghostly red letters, large enough for all to see, form and emblaze themselves in the dark sky…

**V.P.**

* * *

Sam and Tucker arrived around the same time the Guys-in-White did. But it was at that moment that Technus quickly began to take control of many of their technology.

"Oh, man! It's Technus!" Tucker moaned.

"And almost every one of Danny's enemies, Tucker!" Sam exclaimed, her eyes wide at the chaos around them.

"Yeah, but he's the only one that can hurt my baby!" Tucker answered, cradling his PDA to his chest.

"This is serious, Tucker!" Sam snapped at him before glaring over at the GiW and adding, "And those losers are not making things any better."

It was true, of course. The Guys-in-White were so shocked by the fact that their weapons and other devices were flying away from them that they just stood there, stunned. Though, a few of them did try to chase after their things…

But at that instant, Danny's parents arrived and they quickly spotted the two teens, who cringed when the large assault vehicle suddenly slammed its breaks in front of them.

"Sam? Tucker?" Maddie asked in surprise as she jumped out of the ghost-hunting vehicle. "What are you two doing here?"

"Yeah? And those weapons look familiar! Are they mine?" Jack added suspiciously as he came jogging up beside his wife.

Sam and Tucker grinned nervously at them and hastily hid the ghost guns and thermos behind their respective backs.

"W-What? Yours? What gave you that idea?" Sam asked innocently, not knowing that part of the letter 'F' on the large weapon was peeking out from behind her.

Maddie dryly raised an eyebrow.

"**Fentons**!" a voice interrupted them.

And while Tucker and Sam sighed in relief, Danny's parents turned to look towards two GiW agents coming towards them.

"Why are you two here? This is a secured area!" one of them said.

"Oh, it's secured alright," Sam commented sarcastically, still hearing all the commotion around them.

The GiWs glared briefly at the girl before focusing back on the ghost hunting couple. "We demand your immediate departure!"

"And while you're at it take those kids with you before they get hurt!" the second one added.

"Hey!" Tucker protested. "We know more about gho—Ow!" he abruptly cried out when Sam elbowed him.

And making sure no one heard her, she hissed urgently at her friend, "Isn't it enough that Danny's parents are going to question us later, Tucker? Now, come on, we have to go stop these ghosts before someone really does get hurt!"

Tucker quickly nodded, and they ran off towards the chaos while the Fentons remained distracted with the Guys-in-White.

"Oh, come on, fellas!" Jack said with a grin. "Why can't we work together? I know some very cool ghost-fighting moves and you all can show me how to make and operate one of those babies!" he exclaimed, pointing at the large white gun in one of the GiW's hands.

"I doubt we could learn anything from you, Fenton," one of them said in disgust.

"Look, we are not leaving," Maddie spoke up with a glare on her face. "These evil and vile ghosts are causing trouble and we are going to stop them whether you all like it or not!"

The GiWs glared back at the woman; but as if remembering their true reason for being here, they sighed in annoyance before one of them warned, "Just stay out of our way, or we'll have you both arrested!"

"Okay! It was good talking to you fellows!" Jack answered as he waved after their retreating forms. "Aren't they great, Maddie? And to think? They have set their sights on our humble little town? Oh, we are so privileged!"

Maddie sighed helplessly. "It's a good thing I love you, Jack," she told him with a shake of her head.

"I love you, two, sweet cheeks! But we can smooch later. We have some spooks to hunt! So, let's shake a tail feather, mama!"

"Now _that_ I can agree with!" Maddie replied determinedly as she charged her weapon and took the lead.

Jack quickly followed with a battle cry of "Banzai". And like his wife, he momentarily forgot all about Sam and Tucker…

While some of the Guys-in-White took to the air with their hover-crafts towards the commotion above, the rest of them dealt with the ghosts a little closer to the ground.

However, Maddie and Jack instantly set their sights on the closest ghosts to them, which happened to be Spectra and Bertrand. The two obviously had regrouped…

Maddie jolted to a stop and fired a single clean shot at the unsuspecting Bertrand. And when the shot struck true and slammed the male ghost to the ground, she pivoted her gun towards the stunned female ghost. However, before Maddie could fire, her husband jumped into the fray.

"Hey, spook! Prepare to meet your maker!" Jack hollered as he wildly fired at the female ghost.

Spectra, currently in her shadow form, growled in annoyance and promptly turned intangible to miss one of the badly aimed shots.

"You two picked the wrong time to be getting in our way," Spectra sneered as her hands lit with her energy.

"Spectra, wait!" Bertrand suddenly said, as he pushed himself back up. "Aren't those two…?"

"Who cares!" Spectra cut him off and attacked the hunter couple with her energy.

Maddie and Jack quickly dodged the beams and rounded back on Spectra. However, Bertrand just as quickly leapt into action and turned into a green cougar and lunged at Jack.

"No over-sized cat scares Jack Fenton!" the man proclaimed and ran forward with his gun blasting.

But Spectra, who had been focusing on Maddie, jolted when she heard the male hunter's last name. Of course! These were _Danny's_ parents!

Spectra grinned wickedly. Oh, this was going to be good…

"Oh, come on, hon!" Spectra suddenly said sweetly as she created a barrier to protect herself against Maddie's attacks. "You really shouldn't take out your frustration on complete strangers. After all, it's not my fault your son ran away because you're a bad mother and can't keep an eye on him!"

Maddie froze, though Jack continued to fight Bertrand, not having heard the female ghost. But suddenly livid, the female hunter let out a battle cry and lunged at the female ghost, quickly throwing aside her weapon and taking out a glowing green stick.

"What do you know about my son?" she demanded as she attacked Spectra with everything she had.

And not expecting the sudden ferocity, Spectra gasped, dodging a swing to her head. But she wasn't able to dodge a second swing to her abdomen. The shadow ghost hissed in pain as she was pushed back several feet with the hit. But the ghost quickly reacted and raised her hands, firing two consecutive attacks.

Maddie immediately rolled away from both attacks. But at that moment, she heard her husband let out an alarmed yell and she instantly looked at him, only to find Bertrand on top of her husband's fallen form.

"Jack!" she shouted, only to be distracted enough to be hit in the stomach by another of Spectra's beams. Maddie grunted as she fell on her bottom; but then quickly glared back at the ghost woman, who floated towards her with burning energy in her hands.

"Your freak of a son got my brother trapped in Walker's jail. And I might not be able to take it out on him directly, but I'm going to hit him where it hurts. And I am going to start with you," Spectra sneered as she aimed her hand at Maddie's head.

"What are you talking about?" Danny's mother asked, honestly baffled.

"Tsk. You poor dear. You really have no clue, do you?" Spectra falsely cooed. She smirked cruelly. "I can see why your son's so messed up. What else can one expect with parents as pitiful as you two? Oh, well," she said with a dismissive shrug before collecting more energy in her stretched hand. "At least your bad parenting allows me to enjoy feeding off your brat's misery. And as soon as that other freak drops his guard, I am going to have so much fun with Danny. I am going make him cry out for his _mommy_ and when I do, I'll let him know that I turned her into a pile of-Ahh!"

Maddie jolted when a beam of green energy cut off the female ghost's rant and blasted her away.

"No one hurts Jack Fenton's son! And no one threatens my wife!" he declared angrily at the fallen female ghost, while Bertrand struggled close by entangled within the Fenton Fishing Rod.

Maddie smiled and stood up. "Oh, Jack, you—" Whatever she was going to say became a gasp, which Jack quickly echoed when he- like Maddie -saw the bright red beam of light that shot into the dark clouds, creating two burning letters in the sky.

But everyone else around them also noticed. Bertrand, who had managed to get free at that instant, froze in surprise, as did Spectra, at the sight above them.

Even the Guys-in-White and every other ghost around immediately stopped what they were doing as they stared at the initials that had just been formed above…

* * *

"Oh, man! What's going on up there?" Tucker exclaimed as he watched Valerie fight Ember and Technus.

"I don't know, Tucker. But we have plenty to worry about down here!" Sam replied back as she dodged an attack from the Lunch Lady.

"I hope Valerie can handle it," Tucker muttered before diving away from an attack from Kitty. However, he quickly turned to face her and blasted her with a small ghost gun in his hand.

He was just about to use the thermos to suck Kitty in when Valerie's scream jolted him.

"Valerie!" he gasped out when he saw her hurled into the sky after being hit by a possessed electronic device and then by an attack from Ember.

"Tucker!" Sam yelled back when she saw Kitty take advantage of her friend's distraction.

Tucker gasped when he saw a green ghost beam come at him. But, luckily, Sam quickly reacted and fired an ecto-blast at the incoming ray, knocking it off course before it could hurt her male friend.

But her own distraction also cost her; and Sam just as suddenly found herself hurled into the ground by a large pile of meat, courtesy of the Lunch Lady.

"Sam!" Tucker automatically called out and rushed to her aid. He quickly grabbed her arms and tried to pull her out of the pile of meat, but it was taking him a lot of effort and the Lunch Lady was now floating in front of them with an evil grin. But, now, Kitty was rounding on them as well.

"Tucker, pull harder!" Sam exclaimed, realizing their compromised position.

But right then, the sudden bright red light and the thunder-like sound that echoed through the atmosphere, also put a halt to Danny's friends' own battle. And when Sam, Tucker, Lunch Lady and Kitty looked up, they saw what everyone else had seen.

"V.P.?" Tucker whispered out in disbelief.

Sam's surprise melded into a glare as one name fell spitefully from her lips.

"Vlad…"

* * *

"V.P.?" Technus read, before thoughtfully rubbing his chin. "Why does that look and sound familiar…?"

"Because it stands for Vlad Plasmius," a new voice informed him.

"Well, isn't this turning out to be quite the dramatic soap-opera?" Technus said dryly to himself when he realized Skulker had 'joined them'.

"Skulker?" Ember said, surprised to see her boyfriend there. "What are you doing here? You're not here to fight for Amity Park, too, are you? If so, I'm not sure what sort of strain that would put on our relationship, baby pop. Sure, I've heard of lover's quarrels, but trying to blast each other for this place could be a bit too much."

Skulker frowned at his girlfriend's little rant, but then turned his eyes to Fright Knight, who looked just as surprise as everyone else to see him. But before the ghost knight could question him, the hunter took the lead.

"What is this, Fright Knight? Plasmius cannot possible be interested in the whelp's territory."

"I merely follow orders, Skulker," Fright Knight answered, lowering his sword to his side again. "And his order was to brand this place as part of his domain."

"His domain?" Technus interrupted. "Vlad Plasmius' domain is Wisconsin; and I, Technus, like most other ghosts, knows and respects that!"

"Yeah, what grandpa said!" Ember spoke up. "The guy's place is nowhere near here! Or, what? Is he planning on moving over here now? What about the dipstick? And what the heck happened to his offer of rewarding the ghost who took over Amity?"

"I know nothing of lord Plasmius' intentions or his doings," the ghost knight replied uncaringly. "However, I have been well informed of his decree for his new domain…"

Everyone's eyes turned back to the red letters in the sky when they suddenly began to cackle before sending flashes of red thunder across the sky.

"**Hear all!"** Fright Knight announced loudly, his strong voice echoing in the sky. **"I now claim and mark Amity Park under the banner of my new lord and liege: Vlad Plasmius! And his first decree is for your immediate departure from his territory!" **

"Yeah, and let's include **you** in that departure!" Valerie suddenly exclaimed out of nowhere.

"Not now, girl!" Technus snapped, only to be blasted away by Valerie.

"Nightmare! Deal with the human!" Fright Knight commanded his horse, annoyed at being interrupted.

The horse's flaming mane swelled as it instantly lunged at Valerie.

In turn, the girl gasped, especially when she was suddenly forced to dodge a barrage of green fire thrown at her. However, as more came her way, she was forced to take off into the sky. And to her misfortune, Nightmare immediately followed.

* * *

"**Hear all! I now claim and mark Amity Park under the banner of my new lord and liege: Vlad Plasmius! And his first decree is for your immediate departure from his territory!" **

Spectra frowned deeply at hearing Fright Knight's words. "Can he do that?" she asked her companion.

"You mean own two territories? A ghost as powerful as him can do whatever he wants. I mean, who's going to stop him, Penelope?" Bertrand answered with deep irritation.

Spectra growled. "I wouldn't be surprised if Danny just handed Amity Park over to him."

"Well, didn't Dazzler mention something about that little loser surrendering to Plasmius? If he did, then, he might as well _have_ handed it over," Bertrand answered.

"It doesn't matter. I'm not interested in getting into another fight with that older freak _or_ his lackey up there. Let's go, Bertrand."

"Fine," the male ghost answered with a roll of his eyes. But then he frowned as he added, "Hey, aren't we forgetting something?"

"Yes, you are," Maddie suddenly growled out and fired the Fenton Bazooka at the ghost couple.

Spectra and Bertrand shouted in fear as a portal formed in between them and then sucked them in.

Maddie lowered the gun and looked at Jack. "I don't understand, Jack. What are these ghosts doing? And what is _that_ ghost doing here? Isn't it the same one that was working for that very powerful ghost that pulled Amity into the Ghost Zone some time back?"

"I think he is, Mads. And it looks like he wants the all the ghosts to leave," Jack muttered, scratching his head.

"But why? Since when does one ghost keep at bay the rest of them?" Maddie questioned, confused.

Jack shrugged. But before he could say anything, he noticed the Guys-in-White charging into the sky towards Fright Knight. Jack could see that they had seemed to have forgotten all about the other ghosts and were now regarding the ghost knight as the biggest threat here.

"Hey… Weren't Danny's friends here?" Jack commented out-of-the-blue.

Maddie gasped, finally remembering and she quickly looked around for them. And finding them, she told her husband, "Come on, Jack!"

* * *

Skulker was shocked by what he had just heard; but he quickly pushed the feeling aside and drew closer to Fright Knight and angrily hissed, "He's insane! He cannot force all the ghosts to leave Amity Park! He knows how important this place is for our kind!"

But Fright Knight shrugged. "His exact orders were to rid Amity Park of all ghosts with a power level two or higher. And he further ordered me to create a portal just outside Amity Park. **That** is his compromise."

"Well, you can tell him to shove it!" Ember growled furiously. "There is no way I am backing down from a guy who can't even show his own face to claim his 'supposed property'!"

"If you will not leave willingly, then I am also ordered to deliver your destruction by my sword!"

"Bring it on, then, knighty!" Ember said boldly.

"No!" Skulker quickly said when he saw Fright Knight step forward with the intention of taking up the ghost diva's challenge.

The ghost knight instantly paused and soberly looked back at the hunter.

"Okay, can we talk about this?" Technus suddenly asked before Skulker or Fright Knight could say anymore. He rubbed his aching head, before he briefly glanced behind him to make sure Valerie was still occupied. And confirming it, he turned his attention to Fright Knight and said, "Plasmius knows the rules! If he wants this place, then he needs to challenge us, just like everyone else!"

Fright Knight pointed his sword at Technus and answered, "You wish for a rightful battle? So be it, then! I am your challenger. And only if you beat me will you be worthy to challenge my master!"

"Now wait a minute. I never said I wanted to go first!" Technus answered, raising up his hands in a pacifying manner.

"I'll have a go!" Ember said with a smirk as she raised her guitar.

Skulker spun around and instantly glared at his girlfriend. "Don't be foolish! You don't stand a chance against Fright Knight or Plasmius!"

"Well, I'm not about to get told what to do by some guy I've only seen around a few times! You might be afraid of that other weirdo, but I'm not!" Ember snapped.

"I am not afraid of him! But _unlike_ you, I _know_ what he's capable of! He'll **destroy** you! Now, stop this. This place isn't worth your after-life, Ember!"

"Then, help me! We can take him on, Skulker!" Ember said, not backing down. "Fight with me!"

But hearing her words, Fright Knight's frown deepened and he told the hunter, "I would hesitate to heed her words, Skulker. I doubt my lord wishes for your destruction. And considering our mutual understanding of one another, I wish not to fight you, either. So, do not dare come between my orders and my fulfilling them."

Skulker lightly glared at the ghost knight as he soberly replied, "I doubt Plasmius cares about my well-being. But I am not interested in opposing you or him. He wants Amity Park? He can have it. But you tell him to remember what I told him the last time we talked."

Fright Knight raised an eyebrow in confusion. But right then, several GiW agents suddenly surrounded them all.

"You, level eight ghost! Drop your sword! All of you are under arrest in accordance to section two of the anti-ghost laws and regulations! Come quietly for further interrogation and experiments- lots of painful experiments!"

"Oh-o. Looks like the cavalry is here… Oh, well…," Technus shrugged and looked at Fright Knight again. "Tell Plasmius that I, Technus, accept his terms…. For the time being..." The techno-loving ghost laughed and suddenly vanished into the nearest phone line before the GiWs could even blink in surprise.

"No one else moves!" one of the Guys-in-White demanded as they surrounded the remaining ghosts and began to move in.

"Think again," Skulker growled back and suddenly pulled out a glowing metal sphere form his suit and threw it in the air.

The GiWs gasped when the device exploded and shrouded everyone in a thick green smoke that had all the human hunters hacking and teary-eyed in no time.

"We have to go, Ember. That will not hold them off for very long," Skulker said urgently as he drew a gun from his shoulder and stared warily at the ghost hunters around them. He was not about to let himself be captured by one of these humans.

"What? I'm not going anywhere!" she snapped at him.

"Look around you!" Skulker suddenly yelled at her, ignoring the fact that Fright Knight was quietly watching him. "All of you have called the worst kind of attention to yourselves thanks to your ridiculous desire to rule over the whelp's territory! Even if he's not here, this place _still_ belongs to him and _now_ to Plasmius as well! So, accept your loss and let us go. There is _nothing_ _more_ for you to do here!"

"I don't care! I'm not leaving!" Ember stubbornly said.

Skulker glared and suddenly retracted a second weapon from his shoulder and aimed it at her. "Yes, you are."

Ember frowned. "You're not going to shoot me."

"No. But I am going to do this," he said calmly and fired a net at her.

Ember gasped in disbelief. "What are you doing? You can't treat your girlfriend like one of your prey things!"

"Believe me. You'll thank me later," Skulker simply answered. He then gave Fright Knight one last serious look before he suddenly vanished along with Ember.

"Last warning. Drop your weapon!" one of the GiW suddenly said, recapturing Fright Knight's attention when the hunters finally got enough sense to use their hovercrafts' fans to clear away the green smoke.

"I have a duty to fulfill," the ghost knight answered before firing a blast towards one of the GiWs' aircrafts. The attack struck true, but it instantly jolted the rest of them into action.

"Engage and destroy!" their leader commanded.

Fright Knight growled as blast hit his shoulder. But he quickly raised a shield around himself and called out, "Nightmare!"

The flaming black Pegasus, which had still been distracting Valerie, quickly neighed and galloped across the sky towards the knight.

Valerie, in turn, growled and pursued the horse. But as she began to fire her ghost weapon at it, the GiW leader abruptly came up behind her and said, "You, girl! This is a secured area!"

"Would you all just get over yourselves? You're letting him get away!" Valerie snapped as she watched Fright Knight mount Nightmare and fly away from them.

The GiW glared at the Red Huntress but then commanded his agents. "After him!"

Fright Knight ignored the ghost hunters on his tail and quickly descended from the sky. And the instant Nightmare landed, the ground shook as the horse's hooves pounded into it.

**"My words proclaimed and the mark now set. I leave you to choose your wise path: one drawn into the heavens with fire and power. Make haste, for upon my return, the sole path you will find ends with the sting of my sword and the destruction of your power and core!"** Fright Knight announced.

The remaining ghosts watched as the ghost knight and his horse suddenly dispersed into a swarm of bats that quickly blended into the atmosphere. However, at that instant the V.P letters in the sky turned into two red spheres and suddenly shot forward, like two shooting stars, leaving in their wake two fiery lines drawn across the sky.

A loud boom sounded a moment later when the red ghost energy slammed somewhere at the outskirts of Amity Park.

For a moment, the ghosts looked at one another, and then back up at the colored sky. But when the red lines faded out of existence a second later, the ghosts looked over at all the humans around them.

The ghosts merely frowned. And then suddenly they all vanished into invisibility, leaving an eerie silence in their absence.

However, the shocked Valerie quickly reacted and switched her scanners to invisibility-mode. Her eyes widened when she could finally see the ghosts as they all flew off towards a specific direction- in the direction which the red spheres had vanished. And, curious, she quickly followed after them.

"What in the world?" Valerie gasped out when she finally made it to where all the ghosts were heading and saw a large swirling ghost portal in the middle of a large pond just outside Amity Park. And the ghosts… they were leaving through it.

"What kind of spook has the power to command other ghosts?" Valerie asked out loud, unable to bring herself to do anything but watch as the ghosts that had been causing havoc in Amity a moment ago return willingly to the Ghost Zone…

"I'll have to tell Mr. Masters about this…," she then muttered to herself.

* * *

"I can't believe it. They actually left!" Tucker said, as he was finally able to pull Sam out of the pile of meat.

Sam didn't reply as she got back to her feet and did her best to clean herself off. She had no idea what to make out of what she had just seen. Sure, she knew Danny's arch-enemy had many allies and he seemed to have a certain amount of power in the Ghost Zone… But… to make Danny's enemies leave Amity Park? How? And why would they?

Perhaps none of them were as strong as Vlad, but, if they got _together_…they could beat him back, right? Or were they too afraid of the older hybrid to try that? Or was it respect?

Whatever it was, Sam didn't like it. If Vlad had this much power among others ghosts, then that meant the man really could do some serious damage if he wanted. And… How safe was Danny himself when his arch-enemy could command all his other enemies…?

"Sam! Tucker!"

The two kids jolted out of their disbelief and turned their attention to Danny's parents, who were walking up to them.

"I guess the 'explaining' part is finally here," Tucker whispered nervously to Sam.

The girl just sighed; somehow, having to explain themselves to Mr. and Mrs. Fenton was only a 'bleep' in her 'concern' radar in comparison to everything that had just happened now.

"Alright, you two. No more runarounds," Maddie said sternly. "I want to know why you are here. You could have been seriously hurt!"

"And just how did you two get a hold of my ghost weapons?" Jack demanded, but then grinned and excitedly asked, "How did they work for you? Did they-?"

"Jack!" Maddie scolded.

"You could have gotten hurt!" Jack quickly said to cover himself.

Tucker almost snickered at Danny's father's usual attitude.

"We're sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Fenton," Sam finally spoke up. "But we heard the commotion and we thought we could, er, help. And so… we…borrowed some of your stuff. We would have asked, but you two weren't home; so…"

"Kids, ghost hunting is a serious matter," Maddie said with a sigh. "First of all, you two have no experience with it. Ghosts are dangerous creatures. And they will hurt you. Second of all, I doubt your parents would be very happy to know you two are putting yourselves in danger like this. And I am sorry to say that I will have to talk to both your parents."

"Aw, man!" Tucker moaned, while Sam cringed, already imagining how much her parents were going to freak out.

"I have no other choice, kids," Maddie said sternly. "Now, come on. We will give you a ride back."

Sam sighed. "Fine, just let us get our mopeds…," she muttered.

As she and Tucker walked off to where they left their mopeds, Sam asked her male friend, "What do you think Fright Knight meant by Vlad _owning_ Amity Park?"

"Not sure. Maybe it's a ghost thing?" Tucker suggested. But then he frowned and added, "I think the more important question is _how_ will that affect this town? Wait… Didn't Jazz say Vlad agreed to get rid of the ghosts around here?"

"That's what she said he told her…," Sam muttered back. "But, honestly, I don't feel very assured. Quite the opposite. We both know Danny's arch-enemy doesn't do anything 'nice' without some sick purpose behind it."

"Well, then, I hope Danny returns before we find out what that purpose is," Tucker commented worriedly.

"I sure hope so, too, Tucker," Sam said, her voice reflecting her friend's own concern. "Danny might not be as strong as Vlad, but unlike others, Danny's not afraid to stand up to his arch-enemy. If anyone can set things straight again, it's him."

Tucker could only nod in agreement.

* * *

**Heh. Yes, it was a bit shorter than the usual. But it worked for this chapter. Now the next one… is going to be pretty long… and interesting. *smirks***

**Anyways, on to announcements! **

**First, I want to thank you all for all your wonderful reviews. They really mean a lot to me, and it thrills me to read all of your reactions and thoughts. Sadly, I didn't get to replying to all the reviews this time around. Considering it takes me about two or three days to reply to them all, I was a bit pressed by time, since I had a busy week with the whole Father's Day being yesterday. **

**But that brings me to my next point, I know some of you don't mind if I reply to your comment or not, but I do love talking to each of you. Plus, you guys make the effort to leave me your thoughts, so it's the least I can do. Problem is, some of you are not signing in; and that's all fine if you don't mind if I don't reply. But, then, some of you are asking me questions and not logging in. I do try to search for those that do that through FF's search engine, but some of you I can't find. So, please, if you have a question and you want me to answer it, then, sign in. And if you don't have an account, it's very easy and quick to get one. So, yeah. I just want to at least answer you if you have a question! Heh-heh! **

**So, that aside, I got one last announcement. Sorry, but just bear with me for another moment.**

**As I said above, your support is priceless to me and I could never thank you all enough for it. And, really, you all just shock me some times at the amount of support you all give me. But Little Juniper and NewGhostGirl take the cake this time. They actual made clubs (both on their own accord, ironically!) dedicated to my work/me.**

**I am very touched and still blushing, actually. But I did want to share this with the rest of you. And thank them both again. You two are very sweet! **

**So, Little Juniper made a Niane fanclub! Heh-heh! So, if you like her as much as her, check out the page below; and if you want, you can even become a member. Naturally, you will find pictures and such things on Niane here. And, many more other fun things to do!**

**(Niane-Fanclub) ht tp (:) (/) / niane-fanclub .deviantart. c om /**

**Now, NewGhostGirl's club is dedicated to my work in general. And, like LJ's club, you will find fanart and many more other things. And, also, you can become a member there, too. And, actually, I believe GhostGirl is looking for a co-founder, still. So, check out the page for more info on that.**

**(The Hidden Pearl) ht tp (:) /(/) the-hidden-pearl. deviantart .co m/**

**I also further want to say that I will be leaving author's notes on both pages from now on in regards to updates and anything else that I might need to say to you all. So, again, it works for me, too! **

**Okay, I'll let you guys go. I'm currently trying to teach my muse manners. Heh-heh. *nudges Vlad muse* Come on, show them what you've learned… *waves Maddie doll***

***muse glares* **_**Gracias por su amor y **__**apoyo.**_

**Ha! He even said it in Spanish! I didn't know you spoke Spanish, Vlad muse!**

**I live in your head, you demented girl! **_**Of course**_**, I speak Spanish!**

***cracks up* Okay, say thank you in German now!**

***muse growls* Forget it. Plus, you don't know that much German, anyways.**

**I know 'Thank you'. So, come on. *waves Maddie doll* You know you want her.**

***Vlad muse rolls eyes* And your readers call **_**me**_** evil… Fine. **_**Danke schön**__**!**_** There, I said it, now hand over my Maddie-doll!**

**Oh, fine. Such a baby. Anyways, I need to end this! Opps! Well, thanks again everyone! See you all next week! **

**Ta!**


	68. Chapter 67: Buried Differences

**Okay! As promised! One week later! I will say, this is one of my muse's favorite chapters. Heh-heh! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. But the OCs are my own.**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 67: Buried Differences**

* * *

Currently working on his math homework, Danny suddenly paused and smiled upon remembering how well he did on his tests this morning. Ms. Thomas really was a good teacher. But it also helped that the teen actually had _time_ to study… It was a shame he never did as well in Casper High as he was doing here…

The boy's eyebrows creased as he let out a quiet sigh. But he then shook his head and turned his attention back to his math book. He was stumped on his last homework problem. As much as he kept trying to figure out how the book ended up with the answer: (x-1) (2x+4), he couldn't see it. _He_ kept getting (x-2) (x+4).

"It might make a lot more sense now, but I still hate math," Danny grumbled to himself as he dropped his pencil on his paper in surrender. And yet, he quietly studied the problem for another moment before finally sighing loudly and looking up at the clock in his study room.

It was almost time for dinner. But he should still have enough time to find Ms. Thomas and ask her to help him with this last problem. After all, the teen knew from experience she was more than happy to do so—perhaps a bit _too_ happy.

Danny stood up and quickly put his papers in between the book to mark the page. He then grabbed his calculator and finally headed out of the study. And as he headed out of his room in search of his ghostly teacher, his thoughts drifted to the other half-ghost in the castle. It had been two days since they had spent the full day together. And although it was a bit disappointing, Vlad did go to work yesterday and had been out pretty much all day—in fact, Danny had ended up going to the simulation room on his own. And although he appreciated Vlad's gesture of calling him from his office and apologizing for being unable to train with him, Danny had not been bothered by it, anyways. He knew the guy was dealing with everything that had happened with Mark at the party and probably more, so the teen had just told him not to worry about it. And he didn't say anything further about it even when he only saw and talked to Vlad just before bedtime yesterday.

However, today was a bit different. Vlad did head to his companies in the morning, but, this time, he returned home at lunchtime. They had fallen into their usual chatting, which still amazed Danny at just how… easy it all was. Everything was just so…normal now. Normal and calm. After all the drama, tribulations, and plain craziness in the past months, the tranquility between them was just… awing.

Of course, Danny welcomed it. It was nice to drop his guard now that there was no arch-enemy or enemies in general to watch out for. And it was nice to see the once cold and cruel Vlad Masters actually showing care and trust... and happiness. It all really made Danny feel hopeful, and, in turn, made him happy, too...

Finally arriving at Ms. Thomas' room, Danny snapped out of his thoughts and knocked on the door. However, after a moment of not getting a response, he tried again.

"Huh…Where did she go?" the boy muttered, realizing she wasn't in her room. His ghost teacher usually spent most of her time in her room, doing who knew what. But she was always around when he needed her. Perhaps… she was in the employee lounge?

Deciding to try his luck, Danny headed in that direction.

"Hey, guys. Any of you seen Ms. Thomas?" he asked when he found Vlad's employees, minus George and Niane, in the room.

Carl, Derek, Bennie, and Jasper all paused in their card game and looked up at the young hybrid.

"You mean your crazy teacher?" Carl asked with a smirk.

Danny rolled his eyes and walked further into the room. "She's not crazy… Maybe eccentric at times…"

"She's crazy," the male ghosts all repeated together.

"Whatever," Danny said with a chuckle. "Have you seen her or not?"

"Nope," Carl replied, while the others shook their heads. But then Vlad's driver quickly added, "But you know what I _have_ seen?"

Danny slowly shook his head. "No, but I'm sure you're going to tell me."

Carl grinned and stood up, pulling out a phone from his pocket and showing him a picture of an expensive car on it. "Check out this car, kid! I was looking at cars through the net on my phone this morning while I waited for Mr. Masters and I spotted _this_ beauty!" he exclaimed. "I just had to put it as my cell's main screensaver! If I'm lucky, I can convince Mr. Masters to buy it!"

Danny blinked at the only comment which really sunk in. He disbelievingly asked, "You have a cell phone?"

"Obviously," Carl said with a roll of his eyes. "How else do you expect I keep in touch with Mr. Masters? Telepathy?"

The other male ghosts snickered at the ridiculous notion.

But then Carl turned to them and asked, "Hey, Have I shown—?"

"Yes! You showed us the car, like, ten times already!" Derek exclaimed. "Can we please get back to the game?"

"Oh, fine," Carl muttered and returned to his seat.

Danny drew a bit closer, just to see what they were playing. And recognizing the game, the boy smiled. He looked at Jasper's cards, since he was the closest to him. And seeing a good play in the ghosts' hands, Danny quickly told the mute gardener, "I'd throw down these three, grab a new card and then lay the rest down. No one's gonna get a better hand than that."

Jasper looked surprised at Danny before doing just as he told him. And when he realized the boy was right, the mute ghost grinned and Danny said for him, "He wins."

"Hey!" the others protested when they laid down their own cards and realized Jasper indeed had the higher hand.

But then, the male ghosts looked at each other before they looked over at Danny.

"Hey, grab a seat, kid. You gotta play with us," Carl said.

But Derek quickly added, "You mean, you want him to play _for_ you."

"Same thing."

"Not if he plays for _me_ first! What do you say? Want to be my partner?" Bennie asked, only to get jabbed by Jasper in the side.

The mute ghost quickly beckoned Danny over to him with an encouraging smile.

But Danny just chuckled at the four ghosts. "Uh, I actually need to go find Ms. Thomas. Maybe after dinner."

The ghosts pouted, but reluctantly nodded.

"Okay, my turn to shuffle the deck!" Derek said and quickly used levitation to shuffle the cards.

Danny raised an eyebrow, but then he looked over at the two other ghosts in the room. But the older maids seemed to be in their own little world, which consisted of gazing at something behind the couch.

"What are you two looking at?" the teen asked curiously as he walked over to them.

The two older maids briefly regarded the young hybrid, but then they pointed at whatever had their attention and replied, "It's the cat."

"Oh," Danny said, a smile curling his lips. He had wondered where the white kitten was. But then remembering his reason for being here, the boy further asked, "Have either of you seen Ms. Thomas?"

This time, the maids kept their eyes fixed on the cat behind the couch. But Martha still shook her head and responded. "No… We have not seen her. But what do you think?"

Danny blinked. "About what?"

"We are debating the proper way to clean the cat," Martha explained, pointing at the kitten; and Danny instantly realized that the animal was behind the couch because she was _hiding_ from the maids.

"Patricia says we should just bathe her," Martha continued. "But cats don't like water. So, I think we could just dry-clean her… Perhaps with a vacuum? I think it will be more humane."

"How is that more humane?" Patricia snapped. "What if it sucks her inside?"

"It's not going to suck her inside! And what if _you_ drown the poor thing in the tub?" Martha retorted.

"You know what? Let's just let Master Phantom decided. What do you think?" Patricia asked Danny.

The teen stared in disbelief at the two before uttering, "Uh… Heh." Danny slowly moved around the couch and picked up the kitten with his unoccupied hand before replying with a forced smile, "Why don't you guys let me worry about the cat, okay?"

"Are you sure? We can clean her for you. We are really good at cleaning things!" Martha assured him with a wide smile.

Danny chuckled nervously. "Yeah, I know. But… really, it's okay. I totally can handle the cat. I, uh, I gotta go now. See ya!"

The teen quickly retreated from the lounge with the small kitten; and when he was out, he sighed. "Note to self: Keep the cat away from the ghost maids."

He smiled at the small kitten which was now meowing and purring, as if she knew he had just rescued her.

Danny just set her back down and encouraged her to follow him as he headed towards the kitchen. But then, he suddenly paused, remembering George did not like the cat, especially in his kitchen. Besides, the teen knew he was probably very busy getting everything ready for dinner…

"Maybe Vlad knows where Ms. Thomas went… But now… I'll have to find _him_, first," Danny said dryly.

Being that Danny had been pretty busy with homework, he had not seen Vlad since lunch. And he was sure the man was also occupied with his own things. But now Danny had to wonder where Vlad was exactly.

"I guess his private study is the best place to start looking," Danny said with a shrug. "Come on, furball," he added to the kitten beside him, which meowed and followed closely behind him.

However, as he turned into the hallway towards Vlad's study, Danny caught sight of Niane, who was quietly sitting at a small nook that only held two chairs facing towards three arched windows.

"Niane?" the boy called as he walked up to her. But much to his surprise, she didn't answer him. Actually, it was like she didn't even notice he was there at all. Her eyes were fixed on the outside view. So, the teen couldn't see how her red eyes were glowing brighter than usual…

"Niane?" Danny called a bit louder, this time touching her shoulder, honestly a bit spooked by her unresponsiveness. But her reaction scared him even more.

The youngest ghost maid violently jolted and her brightly glowing red eyes instantly dimmed before she snapped her gaze up to the young hybrid.

"Danny!" she breathed out, staring fearfully at the teen.

"Geez, Niane! What was that?" Danny asked, gripping his chest from how much the girl's reaction had startled him.

Niane visibly cringed, but replied, "Forgive me. I was…" She trailed off as she glanced away from the boy before muttering, "I was thinking…"

"Yeah, don't hurt yourself," Danny answered, looking at her strangely.

Niane chuckled at his words. "Is there something I can do for you?" she asked with a smile.

Relaxing again, Danny shrugged and replied, "I was looking for Ms. Thomas. But I can't find her; so now I'm looking for Vlad."

"I see," Niane said. "Well, I cannot give you news of Ms. Thomas. But Master Plasmius is in his private study."

"That's what I thought," Danny muttered. "Okay, thanks."

Niane nodded and watched the boy continue down the hall. But when he was some distance away, she sighed deeply and briefly pinched the bridge of her nose. That had been too close for comfort…

"Vlad?" Danny called when he reached the man's study and knocked on the door.

"_Daniel, come in." _

The boy raised an eyebrow at the almost inaudible response. But when he opened the door and found that Vlad wasn't in his private study and that the fireplace was askew, he understood why the man's voice had been so faint. Vlad was down in his currently-opened secret lab.

Danny stepped further into the room, but paused right at the entrance of the lab which was, of course, at the open fireplace. "Uh… Vlad?" he called to the man, not daring to walk down the lab stairs.

"I'm coming, Daniel," the billionaire replied as he traveled out of the lab.

And finally catching sight of the man, the teen then said, "Sorry to bother you. I just wanted to know if you have seen Ms. Thomas?"

Danny watched as Vlad paused in front of him and removed a pair of goggles from his face. And if he wasn't feeling so uncomfortable all the sudden, he would have laughed at how comical the billionaire had looked with the goggles.

"Yes, actually, I have. She went home for a few hours. But she told me she would be back after dinner," Vlad calmly replied, oblivious to the teen's discomfort.

"Oh," Danny muttered, briefly glancing past the billionaire and at the long steep, stairs leading to the lab—the one place that always reminded him of the truth behind his current situation. It was almost as if merely the thought of the mainframe inside there had the ability to instantly put a barrier between him and Vlad. And as long as it existed, it would always do that. It was painful.

Danny instantly wished he had not come here.

"Did you need something, my boy?" Vlad asked curiously.

Danny's mind jolted with the question and he quickly shook his head. "Uh, no, not really. I just had a question about this math problem, but I can…"

Danny trailed off when Vlad calmly grabbed the math book from him and opened it to the marked page. And seeing the circled question, the man briefly studied it and then what the boy had done so far.

The boy shifted his weight a bit and looked down at the kitten as she rubbed her head against his legs and then Vlad's legs, though the man didn't seem to notice.

"Ah," Vlad suddenly said, and moved closer to the boy to point at something the teen had done in his work. "You forgot to take the square root of the quadratic equation."

Danny looked down at his work and blinked. But then realizing Vlad was right, a small smile curved the teen's lips. "Oh…yeah. Heh. Thanks."

Vlad just smirked and handed him back his book before walking back down the lab's stairs.

Danny briefly watched after him as he closed his book again. And the teen really had every intention of leaving, but the older hybrid's sudden, yet casual, voice stopped him.

"Daniel, come here. I want to show you something."

Danny hesitated for a moment. He really didn't want to go down there. Every time he had in the past, nothing good had happened to him. Besides, hadn't Vlad strictly forbidden him from going into his secret lab? And yet now… the man didn't seem to care anymore…

"It will only take a moment. I promise," Vlad said with small smile, noticing the teen's uncertainty.

Danny briefly glanced at the kitten, which had jumped up on Vlad's desk chair and curled up. But then he sighed to himself and finally headed down. He tried his best to ignore the mainframe several feet away from him and went over to see what Vlad wanted to show him.

But when he got there and saw a dish filled with a clear, glowing liquid that he instantly recognized, his curiosity got the better of him. He put his book on another bench before asking, "Is that from the Ives Ghost Plant? You know, the stuff you use to make that healing cream?"

"Yes," Vlad answered with a small smile. "But it's in its natural, concentrated form. I want to show you how I dilute the ointment to make it bearable but efficient. It might be useful knowledge for you in the future."

Danny knew firsthand how unpleasant the Ives's natural form of the healing ointment could be. After all, it had been how Vlad had healed his throat some time back. So, the teen knew why it was necessary to dilute it—though he had never wondered _how_ Vlad did that… until now.

"It's a simple process," Vlad began, grabbing a pipette and then moving to a rack filled with test tubes that already had a measured amount of distilled water in them. "Like all dilutions, it is done with water and on a half-to-one ratio. In other words. You take, say, 200 micro-litters of the concentrated solution. And you add it to a test tube that already has 200 micro-litters of water. Now you have a solution of 400 micro-litters. So, after you centrifuge or mix it, you take 200 micro-litters of the new solution and added to-"

"Another, new 200 micro-litters of water," Danny said with a knowing smile. "And so on and so forth. But how many times do you repeat the diluting process for it?"

Vlad hesitated, clearly surprised by how quick the teen had caught on. But then he smiled again and answered, "Just five dilutions, in this case. Here. Finish it."

Danny was slightly alarmed when Vlad handed him the pipette. "Uh… okay," he said and then turned his attention to doing the dilutions. Once he was finished diluting the solution four more times, he placed the finished product in the centrifuge on the bench and quickly used it to evenly mix the solution.

"Is that it?" Danny asked, handing the tube filled with the still brightly glowing diluted healing ointment to Vlad. But to his confusion, the man didn't accept it.

"Not quite," the billionaire said with a smirk. "Morph."

Danny frowned, but still complied and turned into Phantom.

"You have diluted the actual substance, Daniel. But you also need to _dilute_ the ghost energy naturally found in the ointment. And you do that by subjecting it to stable ghost energy…," Vlad explained, though an expectant look came to his face when he finished.

And Danny quickly knew why. "Blue energy, right?"

"Very good, little badger. Care to give it a try?" Vlad asked with an encouraging raise of his eyebrow.

The teen looked down at the tube in his hand and shrugged. He didn't know exactly what he was supposed to be doing. But… he could make blue energy. And briefly forgetting about where he was, he let the now familiar feeling of tranquility and stability wash over him before he let his gloved hand holding the tube fill with blue energy.

But to his surprise, the energy from the ghostly ointment seemed to push against his more stable energy, as if it was a strong gust of wind trying to blow out a fire. It was an amazing feeling, because he could actually feel how different the energy in the tube was compared to his own.

But considering it was only a small amount of the energized ointment, it only took Danny a few seconds to suddenly feel that opposing force vanish, and the energy in the ointment then stabilized as it finally blended in with his own blue ghost energy.

"I can see why you like all this ghost stuff," Danny said with a small smile as he turned human again and handed the tube back to Vlad.

This time, the billionaire accepted it and as he studied the finished product, he smugly retorted, "Hmm. Yes. And as much as you might try to deny it, I know you like this 'ghost stuff' just as much as I."

Danny rolled his eyes. But when he saw Vlad take off the latex gloves from his hand and then pull out a box filled with these strange plastic white squares, the teen asked, "What are you doing?"

"Testing it, of course," Vlad answered with a small shrug as he used an alcohol wipe to disinfect one of his fingers.

"Wait. What?" Danny quickly said.

But then he cringed when Vlad grabbed one of the weird plastic squares and pressed it against his finger. A sharp click instantly followed.

"Did you just stab yourself?" Danny asked in disbelief, though the answer was obvious when a drop of blood formed on the man's fingertip.

Vlad blinked at the boy's look, but then he loudly laughed and said, "Oh, Daniel! You really are dramatic!"

But Danny didn't see what was so funny, especially when the man grabbed a dropper and took a bit of the ointment Danny had diluted and raised it to his bleeding finger.

"Okay, seriously. You are not going to try that on yourself. I mean, what if I did it wrong?" the teen exclaimed.

"Did you?" Vlad asked with a playful grin, but still used it on himself.

Danny tensed when Vlad put a drop of the clear liquid on his finger and it instantly turned bright green and soon the man's entire body lit with a green hue. But as quick as it came, it vanished.

Vlad let out a sharp exhale. "Daniel? I think you're right… You should go call 911."

The teen paled.

But the older hybrid suddenly burst into laughter again and ruffled the boy's hair. "I'm just joshing you, dear boy! Honestly!"

"You got a twisted sense of humor, do you know that?" Danny grumbled.

"And you're quite gullible," Vlad teased back as he picked up the diluted ointment again. "In all seriousness, you did a very good job. It's still a tad strong. But that's nothing a bit more blue energy can't fix."

Danny watched as the billionaire, in human form, quickly incased the tube in his own blue energy. But it was very brief.

"That should do it. Now, to get it into a thicker texture, I simply mix it with normal antiseptic ointment that you can buy just about anywhere. And violà, you have healing cream for ghosts," the older hybrid ended with a smirk.

"Do you always test things on yourself like that?" Danny asked, still a bit weirded-out by that.

Vlad raised an eyebrow. "Of course not. I just knew the worst that could happen to me if you had wrongfully diluted the ointment was that unpleasant freezing sensation you experienced firsthand. I'm not foolish enough to experiment on myself. However, there are times when I require the usage of my own _samples_ to make sure something works specifically for me—and you. After all, my and your blood are different than other people, as is, our ectoplasm from ghosts.

Danny's eyebrows creased. He knew his half-ghost status made his ectoplasm different from other ghosts. But….

"My blood is different from other people? But I've never seen any difference… and I've been to the doctor before and they've thankfully never noticed anything."

"That's because they do not have the equipment to see the _spectral_ differences now in your blood—and mine, as well," Vlad enlightened him.

"And you can?" Danny asked slowly, though he was sure he already knew the answer.

Vlad smirked before turning from the boy and walking over to another bench where he had several instruments. He grabbed what looked like a normal microscope and brought it back over to the bench near Danny. It took the man only a moment to plug it in and set it up. But when he turned it on, the light from the microscope was a ghostly green instead of the usual white.

"Do you want to see what your blood really looks like?" Vlad asked the boy with an encouraging smile.

"Am I going to have to stab myself?" Danny asked apprehensively.

Vlad rolled his eyes and grabbed one of the small plastic apparatuses. "It's just a prick, Daniel. You will barely feel it."

But seeing the boy still look unsure, the man shrugged and dismissively said, "I'll just show you mine, then."

"No!" Danny said quickly. "Let's do mine. I want to see it."

Vlad briefly studied the teen, but then nodded and handed him a wrapped antiseptic wipe and one of the plastic needle-ejectors.

The teen hesitated again, but then took the items. He quickly disinfected his pointer finger, but when he finally went to use the needle-thing on himself, he hesitated again.

Danny bit his lower lip, but then suddenly handed the white device back to Vlad and asked, "Can you do it for me?"

The man chuckled, but still nodded and grabbed the boy's finger and brought the device against it.

Danny instantly tensed and squeezed his eyes closed.

"_It's amazing. He faces death on a regular basis and yet he's scared of a little prick. What an odd boy,"_ Vlad thought amused. But then out loud he said, "Daniel? I have something to ask you."

Danny slowly opened his eyes and looked up at the man, confused. "Right now?" he questioned, a bit annoyed. Seriously, why didn't the guy just stab him already?

"Yes," the man said seriously. "How do you feel?"

Danny blinked. "About what?"

"This," Vlad said and suddenly pricked the teen's finger.

"Ow!" Danny yelped, and reflexively tried to pull his hand away. But Vlad quickly held it in place and lightly squeezed the teen's bleeding finger.

"Tsk-tsk. So dramatic," Vlad repeated with a shake of his head.

"Am not!" Danny protested, though he internally cringed at his lame comeback. "And you just did that to distract me."

Vlad smiled, but said nothing as he grabbed a glass slide and let two drops of blood fall on it by holding the boy's finger above it.

"There," the man said, opening another wipe and putting it on Danny's finger before he released his hand. "Need a bandage, little badger?" he teased.

Danny rolled his eyes as he wiped the blood off his finger; but from how small the prick had been, nothing more came out.

"This will just take a moment," the man told him as he began to prepare the sample to put it under the microscope.

Danny watched him for a moment, but then his gaze began to wander. It briefly stopped on the mainframe. But when he felt a tightening in his chest, he quickly looked away and turned his attention to the closed ghost portal.

He walked up to it and placed his hand against it, feeling for a moment that unearthly place just beyond it. Ever since he had become half-ghost, the ghost zone had this strange allure for him, especially when he was in ghost form. That was probably why in spite his initial fear of going in there, his curiosity had won out. Every time he went in there, he ventured further and further with his need to know more about the place that felt so inviting to his ghost half.

It had disturbed him for the longest time. But now that he understood a bit about how his ghost body worked, he felt a lot more at ease about it. Although Vlad had explained to him how his core—and Vlad's—had the unique ability of regenerating its own energy, their core, like other ghosts', could also absorb the ambient energy in the ghost zone. So, going in there was like an instant boost for their ghost halves…

The teen lowered his hand as his eyes drifted to the ecto-filtrator. But to his surprise, the concentrated ectoplasmic energy keeping the portal stable was glowing _blue_.

"Vlad? Have you always used blue energy for the ecto-filtrator?" Danny suddenly asked, looking back at him.

The man briefly looked over at the boy, but then he turned his attention back to what he was doing and answered, "No… I originally used concentrated green energy… until I forgot to change it and the portal exploded."

Danny cringed, instantly remembering that incident. But although he was a bit hesitant, he further asked, "How did you manage to rebuild your portal again—or actually, make _two_ so…quickly?"

Vlad hesitated to respond this time. He knew why the teen asked that. He was aware it had taken the Fentons years to make their own portal. But it also had taken _him_ a couple of years to make his own portal at his castle. But after his original exploded, he had decided to try a new approach for making a portal. Therefore, the two that he now had at his castle were… different.

"I… simply found a more…natural way of…making portals," he finally answered evasively.

"More natural way?" Danny questioned curiously.

Vlad was quiet for a moment, but then answered. "I managed to make the portals more stable. And, therefore, they no longer require green energy to function, which, as you know, is more unstable and stronger than blue energy. Now, I can use concentrated blue energy to keep the portals stable and functioning. And, in turn, I no longer need to change the filtrator. Blue energy is naturally stable, so it's unnecessary."

"Okay. But that doesn't explain what you mean by your portals being more _natural_? And just how did you get your portals to open up in two different places in the ghost zone when one of them is practically right below the other?" Danny further inquired, now really intrigued.

Vlad looked at the teen and said, "It's complicated, Daniel…Maybe I'll tell you at another time. For now, come look at this."

The teen raised an eyebrow. The man was always very quick to share his knowledge when it came to ghostly things. But…Vlad clearly didn't want to tell him how he made his portals…

"Okay," Danny said with a sigh, reluctantly dropping the topic and walking over to the microscope.

He quietly looked into it, only for his eyes to widen at what he saw. He didn't know much about cells and such things. But he could recognize the blood cells under the microscope and he knew the glowing white hue around the cells was not normal in humans."

"You see, Daniel, your powers are embedded in you on a molecular level. And it is very visible if you know what to look for and have the proper equipment. But what you are seeing right now is the reason for your enhanced healing ability. Your human cells are energized and so have the ability to replicate and repair themselves faster than what is normal in humans."

"Cool," Danny said with a smirk as he continued to look through the microscope.

Vlad nodded as his eyes drifted back to the portal. He was hesitant to tell the boy the truth about how he made them for many reasons, though one of them was that he wasn't sure what the boy would think of him… But he felt a bit guilty for not telling him; after all, they did trust each other now…

"Do you know how some ghosts can open portals, Daniel?" the man suddenly asked.

The teen quickly looked at the man, but slowly nodded. "Yeah…"

Vlad hesitated for a brief moment before he suddenly morphed. He raised his hand, palm open in front of him and closed his eyes.

It took a moment, but Danny eyes widened when he saw blue energy appear and begin to swirl about a foot in front of the man's hand. But then it turned green and it began to spin more rapidly, soon creating a small, but very recognizable sight.

"You can open portals?" Danny gasped out, though he instantly knew what the man had meant by his new portals being more _natural_.

A loud hum began to resonate through the lab, followed by an increasing rumble…

"Vlad?" Danny asked warily as the lab began to shake.

But the older hybrid still didn't reply. Instead, his jaw clenched and with a shaky intake of breath, he all but ripped his hand away from the growing portal in front of his hand. With almost a hiss, the portal that had only grown to twice the size of the man's hand instantly vanished out of existence and the lab stopped shaking.

Vlad slowly opened his eyes and softly curled the hand he had just used to make the portal. He ignored the familiar throbbing and burning; and with a deep sigh, he turned human again. He then brought up his slightly swollen and pink human hand up to his eye level and studied it with a frown. He still didn't understand why it always hurt him to do that…

Vlad knew Danny was staring at him; but he didn't look at him right away, not wanting to see the fear in the boy's eyes.

In truth, there was more disbelief in Danny's gaze than anything else. The teen's memory briefly jogged to the time he had secretly watched the man practice his powers in the simulation room. And like then, Danny once again had the notion that the older hybrid was a lot more powerful than he let on—or had yet to show him...

Finally, Vlad broke the silence.

"It is something I have only recently learned. Not even a year now. And although I can initiate a portal's formation, as you just saw, well… I don't dare go beyond that."

"So… you can't make a full portal," Danny concluded, finally able to get his mind to snap out of its shock.

Vlad finally looked at him. "No, I probably could. I just…I'm afraid of it," he admitted.

Danny's eyebrows creased, a million and one thoughts running through his mind. And his emotions were no better. Did Vlad just admit he was afraid of something? And to _him_?

The billionaire suddenly shook his head. "It holds some of the same principles as teleportation. And by that, I mean, you have to have in mind an exact place where you want to open a portal in the Ghost Zone. But it's… weakening and painful. I _understand_ why it's weakening. You see, just like the ecto-filtrator keeps that portal behind me stable, and feeds it energy, I have to do the same in order to create an opening."

The man paused, but then suddenly crossed his arms in frustration as he further said, "What I _don't_ understand is why it's painful… At least, I don't understand _completely_. Trying to _break_ past the fabrics of _this_ reality to reach the Ghost Zone's reality feels like trying to break through a concrete wall with your bare hands. And I suppose the discomfort in that instance is understandable. But what's disturbing comes just after that part. The moment I begin to create an opening, I feel this… _connection_ form between the forming portal and _my core_. The ghost zone's energy all but pulls at my core, and I don't know why. And the more I hold the link needed to open a portal, the more it tugs, almost as if it's going to rip out my core. But what's truly frightening is that the larger the portal grows, the stronger the link gets, and the harder it is for me to break free from it."

"Yeah… that does sound scary," Danny muttered, barely repressing a shudder.

Vlad sighed. "Luckily, I have no need to make a full portal. In the case of my castle's portals, I simply initiated the opening and then the ecto-filtrator and the holding barrier did the rest of the work," the man explained pointing at the metal contraption around the closed portal and at the filtrator itself.

"That's why it's more natural; because instead of artificially forcing an opening to the Ghost Zone, as was the case with my original portal, I simply encouraged the creation of them through my own ghost energy. And that, in turn, allowed me to choose specifically where they opened up in the Ghost Zone. Of course, some places are easier than others to break the barrier between our world and the Ghost Zone, but that's another story. Point is, my permanent portals are now far more stable this way… And that avoids a lot of the troublesome effects of making artificial portals," the man finished with a dismissive wave of his hand.

But Danny raised an eyebrow at the man's last comment of an artificial portal being 'troublesome'. Of course, its instability and constant need to change the filtrator was troublesome… But the way the man had said the comment, the teen felt as if he was referring to something further…

But more interested in the fact that Vlad had actually told him he was afraid of something, the boy turned his focus back on that. "You know…maybe all you need is practice. Maybe once you get use to it, it won't hurt anymore and you'll be able to control that link you mentioned. After all, making portals is a normal thing for some ghosts; so it can't really be as bad as it seems, right? Plus, if you could make portals whenever and wherever you wanted, that would make it a lot easier for you to travel into and out of the Ghost Zone," Danny said with an encouraging smile.

"Perhaps," Vlad said with a small shrug, though he smiled a bit at the boy's encourgement. "But I have had no need to ever attempt to make a full portal. And I prefer it stays that way. I might like to experiment every now and then, but I don't gamble with my life unless necessary."

Danny nodded though he looked away, somehow feeling awkward with the man's last comment.

"But, you know, you are right in that being able to make portals at will would be beneficial. It is why I created my latest invention," Vlad said, a spark returning to his eyes as he moved over to one of the farthest lab tables.

Danny's eyebrows heightened and a small intrigued smile curled his lips when he realized Vlad was moving over to the table that had the white sheet over it. He was finally going to find out what was under that thing!

"I've been working on this for a couple of months now," Vlad began as he removed the sheet, though the teen still couldn't see what it was that Vlad picked up since the man's back was obstructing his view.

But when the man finally turned around, Danny wished he never had.

"I call these the Ghost Gauntlets," Vlad began with a grin as he put them on and activated them. And since his eyes were locked on his latest creation, he did not notice Danny freeze in fear and go five shades whiter.

"I originally designed it for the purpose of allowing easier access to the Ghost Zone," he explained as he drew out the green claws and obliviously flexed them. "I have yet to test them, but the energy-coated claws should, in theory, have no problem ripping through the fabrics of our reality and accessing the Ghost Zone beyond it."

The man raised his gloved hands a little higher as he continued with his awed speech. "But I have been studying how it all works. You see, the way some ghosts open portals is by physically separating spectral energy from non-spectral energy. And these gauntlets can do that! They can remove spectral energy from an object or being. The best example I can come up with is if someone was to be overshadowed. In theory, these devices should be able to pull out the ghost from the person without harming the person. But that's not the most shocking thing, Daniel. As I have been studying the effectiveness of these gauntlets, I have come to another theory. I think these gloves can actually unravel our spectral DNA from our human DNA. In other words, it can separate our human and ghost halves."

Vlad chuckled. "It's a theory, though. And it's not one that I care to prove. After all, why in the world would I want to separate my ghost and human halves? Not to mention, it would probably be fatal. But, you know, I just found it… interesting…." He trailed off, his smile fading when he finally looked at the boy.

Danny had not heard a word the man had said. All he could do was look at the activated devices on Vlad's hands.

"Daniel, are you alright? You look really pale," the man suddenly asked, clearly worried.

The boy didn't reply, but his eyes briefly darted to the lab's exit.

"Yeah," Danny breathed out, knowing he was about to lose it. He suddenly turned and grabbed his book he had left on one of the tables and hurriedly left the lab.

"Daniel!" Vlad called out to him, startled by his sudden retreat. He quickly followed after the teen, forgetting the fact that he still had the gauntlets on.

"Daniel, wait a minute!" the man called after the boy as he raced up the lab's stairs.

Danny whirled back around and his eyes widened at seeing Vlad approaching him with those horrible gloves.

"Stop!" the boy gasped out, so startled that he dropped his book and papers and raised his hands up in front of himself, as if they would protect him from the devices in Vlad's hands.

The billionaire instantly halted with the boy's command. But then his eyebrows creased and he asked, "Daniel, what's wrong?"

"D-Destroy them," Danny whispered fearfully, his gaze locked on the gauntlets.

Vlad looked down at the devices he was wearing and finally realized they were what had the boy so upset. The man sighed and quickly deactivated them and removed them from his hands.

"Daniel, I don't know what I said back there to make you afraid of these things. But they are harmless." The billionaire paused, remembering his mentioning of how the gauntlets might be able to separate their human and ghost haves. Oh. Maybe he should have never said that.

The man chuckled softly. "Silly child, I am not going to use these on you. Why would I even want to do such a thing? Besides, it was just a theory. They probably don't even work to open portals yet, let alone do _anything_ _else_."

Danny didn't reply. He knew those horrible gloves **did** work—and they worked a little _too_ well.

The teen's face suddenly tensed and he finally turned his gaze to the older hybrid.

"Destroy them," Danny suddenly demanded with an intensity never thought possible of the boy.

And Vlad clearly heard it and was utterly shocked. "Daniel… What are you—?"

"Destroy them, Vlad," the teen commanded even more firmly, his blue eyes boring into the man's own.

Vlad was totally blown away, so much that he was at a loss for words and could only stare stupidly at the deactivated gloves he held in one of his hands.

But when Danny unexpectedly charged up his hand with an ecto-blast and aimed it at the devices, the man's mind jolted into action.

Vlad gasped. "Daniel, stop! Just…calm down," the man insisted, and tried to approach the teen.

But Danny jolted violently and gasped in fear.

"Keep those things away from me!" he yelled as he took several steps away from the man.

Vlad quickly placed the gauntlets on his study desk and moved back over to the teen.

"Daniel, talk to me. What's wrong?" he questioned, grabbing the boy's shoulder and worriedly noticing that he was shaking.

The fierceness in the boy's eyes instantly melted away and it was replaced with fear as he stared back at the older hybrid.

"Destroy them, Vlad," he pleaded in almost a whimper.

"But why?" the billionaire asked, his grip on the teen tightening as some sort of desperation began to set in the man's heart.

Danny took a shaky breath. "J-Just… Just get rid of them."

Vlad frowned and suddenly let go of the boy's shoulders. "Daniel, I have spent a great deal of time on those gauntlets. I can't just destroy them, especially when you give me no explanation on why I should!"

"I don't care!" Danny abruptly exclaimed, a glare suddenly gripping his face. "Destroy them! I want them gone!"

Vlad instantly angered. "No," he replied sternly.

Danny's glare quickly darted over to the gauntlets on the man's desk and he just as suddenly aimed his hand at them.

"No!" Vlad exclaimed, quickly grabbing the boy's wrist to throw off his ecto-blast.

The man ignored the fact that Danny's attack instantly destroyed his bar at the far side of his private study, and instead, quickly moved over to grab the gauntlets off the table before the teen could try to destroy them again.

"What the blazes has gotten into you?" Vlad growled, now furious with the boy.

Danny's emotions were so out of control that his anger suddenly left him again and he whispered to himself, "This can't be happening to me."

"Daniel!" Vlad called out in alarm when the teen all but ran out of his study. He looked back at the gauntlets for a moment, not knowing what to do. This was all so unexpected!

But he somehow could _feel_ how distraught and afraid the teen was. And he just couldn't let this go this time. He had to get to the bottom of all this!

Meanwhile, Danny was close to hyperventilating as he traveled through the halls towards his room. As much as he was trying to get a grip on himself, the memory of his evil self wouldn't leave him alone this time. He couldn't keep himself from hearing his hideous voice, telling him so many things that he didn't want to believe—but that now seemed to slowly be coming true…

But amongst that was also the memory of his dream—_vision_—of that alternate time line, of how Vlad had used those gauntlets on him after he had begged him to do so. And then, the man's very words when he went to talk to the alternate Vlad during the incident with his evil self…

It was all coming together. It was all happening again even when he was trying so hard to steer clear of that evil path… It was all too much. He couldn't take it anymore!

"_All you wanted was to make the hurt go away. I fulfilled your wishes. No more painful human emotions to hold you down."_

"No," Danny whispered, gripping at his chest. And he was forced to stop and press his back against the wall, feeling so close to losing it that it wasn't funny.

"Daniel!" Vlad suddenly exclaimed, gauntlets in his hand. "Wait! We have to talk about this!"

"No!" Danny screamed in sudden panic, and abruptly fired an ecto-blast at the man's feet, instantly halting his approach. "I mean it, Vlad! Keep those things away from me! Just….please stay away from me," he shakily pleaded, before abruptly turning to his ghost form and diving intangibly through the floor.

Vlad froze in place with the boy's attack, even if he knew the teen had had no intention of hurting him, but to just stop his approach. But when he saw Daniel flee from him, the billionaire gasped, finally realizing just how petrified the boy was of the gauntlets.

But it made no sense! He had never shown Daniel the devices until now, let alone had he given the boy any reason to be scared of them! No… there was something deeper than the gauntlets happening here.

Now even more determined to talk to the boy, Vlad quickly placed the gloves on a decorative table in the hallway. He then wasted no time to morph and follow after the young hybrid.

* * *

Now in human form, Danny sat at a corner of the dark laundry room, near the actual laundry machines. He knew that even without his ghost signature to follow, the older hybrid would eventually find him. But the boy didn't really care, he just needed a moment alone—he just needed a moment to get his head together. He needed a moment to regain control of his surfacing fears.

Otherwise, he was going to break down again. And he had promised himself he'd never let the man see him do that again. But as much as he tried, he could not get over what was happening. It wasn't fair. He was trying so hard. And yet, everything still continued to lead him closer to that horrible future. Hadn't he changed his dark fate when he defeated his evil self?

"_I'm still here. I __**still**__ exist. That means you still turn into me…"_

"I won't turn into him. I promised them," he whispered, gripping at his black hair and squeezing his eyes closed.

"_I'll never turn into you!"_

"_Yes, you will. It's only a matter of time…"_

Danny's breathing unsteadily quickened with the memory of those words. And it only made things worse for the confused and scared teen when he began to realize how similar his current circumstances were to the circumstances that had led his future self to become evil. He had been living with Vlad, too. His future self had wanted to get rid of his ghost half—a desire _he_ had experienced more than once in these past months in his own desperation. And _similarly_ to his future self, he was now also unable to be with his loved ones. He was alone. Then, if one added all the dreams and the fact that Vlad had actually made those gauntlets…

"This can't be happening!" he said loudly, his grip on his hair tightening.

"Daniel?"

The boy gasped in alarm when Vlad suddenly turned on the lights and finally spotted him.

"Wait!" Vlad said quickly when he saw the boy was about to bolt again. "Please. It's just me, Daniel. There is nothing in my hands. See?" he added softly, raising his empty hands for the teen to see.

Danny just looked away and wrapped his hands around his raised knees.

Vlad frowned when he heard the boy whisper something to himself. But now that he was sure Daniel was not going to flee from him again, the billionaire slowly approached him and kneeled down in front of him.

There was a brief silence; but the older hybrid then placed his hand on one of the boy's arms to get his attention.

"Daniel, please… I need you to tell me what's wrong," he pleaded.

Danny fearfully looked up at him and asked with the same emotion, "You said I can't turn into anything I don't want… right?"

Vlad nodded. "Yes, I did. And it's true…," he assured him softly. But he said no more, wanting to let the teen work this out at his own pace.

But to the man's further worry, his reply brought the teen no comfort. And with utter desperation in his voice, Danny replied, "Then, _why_ does everything say otherwise, Vlad?"

The older hybrid stared sadly back at the boy. He just didn't know what to tell him. How could he know when he didn't know what Daniel was talking about?

"I don't want to turn evil, Vlad," Danny suddenly whispered. "I promised them. I don't want to turn into _him_!"

Vlad quietly watched the teen bury his face in his hands, now looking as vulnerable as he had when he lost control of his powers.

But the man still didn't understand what had the boy so upset. In fact, after what Daniel had just said to him, he now had even _more_ unanswered questions. Still, that didn't mean he couldn't comfort the young hybrid—which was what the boy really needed at the moment.

"Daniel, look at me," the older hybrid gently demanded. And when the teenager did, the man continued, his voice holding a sincerity and softness that _he_ never even knew he possessed.

"Dear boy…You could _never_ turn evil. You, my boy, are the most pure, most _noble_ person I have ever met."

But Danny just buried his face back in his hands and shook his head. "You don't know," he whimpered.

Vlad's breath stilled, finally realizing that all this was about the same reason why the boy held so many fears.

"No, I don't know," Vlad answered quietly, before placing his hand on Danny's shoulder and adding, "But you can tell me, Daniel. _Tell_ me… Who is _he?_ Tell me about _that_ fight."

Danny quickly lowered his hands and stared back at the billionaire with wide eyes. "H-How do you know that?" he asked apprehensively, sure he had never mentioned to the older hybrid about all this involving any fight.

"What else could it have been, dear boy?" Vlad quietly replied, covering for himself.

Danny sighed, too troubled to really question the man. He was quiet for a moment, clearly debating whether or not to tell the older hybrid everything.

"I… I can't tell you," he finally replied in a sad voice.

Vlad's eyebrows creased with his own sudden desperation. "Why not, Daniel? Whatever it is, I can help you. Please, _let_ me help you."

Danny smiled softly, though still sadly. He really did appreciate the man's willingness to help him. But the teen knew even if he would 'let' Vlad try, he could not. How could he help when the older hybrid needed as much—or more—help than he did?

You can't save someone from drowning when you don't know how to swim…

And it was for a similar reason that he never shared everything with his sister and friends. But in their case, they couldn't help him for the simple reason that there were some things that they just couldn't understand—even when Danny knew they always tried and he appreciated the fact.

But Vlad…?

Perhaps Vlad did _know_ how to swim… problem was… he was drowning himself.

Danny sighed quietly as he managed to finally calm down. He briefly studied the older hybrid, who was still waiting for his answer. And then the boy answered…

It just wasn't the one Vlad wanted…

"I'm sorry I freaked out," Danny apologized sincerely. "I shouldn't have yelled at you... I'm really sorry."

Danny quickly stood up and walked around the billionaire. He just wanted to go to his room.

But Vlad also rose to his own height and headed after the boy. "Daniel, don't do this," he said worriedly. "It isn't healthy to keep things like this bottled inside. You know firsthand how dangerous it is to have such fears within you."

Danny paused at the laundry room's entrance and shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it… I _can't_ talk about it…"

"Perhaps you believe that because you haven't found someone who can understand you," Vlad replied, walking closer to the teen. "But, Daniel, that _someone_ is standing right behind you. Don't you see? You are not alone in all this anymore. You don't have to carry everything on your own. _I _will understand, but you have to trust that I will—_and can_. You have to confide in me, first."

Danny turned to look at the older hybrid and dejectedly replied, "I want to…I really do…but as much as I try to…"

The boy sighed, not wanting to tell the man the truth; but finding nothing else to say, he quietly told him, "I'm sorry, but...I don't feel that you can help me like you want. The truth is, Vlad…I'm not even sure if you _can_ understand."

The older hybrid reeled back, almost looking like the boy had slapped him. But Danny just looked away and headed down the hall.

This time, the man didn't try to stop him. He still couldn't believe what the boy had just told him. He didn't think that _he_ would understand? How could he tell him that? After everything! After all he had taught him; after all he had told him! After how he was going beyond himself by telling the boy things he had never told anyone! He had even talk to Daniel about his past, something he didn't even do with Stephanie, and had never done with Maddie or Jack when they had all been friends! Furthermore, he **just** admitted one of his own fears to him; and yet the boy could not return that same trust? He could not confide in him? And worse of all, he had the _gall_ to tell him that he wouldn't understand, when he had proven to the teen time and time again that he **did** understand?

Vlad's hands suddenly fisted and his eyes flashed red, feeling something painfully rip inside him. Oh, no. Daniel was not getting away with such an insult!

The billionaire suddenly headed after the boy; and when he caught up with him at the hallway leading towards the foyer, he bitterly and coldly asked, "So, you think I will not understand? Why is that, Daniel? Is it because _you_ think I have no heart?"

Danny immediately halted and looked at the man; and realizing he was upset, the teen's eyebrows creased and he quietly said, "I haven't said that."

"Then, _what_ were you saying?" Vlad demanded angrily.

Danny sighed, but he then turned back around and continued towards the foyer. He wasn't in any mood to argue right now.

Too bad the older hybrid had other plans.

"Daniel, do not walk away from me!" Vlad said angrily, quickly following after the teen. "The least you can do is answer me after you insulted me like that!"

Danny sighed a little louder this time and turned back around. "Vlad, I haven't insulted you," he said a little exasperated. "I just… I can't tell you—not about _this_!"

"Odd. I don't recall you ever telling me _anything_," Vlad replied angrily. "But you have absolutely no trouble at all with prying into _my_ life; yet the moment I ask you anything, you give me _nothing_! It's not even for my benefit, but _yours_!"

"That's not fair, Vlad," Danny muttered. "You can't tell me I have given you nothing. I've given you a lot. But I can't give you this. Look, it's complicated, okay? The truth is that this isn't _just_ about you. It's about me, too. So, please, stop insisting. I know keeping this to myself isn't healthy. But I can handle it. I'll figure it out on my own, okay?"

"This isn't the time to be stubborn, Daniel! And you're wrong! This _isn't_ something that you can 'figure out' on your own!" Vlad insisted forcefully.

"Can we just drop this already?" Danny asked, passing an anxious hand through his hair. "You want to help me? Then, pretend this never happened and just get rid of those gauntlets! You don't know what those things are—!"

But the older hybrid cut him off by suddenly gripping his shoulders and demanding, "What do the gauntlets have to do with what we're talking about?"

"I can't tell you," Danny replied soberly before phasing from the man's hands and continuing towards his room.

Vlad's eyes narrowed on the teen's retreating form. Fine, then. If the boy was going to be cruel, then so would he…

"You're right, Daniel," the man suddenly said, sarcasm dripping in his voice. "I could not _possibly_ understand. After all, I'm not one to play _the hero_."

Danny visibly jolted, stung by both the man's words and the disgust and cold sarcasm in his voice. But when the boy then slowly turned back around, his eyes narrowed and he warned the man, "Don't go there."

Vlad knew what the boy meant. After all, somewhere in the back of his mind there were alarm bells going off. But the man didn't care. He was too angry and hurt to care. He was done beating around the bush!

"Why not? I say it's time we have a _heart-to-heart_—or better put, why don't you _drop_ your hypocrisy, Daniel, and speak the truth?" Vlad sneered. "I know what you think of me. You think that just because I don't share your quaint 'heroism' that I couldn't possibly understand you!"

Danny crossed his arms and coolly replied. "Well, you're right about one thing. You _don't_ play _hero_. I almost forgot that you prefer to play 'the villain.'"

"Oh, so that's what this is about, after all!" Vlad snapped angrily. "Fine. Now that we're talking forwardly, then, pray tell, _Danny Phantom_. Tell me all about your foolish morals and quaint need to do _good_. Maybe then, I'll _understand_, eh?"

Danny's eyes flashed green, but he didn't reply.

"Well? Come on, boy!" Vlad growled. "Surely you have a lot to say on something you feel so vehemently about! Or maybe the truth is that what you so foolishly defend is unfounded! After all, what has your heroics brought you, Daniel? By your own words, I would have to say your reward has been nothing but misery! Or, haven't you taken a good look in the mirror and seen what a mess you really are?"

Danny stared at the man for another moment. But then with restrained anger, he coldly replied, "If I'm a mess, then I don't know what _you_ are… Or, haven't _you_ looked lately in the mirror, _Plasmius_. You're not any better off. At least my 'quaint and foolish'_ heroism_ _and morals_, give me peace of mind. At least _I_ can live with myself. At least _I_ can sleep at night."

Vlad let out a mocking laugh. "Who are you trying to fool, Daniel? Do you think I'm deaf? You, my boy, have more nightmares than I could _ever_ hope to match!"

"And if I remember right, a lot of them are thanks to _you!_" Danny suddenly exclaimed, his hands coiling on his side, while an angry and humiliated blush brightened his face.

Vlad raised an eyebrow. "Was that supposed to make me feel bad? Sorry, it didn't work," he said coldly.

Danny crossed his arms again. But the burning anger in his chest had now swelled to the point that he didn't care about anything but hurting the man right back. If this was the game the man wanted to play, then they were going to play.

"Make you feel bad? No. I don't need to make you feel bad, Vlad. You do that to yourself," the teen said coolly. "Perhaps I thought differently before, but I now know you're not heartless. And that's how I know you toss and turn at night." Danny's eyes suddenly narrowed as he continued, "If you're not deaf, then know that _I'm_ not _blind_. I can _see_ your guilt. Heck, most of the time it's all over your face!"

Vlad's eyes widened, but then they quickly narrowed.

But before he could say anything, Danny cut him off and his voice grew steadily louder as he said, "No, I know what you're going to say. _I know nothing about you_. Right? But you know what? I know _enough_ now. And just like I know enough to know that you _can't_ understand _why_ I do what I do, **I** couldn't hope to understand _how you_ can live with yourself—how you can feel one way and act another! You say you want love, and all you do is spurn it away! All you do is show hate and cruelty to others! How can you claim to love _anyone_ when you hurt them **every single day?**"

"Now listen here…," Vlad hissed out, only to be cut off again.

"No, **you** listen to me now! Don't try to make me believe that what I do is wrong!" Danny snapped back furiously. "And **stop** trying to **fix** me when you are more messed up than me! You want to know why you wouldn't understand? Do you know why I _can't_ tell you the truth? Because you're selfish! Because you don't know what it is to put others before you! Because you don't know what it is to truly sacrifice for others! You could never even **begin** to comprehend the things I've seen, the things I've been through! And no matter what you say, I will never be sorry for the good that I've done! Something you know **nothing** about! Because you're incapable of sacrificing anything if it isn't for **your own gain!** You want me to tell you what I'm afraid of? You want me to tell you what's wrong with me? **For what? **So you can make fun of me? So you can talk about me doing good for others like it was _the most disgusting thing_ on the planet?"

"You know that's not-!"

"No, you want to _help_ me, right?" Danny mocked angrily, too furious to care that he kept cutting the man off. "How can you, Vlad? **How** can you help me when you're so focus on helping yourself? All you have done is made things worse for me! Thanks to you, I am stuck in a similar situation that led me to something I promised never to become! And all you can do is talk down to me because I am trying so hard to stay away from that! Well, you know what? Even if all I get back for all the good I do is _misery_, I will **never** stop doing what's right! And I rather be miserable for the rest of my life if it means that everyone else won't be! You could **never** understand me! Because you don't know what it's like to sacrifice and suffer for others! All you can do is **take away** from others! You take away, not caring how it _**affects them!**_" Danny yelled, his voice cracking with his last comment, before he whirled around and furiously stomped through the foyer straight for the stairs.

Vlad said nothing as he coldly watched the teen climb the stairs. But then, his eyes suddenly flashed red, and they narrowed with a hate and darkness he had not shown in some time.

"If all that you have said is true, Daniel… Then I believe that makes me Jack Fenton."

Danny stopped dead in his tracks, and his eyes turned green with his sudden rage. He immediately spun back around and darkly growled at the man, "What did you say?"

"You heard me, boy!" Vlad snarled, quickly matching the teen's ferocity. "You want to talk about sacrifice and misery, Daniel? Then, allow me to lay the truth out in front of you. Your father, _my supposed friend_, the one person I thought I could trust after my life was turned into a disaster, lied and deceived me in the most unimaginable ways! You have **no idea** what it's like to have your life destroyed _twice_! You have no idea how it feels to have to pick up the pieces of it after someone you considered a brother shattered it into something unrecognizable and irreparable! Not only did your father turn me into a monster, he also abandoned me at some hospital that might as well have been a **prison cell!** Misery? Suffering? It is **you** who knows **nothing** about it! I was in that hospital for years! I was seen as something contagious, something _inhuman_! They treated me as some freak experiment, all because they couldn't figure out what your father had done to me! And all the while, your father carried on with his happy existence. All the while, he felt no remorse for leaving me all alone to pay for **his** mistake! All the while, he courted and then married your mother when he knew how I felt about her!"

Vlad's eyes flashed red again, and his emotions were so out of his control now that the lights above him began to flicker. But neither hybrid noticed, since the older hybrid's voice suddenly rose to a new level, and only began to grow steadily louder.

"You think giving your life for others is the ultimate sacrifice? Why don't you try being a _**living**_ sacrifice for _over twenty years!_ I did nothing to deserve what your father did to me! And to add insult to injury, he had the gall to invite me to his wedding when I was still in the hospital! While your father ended up with a beautiful wife and two good kids, I ended up with **nothing!** Your father sacrificed **me** for his happy little existence! So, you have no right to turn me into the bad guy! You have **no right** to tell me I am selfish! For once in your life why don't you open your eyes and take a good look around? I am who I am thanks to **your** father! My misery is thanks to **your** father. And here is your biggest punch line, Daniel: _**Your**_ misery is also _**thanks to your father!**_ Face it! You wouldn't be here if it wasn't for what your father has done! You wouldn't have all the pressures you do if it wasn't for **his** mistakes! And you wouldn't have to live in fear as you do if it wasn't for the fact that Jack has once again _sacrificed_ someone for **his** own gain. **Look at me, Daniel! **I'm not the villain! YOUR FATHER IS!" the man screamed in angst and hate.

Danny's mouth slightly parted, but he was unable to do anything but stare at the older hybrid in utter shock. The man's words themselves were as scalding as the dark emotions that he had utter them with. And Vlad thought them so true that, for a moment, Danny almost believed it all, too…

But the boy slowly lowered his eyes, needing more than ever to remember his father, to remember who he was, to remember how much his dad loved him, and how he did his best to do what was right for his family…

"…You cannot blame my dad for something he never meant to do," Danny said softly after a moment of silence. But then he looked back at Vlad and firmly said, "And I will _never_ blame him for what happened to me. I will _never_ blame him for _my_ choices! And you have _no right_ to blame him for _yours_! My dad **loves** me!" he said with all the conviction and certainty he possessed. "And you know what's sad? It's that he cares about _you_ more than you could _**ever**_ deserve!"

Vlad scoffed in disgust. "Your father is too incompetent to care for anyone. But if you're so sure he _loves you_, Daniel, then why, oh, why do you not tell him who and what you are, hmm? Surely if your parents knew the truth, you could save yourself so many hassles, my boy," he said, raising a condescending eyebrow.

Danny glared at him with green eyes. "If you're trying to make me doubt him then save your breath. My dad _and_ my mom _would_ accept me, because half-ghost or not, I'm still their son!"

"Hmm... why don't I believe you? Oh, maybe because I don't even think you believe yourself!" Vlad said with a mocking chuckle.

"Say what you want, I know who my parents are. And they're good and caring parents!" Danny firmly defended. But then his eyes further narrowed as he added, "But you're right about one thing. I could save myself a lot of troubles if I told them the truth. And you know which trouble comes to mind? **This** one. The fact that you have me here against my will! Face it, Plasmius, if I told my parents the truth, you would lose your twisted game!"

Vlad's lips spread into an evil smile, and the teen would have taken a step back in fear, if he wasn't so angry.

"Tsk, Daniel. You should know by now that when I lose, so do you. But in this case, you would lose by _far_ more. Your parent's _might_ accept you, but the world will not." Vlad's voice dropped into a quieter tone, though it sounded even darker as he further said, "The day your secret is discovered is the day your life _ends_, Daniel. I might lose Maddie. But you…you would lose _everything_. You would be persecuted both here and in the Ghost Zone. Where could you possibly go, Daniel? Where would you hide? See, if worse came to worse for me, I know I can find refuge in the Ghost Zone. But you, boy, you have enemies everywhere! If your own parents hunt you, imagine the mercy other ghost hunters would show you. Or, no, they would show you _none_. And if you would try to flee into the Ghost Zone, all that would await you is the same dark fate in the hands of your ghostly enemies. You have _nothing_ to fall back on. And it's all thanks to your _foolish_ morals and heroics."

"Darn you, Vlad!" Danny exclaimed angrily. "I'm **sick** of you mocking my views! If yours are so great, then why are **you** the one who is alone?"

Vlad's eyes narrowed and he hissed, "So are you."

Danny looked away as his eyes and fists clenched in anger and pain. But when he looked back at the man, it was with a hate he had not felt for him in a while. "Yeah, you made sure of that, didn't you? But _at_ _least,_ **I** have people who love me. You have no one. If something were to ever happen to you, no one would miss you. And you know why? It's because you have _chosen_ to live your entire life consumed by your greed and hate. You have _wasted_ your life holding on to something that **never** belonged to you! And worse, you take the things you do have and people around you for granted! I'm surprised Stephanie and her daughter have been able to put up with you for all these years! I wouldn't be surprised that when all is said and done, they turn their backs on you, too! Because I know that if they knew how _low_ you've fallen, if they _knew_ who you _really_ are, they would be terrified of you! They would want _nothing_ to do with you and you _know_ it! In the end, you're all alone because **you** push everyone away with your own selfishness!"

Vlad instantly returned his hateful look and he exclaimed, "**Enough of your audacity!** Don't you bring Stephanie and Annabelle into this! They have **nothing** to do with you or your family! And you have no right to _pretend_ to know anything about my relationship with them! And furthermore, you have no right to talk about things you don't know—let alone talk to me like you know what I have been through! What I've been holding onto for over twenty years _belongs_ to me! It was **taken** from me! Your father destroyed my life! And then he stole your mother! And just as importantly, he stole the happiness that should have been **mine!** Do not tell me I choose this for myself. **Do not** tell me I have pushed anyone away!" Vlad hissed furiously, his eyes flashing red again before he further said."Your life; your family; **everything** that you hold dear is thanks to **my** destruction! If it wasn't for that accident, your mother would not be married to your father! And you and Jasmine would not exist! So bottom line, Daniel Fenton: **your family is a** **_mistake_!"**

Whatever self control the teen had slipped from his grasp with that single comment.

"YOU SELFISH JERK!" Danny screamed at the top of his lungs, as he drew closer to the man with fisted hands. "HOW DARE YOU CALL MY FAMILY A MISTAKE!"

"HOW DARE **YOU** TALK TO ME LIKE I KNOW NOTHING OF MISERY AND SACRIFICE WHEN I LIVE WITH IT EVERYDAY OF MY LIFE BECAUSE OF THAT **IDIOT** YOU CALL **FATHER**!" Vlad unexpectedly yelled back with red eyes, while the lights above flickered wildly yet again.

But as Danny's own rage took on a new level, his eyes turned yellowish-green and the air suddenly turned frigid. And yet… neither one noticed any of it as they continued to scream at one another.

"DON'T YOU CALL HIM AN IDIOT! THE ONLY IDIOT HERE IS **YOU**! MY MOM LOVED MY DAD _BEFORE_ YOUR ACCIDENT! SHE HAS _**ALWAYS**_ LOVED MY DAD!"

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH! YOU KNOW NOTHING!"

"**I KNOW EVERYTHING! I SAW WHAT HAPPENED!"**

But the instant those revealing words left his lips, Danny covered his mouth, completely mortified with himself for saying them.

However, Vlad, too, looked like he had just been punched in the stomach.

"…What?" Vlad whispered warily after a moment of tense silence."How…How is that possible? What…exactly did you see, Daniel?"

Danny looked away as he recalled that alternate time line where Vlad had never gotten ghost powers and had married his mother. Danny knew for a fact she had not loved him. And he knew for a fact that his mom's heart had always belonged to his father…

But the boy could not tell Vlad the truth. It would mean telling him about Clockwork… about _everything_.

Danny suddenly sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair, feeling somewhat disoriented from how quick his anger had been snuffed out. But that meant everything that he had just said to Vlad and all the man had said to him began to sink into his heart… And he instantly knew...

There was no way they were fixing things between them this time…

Suddenly consumed with sadness, Danny raised his blue eyes to Vlad and asked, "Why can't you just accept that my father never meant to hurt you, Vlad? I know that if he could have prevented that accident, if he could have prevented everything that happened to you… he would have."

Vlad's own anger had also left him and he suddenly sighed painfully. But although a part of his sorrow was due to the teen's words just now, most of it was because he had also realized that they had just dug up their differences. They had _unburied_ the things that had had them as enemies only a few months back. All their effort...They had worked _so hard_ to bury their differences… only for a single event to destroy it all now…

"How do you let go of someone you love?" Vlad suddenly asked, his gaze still lowered.

In spite of that, Danny kept his eyes on the older hybrid as he sadly uttered what he truly believed…

"If you really care for someone, you can let them go if it means their happiness." The teen sighed and suddenly shook his head as he further said, "Gosh, Vlad, don't you get it? When you_ love_ someone, nothing matters more to you than _their_ happiness, even if it means sacrificing your own!"

Vlad said nothing for a moment. But then, he unexpectedly met the boy's gaze and whispered pleadingly. "Tell me the truth, Daniel. I _need_ to know… Why are you so sure that your mother's heart has always belonged to your father?"

But this time it was Danny who looked away. "I'm sorry… But I can't," he answered before suddenly turning around and heading for the stairs.

Vlad watched sadly after the boy as he began to leave. But suddenly unable to stand it, he unexpectedly pleaded in a whisper, "Danny… Don't go."

The boy paused, but he didn't dare look back at the man. He didn't want to _see_ the desperation he could _hear_ in Vlad's voice. And the teen knew why it was there. He knew how they had just destroyed all their efforts in all these months.

And he knew Vlad still hoped they could fix this—that they could work it out as they had in the past.

And maybe they still could.

But…

Danny didn't want to fix it. Not this time. Not when all his hope had just been shattered with the truth.

"You're right, Vlad," Danny said quietly as his eyes glazed with tears. "The world isn't what I think it is… I see that now. But…" The boy finally looked at the man, not caring that Vlad could probably see he was on the verge of breaking down.

"But the world's not what you think it is, either," he told him in a mixture of resignation and disappointment before turning and finally leaving.

Vlad just stared after Danny, even when he finally lost sight of him. It was only after a long moment that the man pulled out of his haze and briefly looked around the foyer. And for the first time since he got his castle, he felt and saw the emptiness around him. It was so intense that he felt like it was going to swallow him whole at any moment.

"S-Sir?"

The older hybrid slowly turned his gaze towards the employee lounge and found Niane floating just outside it.

Not getting a reply, the ghost girl swallowed; and still keeping her eyes lowered, she quietly said, "George wanted me to tell you that…dinner is ready."

Vlad studied his youngest maid for a moment. But then suddenly without a single word, he looked away and headed towards the stairs.

Niane raised her red eyes to stare after him. And once he was out of sight, the girl took a shaky breath and gripped at her chest. "Oh, Vlad…," she whispered sadly.

* * *

Meanwhile, Vlad had reached his room's hallway, which was the same hallway he had left the Ghost Gauntlets. He numbly grabbed them from the table and continued to his room.

Once there, he carelessly put the gauntlets on top of his bed and headed straight for his bathroom. He briefly glanced at himself in the mirror. But suddenly feeling the numbness in his chest slowly begin to ebb, and an unwanted pain replacing it, he glanced away. He took a sharp intake of air before quickly deciding to take a shower. He wasn't remotely hungry. So, he could just take a shower and go to bed. He didn't want to think about any of this right now. He _couldn't_ think about any of this right now.

Although it only took him a few minutes to get into the shower, it took him about an hour to get out. And then, about fifteen minutes to get into his sleepwear and ready for bed.

But even with all that, the man could not push away the pain in his chest. In fact, it had just gotten worse as the minutes continued to tick away. And it didn't help matters when he returned to the main part of his bedroom and found the gauntlets on his bed where he left them.

The lights in his room suddenly flickered once more; and this time noticing it, the man quickly closed his eyes and took another breath. He was not letting his emotions get the best of him. And he was not letting them make him lose control of his powers. He had long since trained himself to keep his emotions from doing that. And he wasn't going to let it happen now, especially not over this.

Everything would be fine. He and the boy just needed time. They would apologize tomorrow and everything would go back like before. There was no need for him to be this upset.

Too bad he wasn't very good at lying to _himself_.

Opening his eyes again, the man sat down on his bed before looking down at the gauntlets beside him. For several minutes, he just stared expressionless at them.

But then, his wavering calm abruptly snapped, like a tense cord.

His eyes turned bright red as he looked up at the dresser mirror in front of him. Then, out of nowhere, he grabbed the gauntlets off the bed and flung them at full force at the mirror.

The mirror instantly shattered, while the devices on which he had spent so much time smoked and sparked amongst the shards of glass on the ground.

Vlad hardly saw the mess; and instead closed his eyes and rubbed his temple. No...He could handle this. He just needed to stay... calm.

But no matter what he told himself and no matter how many breaths he took or how long he rubbed his aching forehead, he couldn't keep his emotions under control anymore. And it showed by how the lights in his room began to flicker wildly with his loss of control.

Vlad let out a sudden scream of rage and he grabbed the nearest thing to him, which happened to be his reading lamp, and flung it across the room.

"CURSE YOU JACK FENTON! CURSE YOU A THOUSAND TIMES OVER!" he shouted at the top of his lungs as the lights and everything powered by electricity abruptly exploded and short-circuited.

It was only after he was unexpectedly shrouded in darkness that he glared with red eyes at the mess he made of his room. He didn't care, though. He was so angry! Angry at himself, at the boy, and mostly at Jack!

He had known that his and boy's ruse couldn't last forever. But…now that it was finally over…it hurt more than anything he had felt in a long time.

So, he focused on his anger. It was the only thing that kept his sorrow from overwhelming him.

* * *

Danny closed his bedroom door with his back as he tried to push back the unbearable pain he felt.

"What was the point of all this?" he angrily asked himself.

The hope that, somehow, all his suffering was for a reason, _for the greater good_, had kept him going. It was his focus with helping Vlad that helped him get through each day. And it was the sense of purpose that allowed him to bear his loses and push aside how much it hurt to do what he was doing.

He had been willing to sacrifice himself, his needs, if it meant he could change and _help_ the older hybrid... If it meant, he could make a difference.

But after everything the man had said a moment ago…Danny knew…

Vlad would _never_ change… His heart was too consumed by hate.

So, ultimately, all his efforts, pushing himself far past what he could go, had been for… nothing.

Danny's eyes flashed green before he suddenly turned around and locked his door. He then walked further into the center of his room and crossed his arms.

"I'm sick of these games and riddles, Clockwork! I want to talk to you! And don't pretend you don't hear me, because I know you can—and are! So, come here and talk to me right now!" the boy demanded.

But when nothing happened, Danny fisted his now shaking hands and exclaimed, "You told me that everything has a reason! So then, what's the reason FOR ALL THIS?" he screamed as he spun around in hopes of finding the time ghost in his room. But still getting nothing, the teen growled and furiously yelled. "Darn it, Clockwork! I know you can hear me! SHOW YOURSELF! ANSWER ME! **DO** _**SOMETHING**_**!**"

Danny let out a shout of anger, but it quickly turned into a choked whimper. He stumbled back until he hit the side of his bed and slid down against it until he was sitting on the ground with his head pressed against the side of the mattress.

For a moment, the boy stared up at his ceiling trying to keep the tears forming in his blue eyes from falling. But his sorrow was just too much and another whimper fell from his lips.

"I-I don't understand. Do you want me to turn evil?" he asked softly as tears finally began to run down his face. "Is this s-some sort of punishment for that m-mistake? W-What? I need to know. I'm begging you, Clockwork! Tell me why you won't help me!"

But when all that reached his ears was silence, Danny wrapped his arms around his raised legs and buried his face in his arms. A sob suddenly racked his throat, and then another, and another, each one holding the pain and despair he felt at now having nothing left to hold on to…

"I trusted you, Clockwork," Danny whispered through his jagged breathing. "W-Why are you letting this h-happen when you can stop it? I'm-I'm just a kid! I never asked for these p-powers; f-for all these res-responsibilities! I just want a normal life… Don't I deserve that? I-I thought you cared. But you don't… You… don't care about me. You just… You lied to m-me. …I trusted you…Clockwork… Why am I here…? Why when…"

"…He-He's never going to change…"

**

* * *

**

Heh...

Didn't expect things to stay so perfect between the hybrids, did you? *muse laughs evilly before he gets smacked*

**Anyways, let's see… We have about ten chapters left, including epilogue… Yup. Take that into consideration. *winks***

**Well, I do look forward to your responses to this one. Which brings me to my first announcement. Over at the Hidden Pearl club, there will be a live chat. It will be open to anyone, including non-deviant members. Go to my ff profile for the direct link to the club's site. Or, you can ****PM NewGhostGirl for more info. It will start at 7:30 pm US/eastern time. For most everyone, it should be either the _same_ time, or one hour _earlier_, or one hour _later_. Easiest thing to do is just check over at HP club site for more details. I will definitely be there since I love chatting with you all! So, if you are interested, head on over to the page.**

**Also, I want to thank MarHeavenAngel for adding my work to her live journal. *hugs* Here is the web address if any of you are curious.**

**h t t p : / / marheavenangel. live journal. c om/7225. ht ml #cutid1 **

**Well, that is all! Thank you all for your support!**

**Ta for now!**


	69. Chapter 68: At the Crossroads

**Dear me. Sorry for the wait. And I am sorry that I couldn't get to reviews this time. But I've been busy with more than just stories in this month. However, I want to thank you all just the same. You know your thoughts mean a lot to me. :) Well, on to this next chapter. It was a bit hard to get right. Still, here it is. 60 pages… My muse is killing me! But 'reading' your smiling faces is worth it. Heh-heh. Okay, just one thing to remember before starting to read this chapter: Reality Trip has not happened for this story. And if you don't know why and want to know, just ask me and I'll tell you. Anyhow, enjoy the next… two hours. *winks***

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. But the OCs. are my own.**

* * *

**Chapter 68: At the Crossroads **

* * *

Clockwork watched expressionless as the hybrids' explosive argument came to an end on his viewing sphere. He had seen the scene a few times before, even before it came to fruition. As a result, he had also watched the aftermath of the mentioned argument…

Currently, however, he solely watched Danny's reaction once more...

But even when he saw how the boy questioned him and demanded his presence, he did not react—and he never had the previous times he had seen the scene. The Time Master had expected the boy's resentment. And although the part of him that had grown fond of the child had_ almost_ been tempted to comply with the boy's demand of his presence, Clockwork ultimately held his ground.

It would do Danny no good to talk to him right now. As he told the boy's sister once before, it wasn't _his_ help that the boy needed.

The Time Master changed the scene on his viewing window and focused it on the older hybrid, who was taking out his anger and pain on his room. And as usual, blaming Danny's father for his misfortune… However, as he watched the unbalanced man for another moment, Clockwork was reminded of one more being of interest currently residing in the older hybrid's home…

He readily turned his view to Niane.

But when he saw how troubled she seemed by what had happened with the hybrids, Clockwork's eyebrows drew together with something akin to concern. He then suddenly tapped the viewing glass lightly with his staff and the scene blurred a bit as he quietly said, "Everything is at it should be..."

"Clockwork?"

The Time Master instantly wiped the scene from the viewing glass as a result of the sudden voice. And he then turned to face his… employers.

"Yes?" he asked calmly.

"We have a serious matter at hand, Clockwork!"

"Naturally," the Time Master replied dryly. But then he added, "Allow me to guess. This 'serious matter' is in regards to Danny Phantom, correct?"

"To some extent, yes," one of the two Observants answered. "Just to make it clear to you, Clockwork, we _still_ fail to understand why you are allowing the boy to move so dangerously close to such similar events that led to the formation of his evil self."

"However," the second Observant continued. "This new matter mostly concerns the _other_ half-ghost."

"_Vlad Plasmius_, Clockwork," the first said gravely. "He is as dangerous to the time stream as Danny Phantom; which is why we agreed a long time ago to the certain precautions you have taken in that regard. But, clearly, it has not been enough. We have recently learned that Vlad Plasmius has acquired an Ancient Scroll."

"And not just _any_ Ancient scroll, Clockwork," the other picked up without skipping a beat. "But the scroll that belongs to the Spirit of Order! The very spirit that cast the spell of Forever Sleep on Pariah Dark! If Vlad Plasmius gets his hands on what the scroll leads to…"

"...Serenity and the other Ancients will very likely get involved," the second Observant finished gravely. "And, this time, I doubt they will listen to your cause."

Clockwork briefly frowned in displeasure at the mention of the Ancients. Or more specifically, he frowned at the thought of Serenity—the Spirit of Order.

There were very few spirits that the Time Master disliked more than the Observants. But _that_ spirit was definitely one of them. In fact, the Spirit of Order did more than raise dislike for Clockwork.

The powerful Ancient also put him on edge.

"Serenity made that scroll with special qualifications. And Vlad Plasmius does not meet them," Clockwork answered, his unease well hidden within his calm voice.

"And the boy?" the Observants asked seriously.

"He does not meet them, either."

"Well, make sure it _remains_ that way. I believe you have enough _means_ of assuring it, Clockwork. The last thing we need is for the Ancients to hold us accountable for something that could have been prevented."

"I know what I am doing," Clockwork replied. "But that is something you all constantly forget. You also fail to recall that the time line must be allowed to run its destined course. At least, I believe even you two understand how dangerous it is to interfere with fate."

"We will not argue that fact with you, Clockwork," the first Observant replied. "But you are the boy's guardian. I hope that makes you aware that you will be held accountable if something should go wrong."

"I am the boy's guardian on _your_ orders. My true guardianship is to Time itself," Clockwork answered with a smirk. "But, yes, I realize the boy is my responsibility… For the time being, at least."

The Observants glanced in confusion at each other. But then they turned to look at Clockwork. "Keep an eye on him, Clockwork. Keep an eye on _both_ of them. Do what you must. But make sure the secret of _that_ Ancient scroll remains hidden."

Clockwork didn't reply; and instead just watched the Observants vanish. Once he was alone, though, he said, "They will have to forgive me if I don't share their urgency."

He turned back to the viewing glass and brought up a scene between Vlad and Danny.

"Finally at the Crossroads," he said with a knowing smile.

* * *

The next morning at the Wisconsin Castle seemed like any other. Vlad was at the dining table, having breakfast and would soon be heading for work. But although his expression appeared calm enough, the cold indifference in his eyes spoke much more.

The truth was that after his anger waned out yesterday, painful resignation set into the older hybrid's heart. Something inside him almost seemed to snap back into place after that. And it led him to realize…

Even if the young hybrid had been willing to have things return to the way they were before their argument last night, Vlad didn't care about it, anymore. As nice as their ruse, _their lie_, had been… it wasn't real. And Vlad just couldn't pretend otherwise any longer.

Ultimately, they couldn't stop being who they were and now he understood that. But the truth, somehow, made him feel utterly defeated...

The older hybrid's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of footsteps. He slightly lowered the newspaper in his hands and locked his gaze on Danny, who was standing at the entrance of the dining room.

There was a small silence, but then Vlad finally looked back at the newspaper, though he then calmly said, "Good Morning, Daniel."

Danny hesitated, but finally walked over to his seat and quietly replied, "Morning…"

Sitting down, the teen stared soberly at the table as Martha and Patricia quickly served him breakfast. He could tell the older maids were eager to leave. And Danny couldn't blame them. He honestly did not know why he was even here himself. Had he been expecting something to happen between him and Vlad? Maybe an apology? Or…another fight? Or, maybe he had come down for breakfast out of sheer habit now? The teen didn't really know. But now he was also internally wishing that he could flee out of the dining room. The thick silence in the room was _that_ unbearable.

And it only became more poignant when Danny and Vlad were finally left alone.

In all the time that he had been here, Danny had never experienced a silence like this one. It wasn't anything like the tense or heated sort of quietness that always fell upon them when they had only seen each other as enemies. And it also wasn't the uncomfortable quietness that had often hovered over them when he and Vlad first started to get along.

The silence now was just… silence. Almost like that quietness shared by two strangers on an elevator. It was _empty_.

But it was also… painful.

For the next twenty minutes, Danny half-heartedly ate his breakfast, though he mostly just played with it. He didn't bother to look over at Vlad, since he knew from the sound of the flipping pages that the man had his face buried in the newspaper in his hands.

But then, just when the teen was sure he was eating breakfast alone, Vlad abruptly broke the silence.

"Daniel?"

The boy slowly looked at Vlad, who dabbed his mouth with his napkin before putting it on the table. It was then that he continued. "We will be training at four-thirty this afternoon. Don't be late, hmm? Excuse me," he then said flippantly before grabbing his briefcase beside him. And without waiting for the teen's response, he stood from the table and walked out.

Danny looked after the billionaire; but once he was gone, the teen looked back at his breakfast and let out an empty sigh. He wanted to be angry, maybe even indignant towards Vlad's obvious cold treatment. But… the boy just didn't have the energy for it. He couldn't bring himself to care about anything anymore.

After all, maybe it was for the better that they had finally acknowledged what had been above their heads this whole time. Danny was now certain it had been stupid of him to think that he could change anything. The whole time he had just fooled himself into thinking otherwise. In his desperation he had tried to see something that had never been there.

Bottom line, Vlad would always be Vlad. And because of that, they would always be enemies. Furthermore, he was here against his will. He was living with his _arch-enemy_. And he had pretty much sold himself to the older hybrid; so no matter what he did, he was stuck here. He was stuck here with no purpose.

Clockwork was wrong. Niane was wrong. There was no purpose to his suffering. There was no _second chances_… And there was no light at the end of the tunnel.

And he…

He was done. He was finished. He had now given up. And worst of all... he didn't care.

Why should he? He had nothing. His heart was… empty. _Hopeless._ There was nothing left to fight for.

Danny stared expressionless at his glass of juice for another moment. But then, he finally picked it up, took a quick drink, and then got up.

He had to get to the mapping room for his tutoring lessons. Though, now that he thought about it, it was as pointless as everything else in all these months.

But… at least, it still gave him something to do.

* * *

_"You really shouldn't take out your frustration on complete strangers. After all, it's not my fault your son ran away because you're a bad mother and can't keep an eye on him!"_

Maddie stared ahead, though her grip on the Specter Speeder's wheel tightened….

She didn't know what to think anymore. Every time she believed she was getting closer to finding her son, fate seemed to push her back to square one.

As scary as the prospect had been, it had eased her guilt to believe that the Wisconsin Ghost and Danny Phantom were responsible for her child's disappearance. It had given her something tangible to find and attack. It had given her something to track down. It had given her direction in her search.

But now…

She was doubtful again.

Maybe…Maybe she just wanted to believe her son was kidnapped. Maybe the truth was that Danny really _did_ run away. Perhaps that female ghost that she had fought just yesterday had been right...

She was just trying to blame someone else for _her_ mistake. Perhaps the truth was that it was really her fault her son was gone.

She… realized now that she had not given him the attention he needed. She had failed to protect him and to give him the comfort and support a mother should give her child. And hearing some ghostly stranger tell her that had set within her heart a new sort of desperation…

She didn't want to be a bad mother. She _refused_ to be!

And that conviction had her doing what she was now. She knew she wasn't thinking clearly. But she needed her child back. She _had_ to find him. And she was determined to do it by _any_ means necessary…

Maddie wiped the tears that sprang from her eyes, and looked down at the mapping system on the speeder…

She was approaching her destination. It really was the first time she used the speeder; but she had opted to use it as oppose to the Fenton Assault Vehicle, since she knew it would get her to her destination much quicker.

"Ring!"

Maddie sighed as she heard her cell phone ring for the umpteenth time. She had gotten the phone after the whole incident at the Rockies with Danny. But now… she wished she didn't have it. Still… she knew she couldn't ignore it forever.

With another sigh, the woman finally picked up the phone.

"_Mom? / Maddie?"_

Danny's mother cringed at her husband and daughter's panicked voices, which were clearly on speakerphone.

"I'm fine, Jack. Jazz," she quickly assured them, predicting their thoughts.

"_Where are you, Maddie? You just… left!"_ Jack exclaimed, clearly worried about her.

"I know, Jack. And I'm sorry for worrying you both. But I have something I need to do. And I had to leave early to do so," she explained, though she decided not to specify that she had left at two in the morning...

"_Where are you going, Mom?"_ Jazz suddenly asked, though she sounded… fearful.

Maddie's eyebrows creased, confused by her daughter's apprehension. But then she sighed, briefly debating whether or not to tell her daughter and husband the truth.

However, deciding it was best to be honest after worrying them as she had, she finally answered, "I…I'm going to Wisconsin, sweetie. I have something I need to talk to Vlad about…"

"_What?"_ Jazz exclaimed. _"Mom, you can't go to—I mean, c-couldn't you have just called him?"_

_"You are going to Vladdy's house?"_ Jack quickly exclaimed himself before Maddie could answer Jazz. _"Aw, Maddie! Why didn't you say anything? I would have gone with you!"_

Maddie bit her lip, knowing that this question she couldn't answer truthfully. Jack didn't know how Vlad really felt about him or how their college friend had a love interest in her. And she really didn't want to hurt her husband with the truth if she could help it.

"I know, Jack. But… I didn't want to wake you up so early. Besides, I didn't want to leave Jazz alone."

"Mom, I don't understand! Why are you going to Wisconsin? And didn't you say Uncle Vlad said he couldn't have you or dad over because he was attending to some serious matters or something?"

Maddie sighed. "He said he was going out of state. But, hopefully, he has returned by now."

"But-But he's busy!" Jazz stuttered out, clearly nervous.

"Sweetie, don't worry," Maddie replied. "I just need to talk to him in person about something. I will be back by tonight or early morning tomorrow. I promise."

"But…"

"Well, okay, Mads," Jack said with a sigh, cutting off Jazz. "Let me know if you find anything about those evil spooks while you're there."

"Of course, Jack," Maddie muttered, knowing he referred to Phantom and the Wisconsin Ghost. "See you tonight or tomorrow… I love you both."

She quickly hung up before she added in a heartbreaking whisper. "But I have to do this."

* * *

"_**Look at me, Daniel! **__I'm not the villain! YOUR FATHER IS!"_

Danny sighed and passed a hand through his hair, though his gaze remained on the forest in the distance. No matter how much he tried to focus on something else, his argument with Vlad wouldn't leave him alone.

Even when his mind had been occupied earlier that morning with his tutoring lessons, he could not stop thinking about yesterday. He was sure Ms. Thomas had noticed something was wrong with him in spite that he had carried on with his lesson as usual. After all, the sound of defeat in his voice was as clear as day.

Plus, considering that all of Vlad's employees had heard their loud argument yesterday, even if his ghost teacher by some slim chance had not noticed his gloomy demeanor, he was sure someone had filled her in about what had happened. But like everyone else, she had said nothing and just carried on with her teaching as normal.

But after the teen had finished his lessons and had run into Vlad's house staff, Danny got the same treatment from them, too. All they had done was give him uncertain and concern looks. It was like they wanted to say or do something, but they could not find what to say or do. So then, they just all but avoided him if they could.

Even Niane was being unusually quiet with him. In fact, she had just come up to his room a few minutes ago to inform him that Vlad had yet to return home, but that lunch was ready anyways. But when Danny had told her he wasn't hungry, the ghost girl had responded with a worried look, but she ultimately said nothing and just left.

If Danny could bring himself to care about anything, he would have been surprised by the fact. After all, Niane had very commonly been the one to try to talk reason into him in the past months. But now… even _she_ had nothing to say to him...

"_I'm __**sick**__ of you mocking my views! If yours are so great, then why are __**you**__ the one who is alone?"_

_"So are you."_

Danny could only clench his jaw with the sudden memory of those words. And the fact that he was standing in his room's veranda doing nothing did little to distract his mind away from it.

Then again, maybe his ignoring the truth of his problems was what had him in this situation in the first place. He had naively wrapped his mind around a fantasy, something unreal. And as he thought about it now with cold clarity, the teen realized that with his being away from his loved ones and the desperation he had with his situation, that he had actually convinced himself that he could change Vlad. But he should have known otherwise. After all, the man himself told him that he couldn't help him—that he couldn't help or change someone that didn't want to be helped or changed.

And yet, somehow, even when in all this time he had been alone, he now felt more alone than ever before. So, then, Vlad had been right in assuring him that he was as alone as he.

_Now_, after what had happened yesterday, he really was.

The young hybrid's impassive eyes lowered to castle's large backyard and he caught sight of the two ghost gardeners doing their usual garden work.

But as if sensing his gaze, Jasper suddenly glanced up at him. The ghost blinked in surprise. But then he gave him an awkward smile and waved at the teen.

And seeing the gesture, Bennie soon looked up at the boy as well. And his reaction was very similar to his friend's.

Of course, their unease didn't surprise Danny. And the teen didn't blame them, either. It wasn't easy being caught in between any argument, let alone one like the one between him and Vlad yesterday. But the boy internally appreciated their sympathy for him—even if there really wasn't anything that they could say or do to make things better…

The teenager forced a smile on his face and weakly waved back at the gardeners. However, his hand suddenly stilled when he caught sight of something in his peripheral vision. And he quickly turned his full attention to the sky to his left.

Instantly, the blood drained from the boy's face at the sight of the Specter Speeder approaching the castle. But then, Danny's eyes went wide and he gripped the railing of his room's veranda in sudden panic.

"Oh, please, not again!" the boy all but whimpered.

Danny was sure that it was his sister and friends again. But why were they back? He told them to not come back! He had even _threatened_ them not to come back!

So, why were they here again? And out of all times, too! He…He couldn't confront them again! Not this time. He didn't have the strength to push them away a second time when all he wanted was the complete opposite.

Danny was certain his heart was going to burst with his sudden agony, but then to his utter surprise, the speeder began to move around the house, heading towards the front of the estate before the aircraft slowly began to descend.

"What?" the boy whispered in confusion.

Why would his friends and sister want to use the castle's entrance when they already knew where his room was? Why not land on his balcony like last time?

Danny's grip on the rail remained firm, even when the speeder disappeared from sight, since his room faced the back of the castle. He wanted nothing but to run out there to find them. And he probably could…

After all, Vlad wasn't home.

The teen clenched his eyes, trying to remind himself of the consequences that could follow if he betrayed his deal with Vlad. Not to mention, the man still had his sister's life as collateral…

But…he couldn't fight against his sorrow and needs anymore!

With a shuddering breath, the teen suddenly let go of the railing and sprang back into his room. He soon ran out before his logic could catch up to him.

He had to see them!

* * *

"I'm surprised you haven't said anything to the young halfa," George commented to Niane as he put the soup he had made for lunch into the warmer in hopes that either the boy would get hungry later or his employee would come home wanting a late lunch. But the chef was certain he was probably going to end up throwing the soup away. Still, he could hope.

Niane sighed quietly as she sat in a chair, lightly drumming her fingers against the kitchen table. It took her a moment to reply; but when she did, her voice rang with a mixture of weariness and sobriety.

"Believe me, George. I am quite tempted to do so. But…there comes a time when you cannot and should not interfere with someone else's choices anymore. And that time has come for me…"

The ghost chef said nothing for a moment. But then he suddenly moved out of the kitchen and walked over to the young maid.

Niane watched as he grabbed a chair and sat right in front of her.

"Tell me the truth, Niane. Why are you here?" George suddenly asked with a frown on his face.

The ghost girl's eyebrows creased a bit but then she looked away and shook her head. "I cannot tell you that," she replied with sudden shyness.

George sighed deeply before saying, "Niane, I know what you are. I understand that… your kind has a thing for secrecy. But I just don't understand. You have been here for almost fourteen years! Our employer is not shortsighted, Niane. He will eventually find out what you are. So, surely, you must have a reason to put yourself at such risk."

"…Is it so hard to believe I am merely here because I wish for a peaceful afterlife?" Niane countered with a frown now on her own face.

George responded with a pointed look. "I might be a bit obsessive, Niane, but I am not dumb. I can see you have a profound interest in our employer, even when you go out of your way to avoid interacting with him. And even though I have never understood it, I have never questioned you about it. After all, I think we all have grown fond of Mr. Masters over all these years. But if you will not tell me why you are here, then at least tell me why you have developed such an equally profound interest in the young halfa. Why is he so important to you?"

Niane was quiet for a moment. She knew she could trust George. After all, he had kept quiet for ten years now what she was. But still, there were things she _couldn't_ tell him. Not because she didn't want to tell him, but because she _could not_.

"George…the boy is important to my employer," Niane answered seriously. "And not only that, but I think all of us can see how special Danny is—and in more ways than one. So, I do not understand why it surprises you that I feel sympathy and care for him. Certainly you must feel it, too…"

The chef didn't reply, though he studied the young maid closely for a moment. But then, he suddenly smirk and uttered, "You know, Niane, sometimes I can't decide whether I should be alarmed or impressed by your cleverness. But you should know that even if you might be older than you look, I am still _older_ than you, which is why you can't fool me."

Niane smiled gently at him and assuredly replied, "It has never been my intention to fool you, George. You, or… anyone else."

"I know," George assured her back, suddenly standing up. "And that is why I have kept your secret. But, no matter. I will find out the whole truth eventually, even if it doesn't directly come from you."

Niane shook her head before she stood up as well. "Trust me, George. You don't want to know."

George raised an eyebrow, but right then, the sound of the doorbell got his and Niane's attention.

The two blinked in surprise, but then they looked at one another.

"Was Mr. Masters expecting someone?" the cook questioned.

"Not any time soon," Niane muttered before suddenly floating out of the kitchen. But as she headed to the foyer, she caught sight of Derek coming out of the employer lounge and readily transforming into his human disguise.

"Best stay back, Niane," Derek warned calmly as he walked passed her and headed towards the front door as the bell rang again. "You know our employer does not allow humans to see _us_."

The ghost girl didn't reply, and instead glanced at the door. But right then, her eyes flashed a brighter red for a split second. And, immediately after, she gasped.

"Derek! Don't open that door!" she exclaimed.

The butler jolted and quickly looked back at Niane. "What?" he asked, confused.

But Niane suddenly cringed at her next thought and her eyes snapped over to the main stairs. And just as suddenly, she vanished.

Derek blinked. "Okay… I wonder what got into her," he muttered. But hearing the bell ring again, he shrugged and finally moved over to answer the door.

"Good afternoon," Derek calmly said as he pulled open the grand door. "What can I…?" The ghost trailed off when he caught sight of the person at the door.

Suddenly, he was thankful for his human form and the fact that his employer was _very_ cautious when it came to keeping anything ghostly a secret, which included the fact that he employed _ghost_ servants. Therefore, since Derek and Carl very commonly moved around the man's life as _Vlad_ _Masters_, their employer had given them each a device that masked their signature from ghostly devices. Not that it was commonly a problem, being that ghost hunters were all but nonexistent in Wisconsin.

But, unfortunately, the few with whom their employer did associate were particularly dangerous. And, although the one at the door did not live in Wisconsin, she was one of those big threats.

Maddie ignored the sudden fearful look at the butler's face and seriously asked him, "Is Vlad home?"

Derek swallowed hard as he tried to get his brain to think of a proper response. He knew this woman from the college reunion. In spite of the fact that his employer had sent his ghostly employees away to his home at the Rockies—something he often did when he felt it was too much of a risk to have them around his castle— Derek and Carl, being that they could disguise themselves as humans, had stayed for the party. In fact, the ghost butler had been in charge of organizing the hired human help for that reunion, while Cark took control of greeting their employer's guests as they arrived in their cars.

So, of course, Derek now recognized the woman at the door as the important female ghost hunter from the reunion, as well as, the young hafa's mother. But…what was she doing here? His employer had said nothing about her coming…

Still, Derek knew one thing: He could not let her in. He wasn't really aware of his employer's affairs outside of his job to him, but he had heard enough rumors and enough of the halfas arguments to know that the boy currently residing in the house was here against his will. That meant his mother did not know he was here. And Derek was at least sure his employer wanted it to stay that way.

Not to mention, she was a ghost hunter and the house was currently full of ghosts— and _they_ didn't have a masking device like Derek did. And worst of all, his employer was not here to give him any instructions on how to handle this dangerous situation.

"Well?" Maddie suddenly pressed impatiently, briefly trying to look around the butler to see if she could see anyone.

"I-I am sorry, madam," Derek answered nervously. "But… Mr. Masters is not home. You will have to come back at a later time. Uh… Have a good day!" he abruptly said and quickly moved to close the door.

"Wait!" Maddie exclaimed, immediately holding the door before the butler could close it.

Derek tensed with Maddie's quick movement. He really did not want be destroyed by a ghost hunter!

Danny's mom paused in thought for a moment before asking, "When will he be home, then?"

"I-I couldn't say, madam. He is out on very important business. That is all I know," Derek replied.

"Well, I need to talk to him. It's urgent. So… I suppose I will wait on him," Maddie said with a small sigh.

"Why don't you come back, instead, madam?" Derek suggested, as he fought to fight down his panic should the woman become suspicious of him or of his employer. "There is no telling when he will return. There are times when he doesn't return until the early morning of the next day. As you well know, he is a very busy man."

"I… know," Maddie muttered, though she was now carefully studying the butler. His last comment had finally made her recall seeing this man before. Yes… he was one of the servants around for the college reunion…

"But it doesn't matter. As I said, it's urgent. So, I'll wait for him," she then added, conviction on her face.

Derek swallowed hard again, but nodded. "As you wish. However…you will have to wait for him outside. As you can understand, I am forbidden to allow anyone inside the castle while my employer is not home. You will have to forgive me."

Maddie frown slightly, but then she sighed. "I understand. Thank you."

With that, she turned from the butler and headed back over to the speeder. But as she heard the butler close the door, a sudden idea came to her. If she was here, she might as well check for any ghost activity while she waited for her old college friend….

Even if Vlad had assured her that there weren't any ghosts in his castle, she hardly trusted the man's word. She was going to check herself and luckily she didn't even need to enter the house. The speeder had a good ghost detecting system….

* * *

Meanwhile, Derek had darted over to the nearest phone as he frantically dialed his employer's cell number. But to his dismay, the phone just continued to ring without answer.

"He's probably using it," he mumbled nervously. He quickly looked down at a small device on his suit, looking much like a common cuff link, except for a barely noticeable single button on its side. And when Derek pressed it, the 'cuff link' instantly blinked red three times, and right after, he felt his ghost signature become suppressed.

It didn't hurt him, but Derek knew that the device did have a side-effect. Since he was all ghost, in order for the device to successfully suppress his signature, it would also end up suppressing his ghostly abilities. Therefore, Derek didn't activate it unless necessary. And right now, it was _necessary _to keep him safe. But what of the others? And the boy…? The child no longer had that bracelet on that was meant to mask his signature. If that ghost hunter had any detecting devices, she was going to pick up every single one of the ghost signatures in this house—minus his, of course!

Derek quickly dashed towards the employer lounge. And seeing George, Martha, and Patricia there, the ghost butler quickly blurted out, "We have a big problem!"

* * *

Danny didn't know why he was suddenly running through the castle's hallways. But as he rounded the hallway leading to the main stairs, he only moved faster, as his desperation suddenly hit him full force.

It was, like, at that instant, no one and nothing else mattered except for him and what he wanted—what he _needed_. And everything inside him screamed that he needed his friends and sister!

But then the sudden thought of his sister abruptly halted him dead in his tracks.

Danny squeezed his eyes close as his logic finally caught up to him. What was he doing? Was he really so desperate—no, _selfish_ enough—as to risk his sister's life like this?

The teen glanced over to the main stairs, now in sight. But then his eyes moved past them, thinking of the window at the end of the hallway—and how it faced the castle's entrance…

Danny took off again, heading for the window. Maybe he could just see them from afar. That wouldn't hurt, right? But then, he also needed to know why they were here and what they could be planning… What if they planned on breaking in? What then? How was he going to avoid them when they already knew he was here?

The teen's jumbled thoughts came to a halt when he reached the window and peered out of it just as the speeder landed down. As the seconds ticked away and he waited to see who exited the flying vehicle, his heart slammed harder and faster inside his ribcage, acting very much like a panicked little bird trapped in its cage as a hungry predator loomed over it.

However, his frantic heart all but literally came to a stop when he saw neither his friends, nor his sister, but his… _**mother**_ step out of the speeder.

Danny's mouth parted slightly as a quivering exhale left his lips before he whispered, "Mom..."

The boy instantly pressed his hands against the tainted circular window, trying to get a closer look to make sure he wasn't dreaming. And like most of the castle's windows, the teen knew they were made to be able to look _out_ of, but not _into_. So, even as he watched his mom briefly survey the monstrous castle looming over her, Danny knew there was no chance of her seeing him… so long as he remained inside, that is…

The thought pushed him right into more turmoil. Why was his mom even here? Did she…know?

No, she couldn't. Otherwise, his mom would be knocking the door down, and would have probably called the cops on Vlad, too.

So then… why?

It soon hit him. Obviously, Vlad had not been expecting her, considering he was not even home. The only logical explanation was that his mom was here to ask Vlad if he had any news about him…

Danny felt his eyes suddenly flash green as resentment jolted his heart with more pain. Of course, if the man was here, he would deny having a clue of his whereabouts. Really, is this the sort of 'love' the guy felt for his mother? More than ever now, Danny was convinced the man didn't love his mother—or anyone. So, why had he believed the man could ever change?

Danny blinked rapidly when his vision blurred and it was then that he realized he was crying again.

He needed his mom. He wanted her to comfort him more than anything in the world right now. He was desperate for her soothing voice to tell him that even if he had failed her and everyone else, that everything would be okay…

But that meant he had to make a decision right then and there…

"…_If you're so sure he __loves you__, Daniel, then why, oh, why do you not tell him who and what you are, hmm? Surely if your parents knew the truth, you could save yourself so many hassles, my boy."_

"…_You're right about one thing. I could save myself a lot of troubles if I told them the truth. And you know which trouble comes to mind? __**This**__ one. The fact that you have me here against my will! Face it, Plasmius, if I told my parents the truth, you would lose your twisted game!"_

Danny hands clenched at his side before he suddenly turned into Phantom and said in a decisive voice, "I need to tell her. I-I can't do this anymore."

"Are you sure, Danny?" Niane unexpectedly asked him from behind.

The teen jolted in alarm and quickly turned to face her. "Niane?" he asked fearfully, though he didn't understand why.

The maid briefly glanced past him, as if she could see what was outside the window when she wasn't even close to it.

"Danny," Niane said with a sigh, her usual shy demeanor replaced by a seriousness Danny had only seen once or twice before. "Listen to me, I know how you feel but—"

"No!" Danny suddenly exclaimed, a glare quickly rising to his face when he guessed what she was about to say. "You have _no idea _how I feel! My mom is out there! _My mom_, Niane! I haven't seen her in months because of _your_ employer! And if I don't go out there right now and tell her everything—tell her about me, about Vlad, about _**everything**_—I know that I won't ever see her again! And I-I can't! I just can't do it anymore, alright? I was wrong! _You_ were wrong!"

"No, I am not wrong," she said firmly, almost angrily.

"Niane, you're just blind!" Danny growled, in spite that his eyes were glazed with tears. "No, you're worst than that, you're obsessed!"

"You go out there and you will destroy not just his life, but yours as well," Niane replied with utter seriousness.

"I don't care! And I don't owe him anything!" Danny exclaimed back. "He has already destroyed my life! He took _everything_ from me! And you know what the worst part is? The worst of it is that I-I can't even h-hate him for it! H-He's taken even _that_ from—" The teen suddenly choked on his word, unable to get it out without risking a sob from escaping with it. He briefly bowed his head, trying to get a hold of himself. And when he slightly managed it, he whispered, "I'm done. I give up, alright? And… I can't stay here anymore. I… can't. I'm not some hero, Niane. H-How can I be when I can't even save myself? When…I can't even save the only other person like me?"

This time, Niane didn't say anything.

But then, Danny looked up at her, and in a defeated voice, he said, "I'm sorry."

The firmness in the young maid's eyes melded into sadness as she watched the boy turn from her and phase through the window. As much as she wanted to stop him, she knew she couldn't. As she told George, she couldn't interfere anymore.

"Niane!" she suddenly heard Derek exclaim behind her.

But even though she did not turn to face the butler, she quietly said, "Calm down, Derek. We will be fine so long as we remain within the castle."

"What? How can you be so sure?" Derek asked, confused.

Niane finally turned to look at the other ghost before answering, "Because, about two months back, Master Plasmius set up a device which creates an invisible barrier meant to shield the castle from any ghost detecting devices. Therefore, as long as we remain within these walls, we are safe from detection." But then, the ghost girl paused in thought and worriedly added, "Has anyone alerted Jasper and Bennie?"

Surprised by what Niane had just informed him, Derek hesitated to reply, "Yes…Patricia has already told them to come in. But…I fail to understand. When did Mr. Masters set up a ghost-masking shield around the castle? He did not say anything about that."

Niane quietly sighed, her thoughts really on something else; but she still absently explained to the butler, "He created and set up the device in his lab, as well as a few other ones for Danny's room shortly after the boy's friends and sister found him—all of it to assure himself that no one entered the castle again without his knowing; and, in turn, prevent another incident like the one that night."

"It still doesn't explain how _you_ know all this," Derek countered with a frown.

Niane lightly shrugged before turning back to the window and floating closer to it. Even so, she answered, "I simply heard our employer speaking about it to Skulker..."

"And what of the young halfa? Will this device mask his ghost energy as well?" Derek quizzed, walking closer to Niane.

"It would… if he were inside…"

Derek gasped. "What? He's outside? That can't be! What are we going to do, Niane? He will surely expose both him and our employer!"

"Indeed. But…there is nothing we can do," Niane said with another sigh.

Derek quickly moved closer to the window to peer outside and he questioned, "Can you see him?"

The maid quietly answered, "He has gone invisible."

"Well, then let's hope that…," Derek began, only to trail off at seeing another car approaching the castle's entrance. And it wasn't their employer's limo, either. But he was sure he recognized the car.

"Is that…?" Derek whispered, only to be cut off by Niane.

"Yes, it is…," she muttered, her red eyes now full of fear and worry.

* * *

"Yes, everything went well at VladCo," Vlad replied to his secretary over the phone as he finally finished with his work for the day.

And as he stepped into his limo, Carl asked him, "Where to now, sir?"

"Home, Carl," Vlad muttered, though the thought of who was at his castle and what had happened yesterday quickly dampened his mood—If it could be more dampened than it was, that is.

But when he remembered Stephanie and realized she had asked him something, he quickly snapped out of his thoughts about Daniel and questioned his friend, "I'm sorry. What was that?"

However, his inattentiveness instantly triggered the woman's concern, and Vlad sighed in annoyance. "For the twentieth time, Stephanie, I'm _fine_. And, no, nothing has happened. So, stop asking," he answered forcefully.

Vlad pinched his nose in further frustration as Stephanie insisted that he didn't sound 'fine'. But then deciding to just change the subject before his sour mood caused him to blow up on the woman, the billionaire cut her off, asking, "How were things at Dalv today? Anything I need to be aware of?"

The billionaire had not been able to stop at Dalv today, since he had several things to do at Vladco. But he also had had to make a stop at his lawyer's office. It seemed Mark Vazier wanted to sue him for 'illegal business transactions'. And although Vlad was sure the man had nothing on him, it was very aggravating for the older hybrid. So much that he was very tempted to just get _rid_ of Vazier...

However, aside from talking about Vazier, his conversation with his lawyer had oddly enough turned to Stephanie herself. His lawyer seemed very interested in her. And if Vlad wasn't so focused on his own problems, mostly his problem with Daniel, he would have been more than simply confused by his lawyer's interest in his friend...

And speaking of her…. Vlad had once again forgotten she was still on the line.

The billionaire frowned when all he managed to catch was the end of her words, as she said something about Annabelle and then something about them coming over right after.

But not wanting to ask Stephanie to repeat herself, should the woman ask him _yet again_ what was wrong with him, Vlad just replied, "Yes, that's fine. We will talk about everything when you come by. I should be home in forty-five minutes; so, I will see you then."

Saying their goodbyes, Vlad hung up before leaning his head back against the seat and closing his eyes. And instantly, his mind was flooded by unwanted memories…

"…_You want to know why you wouldn't understand? Do you know why I __can't__ tell you the truth? Because you're selfish! Because you don't know what it is to put others before you! _..._You could __**never**__ understand me! Because you don't know what it's like to sacrifice and suffer for others! All you can do is __**take away**__ from others! You take away, not caring how it __**affects them!**__"_

Vlad reopened his eyes and just soberly stared out the car's window. He had long since stopped trying to push away from his mind the argument with the boy yesterday. No matter what he did, his memories of it wouldn't leave him be. So, why fight it?

"…_**S**__**top**__ trying to __**fix**__ me when you're more messed up than me!"_

While he had been angry yesterday, it had been easy to ignore how much that single comment had bothered Vlad. Now…. not so much. It was just so disturbing how that remark sounded so close to the words his deceased sister had uttered to him in that bizarre dream he had a few weeks back… It was just too similar…

"_You want so badly to aid him with his problems… But how can you when you have yet to cope with your own? How can you possibly guide the boy down the right path when you have strayed so far from your own that you have lost sight of it?" _

He really had just wanted to help the boy. But he now realized it was foolish. Daniel didn't want his help. And Vlad now had to agree with the teen—_and_ with his odd dream—that he was not apt to help him, anyways. There was too much in between them. And there was so much that they could not understand about each other.

But in spite his cold demeanor towards him this morning, Vlad wasn't really angry with the boy anymore. He was…saddened by the sight of him.

However, he simply could not show that. He had already let his emotions overcome him yesterday, and he couldn't do it again. He knew that if he did, he wouldn't be able to mask his true feelings with anger, this time… He wouldn't be able to regain control again. If he dared to show how he really felt, the walls that kept him strong would finally crumble to pieces. And he didn't even want to think of what would become of him, then…

So, he just showed… nothing.

He honestly didn't know what else to do. As much as he wished it so, Vlad couldn't make himself hate the boy again—or, even _act_ like he did. Still, things also just couldn't be like they were before yesterday, either. In fact, Vlad wasn't even sure if his 'argument' with the teen could be called that. Yes, they had said things to hurt each other. But the truth was that they had meant most of the things they had said.

So, how could they apologize for how they really felt?

_"You're right, Vlad…The world isn't what I think it is… I see that now..."_

"So, I finally opened his eyes," Vlad muttered bitterly when he felt no accomplishment over the fact. How could he when the rest of the boy's words were just as true…

_"But the world isn't what you think it is, either…" _

"No, it's not. It's much worse," he whispered sadly to himself, feeling utterly lost.

* * *

"Jack really knows how to complicate his gadgets," Maddie said with a sigh as she searched through the speeder's programs to activate its ghost detecting system.

Luckily, she managed to find it and turn it on, even if it took her at bit of time to get it up and running correctly. She then began to expand the radius on the system to encompass Vlad's entire castle. However, as the invisible radar came upon the mansion, it briefly flickered, as if something was interrupting the device's frequency.

Maddie frowned in confusion. However, before she could think anything of it, the flickering went away and she finally managed to get the ghost detector to search the castle in its entirety. But as she waited for any signs of ghost activity, she bit her lip as the same thought that had brought her out here returned to her mind:

Perhaps there was no ghost involved in Danny's disappearance. Maybe he really had just run away.

But just as she thought this, she saw a sudden beep come up on the radar. She instantly tensed in anticipation. Could it be a ghost? The signal was very weak…

But then another beep sounded from the ghost device, this time just a bit stronger…

Maddie was highly confused by the sporadic beeping. Usually when a ghost was present it was a constant beep with a constant energy level…

What she didn't know, however, was that the first beep had indicated Danny's exiting the castle. And as he now floated closer to the speeder and further away from the castle's protective shield, the ghost detector was slowly registering his ghost energy….

But just as she was beginning to grow suspicious, something else caught Maddie's attention.

There was another car approaching the mansion.

"Could it be Vlad?" Maddie wondered as she turned her attention away from the speeder's ghost detector, opened the door and exited the speeder. But she couldn't be sure. Even though the approaching vehicle was quite nice, Maddie just couldn't imagine Vlad driving it. Besides, her former friend usually liked to have someone drive him—and in a limousine, no less.

So, who was it?

Maddie didn't know. But Danny, who had halted his own approach at catching sight of the vehicle, instantly knew who it was.

After all, Stephanie had driven that very same car when she had taken him and Annie on that outing; the same day he found the kittens…

Still invisible, Danny unconsciously floated back a bit with his sudden dread and indecision. The boy was sure Vlad's secretary had no idea about the things the man did as Plasmius. But also, he doubted Stephanie knew how Vlad had him at his side through blackmail and that his mom did not know a thing about it… And if Stephanie, by chance, mentioned Danny being at the castle to his mom…

…only _Vlad_ would be found out. And Danny wouldn't have to tell his mom about his secret And… the older hybrid couldn't blame the teen for any of it… right?

Guilt instantly jolted the teen's insides when he further realized that if _that_ happened, it wasn't just his mom who would find out about Vlad, but it also meant Stephanie—and probably, Annie, too—would find out the truth about Vlad, as well. And Danny was sure that if they found out, the older hybrid would lose the only two people who truly cared about him…

But wouldn't the man deserve that? He didn't even appreciate what Stephanie and Annie felt for him. And… Danny desperately needed all this to end—one way or another.

Still, feeling fearful of what could transpire next, the young hybrid kept his distance for now; though thanks to his advanced hearing, he knew he would hear everything they said…

Meanwhile, Stephanie's car finally came to a halt on the mansion's curved driveway.

Maddie raised a curious eyebrow when an unknown woman around her age stepped out of the car. Danny's mom instantly recognized her Asian heritage. But it was the blond teenage girl who soon stepped out of the car as well that threw Maddie off.

However, Maddie's purple eyes returned to the other woman just in time to see her tense.

Stephanie had equally been surprised to see such an odd vehicle parked in front of Vlad's castle. But she was even more surprised to see a woman standing close to it.

But now…now that she had gotten close enough to recognize the woman as the _same_ woman in the _picture_ in Vlad's private study, Stephanie felt a sense of uncertainty pass over her…

"Hi… May I ask who you are?" Maddie inquired with a curious look, though her eyes briefly regarded the teenager girl also standing there.

As a result, Stephanie also recalled her daughter, and she quickly turned her attention to her. "Annie, get back in the car," she ordered.

The girl jolted in surprise. But then her confusion and wonder over the woman with purple eyes and wearing such a strange blue suit, only heightened within her. Who was this lady? Annie had never seen her before. But she had to be someone important if it was making her mom so apprehensive.

"Annie," Stephanie said a bit more sternly.

The girl stared between the two adults for another moment before slowly heeding her mom's command. She said nothing. But that didn't mean she wasn't going to question her mom about all this afterwards…

Maddie stared after the girl as she headed back into the car, before she asked the unknown woman, "Is she your daughter?"

"Obviously," Stephanie answered coolly, all traces of her nervousness gone as she watched Maddie like a hawk—a very _jealous_ hawk…

Danny's mom just raised an eyebrow at the traces of hostility in the other woman's voice. And the tension around them also didn't go unnoticed, either.

"You're Madeline Fenton, correct?" Stephanie suddenly asked.

This really got the other woman's attention. "Yes, I am… But how do you know me? I'm sure we have never met before," Maddie replied, baffled.

"…Vlad's told me about you," Stephanie answered truthfully.

Maddie's eyebrows drew in with her sudden frown, though she didn't know if it was out of annoyance or confusion. Why in the world would her former friend talk about her to this total stranger?

"You never gave me your name," Maddie decided to reply, wondering if perhaps she had at least _heard_ of this woman by name.

The other woman hesitated slightly before replying, "Stephanie Hui."

Maddie stared at Stephanie for a moment, but then she shook her head and slowly said, "I'm sorry, but I don't know you. And… Vlad's never mentioned you, either…."

Honestly, Maddie was completely floored to see this woman here. Was she Vlad's friend? Somehow, though, the possibility was even odder. Maddie was under the impression that her former friend just wasn't the type to have close friend—at least, not anymore. But then, if this woman wasn't his friend, then, what was her relationship to Vlad? _Especially_ when he seemed to trust this woman enough to talk to her about _her_…

"No, you don't know me And… somehow it doesn't surprise me that Vlad never mentioned me, either," Stephanie muttered, her lips pursing with the fact, But, suddenly, she sighed and her gaze softened, realizing she shouldn't be acting this cold towards Maddie.

After all, it wasn't the other woman's fault Vlad was a complete fool.

"So, you finally came to visit?" Stephanie suddenly asked, a small smile curving her lips. "I'm sure he must miss you dearly after all these months." But the woman suddenly paused as something came to her attention and she further asked, confused, "Did you just get here? What are you doing outside?"

Maddie blinked. What an odd woman. First, she acted coldly towards her. Then, she was suddenly smiling and asking her questions. And now she was staring at her like _she_ was the one that made no sense?

But deciding to just answer her last question for the sake of her own sanity, Maddie shook her head and answered, "Vlad's not home. And his butler—I'm guessing that's what he was— told me he couldn't allow me in until he returned."

Stephanie just stared back in confusion. Why in the world would Derek not let Maddie in? Unless… Daniel wasn't home, either? But Vlad was out on business. Stephanie had not personally seen the man, since he had not stopped at Dalv at all today. But Stephanie had talked to Vlad about an hour ago, which was why she was here now. But… her friend had not mentioned anything about Daniel being with him when they talked...

"What?" Maddie asked, noticing the woman's look. "Am I _supposed_ to be inside?" she further questioned, raising a skeptical eyebrow at the other woman. She honestly did not understand everything the woman was asking her…

A wave of sickness suddenly washed over Stephanie as something finally dawned on her. Did… Maddie not know her son was with Vlad?

"May I ask why you want to see Vlad?" Stephanie asked, almost fearfully.

Maddie's eyebrow further heightened with the woman's tone of voice. But then she shook her head and replied, "I'm sorry, but it's a personal matter."

Stephanie just nodded, this time staying quiet and lowering her gaze. If there was one thing Vlad's secretary was not, it was clueless. She had been suspecting something was off about Daniel's stay with Vlad for some time now; especially after her friend had lied to the press about Daniel being his nephew… But never in all this time had she ever thought or even considered what she was now. And even as she continued to think of this horrible possibility, Stephanie just couldn't believe, let alone, accept it. She knew Vlad wasn't exactly a white lamb. She knew he had a lot of defects and his way of viewing life and others was very troubling…

But… Vlad, her_ friend_ since they were children and the only man Stephanie had ever _truly_ loved, _he_ surely could not have stooped so low as to…

"I'm sorry, but I just gotta ask. How do you know Vlad?" Maddie suddenly inquired, pushing Stephanie out of her thoughts and mounting panic.

However, before the green-eyed woman could answer, a very familiar limousine came into view.

Maddie, for some reason, seem to tense at Vlad's arrival. But she quickly reminded herself of her lost son. And of the fact that she was willing to do anything as long as she could bring him home… It was why she was here at all…

Stephanie also tensed, but it was out of sudden anger. And as she watched the limo rolling closer towards her and Maddie, she coolly thought, _"Let's see how you handle this one, Vlad…" _

* * *

Vlad hardly had noticed the forty-five minute drive home as he continued to wallow in self-pity. And how he hated it, too! As he once told the boy, it did no good to focus on one's loses. But right now, it was all he could think of!

All he could think of was how he lost the young hybrid, even when the boy was still tied to him, and was still living with him under the same roof...

"Mr. Masters?"

The billionaire quickly pushed out of his thoughts the instant he heard his driver's surprised voice over the limo's speaker.

"What is it, Carl?" Vlad asked half-heartedly.

But the man raised a questioning eyebrow when, instead of an immediate response, his ghostly chauffeur unexpectedly lowered the window separating them from each other's view. And then, Carl pointed out the front window and asked with uncertainty, "Were you expecting company?"

The billionaire instantly looked out the window himself, only for his eyes to go wide at the sight of the Specter Speeder parked at his castle's entrance. But to his mounting horror, there were no annoying teenagers with blazing guns there, but _the woman_ with whom he was in love!

"Maddie!" Vlad gasped out.

But then he tensed even more when he finally realized Stephanie was there, too. And…judging by their proximity to each other they had clearly been talking!

A sense of panic almost overwhelmed the older hybrid and he had to bite his tongue to keep himself from ordering Carl to turn the limo back around and have them flee from the disaster waiting for him now only a few yard away.

"Blast!" he suddenly hissed out in fear. "Out of all the times for this to happen!"

"What should I do, Mr. Masters?" Carl asked, not missing his employer's distress.

At the sound of his voice, Vlad quickly turned his focus on his ghostly employee, and yet another alarm bell went off in the man's head.

"Carl, do you have the masking device I gave you? Is it activated?" he asked with grave urgency.

But as he asked this, Vlad quickly looked down at his watch, and with his energy, transformed it into the glowing red device that was similar to the one that he had once given the boy. Although his main use for it was for communication purposes, the device had many other features, which included—as the boy's own device once had—a masking unit that kept his ghost signature and energy from detection… The system was also similar to the one he made for Carl and Derek; except that his half-human half-ghost status saved him from the unwanted of effects of also having his powers suppressed by the device, since his body was already use to turning his ghost energy on and off at will…

For a moment, Carl blinked at the unexpected question. But having heard the urgency in his employer's voice, the ghost removed his hat from his head and showed the inside of it to the older hybrid, before replying, "Of course, sir. I always keep it activated when outside of the castle."

Vlad briefly regarded the small blinking device hidden inside Carl's hat, but soon turned his gaze to his own device on his wrist. The masking unit was working just fine, so that was one less thing to worry about.

As the device returned to look like a normal watch again, the older hybrid turned his attention back to Stephanie and Maddie, only for his jaw to tense with dread. Clearly, the two were waiting for him. Had they told each other what they knew, and, consequently, now both knew the truth about him and Daniel?

It was very possible. But he wouldn't know for sure until he faced the both of them. However, he needed to take care of one problem at a time. And he would start with the easier one…

"Carl," the older hybrid said seriously. "I need you to listen closely to me. You might not remember, but the other woman next to Stephanie is a ghost hunter."

Carl gasped and would have slammed on the breaks, if Vlad had not quickly said, "No. Don't stop. Just listen to me and do exactly as I say."

Carl quickly nodded, his hand on the steering wheel tightening as he slowly rounded the castle's driveway.

"As soon as we come to a stop, I want you to head out back. If Bennie and Jasper are outside, order them in, and then _you_ do the same. Find the others and then _all _of you head to my private lab. If you hear even the slightest disturbance, head into the Ghost Zone. Understand?"

Carl nodded. However, he quickly asked, "W-What about the young halfa?"

Vlad didn't reply at first, but then soberly answered, "Don't tell him anything. That is, if he doesn't already know…"

Carl said nothing more and rolled up the window again.

Vlad just closed his eyes again; this time, in dread. There was no chance of this ending well...

* * *

Maddie and Stephanie just silently watched as Vlad finally stepped out of his limousine. And as a result, they didn't notice Carl discreetly walk off in the castle direction, leaving his employer alone with the two women.

Drawing closer to them, Vlad briefly stared between Maddie and Stephanie, trying to read something, _anything_, from their expressions. But all he could deduce was that neither knew the truth about Daniel's being with him yet. Otherwise, Stephanie would have probably slapped him and left by now. And Maddie…. She would probably be trying to claw his eyes out.

The older hybrid only fleetingly locked eyes with Stephanie, who gazed back with a strange sobriety. But then moving closer to them, he focused solely on Maddie and finally said, "Maddie…I was not expecting your visit…"

"We need to talk," Danny's mother replied gravely.

As a result, uncertainty tightened Vlad's throat, now wondering if Maddie did know something, after all.

"And… what exactly—?" The older hybrid abruptly paused and tensed, finally realizing something that he had not felt at first. After all, he had been utterly shocked at finding Maddie and Stephanie waiting for him. So, the feel of his inner ghost sense was the last thing on his mind…

But now he had noticed it telling him that the young half-ghost was here.

And knowing just how much more this now complicated this already complicated situation, Vlad had to resist the urge to shake his head out of sheer hopelessness. Instead, he looked over to where he felt the boy's ghost signature. He should have figured the teen would instantly find out that his mother was here. And he didn't have to see the boy, let alone read his mind, to imagine the thoughts running through his head at the moment.

Still, Vlad could only guess what Daniel's _intention_ was at this point. But considering how desperate the child had to be after yesterday, the man knew it couldn't be good for either of them.

For a moment, he was tempted to silently threaten the boy, or even, create a copy of himself and command him to return back inside. He knew he had a lot of options right now in regards to getting Daniel to do what _he_ wanted. And, in turn, easily stop the teen right then and there from acting on whatever idea was going through his mind right now. All he had to do was exert his power over the boy.

But…Vlad couldn't bring himself to do it.

"Where's Jack?" Vlad asked, turning his eyes back on Maddie. Of course, the older hybrid hardly cared about his other former college friend. He only inquired about him to buy himself a moment to get a hold of his growing dread and also in hopes of coming up with a way to prevent this mess from becoming a disaster.

Too bad that, this time, he couldn't think of any way to save himself. The truth was that no matter what he did now, he was going to lose somehow. And all because he let a fifteen-year-old boy grow him a conscience…

"He's not here," Maddie replied coolly before adding, "And he doesn't need to be for what _you and I_ need to talk about. But, first, I'll let you attend to your… friend?" she mildly questioned, gesturing over to the quiet Stephanie.

Vlad's eyes darted over to the other woman, almost as if he had forgotten she was here. And, really, he had.

"Oh…," Vlad said, though it sounded more like a sharp intake of air. "Yes, she's… Or, rather, _she's not _my…um… She's my secretary," he finally forced out, though he internally cringed at the fleeting hurt look on his friend's face.

Maddie blinked in both surprise and confusion, but didn't say anything.

The billionaire cleared his throat and forced a small smile on his face as he finally addressed Stephanie. "Mrs. Hui, do you mind if we take care of those… papers another time?"

Stephanie just stared coldly at him for a brief moment. But then she clucked her tongue on the roof her mouth before putting on a fake smile and replying, "Why of course not, _Mr. Masters_. The contracts _are_ due tomorrow. But that's alright. Little ol' me will take care of everything—just like the _good secretary_ that I am."

Vlad just swallowed hard. Stephanie was _really_ ticked off.

"Well, have a pleasant day, Mr. Masters. I apologize for any inconvenience I might have caused you," Stephanie said with the same fake smile. She then looked at Maddie and added more quietly, "It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Fenton."

Maddie nodded, a bit thrown off by Vlad and his secretary's interaction. But she still managed to answered, "Yes. Likewise."

Stephanie glanced back at Vlad, though her false charm had now been replaced by sobriety. But when he still said nothing to her, she finally shook her head at him and walked off to her car.

She quickly got in, only to be questioned by her daughter.

"Okay, what was that about?" Annabelle asked, a deep frown on her face. "And who is that? I have never seen her before!"

Stephanie felt her throat tighten as she turned on her car and put on her seatbelt. But as she made a U-turn on the castle driveway, she quietly answered her daughter. "She's just Daniel's mother, sweetheart."

Annabelle looked back at the other woman, only catching one last look at her before the numerous trees around the castle hid her and Vlad from view.

"So, then, why did you make me…? Mom? What's wrong?" Annabelle asked worriedly when she noticed her mom looked like she was about to cry.

"Nothing's wrong," Stephanie breathed out, though the sudden tears that finally streaked down her face said otherwise.

Annabelle stared anxiously at her mom, not knowing how to react since she didn't understand why she was so upset. The girl had not been able to hear what her mother, Vlad, and that lady had been talking about; but she had not seen any signs of them arguing or anything. So then why would the sight of Vlad and this lady…?

It suddenly hit her.

"That's her, isn't it? The lady Vlad's in love with? And…" Annabelle's eyes widened in horror as she whispered, "She's Danny's mom…"

Stephanie didn't reply. Her tears did it for her.

* * *

Danny had almost lost invisibility when he saw Vlad's limo come into view. Talk about worst case scenarios!

The teen glanced back towards the castle, for a moment considering heading back inside. But… even if it meant facing Vlad's wrath, he needed this to end. And this was his only chance.

Danny watched in dread as the older hybrid calmly stepped out of the vehicle. And while he approached his mom and Stephanie, no one but Danny noticed Carl hurriedly walk past everyone, heading around the castle towards the back.

It was then that it hit Danny.

Vlad's ghostly employees were in danger! In his distress, the teen had all but forgotten that his mom was a ghost hunter; and he knew from experience that she wouldn't hesitate to destroy any ghost, believing they were all evil.

Danny suddenly felt torn. He wanted to go back inside to warn all the ghosts; but if he left now, he was sure he'd never sum up the courage to come out here again… He looked indecisively between the castle and his mother. In his time here, he really had grown to care a lot about the staff, and he knew for a fact now that they wouldn't hurt anyone and they were definitely not evil.

"_Why did Carl go out back?_" he wondered anxiously. _"Unless…Maybe Vlad ordered him to go find Bennie and Jasper to warn them or to tell them to go inside? I mean, Vlad wouldn't let them get hurt, anyways, right?"_

Danny sighed, and finally decided that Vlad's employees knew how to handle these types of 'emergencies'. However, it then brought yet another thought to his mind. What if his mom was carrying ghost detecting devices? Or, actually, the teen was sure the Specter Speeder had such a system… What if his mom used it?

She would pick up his signature…his and everyone else's…

But did it matter? He had come out here to tell her everything—to reveal the truth about him and Vlad…

Danny's uncertain thoughts screeched to a stop when he saw Vlad suddenly tensed and then look directly at him, as if he could see him even when he was invisible.

The boy's ectoplasm immediately drained from his face, recalling how the man could sense him. For a brief moment, the teen could only stare back, waiting for Vlad's next reaction, which the teen expected wouldn't be anything pleasant.

But Danny was utterly surprised when he found no trace of threat or demand in the older hybrid's eyes…

Instead, Vlad just looked at him with resigned sobriety. The older hybrid was clearly aware of his intentions for being out here. And yet… he wasn't going to stop him? Not even threaten him as he had in the past to get his way?

The boy's eyes further widened when Vlad's gaze soon left him and he focused back on his mom who had asked the billionaire a question.

Danny didn't really hear what she said, though, since he was still reeling from why Vlad hadn't threatened him. However, before he could even attempt to figure it out, the teen glanced over to Stephanie when she suddenly headed back to her car.

A small pang of sympathy gripped the young hybrid's eye when he then looked back at the older half-ghost and saw he was looking after Stephanie with a torn expression on his face. But, ultimately, the man did nothing. And Stephanie soon drove off.

What had just happened? He was so confused and distraught over his own problems that he had not paid attention to what had made Stephanie leave…

Hearing his mother speak up, Danny pushed away his thoughts about Vlad's secretary and focused on her, instead. But he hardly heard what she was saying to Vlad, either. He was simply too aware of the fact that his mom and his… arch-enemy were finally alone.

This was his chance. It was the _perfect_ chance.

If he had learned anything from Vlad in all these months, it was to think things through and plan for the 'what ifs'. And he had been thinking through all the possible ways he could reveal himself to his mother and had now decided on the best one.

The teen knew his mom would never believe he was the ghost boy unless she _saw_ him change with her own two eyes. And that was one of the two reasons why he had chosen to come out here as Phantom instead of simply running out of the front door as Fenton.

His other reason had to do with the older hybrid. Danny was certain Vlad would somehow talk himself out of any complicity in his disappearance if his mom _just_ learned that 'Fenton' was currently residing in the castle. Heck, the guy could probably even twist it to his advantage by assuring his mom he had 'found her son for her.'

_But_… If his mom knew 'Fenton' was _Phantom_, Danny then was sure his mom would put two-and-two together. She would realize 'Plasmius' was _Masters_, in turn. And then, nothing Vlad could say or do would get him out of the truth and out of the well deserved consequences.

His mom would destroy Vlad in every possible way.

And all Danny needed to do was fly down there and expose himself to his mother.

Danny slowly landed down on the ground, only a few yards from where his mom and Vlad were talking. In spite that it looked like his focus was fully on his mom, Danny could see the older hybrid was watching him. If by some chance the guy wasn't sure of his intentions before, Vlad certainly had to understand them now.

And yet…he still did nothing to stop him.

In spite that his mother's back was to him, the boy stared sadly at her as he slowly let his invisibility fall away. He opened his mouth to call to her, but… his voice wouldn't come out.

_"If you're trying to make me doubt him, then save your breath. My dad __and__ my mom __would__ accept me, because half-ghost or not, I'm still their son!"_

_"Hmm... why don't I believe you? Oh, maybe because I don't even think you believe it yourself!" _

Danny swallowed hard. In spite of his conviction, Vlad was right. The teen had not fully believed the words he had said to the man yesterday. To his mounting sadness, he really didn't know if his parents really would accept him. And it scared him to consider the possibility that they would not.

He didn't completely understand his uncertainty. After all, he _knew_ his parents loved him. But… his parents _hated_ ghosts! All they talked about was dissecting and destroying them! He still remembered how his parents once thought Jazz was a ghost and they had gone after her regardless of their knowing she was also their daughter…So, what would stop them from doing the same to him? What if they didn't believe he and Phantom were the same person and instead concluded that 'the evil ghost boy' had taken over their son's body? Or… what if they thought something was wrong with him and tried to 'fix him' by removing his ghost half and as consequence another evil Phantom was formed?

Somehow, the latter possibility had nothing on the simple thought of his parents not accepting his being half-ghost. Danny knew he wouldn't be able to bear their rejection. He would die from heartbreak.

But that was the only way of getting out of this!

_"…You're right about one thing. I could save myself a lot of troubles if I told them the truth. And you know which trouble comes to mind? __**This**__ one. The fact that you have me here against my will! Face it, Plasmius, if I told my parents the truth, you would lose your twisted game!"_

_"Tsk, Daniel. You should know by now that when I lose, so do you. But in this case, you would lose by __far__ more… Your parent's __might__ accept you, but the world will not. The day your secret is discovered is the day your life __ends__, Daniel. I might lose Maddie. But you…you would lose __everything__. You would be persecuted both here and in the Ghost Zone. Where could you possibly go, Daniel? Where would you hide? See, if worse came to worse for me, I know I can find refuge in the Ghost Zone. But you, boy, you have enemies everywhere! If your own parents hunt you, imagine the mercy other ghost hunters would show you…"_

Danny suddenly turned invisible again as another fear resurfaced. Even if his parents would accept him, Vlad would not keep his arms crossed if Danny exposed him. If he destroyed his arch-enemy's life, the man would most certainly destroy his, in turn. And to Danny's misfortune, Vlad had also been right when he assured him that he had nothing to fall back on. The older hybrid might be able to hide out in the Ghost Zone if worse came to worse for him. But if Vlad decided to expose his secret to the world, he would be done for…. Most ghosts hated him and… he had all sorts of ghost hunters after his head, which included those ruthless Guys-in-White. They would hardly care that he was still part human. They would still capture him and… probably even experiment on him…

It was a very dark outcome for Danny. Yet, somehow, it wasn't what was holding him back now.

The problem wasn't that Vlad would destroy his life. But, rather, that he would try to destroy his family's lives. And considering the circumstances, the boy's main concern was for Jazz. The man still had those nanobots in her body…

_"Tsk, Daniel. You should know by now that when I lose, so do you. But in this case, you would lose by __far__ more…"_

That's what his arch-enemy had really meant, wasn't it? If the teen played his only move and made Vlad lose his twisted real-life chess game, the man would make sure he lost, too. But by far more… He would hurt him _and_ those he loved...

A torn whimper fell from his lips. He really didn't have any way out of this, did he? That's probably why the man wasn't stopping him. Vlad knew that in spite all the freedom, in spite all they have been through, in spite the man's show of trust and care to him, his arch-enemy still had his hands tied. He was as trapped now as he had been from the first day he came here!

Suddenly feeling dizzy with grief, Danny teleported away—away from the cruel truth and the sight of the unreachable freedom: his mother….

* * *

Vlad had almost lost it at the sight of his only real friend's sudden retreat, especially when he had finally noticed Annabelle was waiting for her mother in the car. Instead, he had tensed as he watched her go; and had even taken a step forward, but had forced himself to not take another.

He couldn't have gone after her. In fact, having her go had been the best thing right now. He already had enough on his plate with Maddie here. He just couldn't have risked Stephanie finding out the truth about Daniel and everything else he did as Plasmius.

Vlad knew he had just terribly insulted his friend. But he had more of chance of fixing that than fixing Stephanie's discovering that he had lied to her and really had all but kidnapped the younger hybrid… Too bad that his supposed chance wasn't all that good to begin with….

The man mentally cursed his luck. But forcing himself to focus on the problem _in front_ of him, the billionaire looked back at Maddie.

"I wasn't aware that you had the habit of telling your workers about me, Vlad," Maddie commented sarcastically before the billionaire could say anything. But when the man replied with a confused look, Danny's mom informed him more seriously, "Your _secretary_ said you talked about me to her. I just found that highly disturbing."

Vlad frowned in displeasure, though he felt mostly embarrassed by Maddie's learning he had talked about her with Stephanie. But, then, the man had to wonder what else Maddie had learned from his secretary…

"It's not what you think," Vlad finally replied offhandedly, clearly trying to play it off. "I just happened to have an old picture of you in my office, and she asked about it one day. I simply answered that you were an old friend."

"You have a picture of me in your office? That's just as disturbing," Maddie replied with pursed lips.

Vlad sighed as he shot Danny another quick glance, stilling feeling his presence coming from the same spot as before. But he soon focused on the boy's mother again and seriously asked her, "Why are you here, Maddie? What do you want?"

The woman's hard look melded into sadness and desperation as she quietly replied, "I want my son."

Vlad tensed again when, for a moment, he thought Maddie knew Daniel was here. But it couldn't be! The man was still certain that instead of talking with him, Maddie would be out for his head right now if she knew the truth.

"Maddie… I've done all I can," Vlad said quietly.

"No, you haven't," she quickly answered in anger. "I _know_ you haven't really used all your possible resources to find him! I didn't want to think it was possible, but after the way you talked on the phone to me about Jack, I realized _just_ how resentful you are towards him. _So much_ that you won't even help him find his son!" she accused him.

Vlad didn't say anything at first, since at that moment he felt the boy's ghost signature shift from where he sensed it. And, suddenly, Daniel materialized into view a few yards from him and Maddie. But the woman didn't see him because she had her back to her son…

"I can't believe it! You can't even deny it!" Maddie hissed furiously. "You're a _horrible_ person, Vlad Masters! I now don't even know how Jack and I were ever friends with someone like you!"

But the older hybrid still barely heard her. Although it seemed like he was looking at his old college friend, Vlad's focus was on Danny. He could see the desperation and conviction in the boy's eyes. And it was how he finally knew Daniel's intentions for being out here:

He was going to expose them.

Vlad once again contemplated threatening or physically stopping the boy… Yet… he still made no attempt to do so. The truth was that he was utterly tired of hurting the few people he cared about.

"_Do it, Daniel. Let's just finish this once and for all,"_ Vlad found himself mentally urging the boy. Why did it matter, anyways? His life was already a mess. He had all but lost the boy now. Stephanie would probably never talk to him again. And he had no means of gaining Maddie's love. So why did it matter if the boy exposed their secrets? He had nothing worth fighting for in his life, anyways…

"Vlad? Are you even listening to me?" Maddie questioned angrily.

A sense of resignation fell over Vlad, and he suddenly looked back at Maddie, now determined to help the boy take the final step by doing it himself. He just didn't care anymore.

"I'm done with this. Look, Maddie, your son is right be—" But the man's revelation died on his lips when he saw Danny abruptly vanish. And then, a moment later, his ghost signature disappeared just as suddenly.

"What? What about my son?" Maddie asked desperately.

But noticing the shocked look on Vlad's face and how he was looking _behind_ her, Maddie quickly turned her head…. And found nothing.

"_So now he's also insane?"_ the woman thought bitterly, though out loud she then demanded, "Stop trying to make up excuses, Vlad! Jack's good nature might allow you to fool him, but you don't fool me!"

Still reeling with the boy's sudden departure, Vlad slowly turned his eyes to the woman and answered, "W-What was that?"

Maddie clenched her fists and eyes in anger, but now also in desperation, before she abruptly exclaimed, "I refuse to be a bad mother! I love my son! And I would do anything for him!"

This time, Vlad heard the woman's words. And they instantly took priority over his confusion of having Daniel not expose them.

"Maddie… Who said you were a bad mother?" the man asked worriedly.

Maddie looked away. She was quiet for a moment before softly replying, "Why else would Danny run away?"

Vlad cringed and he was glad that the love of his life was not looking at him. But then he fleetingly glanced at the spot where Danny once was, as if expecting him to appear again. But then he sighed and focused again on Maddie.

"I don't understand. I thought you and Jack were sure he was abducted by ghosts."

"I don't know what to think anymore, Vlad. I just… I just want him back. I need to know that he's safe. That he's still…," Maddie trailed off, not wanting to even _think_ that her child could not be alive. Somehow, though, she knew he was alive and well. But she was also _sure_ he needed her.

"Vlad, I need to find him. And I know my best chance of that is if you help me—but I mean help me for _real_."

"I told you. I've done all I can."

"For the love of—!" Maddie began in distress, but instead said, "Vlad, your grudge against Jack isn't Danny's fault! He has nothing to do with what happened in college! And don't forget that Danny's _my_ child, too! You can't possibly say you have any remote feelings for me if you won't help me find my little boy! _Please!_"

"Maddie, I would never hurt you if I could help it…I love you," Vlad assured her softly.

"Then, prove it," Maddie said with a strange intensity.

The man's eyebrows drew together. "What do you mean?"

"Vlad, if anyone can find Danny, it's you. Don't ask me how I know that because I have no idea; but I'm sure of it. And I am also sure I am willing to do _anything_ to get him back."

"Anything?" Vlad repeated, not missing her emphasis on the word, which caused a sense of dread within him.

Maddie bit her lip, feeling her eyes well with tears. "I'll make a deal with you. …You…You find my son. You bring him back into my arms… and…"

"And what?" Vlad breathed out.

"I'll leave Jack for you," Maddie whispered, unable to keep her tears from falling any longer.

The billionaire's eyes widened and he gasped out, "You cannot possibly be serious!"

"I told you, I refuse to be a bad mother. I _have_ to find my son, and if this is the only way, then so be it," Danny's mom replied with upmost sobriety and pain.

Vlad could only stare at her, clearly unable to believe what the woman was offering him. But when he finally managed to get his mind to work again, he quietly muttered, "…I thought you loved Jack…"

"Of course, I love him!" Maddie snapped angrily, obviously ticked off that her former college friend would even question that. "I love Jack more than my life! But we also love our kids and _we_ would do anything for them! And this is _my_ anything!"

Vlad breathed in, realizing he had stopped doing so. "I'm not blackmailing you," he told her seriously.

"You're not," Maddie replied. "I'm _offering_ you this. You find my son, and you get me. Isn't that what you want?" she asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"Yes," Vlad replied soberly. "But not like this."

"You won't have me any other way," Maddie told him, wiping away her tears and looking at him with conviction.

Vlad studied her again, now actually contemplating her offer. After all, she was right. This was his only chance of getting Maddie _willingly_ at his side.

"And what guarantee do I have that you will keep your word?" he suddenly asked her.

Maddie hesitated in her reply, feeling her stomach coil in disgust at seeing the man was selfish enough to actually consider her offer. But then, this was what she wanted. No, what she _needed_ to do.

"You have a desperate mother's word. That's all the guarantee I can give you," Maddie answered quietly.

Vlad just nodded, but remained silent as he tried to decide on what to do. His uncertainty was truly ironic. Because if Maddie would have made this offer to him only a few months back, he would have accepted it in a heartbeat.

But now…

The man looked over at his castle, thinking of the distraught boy probably crying in his room somewhere. Vlad still couldn't believe Danny had not exposed them, let alone could he understand _why_ he had not…

"What about your children, Maddie?" Vlad abruptly questioned her, his blue eyes returning to the love of his life. "Let's supposed that I did find Daniel and I agreed to your offer. What would happen to him and Jasmine? What would you say to them? What would you say to _Jack_?"

"I tell Jack whatever you want. I'll tell him I don't love him anymore. It doesn't really matter," Maddie replied bitterly, though she felt tears prickle at the corner of her eyes. "As for my children…" Her voice saddened again, but she determinedly said, "They would stay with Jack. He's a good father. And he doesn't deserve to have his kids taken from him. And quite frankly, I don't trust you with my kids."

"You are going to give up your children?" Vlad questioned, pushing back the feeling of anger that coiled in his stomach with Maddie's insult. If only she knew he had been caring for her youngest child in these past months…

Maddie nodded. "They will be safe and well cared for with Jack. And I can be satisfied with that. Now, _enough_ with the questions. Do you accept or not?"

Vlad scoffed at the sheer irony of what he was facing. Indeed that fate had a cruel sense of humor. For over twenty years he had wanted to have Maddie at his side. In fact, part of his initial plan to force Daniel at his side had been to use him to win Maddie over. And he would have gone through with it if the boy had not dug himself into his heart in these months…

Yet now…that very plan had now come together without his lifting a finger. Maddie was willingly offering to leave Jack for him. Sure, Vlad understood the woman was only doing it because she was desperate and wanted her son back. But once Maddie was at his side, he was sure he could make her see how much better he was than Jack. He was sure she would learn to love him more.

And all he had to do to get her was say, 'yes'.

The only downside was that Vlad was also certain that if he said 'yes' to this offer, he really would lose Daniel forever. Not only would he be forced to give up Danny to Jack, but the boy would _hate_ him for splitting up his parents.

Then again, how much different would that be from how it was now?

Things just couldn't be the same between him and Daniel after yesterday. And Vlad wouldn't be surprised if the boy hated him again after seeing his mother here now. Ultimately, he finally understood that he really could not have both Maddie and Daniel. He had to choose. And his choice was staring at him right in the face.

What did he want more?

A son?

Or, a wife?

Considering everything, the smarter choice was the latter.

"Vlad? I need you to say something!" Maddie suddenly pleaded, knowing that if the man didn't say 'yes' soon she might change her mind.

Vlad sighed in response. But then he quietly said, "I see it is true what they say…. A mother's love has no bounds." The man bit his lip in silent contemplation for another moment before focusing back on Maddie and soberly telling her, "Go home, Maddie."

The woman's eyes widened when the man suddenly brushed past her heading towards his house's entrance. And for a few seconds, she could only stare after him in a mixture of confusion and disbelief.

"Wait!" she suddenly exclaimed. And when he paused and slowly turn to look at her, she added more quietly, "I-I don't understand. Are you telling me… _no_?"

Vlad exhaled bitterly as he answered, "I suppose I am. You're upset, Maddie. And I am not going to take advantage of it... I already made that mistake just a few months back," he muttered, thinking of the young hybrid.

But thinking he was just making up excuses to not help her, Maddie glared and said in disgust, "You really don't care for anyone but yourself."

"So, I've been told," Vlad replied quietly. But then he sighed and said, "Good-bye, Madeline. I will do what I can to find your son; no strings attached. Now, please, go home."

Maddie gasped softly as her former college friend turned from her again and finally retreated back into his home.

For a moment, she just stood there in a daze. But then a sob suddenly racked her throat and she all but ran to the speeder. She felt so sick with herself that if she had eaten anything today she probably would have been physically ill.

Not only had she just offered to leave her husband, but she had done so in vain.

"Why didn't he just say, yes?" she choked out as she fell down on the driver's seat. And in her utter distress, she never noticed the weak beeping on the ghost radar, alerting her of a ghostly presence in the direction of the forest.

And as she continued to cry in her despair at believing she would never see her son again, Maddie flew off in the direction of her home, and the beeping soon vanished from the radar…

* * *

From one of the front windows, Vlad watched as the love of his life disappeared into the sky.

"Daniel's right... I truly am a pathetic mess," he said bitterly. He closed his eyes in order to resist taking out his frustration on the window itself. Instead, he stepped away from it and headed up the stairs.

He hardly realized it when he made it to his private study. But he still walked in and immediately headed to his secret lab. He regarded his ghost staff as they hovered nervously together in one corner of the lab.

"It's alright," Vlad assured them quietly. "She's gone."

All except for Niane sighed in relief.

But then Carl asked anxiously, "So, we can return to our duties? I left the limousine out there by herself! And it's urgent that I bring her into the parking garage and get her cleaned up!"

Derek raised an eyebrow at his friend's personification of the car, and he probably would have said something if he had not noticed his employer's disheartened expression.

Vlad just nodded at Carl before he suddenly changed into Plasmius and floated over to his ghost portal's control panel.

He hardly noticed his employees' concerned looks or how they hesitated to leave the lab. But they eventually did, though Niane trailed behind the rest.

However, as if suddenly remembering something, Vlad's eyes darted back over to his retreating ghost staff, or specifically, to the youngest maid.

"Niane?"

The ghost girl visibly tensed, but she then slowly turned to look at the older hybrid. "Sir?" she asked timidly.

"Go find the boy," he ordered gravely.

And somehow knowing what he meant, Niane's eyebrows creased and she replied, "Sir, I do not think the young Master wishes to see me… or anyone at the moment."

"Then, don't let him see you. Just make sure he's alright," Vlad answered quietly as the ghost portal opened. Then, without further word, he flew into the Ghost Zone, just needing to get away from what had just happened… At least for an hour or so…

Niane sighed, now alone in the lab. But then she sadly muttered, "I hardly believe he's alright, Vlad."

* * *

A few hours later, the older hybrid returned to the castle. Even with everything, he had not forgotten that he told the boy they would train at four-thirty. And that was the reason he was now in simulation room, though he had no idea _why_ he had come. After all, the last thing he wanted after his run-in with Maddie was to see her son. And yet… here he was.

But what surprised him more was that Danny actually showed up for their training session as well.

They had regarded each other for a moment, as if wanting to say something to each other. But then Danny turned his eyes away and had quietly asked him what they were doing today, almost as if nothing had happened.

Vlad's heart jolted with pain at the sound of the boy's broken and hopeless voice. And although it wasn't the first time he had heard it over the course of these months, the sound of it was somehow worse than before. It was worse because he now cared for the child.

But Vlad just masked his own feeling of defeat and hopelessness in his sober and almost indifferent voice. And like the boy, he just acted like nothing happened. Though, it was more than obvious that they weren't really doing a good job of it.

Danny soberly stared at the metal disk floating a few inches above his hand. The older hybrid had been trying to teach him to levitate objects for several days now. But it was only until today that the younger one had successfully done so.

"Well done," Vlad quietly praised the boy from where he leaned against the closest wall with crossed arms and in human form.

Danny numbly nodded as he continued to stare at what he accomplished. At any other time, the boy knew he would have been ecstatic about it, especially since levitation was a whole new field for him.

But…. he felt nothing for his newly learned ability. After all, what was the point of learning more about his ghost powers? It's not like they had any purpose except for making him miserable. Danny honestly didn't even know why he had come to the training session in the first place. But he supposed anything was better than wallowing in his pain, as he had been for the past two hours, alone in the forest.

"…so that's why it's all subjective to both your mental and energy growth. But, at least, you now understand the basic principles of levitation," he suddenly heard Vlad say in a distant voice. And Danny finally realized he had tuned out the man for a moment.

The teen slowly looked over at the billionaire as he continued, though Danny didn't really _register_ what he was saying…

"Naturally, the further you levitate something from yourself, the more practice and concentration you will need. The same applies if you want to call things _to_ you."

Danny didn't say anything in response and just looked back at the disk floating a few inches above his extended hand.

As a result, the room fell quiet. And for a moment, Vlad just watched the young hybrid as he silently tilted his glowing green hand this way and that, watching as the disk followed its movements.

But as if he abruptly lost interest, Danny broke his concentration and let the disk fall to the ground with an echoing 'clank'.

And while the teen stared lifelessly at the disk on the ground, Vlad glanced over at the wall where the door should be, suddenly having the deep urge of just leaving. This was just ridiculous. Why was he here?

Vlad looked down at his watch, and to his dismay they had only been in the simulation room for fifteen minutes. They usually spent an hour here, maybe more when the boy really got into it. Now, the man was feeling terribly claustrophobic only after fifteen minutes.

But refusing to let his unease get the better of him, Vlad pushed off the wall and walked a bit closer to the teen as he said, "I want to see how you are progressing with your blue energy….Initiate training level two," he suddenly commanded the room.

Danny heard the room confirm the program level before several targets sprang out in the center of it.

"I want you to attempt to shoot the targets with _blue_ energy," Vlad then explained.

Danny looked at the older hybrid; and seeing that he was serious, the teen shook his head and stared over at the target before quietly replying, "I can't do that."

"I'm aware. That's why you're _practicing_," Vlad coolly retorted.

Danny didn't reply. Instead, he turned his attention to his hand and concentrated on making blue energy. To his dismay, it took him three times longer than it usually did as of late to make it…

"The first thing you need to do is increase the amount of blue energy in your hand. Then, just intensify it and let it come out. The trick is to maintain the same amount of control and tranquility the entire time," Vlad explained, though his eyes were locked on the door-less wall.

Danny just nodded in acknowledgement before trying to do as the man had said. But no matter how many times he tried, he could not increase the amount of blue energy in his hand. Every time he tried, it turned green.

Then again, the boy wasn't really trying, let alone fully concentrating.

Vlad suddenly sighed in aggravation and then asked, "Why don't you just try to fire what you already have? Perhaps you can do that, at least. "

Again, the young hybrid did not speak, though he did as the man wanted. He turned his eyes to one of targets and aimed his glowing blue hand at it. But the moment he fired the energy, it turned green.

The boy tried a few more times before Vlad told him, "You have to sustain a firm level of control and calm or it won't work, Daniel."

Danny tried it two more times, but still without success. However, just when he was going to try yet again, he abruptly halted. And just as suddenly he dropped his hand to his side. This was so pointless.

The teen sighed and raked a hand through his white hair before looking up at Vlad and soberly asking, "Would you mind if—?"

"Not at all," Vlad abruptly cut him off, his voice as cold as ice, and then just as quickly he terminated the training program and the door reappeared.

Danny watched as the man retreated from the simulation room, and it was more than obvious to the teen that the man had as little interest in their 'training session' as he had. But just as the older hybrid was about to exit, Danny forced himself to ask the man the question that had been going through his head since his mom's unexpected 'visit'.

"Why didn't you try to stop me? I could have exposed us both to my mom if I had wanted to."

Vlad stopped and slowly turned back to the boy and with an expressionless face, he answered, "So, why didn't you?"

Danny averted his gaze, and stayed quiet for a bit. But then, he softly admitted to his arch enemy, "For a lot of reasons… But mostly because you were right…. I'm not entirely sure if my parents would accept what I am…"

"And the fact that I could have made you extremely sorry if you had exposed me didn't cross your mind?" Vlad asked coolly.

"Yes, it did," Danny answered, looking soberly at the man again. "And even during this whole time in here I've been thinking about how you could have made me sorry for _almost_ going back on my deal and exposing you..."

With the young hybrid's comment just now, Vlad instantly remembered his hurting the boy in this very room months ago. But he still kept a neutral look on his face as he replied, "You're right. I could make you very sorry for just contemplating it. And I probably should…"

"Then, why haven't you?" the boy asked bitterly as he looked away so that his arch-enemy didn't see the pain in his eyes.

The older hybrid quietly regarded the younger one for a moment but then finally muttered back, "For the same reason I turned down your mother's offer…"

Danny quickly looked at the man. But before he could ask him what he meant and what offer he was talking about, Vlad turned from him and walked out of the simulation room.

The door slowly closed on its own, leaving Danny all alone inside the empty room. But the boy just sighed with a similar emptiness as he turned human. And not really having anything to do, he sat down right in the center of the white room, and stared expressionless at his bland surroundings.

How odd that a room that once invoked so much fear out of him, now invoke nothing. All that he needed was for the white walls to be changed to a dark and depressing color and the imagery of how morosely empty he felt would be complete.

**

* * *

**Three days later, things remained the same. Actually, they were probably worse, since by this point, the hybrids didn't even eat together anymore, let alone did they train together after Maddie's visit.

Ultimately, they all _but_ ignored each other in these past three days. Either, Vlad spent his time at anywhere besides his castle, or, Danny just stayed up in his room or alone in the forest.

The quietness around the castle didn't bring any comfort for anyone, including the ghostly servants.

While the two older maids and the two gardeners had attempted on multiple occasions to cheer up the young hybrid, Carl, Derek and George set their efforts on their employer. But, in the end, everyone had very poor results. In fact, just yesturday, George had tried to get his employer to talk to him about what had happened with the boy, like he had in the past...

But, this time, the older hybrid had cut off the poor cook before he could even begin. And his employer's glare coupled with the slamming of one of the kitchen cupboards convinced George not to try to interfere again.

As for Niane… She said nothing at all. In fact, she was just avoiding _both_ hybrids now.

Then, finally, there was Danny and Vlad. And in one word, the past days had been torture for them.

Somehow, they found themselves wishing they could, at least, go back to the insults and the blasting. Surely, even that had to be better than having to stand being in each other's presence now… Truly, they were merely more like two strangers living under the same roof.

It was pitiful at best.

Vlad sighed deeply as he glanced up at the setting sun. And while he made his way towards the green house, he thought about how sure he was that things couldn't get any worse for him.

Not only had he turned away his single chance with Maddie, but Stephanie was still angry at him. He had tried to apologize and explain himself more times than his pride was comfortable with, and she still continued to give him the cold shoulder, going as far as to tell him he shouldn't care what his simple _secretary_ thought of him.

And then, there was Daniel.

The boy was so past hating him that he didn't even bother to glare at him. Even that would have been welcomed at this point from him. Instead, the boy was like a lifeless zombie, going about the past two days with no interest for anything.

Honestly, Vlad was more than a little concerned. But…what was he supposed to do about it? There was nothing he could say to the boy to make him feel better. He couldn't even make _himself_ feel better!

The man paused as he came to a halt in front of the green house. He really had no reason for being here except to just distract his mind for a moment. Though, clearly, his plan wasn't working too well.

But then thinking better of it, the man continued on, deciding to head to the stables, instead.

When he walked in he went right over to his favorite horse: the thoroughbred.

Vlad smiled weakly as the mare perked up at seeing him. "Hello, Ginger," he said quietly, finally using her name now that they were alone. He had not dared to when the boy had been around, knowing the teen would have teased him about it…

The older hybrid's face melded back into a frown at the thought of the boy; and with a small sigh, he reached forward and stroked the front of the white mare's face.

"I really should find you all a better home," he muttered sadly, knowing he really didn't have the proper time for her or his other horses. But even when Dazzler had been the one who spent the most time with the horses; nevertheless, Vlad really was attached to them, especially this one in particular. She reminded him of the horse he had in Florida as a child. His old horse had been as sweet and loyal as this one. And her name had also been Ginger.

Vlad's eyes drifted two stables down at the Friesian.

The solid black stallion with the white spot on his forehead was also watching him, though the creature snorted every-so-often as if to show his rebellion against his owner. The billionaire looked back at the mare and gave her one last pat before moving away from here and walking over to the Friesian.

As a result, the horse nodded its head and stomped its feet, trying to look intimidating.

Vlad just stopped in front of the stallion's stable and crossed his arms as he asked, annoyed, "Why is it that you have no problem with letting a fifteen-year-old boy who you have never met ride you and you throw a fit at just the sight of me?"

Of course, he didn't expect the animal to answer him. But with how miserable he felt, he was desperate to focus on anything, even if it was focusing and talking with a stubborn horse. Ironically, the Friesian was his most beautiful horse. And yet, Vlad had a deep distaste for it, simply because of its untamable nature.

That was probably why it was the _only_ horse that he had never named.

The few times he had tried to interact with it, Vlad just ended up cursing the horse. And, obviously, the stallion had no interest in bonding with him, either.

"No matter. You don't have a choice today," Vlad suddenly told the horse, slightly narrowing his eyes at it.

He walked over to his mounting equipment and got everything he needed. He wasn't exactly wearing appropriate riding shoes or clothing since he had not planned this, but he had enough experience with riding to manage it as he was.

As if knowing what the billionaire was about to do, the Friesian snorted and stomped its feet even more. But Vlad was not intimidated, though he was very cautious when he saddled up the large animal. Finally, the man pulled the stallion forward by the reins.

Instantly, the horse resisted his lead. But Vlad quickly pulled down on the reins a bit harder and demanded in warning, "Enough."

Still, the stallion continued to be difficult; but the older hybrid forced the horse out of the stables, regardless. And before it could protest any further, he quickly mounted the animal.

As a result, the stallion neighed and raised up on its hind legs. However, Vlad responded with a firm yank on the reins, forcing the horse to lower back down.

The horse then took several steps back and swayed in angry; but its continuing struggles suddenly angered the older hybrid even more.

The man quickly pulled back even harder on the reins; in turn, obligating the horse to raise its head up higher, so that Vlad could sneer in its ear, "I own you, you blasted horse. Now, **move!**"

With an angry neigh, the horse took off at full speed towards the forest. It was clearly ticked off at Vlad. But the man hardly cared and he continued to command the horse forward.

After several moments, the Friesian seemed to submit to its owner's will and it began to glide smoothly past the trees.

The setting sun's weak rays splashed the forest floor with dim orange and red light. And the mixed spring and coming summer winds swayed the flora in the direction of the galloping horse, almost making it fly.

In Vlad's opinion, however, it was _better_ than flying.

Deciding to go to the place he once took the boy, the man easily maneuvered the horse in its direction. And receiving no resistance from the animal, Vlad let up a bit on the reins, and with a small smirk on his lips, he told it, "That's much better."

At the speed the stallion was moving, it took only about ten minutes for Vlad to spot the river and hear the sound of the waterfall on his property.

He pulled a bit on the reins to command the horse to start slowing down.

Except that, it did the opposite.

Vlad gasped as the creature abruptly picked up speed, heading straight for the angry river.

"Are you insane? Stop!" the man demanded furiously, quickly wrapping the reins around his wrists and pulling back as hard as he could.

But the horse seemed to grow even more furious and it shook its head aggressively and continued its wild speed.

Now fed up, the billionaire used his heel and jabbed the stallion on its side to force it back into his control by a more physical method. But to his dismay, the horse instantly bucked, its back legs flinging back, as if it was trying to knock off a predator of its back. And yet, it still continued to run at full speed towards the river.

Vlad growled, quickly unwrapping the reins from his wrists, as he got ready to grab the left side of the rein harder than the right. If the horse wasn't going to stop, then he would force the animal to turn. However, before he could do that, the stallion came to an abrupt halt.

And sent his rider flying right over his head.

Vlad let out a surprised yelp, too shocked by the horse's unexpected action to think of going intangible or do something to break his fall. But, to his fortune _and_ misfortune, the river broke his fall, only for its angry waters to jolt him to the left and then slam his back against a large rock.

Vlad cried out in pain, but it quickly forced him to act. Although he was human, he could still teleport very short distances. And that's all he needed.

With a quick flash of pink light, Vlad disappeared and then reappeared back on the relative safety of the riverbank. But being that teleportation, especially as human, left him breathless and he had already swallowed a lung full of water in his surprise, the man dropped to his knees and coughed violently. And that certainly didn't help the sharp, jolting pain coming from his back.

Finally able to breathe again, Vlad sucked in air through his teeth and clenched his eyes closed as the full force of being slammed into a rock hit him.

But suddenly remembering the creature responsible, he quickly opened his eyes again and searched for the horse. And finding it, the man glared furiously at it and unexpectedly raised his hand, aiming a red ball of energy at the creature.

The horse, which had been grunting and bobbing its head, suddenly froze. Somehow, it knew that the bright orb being aimed at him was going to hurt him. But the horse just stood there and stared back at Vlad.

The billionaire kept his energy trained on the horse, honestly wanting nothing more at that moment than to kill the stupid beast. What the blazes was its problem? Why was it so blasted stubborn?

The billionaire growled but still lowered his hand. And instead of hurting the animal, he punched the ground, only to groan in pain when the quick movement sent a stabbing flare down his spine.

Being that he was just wearing a simple button-up shirt and slacks, the billionaire undid his shirt and pulled it off. He cursed when he saw that the piece of clothing was ripped in the back and that there was hand-size stain of blood on it.

Luckily, he could feel that the wound wasn't anything to really be concerned about, though he would have to tend to it when he returned to his castle.

Vlad stood up with a hiss and walked slowly over to the Friesian. But seeing it stomp its left foot in threat at him, the man paused his approach and glared at the creature.

"You know what?" the older hybrid muttered in distaste. "Do what you want, you stubborn horse."

Vlad turned on his heel and walked off in the direction of his house. Luckily, he recognized this part of the forest and knew where he was. He was pretty far from the castle, so he was going to have to turn ghost eventually. But for now, he decided to walk.

He soberly looked down at his soaked shirt in his hand and finally remembered the rest of him was just as dripping wet. And yet, the man made no effort to turn intangible to dry himself. Instead, he just wringed out his shirt, mostly just to do something. Perhaps he was just hoping that the wind chilling his body would somehow reach his heart and numb it, too.

Vlad sighed as he looked up at the sky again, this time finding the first stars appearing from behind the clouds. And one of them was Polaris, which the boy had pointed out to him just days ago…

Daniel.

Why couldn't he get the teenager out of his mind? He was trying so hard to accept that their ruse was over. He had even attempted to act coldly towards the boy in hopes of getting Danny to glare or insult him again. Perhaps if he could get Daniel to hate him like before, it would make it easier for him to shrug all this off and go back to just caring about himself.

But all that he saw from the boy—that is, the few times he had seen him in these past three days—was a dead and distant look in his eyes. It was like Daniel wasn't even there anymore.

The billionaire knew that the boy and he couldn't live like this forever. Something just had to give. Something had to happen or change. Vlad just didn't know what…

"Thump."

Vlad paused and looked behind him, only to frown at finding the Friesian a few feet from him.

"What? Are you afraid of being left alone?" the man asked sarcastically.

The horse just bobbed its head and scratched at the ground.

The billionaire rolled his eyes before continuing on his way. However, he only got about a yard away when something nudged him from behind.

Vlad sighed and turned back around, frowning at the horse now standing right behind him. It neighed quietly before lowering its head and nudging the man again.

"You realize you almost killed me back there?" the man grumbled, taking a step away from the horse, only for the animal to take one forward.

Vlad shook his head, deciding the stallion was as stubborn as it was insane. Honestly, it wanted nothing to do with him just a moment ago; and now that he was letting it be, the stallion was acting as docile as a newborn colt.

"I'm not going to walk all the way back," the billionaire told the horse wryly and crossed his arms. "Either, you let me ride you back, or, I'm morphing and leaving you here. Understand?"

But the moment he said that, Vlad rolled his eyes, thinking how ridiculous he sounded.

Vlad brought up a hand and pressed it against the white mark on the stallion's face. And when the horse purred in response, the man's eyebrows creased. "You're just not meant to be tamed, are you?" he asked quietly.

The man chuckled bitterly for some reason, before moving around. And making sure the stallion was still feeling good natured, Vlad mounted the animal. He did nothing but pass a hand against its strong neck for a moment. And seeing that the horse was not going to give him grief this time, Vlad loosely grabbed the reins.

He leaned forward; and now knowing what to name the Friesian, he whispered to the animal, "Take us home… Phantom."

* * *

Having cleaned up, Vlad looked at his watch as he walked down towards his private study. It was late, but perhaps Stephanie was still up. He couldn't stand having her so upset with him. Perhaps over the phone she would be more willing to hear him out…

The man quietly groaned as he rolled his shoulders forward. Blast, his back was killing him! Naturally, he had tended to his injury after showering. And although it wasn't serious like he had suspected, Vlad knew he was going to have an ugly bruise on his back for a few days…

Vlad soon entered his private study and went over to his desk. With a tired sigh, he pulled out his cell phone. But just when he was about to speed-dial his secretary, a surge of heat washed over to him and the man's eyes darted over towards the closed entrance of his secret lab.

A second later, Fright Knight phased through the fireplace.

Vlad lowered his phone on his desk before asking with a displeased frown, "I thought I ordered you and everyone else to keep out of my castle?"

Fright Knight kneeled down on one knee and bowed his head as he replied, "My Liege. Forgive my intrusion. I have been seeking your audience for several days now, but without success. So, I took the liberty of tempting my fortune at this time of day and at your abode." He looked up at Vlad and added, "I can assure you if it wasn't of great importance, I would have never deliberately disobeyed your decree."

The older hybrid silently drummed his fingers on his desk for a moment, before suddenly standing up and walking over to his ghost ally. "You may rise, Fright Knight," he commanded. And when the ghost did, Vlad asked, "So, what is this matter of 'great importance'?"

"I have carried out your wishes over the land of 'Amity Park'. However, I felt urged to warn you that you might have a few uprisings, my liege," Fright Knight informed him seriously.

Vlad frowned in confusion. But as quickly as it came, the emotion left the man. He had forgotten about his orders to Fright Knight almost a week ago with everything that had been happening here…

"Only a few?" Vlad asked, thoughtfully crossing his arms.

"I believe so, my liege. Most of the ghosts I found left without query or dissention upon hearing your name. However, a minority were reluctant, sire. And yet, in my patrol of the land of Amity Park in these past few days, all has remained quiet; except for the occasional sighting of weaker specters. But they pose no threat to your rule, my liege. Nevertheless, there is risk that just the sound of your name might not be enough to keep the more powerful ghosts at bay..." Fright Knight paused; then bowing his head a bit, he added, "If I may be so bold, my liege, I highly believe your presence is necessary to solidify your decree."

Vlad shook his head. "I am much too busy right now to travel to Amity Park, Fright Knight."

"Then, what is your command of me should I be confronted with ghosts whom do not wish to respect your power? Would you have me still destroy them for you, my master?"

The older hybrid didn't reply right away. He had expected that not everyone would willingly accept his rule over Amity Park, especially because the place held a certain importance to many of them. But if there was something Vlad was good at, it was making others see things _his_ way. That, or, he would _force_ them to see it his way.

Still, his decision to mark Amity as part of his territory was mostly to keep his word to Daniel's sister and keep her mouth shut about him and Daniel. Therefore, gaining control over the boy's territory seemed like the best way to go about it. Or, rather, it was the most _beneficial_ way for _him_.

"…_You're incapable of sacrificing anything if it isn't for your own gain!"_

Vlad tensed when the boy's words suddenly flashed through his mind. But the man quickly forced himself to focus on his ally.

"Fright Knight. Let them be. As long as most of them stay away and they do not cause too much trouble, I hardly care for the rest. That pitiful town has plenty of ghost hunters. They can take care of the remaining few," Vlad said with an uncaring shrug. But then he paused and added, "However, I want you to keep watch, though you will have to be careful not to be caught by any of those ghost hunters."

"Fear not, my liege. Those weak humans are no match for the Fright Knight!"

"Perhaps. But their _weapons_ might be. So, stay diligent. Also, if any ghost truly has a problem with my claiming Amity Park, then tell him or her I am more than willing to engage in a battle of power as the Ghost Zone's rules dictate," Vlad said seriously.

In truth, the issue hardly worried Vlad. After all, he knew most of the ghosts that dwelled around Amity Park and he was more than certain he could defeat any of them. And if by chance he was wrong, the older hybrid knew he could always work things out. Ultimately, ghosts were obsessive, so it wasn't all that hard to manipulate them or find something that would interest them.

"_Well, for most, anyways,"_ he thought, annoyed, remembering Walker. But he doubted the ghost sheriff wanted to rule over Amity Park when he was more than happy with believing he ran the entire Ghost Zone. Then again… Walker wasn't past revenge, and the ghost definitely had a grudge against him for destroying Bullet…But… he had given him Dazzler… Perhaps, then, Walker didn't have as much scorn for him anymore…?

"My liege? I also bear a message…," Fright Knight suddenly said.

Still thinking of Walker, Vlad distractingly asked, "What message?"

"A message from Skulker, sire."

Vlad instantly tensed. But then he questioned uncertainly, "Skulker was in Amity Park?"

"Yes, sire."

"Why?"

Fright Knight was a bit confused by his master's tone of voice, but still replied, "I know not, my liege. However, I can ascertain he was most displeased with your decree."

"Of course he was," Vlad muttered quietly to himself.

The older hybrid was well aware of his former ally's strong sense of duty to protect his home and its inhabitants, even when the hunter did not always get alone with all of them. But when anything threatened the natural order and balance of the Ghost Zone, Skulker was quick to become the brave leader of his kind. And, in turn, most ghosts trusted the hunter to protect them and do what was best for them when something went wrong. Therefore, if Skulker wanted, he could rise up against him and cause him more than a bit of trouble… And although the hunter was no match for him, and even when they had broken off their partnership, Vlad knew he could never bring himself to see Skulker as an _enemy_, especially not over something so trivial as his ruling Amity Park.

"What was his message?" Vlad finally asked.

"He asked me to impart to you that he will not oppose in any way your claiming the land of Amity Park under your banner. However, he advises you to remember his last words to you, sire… I know not the meaning of this, but I imagine you do…"

"Hmm," Vlad just replied soberly, crossing his arms. But then thoughtfully, he inquired, "Did Skulker leave afterwards?"

"Without hesitance, my liege. However, the same cannot be said for his female companion. I am quite certain she will return to this 'Amity Park'."

Vlad said nothing for a long moment. But then he suddenly sighed and walked back over to his desk and sat down, though he tiredly said, "Thank you, Fright Knight. That will be all. Keep an eye on Amity Park. And let me know if there is any change."

"Yes, sire," Fright Knight replied and bowed even though Vlad wasn't looking at him. But just when he was going to phase back through the fireplace and head home, he stopped at the next sound.

"Fright Knight…?"

Vlad didn't look at his ally as he then said, "I… want you to deliver a message to Skulker..."

"Sire?" the ghost knight replied.

"Tell him…" But the older hybrid paused suddenly, his lowered eyes filled with a mixture of emotions. He finally sighed deeply and muttered, "Just tell him that Amity Park is open to him."

Fright Knight raised a surprised eyebrow, but then seeing his master finally look expectantly at him, the ghost nodded and replied, "As you wish, my liege. Enjoy the rest of your night."

Vlad didn't reply and just watched the ghost vanish. Alone again, he glanced back at his cell phone, but made no attempt to return to his original plan. Instead, he stood up and moved over to the fireplace. He raised his hand to the left golden football on the mantle, but paused when he caught sight of the picture of the Fenton family staring right at him.

Eyebrows now creased with sadness, he finally tilted the football and his personal lounge opened up. As he walked in, a similar tunnel of stairs as the ones in his private lab greeted him.

But walking down them, the words Skulker had warned him to remember from the last time they saw each other, passed through his mind…

_"You want to throw away everything for the pup? Fine. But mark my words, Plasmius, you will regret it. That whelp is going to be your downfall. You side with him and you will be going against just about every ghost in the Ghost Zone. And you can then be sure that no amount of __power or money__ will save you from the same fate that awaits him."_

Vlad shook his head, realizing his former ally was right. He had thrown everything away for Daniel. All his plans. All his wants…. And for what? For… _this_?

For the pain eating at his heart?

And as he thought about it, Skulker was also right in telling him that siding with the boy was going to bring him trouble with other ghosts… Walker was probably out for his head. Skulker, his best ally, hated him. He had lost Dazzler. And now… he had probably ticked off a lot of ghosts by his actions concerning Amity Park.'

But not only that. He had lost Maddie. And he probably now had lost Stephanie, too—his only real friend.

And all of it for the boy. Though, the sad irony was that he had lost everything for nothing.

Vlad sat down at one of his sofas and stared down at his hands with distraught eyes.

Ultimately, Skulker was right about everything. Except for one thing:

He didn't regret it.

Even now that he felt as empty as ever; even now that he was sure he had hit rock bottom, he did not regret giving up everything for the teen. What he regretted was having _lost_ what he had had with the boy—ruse or not. It was all he wanted right now.

But he knew there was no way of regaining it again.

Vlad looked around his personal lounge, his eyes only briefly pausing on another door in the far side of the room, before he continued to look around, numbly noticing the pictures, diplomas, trophies, and other personal things adorning every part of the room, including the walls.

Finally, his eyes stopped on a large painting of his family. He remembered vividly how his father had hired an artist to draw it just a month before he and his sister had passed away.

Even when he had gone out of his way to forget about his past, Vlad had not had the heart to get rid of the painting or any other of his family pictures. It was true that he did not have them around the house; but he did keep a few out in view in his personal lounge.

However, it wasn't just the things of his childhood that he kept here, but of his entire life. Over at a table at the corner of the room, there were several piles of neatly stacked newspapers. There, he knew he could find memories of his achievements… and tragedies, including his accident while in college.

Then, on one of the walls and on a table, he had pictures of the Fentons. He also had pictures of Daniel as Phantom. He even had a few pictures of Danielle and the other clones that had melted.

Then, there were his pictures of Stephanie and her daughter. There was one in particular that was very dear to him, for it reminded him of one of the most amazing things he had ever seen: Annabelle's birth. The picture, which Vlad remembered one of the nurses taking, had him standing beside his childhood friend, while she held her day-old baby girl.

For all intent and purposes, this lounge held everything that was Vlad Masters.

But there was a reason he kept it all here. He knew that in his darkest of times; in the times when he had felt down in the past; when he didn't know what he was fighting for; when he felt… hopeless, he would come here and remember. He would remember everything he had done, everything he had been through. He would remember the things that made him happy…. And the things that fed his hate and need for vengeance. He could find everything here, when he needed it.

But now… as he looked around, trying to regain the strength to just forget these months with the boy and return to his life before then, he found nothing to help him do that. He found nothing to help him remember who he was. As much as he tried to find himself in here, he couldn't. And that only filled him with even more pain.

He never thought he could feel any more miserable than he had the day that he found out that Maddie was going to marry Jack. But these past three days had proven him wrong. Why couldn't he just let this go? Why couldn't he go back to how his life was before Daniel? At least then, he could _act_ like he wasn't miserable and alone. At least then, all that had mattered to him was gaining the things he wanted.

At least then, he didn't have this _guilt_ eating away at him while Daniel's words to him from a few days ago replayed over and over again in his mind.

Ironically, and to his confusion, however, it wasn't what the boy had said about Maddie that bothered him most. It wasn't even Daniel's strange assurance of how Maddie had always loved Jack. No. What upset him most was what the boy had said about _him_.

Could he really be the cause of his own misery?

It was a question he had contemplated before, after his other past argument with Daniel at the forest. But back then, he had dismissed the absurdity of it all together.

This time, however, he didn't know what to think anymore. It was horrible to think he had wasted the best years of his life causing his own pain. And he didn't want and couldn't bear to believe it. But then…What was he supposed to do now when he couldn't turn back to his plans for vengeance, because he knew it meant he would have to hurt the boy to do so?

Daniel had disarmed him from right under his nose. He had left him with nothing. He didn't even have the will to hate anymore.

Vlad turned his gaze away from his surroundings and glanced down at the coffee table in front of him, only to realize he had left one of the newest newspapers on the table. The man did nothing to hide the sadness he felt as he reached forward and picked up the paper and stared at the picture of him and Daniel the press had taken the day of the party.

In spite of his smile, the poor boy looked nervous in the picture. Though, considering how scared the boy really had been that day, Vlad had to admit Daniel had done a good job of hiding most of his unease.

The man would have smiled at his thoughts if it wasn't for the guilt in his heart flaring up; but unlike before, he had no strength or desire to push it away…

And as Vlad stared in defeat at the picture in the paper, he suddenly knew he couldn't bear another day like this.

Without the teen, he now felt empty. Because even when these past months had been some of the worst months in his life, they had also been some of the best ones he had had in _so long_…

He felt like he couldn't live without Daniel at his side anymore. But… he also couldn't continue to do…_this_ anymore. His heart couldn't bear it. Even if he somehow could have the remote chance of working this out with the boy and having them go back to their 'ruse', the man didn't have the strength for it. He couldn't stand to receive even one more smile from Daniel when he _knew_ how much pain he was causing the boy.

"I brought you here because I wanted you to feel what your father did to me," Vlad whispered sadly as his grip tightened around the newspaper in his hand. "And in return…you show me care and kindness…"

"_How do you let go of someone you love?"_

_"If you really care for someone, you can let them go if it means their happiness..." _

Vlad let out a quiet sigh at remembering the boy's answer to his question. And unable to deny that the boy was right, he sadly resigned himself to accept what needed to happen next to finally put an end to all this…

"You don't deserve any of this, Daniel. And I….I can't bear to do this to you any longer…"

Vlad lowered the newspaper back on the table. And as he walked out of his lounge and headed towards the boy's room, he was suddenly determine to carry out his decision.

A decision he should have taken a long time ago.

* * *

***smirks* **

**It seems Vlad Masters has had all he can take….**

**Ahem. Anyways, looks like this ended up coming out until today, so, obviously, I didn't get time to work on Doas. (*Sighs* Poor DoaS) But, I am going to update it before CM this time, since it's been a while. But next week should be Sid. Truephan and I have agreed to update Sid every other Saturday. So, at least, you'll have something to read while I write up DoaS. *winks***

**Okay, don't forget the chat, er, tomorrow, I think it will be. As I said, check the club site. I'm sure NewGhostGirl will say something about it when she returns—today, I believe. Also, go check out the latest story fanart **_**and**_** 'writing-art' on either my page or the clubs! They are SO awesome!**

**Well, ta for now! *gets dragged off by muse* Oh, come on! I just posted a long chapter for CM! Can't I get a breather?**

**Vlad muse: You can breathe while you type. **

***Pearl groans***


	70. Chapter 69: Letting Go

**Yeah, I practically had to go through all of Checkmate for this chapter. It was tedious, but worth it. At least, I hope so. In any case, you will see what I mean when you read it. **

**But, first, I wanted to thank you all for your support. Man, over 2,100 reviews and almost 165, 000 hits. Oh, and the last chapter I posted I got the most reviews yet: 58! Wow, you guys are just awesome. My Vlad muse has grown such a big head that he levitates in his sleep now! *giggles* Seriously though, thank you all. **

**By the way, there will be a chat session at the 'Hidden Pearl' over at the DA tomorrow evening. See you over there. And enjoy this chapter, definitely one of my favorites… *winks***

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

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* * *

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**Chapter 69: Letting Go**

* * *

In the middle of his room's balcony, Danny's gaze locked on the dark heavens above. He had no idea what time it was, except that it was very late. But he just couldn't fall asleep.

So, he was simply passing the time by staring at the twinkling stars; though tonight, there was no admiration for the orbs of light as before. Actually, he was feeling a bit envious of them. They were so lucky to be so unreachable, so untouchable. They were so far away where nothing could hurt them… Each little star was so full of light and hope….

They had everything he didn't have.

Four months. He had left Amity Park four months ago. He had practically not seen his family or friends in _four_ months.

He still remembered the day he left, too. He remembered those letters he wrote. He still remembered going back just to make sure they were alright. He remembered all too clearly how his friends and sister had soon after that found him at Vlad's. And he vividly recalled how he had forced them away in the most terrible way. He had hurt them. He had hurt and… betrayed his loved ones.

And it was all Vlad's fault. Or… mostly, anyways.

All these recent memories of his family and friends only triggered his memories of the older hybrid. The way he had forced him here. The things he had done to him. Their fights, including the time the man had damaged his throat out of spite. The insults, the get-backs…

The hate…

A hate so deep that Vlad had risked his life to save him from Walker. Vlad hated him so much that he had broken off his alliance with Skulker. The man hated him so much that he had put his life in Dazzler's hands and had trusted the teen to save it. His arch-enemy despised him to the point that he taught him things he could have never learned on his own. They were such hateful enemies that the man had even told him things of his past that he had not shared with anyone.

And Danny…He hated Vlad Masters so much that he went beyond himself to help the older hybrid. The teen despised Plasmius to the point that he trusted him in a way the teen never thought possible.

What sort of hate was that?

How did _any_ kind of hate fit into this equation? Maybe it had fit about two months ago. But since then…? How did such a dark emotion fit when Danny didn't want to hate the older hybrid and the boy was certain the man didn't want to hate him, either?

So then, why did fate insist that they should despise each other? Why did he have to be at odds with the only other being like himself? It was so unfair!

If anyone could even have imagined his current situation, much less gone through it, he supposed that most would not have given the person who had caused all of that pain any kind of a break; and really, at first he had not, either. But how could he ignore the fact that his arch-enemy wasn't the evil villain he had once believed him to be?

But even with his decision to help the man, he had never stopped missing his friends and family—ever. In fact, just a few months back, Danny had been sure he could not be more miserable than he was the day he was forced to leave them behind. But now, ever since he fought with Vlad just four days ago, he stood corrected.

Danny felt so _utterly_ lost. Now, more than ever, he missed his loved ones; and as much as he could try to deny it to himself, he also missed Vlad. Or, more truthfully, he missed how things were with him before their stupid argument.

An argument they had both meant very much.

Even when they had first met and were merely enemies, Danny had internally felt… connected to Vlad. But the teen honestly never thought anything of it and had just dismissed it with the fact that they were really the only two half-ghosts; so that 'allure' was to be expected.

However, even when he didn't acknowledge it back then, it had always annoyed him how the man could always get under his skin. And no matter how much he didn't want to care about what the man thought of or said to him, it still bothered him and he couldn't stop caring. He never could keep Vlad's words from hurting him. And he had never understood why…

Until now.

Something inside him, maybe merely just his ghost half, felt connected to Vlad Masters. And it had grown tangible, somehow, in the recent months.

He didn't understand how it was possible. And he didn't know what it could mean. But it was there. And it was for that reason that it hurt _so much_ to have to now pretend like nothing had ever happened in these months, like he did not know that his arch-enemy was more than that to him. How was he supposed to ignore that Vlad Masters now occupied a place in his heart and core that only he could ever fill? How was he now supposed to act again like he didn't _need_ the older hybrid?

Or, was he just upset because things didn't go as he wanted? Or, perhaps… he was just as selfish as Vlad... Maybe his intentions to change the guy weren't noble at all. Maybe his only reason for wanting to 'help' the billionaire was because he couldn't handle being all alone. So, ultimately, he sought refuge in his arch-enemy as a way to escape the reality of it all…

That sounded seriously messed up, but what else was he now supposed to think when just a few days ago he had discovered that the world, _that life_ wasn't what he thought it was? Everything he had gone through was for no reason at all. Every one of his tears, every ounce of pain and sorrow…nothing good was coming from it.

Just like nothing good had come out of Vlad's own suffering.

Why did the older hybrid have to lose his family? Why did he have to lose his own hope and trust in others? Why did he have to become who he was when it resulted in nothing?

All of the sudden, something Vlad had said to him in their last argument sprang into his mind….

_"Your life; your family; __**everything**__ that you hold dear is thanks to __**my**__ destruction!"_

If Vlad's words were true, then Danny couldn't bear to think that his and his family's own happiness may have come about only because of the man's destruction and misery. And if that was the _only_ _real_ purpose of Vlad's suffering, then the teen would rather believe that _nothing_ in life ever really had any purpose!'

Danny sighed. But that also meant his efforts to change his own future had been in vain. No matter what he did, he was destined to become evil.

So then, why fight against it any longer? Why fight against the inevitable?

It didn't matter anymore. Whatever was going to happen was going to happen. At least he was now certain of one thing:

There was no alternate future.

Just like in that timeline, he was going to lose his life here. But also, he now understood he was not getting his loved ones back. He had lost them, then. And so that meant he was supposed to lose them now… and, ultimately, he was destined to be all alone and hopeless…

The boy lowered his saddened gaze from the sky, and raising his knees up, he wrapped his arms around them before burying his face within them. He sighed emptily again, and it seemed to 'echo' behind him and against the night's deep silence…

"Daniel?"

The teen tensed when Vlad's quiet voice suddenly sliced right into his thoughts. And he just as quickly realized that what he initially heard had not been an echo, but someone else sighing behind him. He had been so deep in thought, he had not even heard the guy open the veranda's doors…

But pushing past his surprise, Danny raised his head back up, though he didn't look at Vlad. Instead, the boy's shoulders sagged, while internally he felt a bit embarrassed to be caught sitting quietly on the balcony's floor in the middle of the night. He had to look so pathetic to the man right now…

The unnerving silence between them drew out for another second or two before the boy had had enough of it.

"What do you want?" Danny asked, his voice mostly tired, while his gaze stayed locked on his bare feet.

The teen didn't see Vlad's already gloomy gaze sadden even more. He had not expected to find Daniel like this. Actually, he had expected him to be asleep after he realized the time. But by then, the billionaire had already been at the boy's door. So, he had decided to just check on him and to leave this for tomorrow. That is, until he found that Daniel wasn't in bed. He couldn't understand why he wasn't asleep. After all, it was very late.

"What are you doing out here, Daniel?" the man finally spoke up, his voice still oddly quiet. "It's almost two in the morning, you know…"

Danny sighed to himself before suddenly standing up and shrugging. He walked over to the balcony's railing and rested his folded arms on it before answering, "I guess I'm not tired."

The billionaire's eyebrows creased with further worry. He had not spoken to the boy in a few days. So, his distant tone of voice was more than disconcerting…

"You haven't answered my question," Danny suddenly reminded him, still not looking at the man.

"I…want to talk to you," Vlad answered soberly, moving a few steps closer to the boy.

"About what?" the teen questioned, though he hardly sounded like he was interested.

"…Everything," the billionaire answered, sadness now in his voice.

But Danny just sighed deeply and shook his head. He finally turned around and looked at Vlad. And finally noticing the man's troubled expression, the teen's own eyebrows creased when he thought he knew why the older hybrid was here.

"Look, Vlad, you don't have to try to apologize. You can't be sorry for everything you said, and neither can I. We both meant most of it… And it's fine. I get it now. We just see things differently…" Danny trailed off, but then he shrugged again and added, "I guess we always have."

Vlad didn't say anything at first, but before the teen could question him, he quietly told him, "I didn't come to apologize, Daniel."

A real emotion finally flashed passed the boy's eyes, and he quickly frowned with his confusion.

"Then, what?" he asked hesitantly.

Vlad's eyes fleetingly looked up at the stars before focusing back on the boy and replying, "I lied to you."

Danny raised an eyebrow. Was the guy serious? He was here at two in the morning to confess he had lied to him? How was that even news?

"Uh, okay," the teen muttered. But then waving a hand dismissively, he turned back around and told him uncaringly, "It's alright."

"No, it's not," Vlad said with a small sigh. "You see, you asked me how I managed to get over my family's death and you trusted I gave you a truthful answer. I didn't. I lied. I never did get over my loss as I assured you that day. Perhaps I did learn to live with it, but that emptiness I felt after I lost Viviane never went away. Actually, it's only gotten worse in the past twenty years…At least, until recently…"

Danny slowly turned back around, and his blue eyes searched the other half-ghost's own azure ones, trying to make sense of what the man was trying to do. But unable to figure it out, the teen carefully asked, "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you are right, Daniel," Vlad told him soberly. "We do see things differently. And we probably always will because we will never know what it's like to be in each other's shoes. Or maybe it's not about how we see things, but rather, how we _handle_ them. Ultimately, our only difference lies in our choices."

Danny didn't reply this time and just waited to see where the man was going with this.

Vlad paused for a moment, as if thinking about what he was going to say. But then he spoke again, his voice still grave. "I'm not going to try to justify to you my choices anymore. But I do want you to know something. And what I am about to tell you, I am not doing it to gain your pity, Daniel. I have never wanted it and surely I don't want it tonight. I have never wanted anyone's compassion. That is why I have learned to be cautious with my emotions."

The older hybrid paused again, though briefly this time before saying, "What I want from you, Daniel, is for you to understand me. I want you to understand my choices because you are the only one I could ever hope would be able to understand. I know I haven't given you much reason in the past to do so, so I can only hope that tonight I will give you enough for you to at least _try_ to understand. That is all I hope for with this, alright?"

Danny could only bring himself to nod a response, especially when he was now more confused than ever. Though now, he was feeling a bit nervous. What was Vlad talking about?

The billionaire quietly nodded back, but then with a sigh, he began.

"I don't think anyone can really know what it feels like to tragically lose your family unless you have lived it yourself. So then, I can only ask you to imagine what it would feel like to lose your loved ones, especially at a stage in your life when you still _needed_ them…"

Danny tensed with those words, though Vlad didn't notice since his gaze wasn't on the teen anymore, but rather, on something distant that only he saw…

"The hardest part is to know your loved ones are gone and that your life has been destroyed by someone's _single_ _mistake_. And yet…" Vlad's eyebrows creased with sincerity as he confessed, "I forgave the man who killed my father and sister. Not right away, but I did. I did because he meant nothing to me. He was just a stranger with his own family, trying to do what he had to for them… I even at one point felt very sorry for that man because he would have to learn to live with the guilt of what he had done for the rest of his life…"

Vlad fell into thoughtful silence, but he quickly blinked and continued in a more sober voice. "As you know, I left my past behind and focused on my future in Wisconsin… No matter how much I sometimes regret meeting your parents, I also can't help but be thankful in some way. Yes, I'm sure that's surprising to you, and probably unbelievable, but it's true. You see, Daniel, I know for a fact that after my mother died I would have fallen apart if it hadn't been for your father's friendship, and for your mother's a little later on. They helped me to move forward in spite of my loss. They helped me find meaning to my life again. Maddie and Jack… they became my family."

Danny's eyes widened in surprise, but he didn't dare interrupt. He still didn't fully understand why Vlad was telling him all this. However, he suddenly didn't care and just wanted to simply listen to the man's story…

But then, the older hybrid closed his eyes and his face tensed, though it was hard to tell whether it was out of anger or sadness. "Back then, I would have trusted your father with my life. Actually, I trusted him with more than that. I told him things I never told anyone else." Vlad suddenly opened his eyes again and focused them on Danny as he muttered, "Well, except for you."

Danny couldn't keep down a blush and quickly looked away.

In response, the corner of the older hybrid's lips curved upward with mirth. But as quick as it came, it was gone, and the distant look in Vlad's eyes returned.

"I honestly cannot imagine myself without ghost powers anymore. They are a part of me now. My ghost half is as essential to me as the air in my lungs. But back then…it was nothing but a curse to me; _a disfigurement_. I think you agree with me when I say that being exposed to concentrated ghost energy is one of the most painful experiences anyone can go through—though, personally, it was _the_ _most_ agonizing thing I have lived through."

Danny mentally cringed, remembering his own experience all too well and internally agreed with the man.

"And yet, the actual experience of that horrible accident wasn't the worst part," Vlad muttered, his face tensing again. "It was how and why it happened. It was _who_ caused it. I remember how as I touched my disfigured face all I could think about was how once again _someone's_ _mistake_ had destroyed my life. But, this time, it wasn't some stranger that hurt me, but my _best friend_. The one person I had trusted and had been my support for almost three years. The same person I had grown to see as the brother I never had. And then to see the look of horror on his _and_ Maddie's faces, as if they didn't recognize me, as if they were _scared_ of me, _that_ was the worst part of it all. I felt so hurt and betrayed that I just ran out of there. I didn't want to see your parents after that. I was just so distraught by it all…"

The older hybrid trailed off. But then looking directly at the boy, he told him gravely, "You will never know the pain and suffering I endured all those years in the hospital. And I couldn't even begin to describe it to you in words… For the first year, I was locked in some room because the doctors feared that what I had was contagious. They studied and probed me as if I was some sort of lab rat. And all the while, Daniel, I was dying. They couldn't find a way to reverse the ecto-acne or its lethal side-affects. Unlike you, it took my body about a year to adapt to the ghost energy because of the _contaminants_ I had absorbed along with the concentrated ecto-energy. Do you realize what that means, Daniel? I almost _died_ because of what your father did to me. And if it wasn't because my ghost half finally woke after that year, I would have. And yet, I wished so many times that I would have just died during that year because the worse of my suffering came after."

Danny glanced away when he suddenly felt guilty for some reason. But he didn't say anything and just let Vlad continue.

"It's true that I pushed your parents away. But I was hurt with Jack. I was afraid to have to endure again his and your mother's look of fear and horror at my condition. And yet, I internally wanted them to be there. I _needed_ them so much; so even when I wouldn't allow them to see me, it brought me some comfort to know they were concerned about me. But then, a few months later, they stopped coming... When I learned that your parents had given up on trying to get me to see them, I felt furious with them. But mostly, I was furious at your father, because it was his fault I was dying in that hospital; so the least he could have done was kept trying. The least he could have done was continue to show me support. But, instead, he gave up on me. It was why that hurt and betrayal I felt towards him turned into something darker. I began to hate your father in a way I had never hated anyone before. He left me to suffer alone. I was so scared and helpless. And he left me alone to pay for _his_ mistake. I hated him for robbing me of the best years of my life, of my chance to build a new and normal life, and perhaps even a new family for myself. I never thought I would ever care for anyone again as I had at one point for Stephanie, but I did. I met Maddie. I fell in love with her, and with that feeling I gained the hope that I really could move on and make a new life for myself in spite of the family I lost. But your father tore all that down for me with one single mistake…"

Danny tensed at noticing his arch-enemy's resentment bubbling to the surface in spite of his calm and serious voice. As a result, the teen wasn't sure if he wanted to listen to all of this, after all…

"After my body stabilized somewhat, the ecto-acne began to slowly clear on itself. It was still there, but it wasn't as bad as it first had been. But just when I thought I was getting better, I began to have… _accidents_. I would unknowingly drop things while at other times things would catch on fire around me without any explanation, especially when I was emotionally distressed. I knew something was wrong with me because I could feel something… _foreign_ coursing through my veins. And at times I felt this _heat_ in my chest that truly frightened me. I can still remember how shocked and alarmed I felt when my ghost half finally woke. I don't know how long I stared at my _invisible_ arm, but I know I eventually screamed loud enough to wake the dead."

A bitter smile ghosted the man's lips at the memory but it quickly melded into a frown again as he said, "All it did was alarm the nurses. And, of course, they didn't believe me when I told them my arm had vanished; especially when by the time they had come in, my arm had regained visibility. For a few days, I honestly thought I was going crazy. That is, until I unwillingly morphed for the first time… To make a long story short, I was horrified when I learned I wasn't human anymore. Or, at least, not all human. I hated your father even more after that. But…," he said with a sigh, "As the years passed by and I began to learn more about my ghost half and what I could do, my feelings for it changed. I would use my abilities to sometimes sneak out of the hospital in order to keep my sanity after being confined there for so long. I would use my ghost half as a distraction from the disaster my life was. And as I began to feel better and more comfortable about what I had become, I began to think about your father again and I began to see things differently. I even started to justify his abandoning me, especially after a certain talk I had with Stephanie... I began to tell myself that perhaps Jack just had felt guilty, so he couldn't sum up the courage to see me. I began to accept that it had only been an accident which he never meant to happen. I really do think that over time I would have forgiven your father…I _wanted_ to forgive him because I didn't want to lose his or Maddie's friendship. Aside from Stephanie's return into my life around that time, your parents were all I really had."

"But then a year before I was finally released from the hospital, I got news of your father and mother after _all those years_. It came in a decorative white envelope… It was a wedding invitation," Vlad almost growled.

This time, Danny visibly cringed.

"The day I found out that Maddie and Jack were going to get married, I was sure I would die from heartbreak. I found myself thinking how someone that claimed to be my best friend could betray me in such a way. I loved Maddie for so long and I was going to tell her on the day of the accident. But I never got the chance. I never got the chance because of your father. After that slap in the face, I didn't _allow_ myself to forgive him. How could I pardon him when he took everything away that had given me hope again? He shattered what was left of my life after my family's death and left me nothing but pain and sorrow. He _cursed_ me. I could have forgiven him for everything, except for his taking from me the _one thing_ that makes a person feel alive: Love."

Danny closed his eyes before turning back around to the outside view and sighing. He really didn't want to hear this anymore. They were just going to end up arguing again.

"Look, Vlad, I really don't—"

"Please, Daniel," the man interrupted him in a soft voice. "Let me finish. I…promise I'll make this worth your while…"

The boy bit his lip at the man's tone of voice. And although he didn't turn back to look at him, Danny didn't dare interrupt again…

Vlad didn't care that the teen wasn't looking at him anymore since his own eyes were not even on the young hybrid anyways. They were now lowered. And as he loosely crossed his arms, he resumed his story…

"Since then, I swore I would make him pay for his betrayal. I made a vow to destroy him the way he destroyed me and I would do it with these very powers he had given me. So for twenty years, I used my ghost half to obtain everything I needed to exact my revenge. I used my powers to get the tools I needed to construct my plan. And as I gained experience and knowledge, I, in turn, gained power, money, and respect—as both Masters and Plasmius. I became a renowned billionaire among humans and an invincible and feared specter among ghosts. And when I was certain that nothing was unreachable for me, when I was sure I was unstoppable, I moved forward with my twenty-year plan. I was ready to take back what your father had taken from me. I was finally ready to make him suffer every ounce of pain that I did for those twenty years."

Vlad's eyes slightly narrowed as he continued, "Everything was in place by the time our college reunion came around. I knew exactly what I wanted to do. And as I had vowed, I would do it with the very powers he had given me. I wanted to first ruin him in front of his family and friends. I wanted to make everyone look at him with the same fear and horror he once showed me after that accident. I would make him out to be the monster he really was. And all I needed for that first part of my plan was a simple overshadowing trick. Oh, I made sure he was fully conscious during the whole thing, too," he suddenly added, this time in a dark tone. "I got pure satisfaction when he pathetically struggled against me for control over his own body. I laughed without restraint when he could do nothing but watch as I used him like a fat little puppet on strings."

Danny slowly turned back around, and if he wasn't already against the veranda's railing, he would have definitely backed away from the man. Vlad was seriously beginning to scare him, and the worst of it was that the man didn't even seem to realize it. He was too focused on his thoughts and as he proceeded to recount his memories, it only got worse…

"I had planned to make him lose everything he held dear that night, for I had no intention of stopping until everyone was sure Jack was nothing but a psychotic menace that needed to be locked up for the rest of his life. And that was _exactly_ the next part of my plan. I would make sure he was locked up somewhere, be it jail or some asylum, I didn't really care. All that mattered was that he would be trapped and isolated as I was while in that hospital for all those years. I planned to torment him until he would wish to die as I had many times before. And then, finally, when he was as broken as I was, I was going to finally reveal myself to him, so he could know that his own foolishness had caused his own destruction. And once I had him begging for his demise, I would have granted it. I was going to watch with a smile as the light left his eyes, and the last thing he would have seen was me—so he would know what he had _created_."

Unable to stand looking at the shadow of hate and vengeance in Vlad's now _red_ eyes anymore, Danny averted his gaze and barely managed to suppress a shiver. The man's recount of his dark and twisted plan had the boy feeling ill with horror. He had always known his arch-enemy had serious issues, but this, this was beyond that. Vlad was _sick_. And what made it so bad was that he would have really done all he was saying if… if…

"I stopped you from doing all… that," the boy said quietly, daring to look at the man again.

The darkness in Vlad's eyes slowly vanished as he finally focused on the boy again. There was such a drastic change in him that it really took Danny by surprise.

"I never expected you," the billionaire said with certain softness. "Even with all my planning, I never even fathomed your existence, let alone was I prepared for it. What mostly stopped me from carrying out my revenge was _my discovery_ of you rather than your threat to expose me…"

"But you knew who I was when we first met. I mean, you knew Danny Phantom," Danny reminded him with an uneasy frown.

"Yes, I knew of a _ghost boy_ who used his powers for good," Vlad replied with a weak smirk, and the teen blushed again. "It was certainly an oddity, but not enough to awaken my interest to find out more about you. After all, my focus was on Jack. By then, I had known Skulker for a few years, so I asked him to send minor ghosts to evaluate your father's capability. As a result, I first learned about the 'ghost boy' from the ecto-puses. Later, from Skulker himself; yet he _failed_ to mention his discovery of your being _half-ghost_. Needless to say he became quite interested in you, so he chose not to share that little detail with me…"

Vlad paused for some reason, but then continued, "I then further sent a few more of my allies—the ghost vultures, among others—to test your father's skills. But, of course, you kept interfering. And yet I was so set on carrying out my revenge plans that I considered you a minor inconvenience at best. I thought you were just some newly formed specter that had an obsession with Amity Park, and therefore, simply defended it out of territorial habit. As I said, you were hardly anything of interest to me. Actually, I gave 'the ghost boy' no further thought after that. Well… until you showed up in my castle the night before the college reunion…"

The billionaire slightly tilted his head at the quiet teenager, as if contemplating him when he further said, "How could I have even imagined that Daniel Fenton, the clumsy and shy boy that stepped into my home the day before the reunion, would be forevermore the pebble in my shoe? You know, I still berate myself for not realizing who you were sooner. But before I began to _know_ you, Daniel Fenton seemed so different to me from Danny Phantom that even with the physical similarities, I could have never _imagined_ the two were one and the same… And, really, it was just simply improbable in my mind for another human-ghost hybrid to exist. So the night I found you wondering my castle, trying to keep your father safe from my allies, I was truly surprised to see you at my home. I remember wondering to myself why in the world would a _ghost_ follow a pair of _ghost hunters_; or rather, why would he _protect_ them? It went against all I knew about ghosts and their obsessive tendencies. So… I confronted you."

"No kidding," Danny muttered with a frown, honestly not very happy with recalling that memory. It had been the first time he had truly been frightened by a ghost…

Vlad shrugged lightly as he honestly admitted, "I found you so oddly amusing, but mostly, I found you pathetic. You were as much a threat to me as a ball a yarn is to a cat. Actually, that was exactly my mindset when I confronted you. You were merely an intriguing toy to me. I think the only reason I didn't destroy you on the spot was because I wanted to have a good laugh at your expense. It had been hilarious to me when you thought I was just another silly ghost that you could stuff into your little thermos. And seeing the dumbstruck look on your face when you realized I wasn't anything of the sort was even more amusing."

"Okay, you can stop any time now, Vlad. I get it," Danny suddenly said with slight bite in his tone of voice.

The billionaire briefly silenced and his eyebrows drew together for some reason. But then he said in a serious voice, "Although I did enjoy toying with you, at first, ultimately, I couldn't have some rouge and uninvited ghost, no matter how small a nuisance, loose in my castle while I was trying to carry out my twenty-year plot….I had every intention of _destroying_ you, but when I phased through those doors to finish you for good… It was then you turned human. And it was only until I saw your change with my very eyes did everything in regards to the mysterious ghost boy suddenly click together in my mind."

Vlad sighed as he then said, "I don't know what shocked me more, the revelation of the existence of another half-ghost or the fact that it was you: _Jack's son_. Of course, after such a major discovery, I couldn't simply destroy you like some mere ghost, as had been my initial intentions. The truth is I have never felt so many conflicting emotions at once as I did at that moment I learned of you, Daniel. But I was still so focused on my revenge that all I thought about at first was how I could use you against Jack. So, as soon as I put you back in bed, I called for Skulker and forced him to tell me everything he knew about you. Furthermore, I asked him to stay for reasons of which you know. I had easily added you into my plans, then."

He paused briefly and his eyebrows drew in again with his next thought. "But then that same night, I began to _really_ ponder my discovery of you. And I found myself unable to sleep because all I could think about was you, about how I wasn't alone anymore with what I was. I realized that I could do more with you than simply use you in my revenge plans. I decided that night that I would also have you as my son, that you belonged with me. You became an obsession to me, Daniel. It suddenly became more important than ever to destroy Jack. I would not only have Maddie, but I would also have the perfect son—!"

"I'm not perfect," Danny abruptly interrupted him, an emotionless tone now in his voice as he stared at Vlad.

But the older hybrid hardly hesitated to continue, this time with much more vigor as he replied, "_I _would perfect you, Daniel. Your faults would easily be corrected with my guiding hand. I was so sure I could mold you into what I desired. I was certain I could make you see things my way and that I could manipulate you to do as I wanted. I would have the _perfect_ half-ghost son. But because I knew you were Jack's son, claiming you would be even more fulfilling. Not only would I have the only other person like me at my side, but I would also be taking you from Jack; in turn, making him suffer the loss of his son's love."

"I thought I had it all figured out by the next night of the college reunion," Vlad muttered, glancing at some distant point past the balcony again. "But I was wrong….I underestimated you. And as a result, my twenty-year revenge plans against Jack went up in smoke. Yet, I was more enraged at your refusal to join me than anything else. But then, after I thought more carefully about what had happened at the reunion, I was suddenly glad for your intervention. I was glad because with your existence, my revenge could be sweeter."

Vlad finally focused on the teen once more and noticed the deep frown on the boy's face. Still, he carried on with his recap. "With you in the game, everything changed. It was no longer about killing your father and marrying your mother. It wasn't about mere revenge anymore. It became about _you_, Daniel. I knew that if I could win you over, if I could get you on my side, your mother would follow you, and in return, Jack would lose everything."

"Even if I ever had said 'yes' to you, my mom would never leave my father for you, Vlad," Danny quickly said, his face even tenser. He had always known of his arch-enemy's intentions, but finally hearing them out of his own mouth somehow made it worse.

Vlad remained quiet for a moment, but he then seriously answered, "You know, there have been many times I have doubted my plans, but I have _always_ been certain that you were the way to your mother's heart... I know for a fact she would leave your father for you. She would do that and much more, Daniel…"

Danny's eyebrows shot up, but then they quickly lowered with confusion and uncertainty.

But even though the teen now clearly wanted an explanation from him, Vlad had no intention of giving him one. Perhaps before he would have used Maddie's moment of desperation just a few days ago to his advantage, and he probably would have gone as far as rubbing it into the young hybrid's face just to hurt him. But now, it seemed cowardly to tarnish the boy's image of his mother. Even if what Maddie had done had been out of love for her son, Vlad was certain Daniel would be hurt if he knew.

And he didn't want to hurt this boy anymore.

"In spite of my certainty that you were the main piece in my plan, I could only move and manipulate you so far," Vlad continued, ignoring the displeased look on the boy's face when he didn't explain his previous comment. "No matter what I did, I couldn't get you to join me. It seemed that the harder I grabbed your reins, the harder you kicked back and resisted. Even when I knew you could see how much easier things could be for you if you would just join me, you always denied it, much to my growing frustration. In fact, I found myself _hating_ you more and more each day for your rebellious ways. It was just infuriating how you would foil all my efforts to win you over."

"And yet…," the older hybrid said, his voice softening, "as my hate for you grew, so did my affection. I will admit, at first, you had been simply an obsession, a means to my purpose with your parents. But the more I interacted with you, the more I learned of you, the more my interest for you became something real. Somewhere along the way, my affection for you became more than my supposed hate, even if I refused to admit it. Even so, more than ever, I wanted you at my side. That fire in you that rebelled against me was ironically the same fire that allured me to you. It honestly troubled me how much I longed to have you accept me. Something inside me just needed to be close to you. And until this day, I am still uncertain of this…_connection_ I feel with you. I fear how it grows stronger and stronger and I can't control it. I…thought it was my imagination at first, but although I still cannot explain it, I am now certain it is real… And…I think you do, too."

Danny glanced away, and although he didn't confirm it, he also didn't deny it. This 'bond' with the older hybrid always made him uncomfortable, but it was now mostly because he also didn't understand it. But unlike before when he went out of his way to fight against its existence and outright deny it, he now accepted it, especially when it had gotten him out of close-calls in the past few months…

"One day, after all my efforts and failed attempts," Vlad suddenly spoke up again, his voice very sober again, "I realized that I was never going to get you to renounce to your father. But I just couldn't forget about you and move on. This… _feeling_ inside me wouldn't allow it. So, I decided I would fulfill that need with the next best thing: A clone."

Danny felt his jaw clench in anger at the mention of the man's little cloning project. It still upset him greatly to even think about that event, to even remember how Vlad had disrespected him in such a way. But what really angered him was the fact that he made Danielle, and thanks to Vlad, she was now alone somewhere. The guy didn't want her simply because she wasn't the 'perfect half-ghost son'— or in other words, because she wasn't _him_.

The teen crossed his arms and took a quiet breath to keep his emotions under control. He really didn't like how Vlad was bringing all this up and how he had yet to even explain to him why. But there was something underlining the man's voice, even during his dark words, that kept Danny rooted in his spot and listening to all this, in spite of the fact that he didn't really want to hear it…

The older hybrid clearly noticed the boy's barely suppressed anger, but he still continued forward with his mostly one-sided conversation…

"My background in human genetics and biochemistry came of great use in that endeavor. I knew it would be a challenge because I wasn't going to settle for anything less than an exact replica of you. I wanted your clone to have the same spirit and fire as the real you. Everything down to the very last strand of hair had to be the same. In essence, it _had_ to be _you_, minus for _one_ thing: your loyalty to your father. That, I would replace with loyalty to me."

Vlad paused and his eyebrows creased with some unknown emotion as he further said, "In spite of how angry you could make me, I never once even contemplated wasting you after I knew who you were. I just couldn't bring myself to destroy the only other being like me. And the truth is that if I have not destroyed your father by now, it is solely because of you. As I said, everything, including my priorities, changed after I met you. But I forced myself to come to a firm conviction the day I decided to clone you. I told myself that if I was going to go through with it and if I was successful, then I would force myself to destroy you and your father once and for all. I told myself I would not need you once I had a copy, a _better_ you, at my side. You would be obsolete. So, there was no reason for me to continue to put up with your rebellion. I would show you no mercy anymore. I would rid myself of you for all the times you denied and opposed me. And once you were out of the way, I had planned to deal your father the same fate. My revenge would have then been complete and I would have simply used your clone to win Maddie over. At last, I would have had the love that was rightfully mine..."

Danny's eyes unconsciously narrowed at the return of the man's dark tone and talk about hurting his father. But before the teen could say anything about it, Vlad's voice calmed, though now he seemed to sound slightly resentful.

"But once again, you thwarted my plans. You destroyed months of work and built up hope. When you destroyed the son that would finally be mine, when you denied me the love that I was sure it would have given me, I felt something tear within me. At that moment, I all but relived what your father had done to me." Vlad's eyes suddenly narrowed with the memory and his voice only became darker as he continued, "Like him, you took away my chance to love and be loved from my fingers. I had made a vow to myself that I would never allow anyone to hurt me like he had again. But that day, you did. And I _hated_ you at that instant far more than I ever had. Whatever affection I had for you, at that moment, Daniel, was obliterated. I was so enraged with you for destroying my half-ghost son that I didn't even see you at that instant, but rather, I saw you as _Jack Fenton_. It was the first time I truly wanted nothing more than to hold you by your neck and watch you slowly die in my grasp."

Danny's eyes widened and he was so horrified by how disturbing Vlad's words were that he shook his head and breathed out without thinking, "Oh, Vlad…you're so sick…"

But to the boy's growing fear, the older hybrid's eyes suddenly flashed red and though there was clear anguish in Vlad's voice, he growled at him, "Yes, I am. I'm sick with _GRIEF_!"

Danny unconsciously pressed his back harder against the railing behind him. But this time, the man's response frightened him for another reason. It frightened him because he had heard Vlad's words before; but they had been uttered in his supposed dream by his alternate future self…

_"I would have never needed to cheat on that test if it wasn't for my ghost powers and my stupid need to be some hero! I want them gone!" Daniel said bitterly._

_Vlad suddenly looked like he was ready to break down. But instead the man just fell back on a couch and buried his face in his hands._

_"Oh, Danny," the man whispered. "My dear boy, you're sick," Vlad said, looking up at Daniel with distressed eyes._

_Daniel nodded and whispered, "Yes...with grief."_

Seeing the fearful look on the boy, Vlad's sudden anger instantly melted and his sorrow now mixed with guilt returned. The man knew the things he was saying were hard for the boy to hear. But he just needed to say them. He was done trying to act like his heart wasn't in emotional agony… He just wanted—_needed_—the boy to understand…

He sighed deeply in order to get a grip on his emotions again. But when he finally continued again, his voice had become graver and quieter…

"After that day, I understood that you would never join me—at least not willingly. So, I decided I would _make_ you. I was going to force you to be at my side. I knew it would be no easy task. After all, I needed to be certain that you would have no way to escape from me. I needed a way to control and tie you to me. It didn't take me very long to figure out what, or rather, who, I would be using as bait. You all but handed her over to me after that incident with your father's ecto-suit and the bloodstream nanobots."

Danny tensed, knowing where the man was going with this.

"You made it all too easy for me to use Jasmine against you. And because I knew firsthand how strong a bond between siblings could be, I was certain she would make the perfect pawn against you. I knew you would do anything for her… And I was so blinded by rage that I had no problem with making her suffer. I justified my actions by telling myself that Jasmine deserved it for daring to cross my path, and that it was also your fault for letting her get involved…So from there, it was all a matter of constructing a better _control_ of the dormant nanobots in her body. Axion made them to last in their dormant state for up to a year, so I was certain they were still there. As you know, the mainframe became that perfect 'control'. I made it so it couldn't be destroyed without taking Jasmine with it. I made it so that it could be linked with various devices in case I needed to better get my point across to you as I did at the hospital. I absolutely felt no remorse for your sister's condition. In fact, it was satisfying to see Jack so miserable and you so helpless…"

"I seriously hope you get to the point soon of telling me all this, because you have no idea how much I'm trying not to make you sorry for what you're saying," Danny suddenly growled, his hands fisting on his sides at having to hear the man's previous cruel thoughts.

Vlad immediately paused in thought and just stared quietly at the boy for a second or two. But then he sadly asked, "Could you really do that, Daniel?"

Danny's anger instantly melted, but he didn't respond and just turned around to look out at the forest a distance away. The truth was that he really couldn't make the guy sorry because he just couldn't see Vlad as his arch-enemy anymore, not after everything...

Seeing the teen turn away from him, the older hybrid lowered his arms and took a tentative step towards him as he tried to assure the boy, "At any other time, I would have never even thought about harming her, let alone endangering her life. How could I when I know how it feels to lose a sister? But I had become so desperate to have you as my son. And I had equally become as angry with you, that all I wanted was for you to suffer as I was suffering. And so I didn't care about anything else."

Vlad sighed quietly as he admitted, "I purposely closed all your escapes, Daniel. I made sure you could tell no one about what I was doing and about my ultimatum. And I used your fear of my threat over your sister to keep you quiet. So, with no friends at your side to help you, I forced you to rely solely on yourself. And then, I mercilessly took that from you as well….I made it so that there were so many ghosts threatening Amity Park that you became so overwhelmed and so exhausted that you couldn't even think straight."

It hardly surprised the billionaire when Danny instantly tensed and then whirled around. His angry look was also quite expected….

"Wait…," Danny's eyes flashed a bright green before he suddenly pointed an accusing finger at the man and hissed furiously, "_**You**_ sent all those ghosts?"

"…Yes," Vlad replied calmly. "And just to get it out of the way, I also had been planning to get rid of your father all this time. I would have succeeded, too. You see, I convinced him that Danny Phantom had kidnapped his son, so your father had been determined to venture into the Ghost Zone after you. I think you can imagine the rest. I was then going to use you to win your mother's love. And because I had your sister's life in my hands, you would have had no other choice but to play your part in my plans."

Danny's eyes were wide with disbelief, but then they narrowed again and his hands fisted. But before he could say anything, Vlad quickly continued.

"I also set up a wager in Amity Park for the sole purpose of keeping your friends occupied and out of my way. I was going to reward any ghost who managed to take over Amity Park. As for your sister, I kept her in line in a very similar way to you. The thing about using someone against another is that it works both ways. I merely blackmailed her by threatening to destroy your life and hurt your father. I'm sure you can imagine how compliant she was after I—"

Danny abruptly interrupted the man—or more like silenced him with an ecto-blast…

Getting hit right in the chest, Vlad's back slammed into one of the veranda's glass doors, cracking it. And because he was already hurt from his riding accident with 'Phantom', the man collapsed on the ground and squeezed his eyes shut as hot pain shot up his spine, while the sting of Danny's energy rippled through his chest.

"You jerk!" the teen growled, too angry to notice the man's pained look. "You said you'd leave them alone if I did what you wanted! I should have known you wouldn't keep your word!"

"No, Daniel," Vlad breathed out as he slowly forced himself back to his feet. "I never said that. I said I would not harm _Jasmine_, and I kept my word. Your father was fair game and your friends and sister were simply in the way. I had to find a way to keep them under control."

The teen was so livid that he visibly shook with the emotion. So, it hardly came as a surprise when he fired another ecto-blast at Vlad, slamming him once more into the glass door.

The billionaire grunted this time and didn't say anymore. He knew he deserved the teen's wrath and much more. So, he made no effort to protect himself now.

"Go ahead, Daniel," he muttered sadly. "Just let me know when you're finished."

Danny glared back at the man, while his angry energy itched to be released against the man. But in spite of how furious Vlad's disclosure made him, the guy was _admitting_ to it all. So, instead of telling him to get lost, as he wanted, logically, there had to be a reason for the man's confession. And the teen wanted to learn what that reason was… But also….For some strange reason, he really was trying to understand his arch-enemy's point of view, if only just this once…

The boy's energy slowly dissipated, and although he was still clearly angry, his threatening posture relaxed and without a word, he turned back to stare at the dark view around him.

Vlad let the tense silence now between them drag out for a few more seconds before he began again, this time his voice was soft and physically pained, "My plan was foolproof. I knew that you would never even risk your sister's life, so I didn't have to worry about the possibility of your neglecting my ultimatum. I knew from the start you never would. So from there, it was easy to predict your reaction and moves. And I simply used that knowledge to my advantage. All your attempts to find a way out of my trap only drove you further into it. I made sure you couldn't find any other moves but the ones I gave you until you were left with none at all..."

"Checkmate," Danny suddenly muttered bitterly upon recalling Vlad's explanation of chess…

If it wasn't for the circumstances, the billionaire would have been impressed by how quickly the boy had made the connection. But instead, Vlad just nodded soberly. "Precisely, Daniel. Your only choice from the very beginning was to surrender. As other times before, you were part of another of my elaborate chess games. But this time, you were not a mere pawn, but the main piece. You were the opposing king I was determined to topple by any means necessary. I knew you would hate me for forcing you into such a situation, but I didn't care. Like I said, I was too furious at you for destroying my perfect clone of you that I didn't care if you despised me. I didn't care about anything else but making you suffer. But also…, I was determined to get back what you took from me—my half-ghost son. And so, I devised one last game plan to get you to join me."

Danny suddenly scoffed bitterly before turning back around to face Vlad. "And you accomplished it. I played right into your hands, didn't I?"

Vlad just nodded.

But instead of growing angry again, the boy's eyebrows creased in sadness and he bit his lip as he remembered the night he had broken down in front of his arch-enemy.

Danny stared despondently at the billionaire as he softly uttered, "Tell me the truth, Vlad…Did you cause me to lose control of my powers...?"

"No, Daniel," Vlad replied right away, his voice completely sincere. "I never even expected that to occur. Yes, I was aware that your teenage body caused your powers to fluctuate time and again, but never to such an extreme. And I never imagined your energy could become so unstable from not using it."

The boy seemed to relax a bit with the man's assurance. For the longest time, he had feared Vlad had purposely caused him something that horrible as to lose control of his powers. So, it was of great relief to know that what happened had only been an accident.

"I have no reason to lie to you now, though," Vlad suddenly continued, his voice now serious again. "In spite of the fact that I did not cause your unprecedented and unpredicted power spike, I nevertheless used it to my advantage. The truth is that I have used everything that has happened in these months to my advantage. Even the things I never directly planned. From the very beginning, Daniel—from that night you took your sister out of the hospital for a small flight to your fight with Ms. Gray that resulted in everyone in Amity believing you were dead. Then, your close-call fight here with Skulker and Fright Knight and… even our own fights. I used it all to bring you one step closer to where I wanted you…"

Danny just crossed his arms and lowered his gaze.

"You see… my intention from the very beginning was to not only force you to surrender, but to make you submit to me. That is the true reason I brought you here. That's the true reason I let you do as you wanted and left you with nothing to do but dwell on your loses… It was with the sole intention of forcing you to submit that I took you away from your loved ones… away from what really gave you your _drive_."

Vlad paused when Danny looked back at him with apprehension. And as if the man knew what the boy was thinking, he nodded and said, "I know how you feel about them, Daniel. And although it is natural that you see them as your support and strength, your _need_ of them borders on obsession. In fact, after the things I've witness from you in these past months I really now think they are an obsession to you…"

"What are you talking about? I love my family and friends! How is that obsessive?" the teen quickly questioned, sounding highly defensive.

"I know you love them. But somewhere along the way you have _also_ become obsessed with them—or, rather, obsessed with your need of them. And that is how I knew my plan would work. I have seen how quick you are to crumble at the mere thought of losing even one of them. That's why I was sure that without them, it would only be a matter of time before you yielded to me. And I now have proof that you can't even stand being apart from them without falling apart. Did you not think I noticed the true reason you submitted to me? I knew the whole time that your decision to join me was out of grief—grief of not being able to be with your loved ones anymore. You were so distraught at being forced to let go of your obsessive need of them that you willingly surrendered and submitted to me."

"And you didn't hesitate to take advantage of it," Danny growled angrily, though he was mostly troubled by what the man was saying about him. That wasn't true, was it? He wasn't obsessively dependent on his loved ones… was he?

"I did more than that, Daniel," Vlad replied seriously. "I was so blinded by anger that I didn't realize I had pushed you past your limit until it was too late. I choose to ignore the warning signs. So, it wasn't until that night, the night your powers spiked uncontrollably that I learned how right I was about your weakness. But their absence had affected you far more than I ever wanted…"

"Daniel," the man said, his gaze softening into an almost pleading look. "I promise you, it was never my intention to _destroy_ your spirit. In fact, that's what allures me most about you. I just… I failed to realize that submission and destruction go hand-in-hand for you, my boy. I thought I could make you surrender without having to break you… I was wrong."

Vlad looked away as he quietly added, "I haven't questioned my actions in a long time. But the way you looked at me the night that you broke down…that _broken_ look in your eyes _still_ haunts me. I felt like such a… _monster_. Even if I didn't purposely cause everything that led up to that night, I knew it was still my fault. I knew I had done that to you… And I knew at that moment that all of this had been a mistake…I had known since that night that I should have never brought you here…"

Vlad paused again, and Danny's eyebrows creased in confusion when sadness briefly passed by the man's eyes. But before the teen could say anything, the billionaire exhaled softly before continuing in the same sober voice.

"Even with that guilt, I couldn't let you go. I told myself it was still only out of revenge, but I can now admit that was just a lie—an excuse. After I saw firsthand the potential you hold, I became more determined to have you at my side. So, when you presented that chance to me, even when I knew you really had no idea what you were doing, I still took it. I agreed to your terms. And I let you surrender to me. I was so pleased with myself for finally getting you to join me that I didn't measure the consequences…When you told me you were giving me what was left of you, I thought they were mere words induced by your troubled mind and body. I never realized how true they were until I saw what you became. You turned into a mere shadow of yourself… It wasn't what I wanted. I wanted the real you to yield to me—the stubborn, spirited, quick-witted boy I had met."

Danny suddenly shook his head, clearly having enough. "Vlad, just stop, alright?" he almost pleaded. "Why are you bringing all this up? Why does it matter? Guilt or not, right or wrong, you got what you wanted. I'm tied to you in more ways than one. I'm not going anywhere. So, why does anything else matter to you now? We can't change the past…so, why talk about it anymore? I told you before….you won, Vlad," the boy muttered sadly.

Vlad stayed quiet at first and just studied the boy's dimmed blue eyes; but all he found in them was… hopelessness... If the older hybrid had had any ounce of uncertainty in what he was about to do, then at this very instant it was gone…

"I'm not playing a game with you anymore, Daniel. In fact, it's been over for about two months now… So, how can this be about winning anymore? And even if it were, I can assure you, I am not the winner…," the man sadly assured him.

Danny shook his head with the man's confusing words before pleading, "Why are you telling me all this?"

Not liking the boy's depressed and desperate look, Vlad was almost tempted to answer the teen. But he wasn't finished yet. And if he gave him the reason for all of this before doing so, the man was certain the teen wouldn't fully understand that reason…

"I tied you with not just your sister's life, but with an agreement," the man continued softly.

And when he did, Danny just sighed and turned back around to stare down at the castle's garden below.

"I knew you would never retract from your word; if not for your honesty, then because I had Jasmine over your head. But I wasn't willing to accept just what you had given me. As I said, I wanted the real you at my side. I told myself you were worthless to me, otherwise; but the truth was I couldn't bear to see you so broken. It took a drastic act on my part to finally push you out of that state..," Vlad muttered, thinking about how he had pretty much beat up the boy and messed with his head just to get him to snap out of his reclusive state after his breakdown.

"_That's an understatement,"_ Danny thought bitterly, though he did not say anything out loud, nor did he react to Vlad's words.

"I finally had you in my grasp, Daniel," the older hybrid said with guilt now lacing his serious voice. "I had the _real_ you. Yet now, I could see your hate for me in every look you gave me. And it infuriated me how much it hurt to see it when it shouldn't. So, I made sure you saw my own loathing for you right back. I forced myself to see you as an enemy under my thumb and _nothing_ more."

"I never thought I could hate anyone like I came to hate you," Danny suddenly whispered painfully, silencing the billionaire. And although the boy was facing away from him, the man could imagine the distraught expression on his face as he continued, "You practically ended my life, yet kept me breathing. And what was worse was that even hating you caused me pain, because it was a darkness I didn't want to have inside me."

"I told you, Daniel," Vlad then said sadly. "I was so angry at you. I became desperate. I promise you, I never intentionally wanted to cause you _that_ much pain and suffering."

"But you did," Danny replied, finally turning around to look bitterly at the man.

Vlad nodded and regrettably agreed, "But I did…And the worst of it came after. Once I got you where I wanted you, I focused on my plans with your parents. I was so close to carrying them out; and as I said, I would have succeeded, too. But just before I could go through with my intentions with Jack, your friends and sister discovered you were at my castle… I panicked, Daniel. I didn't want to lose what I had gained, so I was determined to do whatever it took to make sure Jasmine and your little friends didn't take you away from me. Still, I was furious because I knew that my original plans with your parents were ruined with their discovery of your being with me. In fact, I was so livid I even briefly contemplated wasting all three of them at that instant. And I think you saw that, which led to your own desperate actions. I…have never seen you act, let alone, talk like that to anyone, especially your loved ones. I wouldn't admit it before, but I know it's true now. I _did_ force you to act that way towards your friends and sister, because _you_, Daniel, would have never done something like that, otherwise…"

Danny sadly looked away as he felt guilt clench at his heart. Vlad had forced him to do that to his friends and sister, but it didn't make him feel any less guilty about it. And… he probably would never forgive himself for it…

"I didn't realize just how much I was destroying you until I saw your attitude after that day...," Vlad continued with a sigh. "You became cold, uncaring, heartless… You became… me."

Danny could only swallow thickly at knowing it was true. His mind and heart had been so clouded by hate and resentment at one point that he had become no better than his arch-enemy…

"You would think that would have been an accomplishment for me," the older hybrid said soberly. "But it wasn't. In spite of what you have always believed, I have never wanted to turn you into me. Quite the contrary. I have always hoped to prevent you from going through everything I did…I have never wished my life on anyone but Jack," Vlad added quietly.

"I suppose that has always been my mistake," he then said bitterly. "I have always been so sure that I know what's best for you. I have always justified my forcing you to do things my way with your lack of experience. I foolishly thought I had been doing you a favor by making you go into the Ghost Zone to meet Ms. Thomas. I thought I had everything under control… But I was deadly mistaken…"

Vlad suddenly sighed shakily, and Danny quickly looked up at him with a mixture of uncertainty and concern.

"I cannot remember the last time I was as terrified as I was the day you were ambushed by Walker and his guards," the man whispered quietly, as if he was reliving the experience. "Seeing you so injured, so _lifeless_... It frightened me more than the times I have been close to losing my own life. All I could think about was how I _couldn't_ lose you, especially when I knew it was my fault."

Vlad sighed again, but this time more quietly before he further said, "It wasn't until then—_until_ I was on the brink of losing you—that I realized how much you mean to me, Daniel."

The older hybrid's eyes suddenly flashed red, and the quick change in demeanor startled the boy, especially when Vlad suddenly growled out, "I would have destroyed _every single one_ of those ghosts to keep you safe. So, you can be certain I felt no remorse when I destroyed Walker's top guard. It was the least he deserved for daring to lay a hand on you."

"What? You wasted Bullet?" Danny gasped out, looking horrified. That was something he had not known since he had been so close to passing out when Plasmius had gotten into that fight with Walker's guards…

Vlad's eyes turned blue again with the boy's outburst. But instead of answering what the boy now already knew, the man just continued in a serious voice again. "I fought with Skulker that night because of what happened to you."

The boy's eyebrows creased at hearing Vlad finally admit the truth about the hunter to him. But he was still reeling about Bullet. Even if the ghost had given him grief on many occasions, he had never wished for his demise, especially when the older hybrid had destroyed Bullet practically all because of him.… Somehow, it made Danny feel responsible…

"I blamed Skulker for what happened to you when the truth is that it wasn't his fault," Vlad said sadly. "It was _my_ fault. Even if Dazzler and his sibling had set up that plan with Walker, I inadvertently _made_ you walk into their trap. I stubbornly refused to allow you to refute my will. So, I forced you into that situation when I should have known better….Just like I should have known better than to attack and insult Skulker that day."

Danny's eyes widened at the news, but he didn't dare interrupt this time.

"Skulker has always been loyal to me; so I still feel foolish for even considering that he had set that up. He would never betray me, but I was so terrified of losing you that I was blinded by my emotions. And it is not until now since I have broken my alliance with him that I understand how important he was to me…And yet…I am not truly sorry for what happened with Skulker. You are far more important to me than my lost relationship with him…"

Vlad paused for a moment, and Danny just quietly watched him as the man glanced up at the stars and abruptly, but softly said, "I hope that for as long as I live, I never again have to see you as I did the day I held you dying in my arms…"

Danny softly shivered, already knowing just how the man felt. After all, the teen equally hoped he would never have to see Vlad's lifeless form like he had when Dazzler took his life force…

"I still don't even understand how or why, but since that day, everything changed between us, especially when you unexpectedly decided to call a truce between us." Vlad shook his head. "I didn't understand it. I was so sure you would hate me even more after what happened with Walker. So, naturally, I was flabbergasted with your change towards me. I was so certain you were trying to trick me, somehow. Even after I agreed to your truce, I still distrusted you…"

"I know. That's why you instantly thought the worst when you found me in your secret lab the day I was just helping Niane dust," Danny muttered with a frown.

The billionaire nodded. "I was wrong. But even with my doubt of your change, I wanted your change to be genuine, so I gave our truce a chance. And when I did, I began to realize that for everything I thought I knew about you, I knew nothing. In the year I have known you, Daniel, I now know I have never _really_ known you until now. It's been in these last few months that I have discovered _who_ you really are, dear boy. And what I have discovered is far more amazing than I could have ever imagined, let alone believed to be true…. You really are the purest and noblest person I have ever met, or that I will ever meet, I'm certain..."

Danny blushed at the compliment; and although he didn't really think he was everything Vlad believed him to be, the teen couldn't bring himself to correct him…

"Answer me something, Daniel," Vlad suddenly requested quietly as he turned his now intense gaze at the boy. "I need to know…I need to _understand_… How could you show anything but hate to someone who has caused you so much grief? _How_ could you and _why_ would you look at me with the care you did when I took away everything from you?"

Danny was surprised by how easily he was able to answer the man, especially when this question would have made him uncomfortable just two months back. But, somehow, Vlad's sincerity also brought forth his own honestly…

"You're not the only one who has discovered things in these months, Vlad," the boy said with a small sad smile. "I meant what I said to you a few days back: You are not who I thought you were. And you're not a heartless monster—even when you seem to like to show otherwise for a reason I get now. But as much as you have tried to show everyone how cold and uncaring you can be, something—sometimes even the smallest things, like a simple word—has betrayed you."

The teen sighed when the billionaire frowned back at him with uncertainty, but he still pressed on, "I have been so set on seeing you as nothing but my enemy since I met you at that college reunion that I either chose to ignore the good in you or just didn't see it. And I didn't want to even consider the possibility that you were capable of _actually_ caring about me….even when I knew from a previous experience that you really are capable of that and so much more," Danny muttered quietly, thinking of the alternate future Vlad.

"It wasn't until you risked your life to save me from Walker that I was forced to remember everything I had learned. It wasn't until then that I finally understood that I should know better than to fight evil with evil… I finally understood that there really was good in you. You're not heartless. And I guess I thought that if I showed you care that you would also see and remember that you are capable of it, too…"

Vlad smiled sadly when he saw the boy look away, clearly believing he had failed in his attempt to change the man...

"Why are you so upset, Daniel? Can't you see that you succeeded?" he told the boy quietly.

Danny instantly locked his surprised eyes with the man. But before the boy could even react to what he was saying, Vlad continued.

"But you have done more than… remind me how to truly care for someone. You have reminded me how to trust once more as well. You have showed me what it's like to put someone else before myself for once. You even taught me how to… _chill out_…"

Vlad smirked weakly when the teen blinked at him with the last comment. But the boy then couldn't help but smile a bit himself at remembering those lighter events…

But the man's quiet demeanor vanished all too soon and was replaced with deep regret. "I wish I would have trusted you sooner. Perhaps then I could have prevented everything that happened with Dazzler…When I discovered what he had done to you, I wanted nothing more than to destroy him. But…as furious as I was, I was just as frightened. I feared that I would have to relive almost losing you as I almost did in the Ghost Zone."

Vlad shook his head, as if banishing the memory again, but he still said, "I could never bear to see you die, my boy. That's why I preferred for it to be me. That's why I agreed to switch places with you as Dazzler wanted. And yet, I knew, _I was certain_, that neither of us would lose our life that day," the man said with passionate conviction.

Danny could only stare back at the man, waiting to hear why he had been so sure of that. He had never understood how Vlad had known he would break out of Dazzler's spell, but the teen was sure the man was finally going to tell him.

"You are so strong, my boy," the man assured him softly. "And in some ways you are stronger than I will ever be…And what's astounding is that you don't seem to realize the things you are capable of when you merely believe in yourself…That is how I knew you would not let Dazzler win that day. And when I further saw you fighting his spell over you in spite of your fear, when I saw you regain control for those few seconds, I knew it was true. And I knew you could break his control over you. So, I did what I did—certain that you would save the day, as you always do, I suppose…," Vlad added with a small smile.

"I was only able to break his spell because of you, you know," Danny said, his eyebrows creased with his mixed emotions. "I remembered what you told me about fear and controlling it…"

"And here I thought you weren't listening to a word I said that day," Vlad said with a small chuckle.

"I listen to what you say more than you think, Vlad," Danny muttered quietly, this time looking away.

The billionaire's smile vanished and he fell quiet. The boy's words had instantly reminded him of the time he had taken the boy horse riding for the first time in the middle of the night. It had been just after his argument with Jasmine over the phone—something he also needed to confess to the boy…

But right now, Vlad's thoughts were mostly on something he had _told_ Daniel that night in the forest…

"I know I said that in 'my world' I only exist…," the man said sadly. "But in these last months, you came into it, Daniel. And you turned it upside down. It worried me to see this happening without a way to stop it, but after everything, I'm glad for it. You see, you have changed my world into something far more special than I have ever had in a long time," he told the boy with a sad smile again. "Somewhere in all that has happened between us, I began to realize that merely seeing you smile was much more satisfying than obtaining my own wants. So, I became determined to do everything in my power to give you everything you could ever need. I became almost obsessed with the need to see you smile every day. So, I desperately wanted to do away with the one thing that caused you so much grief….I thought I could make you forget about your life and your loved ones in Amity Park. I thought that if we could just bury our conflicted past, we could start anew and things could be different between us… Ultimately, I was just lying to myself again. Even with all my powers, I still could not cover up a multitude of wrongs with one right, let alone the countless wrongs I have done against you…," he said, his face falling into a resigned frown.

Vlad sighed before soberly asking the teen, "Do you remember the call I received the day we were in the kitchen baking cookies…?"

Danny just quietly nodded.

"It wasn't your mother who called me. It was your sister," Vlad confessed.

The young hybrid's eyes widened in surprise at first, but then he lowered his gaze when it finally all made sense. That's why the man had been so upset that day. He had probably had a serious argument with Jazz…

"She told me what I didn't want to hear, let alone accept or believe," Vlad said, confirming the boy's belief. "I knew how much I was hurting your mother and you—the two people I care for most now. But I just turned a blind eye towards the fact, justifying myself by saying I would make it up to you both once I had you and your mother at my side. But your sister was right, and although I didn't want to accept it then, it still made me feel terrible. I have tried so hard to push back this guilt that grows more relentless each day. I have even tried to alleviate it by trying to fix some of the damage I have done both to you and your home…But it's been useless."

Vlad's eyebrows drew together as he said, "I finally understand that it is impossible to make someone happy when you are still hurting that person…And after our last argument a few days back, I have accepted that I will never be able to help you while I am still harming you…But above all, our last fight has made me realize something far more shocking and important than anything else so far…"

Danny frowned in confusion when the older hybrid suddenly moved away from him and went over to another side of the balcony. This time, it was the teen who was looking at the man's back and he couldn't help but take a few tentative steps towards him when the billionaire suddenly became quiet.

"Vlad…? What did you realize?" the boy asked quietly, now really wanting the man to continue talking again.

"Everything I have told you has been in hope of making you realize how significant my next words are…," the man said sadly, his defeated gaze on the dark fields below. "Daniel… I love your mother and I hate your father far more than mere words can ever hope to describe. Though, I think you can now at least imagine how rooted those feelings are within me. And perhaps in some way, the way I feel about them, though genuine, has also become an obsession to me. But with you at my side… somehow, none of it seems to matter as much anymore…"

The older hybrid closed his eyes as he further confessed, "Ever since my accident in college, there hasn't been a day since I have not thought about what I lost thanks to your father …That is, until now…," he whispered softly.

Danny could only stare at the man's back in disbelief. And he indeed understood the significance of what Vlad was saying now thanks to everything he had said to him thus far…

"You once asked me what you were to me," Vlad abruptly continued when he opened his eyes and gazed sorrowfully at the glittering night sky above them.

"And you just said I wasn't some object or pawn to you," Danny added sadly upon remembering that discussion they had once had at the dinner table on the same day that Vlad told him they were going to Germany…

"I couldn't tell you then, but I can tell you now…"

Danny tensed slightly when the older hybrid finally turned around to face him again. But instead of the seriousness or even sadness he saw before on his face, Vlad was now looking at him with a mixture of care and anxiety.

"Daniel…_little badger_," he said softly, "You mean _everything_ to me. I don't understand how or why, but I feel complete with you at my side, as if, somehow, you are my reason for being. It's as if meeting you has given my life purpose again, though I still don't know in what way. That emptiness I have felt since I lost Viviane practically goes away when I am with you, which is why I think I've dared to think about her and my parents lately…I have come to realize _you_ are all that I have _ever_ needed."

Vlad paused when he saw the boy take an uncertain step away from him. And although the man understood that this really was a lot to take in for anyone, let alone a teenager, he needed to say it, for he somehow felt it was the only chance he would ever get to do so.

He shook his head in sadness, but still continued, though this time in a softer voice in hopes of not making the boy any more nervous than he was.

"I… now understand you can never see me as your father, but that doesn't mean I can't see you as my son, Daniel. That doesn't mean I cannot care for you as such. At least, I hope not because it's how I feel. But also, I like the way you make me feel about _myself_. When I am with you, I think of Jack and that hate I feel for him isn't what it used to be. I love Maddie, but now I find myself _accepting_ that she really has always loved Jack…"

Vlad suddenly turned back around and tightly gripped the balcony's railing as he confessed, "I look at you, little badger, and I find myself _glad_ that Jack and Maddie got married because without that love between them you wouldn't exist and that is far more painful to even imagine than having to live with the knowledge that the love of my life is in the arms of my former best friend… I look at you, and I feel like I would gladly go through all I have again if it is what was necessary in order for me to have met you…"

The older hybrid let out a shaky sigh before slowly turning back around, and with nothing but trepidation in his voice, he quietly asked the boy, "What have you done to me, Daniel?"

For a moment, Danny just stared at him. He couldn't believe what he was seeing… For the first time since he had known him, Vlad Masters was looking at him with nothing but true fear and vulnerability. Not only that, but he was talking to him with his heart in his hand—something he never thought he would ever witness from his arch-enemy.

But this man in front of him wasn't his arch-enemy. He wasn't even the all powerful Vlad Plasmius or untouchable Vlad Masters at the moment. There was no smirk or careless laughter to be seen or heard. There wasn't an ounce of coldness or indifference in his blues eyes. In fact, the teen could have sworn Vlad was pleading him for something…

No, he wasn't looking at the ruthless man he knew. Danny was looking at someone who felt utterly lost and needed someone to _help_ him find his way again…

A soft smile slowly curled the boy's lips before he finally replied with both care and calmness, "I just gave you a second chance…"

Vlad's eyes shrouded with confusion. But instead of asking what the teen meant by his words, the man suddenly sighed in surrender and turned back around to gaze at the stars. There was a brief silence before he spoke again, but the uncertainty in his voice had now melded into sad conviction…

"I promised you I'd make this worth your while. So, here it is…" The billionaire paused just briefly before telling the boy in a calm voice, "I'm letting you go."

Danny's eyes instantly went wide and he was sure his heart had just skipped several beats. Did he just hear right?

"W-What?" the teen stuttered out.

The older hybrid turned back to look at the shocked boy in the face before he repeated his last words again, sad resolve still in his voice and expression.

"I said, I'm letting you go, Daniel." The man's eyebrows then drew in as he added, "You're right, my boy. I can't change the past, but I can change your current situation. I can choose to set things right again for you. And so I am…Consider everything that once held you here no longer existent."

Danny could only continue to stare at the man in disbelief. And the teen could do nothing else for several minutes.

In this time, Vlad just turned back around and set his defeated gaze on the dark trees in the distance.

And when the teen could do nothing else for a long moment, Vlad turned back around and set his defeated gaze on the dark trees in the distance.

It took the boy another minute to attempt to think of something to say. But he just couldn't get over what Vlad was doing. It was so hard to believe this was actually happening!

Danny took a shaky intake of air before he asked barely above a whisper, "You're letting me go home?"

Vlad sighed emptily, but still calmly answered, "Isn't that what you wanted from the beginning?"

But Danny didn't reply anything out loud. _Of course_, he wanted that. Not just wanted, but needed it. He _needed_ to go home so badly. He missed his home, but mostly, he missed his loved ones. He missed being with them. He missed their smiles and hugs. He missed the security and strength they gave him… But now… something held him back….

"What about you?" Danny softly asked after another moment of silence.

This time, the older hybrid didn't turn around. Instead, he chuckled bitterly before questioning back, "What about me, Daniel?"

"What will you do…?" the boy tentatively asked.

And having understood the boy's vague inquiry, Vlad shrugged lightly and soberly answered, "I'll simply continue my life as before."

Danny immediately saddened and worriedly questioned, "As… _before_?"

Vlad sighed dejectedly, this time. "I honestly don't know, Daniel. But if I did, could you really blame me?"

But knowing what that could mean, the boy quickly shook his head and pleadingly said, "No, there's gotta be some other way. I don't want you as my enemy, Vlad. I…I couldn't do it. Not after _everything_. Please, I don't want us to go back to how we were before. You can't act like none of this ever happened. I… know I can't…"

Vlad remained quiet for a moment before finally saying, "Daniel, I can't possible know how things will be after all this…But there is one thing I am certain of: I can't even hope to pretend I could see you as an enemy again, either."

The man sighed again before turning to look at Danny again. But this time he approached him as he sorrowfully told him, "I cannot keep holding you against your will, Daniel... You don't deserve all this suffering and I can't bear the feeling of this remorse any longer. But…"

Now about a foot from the boy, Vlad lowered his gaze for a second before staring deeply into the young hybrid's eyes and gently confessing, "But I wouldn't be true to myself if I didn't attempt one last time to convince you to _willingly_ stay…"

Danny's eyebrows creased in sadness, but he didn't say anything.

"Little badger," the older hybrid began with the same gentleness, though now there was also assurance and urgency in his voice. "I can offer you so much. I can give you so much. My boy, I want to give you the world. Can't you see? You deserve something much _better_ than what fate has given you. I meant what I once said to you. That life of chaos and danger that awaits you in Amity Park shouldn't have to be _your_ life. You are merely a boy, Daniel—a boy who has his whole future ahead of him if he only takes the time to think of what's best for him for once. Perhaps I might never truly understand why you think it's your responsibility to sacrifice your life for others. But I want you to now understand that you have a choice. I'm giving you that choice now, Daniel—this time, with no ulterior motives or any strings attached."

Vlad smiled encouragingly at the teen as he then added, "I know you know what I say is true, little badger. Just look at how well you have been doing in these few months. If you were in school right now, you would be making straight A's! Do you see? You don't lack the intelligence to excel in school. Quite the contrary. You are a brilliant child! And all you have ever needed to prove that has been _the time_ to properly focus—only that the very time you have needed has been stolen from you over and over again with your constant worry for your town. But that's not all you could gain here with me. Who better than to guide you as a half-ghost than someone who has already gone through most of what you have now? Even you must admit that you have learned more about your powers in these months alone than in your entire year with them."

Knowing it was true, but not really wanting to admit it, Danny lowered his gaze and attempted to take a nervous step away from the older hybrid.

But Vlad stopped him by gently grabbing one of his shoulders. And using his other hand, the man grabbed the boy's chin and raised his gaze back to his own.

"Let me give you your dreams, son," the older hybrid said softly. "That is all I want. So, there is no reason for you to be afraid of my offer now. I swear that if you allow me, I will do everything in my power to help you achieve those wonderful aspirations that you have. Please understand. You are far too young to have your life revolve around so much danger and suffering."

"Daniel," the man gently pleaded. "Let _me_ protect _you_. You know I can. And you know I would not let anyone or anything harm you again, dear boy. If you stay, there would be no more coming back from fights, injured and exhausted. There would be no more close-call battles that torment you while awake and in your dreams."

Danny's eyes instantly filled with pain, but now also with uncertainty. But not wanting Vlad to see how much his last words affected him, he grabbed the man's wrist and pulled it away from his chin. But even when the teen then managed to turn his gaze away from him, the older hybrid had seen the boy's conflicted and troubled emotions.

And, somehow, Vlad was certain the teen's mind had drifted and momentarily lingered to that fight that still haunted him. But although he still wished Daniel would tell him about it, all the billionaire wanted right now was to push the boy out of those traumatizing memories.

"Listen to me, Daniel," Vlad quietly commanded. And when the teen hesitantly looked back at him to let him know he was, the older hybrid continued, "I want you to realize how much things could change, but for the better, if you would stay with me. Daniel, we could both be better people. And for you—who are so concerned about the world—then I can assure you that our alliance would be for the better for everyone. And as for us, there will be no more of those ridiculous fights time and time again until one of us ends up doing something we regret for the rest of our lives…"

Vlad suddenly sighed before more seriously saying "Whether or not you accept my offer, I still have a lot to think about, Daniel…. But I am certain of this: With you at my side, I know I am capable of changing the course of my own path, even if it would mean accepting that I have wasted away twenty years of my life. With you, I know I could finally let go of this hate in my heart for your father that consumes me… I could even let Maddie go. I know I told you that you can't save me, Daniel. But I now realize that you _really_ can!"

The man suddenly grabbed the boy's other shoulder and smiled hopefully at him as he added, "Don't you see, Daniel? We can both give each other so much. Dear boy, we can_ save_ each other!"

But the nervous teen quickly shook his head and phased out of the man's hold as he desperately stuttered out, "Vlad, please. I-I can't—"

"Danny…," the older hybrid gently cut him off. He smiled again, though with sadness and concern this time as he told the boy, "I just want to see you smile again. I… want you to be happy. But, please…just think about it. Whatever you decide… I'll understand," he assured him softly.

Danny's eyes widened with the man's words. And he was so overwhelmed by how penetrating they were that he could barely suppress his emotions. He then began to shake under them before he did something he had never truly done before…

He hugged his former arch-enemy with all his might.

Vlad briefly tensed in surprise with how abruptly the boy had thrown his arms around his body and buried his face into his shirt. But it was the intensity with which Daniel hugged him that was the most shocking. Or, perhaps, it was just the fact that the teen had never genuinely shown him this powerful sort of affection.

But the man's disbelief didn't last very long, especially when the boy's grip only doubled with his next sudden words…

"Thank you…Thank you _so much_," Danny whispered, his voice holding an emotion that until today he had only reserved for his friends and family: love.

And hearing it, Vlad closed his eyes and finally hugged the teen back. "You are an extraordinary young man, Daniel…," the man whispered tenderly. But then he slowly let go of the boy; and when the teen slowly did the same, the man then grabbed the boy's chin again to get him to look at him. "And I don't say that because of your powers..," he then added with a soft smile, while his eyes glowed with sincerity and respect.

Danny opened his mouth to say something back to that compliment, but Vlad suddenly let go of his chin and took a step away from him. The man gave him one last parting smile before turning around and leaving him alone on the balcony.

For a moment, the young hybrid just quietly watched the man's retreating form until he lost sight of it. He was still reeling with so many emotions that he couldn't move even then. Eventually, though, he turned around and moved back over to the balcony.

Resting his arms against the railing, he quietly looked up at the star-filled night sky. Several minutes passed before the boy at last showed a true reaction to what had just happened.

A sad smile slowly curled his lips before he softly whispered, "I can go home…"

* * *

***passes out* **


	71. Chapter 70: Decisive Choice

**Hello all! Time for more CM… heh-heh. Man, 74 reviews for the last chapter! You guys are awesome! I gotta say, this chapter wasn't as hard for me to do as the _last_ one, yet it was challenging for me in a different way, mostly in relations to Danny's personality and way of thinking. But more about that at the bottom! Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 70: Decisive Choice **

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In spite of the fact that he had not really gotten sleep last night, Vlad was up at his usual early time the next day. There was an expressionless look on his face as he stood in front of his full-length mirror, tying a casual sweater around his neck. He had long since decided that he wasn't going to work today, which was why his attire consisted of the sweater, tan slacks, and a button-up shirt. But though he had things to do at his companies, he also had things to do here—and he preferred to just get them over with, first.

Briefly looking himself over, he then turned away from the mirror and walked over to his dresser and picked up his cell phone. He flipped it open before pressing a button to speed-dial his secretary. But then, he hesitated to press the 'call' button.

However, his eyebrows creased in sadness as he suddenly thought, _"I can't lose Stephanie, too…"_

With a small sigh, he pressed the 'call' button and put the phone to his ear. He bit his lip as he heard it ring once; twice; and then, three times. But just when he thought his friend wasn't going to answer him, she heard her voice.

"_Hello?"_

"Stephanie," Vlad said right away, barely suppressing a sigh of relief.

There was a brief silence before she soberly answered, "Mr. Masters?"

The billionaire mentally cringed at the title, already knowing she was still mad at him.

"I…uh…I won't be able to make it to Dalv or my other companies today, Stephanie. I have a few urgent things I need to do," he told her, picking first the easier of the two things he wanted to tell her.

"_Well, you're the boss. So, there's no need to tell me, Mr. Masters. And I'm sure no one else is going question you," _she said off-handedly.

"I know…," Vlad replied quietly as he sat down on his bed. "I just… I like letting you know."

"_Alright, then. I'll reschedule things for you."_

"Wait," Vlad said quickly when he heard her intention to hang up. "There's something else."

"_And that is?"_

"We need to talk, Stephanie," Vlad said almost pleadingly. "I owe you an explanation and…an apology about what I said a few days ago…"

"_An apology?"_ she repeated soberly. _"For what? For finally making me wake up and see exactly where I fit in your life? No, that requires no apology. And as for an explanation, I don't want one. I already know more than I care to. Besides, I'm just your secretary. You owe me no explanation."_

"Stephanie, please. You know that's not true. You are not 'just my secretary'. For goodness sake! You know you're my only true friend! I care deeply for you!" Vlad said desperately as he got to his feet and started pacing his room.

"_Is that so? Then, do me a favor?"_ she said quietly before telling him more seriously, _"Stop confusing me."_

The man paused and questioned worriedly, "_Confusing_ you? How am I confusing you, Stephanie?"

There was another silence on the other end before Stephanie sadly said, _"Have a pleasant day, Mr. Masters."_

"Steph—!" Vlad quickly said, but she still hung up. He took a sharp breath in as he stared at his phone. But then he shook his head and muttered, "No. You are not doing this to me…"

He quickly redialed her number. But this time, it went straight to voice mail.

"Hello? Stephanie? Pick up your phone," he demanded, obviously ignoring the fact that he was just talking to a recorder. "Look, I know you're angry. And you have a good reason to be, but you cannot just stop talking to me over this. Honestly, you're being…" But he suddenly paused, realizing what he was about to say wouldn't be right when all of this had been his own doing.

Vlad sighed before quietly adding, "Stephanie, I'm sorry. I was foolish and cruel to have treated you as I did. I…I _need_ you to forgive me, because I can't lose you, too. You're the only constant and real thing in my life, _especially_ now. Please, just…Call me back," he finished dejectedly before hanging up and putting his phone down on the bed.

Suddenly feeling helpless, he leaned forward; and resting his elbows on his lap, he sighed loudly.

"Knock-Knock."

Sensing who it was, Vlad glanced up at his door before half-heartedly replying, "Come in, Derek."

The ghost butler opened the door and walked in a few steps as he said, "Good morning, Mr. Masters. George wanted me to tell you that your breakfast is ready, sir."

The billionaire didn't reply at first. The presence of his ghostly butler suddenly reminded him that none of them knew of his talk with the boy last night; so none of them were aware that the boy was leaving. Should he mention it now?

He exhaled quietly this time before standing up and grabbing his cell phone, and then putting it into his pocket. He walked up to Derek and put a hand on his shoulder with a weak smile. But deciding his ghostly employees would find out on their own eventually, he instead replied, "Thank you, Derek. But I have no appetite… Apologize to George for me, hmm?"

"Yes, sir," Derek replied quietly, clearly worried by how gloomy his employer was.

But before the ghost butler could say anything else, the older hybrid lightly squeezed his shoulder and moved passed him, heading out of his room.

As made his way to his private study, Vlad's thoughts drifted to the other person that had him emotionally distressed—not that the boy had ever left his mind after last night.

Ever since he lost his family, the billionaire never thought he would ever open up to anyone as he had with the young hybrid last night; and most especially, not since after his accident in college. It was true that he had trusted Jack at some point and had told him a lot of things that perhaps not even Maddie knew. But even with Jack, _even with Stephanie,_ he had never spoken so deeply of his feelings like he had done so with the boy.

If it was just four months ago, exposing his feelings as he had would have been unforgivable. But now, he couldn't bring himself to regret it.

How could he, when, for the first time, Daniel had shown _love_ towards him, the _very thing_ he had always wanted from the child.

What he saw in the boy's eyes wasn't pity or sadness for his situation, but actual care—that same care and love he showed his family and friends—his _loved_ ones. And all Vlad had had to do to finally get the boy's love was to let him go. But as painful as it was to have done that, as unthinkable as it could be for him to have told the boy everything he had, the older hybrid would now do it a million times over if it meant he could see what he saw last night in the teen's eyes just once more.

"_But now that means I have lost him…,"_ Vlad thought sadly.

The boy would go home. There was no doubt in his mind of that. Even when he had asked the boy to willingly stay, he knew he wasn't going to convince him—and that his words had been in vain. But as he told the boy, he wouldn't have been fair to himself if he didn't at least try. It was just something he had needed to do—at least one last time.

Ultimately, though, the billionaire couldn't blame Daniel for choosing to go home to his loved ones. After all, feeling loved was the most wonderful thing one could experience.

At least, the boy had given him that experience last night after so long. And it had also served to confirm his own love for the young hybrid. It had also served him to accept—for deep down he had always known—that he would never give Daniel the love his family and friends gave him. Not because he didn't care for the boy as much as his friends and family, but because Vlad now understood that one love could never replace another.

And it was because of that fact that things between him and the boy would change once Daniel left—even if they were parting on good terms. It seemed easy to say that the older hybrid could always go visit the boy whenever he wanted. But it wouldn't be the same; because once the boy was with his family and friends, there would be no place for him in the boy's life.

Stephanie had once told him that he could never take Jack's place in the boy's heart. And Vlad had now accepted that. But she had also told him that he should find where in Daniel's heart and life he belonged…But if he couldn't be Daniel's father, then what else was there for him?

He hardly saw the child as a _friend_. Somehow, Vlad didn't find that such a role fit him with his relationship with Daniel. After all, that would be like putting himself at the same level as the child's two friends, Ms. Manson and Mr. Foley.

No, he didn't fit in the young hybrid's life as a friend.

Really, he didn't fit anywhere in Daniel's life once it included his family and friends. And because he knew he had no place, Vlad just wouldn't be able to bear 'visiting' the boy, especially when it also meant he would have to watch Jack continue to have the wife and child the billionaire desired more than his own life.

The young hybrid was right, though. Even if things wouldn't be the same after he left, that didn't mean it was possible for them to pretend these months didn't happen. Vlad also wouldn't be able to bear going back to being Daniel's 'arch-nemesis'—even if fate seemed to insist that that was the only place the older hybrid could be in the teen's life.

But the billionaire just didn't have the strength or drive to do that anymore.

If he could at least have the will to continue as before, Daniel's departure would probably not be so upsetting. He would just count his losses as easily as before and move on. But how could he do that now when he didn't even know who he was anymore? The boy had taken away from him _who_ he was and _what_ had kept him going. Now, the only thing that brought him any hope was the young hybrid—and he had just given him up.

Without Daniel, he had nothing now… He felt lost and more alone now than he had in the past twenty years...

Honestly, Vlad had no idea what he was going to do once Daniel left. He had thought about it over and over again since he had made this decision, but the man drew a blank. Still, he had meant what he told the boy last night. He wanted Daniel to be happy again—even if it meant the child took with him what was left of his heart…

And yet, he wasn't angry at the teen for leaving him with nothing. On the contrary, he cherished him for what he had done for him. He wouldn't trade these few months with Daniel for anything in the world, because Vlad didn't remember the last time he had been this happy. And if losing himself had been the price for such a wonderful feeling, along with all those moments, he just couldn't bring himself to regret it in the least.

And, at least, Daniel would be happy; so, somehow, that gave his own sorrow purpose…

Vlad sighed away his bittersweet thoughts when he finally entered his private study. He then walked over to a filing cabinet and began to search through the files for a specific folder. And finding one labeled 'Florida Transcripts', he pulled it out and went to sit at his desk.

As he flipped through the very old papers inside, he flipped open his cell phone and dialed his ghost pilot's number…

"Jim? Yes, it's Mr. Masters. I need the helicopter ready by 'one' today."

"…...…...…...…..."

Vlad's face saddened as he replied to whatever his pilot said to him. "No, Jim. I'm not heading to any of my companies. I need it for a trip to Amity Park."

"….…...…...…...…..."

"It's not for me… It's for the boy," he answered quietly, knowing Jim knew well who 'the boy' was. And his next comment quickly confirmed it…

"…...…...…...…..."

The billionaire suddenly rolled his eyes in annoyance. "No, it's nothing of the sort, Jim."

"…..…...…...…...…..."

This time, whatever the ghost pilot told the man did more than just aggravate him and he forcefully answered, "I do not know where you come up with these things. But I suggest you push them out of your mind right now. I want Daniel arriving in _one piece_." He didn't even hesitate as he continued, threatening the ghost pilot with the very same little idea the ghost had just conveyed, "Or, _I swear_, I'll strap **you** to the helicopter and then sink it to the bottom of the ocean!"

Vlad didn't let him reply and angrily hung up the phone as he muttered, "Blasted obsessive ghost…"

Luckily, however, the billionaire knew Jim would never do anything against his will. The ghost pilot disliked the young hybrid, but not enough to betray his employer. Then again, Vlad had never imagined Dazzler would dare betray him after so many years of working for him; but unlike that controlling freak, Jim was a weak ghost, one which Daniel could easily handle if need be. Besides, aside from having a twisted mind, the ghost pilot was pretty calm and also very good at what he did. After all, how many people could say they could pilot any type of aircraft known to mankind? Jim loved flying, so he was always interested in learning all about the newest aircrafts; so he hardly had time for evil plots or revenge plans, even against the infamous _Danny Phantom_.

His irritation and heavy thoughts on his ghost pilot faded away as he turned his eyes back to the folder he had pulled out. It held all his school records during his time in Florida. And although he had kept them just to have them in hand, ironically, this was now going to aid him in his plan on getting the boy home without complications.

After so many months of being missing, the boy's parents and school were not going to accept the teen back without question. And he knew for a fact that Daniel was not about to tell his parents the truth, since that would mean exposing them both.

So, Vlad's plan was fairly simple. He was just going to send the boy home and call Jack and Maddie to let them know he had found their son. Except that this time, he was going to do it without any strings attached. But he also needed to clear both his and the boy's ghosts' names in regard to Daniel's disappearance. As convenient as it sounded to blame everything on their ghost halves, doing so could bring too many repercussions that the billionaire did not want—and he was sure the boy did not want, either.

So, he would be using the 'story' Daniel's parents had believed in the beginning: his 'running away'. Well, sort of. There would be a _reason_ for the boy's leaving that had nothing to do with his being unhappy with his family or life. And Vlad had already figured out how to explain that and make it believable, which was why he needed his old school's papers—or, more specifically, his old school's _information_.

It would be simply a matter of hacking into their systems and adding what was necessary. And, luckily, he already had the perfect _teacher_ to accredit everything… If all went well, he would have this done in about a day or two and he could just mail the 'papers' to the boy's school. Of course, he would be explaining all this to the teen—well, except for the illegal part of it. Daniel didn't need to know how he was managing to work all this out for him…

Oh. And there was also one more thing he had to tell…and give Daniel…

With the sudden thought, Vlad stood, momentarily leaving what he needed to do to go check on that 'thing' he had to give the teen. Funny how the man had all but forgotten that _that thing _still existed...

Opening his lab and then walking in, the older hybrid went straight to a storage freezer against the wall. He then opened it, revealing different beakers and test tubes with chemicals and other frozen lab things that were in it. However, on the top right of the freezer there was a second storage box. But this one looked like a safe—password-sealed and all.

And after quickly typing in the password, the small safe door opened with a hiss of cold air.

Vlad carefully pulled out a single glass vial inside. It was labeled 'NBN-3501'. And within it was a deep violet, slightly glowing chemical with just barely noticeable silver specks floating around.

The vial, which he had asked Skulker to retrieve for him from Axion Lab before all this started, was for all intent and purpose the key to the boy's freedom. And now, Vlad was about to hand it over willingly to him…

"I'm going to miss you more than you will ever know, Daniel," he said softly as he stared at the frozen vial in his hand. But then with a sigh, he put the purple chemical back in its original place. And knowing he had a lot to get done, the man left his lab again. But not before giving the still active mainframe a pained glance.

* * *

Niane stared quietly out a large window, about a wing away from her employer's room. Her thoughts, though, were not on the morning view outside, but mostly on the two half-ghosts. She couldn't help but be terribly worried for them.

And yet, she had known all along that her employer's truce with the boy could not last forever—not when it had been founded on blackmail and deceit by her employer. But then, how else would these two hybrids have ever learned of the bond they held if it had not been through all that had happened in these past months? She was sure they would have never taken the opportunity to learn who the other really was, otherwise.

But now that the two finally understood that they could be something else besides enemies, they had also remembered again the things that had kept them at odds in the first place…Then again, those differences never truly had stopped creating a gap between them.

"_Ultimately, they acknowledging those differences was best—shame it was in a less than desirable way,"_ she thought with a helpless sigh.

Niane knew it had been painful for the both of them. But, at least, they were now out of that dark tunnel in which they were before. Even when Danny had been convinced otherwise, she had always been certain that the boy's light—his perseverance and kindness—would pay off.

And it finally had.

He had illuminated her employer's heart. And as a result, her employer was, for once in so long, thinking beyond himself and finally doing the right thing.

He was going to let the boy go.

In a way, it was a shame, because Niane believed that there was still much that the two needed to understand and learn in regards to one another. Also, she knew how much it was hurting her employer to let Danny go back home. And as a result, she was hurting, too.

But against her personal desire, she understood Danny belonged with his family and friends. And, furthermore… she didn't want that poor sweet boy so sad anymore, even if it meant... Vlad would be.

In any case, this was the boy's decision. He would now have to choose between two things that he equally wanted ….

Niane just hoped the child made the best choice…

The youngest ghost maid sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. But when she opened them, her pupils were gone and her eyes were glowing a deeper red.

She was quiet for a moment; but then, suddenly, she gasped in great confusion. Then, eyes still glowing with her power, she frowned and muttered, "But I have not spoken to Danny since his mother came…. And in spite of my desire to do so… I believe it is highly unwise to interfere anymore."

Niane remained quiet for another moment as she concentrated on something, but then she sighed deeply and helplessly shook her head, though she seemed to accept whatever she had been talking about.

"Alright," she said out loud as her eyes returned back to their normal appearance. She glanced to her right just as Derek rounded the corner, almost as if she had known he had been coming...

"Hey, Niane," he greeted her with a small smile.

She returned the kind gesture before asking the other ghost, "Is our employer having breakfast?"

Derek shook her head. "No. I don't even think he's going to his companies because he wasn't dressed in one of his suits. Honestly, I'm starting to get worried about him. I've never seen him so… down."

"Well, considering that argument he had with the boy a few days ago, which we all heard…," Niane trailed off and sighed.

"Yeah, Master Danny is pretty down, too," Derek muttered thoughtfully. "I just can't believe that after everything they went through in these past months, they are just going to stop talking to each other. It's been, like, four days! They could at least try to work things out as they did plenty of times before."

"Perhaps the things they argued about a few days ago were the reason they were enemies in the first place. Surely, by what we heard, they are also the reason that our employer forced Danny here," Niane reasoned.

"Well, if you ask me, my employer should have never brought the young halfa here. Things were just fine before he came along," Derek said with a small frown.

Niane frowned back at the other ghost. "Now, Derek, surely you don't mean that."

The ghost butler sighed. "Come on, Niane, I'll admit I was wrong about the young halfa being cruel and hateful towards ghosts and all that. I'll even admit I've grown to like him; but, well, just look at our employer! Carl thinks the young halfa is doing him some good and you seem to think so, too. But… I'm not so sure of that."

"Well, I suppose only Master Plasmius knows that," Niane replied with a small shrug. But then she smiled at Derek and told him, "Why don't you go tell Carl our employer won't be going to his companies today, while I inform Danny for you that breakfast is ready?"

Derek stared at her, confused. "You are really odd, Niane. You have been avoiding the young halfa since his mother came to the castle, and now you are suddenly eager for an excuse to go see him."

Niane smirked secretively. "You are imagining things, my dear Derek. I only wish to do you a favor."

"Uh-huh…You're lucky I'm not as inquisitive as George," Derek said with a small amused smile.

Niane giggled, for a moment sounding and acting like the age she appeared to be. "Lucky indeed," she teased back before suddenly teleporting away.

When she reappeared right outside the young hybrid's room, her expression almost did a complete flip.

"It's only a matter of time before all this catches up to me, I know it," Niane muttered nervously. But then with another helpless sigh, she finally knocked on Danny's door and asked, "Danny? May I come in?"

There was a brief silence before the boy replied, _"Yeah, come in."_

Niane's eyes briefly flashed a brighter red before they quickly returned to their normal hue and she walked in.

"Good morning, Danny," she greeted him when she spotted him sitting up against his bed's backboard, still in his pajamas.

"Morning," he replied quietly, almost with uncertainty as he quickly remembered he had not seen the younger maid since the incident with his mother and how he had yelled at her…

Niane, however, continued to speak as if nothing had happened. "I came to inform you that breakfast is ready. But… you are not even dressed yet. Are you not taking classes today with Ms. Thomas?" she questioned, seemingly confused.

Danny suddenly looked away and shook his head. "No, I'm not..."

"Oh," she quietly replied and suddenly began to fidget with her dress's apron.

But then the teen looked back at her, his eyes now laden with regret, and he suddenly said, "Niane, about the things I yelled at you a few days ago…"

"It's alright, Danny," she quickly interrupted him. "I understand how upsetting the situation was for you at that time. And, well, I really sometimes forget my place."

But Danny hastily shook his head. "No, I'm glad you told me what you did! Perhaps if you hadn't, I would have done something I would have regretted that day…. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry. And that… you were right. You've been right about everything," he told her with a small smile.

Niane smiled back shyly. "I'm not quite sure if I'm right about _everything_. But I have learned to keep hopeful over the many years I've been around…"

"And I am glad you have, because it's helped me in all these months, which is why I also want to thank you. I mean, I've never really have, and I really need to now. So, uh… thanks," Danny then said, rubbing his neck this time.

"You're thanking me? Whatever for?" she questioned back.

Danny chuckled softly, his brief nervousness leaving him. "Come on, Niane, I'm not totally clueless, you know. Since I got here, you've always been nice to me, even when I was a big jerk to you at times. You have always been around to knock some sense into me. And you have even kept me company when I've been left all alone. You were the first to give me a chance in spite of that you were just as scared of me as everyone else was when I got here. You've done a lot for me, Niane. You didn't have to, but you did."

The ghost maid looked down at her fiddling hands, but she still seriously replied, "No, Danny, I _did_ have to. _You_ gave me no choice. I simply couldn't have done anything else after meeting someone as noble and special as you." She finally looked at him and with a smile, added, "It's your own kindness and goodness that motivated me to do everything I could for you. I just wish I could have done more…"

Danny stared quietly at the ghost girl for a moment, but then he smirked at her. "You really are nothing like any ghost I've met, Niane… I just can't seem to figure you out. I mean, I get everyone else around here. Heck, I even got Dazzler and the guy was nuts. But you…you're so…human."

Niane frowned uncertainly. "I don't understand what you mean."

"Yeah, you do," Danny retorted, amused, though he didn't get why the girl continued to pretend like she wasn't different. But then he shrugged lightly and added, "Don't worry. I'm not trying to put you on the spot. After all, if no one in this castle has been able to figure you out after all the years they have spent around you, _I know _I have _no_ chance of doing it after just knowing you for a few months. Still, I know there's more to you than meets the eye, just like I know your reasons for doing everything you have for me are deeper than what you make it seem."

Danny ignored how the girl raised an eyebrow at how certain he was with his insinuations and continued, "It's alright, though. It doesn't bother me to not know the whole truth, because I am also completely sure that you are as kind and good as you act. I know everything you have done for me has been because you genuinely care about me."

Niane smiled, but in a strange and new, though sweet and tender, way.

And the teen blinked in confusion when he suddenly got a sense of déjà vu. The teen was sure he had never seen the girl smile at him like she was now—so why did it look so familiar?

But before the boy could make sense of it, the girl warmly assured him, "I do care about you, Danny, and for so many reasons. However…" A mischievous smirk suddenly curled around the girl's lips as she added, "Do not make the mistake of thinking I haven't gotten anything out of this, Danny. I've had quite a bit of fun at your expense, you know," she teased. "You have even gotten me out of doing my chores, remember? Not to mention, you have saved me from many days of boredom and frustration by giving me something to do other than listen to my sisters argue over laundry detergents or other such nonsense."

Danny laughed at that, quickly forgetting about his sense of déjà vu. "I guess that's true," he replied.

"And it's true that I have enjoyed your company, Danny," Niane told him, her smirk melding into a sincere look. "It's been many years since I have done the things I have with you…. Just like it's been a long time since I have been around someone as young and spirited as you. It has reminded me of how wonderful it was to be at the stage of life in which you are now. Also, thanks to you, I now have all the more reason to be hopeful. Therefore, you have nothing to thank me for when you have done so much more for me… and my employer."

Danny's smile faded with the mention of Vlad and he became quiet again.

But noticing it, Niane floated a bit closer to the boy before saying, "Danny, there is something I wanted to ask you… You see, everyone heard you and Master P—_Vlad_," she quickly corrected herself when she remembered the boy didn't like her calling the man by that title. "—arguing a few nights ago. And well, I don't understand what happened…You two were doing so well with each other, and I…"

But Niane trailed off when she saw the teen close his eyes, and she quickly looked away and said, "I'm sorry, Danny. I didn't mean to pry. I shouldn't have—"

"Our differences just caught up with us, Niane," Danny suddenly cut her off, opening his eyes again and staring soberly at her. "That, and… I've been carrying around a few things for a while and that just messed everything up…again."

The girl hesitated to voice what she was thinking, but knowing she needed to do so, she said, "But why could you both not work things out as you have before? Surely, nothing is irreparable. And whatever 'few things' are bothering you, I'm sure he could understand…"

"You're right…he could…," Danny muttered. "But as for our differences, I don't know if it's a matter of working them out, Niane." The teen lowered his eyes as he said mostly to himself, "Vlad and me are as different as we are alike. And nothing we do will ever change that. I think it's about understanding our choices and maybe helping each other make the right ones… Or, maybe, it's just about finally letting go of certain things…"

A smile ghosted the young maid's lips, but then her eyebrows drew in as she told the boy, "I don't understand what you are trying to say, Danny…"

Danny finally looked back at Niane and suddenly told her, "Vlad's letting me go home."

Niane's eyes slightly widened, and pretending not to know, she whispered, "Truly?"

Danny just nodded.

But then the maid frowned in confusion as she retorted, "Then, I now truly fail to understand, Danny. Why are you so sad if you can now go home, as you have always wanted?"

The teen sighed before answering, "I'm not sad, Niane. I'm…worried."

"About my employer?" she asked. But when the teen didn't answer, she added, "Vlad is strong, Danny. He will fine. He always has been before."

"Yeah… I know he's strong. Maybe stronger than me in some ways…," Danny replied with a small sigh. "So, it's not that I'm worried about. I mean, I am worried about him, but not for that reason. And… he's not the only one I'm worried about…"

Niane didn't reply.

Danny suddenly scoffed quietly and added, "You would think this would be so easy, you know. I mean, I used to be so sure of what was right and wrong. And now…it's so… shaded." His eyebrows drew in together as he focused on the girl and quietly, almost desperately asked her, "Can two completely different choices both be right, Niane?"

The maid sighed helplessly as she told him, "I don't know, Danny. But perhaps it's not whether they are right or wrong what matters, but rather, where each choice will lead you. I can't tell you what to do. But I will advise you like I have before: don't forget yourself in all this…"

Danny just nodded and looked away. But after a short silence, the teen suddenly asked, "Do you know if Vlad's at breakfast, yet?"

Niane frowned sadly and replied, "He's not eating, Danny."

The news seemed to further dampen the boy's mood. Still, he forced a small smile on his face as he then told the ghost maid, "Well, I guess that makes two of us. Can you tell George I'm sorry? Also, if you see Ms. Thomas can you tell her I'm not taking lessons today?"

The maid stared at the boy, now troubled. But knowing she had said enough and that there was nothing more she could do, she sighed, but nodded and replied, "Of course, Danny. Perhaps we will see each other before you…leave."

Danny just nodded and looked away.

Niane smiled one last time before leaving the boy alone again. And when she did, Danny suddenly buried his face into his hands with a deep sigh.

He was so confused. The teen had thought all night about everything Vlad had told him yesterday. And hearing the man tell him everything through his prospective had really impacted the teen in more ways than he could truly understand. But it had also confirmed for Danny just how much Vlad needed help. And yet, the teen now was just as sure that the man wasn't hopelessly lost. If the boy had once believed the man could change, he was now certain of it.

But what Vlad told him last night had also made Danny think of _himself_. He really wasn't all that different from Vlad, except in how they handled their troubles. As Vlad had told him, their only true difference lied in their choices…

And that was all that it came down to, wasn't it? A choice.

And that suddenly made him think. Was Vlad's choice to seek revenge any worse than the choice the teen made in that alternate timeline to destroy himself?

At least the older hybrid, in this current time, had had the strength to keep going on with his life, even if he turned it into something twisted, which he fueled with his hate and desires of revenge. In that other time line, the teen had given up on his life and ended up condemning everyone to be as miserable as he was by taking out his own grief on the innocent. As much as Danny didn't like admitting it, at least Vlad had a logical—though, not justifiable— reason to hate his father.

But what fault did the world have on something the teen had caused himself in that other time line?

It seemed kind of dumb to be comparing himself from that time line to Vlad's current life. But the teen just couldn't help it. And it just served to confirm to him just how many of his own issues he had. Sure, he had not done the things Vlad had done. And Danny was sure he wasn't as twisted in his way of thinking as the billionaire. But… maybe he also needed as much help as the guy. Maybe there were things that he also needed to let go of…

Danny sighed, realizing his thoughts were just all over the place.

He supposed his thoughts were because he finally did understand Vlad's choices. They weren't exactly the right ones, but unlike before, when all he had done was criticized the man for them, the teen now truly understood why Vlad did everything he had…

And the truth was that the teen's heart went out to the guy. Although it wasn't possible, Danny wished so badly that he could have somehow prevented all Vlad's pain and suffering over all these years. Because deep down, Danny could understand how hard it had to have been to lose your family; lose your friends after an accident and then think they betrayed you; and then have to bear being different all on your own.

Danny truly felt for Vlad.

And maybe that was part of what worried him. Or, rather, he was worried about hurting the man any further than life already had. He was also worried of what Vlad would do once he went back.

Vlad had assured him that he couldn't be able to see the teen as his enemy anymore, either. And Danny knew it was the same for him. But… would Vlad really go back to his revenge plans against his father? Would he go back to… trying to get his mother?

If he did, what was Danny going to do? He couldn't let that happen. But… that meant going against Vlad. That meant having to fight and see him as his enemy…

Danny shook his head and determinedly muttered, "No. I won't let us be enemies again. I'll tell my parents everything before I let that happen."

Of course, the teen was aware of the consequences that could result in his telling his parents his and Vlad's secret, especially if it somehow got out to the rest of the world. The man had been right in that the teen's life would come to an end, then. After all, he was on the Guy-in-Whites 'most wanted ghosts' list. So, he was sure the government would cut him no slack, in spite of his being human, too.

But the teen didn't care. He just couldn't and wouldn't let things go back to how they were before. Danny's heart wouldn't bear that pain. Not when Vlad had become so important to him now. It was as if the man's presence, somehow, gave him a sense of assurance and security that not even his friends and family gave him. It was as if Vlad simply _belonged_ in his life.

Of course, not as his father, as the man desired, but maybe as something just as important—though the boy himself had not figured it out yet. All he knew was that he needed Vlad in his life. But…he also needed his family and friends…

"Why does everything have to be so hard?" he whispered sorrowfully.

Danny sighed deeply before finally get off his bed. And as he headed into the bathroom to shower, he continued to think about everything he knew, everything he had learned here, everything he had been through in these months, and…. everything Vlad had said to him last night…

* * *

Danny exhaled emptily as he put his laptop and his family's picture inside his duffel bag and then heft the bag onto his shoulder. But he soon looked over at the wall-clock, which read just past noon, all the while remembering how Derek had come by a moment ago to rely a message from Vlad…

"_Master Plasmius asked me to inform you that the helicopter is ready for your usage, if you wish it…"_

Clearly, the older hybrid had guessed his choice. And yet, the words that had rung mostly in the boy's ears were 'if you wish it'.

But although he had not seen Vlad yet today, the teen had also been able to tell by the man's message that he had already accepted his supposed choice. It definitely made this a bit easier for Danny, but he still had to go face the man…

The teen looked around the large room—_his_ room for more than four months now. He still remembered the day he first stepped into it, too. He had sworn he would never even think of the place as 'his'. It had just been some glamorous, yet foreign, dormitory in which he was forced to stay. But as he looked at the grand bedroom now, he felt no different in it than from how he felt in his modest room he had back in Amity. Somewhere in all this time, this room had become _his_.

And now, he was determined to leave it behind, taking only with him the things he had brought from his true home and also…

Danny walked over to his dresser and picked up the water globe that Vlad had given him in Germany. He studied it with a sad frown for a moment, but then shook it, watching as the glitter inside only made the little fiber optic stars twinkle and glow more brightly. And for a moment, the teen felt like he was back on that veranda in Germany, looking up at its night sky while the city of Berlin glowed in all its splendor and the pristine Spree River reflected the lights of the city and the stars in its mirror-like surface.

But just like the glitter settled back down and the little lights inside the water globe faded away, so did the memory in the boy's mind and he blinked his eyes back to reality.

He hesitantly glanced around his room one last time, before his face slightly hardened with determination. And as he finally walked out with his duffel bag on his shoulder and the globe in his hands, he quickly gathered the strength to do what he needed to do.

But to do them, he needed to see Vlad.

Danny had thought long and hard about this since last night. And all the hours he had spent in his room up till now had not been in vain. He knew exactly what he was going to do. And he was determined to go through with all of it. He would not let anything sway him from what he had decided… and what he had yet _still_ to decide…

The teen eventually made it to the man's private study, almost certain that he was in there. And as he grabbed the door handle and turned it without knocking, Danny thought with conviction, _"I might have a choice to make, but so do you, Vlad. And we're both making it today…" _

Having heard the sound of the door opening, Vlad, who had been typing something up on his personal computer, paused and raised his blue gaze to the boy. And it hardly surprised him to see Daniel there… with his things in hand…

The teen just held the billionaire's gaze, knowing he didn't need to voice what could be seen.

And Vlad showed his understanding with a small sad smile. But in spite of it, he calmly stood from his desk and walked over to the grand chimney. And as he tiled the golden football to access his lab, he told the teen, "I need you to take something with you."

But although it was obvious the man wanted the boy to follow him into the lab, Danny did not move from his spot near the doorway.

And realizing it, Vlad paused to head into the lab himself and turned his attention back to the teen. "This is very important, Daniel. I promise it will only take a moment," he assured the young half-ghost, his voice sounding slightly concerned by the teen's apparent hesitation.

But Danny sighed in response before he turned around and closed the study's door behind him. He then took a few steps forward before seriously, yet softly, telling Vlad, "I…want to thank you, Vlad."

The older hybrid looked a bit surprise at what he heard, but then the emotion and also his previous concern melded off his face, and he smiled warmly at the teen. "That's noble of you, dear boy. But…I have done nothing to earn your gratitude."

"No, Vlad. You have," Danny assured him without hesitation. But then he fell quiet for another moment before suddenly moving over to a small decorative table and putting down the water globe on it and then his bag on the ground.

The teen stared soberly at the duffle bag as he then muttered, "You have no idea how much you have done for me…How much you have taught me… and…I-I…"

Vlad frowned worriedly when Danny just stopped talking and instead fisted his hands against the sudden emotions eating him inside. Clearly, the teen wanted to tell him something that was very hard for him to do…

Not knowing what it could be, but still not wanting to see the boy so upset, Vlad walked up to him and placed a comforting hand on the Danny's shoulder before quietly assuring him, "It's alright, Daniel. You can tell me."

The teen finally looked up at the billionaire, but his eyes were coated with fear as he replied, "I-I want to tell you… It's just that…I've never told anyone…," he quietly admitted.

Vlad didn't reply at first, but he now understood what it was that the teen wanted to tell him. And it was most unexpected for the billionaire.

The boy now wanted to _willingly_ tell him the very thing the man had worked so hard to find out…

"Daniel, you know I am more than willing to listen to you," the man finally said, his voice gentle but confident. "And I promise you, I will do my best to understand, especially if this is something you have not shared with anyone else. And, maybe, that is why it torments you so, my dear boy. So, don't be afraid because speaking of it can only do you good…"

Danny stayed quiet for several seconds, but then he moved away from Vlad and went over to his large desk. But the teen then lightly pressed back against it and crossed his arms, while his eyes turned to the fireplace on his left.

He still didn't speak for another second or two before he suddenly lowered his gaze to his feet and softly asked the man, "Did I ever tell you how I got my ghost powers?"

Vlad smiled sadly, knowing the teen was stalling. Still, he calmly replied, "No… However, I have drawn my own conclusions on how you did. But… I don't think that's what you want to tell me, Daniel…"

The boy sighed as he uncrossed his arms and instead nervously gripped at his hands. The man was right, of course. But, darn it! Why was this _so hard?_ He had planned all this out, too! He had been determined and set on doing this just a moment ago, and now, he couldn't even start!

But he needed to do this! He needed to just finally pour out the fears and emotions that were consuming his soul. But then again, the reason why he had never told anyone, including his sister and friends, was the _same_ reason that was holding him back now. He just couldn't let go of the terrifying idea that if he spoke of his fears, if he said them out loud, that they would, somehow, become real—become true. Or, just as worse, that speaking them would make him appear as nothing but a scared little boy who is afraid of the monsters in his mind…

But maybe what Vlad said was true. Maybe his fears would never stop tormenting him until he acknowledged them—until he spoke of them. And, perhaps, what he really needed was for _someone who could understand how he felt_ to tell him that the monsters of which he was afraid only existed in his mind…

But also, he felt a sort of duty towards Vlad. It seemed only fair for him to open up fully to the older hybrid after he had done that same thing for him last night. The guy deserved it. And also… it was the only way for the teen to make the man understand just how much he had done for him.

And yet, he still couldn't get himself to say what he needed to say.

"Vlad, I…," he tried once more, only to stall again. But then, he scoffed bitterly, "You know, I thought a lot about this and now I don't even know where to start."

Vlad nodded. "I see…" But then he smiled with his next sudden idea and he told the boy, "Then, perhaps, I'd like to hear how you got your powers, after all…"

The teen raised his eyes to the man and quickly understood what he was really telling him: If he didn't know where to start, then why not start at the beginning?

Danny seemed to relax a bit and he lightly shrugged as he somewhat jokingly said, "What can I say? Curiosity killed the cat. Or, I guess in my case, it turned me half-ghost. It… really wasn't the greatest experience…" he added, the brief lightness in his voice dampening as he thought about how hard his first month with his powers had been.

The teen paused for a second before he seriously said, "My ghost powers changed my entire life. Not to mention, I was so scared of what I was at first, especially since I couldn't control my powers. I fought over what I should do. I wanted to tell my parents so badly about what had happened to me, but I was so afraid to do it. Hearing the way they talked about ghosts with so much curiosity and hate; and then all their weapons that were meant to hurt them…I was afraid that they wouldn't care I was still their son and that they would hate me… or experiment on me. I… still kinda am…," he admitted sadly, his eyes lowering again.

Vlad wanted to reassure the boy that his parents would accept him as he was, for even the man knew that Maddie and Jack loved their son. But before he could say anything, the teen quickly continued.

"I wanted so badly to just find a way to _fix_ myself again. But without telling my parents, there was no way for me to even begin to guess how to reverse what the portal did to me. That's why I'm so grateful that I had my friends to back me up through all that. I really think that if it wasn't because they were there supporting me, I would have seriously lost it. I couldn't have dealt with my powers alone…," Danny said seriously, looking up at the man with a certain type of respect.

But although Vlad could see it, the older hybrid didn't say anything, because although he had somewhat managed to deal with his powers on his own, it had been very hard. So, he understood how the boy felt. But what Daniel didn't realize was that he, too, was also to be admired, for he was still a child, dealing with something that was thrust upon him without his being ready for it. But, really, who would ever be?

"I became desperate," Danny continued, his eyebrows creasing with his growing emotions. "Ghosts started escaping from the portal when it was activated after my accident. They seemed to be… _attracted_ to me when I was _terrified_ of them. And all the while, I was struggling to gain some control over these powers. But I was also afraid of them. I…I didn't want them!" the teen abruptly exclaimed, his hands fisting again as he glared at whatever was in his mind.

Vlad just gazed sadly at the boy, knowing all too well how he had felt.

But realizing he was letting his memories affect him a bit too much, the teen exhaled slowly and calmed down again before continuing, "I soon learned that the ghosts that were escaping were also causing problems in Amity Park. I didn't know what to do at first. But then, when this ghost that went by the name of Lunch Lady attacked my school, when she put my best friends in danger, I finally realized that _I _could _stop_ her with these powers I now had…But not just her, but all those others ghosts that were loose! I suddenly felt that it was my _responsibility_ to keep these ghosts under control and from hurting people because the portal had been activated _because_ _of me._ And that's where most were coming from, but also, I knew _I _had to stop them because…I was the only one that could."

The teen paused briefly but then lightly shrugged as he then said, "I guess I just sucked it up and dealt with what I had to do. But since then, I also made the choice of not telling my parents and sister about me—well, before she found out, anyways. It made things harder for me, but even if my parents would accept me, I didn't want them involved," he said with a sigh. But then he crossed his arms and added, "I eventually accepted what I was. And the more I used my powers, the less afraid I became of them. Danny Phantom became as much me as was Danny Fenton. But it also changed me in some ways. My ghost half made me grow as a person. I…gained a sort of confidence I didn't even know I had. Sometimes, I even felt untouchable, unbeatable—as if nothing was…unreachable."

Danny paused to measure the man's reaction, knowing the guy had wanted him to admit to that feeling at the forest that night they took the horses out there. But Vlad didn't react at all to the boy's disclosure, and instead, continued to gaze back at him, calmly waiting for him to continue.

"I guess that feeling just comes with being half-ghost," the teen said with a weak smile, though he was relieved the man didn't get all smug about his admitting it. "But, luckily, whenever I felt too liberated, I had my friends to pull me back down to earth. I got into the habit of fighting ghosts, and at first it was actually pretty cool. I mean, I get to do things people only dream about, you know. It just felt awesome to go on my nightly patrols over Amity Park and then come back home, knowing I had helped others; that I was making a difference in my town—something that shy and weak Danny Fenton could have never done. But as Danny Phantom, I could do so much!It was a _very_ cool feeling… while it lasted," he added, his face falling again.

"I don't know why," Danny said with a frown, "but the ghost attacks became more frequent. It was as if the more I fought other ghosts, the more others came. It was like I was suddenly a magnet to them…"

Vlad was almost tempted to interrupt the teen at that moment. Daniel still didn't understand that ghosts believed in hierarchy. So, it wasn't that the boy himself attracted ghosts, but rather, that the ghosts held no respect for him or Amity Park because of the teen's inability to establish himself in their pecking order and 'mark' out his territory as all ghosts did. In his inexperience, Daniel had yet to understand that he had to establish his power both in the Human World and Ghost Zone or he and his home would forever be targeted by other ghosts.

But knowing that lecture and lesson was not more important than what the boy needed to tell him now, the billionaire held his tongue and just continued to listen to the boy.

"It suddenly stopped being fun when I realized just how much I had taken on with my responsibility for my town," Danny said, his brows creasing again with his troubled thoughts. "My grades started to drop because I had no time to study; and when I did get _some_ time, I was always too tired to focus on homework or studying. Heck, I could barely keep awake at school. And there were times when I was forced to skip classes all together, because the ghosts conveniently chose to cause trouble during school time. I think I've gotten more detentions in just my first year alone of having ghost powers, than other kids get in their lifetime," Danny said bitterly. "And, of course, all my teachers just think I'm a slacker and a trouble-maker, since something would always end up happening around me. But the worse of it was that I was also getting in trouble all the time with my parents. My vice-principal practically called my house every day to tell them I had either 'destroyed' something at school, or, that I had 'skipped class'. Or, that I was flunking my classes because I didn't do my work and would just sleep through the lectures. Oh, and let's not forget the fact that I barely had time for my chores and I never made my curfew half the time, and, of course, my parents would ground me. And lecture me about being more responsible and how displeased they were with my misbehavior…"

"It sometimes made me _so angry_," Danny said, his face tensing with his growing emotions. "I thought it was so unfair that I was doing the best I could, and it _still_ wasn't good enough. I was doing something good, and all I got for it was grief. I know it wasn't anyone's fault, since they didn't know the truth; but it still hurt. But you know what was the worst part?" the teen asked rhetorically, worry melding into his face. "The worst part was that my ghost fights were not just affecting me, but my friends and family. Sam and Tucker would do their best to help me whenever they could and they sometimes also got in trouble with their parents; but more importantly, they sometimes were endangered by my ghost fights, and sometimes, even got hurt. But it wasn't just them, but my parents and sister, too! I didn't understand it at first, because they didn't even know about Danny Phantom, and yet, somehow, they would also become targets for my ghost enemies! Luckily, I would always manage to keep them all safe. And for a moment, I really thought that I would always be able to protect them…And then... I met you."

"Meeting you made me realize that there were very powerful ghosts out there, ones that I wouldn't be able to defeat, let alone defend anyone or myself against…" Danny tensed suddenly as he looked over at the fireplace and muttered gravely. "I knew you wanted to waste me the night we met. I could see it in your eyes. And because I was powerless to stop you from doing it, I had never been so scared in my life. It was the first time I really understood that I wasn't invincible. _I could die_ and I thought I would that night. But…I guess I was lucky you discovered I was half-ghost like you—not that I felt lucky at all at that time."

Vlad continued to stay quiet, though his eyebrows creased with the boy's admitting how terrified he had been of him the day they met. But what was he going to say to that? After all, Daniel already knew that he had indeed planned on destroying him…

"But…I also suddenly realized something else. I realized that my loved ones could be killed, too, because I wasn't strong enough to protect them," Danny said with trepidation as he looked back at the billionaire. "When I found out who you were and what you wanted to do… When I found out you wanted to kill my father, I didn't even know what to do! It was hard to believe that there was someone else like me, but it was _even_ _harder_ to believe that you were evil and wanted to practically destroy my family! But even if I was terrified of you, I still wasn't going to let you get away with your plans. I really had been determined to expose the both of us if it was the only way to stop you."

"I know you would have," Vlad replied quietly. "Because you would do anything for your family… as it should be."

The comment surprised the boy a first, but he then remembered that in spite of the man's vendetta to break up his family, Vlad did have a deep understanding of the importance of family and how strong those ties that hold it together could be…

But not knowing what to say to the man's comment, Danny continued with slight hesitation in his voice, this time, "In a way, I'm glad that it was _you_ who made me realize that things wouldn't always be as easy as shoving the Box Ghost into a thermos… The truth is that if it _hadn't_ been you, and instead, any other powerful ghost, there would have been no way for me to save my family, _or_ even myself at the college reunion. I guess that was the first lesson I learned from you," the teen admitted with a small sigh.

"But after my encounter with you, I also became determined to get better at my powers," he further admitted, his brows furrowed in concentration. "I practiced as much as I could, so that if what happened at your castle repeated itself, whether it was with you or some other ghost as powerful as you, I would be ready for it. But I also had this unexplainable _need_ to show you I wasn't as weak as you thought, even if I always told myself I didn't care what you thought. But I _did_ care. I didn't want you to see me as inferior to you, but as your _equal_; and maybe, someday, even as a threat to you. I also wanted to prove to myself that I didn't need the help you offered me at the college reunion. I wanted to show you and myself that I could do this _alone_. So, I forced myself to get better. And I did. Just…not enough to match you."

"It didn't stop you from challenging me every step of the way and every chance you got," Vlad suddenly commented, a hint of a smile on his lips.

Danny nodded, though he bit the inside of his mouth nervously as he added, "Yeah… I think I wanted to prove to you that I was nothing like you. And yet, a part of me wanted the power you had. I wanted to be as good as you…So, I took up every opportunity to challenge you…"

Vlad raised an eyebrow this time, though more of his amusement leaked out as he asked, "Are you telling me you looked forward to our fights?"

Danny's cheeks flushed a bit, but he quickly shook his head and replied, "No! I mean, not like you think. Dude, I don't know if you realize, but you're no picnic to fight. I always dreaded the thought of you being up to something again, especially because I always found out too late that you were. Having to face off with you was, like, the worst thing that could happen to me at any given day! But…since I had no other choice, I wasn't about to back down, especially because it gave me the chance to see if I was getting any better. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you have always made me want to get better and stronger…," the teen admitted, his cheeks growing warmer, but he then added, "And since I'm probably already sounding like a complete loser, I might as well also admit I was a bit jealous of how good you were. You make everything you do seem so easy, as if it takes no effort or thought on your part. It annoyed me to no end…It kinda still does," he added with a light scowl, though it was more playful than anything else.

The older hybrid's lips curled upward. "As I said, little badger, it's all about practice and _focus_…," he teased.

The teen rolled his eyes at the man, though his teasing made him feel a bit more relaxed again. In fact, he almost forgot how serious this situation was. Almost.

Vlad's own smile faded when the boy became quiet again. The man knew the teen was only telling him all this to buy himself the time to sum up the strength to talk about what he really wanted to say. And it honestly worried and almost frightened the older hybrid to know that whatever had happened to the teen was terrible enough that the boy was practically going to force himself to finally speak of it—though, the man wasn't sure how soon the boy would do it with all his hesitation…

But no matter what it was or how much he needed to wait, Vlad was determined to listen and understand, and if need be, alleviate the boy's fears at last. He was ready to do what was necessary now, but although he internally wished Daniel would just tell him already, he didn't dare rush the boy. He knew better now.

"So, in spite of my entrance into your life, you continued to fight other specters as before?" the billionaire casually asked, though the question had an obvious answer and it was even more obvious that the man was just trying to help the boy resume his story.

But the teenager was too focused on his thoughts to really realize it. In fact, Danny didn't really hear the question, but still automatically nodded.

"With every battle, whether it was with you or any of my other enemies, I realized more and more how much responsibility I had in my hands and how real the danger of my decision was. But I still face it every day," Danny began soberly again.

But suddenly nervous again, his eyes wandered a bit. And when at that moment, he seemed to notice a paper weight in the shape of a golden football on the man's desk, he suddenly picked it up. He studied the object for a second or two, as if it held the courage he needed to keep going. And seemingly finding it, Danny abruptly said, "Then, one day, I ended up in a whole different kind of fight. I met this guy that had the ability to control ghosts."

This time, Vlad's eyes widened in true surprise. "A human being who can control ghosts? How is that possible, Daniel?"

The teen slowly tore away his gaze from the paper weight in his hand and looked at the older hybrid as he quietly answered, "He had this staff, Vlad. It had some kind of ghost gem on it… I never really found out what it was. But…he could hypnotize ghosts with it and make them do whatever he wanted. He used it on me."

The billionaire's eyes grew even larger, though this time with disbelief and concern. But the emotions quickly melded away and his face tensed with anger. How dare some pathetic human treat the boy as some puppet? Perhaps Vlad himself had manipulated the teen for his own purposes before, but even he would never resort to mind control. It was deplorable!

"I did some things that I regret," Danny admitted shamefully, gripping the paper weight in his hand a bit harder.

But not liking the fact that Daniel was blaming himself for something he had no control over, Vlad quickly corrected the boy, "You mean, you were _forced_ to do things you regret, Daniel."

The teen bit his lower lip in response, but then nimbly nodded, "Yeah…," he replied, though he didn't sound very convinced. "Luckily, I was able to break his control over me. But it was because of that experience that I started fearing my ghost half. I realized that if I ever accidently lost control of myself, I was capable of _really_ hurting others. That experience made me more self-conscience over keeping control of my powers, especially when it came to learning some new ability. But like usual, I dealt with it. Actually, I just pushed that small fear in the back of my mind and rarely thought about it anymore."

Danny continued to fiddle with the golden football paperweight in his hands as he admitted with certain detachment, "I guess I kinda just accepted that dangerous part of me… Just like I accepted that I had enemies everywhere who wanted to waste me. Having Skulker trying to skin me; you, trying to waste my dad, make out with my mom, and wanting to waste me or take me as your son—depending on your mood….It became part of a usual day for me."

Vlad raised an eyebrow at the boy's comment about him. 'Depending on his mood'? The boy made him sound like a…fruit loop.

Of course.

"I got used to having obsessive ghosts trying to take over the world and such nonsense," the teen continued, unaware of the older hybrid's mild annoyance. "I continued keeping my town safe; even after Walker, out of revenge, made Danny Phantom look like an evil ghost and the whole town suddenly hated me. Even when Valerie was bent on destroying my ghost half and practically never left me alone after that. All of that craziness just became _normal_ for me."

"But, of course, I can't even keep my abnormal life normal for long," Danny said almost bitterly. "The whole thing with Pariah Dark was like being thrown into an icy lake without even knowing how to swim. I knew I was in way over my head because I had never faced anything like that before. Still, it was my responsibility to keep my town and family from being harmed."

The teen swallowed hard before saying, "Even when I knew that there was a big chance that I would not make it out of that fight with Pariah, I was surprisingly alright with taking that chance. And it was when I realized just how far I would go to do what I believe is right. I would give my life for it."

The older hybrid tensed with the amount of conviction in the boy's voice, especially how fervently it rang through the last words he had uttered. He had always known that the teen believed in doing what was right and had been staunchly dedicated to protecting those around him. But knowing that this fifteen-year-old boy would _die _for it all still left a bad taste in his mouth. And that also sent a chill down his spine when he realized how likely that would happen if the boy continued to live such a dangerous life.

Vlad almost reprimanded him at that moment; but he forced himself to keep his mouth closed. After all, it would do very little good to try to convince the boy out of his beliefs. He had tried that for over a year now and had probably just drove the teen further into his convictions. So, surely today wouldn't give him better results.

"But in spite of my determination," Danny continued, though more hesitantly this time since he had noticed how much the billionaire had tensed with his last words, "I wouldn't have been able to defeat Pariah if you hadn't stepped in at the last second. I had never experienced what it _felt_ like to be so close to death before then," the teen said quietly, briefly closing his eyes with the memory. "But even when I felt so weak and like I couldn't breathe, I still wasn't afraid. I was comforted by the fact that my family and friends and town were safe again."

"But I think what I remember most about that day was looking up at you…," Danny said, and suddenly stared intensely at Vlad, as if he could see inside him.

It reminded the older hybrid of the way the boy had looked at him the day he had been trying to bring down Daniel's fever after Walker's ambush. But unlike before, when his deep gaze had made him feel uncomfortable, it now captivated Vlad. And the man was now certain that he had never seen a more powerful gaze on anyone else in his life.

"I couldn't believe that you had actually helped me—that _you_ had practically saved my life that day… Like you told me before I passed out, I never really did understand. It made no sense to me, because back then all I saw in you was an enemy. It's all we both saw of each other…"

"Or, what we both _chose_ to see," Vlad added soberly.

Danny just nodded in agreement before he said, "You have no idea how shocked I was to open my eyes again and find out I was still alive, and that _you_ brought me back home. It took me a while to get over the fact that I had no idea what had happened that day and that I had no idea why you even cared what happened to me. I mean, it would have been, like, the perfect time to get rid of me. Heck, my other enemies would have been happy to do the job for you, even!"

"It's true," Vlad suddenly interrupted the teen with a small frown. "It would have been too easy to do away with you during that Pariah Dark incident. No one would have suspected a thing. And your other enemies had been more than tempted to waste their helpless enemy. Well, all except Skulker. He believes in something called 'honor'. As for myself…well, I'll admit that bringing you back safe and sound gave me the chance to get on your mother's good side again. But… in any case, I couldn't have ever left you there to your luck... just like I would have never let you die in that battle with the Ghost King…"

Danny smiled weakly at the man as he replied, "Yeah, and now I understand why. Actually, I think I have always known why you have never gotten rid of me when you have had so many chances to do it. But like I said last night, it was easier and less confusing to not think about it and just see you as my fruit loop arch-enemy."

"You do realize how much I hate when you call me that, right?" Vlad asked dryly, though there was hidden humor in his voice.

Danny softly chuckled, this time, as he quipped back, "Of course I do. That's why I use it so much."

The billionaire shot him a playful glare and he said, "You were saying…"

Still looking less edgy, the boy resumed his train of thought. "Anyways, I eventually just dismissed the weirdness of that whole incident as you being… well, you know."

"Um-hmm," Vlad replied, rolling his eyes.

"Things went back to normal, or, _my_ definition of 'normal'," the teen said with a light shrug. "My problems didn't go away, though. I still was barely passing my classes. My parents and teachers were always on my case. My sister wanted to psychoanalyze me. And my friends were always worried about me. Most of the time, I just dealt with it. But then, other times…"

This time, the teen sighed softly before saying, "Other times, I felt like giving up, like I couldn't take anymore. It made me so mad sometimes that I couldn't even do something as normal as watch a movie with my friends, because I was always having to kick some ghost's butt or I had to be on constant alert so that a ghost wouldn't catch me off guard and kick _my_ butt. Then, one day I got so sick of it that I used one my parents' ghost devices and split myself."

"Good grief, Daniel!" Vlad abruptly gasped out. "What in the world were you thinking? Do you know how dangerous that is?"

The teen's face fell significantly with the man's outburst as he quietly, almost fearfully, admitted, "No…not at that time…"

The man's eyebrows creased with uncertainty and concern. Had the boy hurt himself, after all?

But, of course, Vlad didn't know that Danny was currently thinking of _another_ incident entirely.

And yet, the boy was also in the dark about what the older hybrid was thinking. But he soon voiced it.

"Dear boy, separating yourself is highly dangerous and unpredictable. It could permanently destabilize both your human and ghost halves to the point that it could have fatal consequences. As I have told you before, both our halves are so intertwined and dependent of each other that the chance of us surviving a long-term separation is all but impossible…. Didn't you sense something was wrong when you did that?" the man asked, troubled.

Danny shook his head, both as a response to the man and to also push away his other thoughts. "I was just _so_ _tired_ of not being able to have a normal life!" he explained, his eyebrows drawn in. "I think deep down I knew it was dangerous. In fact, it had not been the first time I separated before then. One time I was down in my parents' lab putting a ghost back into the Ghost Zone and I ended up getting caught in that same device…. When I saw my ghost half floating above me, I seriously freaked out! All I thought was that I needed to get back together, as if I instinctively _knew_ I couldn't stay separated like that. And, strangely enough, I had no trouble getting back together with my ghost half."

Vlad frowned in confusion, this time. "Why do you say 'strangely enough'? It's normal that both your halves would easily rejoin each other. You are one and the same, after all."

"I say it was strange because at that other time when I _deliberately_ used the Fenton Ghost Catcher—what my dad named that device that split me," he added when the man raised a questioning eyebrow, "I ended up having one heck of a time getting back together."

Resisting rolling his eyes at Jack's ridiculous name for the device, Vlad kept his focus on what the boy was telling him and seriously explained, "Perhaps because you _wanted_ to stay separated that time around, Daniel. It is only understandable that you wouldn't be able to rejoin with your ghost half when you _mentally_ didn't want to and when both your halves were probably in disagreement with each other."

"Yeah, well, then I guess I don't have to tell you how much of a mess _that_ turned out to be," Danny answered, rubbing his neck sheepishly. "Trust me. I don't plan on ever doing it again. It was completely dumb of me. But besides the headache I got from that fiasco, I also gained a better understanding of my ghost half. I learned that it was as much me as my human self—that it made me whole. And that no matter how much I wished it wasn't a part of me sometimes, it would _always_ be…At least, that's what I believed for a while…," he added softly, his gaze lowering to the golden football paperweight in his hands.

Vlad tensed and his heart rate sped up a bit when the air around them almost turned frigid with the boy's sudden seriousness. The gravity of it all felt almost tangible to the older hybrid, as if it was something living that was reaching into his chest and constricting his heart with dread. He had never seen this type of tension from the boy before. It was as if Vlad wasn't looking at a fifteen-year-old boy at this instance, but at someone much older who had seen horrors that no child should ever see… It was a troubling and almost frightening sight…

Danny stared blankly at the paperweight for a long moment. He knew that he could not stall any longer, and yet, the fear and uncertainty inside him continued to fight against his desire to tell Vlad the truth behind his rooted fears. But if he didn't tell him, then the teen knew the man could never understand just how much he had truly done for him.

He _needed_ to tell him.

"You once asked me why I was afraid of my ghost half," Danny began quietly as he put down the paperweight and then lightly wrapped his arms around his abdomen. "Well…something awful happened to me, Vlad. Something that still haunts me, even when it never really happened."

The man was clearly confused by the comment, but he was too focused on listening to the boy that he didn't dare interrupt.

"You know those fears that I said I had pushed into the back of my mind about how I could hurt others…? About how I could lose everyone I cared for…? Well, that day, those subconscious fears…They came _true_, Vlad," the teen said, his hands and eyes clenching shut against the sudden emotions that were quickly threatening to overcome him. And yet he continued, every word growing more quiet and painful as he said them, "I-I lost them… I lost them and it was _my_ fault, Vlad …I _k-killed_ them."

The man's eyes widened in both shock and confusion, and he barely manage to choke out, "_You killed them?_ Who? Your _loves ones_? Daniel, how can that be? How could you have lost them if they are still here?"

The teen took a shaky breath, willing himself to calm down. But although he managed to reopen his eyes and unclench his fists, he suddenly felt like he was reliving that experience all over again, and because of that, he was barely holding it together. And yet, he still went on.

"I met someone who helped me fix things," Danny answered, his voice wavering a bit. "He…helped me make sure that I never turn into _that._ But even then, after all I saw… everything changed for me. I-I was afraid to practice my powers or get stronger, because I was always worried about doing something that would turn me into _him_. I had nightmares about _that fight_ for so long. I would dream about the flames and my family and friends inside them and how every time in my nightmares, I-I never made it—just like I never truly made it that day, either. But the worst of my nightmares were when I could s-see _him_ there, laughing. But his laughter… it was _my_ laughter, and I-I would l-laugh as I… as I-I… _killed_ _everyone!"_

Danny suddenly curled a bit into himself and buried his face in his now shaking hands, as the memories of what had happened and of all his horrible nightmares flashed before his eyes, all but crumbling his will to go through with this anymore.

Vlad had paled significantly at everything he was hearing, and for a moment, he could only stare at the traumatized boy. Everything—and nothing—made sense to Vlad. He now understood why Daniel's fears were so deeply rooted inside him, because what had happened to him was clearly very terrible. But at the same time, he didn't understand what had happened to him _exactly_. Who the blazes was this 'him'? And who was this 'someone' who helped him 'fix things'?

"Daniel, my boy," the man finally breathed out. "I can see this is hard for you, but you are not making any sense. I need you to be more direct with me."

"Please, Vlad, I-I know I'm making no sense. It's just that this is hard enough at it is. Just let me do this before I change my mind, okay?" he asked desperately. "I'll tell you the whole truth someday, but, I just can't today. It's too much for me at once. But I still just need to get this off my chest because keeping it bottled up is really messing me up and I can't take it anymore! So, please, just try your best to understand me," Danny pleaded in a soft, yet cracked voice.

Vlad just silently nodded, though internally he felt very sad, because he remembered that the boy was leaving today, so that 'someday' would never come…

"The worst of it was having to experience losing everyone," the teen continued, still quiet, though now a bit more composed. "I was meant to lose them in that fight, and my high-risk life constantly reminded me of that fact and how very possible it was for something to happen to them. I asked myself so many times what I would have done if I _had_ lost them that day; but I couldn't even bear the thought. Still, I know if it wasn't for… the spirit that helped me…"

"Spirit?" Vlad questioned, unable to keep quiet upon hearing the teen deliberately use the word. "The being that helped you was a… _spirit_?"

Danny nodded. "If what you explained to me is true, then, yes, I think he is a spirit. I'm sorry I pretty much lied to you before about ever meeting one, but…I know it would have brought all this up and, at that time, I didn't want to talk about this."

Vlad hesitated to speak, unsure how to feel about the boy meeting a creature that existed outside of time… the scientist part of him wanted to know all about it, but the part of him that cared for the boy was very worried about it. Spirits were very powerful… and dangerous, if they were upset.

"Daniel, who was this spirit?" the man finally asked carefully.

The teen looked up at the man, honestly tempted to tell him, but instead he explained, "I don't think I should tell you. I mean, not because I don't trust you or don't want to, but…he keeps to himself and he's very mysterious…I'm not sure if he would be very happy with me if I told you about him. And I don't want to disrespect him if that's the case, because he's a good friend and very important to me."

Vlad sighed, but though he could understand the boy wanting to respect his spirit friend, he still wished the boy would tell him. Perhaps then, he could piece together what had happened to Daniel, since it was clearly so bad that the teen was too traumatized to tell him everything right now…

But that thought reminded the man of the time he had gone to Amity Park to ask Jasmine about Daniel's mysterious fight with this 'him'.

"Several weeks ago, I went to Amity to talk to Jasmine. I was concerned about your fears," the man explained when he saw the teen's eyes widened in surprise with his revelation. "She told me that _this fight_ had drastically affected you, but… I never imagined how much until now….Answer me one thing, Daniel. Why are you so afraid of your ghost side?"

Whatever surprise he had felt and whatever questions he had had after learning that the billionaire had gone to Amity Park to talk to his sister without his knowing instantly vanished from his mind the moment he heard Vlad's question. And Danny quickly looked away, his emotions and fears swelling as the reply instantly came to his mind and he knew he had to voice it now, or have it torment him forever more…

But this one revelation he had never shared with anyone before….

"Because…," the teen finally whispered shakily. "It caused me to lose them… and …. and… I'm _so afraid_ of being alone...," he admitted shamefully.

Vlad's own emotions quickly swelled and he approached the troubled boy as he gently said, "Little badger, don't look so ashamed."

He stopped in front of the boy, and when he still wouldn't look at him, the man grabbed his chin and slowly coaxed him to meet his gaze. And when he did, Vlad smiled tenderly and told him, "There is nothing wrong with how you feel, Daniel. You see, everyone, in some way or another, is afraid of being alone. How could you expect such a feeling to not be inside you, too, especially at your young age?"

But the teen suddenly pushed the man's hands away and he shook his head before moving away a bit and answering, "No, Vlad, it's not like that. This fear inside me is _not normal_! How can it be when just the thought of losing them takes my breath away? Don't you get it? I'm so afraid that every part of my being believes that I can't survive without them!"

Vlad frowned, though he finally understood. What the boy felt wasn't fear, after all. It was _paranoia!_

No wonder he had become _obsessed_ with his need of his loved ones. And the boy's next words quickly confirmed the man's belief.

"Everything I am is because I have them," Danny muttered. "There was a time that I-I couldn't even imagine not having them with me. It's like I would fall apart just thinking of the possibility. I think you're right, I think somewhere along the way, my fear of being without them has…has become…. _obsessive_," he admitted mostly to himself and his hands clenched in pain with the truth. "T-That's why I never talked about that day to my friends or sister, because I didn't want them to know _how much _it had affected me. I didn't want them to know it had _changed_ me. That it made me _afraid of_ _myself_..."

"Oh, my poor boy," the older hybrid whispered.

And to Danny's surprise, the man abruptly grabbed him in a hug. But finally realizing he was shaking and that he needed it, the boy just gripped the man's shirt and squeezed his eyes against the emotions threatening to spill over while he frame shook even more.

"What kind of _monster_ would scar you in such a way? Please, just tell me who, Daniel," Vlad pleaded, but his gentle voice turned a bit harder with anger as he added, "Tell me, Daniel. _I swear _I'll make him pay every ounce of fear and sorrow he left in you. At least tell me _where_ he is so that I can tear him apart for doing something so vile to you as making you afraid of yourself!"

Danny took a shaky breath in response, and Vlad only held him tighter. But then, abruptly, the teen yanked himself out of the man's arms, feeling angry with himself for taking comfort when he had no right—when this had all been his fault!

"No! You want who he is, Vlad? You want to know where he is? He's **_right in front of you__!" _**Danny exclaimed angrily before turning away from the billionaire. And pressing his hands hard on top of the man's desk, he closed his eyes again, trying to calm down. But now, he just couldn't anymore…

Vlad stared, shocked at the boy, honestly not even knowing what to say this time. But as his mind whirled to put together the boy's broken and vague words, he was sure of one thing: the boy was convinced that everything that had happened was his fault.

The man shook his head and sighed sadly before gently telling the teen, "Daniel, you cannot torture yourself like this. You cannot blame yourself for whatever happened to you. Look, we both know you would never hurt anyone, let alone, your family and friends. So, there is no doubt in my mind that whatever happened to them and you is _not your fault_."

"No, Vlad," the teen said bitterly, his eyes opening again, though he kept his back to the man. "It _was_ my fault. I made a mistake and it cost them their lives."

Danny suddenly slammed a fist against the desk as he suddenly exclaimed, "**It's not fair!** I'm so sick of others paying for my mess-ups! Why do others _always_ end up paying for _my_ mistakes? Why was it my friends and family that ended up getting hurt? Why wasn't it _**me**_**_?_** It was _**my** mistake_, so why didn't _I_ just die?"

The boy suddenly slammed his hand against the desk again before whirling around and screaming, "WHY DIDN'T DANNY PHANTOM DIE?"

"**Daniel!"** Vlad exclaimed, horrified. And tightly gripping the teen's shaking arms, he further yelled at the boy, "Listen to what you're saying! Why would you say such a thing? You're obsessing over something that never happened! **It couldn't have happened!** Don't you see? They are not dead! _No one _is dead!"

"But they were! **They're supposed to be!" **Danny continued, now completely overwhelmed with panic and fear. "I destroyed everything and everyone—even you! I killed my human self, too! And I would have also killed you if it wasn't for—!"

"**Stop it!"** Vlad suddenly shouted, shaking the boy with his own sudden panic at hearing how…_disturbed_ the teen sounded. "Stop, talking like this! Do you hear me? S-Stop! Please…," the man suddenly said softly. "Little badger... you're scaring me."

"B-But it's true. T-They died and it was my fault!" Danny whimpered.

"Daniel, what are you talking about?" Vlad suddenly demanded, almost angrily, his fingers all but painfully digging into the teen's arms… "_Listen_ to me. You_ have_ to let this go! No one is dead! You're tormenting yourself with something that never happened. And even if it had, it's not your fault. Whatever mistake you made, it was nothing but that: _**A **__**mistake!**_**"**

This time, the boy fell quiet and just fearfully stared at the billionaire.

And seeing Daniel had come out of his panicked state enough to actually listen to him, Vlad sighed deeply to calm himself down, too. He slowly released the teen's arms, finally realizing how hard he was gripping him. But more concerned with all that the teenager had said, the man's eyebrows creased and he spoke again.

"Danny, I understand that you experienced something terrible and traumatizing for probably anyone, let alone a young boy like yourself," Vlad said gently. "But please understand _me_ now. Whatever happened…Daniel, it's _over_ now. _It's in the past. _You cannot keep carrying the memory of what happened, as if it were your present. Even if this just happened to you months ago, it's time to let it go and move on. And you must, Daniel. Or, it's going to destroy you. And there's no need for that because everything is fine _now_. Whatever mistake you made, you were able to mend. Your family and friends are still with you. Dear boy, they're safe and alive. And whoever _he_ is, is _gone_."

Although Danny had really listened to everything the man had just said to him, the last comment troubled him again. And the teen fearfully revealed, "That's just it, Vlad…He's not gone."

"What?" Vlad asked in shock. But then his eyes suddenly flashed red and he angrily said, "So that's it. He's still around! He still torments you, Daniel?" But the man didn't give the teen time to answer, let alone correct him, because Vlad quickly became more furious with the thought of this monster still harassing the boy.

"Who is he, Daniel? _Where_ is he? You tell me right now!" the man pressed, his eyes flashing again with his sudden hate for a creature he didn't know. But he didn't care. Whoever it was, he was going to destroy him!

"If I would tell you… you would never look at me the same way again. And…I don't want that," Danny replied sadly.

Vlad was torn with the teen's words. It filled him with joy to know the boy had come to care for him enough to actually be afraid of disappointing him. But it also deeply trouble him that the boy was in so much pain and that he still didn't understand enough to really help him.

Still, the man didn't hesitate to assure Daniel, "Nothing you could say or do would ever change my respect and care for you, dear boy. Even _you _are allowed to make mistakes, Daniel; making them doesn't make you a bad person. It just makes you human."

Danny stared at him, clearly debating on what to do. But finally making up his mind, he sadly smiled and said, "I was wrong to tell you that you wouldn't understand…I'm certain that you can, now. But…as a wise man once told me… Some things are better left unsaid."

"Daniel," Vlad said pleadingly.

But the teen gently cut him off. "You wanted to know the reason for my fears, well, now you do. Why does it matter who 'he' is or who helped me fix things? You're right, Vlad… I need to let this go…. I need to let it go because it never happened."

Danny sighed and briefly closed his eyes as he tried to accept that fact. The man's words finally made him realize that he couldn't keep tormenting himself with the 'what ifs'. What had happened had happened. It was done with. And that thought only gave him more reason to not tell Vlad everything. Why force upon the man the guilt of knowing that he was in some way also responsible for that horrible future? How could he tell the older hybrid that in that timeline he had lost everything for the _third_ time in his life?

The teen just couldn't do something so cruel to the man. To torment him with a truth that never happened would be unforgivable…

"I can't do that to you…," Danny whispered mostly to himself.

But Vlad heard it, and he suddenly got the impression the boy was trying to _protect_ him from something.

"You and your hero complex," the man said with a sigh of surrender, knowing the boy had made up his mind now and that he wasn't going to tell him anything more.

This time, the man's slight jab at his need to protect others didn't bother him. Instead he shrugged helplessly. And now feeling a lot better after having the man talk some sense into him, he continued with the rest of what he wanted to say.

"It took me a lot of work, but I eventually pushed away my fears after that day. I confined them inside my mind—I bottled it all up because it was the only way for me to keep going. And when I did, my nightmares over what had happened went away, for the most part. I rarely thought about it anymore. But with that experience, I was more determined than ever to always do good. I told myself that I would always use my powers to help others and that I wouldn't use them selfishly again. I would never let_ that_ happen. I would _never_ turn into _him_."

Vlad had to bite his tongue at the boy's mentioning this 'him' again. Instead, he just looked away and continued to listen.

"I guess I can't really say that having to go through all that was all bad," the teen quickly continued, sensing the man's wanting to question him again about his ordeal. "I learned a lot from what happened. It really messed me up, as you can see, but I think it also made me grow and mature more. Even my ghost half grew a bit after all that…You see, that was when I learned my Ghostly Wail. It… will always be a reminder of what happened."

Danny paused, this time his gaze becoming distant again. But he quickly snapped out of it and continued in the same sober voice, "I also learned that nothing is carved in stone. I learned to think twice about my actions… But most importantly, I learned that _everyone_ deserves a second chance."

Vlad slowly locked his blue eyes with the boy's. And seeing Daniel was softly smiling at him, the man's eyebrows creased, not knowing how to feel at hearing the teen say those words again, especially when he understood they had to do with him.

But instead of explaining it, the teenager continued, "I kept everything I learned that day ever in my mind. And just like I promised them I would never turn evil, I promised myself that I would never forget the things I learned from the experience. I also told myself that I would _always_ be there to keep my loved ones safe—I would never fail them like I did, then. And I would never again lose control of my ghost half. And in a way, my conviction helped me surpass what had happen. Or, I thought I had, anyways…," the teen added with a small sigh.

But then the teen paused in thought and he suddenly smiled softly again as he remembered, "It was also on _that_ day that I found out Jazz knew my secret."

The boy chuckled weakly and he unknowingly repeated the very thing his evil self had said to his sister…

"She's a lot smarter than I give her credit for, sometimes."

"Hmm…," Vlad replied, unable to keep a small smirk off his face with such a comment. But he then amusedly admitted, "I'm guilty of that as well."

Danny scoffed in a mixture of amusement and annoyance at the memory as he retorted, "Well, at least her over-protectiveness isn't aimed at you. If I thought she was nosy and overbearing before, she turned ten times worse after I found out she knew. At one point, it got so bad that she was suffocating me with her worry and protectiveness! I had to hide from her just to get a moment to breathe. But then at the same time, she was as excited about being part of 'the team' as my dad gets about seeing a ghost! But Jazz had always hated all that ghost stuff! It made no sense to me! And it got annoying really quickly, because she suddenly thought herself the 'expert' ghost hunter and she would go out there with me and my friends—_uninvited, _no less—and she would try to hunt ghosts—but all she ever managed to catch with the freakin' thermos was _me__!"_

But Vlad abruptly burst into laughter. "Daniel! You must be joking!" he exclaimed, through his chuckles.

Danny's mild aggravation melted away and he chuckled a bit himself, this time as he answered, "No, I'm not. She trapped me in the thermos three times."

Vlad just fell into another laughing fit. But calming down a bit, he quipped, "Oh, your sister might have inherited your mother's intelligence, but she _definitely_ inherited your father's ghost hunting abilities!"

But, this time, the teenager wasn't very amused with the man.

And noticing his displeased frown, Vlad cringed and apologetically said, "Sorry… Habit."

Danny rolled his eyes, though there was a hint of mirth in his expression. But then sobering up a bit, he suddenly told the man, "I keep ghost files on my laptop with the picture, location, and data of just about every ghost I've met… including you."

Vlad frowned at that, but didn't comment because he wanted to hear where the teen was going with this.

"I never meant for her to find out about you. To me, you were something personal. I barely even talked to my friends about you. In fact, I only told them about you because I felt overwhelmed with the discovery that you existed and I just needed to talk to someone about it. But when I did, I got worried about getting them involved when it came to you. Like I said, I felt that, it was something between us and no one else. But, ultimately, my friends have been in on my secret from the beginning and refused to let me deal with everything alone. So, it eventually stopped bothering me that I told them. But with Jazz, I didn't want her to know because I was afraid that if she knew who you were and how you were a threat to our family, she'd try to get involved or want to tell my parents about you. But I was also afraid of what it would mean if _you_ learned she knew about you."

Danny sighed and he shook his head as he muttered, "I got so mad at her for taking my computer and looking at my ghost files without my permission. But, most of all, I was furious that she had found out about you. I don't know why, but I felt as angry as if she would have gone and told my secret to someone else…. I guess my secret was more important to me than I had thought, and I kinda thought yours must have been, too… Otherwise, why would we have guarded it, right?"

Vlad slightly tensed and looked away for some reason. And for a moment, he seemed to want to tell the boy something, but before he could decide if he should, Danny continued.

"I yelled at her in a way I never had before," the teen said, his voice now laced with guilt. "I insulted her. I hurt her feelings and embarrassed her in front of everyone at school when all she had been trying to do was help me. I felt like the biggest jerk, and I really was. So, I can't really blame her for what she did next. She left..."

Realization quickly dawned over the man and he finished the boy's train of thought, "And she came to me."

"Yeah…," Danny said dejectedly, lowering his gaze. "I guess she thought she could prove something to me by tricking you. She had no idea that she was playing with fire… but I did," he said soberly, returning his eyes to the man. "I was really worried and afraid when I realized she had gone to you, especially because I didn't know if she had told you she now knew about you. And like I said, I didn't know how you would react. It was that day that I realized how dangerous it was for Jazz to know my secret and be involved in what I did."

Danny frowned at his next words. "I know that we ended up foiling your plans that day, but I also know we got lucky. And although I did my best to hide it, I was worried about what could happen now that you knew Jazz knew about us. I thought about it for a while, but I eventually let it go, figuring I would deal with any repercussions when they came along. It's probably been one of the dumbest things I've done. The again, how could I have ever known that what happened that day would come back to get me like it did…?"

Vlad frowned himself, noticing the sudden bitterness in the boy's voice. Of course, the teen was thinking about how it had been because of that incident that he had been able to force Daniel here for these past several months…

"Still, after that, I avoided telling Jazz more than I had to. It's not because I didn't trust her, but because I was already worried enough as it was with my two best friends being involved in my life as Danny Phantom, let alone my sister. I figured the less she knew about you and my other enemies, the better. That's why I never told Jazz about Danielle or your cloning scheme," Danny said seriously, his face tensing at the memory.

But not wanting to go into that, since it had made him less than happy to have already talked about it last night, Danny pressed on, "It didn't matter, though. My efforts to keep Jazz out of it were in vain. I realized too late that it didn't matter what I did, because it was enough that you already knew that she was now involved in all this. The truth is, Vlad, that whatever tiny bit of respect I had for you was wiped out with that cloning thing and with how you manipulated and used Danielle like you did. I knew you were seriously messed up, after that, but…I _never_ thought you could be _so cruel_ as to use _my own sister_ against me like you did."

"Daniel," Vlad quickly said, not liking the resentment now in the boy's voice towards him. But whatever he was going to say, the boy didn't let him continue.

"Don't, Vlad. Just listen, okay?" Danny asked, bringing his emotions back under control.

The man just crossed his arms and looked away.

"I thought I had overcome my fears from that fight with 'him'. But when I saw my sister so sick and so close to _dying_, that wall I had built up to keep my fears back fell apart. And, somehow, they had grown stronger inside me from keeping them locked away. I literally panicked because I thought I was going to lose her and that there was nothing I could do about it."

Danny's troubled voice turned a bit shaky as he further said, "And when you told me you were responsible for her sickness, that those nanobots were inside her and that you were using her against me, I-I've never wanted to hurt anyone in my life as much as I wanted to hurt you that day. It was as if I suddenly saw _you_ responsible for all the fear and uncertainty I had inside me," the boy admitted, looking disturbed by his own words as he continued, "And that, plus the fact that you were endangering my sister's life, made me feel something _so dark_ against you, something I had _never_ felt before and that I couldn't even control. All I remember is lunging at you with that…_darkness_ driving me in a way that just scares me to even think about it now…I-I think I wanted to…_waste_ you that day…," the teen said fearfully.

"I don't blame you, Daniel," the man told him seriously, though it made him feel even worse to know he had driven the teen to feel something so terrible.

"It doesn't make it right," Danny replied, passing an anxious hand through his hair. "But as much as I blamed you for what was happening, I blamed myself just as much. After all, you could have never been able to use Jazz against me if I would've kept her out of this and if I would have never upset her so much that she tried to take you on by herself and ended up with those nanobots inside her. I knew then that my mistakes were once again hurting the people I cared about. I knew that it was _my_ fault that I was losing Jazz, and that I was about to lose everyone else if I wanted to save her…"

Danny took a shuddering breath as he added, "I thought I would die at the very moment that you told me your ultimatum. I didn't want to lose Jazz, but agreeing to you meant I would lose _all_ of them. And I also couldn't help but remember that _he_ came to be because I went to you after having lost everyone…"

Vlad's eyes widened a bit and he unfolded his arms. But just when he was about to question the boy's last comment, Danny lifted a hand, stopping the man before he could even begin.

"I did everything I could think of to find a way out of this. But as the days went by and I saw everything I did was in vain, I became more and more afraid. My fears of losing everyone, of ending up alone, of turning…evil had overwhelmed me so much that I ignored your threats. And I ended up going to Axion in blind hope that I could find a way out of this. I was so focused on preventing myself from having to accept your ultimatum that I risked Jazz by doing what you told me not to do. I knew it was a mistake and I still did it, anyways. I had been selfish, and because of that, _because of my mistake,_ Jazz got hurt—she got hurt when I had promised myself I would never let anyone ever pay for one of my mistakes again!" he said, suddenly angry with the memory, but mostly, at himself for having broken that promise.

"Daniel, I didn't know," Vlad began, feeling terrible that he was responsible for bringing all of the boy's fears back to the surface.

But Danny quickly cut him off and angrily asked, "Would it have made a difference if you did? Face it, Vlad, if you would have known, you would have just somehow used all this against me anyways!"

The older hybrid further saddened and looked away, knowing the teen was right.

But realizing how guilty he was making the man feel, Danny's brief resentment vanished and he lowered his own sad gaze.

There was a small silence between them before the teenager confessed quietly, "You destroyed me in every way by bringing me here… But… you have also fixed me in every way."

Vlad quickly looked back at the boy, confused.

But Danny smiled weakly, though warmly, before he explained, "You've made me realize in these past months that it wasn't my fears that were destroying me, but, rather, trying to hide and suppress them. It was the fact that I was letting them eat at me, instead of acknowledging them and dealing with them that have been messing me up inside. The truth is, Vlad, that I am as responsible for everything that has happened to me here as you were. And nothing proves that more than that day I lost control of my powers. I broke down because I _let_ things get to that point—by trying to pretend I was alright when I wasn't."

Danny bit his lip at the memory, but then remembering something else, he regrettably added, "I was also responsible for what happened with Dazzler. You were right, Vlad. That fear that I felt wasn't for Dazzler, it was the fear I felt for myself—for my ghost half! It was all the things that I have been carrying inside since that awful experience with 'him' that Dazzler used against me to hurt me—to hurt you…"

The teen paused again, his eyebrows creasing with his emotions. But for the most part, he was now calm again, and it only took him a second or two to continue, "In most ways, coming here was one of the worst experiences in my life. But now that all is said and done, I'm glad most things played out the way they did… "

That captivating intensity suddenly returned to the boy's eyes as he suddenly said, "Vlad… you took everything away from me—my life, the people I care about, my will, and with it, all my hope. You made my biggest fears a reality—you left me with nothing and _alone_… But you know what? …_I'm still standing._"

Danny's eyes sparked with hope as he further said, "I didn't die from grief as I had convinced myself I would if I were ever to be left alone without my loved ones. It is only thanks to the fact that you brought me here that I have finally been able to understand and deal with my fears. And it is in these months that I have realized how wrong I was…"

Danny continued to speak his mind and how he felt. And as he did, as he heard himself say it all out loud, he now _amazed_ even himself.

"I was wrong. My family and friends… They are not _my_ strength. My strength comes from within—from everything I know and have learned through my experiences. I'm strong because I have learned to hope and fight against all odds. My loved ones are not my strength—they make me _stronger_. They have always helped me push myself that extra mile; they have kept me going when I have felt like giving up. And it's their belief in me that gives me that extra strength, and I will always be grateful to them for that. But _**my strength**_ is in _here_," the teen said, placing a hand against his chest and smiling with his realization.

The man smiled, too. It really made him happy to see Daniel finally understand that he had always been stronger than the child believed.

Danny's eyes scrunched a bit, and suddenly feeling more animated, almost excited, he moved away from the man's desk and began to pace a bit. "I don't know why I didn't realize this before, but I realized it last night after everything you told me."

The teen abruptly stopped and creased his eyebrows in concentration as he added, "There's _no reason_ for me to be afraid of being alone—at least, not in that obsessive way. I shouldn't be afraid because I'm not alone and I'll _never be_ alone. See, I realized that even when I can't see my family and friends, even if I was a world apart from them, I can _feel_ them! I will never lose them, because my love for them and their love for me transcends even _death_."

He paused only a bit, his face shining with hope as he confidently added, "They will always be with me, because they are _part_ of me; they are _inside_ _my heart_, along with what I've learned from them and the hope and strength they give me."

Hearing the teen talk so lovingly about his family and friends unwillingly reminded Vlad of his own childhood family. And he internally and sadly agreed with the boy. Even after they are gone, you never stop _feeling_ the people you love…

"But I also learned something else while I've been here, and it's something that I now understand, thanks to you," Danny said, turning his full attention to the man. "Since that day at the woods and up till now, I have thought about what you said to me about myself. I have thought about my ghost half… and about _him_. Before then, I had thought that if I embraced myself completely, that if I let my powers grow and use them to their full potential, that I would turn into _him_….But you have shown me that I shouldn't fear my powers and that my ghost side isn't evil. I can't, _and I will_ _never_, turn into him, because I _chose_ not to. As you said, I can't turn into anything I don't want."

Vlad nodded and smiled gently. "I'm glad that at least you now understand that, dear boy."

"I understand a lot more than that, Vlad," Danny quickly assured him. "You told me last night that I have taught you a lot in these months, well, _you_ have taught _me_ just as much! For so long I wondered if my powers were worth all I have been through. And the day I came here, I was sure they weren't worth anything. I even wished I never got them… But thanks to you, I don't think that way anymore…"

Danny suddenly turned into Phantom and lifting up one of his hands a bit, he slowly let a small sphere of blue energy appear in it. He studied the blue energy with the same awe that he had when he had first learned to create blue energy that night in his room. And his eyes only glowed more with that unique tranquility that this sort of energy produced inside him.

"How could I not want something that makes me feel _so complete?"_ Danny said softly. But then he suddenly raised his other hand and cupped the blue sphere. But when he removed his hand, the sphere was now slowly spinning as it quickly changed into the shape of a blue rose—just like Vlad had once shown him the first day he trained with the boy.

And the man's surprise at seeing the teen do that was clear on his face.

"How can I not want something that's _this_ _cool_?" Danny said with a widening smile as he then molded the blue energy rose into a blue energy crystal…

Vlad finally managed to rip his gaze from the energy in the teen's hand and looked back at him, now a bit more stunned.

"When did you learn to do that?" the man asked quietly, a smile now slowly forming on his face.

"Like you said, I control my powers, which means I can make them do anything, right?" the teen replied with a small smirk.

"…That's right," the man replied gently.

The teen looked back at the blue cryatal in his hand for another moment, but then he quickly willed it away and changed human again.

"You know, that night that I took Jazz for a quick flight, she saw something was bothering me. And, well, of course, I didn't tell her what was wrong, but we had this talk and one of the things she told me was that my powers made me who I am."

Danny sighed wistfully at the memory before he then said, "I didn't believe her, then. But… I do now. In fact, I'm _sure_ of it now. See, if it wasn't for everything I have been through because of my powers, I really _wouldn't_ be who I am. Like you, there were times I would think that my ghost half was some curse, but it's _not_. It has given me _so much_. And yes, my powers have given me grief, too; but in the end, I've been for the better! And it's thanks to you that I finally realized that. You helped me accept myself… You have helped me accept _all _of myself, Vlad."

The teen suddenly paused as his mind drifted back to the incident with his evil self. But now, after everything he had just said, after everything the man told him…it now didn't upset him as much.

"I get it now," the boy said quietly with a thoughtful frown on his face. "Even though I am capable of horrible things, I know I will never do them. So, then, why should I be afraid of myself when_ I_ control myself and no one else?" he said with confidence.

But then his eyes narrowed a bit with sudden determination, "I might still feel afraid of 'him', but I'm _done_ being afraid of what the future may bring or the 'what ifs'. You're right, Vlad. It's time I let this go. It's time I stop obsessing over what happened, which never really did happen. I'm not going to let any fear be a weakness in me anymore. And I know I can make sure of it, too, because thanks to you, I now know how to fight against my fears and win!"

The teen focused fully on Vlad again as he told him, "See? You have helped me more than you could ever know. But I needed to at least tell you enough to make you understand that."

Vlad smiled softly as he replied, "Dear boy, you have no idea how glad I am to know you have finally freed yourself of all those fears."

"No, _you_ freed me, Vlad," the teen corrected him with a smile.

"Well… If I really have had such a large part in it, as you believe, then all I can say is that it's the least I could have done for you after all I have put you through," the man replied with a sad smile.

"I came here to tell you that and thank you…" Danny said with a sigh as he glanced over at where he had left his duffle bag.

And noticing it, Vlad's smile vanished, remembering it was time for the boy to go. He sighed himself, but said, "You're welcome, little badger. But if that's all, then…"

"That's not all," Danny quickly cut him off, an unreadable expression now on his face. "I still need to make my decision…But, first, I need you to answer me something…"

Vlad frowned in confusion, but before he could question him, the teen looked seriously at him and asked him something very unexpected.

"Could you really let go of your love for my mom, Vlad? Could you let go of your hate for my dad?"

The man's eyebrows creased even more as he asked, "Why are you…?"

"I need the truth, Vlad," Danny cut him off, this time sounding both desperate and afraid, for some reason. "I want you to think about what I'm asking you very carefully. You told me last night that what you feel for my parents was almost like an obsession to you, that it was buried deep inside you. So, tell me, is there any chance of you letting that go right here and now? Is there _any_ chance that you can let go of everything that you have based your life on for _over twenty years?"_

But Vlad remained quiet, this time, unsure of how to respond to what the teen was asking him. Or, was it that he was asking him to make some sort of choice? But, why?

The teen glanced back uncertainly at his bag before looking sadly at the man again, "Answer me, Vlad. I promise that whatever you say, I won't get mad, but I _need_ to know. You told me last night that with me at your side, you could let that whole thing with my parents go. But…I also know that my mom is more important to you than anything else. So… can you _really_ let her go, as you said?"

The man quietly searched the boy's troubled eyes for a moment. But then, with his own eyes reflecting his sincerity and seriousness, he replied, "No, Daniel."

The teen bit his lip, unable to keep off the disappointment on his face completely.

But then the man suddenly added, "Maddie's _not_ the most important person to me—at least, not after I met you, dear boy. I _can_ let her and everything else go because _you_, Daniel, have become more important to me than what I feel for your parents or my own desires of personal gain or revenge. So, if what you are really asking me is that if I can let go of them for you, then, my answer is, 'yes'…. Yes, I can."

Danny smiled sadly before he said, "I thought about _everything_ you said to me last night… I thought about what it would mean for everyone—including you and me—if I returned home… And I thought about these months here with you. But even with all that, I still couldn't choose what I was going to do. At least, not before I told you everything I just did. And also not before hearing your own choice…But now I have. Now, I have thought about and have heard everything I needed to make my decision…"

The young hybrid turned his gaze over to his packed bag and just stared at it for a moment. But when he finally looked back at the confused older half-ghost, the uncertainty in his eyes had left. And he suddenly said in a resolved voice, "If you can let them go, then, so can I."

Vlad's face paled with the teen's words and his eyes widened in pure shock. Did the boy just mean what he thought he did?

"D-Daniel, what are you saying?" Vlad breathed out shakily.

"I'm saying that I'm taking up your offer. I'm staying with you," the teen replied, his voice as certain as before.

But when Vlad only continued to gawk at him with disbelief, Danny looked over at the man's open lab before he confidently walked over to it. And to make his decision more concrete for Vlad, he tilted the golden football back and closed the lab, sure that whatever the man wanted him to 'take with him' wasn't necessary anymore.

"I…. don't understand," the billionaire finally spoke up. "I thought you…I was sure that…"

"Like I said, I thought _a lot_ about this," Danny said when the man trailed off. But noticing the picture of his family on the fireplace mantel, the boy picked it up and studied it quietly. And though there was still longing in his eyes, it wasn't like before now…

"You're right, Vlad," Danny finally said, turning his gaze back to the still startled billionaire. "Together, we are better people. But that's not all. If I stay, things wouldn't just be better for us but for _everyone else._ My family and friends would be safe from the dangers I put them in because of my enemies and what I do. The truth is that Amity Park doesn't _need_ Danny Phantom. I'm not irreplaceable as I sometimes liked to believe. I mean, Amity has _plenty_ of other ghost hunters! And most of them have the time for it, because that's what they do for a living—_it's their job_. Heck, I know my parents don't mind ghost hunting. They love it!"

But then the teen sighed calmly as he continued to voice why he felt this was the right choice, "I also think that without me around, some of those stronger ghosts won't care to bother with Amity Park anymore—Skulker and Walker, being two good examples. And, who knows? Maybe without Danny Phantom, Valerie will finally get over her grudge against ghosts and stop ghost hunting. After all, she started mostly because of me. Maybe I can help her out in this way. I know that, at least, I would feel a lot better if she went back to her normal life. She doesn't deserve all the problems ghost hunting brings her…"

"Daniel, I don't think you are looking at this correctly. Even if you are not around, ghosts are still going to attempt to cause problems in your town," Vlad admitted reluctantly. "Unfortunately, your parents' unnatural portal causes instability between the fabric that separates the Ghost Zone and here; and as consequence, Amity Park experiences the largest number of temporary portal formation than anywhere else. So, you see, it's not just about _you_; but, rather, that your home is the most convenient place for any ghost to travel between both realms."

The teen hesitated, suddenly worried, as he asked, "So, you're saying Amity is being overrun by ghosts right now?"

The billionaire sighed deeply. "Relax, Daniel. Your town is fine. As you said, there are other ghost hunters around. But… I also recently had a hand in it. You see… there is a way to drastically reduce the threat to your town. You just have to learn it, as I have; hence why Wisconsin rarely suffers from ghost attacks. Everyone knows this is my territory, you see…"

"Then, you can teach me!" Danny quickly said, the man's words reassuring him again. "Look, I'm not saying that I'm just going to forget about Amity Park. I'm saying that I can do my town more good from here. If I stay with you, I know I'll become stronger and more experienced! So, if they ever truly need me, if there's some ghost the other ghost hunters there can't handle, then I'll be there! And I'll be able to protect everyone because I'll be physically strong enough! I'll be more powerful! Don't you see? If I stay, I'll be able to help my town even more!"

But to the boy's surprise, the man shook his head, clearly more reluctant with his decision than Danny himself seemed to be.

"Daniel, please," Vlad said sadly. "For once in your life, _stop_ sacrificing yourself for others." The man sighed, clearly ripped in two about this, but he wasn't about to lure the teen into some kind of fake comfort zone. After everything, he wanted to be honest with the boy. He owed him that much.

"Look, I'm not telling you not to care about everyone else's wellbeing. We both know caring about others is just a natural part of you. And in spite of my own beliefs, I'm glad you do. But, you also _need_ to think about _yourself_. Don't sacrifice your own needs and dreams for everyone else, Daniel. I will never agree or accept that."

But Danny shook his head. "No, Vlad. You're not getting it! It isn't just about everyone else! Staying here is also what's best for _me_, too! After everything I've told you, haven't you figured out that what I want the most is to have a _normal life? _Here, I can finally live that life I have always wanted! I have the chance to finally be a regular kid and just concentrate on _my_ dreams again! I haven't even begun to tell you all that I want to do!" he said with a growing smile as excitement danced in his eyes with the thought of finally having the chance to reach his goals.

"There is so much! And there is also just as much that I want to learn—about my powers, about myself, about everything!" But the teen's eyebrows drew in as he suddenly said, almost desperately, "I want to just be me. I don't want to be in a battle every single day for the rest of my life—hoping in vain that my loved ones or I don't get seriously hurt one day. If I stay, I don't have to be worried 24/7 about my enemies' revenge plans and if they will finally work! And also, there will be no more close-call fights with Valerie or you!"

Danny sighed in order to calm himself a bit before he added, "The truth is I've always wanted to take up your offer, but I never did because of your conditions. But now, there are no strings attach. I _believe_ everything you have told me because I now trust that all you really want is to help me. And I _want_ that help. I want what you can give me: a normal life. _This_ is my chance to just be Danny Fenton. No more double life. No more fears or worries, because I would finally have someone much stronger than me watching my back. I won't yearn anymore for that freedom that my ghost side needs, because, _here_, I'll have it! Here, I don't have to hide what I am! Here…I have a choice, like I told you that day at the pool. I get why I said that now. Here, I can _choose_ how I want my life to go from now on. And I _choose_ to stay. I choose to untie myself from all the chains holding me down. I choose to be free!"

Faster than Danny could comprehend, Vlad grabbed him in such a tight hug that the teen almost thought it was his father hugging him and not the older hybrid, which in turn made the boy wonder if Vlad had learned it from his father.

"You have no idea how happy you have just made me, little badger!" the man beamed, again sounding a bit too much like Jack. But he didn't care. Hearing the teen so certain of wanting to stay with him filled him with so much excitement and hope!

"Ah, no… Actually…. I…..do," Danny wheezed out, barely able to breathe within the man's constricting hold. In fact, the teen learned at that moment that it was possible for someone to hug him tighter than his father could.

And suddenly realizing he wasn't watching his own strength, Vlad quickly let go, his face actually tingeing red with his embarrassment.

"Oh…Sorry, Daniel. I…suppose I got caught up in the moment there," he explained meekly.

The teen took a deep breath and nodded, "Yeah, don't worry about it. Luckily, my ghost half makes me a fast healer, so I'm sure my broken ribs will heal soon," he joked.

But the man didn't really react to his teasing. In fact, he looked uncertain again, as if his logic had overpowered his emotions again.

"Daniel, I want nothing more than for you to stay with me. But… _Are you sure?_ Are you certain this is what you want? Because I was certain you wanted nothing more than to return home with your loved ones. I _know_ you miss them, Daniel... and they miss you."

Danny exhaled softly this time, and his eyes filled with sadness as he lowered them to the picture of his family still in his hand.

"I do miss them," he admitted softly. "And I guess I'll always will… And I know they miss me just as much. But… they'll be _so much better_ _off_ without me, Vlad. And in some ways, so will I. My friends and sister will be safer now that they won't have to help me out with ghost hunting. My parents will finally be able to properly work on their inventions, because I won't be around making them believe their equipment is faulty. And as for me, I won't have to worry about them ever finding out my secret or about one of their ghost devices really hurting me."

Danny smiled softly as he touched the picture frame with his other hand. "They're going to be fine without me. And I…I can finally let my need for them go. As I said, I'm not really losing them. And I never will. But in this case, I know that they are alive and well and just a helicopter ride away…. I can be happy with that."

The teen turned towards the fireplace and put the picture back on the mantle before facing the older hybrid and smiling confidently at him. "_This_ is where _I_ now tell _you_ that you have nothing to be afraid of. I've made up my mind and I'm not changing it. Besides, I think I can do a lot more good around here. At least, I can say I saved my former arch-enemy… and he saved me. And you know what else? I've realized that living with you isn't _that_ bad…," he teased with a smirk.

Vlad rolled his eyes, but his uncertainty had now melded into a warm smile. But the man knew that there was something very important that still needed to be resolved.

However, Danny also knew what it was and he voiced it before the billionaire could.

"There is one thing, though," the teen said a bit more seriously. "If I'm going to stay, I can't keep hiding from my parents that I'm with you. I don't want them to continue to worry over me. I need them to know I'm fine. I need my sister and friends to know I'm fine and that I will be fine, even if I won't be around as much anymore. I… know it's going to be hard to explain things without telling my parents our secrets, but…"

"I understand, Daniel," Vlad assured him when the boy trailed off worriedly. "And I have already thought it all out."

"Really?" Danny asked, surprised and hopeful.

"Of course," Vlad replied with a small smirk. "Even if you had decided to return home, I would have still needed to come up with a way to explain your absence without compromising either of us. But in light of your unexpected decision, I will need a bit more time to get this resolved."

"How much more time?" the teen questioned, unsure.

Vlad smiled reassuringly and affectionately placed his hand on the teen's head. "Just give me one more week, alright, little badger? I promise you that I'll do this the right way this time around. And I promise you that not only will your loved ones know where you are and that you are safe, but that they will see you again and you'll get to see them as much as you want, too."

Danny's face lit up with a large grin and this time it was he who grabbed the man in a tight hug as he exclaimed, "Thanks, Vlad! You don't know how much that means to me!"

"No, I think I do," Vlad shot back with a grin.

Danny chuckled and let go of the man.

But then Vlad's smile fell a bit as he told he boy, "There is actually one more thing on my part, Daniel…But, I think it can wait for another day when we can sit down and talk. But until then…"

The older hybrid turned from the teen and opened his lab up again.

As a result, the teen frowned in confusion. But he then followed Vlad into the lab when he saw the man wanted to show him something there.

But as he went in, Danny couldn't help but recall the Ghost Gauntlets.

"Hey, Vlad? What did you do with those Ghost Gauntlets?" the teen questioned a bit apprehensively. Even if he wasn't fearful about turning into his evil self anymore, he still didn't like the idea of those gloves being around. They were just so dangerous. And it was better to be safe than sorry, anyways…

"You realize you are going to have to explain to me your dislike for the Gauntlets eventually, right?" Vlad retorted, shooting the teen a look.

"Like I said, I'll tell you everything someday," the teen muttered.

But not wanting to dampen the mood, Vlad smiled back at the teen before he made his way over to the mainframe controlling the nanobots. But as he did, he finally answered the teen, "Don't worry, Daniel. I… accidentally took up your advice. They're damaged and, really, I don't think I can even repair them from how bad they are…"

But having noticed the man typing something into the mainframe, Danny barely heard the man's comment and instead he worriedly asked, "What are you…?"

"You'll see," the man calmly cut him off. He quickly typed in a few more things before a bright red message popped up on all the screens.

"_Are you certain you want to commence a Permanent Hibernation Cycle?" _the mainframe suddenly asked. _"Be warned, this will render the entire system unusable." _

Danny jolted a bit at the unexpected sound and warning.

"Yes. Commence now," Vlad replied without hesitation.

"_Permanent Hibernation Cycle commenced and effective in thirty, twenty-nine, twenty-eight…."_

Vlad finally turned back to the confused teen and seriously told him, "I cannot destroy it _yet_. But I can keep this mainframe permanently dormant. Once it finishes, it can't ever be used again. As I said, there is one more thing on my part, but… I'll take care of it as soon as possible."

Danny just stared soberly at the mainframe. And as he watched all the screens go black one by one, until the entire system had gone out, a feeling of relief swelled inside him. It was almost hard to believe that this nightmare was over. And it was even harder to believe that after all he had gone through, things could have turned out so well.

He really had finally reached the light at the end of the tunnel. And it was just awesome!

A smile slowly curled the boy's lips before he looked back at Vlad and causally called to him, "Hey, Vlad?"

"Hmm?" he replied distractingly, his own thoughtful gaze on the now dormant mainframe. He also couldn't believe things had turned out this way.

Daniel was actually staying with him.

"There is _one more thing_…," Danny said, raising a finger for emphasis. But then he crossed his arms and said with a raised eyebrow, "If I'm staying here, the green and gold in my room has _got_ to go."

Vlad blinked at the now smirking teen. But then the man suddenly laughed heartedly.

"Ah, Daniel. You are truly one of a kind, my boy," he said with an amused grin. But then he wrapped an arm around the teen's shoulders. "Come, let's go have lunch. I don't' know about you, but I'm suddenly rather famished."

Danny nodded and grinned back in agreement as he let the man lead him out of the lab.

But as the fireplace quickly hid the lab's entrance as they headed out of the private study, Vlad added with a smirk, "In regards to your request… I suppose it won't hurt to _spoil_ you a bit. How about I have an interior designing company come today and you can tell them what you want?"

"Naw, I rather go to a department store and get the stuff to do it myself… Well, you could always help me," he added, quirking up an eyebrow.

Vlad chuckled as they walked down the hall before replying, "I'd love to, my boy."

But right then, the little white kitten, which had been sleeping on a decorative table, noticed the hybrids, and meowing, she followed the hybrids.

Noticing her, Danny quickly paused and moved away from Vlad. He picked up the kitten, remembering he needed to feed her.

But the man rolled his eyes upon noticing the meowing cat.

However, as they continued down the hall again, the teen suddenly smirked again before causally saying, "Hey… about the cat…"

Vlad just sighed, already sure what the boy was going to say…

* * *

**Ah, Danny. He always knows how to work the system, eh? *chuckles***

**Well, I'm sure most of you are surprised by this twist. But, mind you I didn't write it in just for the fun of it. I really do believe Danny would make this choice, given the circumstances and his past actions on the actual show. As we have seen on the show, Danny has always had the desire to be 'normal'—even in the last episode, Phantom Planet, he showed that. And I could name a couple more others that he shows this same thing. The truth is that every time the poor kid has been given the opportunity to throw in the towel as a superhero and just be Fenton, he has taken it every time—and each time it has slapped him in the face, which probably hints at what will happen in this case… **

**Personally, I don't agree with Danny's decision here, but I can't say I blame him. But I do think this is what **_**he**_** would do. Even our noble little ghost boy can be selfish, at times. And, most especially, when it comes to being presented with such a seemingly perfect offer from Vlad—with no strings attached, this time. Still, I think this is what makes Danny so great. He has so much power, but is still very human, and still very much a kid, who really just wants to be normal. But, hey, that's what also makes him such a great superhero. In the end, he always goes above his own desires to do what's right. *pats Danny on the head***

**Anyways, I'm sure this has given you all a lot to think about… and consider. At least Danny has gotten over his fears for the most part now. He really brought everything together in this chapter, his experiences, his past and recent lessons, his doubts and fears, and finally his relationship with Vlad, when he asks Vlad to make his choice and then he makes his. Seems he got everything, eh? **

**Well… Danny did forget one very important thing… **

**Vlad muse says he'll make you energy roses if you can guess it… Heh-heh.**

**Well, enough of my rant. I gave you guys my view point on this chapter. So now it's your turn, kay? Please leave me your thoughts!**

**Thanks for your support! Oh, which reminds me, a special glomp and thanks to NewGhostGirl for making the title card for DoaS. If you haven't checked it out, go over to her profile or to TheHiddenPearl and check it out! Oh my God! It's amazing! Seriously! You gotta go see it and give her your thoughts! I'm sure she'll appreciate it! **

**Well, thank you all again! I can't wait to hear your thoughts on this chapter! Ta for now!**

**P.S. I keep having to split chapters because they get too long after editing—it's like this story **_**doesn't**_** want to finish… but we are getting there. I won't even tell you guys have many chapters we have left, since I keep having to correct myself. But I'll tell you it's less than ten and more than five. *sighs***


	72. Chapter 71: The Start of Something New

**Hey, guys! Sorry for the delay! I have been busy and so has my beta. I apologize that I wasn't able to reply to reviews on this last chapter again. But, really, I have been busy these past weeks. And I will still be busy this week. At least I am past my personal issues and I am back to my cheerful self again! *grins***

**Well, just to at least answer your reviews overall…. I am glad most of you enjoyed the twist with Danny's choice to stay with Vlad. For those that didn't like it, well then, be glad I am staying cannon and this story will fall into season three. But, also, I did what I believed was realistic for Danny—the 'Danny' Butch Hartman showed to us in the series. So, that is why I had him make that decision. It had nothing to do with my personal wants or opinion. Because this is cannon, my focus will always be to keep the characters true to how their creator depicted them. So, that's the bottom line and my rule for my cannon stories. **

**Well, on to this new chapter. I hope you guys like it. It has a lot of stuff in it! See ya at the bottom.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

* * *

**Chapter 71: The Start of Something New**

* * *

Less than a week had gone by since Maddie had gone to Vlad's castle. But even Jack could tell something was wrong with his wife ever since she got back.

He had been tempted to ask her many times before, but the strange drop in ghost activity had both of them on high alert. The last time that happened, a massive ghost invasion followed it, heralding the rise of the Ghost King. And the fact that other ghost knight had made an appearance didn't appease their worry.

They really hoped that the drop in ghost activity was just that the ghosts were finally getting tired of being attacked by ghost hunters and were just retreating. But if that weren't the case, Jack and Maddie would be ready. And that's why they were currently in the lab fixing any damaged ghost weapons and equipment.

"Gosh, you would think that the Specter Speeder has been through war by the amount of damage it has!" Jack muttered as he continued to work under the hood of the aircraft. He swiped the sweat off his forehead before adding, "But, at least, it's almost fixed. I still have to add the upgrades, but this baby will be back to full operation by today!"

He paused as he then suddenly realized, "Not that I've ever used it. I still need to figure out how to operate it…" He grinned as he quickly asked his wife without looking over at her, "Hey, sweet cheeks, what do ya say we take the speeder for a test drive today?"

But to his surprise, he got no answer.

Pulling his head out of the speeder's hood, he looked around the lab for his wife. He quickly spotted her staring soberly at the closed portal.

"Maddie?" he asked.

Danny's mother jolted a bit before she finally turned her attention to her husband and weakly smiled as she replied, "Did you say something, dear?"

Her husband frowned at her. But then he suddenly sighed and put down the wrench that had been in his hands. As he walked up to his wife, he rubbed the back of his head as he told her, "Uh, listen, Mads… You know I can be pretty clueless, sometimes. Heck, sometimes I completely miss things all together!" he added with a sheepish smile.

But then he paused in front of his wife and gave her a more serious smile as he added, "But I can at least tell when something's buggin' _you_, Maddie. And, well, I really would like to know what that is, 'cause I'd like to help, if I can."

Maddie smiled warmly at her husband. "You're sweet, Jack. You might be a bit clueless, but you're a sweet man."

Jack grinned as he replied, "See? I knew all that fudge was good for me!"

Maddie laughed lightly, but then she sighed sadly and looked back at the ghost portal. "I really miss our son, Jack. I wish I could at least know that he's safe. Just the thought of him being in the hands of some evil ghosts …"

"We'll find him, Maddie," Jack assured her.

But the woman shook her head and replied seriously, "We have been telling ourselves that for over four months now, Jack! And the worst part is that I don't even know if Danny was indeed taken by ghosts, or—or, if he just left on his own!"

"Come on, Mads," Jack said with a small frown. "Why would Danny want to leave?"

"He's never liked what we do, Jack," Maddie replied sadly.

"Danny? Naw!" Jack dismissed with a wave of his hand. "He loves it! Remember how he always would help me try out my new ghost inventions? Sure, he got a bit nervous every time, but I think it was from excitement!"

Maddie's eyebrows creased, knowing deep down that her son didn't really like helping them with their work. Unlike Jazz, he never openly protested about it, but… she could tell he didn't really like it. But what was odd was that just a year ago, Danny had always been curious about what they did…

Maddie never figured out why her son had changed so much. Perhaps it had been that accident with the portal. It could have shaken him up enough that he was swayed from his interest in their work…

She could only guess that was the reason. But not really wanting to blow her husband's bubble, she decided not to correct him. Still, she sighed again and said, "I don't know, Jack. I really don't know what to think anymore about Danny. I just want to find him!"

"Well, what did Vladdie say about it? Does he have any leads?" Jack asked her, remembering his wife had never told him what Vlad said exactly.

But to his surprise, Maddie scoffed bitterly and moved back over to a device she had been working on. But as she began to tinkering with it, she muttered, "Vlad's too busy to help us, Jack."

Her husband blinked at first, but then he frowned and replied, "Why would you say that, Maddie?"

"Because it's true, Jack!" Maddie suddenly snapped.

But Jack quickly shook his head and replied, "Well, I don't believe it. Vladdie cares a whole lot 'bout Danny! I know that much! So, I know he'd help us, whether he's busy or not! Besides, he said so himself that he had hired a private investigator to help us find him!"

Suddenly very frustrated with her husband's blind trust in Vlad, Maddie roughly dropped the device in her hand as she angrily questioned him, "Why do you trust him so much, Jack? Honestly, do you think he cares about anyone but himself? Can't you see he's still bitter at you for the accident in college?"

Jack's eyes widened in disbelief, but then he suddenly became very upset with his wife as he replied, "What are you talkin' about, Maddie? Vlad _said_ he forgave me for that! And maybe things are not like they were in college between us, but I know Vlad cares! And even if he didn't, I care about him, because that's what it means to be a friend! I _know_ him, Maddie! And he might've changed a lot in all these years, but he's still Vlad! He is still my pal from college! So, yeah, I trust him! And if he says he's helpin' us, then I believe him!"

Maddie's lips pursed as she seriously replied, "You're right, Jack… You can be so clueless, sometimes."

Jack's eyebrows heightened in surprise when his wife suddenly walked out of the lab. But although he was too shocked to say anything to stop her, he soon reacted. And with a serious look on his face, he quickly went after his wife.

When he found her, she was in the kitchen, beginning to prepare for lunch.

But Jack didn't hesitate to go over to her and grab one of her wrists to get her attention. And getting it, he let go and said, "If you think I'm clueless, then why don't you fill me in, Maddie? Come on, tell me what it is you _think_ I'm missin' here?"

"Jack, you wouldn't believe me even if I did tell you," Maddie replied seriously.

Jack frowned in anger a moment, but then his face suddenly dropped, more hurt than anything else by what his wife had said. He replied, "Now you think I don't trust you, Maddie? Of course I'd believe you!"

Danny's father suddenly moved away from his wife, and started pacing a bit, clearly not wanting to take out his frustration on his wife and say something he would later regret. But then with a sad look, he suddenly paused and finally said, "Look, Maddie. I know somethin' happened between you and Vlad when you went to see him a few days ago. And if I haven't said anything until now, it's because I was hopin' you'd trust me enough to tell me yourself. But obviously not. I don't know why you are so mad with Vladdie. But don't ask me to agree with you when you won't tell me! Like I once told Danny, Vlad might be my friend, but Danny's my son and _you_, Maddie, are my wife! We're a family! And I'd believe anything you'd tell me above anyone else. But if you don't want to tell me, then don't get mad at me for not understanding! And also, don't go insultin' me when you got no right!"

Maddie's eyes widened when Jack turned back around and walked off back to the lab. But although she realized that she had just been very unfair to her husband, she didn't go after him. Instead, she turned back around and continued with lunch.

But a moment later, she felt something nudge her leg. And turning back around and looking down, she saw TJ wagging his tail at her.

She smiled sadly at her son's dog before kneeling down and scratching his head.

"We should have let Danny get a dog sooner… Then again, it wouldn't have been you," she commented quietly, though she felt tears swell in her eyes.

The five-month-old Dalmatian licked at her hands and continued to wag his tail at her.

"Where is he, TJ?" Maddie suddenly asked the dog with a choked sob. "Where's Danny?"

* * *

It was Saturday, the day after Danny's decision to stay with Vlad. And the teen was currently heading towards the training room to meet up with the older half-ghost. They were training a bit earlier today since they were going out later tonight.

Honestly, the teen was quite surprised when the man had come to his room early in the morning to tell him he had gotten tickets to a Packer's game.

But after all the angst he had gone through in the past few days, Danny had more than welcomed the light and unexpected outing. So, he had agreed to it.

However, Danny knew his and Vlad's outing would only be a brief step outside reality. The truth was that now that he had decided to permanently change his life by staying with Vlad, things were going to get even more complicated—and they would only get _more so_ when it was time to face his family and friends.

He would have to get them to at least respect his decision. But how was he going to do that without his family freaking out and his friends believing Vlad had brainwashed him or something like that?

That was actually what Vlad and he had been talking about at lunch today, which they had had outside by the pool. Of course, the billionaire had thought of a way to go about all this and had suggested it to him.

But that's not all they had talked about during lunch…

"_I didn't think you would agree to go with me to the game later today…" Vlad suddenly commented with a small smile._

"_Why not?" Danny questioned, though he suspected the reason._

"_Well, with everything that's currently over our heads…"_

_Lowering the sandwich in his hand, Danny frowned, but then he lightly shrugged. "That's actually why I agreed. My head hurts from all the thinking I've been doing lately. I just…I want to forget about everything for a bit and relax. I mean, don't you? Isn't that why you planned this all the sudden?"_

_Vlad nodded. "Yes, but… We cannot ignore reality for too long, Daniel, especially when you and I have some urgent choices to make about all this…After all, I'm sure you realize that your decision to stay is going to bring the both of us some very serious repercussions. That is, if we are not careful…"_

_Danny sighed, his lighter mood quickly dampening. _

"_Daniel, I've been thinking..."_

"_That's a first," the teen teased in hopes of holding onto the last bit of ease in the atmosphere. _

_Vlad rolled his eyes, showing mild amusement. But it quickly vanished and he asked, "First, how do you like Ms. Thomas?"_

_Danny quickly became confused. That was not a question he had been expecting at all… _

"_Uh…I like her fine, Vlad. I mean, she's a little obsessive, but what ghost isn't?" he replied with a small smile. But his eyebrows then creased as he asked, "Why?"_

"_I'm glad—that you like her, that is," Vlad answered. "But the reason I ask is, well, I know how important it is at your current age to spend time with other teenagers, Daniel."_

_Danny tensed somewhat. "What are you saying?"_

"_I'm saying that if you are going to stay here in Wisconsin, then you need more than private tutoring with Ms. Thomas. Daniel, I think I should enroll you in a real institution."_

_Danny just blinked at him, honestly floored by Vlad's idea. He should have expected as much, but… he had not even thought about school in all of this…_

_But seeing the boy was speechless, Vlad continued in the same calm, but serious voice, "Of course, we will need to inform your parents of you before we do something like that. And that's another thing, Daniel. We are going to have to find a way to convince your parents to let you stay with me…"_

_Danny looked down thoughtfully at his lunch on the patio table. But having a feeling Vlad already had something in mind, he quietly asked, "And how are we going to do that?"_

"_Honestly? The first thing I was planning to do was to call them up and just tell them I found you," he replied with a small shrug._

_But when Danny looked up uncertainly at him, the man sighed and told him, "Daniel, I know that isn't exactly the truth, but I think it will be the easiest approach to this. Judging by the things you told me, I doubt you want to tell them our secrets. Not to mention, if your parents knew the truth, there is no chance they would agree with your being anywhere near me…"_

_Danny shook his head. "No, I don't want them to know the truth about us. But how is that going to work, Vlad? They are going to want to know where the heck I've been for the past four months."_

"_I have a solution to that, as well," Vlad assured him. "But I still need to take care of the finer details, so be patient with me on that. Right now, I'm concerned on how exactly we are going to get your parents to agree to let you live with me. I can tell you for certain that this will not be a quick process. Most likely you will have to stay with your family for a few weeks before we can even bring the subject up. After all, your mother is not going to want to let you go so easily after your several months of absence. In short, we will need things to settle down before we tell your parents anything."_

_This time, Danny's eyebrows heightened. "Are… you saying I need to go back home for a few weeks?"_

_Vlad nodded. "Yes, Daniel. That's what I'm saying. Let's be realistic_. _Your parents will not be easily swayed into letting you go. After all, you are not even of age yet. But there is one thing of which I am certain, and that is that I can convince your father into letting you come live with me. And I know your father will then convince your mother. But as I said, we have to do this carefully. Still, you do not need to worry about your parents; I can handle them. But your sister and friends… you will have to do that part, little badger."_

_Danny visibly cringed. "You know what they're gonna think about all this…"_

_Vlad smirked this time. "That I brainwashed you? Yes, I am aware. But…" The billionaire's face melded into a serious frown again as he added, "…they're your friends and sister, Daniel. And my biggest concern is your sister. If you do not at least find a way to make her respect your choice, I fear she will tell your parents the truth about us. And that's very dangerous for the both of us."_

"_I don't think I can ever get them to agree, Vlad. But… I think I can get them to understand," Danny said with a small smile. "As you said, they're my friends and sister, and I know they will want what's best for me. I just gotta get them to see that being here is exactly that."_

_Vlad returned his smile, but then added, "Perhaps if they know of the benefits you will have here with me, they will be more willing to accept this. You see, I think I can pull a few strings here and there to get you into a space institution for the summer. Basically, it will give you a head start on the college classes you will need to then enroll into the space program and even a few hands-on experiences in said field. As I said, it would only be summers, since you still need to finish high school. But I can tie it in with your classes so we can tell your family and friends it's year-round here in Wisconsin. And, well, I think you can imagine the rest. Point is, they cannot deny you a chance to reach your academic endeavors, hmm?"_

_Danny stared in disbelief at the man for a moment, but then said, "You've really thought all this through, haven't you?"_

_Vlad smirked again."Of course I have, Daniel. If you have chosen to remain with me, I am willing to do even the impossible to make this work. Not to mention," The man's expression softened as he sincerely added, "I meant what I said, dear boy. I want to give you your dreams."_

_Danny couldn't help but smile back at the man, but he then quietly asked, "Do you really think I can visit my friends and family whenever I want?"_

"_I don't see why not, Daniel. There are plenty of quick and easy ways for you to get to them. They are not __**that**__ far away."_

_But when the teen didn't reply, Vlad sighed, this time, lowering his gaze. He was quiet for a moment before he said, "Daniel, are you still sure about your decision? Is this still what you want?"_

"_W-What?" Danny asked, startled. But then he quickly answered, "Of course, it is! I already told you my reasons. It's just a lot to take in, you know? But that doesn't mean I've change my mind or anything."_

"_Then, you agree with my plan?" Vlad asked, his eyebrows creased._

_Danny smiled. "Definitely, especially the space program for the summer. That sounds really good. But…" The boy's face fell a bit as he all but pleaded, "I don't want to go to another school, Vlad."_

"_Daniel, you need to go to school," the man said with worried frown. "Look, think of it as a new adventure. It's your chance to broaden yourself socially. And if that does not sound appealing, then know you won't be completely alone. I want to sign you up at Annabelle's school. It's a private institution, and she and a few of the teenagers you met at the Mark's party go to it. It is a very respectable school, Daniel. And I think you will fit right in." _

_But Danny still didn't look convinced. After all, he already had his friends in Amity Park and going to another school without them would just be __**too**__ weird for him…_

_Vlad sighed. "I'll tell you what, I'll let you continue with your private classes with Ms. Thomas until you feel ready to try a new school. But I really do want you to try and consider this, Daniel. It's for your own good."_

_Danny scowled lightly as he muttered, "I think you just want me out of your hair."_

_Vlad chuckled. "Of course not, Daniel… Well, I suppose I must admit that you have been too much of a distraction for me. And, of course, my companies have been paying the consequences, but it's nothing too serious. Still, even too much of a good thing is bad, little badger. So, really, it's best for the both of us. But as I said, I'll let you decide when you think you're ready for that. Meanwhile, Ms. Thomas is more than capable of keeping you on track. I am getting her accredited as a private instructor, so everything you have done with her in these months will count towards your high school credits."_

"_Seriously?" Danny asked, surprised._

_Vlad smiled. "Well, I should say re-accredited. You see, there is something I have not told you about Ms. Thomas…"_

"_And that is…?" Danny asked, a bit nervous._

_Vlad laughed lightly again. "It's nothing bad, Daniel. You see, Ms. Thomas was once __**my**__ teacher when I was in high school. At least, when she was alive. She always had a passion for her career, so it hardly surprised me when I found her in the Ghost Zone on one of my trips several years back." _

_Danny eyes went wide in disbelief. "Are you serious?"_

_Vlad nodded._

_But the boy suddenly laughed. "Wow! No, but that makes so much sense now! I mean, the way you act around her!"_

_The man frowned in confusion this time. "What do you mean?"_

"_I mean, you always calling her 'Ms. Thomas'! You don't think I hadn't noticed that you don't call anyone by title around here except for her?" Danny teased. "Oh, and let's not forget how nervous you got that one time we were having that food fight and you threw an egg at her! You should have seen your face!"_

_Vlad's eyes widened a bit, but he quickly protested, "That's preposterous! Why would I be afraid of her?"_

"_That's what I want to know," Danny quipped back with a grin._

"_I am not afraid of her," Vlad denied with a scowl. "I simply have a certain amount of respect for her."_

"_Yeah, sure," Danny replied back with a smirk._

"_I'm not afraid of her!" Vlad continued to deny._

_But Danny just laughed loudly in response…_

Danny couldn't help but smile a bit with that last bit of his recollection. But his amusement quickly melded to worry about what was to come.

"I hope they'll understand," Danny muttered to himself.

But knowing there was nothing he could do about it until Vlad had everything ready, the teen shook his head to push away his uncertain thoughts. He just needed to take this one day at a time. And he also needed to remember that he wasn't alone with this…

"Speaking of which," Danny said with a smile when he finally made it to the simulation room and found it locked. "The fruit loop is training…"

But that didn't surprise him. In fact, it was still half-an-hour before their agreed meeting time and the teen had come early on purpose. After all, it wasn't very often he got to see the older hybrid practice his powers. And when he did, he never wanted to miss the opportunity, just because it was so interesting to him…

Danny's smile widened as he moved over to the next door and entered the control room. And moving to the viewing window, the teen quickly spotted Vlad practicing his electrical powers again. The man still seemed very intent on creating blue-energy bolts. And Danny still remembered what the man had said when he had asked him why, some time back…

_"Because combining the qualities of blue energy with the properties of electrical energy would expand the use of my powers; especially when I specifically hope to use natural conductors, like the ions in water, for example, to expand that potential. However, I first have to create blue electricity in the way that I want."_

Danny still wasn't sure what the man was trying to do exactly, but he knew how frustrating it could be when you just couldn't get the results you wanted from your powers. And if Vlad had _yet_ to make blue lightning bolts, then the guy had to be pretty frustrated. But if he had yet to succeed, that also meant that Vlad was missing something in his technique… Or maybe…

He just needed a small push…

Danny's eyes narrowed daringly with his sudden idea. However, before he could decided whether or not to go with it, he was suddenly startled by a voice behind him.

"Daniel, what did I tell you about being in here without telling me?"

Danny turned around to face the older hybrid and raised a curious eyebrow. "How did you know I was here? I'm not even in ghost form."

"Call it a guess," Plasmius quickly dismissed, a small frown on his face. "Now, about my question…"

Danny crossed his arms and smiled calmly in return. "Your intuition about me is kinda creepy, cheese head, but whatever. And I was about to go in. I just came here first since the simulation room is locked down. But, come on, I got an idea."

Before Vlad could ask what the boy meant, Danny suddenly turned into Phantom and teleported into the simulation room.

Plasmius raised an eyebrow before quickly following him.

"By the way, Vlad. You're gonna have to get use to being watched. It's only fair that I get to watch you train if you get to watch me train," Danny said, crossing his arms and smirking again.

Vlad rolled his eyes as he answered, "I'm not self-conscious, if that's what you are implying. I just don't want to accidently hurt you. And I watch you because I happen to need to do so to help you improve, remember?"

"My point still stands," Danny retorted with a raised eyebrow. "But, anyways, I was thinking about what you're trying to do and it's essentially the same thing I needed to do when you taught me blue energy."

Vlad's own eyebrow heightened, this time. Was the boy trying to give _him_ instructions on ghost powers?

"Yes, and no, Daniel," the man answered slowly. "I know how to create blue energy. So, what I am trying to do is _more_ than that. Electricity is naturally unstable, and—"

"So, is my energy, Vlad," Danny reminded him with a small smile.

Vlad blinked a bit in surprise, but then he shook his head. "Yes, but it's still not the same thing. Electrical energy is not simple ghost energy."

"Maybe, but you're still missing something. And until you add it, you won't be able to do what you want," Danny informed him causally.

Plasmius smiled skeptically. "No offense, Daniel, but do you really think _I _wouldn't know if _something_ was missing in my technique?"

"No, I know you would know," Danny didn't hesitate to retort. "I mean, no one knows your powers better than you. Not to mention, I get that you have all this experience; but what I'm saying is that you're missing something _outside_ all that—something that goes beyond technique and knowledge."

Vlad crossed his arms, this time, but still looked skeptical. "Alright. And what do you think that is?"

Danny grinned and lowered his arms as he replied, "_Motivation_, cheese head. And I know just how to give it to you."

Vlad's eyebrows heightened when he saw the teen raise his hands and form a shield in front of himself.

"Hit me," Danny said with a daring smirk.

But suddenly knowing exactly what the boy was thinking, Vlad's eyes widened in horror. "What? _Hit you with an electrical bolt_? Are you insane? No!"

Danny frowned and lowered his shield a bit. "Why not? It's not like I haven't been on the receiving end of your electrical attacks before."

Vlad looked somewhat angry now as he snapped. "No, Daniel. There is a large difference between _this_," The man snapped his fingers, creating a pink charge of electrically energy. "And _this_," he then added, firing a bright red bolt at a random target and instantly turning it into dust.

"Believe me, Daniel. Your shield would shatter on contact," Plasmius said seriously. "And when that happens, it will hit you and most likely kill you. Why do you think I never use this outside the training room? It's deadly, Daniel. So, you can toss your idea aside because there is no way I am going to do that!"

Danny's determination faltered with the older hybrid's words. But then his eyebrows creased in thought. "Well… I guess that might be true if you hit me with a red bolt. But you said blue energy is the weakest form of energy, so a blue electrical bolt has to be much weaker. My shield could stand up to it, then, right?"

Vlad was now a bit apprehensive with this topic. "Yes, but that is precisely what I cannot form, Daniel. So, how can I use it if I cannot make it?"

"But you _can_ make it," Danny said with a smile. "You obviously got all this down. You just need something to motivate you—to _push_ you into creating a blue-energy bolt. And what better motivator than to add a bit of danger into the mix?"

The teen rose up his shield again and daringly said, "So, come on. Give me your best shot."

Vlad just stared at the boy for a moment, but then he shook his head. "No, Daniel."

"Oh, come on, Vlad! What are you afraid of?" Danny asked, now annoyed.

"What I'm afraid of? Of killing you, you stubborn boy!" Vlad exclaimed. "Are you even listening to yourself, Daniel?"

"Uh, yeah, I think I can hear myself pretty well," Danny said, rolling his eyes. But then he dispelled his shield all together and seriously said, "Look, if I really thought there was a chance of this really hurting me, I wouldn't be offering. But I'm _sure_ you can do this, Vlad. You are not going to waste me… I trust you; so why won't you trust yourself?"

The older hybrid's eyebrows creased inward with indecision. But then he quietly answered, "It brings me great joy to hear you say that. But I cannot do this, Daniel. Please, let's just forget about this and work on your powers instead, alright?"

But Danny suddenly looked angry and he replied, "No, I'm not training. You know why? Because if you won't do this, then that means you've been lying to me this whole time! You said we control our powers! You said we can do anything we can imagine! And you said we have no reason to fear our ghost halves! So then how can all that be true when you are not holding up to that now? If you don't do this, Vlad, you are going against everything you taught me! So, come on, prove yourself right and just do this!"

Unable to deny the boy's words, Vlad lowered his gaze and stayed quiet for moment.

"Daniel…," he finally said softly. But then he paused again; and with a sigh, the man at last looked up at the teen and pointed to the far wall, ordering, "Go stand over there."

The teen hesitated, not sure if this meant the billionaire was going to do this or not. But when Danny moved to stand a few feet in front of the far wall and then looked back at Vlad, his intentions were very clear.

Plasmius stared soberly at his hand as it cackled with his gathering electrical energy. He then changed it to different colors for a moment before he suddenly aimed his hand and fired four consecutive red electrical bolts towards nearby targets.

Not having expected it, Danny jolted at the loud claps that echoed through the room when the bolts hit the targets, instantly destroying them. But even then, the sheer power behind those red bolts left the room with a slight charge that had the boy's hairs on his arms standing on end.

It was enough to make anyone have second thoughts about willingly putting themselves in front of one of Vlad's powerful bolts. And the teen was no different.

Danny froze when Vlad looked back over at him.

"Get into a fight stance, Daniel," the man ordered him, sounding slightly detached.

The teen swallowed hard, but still did as the man said, while Plasmius began to gather more electrical energy in his hand.

"Shield up," Vlad further ordered as he raised his own arm and took aim at the teen.

Danny felt his heart rate sky-rocket, but he forced himself to keep it together. And his face tensed in concentration as he conjured up the strongest shield he could possibly make.

Time seem to freeze as Vlad stood there, hand still aimed at the teen; but he did not fire. His face was tense, yet he still looked composed. And if it wasn't for the fact that Danny could see the man's hand shaking a bit, the teen would have thought Plasmius had done this many times before.

But Vlad suddenly exhaled sharply and his arm stopped shaking. "Brace yourself," was all the warning the boy got before Vlad fired.

Danny wasn't able to keep himself from cringing as he saw a flash of light come at him. And it was so fast that the teen couldn't even tell its color. But the deafening clap now pounding his ears was unmistakable.

"Ah!" he yelled out as his back slammed into the wall behind him and he squeezed his eyes shut.

But he then quickly realized that he had felt no pain other than that, and that… he was still breathing.

And when he opened his eyes, he saw his shield was intact.

"You did it," Danny whispered out in disbelief, watching the last sparks of the blue electricity dance over his still crackling green shield while blue smoke slowly dissipated around him.

"What happened with 'I'm sure you can do this'?" Vlad suddenly asked, sounding a bit annoyed with the boy's surprise.

Danny looked over at the man, and smiled sheepishly. "Well, I _guessed_ right, didn't I?"

Plasmius opened his mouth, realizing the teen had tricked him into doing this. "You are such a…"

"Awesome kid?" Danny interrupted smugly. "Yeah, I know."

Vlad scowled; but now that he was sure of himself, he didn't hesitate to fire another blue bolt of energy at the teen.

And Danny had to think fast to hold his shield and brace himself so it wouldn't hit him. Still, he grunted when he was pushed back into the wall again. "Hey! Is that how you thank the person who just helped you make blue-electrical energy bolts?"

This time, Vlad chuckled. He was actually very content that he had finally managed something he had been trying to do for a long time now. And who would have thought the boy would be the one who would help him do it? But Vlad was _even more_ content _and_ relieved he hadn't accidently killed the boy. But that was it, wasn't it?

There really had been no other option. He _had_ to have made the blue-energy bolt, because he had not wanted to harm the young hybrid.

But the thought made him smile even more when he finally understood what the teenager had been telling him.

"Motivation, hmm?" the man said, amused.

Danny grinned as he lowered his shield and walked over to the billionaire. "I told ya."

Plasmius chuckled again; but then he affectionately smoothed down the boy's white hair, which had actually risen up because of the electricity.

"Thank you, little badger. You are a fine teacher yourself. I am quite awed."

"Any time, Vlad. Though, I'm kinda glad I could help you out with the ghost power-stuff, for once," Danny answered, still grinning. But suddenly curious, the teen asked, "So, what is it exactly that you want to do with these blue bolts?"

Vlad suddenly grinned himself and excitedly replied, "Let me show you." He then told the room, "Run E.L.C. program."

Danny frowned in confusion at the name of the program. Usually, they were based on numbers and levels…

But before he could question it, sprayers appeared on the ceiling and began to rain down water on them.

"Uh, Vlad?" Danny asked slowly as he began to get all wet.

But the man just continued to smile like the fruit loop he was; and floating off the ground, he advised, "You might want to come up…"

"Huh? What—Whoa!" Danny abruptly yelped as two vents opened on the ground and began to flood the room. The teen quickly flew up besides Vlad, and still staring down at the rising chlorine water, he nervously said, "I'm all good for going swimming, but this is kinda weird…"

Vlad chuckled before asking the room, "Run Program level 53."

In an instant, several targets rose from the ground right above the water line, and then several more targets appeared all around them, quickly becoming soaked from the rain still falling from the room's ceiling.

"Because water most often has some kind of ion in it, Daniel, it can be a natural conductor of electricity," Vlad finally explained. "Much like metals, which are good heat conductors, in general. This means that water and metals can carry such _energies_ through them."

"Okay, I know that. But what does that have to do with why you need blue electricity? Won't any other type work just as good?" Danny asked, as he pushed back his soaked white hair from his face.

"Yes and no," Vlad replied, ignoring his own wet body. "It depends on what I'm trying to do. And what I _want_ to do is conduct electricity through _raindrops_, which would require a less intense form of electrical energy; or else, the water drops would simply evaporate. Now, of course, it depends on the amount of electrolytes in the rainwater, but, luckily, with electricity derived from _ghost_ energy, just the minmum trace of ions in the raindrops is enough for blue electrical energy to be conducted through it."

Danny frowned, still not getting what was the big deal.

Vlad sighed and added, "It's complicated. But, like I said, it'll be easier to show you. And now thanks to you, I can."

Plasmius suddenly aimed a hand at the teen; but the man hesitated with what he was about to do when he saw the boy visibly tense in response.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Daniel," he muttered before slowly allowing a pink shield to form around the teen.

Danny looked away, embarrassed. "Yeah, I just… you know. It's just a reaction. What's the shield for?" he quickly asked.

"You're wet and I don't want to electrocute you," Vlad replied, though there was suddenly a curious look on the man's face.

But Plasmius dismissed whatever he was thinking and quickly created red electricity in his hand and then made it green. He fired a bolt down at the pool of water, purposely not hitting any of the targets. But as he had wanted to demonstrate, the water conducted the electrical energy and instantly destroyed all the targets right above the water with a loud 'bam'.

Danny's eyes widened at the sight. He could now see how useful Vlad's ability could be in a battle. "Whoa…" the teen breathed out. But then, he looked over at Vlad; and noticing he was all wet and yet had electricity crackling in his hands, he quickly asked, "How come you don't, well, electrocute yourself like that?"

Plasmius chuckled lightly at the question. "Perhaps because it's my own energy, Daniel, and my body has a tolerance for it. Otherwise, how could _any_ ghost use its abilities without hurting himself?"

Danny smiled sheepishly. "Heh. Right."

"Alright, now, watch this…," Vlad said with a sudden daring smirk on his face. And before the teen could understand the man's change in attitude, Plasmius' whole body lit up with blue electricity, instantly evaporating the water on him, as well as the drops of water that continued to fall on him.

Then, glancing back at Danny, he smiled at him for some reason before looking down and firing a blue-energy bolt at the pool of water below. Like before, the water hissed and cackled as it conducted the electricity through its particles. But then, something further happened this time.

The weaker form of electricity suddenly dispersed further, moving like clawing hands up the room's walls. And, then, it jumped and attacked the raindrops. But instead of evaporating them, it made them glow blue as they sparked with electricity.

Danny gasped in surprise when the electrified raindrops hit the barrier protecting him, sounding like firecrackers going off around the shield. But then he heard an explosion, turning just in time to see a nearby target disintegrate into dust. And it soon was followed by all the remaining targets in the room.

The boy instantly knew why, too. The wet targets had also been reached by the blue electricity coursing through the room. And with nothing to protect them, they were ripped apart by it and by the crackling raindrops.

At that instant, Danny finally got it. This attack was in a sense like his Ghostly Wail. They were perfect attacks in battles dealing with multiple enemies. But unlike, his Ghostly Wail, Vlad's attack didn't require a large output of energy, since it was a simple, yet ingenious usage of the natural properties of the elements around them.

"What do you think? Pretty impressive, hmm?" Vlad asked, ignoring the remnant bolts of blue electricity still shooting back and forth within the wet room.

Danny looked over at the man and chuckled at his excited voice. The man sounded like _he_ did whenever he learned something new or thought something was very cool. Not to mention, it amused the teen that the older man wanted _his_ approval.

Still, the teen grinned and nodded. "Yeah, cheese head, it's _very_ impressive. I mean, if you can do this, imagine what else you can do!"

Vlad raised an eyebrow at the comment. "Such as?"

"You could become your own power-plant! Just imagine all the money you could save!" Danny quipped with a snicker.

Plasmius rolled his eyes and dryly replied, "You're hilarious, Daniel." But then with a chuckle, he ordered the room, "Terminate all programs and commence energy absorption."

The room instantly confirmed the order and then the rain stopped and the vents opened, allowing the waters to quickly recede. Soon, any lingering electricity was absorbed by the room itself and only until then did Vlad lower the shield around Danny.

Danny turned intangible to get rid of the water on his body. Of course, it fell to the ground, but it was soon soaked up by the floor.

"Well, that's enough of that. I do believe we came to teach _you_ something," Plasmius said with a smirk.

The older hybrid held out his hands to the teen as he told him, "You are getting very good at teleportation, but I think it's time we take it one step further. I know you still have not fully managed to transfer it to other objects, but I think feeling how to spread it firsthand from me will help you along."

Danny nodded, but when he placed his hands above Vlad's own, the teen yelped when he was unexpectedly shocked.

Vlad blinked; and then realizing he was still slightly charged from the usage of his electricity, he said, "Oh, my bad, Daniel."

"Man, now I know how it feels to put my finger into a socket!" Danny grumbled, shaking his smarting hand.

Plasmius laughed loudly in response.

* * *

Jazz frowned at how quiet her parents were during dinner. She had not seen them all day since she had spent her Saturday at the library working on a research project.

For once, she had yet to talk to her brother's friends today. But, at least, she was sure they were hanging out at one of their houses, since the ghost attacks had drastically declined since Fright Knight came to mark Amity Park as Plasmius' territory.

Jazz still didn't know how to feel about that. The man had kept his word about bringing down the ghost numbers, but… it was in a way she had not expected. It troubled her, in fact.

Then, there was still the whole situation with Danny.

When her mother had gone to Vlad's just a couple days ago, Jazz really had feared that her mother would learn the truth. But… she obviously had not. Though, she noticed her mom came back very upset from her trip. And although she tried to get her mom to tell her what happened, her mother just assured her she was fine and that she was just disappointed that Vlad said he knew nothing about Danny.

That had made Jazz's blood boil. But she had kept quiet. However, since then she was feeling a bit upset with her brother. She wondered if Danny had seen their mother when she went to Vlad's. If he had, he clearly kept out of sight. And if he had…

Did her brother not notice how upset their mother was because of his absence?

Somehow, Jazz felt her brother had seen their mother. And she just could not fathom what her brother was thinking. She also could not help but believe Vlad now. Danny _was_ with him willingly. Maybe Jazz could understand why her brother would want to get away from all the hardships he had here. And, perhaps, she could _even_ understand how he would want to be near someone that could understand what it was like to be what he was.

But what Jazz couldn't understand was how her brother could turn his back on them—on his family and friends!

At least, couldn't he have told them? Didn't they have the right to hear his decision from his own mouth—face-to-face? And if he had left willingly, why would he worry their parents like this? Why didn't he just _tell_ them he was going with Vlad? Jazz knew that, at least, her father would have agreed; and with a little more persuasion and with Vlad's manipulative mind, her mother would have been convinced, too.

It would have still been selfish of Danny, but _at least_ their parents wouldn't be so upset! Jazz would have respected her brother's decision; so why was he putting them all through this doubt and worry?

Jazz frowned down at her dinner. Who was she kidding? She would have _never_ accepted that Danny would have wanted to go with Vlad. She would have thought that twisted man had brainwashed her brother or something. Maybe that's why he left without saying anything. But it still wasn't fair.

The girl bit her lip, hating the fact that she was doubting her brother's love for his friends and family. She had always believed her brother to be good and honest. She believed him to be a hero, who never abandoned those in need. But after all these months, she felt like she was losing her brother. She felt like she didn't know him as well as she had believed. But she didn't want to think that; but, unfortunately, everything pointed to the fact that her brother had abandoned everything and everyone.

Jazz was worried for her brother—of what he was becoming. She felt hurt with his actions. But… she also felt bad for feeling this way. Shouldn't she be happy that her brother was happy? Didn't he deserve to pick how to live his life, especially after all the good he had done?

Jazz didn't know what was right anymore. All she knew was that she was tired of seeing the grief on her parents' faces.

Maybe… Maybe it wasn't her mother who had needed to go to Wisconsin. Maybe _she_ needed to go back. She needed to have a serious talk with her brother. Vlad couldn't deny her that. And neither could her brother.

Jazz just wanted to hear from her brother's mouth that this indeed had been his choice.

"_I have already given him enough time,"_ Jazz thought soberly. _"This just can't go on anymore."_

But… when was she going to go? How was she going to explain her absence to her parents? And how was she going to convince them into letting her go when she had school and when she still had this strange illness? Even if she had not had any further episodes in months now, her parents were still concerned…

Jazz sighed, realizing this was going to take some careful planning…

She turned her attention back to her parents, wondering what she should say to break the silence. Were they just going through one of those days when they were upset over Danny's absence?

It was the only thing the girl could guess.

"Um… I guess your efforts have paid off, huh?" Jazz suddenly spoke up with a weak smile. "I mean, the ghosts numbers have gone down a lot."

Maddie forced a smile on her lips as she looked up at her daughter. "Yes, that's definitely good news."

"Or, it just means we are going to be experiencing some massive ghost invasion shortly," Jack suddenly muttered bitterly.

Jazz blinked at her father's tone of voice. It was odd to hear him so pessimistic…

"Are you okay, Dad?" Jazz questioned worriedly.

"Yeah," Jack answered quietly.

Maddie looked worriedly over at her husband. She didn't like to hear him sound so upset.

"I hope not, Dad," Jazz continued slowly. "But it could just be that the ghosts were just scared off."

"Don't be so sure, Jazz," Maddie answered with a frown. "We all know how ghosts thrive on big trouble, especially Danny Phantom. I bet his absence is just some evil plot to bring about more trouble around here."

Jazz instantly tensed.

"I want to see him try to show his face around here," Jack suddenly said angrily. "It's that's spook's fault everything is a mess! It's his fault Danny's gone! And it's his fault that…"

But Jack quickly cut off his angry rant when he glanced over at Maddie, and then he went back to his dinner.

Maddie sighed, knowing what her husband was going to say. Her husband was blaming their argument earlier on that ghost. But although she had once _also_ felt all their problems were Danny Phantom's fault, she wasn't so sure anymore. She was still inclined to believe now that Danny left on his own…

"Look, Dad, you don't know if Danny Phantom had anything to do with Danny's disappearance," Jazz quickly said, now really worried. "For all we know, it could just be coincidence. And—"

"No, Jazz," Jack firmly denied. "I know that ghost punk is behind this! Him and the Wisconsin Ghost! And I'm gonna find them both and tear them apart molecule-by-molecule!"

Jazz glanced over at her mom, and taking her silence as her being in agreement with that, the teenager suddenly felt indignant, and she abruptly jumped to her feet.

"I can't believe you two! I'm so tired of your sick obsessions with ghosts!" she exclaimed angrily. "This is exactly why Danny left! And you know what? I don't blame him! You guys are just… ugh!"

Maddie and Jack were startled by their daughter's unexpected words. But they were more surprised when she suddenly ran out of the kitchen in tears.

And, TJ, who had been in the kitchen with them this whole time, quickly jumped up himself. And with a loud whine, he ran after his master's sister.

Suddenly feeling horrible over her daughter's words, Maddie got up and left the kitchen, too.

Jack frowned as he watched her go. And hearing her sniffling, he knew she was trying to hold in her own tears as well.

Jack just sighed sadly. He didn't understand why Jazz suddenly blamed them again, like she had done at the hospital when she had first found out about Danny's disappearance several months back. But he was sure she was just upset and didn't mean it.

But maybe that was it. They were all upset. Maybe he shouldn't have been so hard on Maddie earlier today for what she said. After all, he knew his wife really missed their son. And, maybe it had only been her desperation talking.

Jack didn't know much, but at least he knew he couldn't just ignore his wife as upset as she was. He had to at least try to make her feel better.

Jack sighed again and stood up. He headed upstairs to find his wife. And as he guessed, she was in their room, crying.

"Jack," she suddenly said when she saw him. And before he could say anything back, she quickly added, "I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have said all that to you! I'm just so confused and frightened for our little boy!"

"Aw, Maddie," Jack said, a small sad smile coming to his lips. He walked over to her and wrapped an arm around her crying form. "It's okay. I shouldn't have reacted like I did, either. And don't be upset about what Jazzy said. She's just upset and confused. She knows and _we_ know that we love our kids. So, don't cry anymore, okay?"

Maddie nodded, but hugged her husband. "I love you, Jack. And I'm sorry," she added, remembering how she had offered Vlad to leave him if the man found their son. She still felt bad for that. But now, Maddie was also extremely thankful that Vlad had not accepted the deal… Jack didn't deserve such a cruel blow from her. And she could only hope he would never find out about that… or about _anything_.

Vlad was a horrible friend and Maddie was certain Jack didn't deserve some one like him in his life. But Maddie could not bring herself to give Jack that type of news. She knew how much Vlad meant to him, and if he ever found out Vlad hated him, Jack would be very hurt.

"Forget about it, Maddie," Jack said when they pulled away. But smiling at her, he added, "I'll tell ya what? I'm gonna give Vladdie a call myself, and you'll see that he'll be happy to—"

"No, Jack," Maddie quickly said. But when her husband frowned in worry, she added, "Let's not bother Vlad anymore. You're right… If there was anything more he could do, he would have already done it," she forced herself to say.

"Yeah, but…," Jack began again.

"Please, Jack. Just trust me on this," Maddie cut him off with her plea.

Jack frowned some more, but then sighed and nodded. "Alright, Mads. If that's what you want. But, I know Vladdie's a good friend and whatever we need he'll help us out, especially when it's got to do with Danny."

"I know, Jack," Maddie said with a forced smile.

Jack grinned back, seemingly satisfied with his wife's response.

The two were quiet for a bit, though both were still thinking about Vlad. However, their thoughts about him were quite different from the other.

But, suddenly, Jack sighed wistfully as he commented, "I sure wish things were like before... You know, when it was just us three in college, hanging out after a football game and just havin' fun? Hey! That's how Vladdie and I met you. Do you remember?"

Maddie nodded, a small smile coming to her face. "I remember how you came up to Harriet and me at the concessions stands…"

Jack chuckled. "Yeah, but it was Vladdie who saw you first, Maddie. You should have seen his jaw drop. Well, so did mine! We thought you girls were hot, but especially you, Mads! I actually dared him to go talk to you, but he was shy! Ha! Can you believe that? Vladdie, shy! But he was! So, I went over to you and Harriet myself, and he had no choice but to follow me."

Maddie tensed a bit before she hesitantly asked, "Vlad… saw me, _first_? And, he …liked me?"

"Well, of course!" Jack said, oddly unbothered by that. "But you know how it was. We college guys liked _all_ the pretty girls. But _I_ knew you were somethin' special the moment I saw you, sweet cheeks!"

Maddie relaxed again when she realized her husband was using the word 'like' in a broad way. But she then smiled warmly at his last words and said, "Well, I knew you were something special when I first met you, too, dear."

Jack wrapped an arm around his wife as he grinned and said, "Yeah, I was a lucky guy!" But the man suddenly paused and muttered with sympathy, "…If only Vladdie had been as lucky… too bad his dream girl got away."

"What?" Maddie questioned, looking at her husband in confusion.

"Huh?" Jack questioned back, not understanding his wife's response or look.

"What 'dream girl', Jack?" Maddie asked. "I never saw Vlad go steady with anymore in college."

"Well, that's because he didn't meet her in college, Maddie," Jack said with a small smile. "He met her in Florida when he went to high school there. He told me himself he was in love with this girl and that she had been his girlfriend for a long time."

Maddie's eyes widened. "When did he tell you that, Jack?"

"I don't really remember when exactly, but it was in college, before we met you, I think," Jack answered with a shrug. "He lost contact with her after his family died. But he said he still had feelings for her and missed her. Heh. This was between me and him, but Vladdie would go on and on about how much of a babe she was!"

Jack laughed loudly at that, but Maddie just stayed quiet. She had known about Vlad's family. Though, she had never asked how his father and sister had died. All she knew was how his mother had died of an illness. But… about Vlad being in love with some girl from high school? …She had _never_ heard of _that_.

"Jack, how did Vlad's sister and father die?" she asked carefully.

Jack's face immediately fell into a frown. "It was pretty bad, Maddie. Some truck driver got into the wrong side of the road and hit them head on. I know he never got over it. I mean, sometimes he'd wake up screaming or in cold sweats, especially after his mom died. Yeah, I worried a lot about him for some time. I kinda still do. It's gotta be hard to go through somethin' like that, you know?"

Maddie frowned, though there was actual sympathy for Vlad in her eyes. She really had considered Vlad a very good friend in college, and hearing about his tragic past really saddened her. But, why had Vlad changed so much? Even with all that, he had no right to be as selfish as he was, _especially_ to Jack, for she was sure her husband had supported Vlad like no other…

"I still don't understand why Vladdie gave up on this girl if he liked her so much," Jack continued with a sigh; though he soon added thoughtfully, "I mean, if he still liked her after all those years…I don't get it. But, you know, I bet he never did get over Stephanie. I mean, why else didn't he ever marry, right?"

Maddie jolted. "Did you say her name was _Stephanie_? What was her last name?"

Jack raised an eyebrow at her wife's outburst. "Uh… I don't' remember. Why?"

"Was it, 'Hui'?" Maddie asked urgently, not answering her husband.

"Hey, yeah! That was it!" Jack said with a smile. But then he paused and asked, confused, "How did you know?"

"Um, Vlad mentioned her…once," Maddie said slowly, though her mind was now reeling at what she had just discovered.

She couldn't believe it! Vlad's _secretary_ was his girlfriend from high school? What did that even mean?

Had… Vlad been lying to her? Was he seeing this woman and he just said she was his secretary to cover it up? But why would he do that?

And… did that mean Vlad had finally gotten over _her_? Is that why he didn't take up her offer? … But, the man was always telling her he was in love with her!

What was Vlad playing at?

"_Vlad Masters, you are more selfish than I thought," _Maddie thought bitterly._ "You are probably with this woman and you are trying to 'take me' from Jack, out of simple revenge! Not because you have any feelings for me, but just to hurt him!"_

"You okay, Maddie?" Jack said, noticing his tense wife.

Maddie took a controlled breath and nodded. "Yes, Jack. I'm just… surprised."

Maddie was now all the more certain that Jack had never 'taken her' from Vlad, as the billionaire was always saying.

Jack could have never guessed Vlad liked her when her husband had been sure Vlad was still in love with his high school sweetheart! _That's_ why Jack never noticed it!

And who knew if Vlad ever _truly_ loved her, as he was _always_ assuring her! Maddie was now more inclined to believe her old college friend had just been infatuated with her. She had just been whom he was trying to use to forget about this 'Stephanie'.

Vlad didn't love her then and Maddie was sure he didn't love her now. And now she had the proof. The billionaire was really still having some kind of relationship with his high school sweetheart.

"Hey, Maddie," Jack suddenly said. And getting his wife's attention, he rubbed his neck and asked, "Do you think we can keep what I told you between us? I don't know if Vladdie would be happy with me if he knows I told you about Stephanie and also about his father and sister's deaths… It was kinda personal to him…"

Maddie smiled. "Don't worry, Jack. I won't say anything. But thank you for telling me. You've cleared up a lot for me…_A lot."_

* * *

Later Saturday night, Niane heard the front door opened, followed by the sound of Danny's laughter as he came in.

Niane weakly smiled at the sight of her employer and the boy. She still remembered how Danny had come to her yesterday, excitedly telling her that he was going to stay. She really had tried to act happy; but, this time, she couldn't make her act convincing.

And Danny had noticed.

She was indeed worried about his decision, but she dared not say anything. It was his choice, after all. So, she just told him she was simply surprised.

But with the boy's news yesterday, she had felt anything but surprised…

The ghost girl turned her focus back on the two hybrids when she suddenly heard the teen say through his chuckles, "Dude, you are such a fanatic! I mean, seriously, can you even hear yourself?"

This time, her smile widened with amusement. She knew exactly what the boy was talking about, since she knew they had gone to a Packers' game. And it always amused her, too, how her employer's fascination with the team always reverted him back to a kid again.

And Danny had obviously just learned that fact.

"Yes, I am. And I fully embrace the fact!"Vlad answered with a large grin, his attire, of course, green and gold. "And I don't see you complaining. Admit it, it was an exciting game. And a glorious win, at that!"

Danny burst into laughter again. "Glorious? You make it sound like they went into battle, Vlad! You're lucky I find you hilarious; otherwise, I would've been seriously embarrassed to be seen with you! I didn't even know you could scream like that!"

"There's always a time and place for everything," Vlad retorted with a smirk, clearly not at all embarrassed by what the boy was saying.

"Whatever, cheese head. But you need to warn people when you're gonna go crazy like that. Then again, I've always known you were crazy!"

"Says the boy who was hollering his lungs out right there with me," Vlad shot back with a raised eyebrow.

"What can I say? Craziness is contagious!" Danny quipped with a grin.

Vlad rolled his eyes, though there was still a smile on his face. However, just when he was about to say something to that, he finally noticed Niane was present.

The man watched how she instantly became nervous under his gaze. But before he could say anything, Danny finally noticed the ghost girl, too.

"Hey, Niane!" he greeted her.

"Good evening… Danny," she replied shyly, quickly turning her eyes to the boy. "Did you have fun at the game?"

The boy chuckled. "Yeah, you could say that." But then, his smile hinted at something else as he asked her, "You busy?"

"Not really…," Niane answered slowly, briefly glancing at her employer.

"Cool! Then, come with us to the mapping room! It's a great night for star gazing!" Danny beamed.

"Actually, Daniel. Why don't you two go? I have a bit of work to get done before bed," Vlad quickly said, now back to his usual demeanor.

Danny raised an eyebrow at the man. He had just agreed in the limo to star-gaze with him. And now he didn't want to?

But knowing the man did have his own things to do and it was pretty late, anyways, he shrugged and looked back over at Niane. "So, you want to?"

Niane smiled weakly and nodded at him.

"Great!" he said. And not wanting to waste time, he quickly changed into Phantom so he could fly right up to the mapping room. But then he paused when he remembered he had a few things in his hand, which consisted of a Packers flag, a horn, a bag of cotton candy, and a hat and jersey.

He suddenly shoved all his things into Vlad's hands as he said with a grin, "You don't mind taking this to my room, right? Great! See ya!"

And just like that, the teen turned intangible and flew straight right up the stairs and disappeared down a hallway before Vlad could even react.

However, when he finally did react, Vlad rolled his eyes in annoyance, but didn't say anything. But then, seeing Niane was still there, he raised an eyebrow and asked, "Aren't you going with him?"

"Um, yes, sir," she quickly answered before she vanished.

Vlad frowned thoughtfully at the spot the maid had once been. But then as if snapping out of it, he sighed and looked down at the things in his hands.

"That really was a good game," he commented to himself, a smile growing back on his face.

But knowing he did have things to do, Vlad finally headed up the stairs. He dropped off Danny's things in his room before heading to his own room to shower and change.

About an hour later, he entered his private study. But now, he had company in the form of a little white ball of fur that happily followed him in.

He frowned at the white kitten for a moment. But then, a small smile melded on his face as he bend down and picked up the cat.

"Now that you are staying, I wonder if Daniel plans on naming you?" he mused out loud as he scrached the little purring kitten's head. But getting a sudden thought, a smirk crawled onto his face and he added, "If not, I think I have one in mind that he will just _love_..."

Vlad chuckled at his thoughts. But then he put down the kitten on a nearby plushed chair and went to sit at his desk. However, as he then pulled out some paperwork he needed to complete for his companies, it instantly made him think about his secretary.

The man sighed. He really needed to talk with her. But phoning her was definitely not going to work. He needed to talk with her personally and somewhere outside of their workplace.

He needed to go to her house.

But… telling her he was coming over was out of the question. She'd never agree when she was still so upset with him. And going without telling her… she might shut the door in his face… Unless, he found a way to keep her from doing so… Or, rather… _someone_ to keep her from doing so…

He could take Daniel with him.

Yes, she wouldn't deny him entry if the boy was there. It was probably a cheap move. But he _needed_ his friend to listen to him. He needed her to forgive him.

Vlad's eyebrows creased when he suddenly remembered his last conversation with Stephanie. Or, part of it, at least…

_"For goodness sake! You know you're my only true friend! I care deeply for you!"_

_"Is that so? Then, do me a favor? ...Stop confusing me."_

"What did she mean by that?" he muttered. "Why does she think I'm confusing her?"

Hadn't he always made it clear that he cared?

Well, there was that time when he had wanted nothing to do with her. But that was a long time ago. They were friends now. They had been through a lot together. So, how could she doubt that he cared?

Not only that, but he didn't understand why she was so upset with him now. Yes, it had been cruel of him to introduce her to Maddie as his 'secretary'. But did that really surprise her? They had long since made an agreement that they would be discrete about their close relationship, especially in the workplace.

People could be quite nasty. And they both knew it. The last thing Vlad wanted was for his reputation to be tarnished by rumors in regards to his secretary. But also, he did not want Stephanie's own reputation to be dirtied, either. It wasn't hard to imagine what people would think if they knew of the close relationship he—a single billionaire—had with his single-mother secretary.

Vlad suddenly frowned. He should have known from the start that having Stephanie as his secretary would cause him complications. But… although he had not admitted it at first, he knew he could trust her like no one else. Not only that, but she was _excellent_ at what she did!

He could never find anyone who could do her job even half as decently as she. The woman was brilliant and her ability to take on anything that came at her with certainty and confidence even amazed him!

She complimented him perfectly in the workplace. In fact, he was certain the woman could run his companies without him. She was _that_ good!

But maybe that was the problem. Perhaps he was so often focused about her as his secretary that he often forgot about their friendship. It was such a delicate balance—one he had been disturbing quite a bit lately.

Maddie was his personal life, so maybe that's why she had felt offended. He had treated her like his secretary in front of Maddie, when he should have treated her as his _friend_.

And then… at the party. Why did he ask her to dance? That had been a business setting, and he had treated her as a friend… maybe even more.

Vlad's eyes widened a bit, suddenly realizing what his friend meant by confusing her. He was crossing the line with her! Or, worse, he was _blurring_ that line!

But that fact had him suddenly contemplating something that he never had before.

Exactly what _kind_ of care did he feel for Stephanie?

Vlad's eyes shrouded with worry and maybe even fear when he quickly realized…

He didn't really know.

She was his friend. He had no doubt about that… But what he felt went beyond friendship, because of the fact he had known her practically all his life. And again, they had been through so much together…

But… his feelings for Stephanie weren't like the ones he felt for Maddie.

However, that single thought jolted Vlad. Why in the world was he even _comparing_ the two?

The man pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. "Stop it," he muttered to himself, not liking the fact that he was now confusing _himself_.

And yet, he couldn't fully suppress the voice that reminded him that Maddie was off limits to him now. After all, he had promised Daniel to let her go.

And he was determined to keep his word. But what bothered Vlad was that he was now having these thoughts about Stephanie that quite honestly frightened him.

The man sighed deeply before he suddenly shook his head. Stephanie was his friend and his secretary. It was plain and simple. And that's all he wanted. He already had enough complications in his life as it was. He didn't need another.

Forcing his thoughts away, he focused back on the papers on his desk. But…they reminded him of Stephanie all over again.

He suddenly scowled in annoyance, and quickly opened his drawer, deciding he didn't want to do these papers right now, after all. But when he did, he spotted the parchment paper Fright Knight had retrieved for him about a month back...

"How could I have forgotten this?" he said with a small smile, as he pulled it out, suddenly very interested in it again.

Well, he had not really forgotten about it. But, rather, with everything that had been going on, it was just the last thing on his mind.

But now…

Vlad slowly unrolled the parchment paper, pausing just briefly when he saw it glow and send this odd tingle through his body.

He watched as eerie purple writing appeared on the old paper, its words even more unnerving…

But he had read them many times before, and he had researched enough about this Ancient Scroll that he had a very good idea of what it was talking about…

However, if the legends were true, there was a very important part missing. This scroll was supposed to contain the map that led to the real prize Vlad was seeking.

Problem was… the scroll in his hand had no map and the words on it were definitely not clues to locating the map.

Actually, the words were instructions on what he needed _first_ before he could even attempt to seek out this scroll's mystery… But this also left him stomped because the man didn't fully understand the instructions…

"Something's missing. There must be another part to this Ancient Scroll," Vlad mused out loud, carefully studying the parchment in his hands. "Perhaps Fright Knight missed something…"

The man suddenly sighed. "I'm going to have to go into the depths of the Dark Forest myself and investigate…"

The older hybrid drummed his fingers on the desk as he re-read what the scroll said for the umpteenth time. But what really struck out to him most was a single verse:

_For the one seeking instructions on this map,__  
you must first find the one light to your path._

"Blast… How is _this_ a map?" Vlad questioned himself. "And more importantly, if I am the one who is 'seeking instructions' on this _supposed map_, then what 'one light' do I need to find…?"

The man frowned deeply in concentration for another moment or so. But then, he suddenly shook his head and said again, "Something's missing… I need to go to the Ghost Zone," he then abruptly added, not caring how it was close to midnight.

But just as he stood up, Vlad paused, quickly remembering he wasn't alone anymore. He couldn't just disappear without telling Daniel anything. He would need at least several hours in the Ghost Zone if he was going to figure this blasted riddle out. So, there was a good chance the boy would notice his absence…

Vlad stared uncertainly at the scroll in his hand. He _really_ wanted to figure this out…

"But it cannot be now," he muttered unhappily. However, a smirk slowly curled his lips with his next thought, "But tomorrow is a another story…I should be able to take a nice stroll through the Ghost Zone without worry. I will just tell Daniel we won't be practicing tomorrow… I'm sure he won't mind too much…"

Vlad's smile widened with the prospect of his newest endeavor. And deciding to leave his business affairs for later, he walked off towards his secret lab to pull up a few maps of the Ghost Zone and read up some more on this Ancient Scroll.

He was sure he was missing a key thing to all this. And he was determined to figure out what that was…

* * *

The next day, Danny had noticed Vlad was very quiet, which was a very drastic change from yesterday.

Just to get the man out of his thoughts during breakfast, the teen had asked him when the Packers would be playing again. But the man had just answered him with a calmed and still distracted voice.

The boy was almost certain that his odd demeanor had nothing to do with all the plans they had made with Danny's returning to Amity Park and then with his living with the older hybrid shortly after that.

They had already talked about all that yesterday and the teen knew the man was waiting for some papers to arrive from the school in Florida where Ms. Thomas had once worked …

So, what was wrong with him?

Of course, Danny had asked him if everything was alright and the billionaire had answered that he just had a lot work to get done. And he had quickly retreated to his private study.

Danny did not see the man again until lunch. But it was the same fashion. It wasn't that Vlad was acting cold or angry with him. But… he was just… distant. Something had him seriously out there…

The teen didn't say anything when Vlad had excused himself after lunch and retreated back to his study again.

But unable to get over the nagging feeling inside him, the teen finally caved about half-an-hour later. The guy was just acting _weird_, and Danny really wanted to know why.

Deciding to take a more… indirect approach to this, Danny turned into Phantom and flew close enough to Vlad's study to be able to teleport the rest of the way.

And when he materialized inside the older hybrid's study, the teen quickly exclaimed, "Boo!"

Vlad was sitting in at his desk with several books stacked on it and his laptop computer opened, while he had the Ancient Scroll carefully spread out with paper holders to the side of him on the desk.

But hearing the teen's clichéd interjection, the billionaire stopped with what he was doing and raised an eyebrow at him. "Boo?" he questioned. But then returning his eyes to what he was doing, the man dryly added, "Really, Daniel, you should find something more intimidating."

Danny frowned at his remark as he pointed out, "It's not supposed to be intimidating, it's supposed to be _funny_."

Vlad shot him an amused look before he turned his attention back to his laptop and began typing something on it.

Danny rolled his eyes at the man's poor attempt to 'please' him. But deciding to let it go, the teen turned human and plopped down on another chair in Vlad's study, just a few feet from his desk.

There was a brief silence before Vlad suddenly told him, "Daniel, we are going to have to cancel practice today."

Danny raised an eyebrow, this time. "How come?"

Vlad finally looked up at the teen and replied, "I'm making a trip into the Ghost Zone later today."

This time, the boy blinked in surprise, but his expression then quickly melded into an expectant look.

And seeing Daniel wanted an explanation, Vlad frowned a bit. He supposed this was another thing he had to get use to from now on: explaining himself.

The man sighed but then shrugged and added, "It really has nothing to do with you or our plans, Daniel. I just… I'm in search of something. A unique ghostly artifact."

Danny's eyes widened in disbelief. But then looking at everything the man had on his desk and realizing a lot of the books were glowing, Vlad's distracted attitude suddenly made sense.

"Is that why you've been acting weird all day?" the teen asked with a frown, not sure how to feel about Vlad's sudden quest.

The billionaire glanced down at the scroll on his desk, unsure if he should tell Danny about it. He was just so use to relying on himself and doing things on his own. Even in the time Danny had been here, he never really shared his endeavors with the boy. But, somehow, knowing now that the young half-ghost was willingly staying with him, Vlad felt obligated to share them. And, besides, keeping secrets was not good between any two people who trusted each other, especially in his and the boy's case, when secrets and deception had been part of the reason they had been enemies.

"You have heard of the Ancients, yes?" Vlad suddenly asked the boy when he looked back at him.

Danny slowly nodded.

"Well, there is an Ancient legend that I discovered to be true just a few weeks before you first came here," Vlad explained, intertwining his fingers. "About two months later, I found the location of an Ancient Scroll that is part of this legend. I'm sure you have never heard of this place, because I have only recently learned of the place myself. It's called the Dark Forest. Truth is, I sent Fright Knight to this place to retrieve this scroll for me. He found it and brought it to me that day you saw him talking with me just after we returned from Germany."

Danny studied the older hybrid for a moment before he seriously asked, "And what do you plan to do with this scroll?"

The older hybrid grew quiet, hearing the apprehension in the boy's voice. But then looking down at his desk, he picked up the scroll, rolled it up, and extended it to the boy.

But Danny just looked at it, feeling even more nervous at how the eerie scroll glowed red within Vlad's hold.

"You want to know the truth?" the man asked seriously, though anger seemed to be coloring his voice over the teen's distrust. "I have been interested in this scroll and legend for some time–_before_ I even forced you to first come here, even. But then, when my initial plans to use you to seperate your parents failed, my interest for this scroll changed to another... I was going to use it against your father."

And when Danny immediately looked fearfully at him, Vlad's lip pursed and he further added, "Do you really think that if I had any negative intentions with this _now_ that I would tell you about it? Do you think I would be showing you this scroll, Daniel?"

"Then, tell me why this scroll is so important to you now if you don't want it for anything?" Danny quietly replied, now sounding worried.

"_Perhaps_ because I've always been fascinated by ancient artifacts—both human and ghost ones alike. _Perhaps_ because I'm curious about this ghostly legend. Or, _perhaps_ because this scroll in my hand is a mystery I want to solve. Take your pick, Daniel. Just because I have a personal interest in something does not mean I am going to use it for evil. And it most certainly doesn't mean it has to involve you or your loved ones," Vlad replied angrily.

Danny's eyes widened a bit and he quickly said, "I'm not saying that."

"You don't have to say it, Daniel. It's written all over your face," Vlad replied soberly. But then the man shook his head and lowered the scroll on the desk before sadly adding, "I don't understand. You tell me you trust me, and yet you still question my intentions? Have I not made it clear enough how much I care about you, dear boy? So then, why would I do anything to jeopardize that?"

Danny sighed, this time. "Look, I'm sorry, alright? You just caught me by surprise with this scroll thing. You gotta admit this is kinda sudden. And you gotta keep in mind that there are some things about you that I still gotta get use to… just like I'm sure there's stuff about me that you're gonna have to get use to, too…"

Vlad eyebrows heightened in slight surprise, but then realizing the teen was right, he smiled a bit and replied, "Well said, Daniel."

"No hard feelings, then?" Danny asked with a widening smile.

"No hard feelings, little badger," Vlad said with a small chuckle. "Besides, I have to keep in mind that you are naturally paranoid. I suppose I'll have to get _use_ to that…"

"What? I am not paranoid!" Danny protested. But then he paused and added a bit more reluctantly, "Well, maybe a little. But, you know, it happens when you have so many ghosts wanting to kick your butt."

"Let them try now," Vlad said with a smirk.

Danny smiled shyly and rubbed his neck. That was another thing he had to get use to: the guy's over protectiveness. And although to some extent it was welcomed, the teen knew he would have to draw a line on that one of these days. After all, he could protect himself, too.

But, really, there was so much they still had to work on. And with everything else now around them because of Danny's decision to stay, it was hard to handle all the tension and uncertainty. It seemed that even when they were no longer enemies, they were still in a battle. But, now, they were willing to compromise. And, at least, they both felt they could depend on one another, no matter what.

"So, what about this legend?" Danny suddenly asked, pulling his chair up to Vlad's desk, curiosity now on his face. Hey, if the guy liked going on treasure hunts and quests, he might as well get use to it and learn some stuff as well.

Vlad smiled again with the boy's interest before picking up the scroll again and unrolling it. "There are many Ancient Scrolls, Daniel. But _this_ scroll is said to belong to the Spirit of Order," the man explained.

"And this spirit is an _Ancient_?" Danny guessed by the fact that Vlad had mentioned the Ancients before.

"That's right," Vlad answered. "You see, Daniel, a lot of the Ancients are guardians. And, really, according to the books, many spirits in general are guardians. Some of these spirits, like the Spirit of Order, protect something in specific. In this case, this Ancient protects the natural order of existence."

Danny's eyebrows creased at the information, though another part of him had recalled Clockwork. And the teen knew Vlad was speaking the truth because Danny knew that Clockwork was also a good example of a guardian spirit. After all, he was the guardian of time. So, all that Vlad was saying made more sense to the teen than he was sure Vlad realized.

"So, if this scroll belongs to the Ancient that guards order, then shouldn't _he_ have it? Why leave it at some forest for someone to find?" the teen asked, now confused.

Vlad shook his head as he glanced back at the scroll in his hand. "There are parts of this legend that I do not know. But I believe this Ancient hid the scroll because he or she knew that it cannot be used unless you understand it and follow a certain balance and order. Besides, the scroll is only the _first_ part of this legend, Daniel. The Spirit of Order made this scroll to protect a very powerful artifact—the _same_ _one_ that the books say that was used to put Pariah Dark under the spell of Forever Sleep. It's called the Order's Crystal. And this scroll is the map that can lead you to its location."

Danny raised an eyebrow. "It sounds like a very dangerous treasure hunt to me. I mean, don't you think the Spirit of Order will be ticked off at you if you find and take this crystal that obviously belongs to him?"

"No, Daniel," Vlad replied. "You see, this crystal is all but impossible to find, so the person who _can_ find it, the Spirit of Order deems him or her worthy enough to keep it. You just have to be careful how you use it. Then again, I am not seeking to use it. I just want to find it to study it and to add it to my collection of ghostly artifacts."

But something still didn't make sense to Danny and he further asked, "How are you so sure that this spirit will let you keep his crystal if you manage to find it?"

"Because, it's what this scroll says," Vlad enlightened with a smirk, before looking back at the scroll and reading it to the boy….

___If what you seek is order, __  
then my order's crystal will guide your endeavor._

_However:_

___For the one seeking instructions on this map,__  
you must first find the one light to your path._

_Remember: _

___There is no light without its shadow, no life without its death,__  
no destiny without sacrifice, and no truth without faith._

___The Spirit of Order, I am. __  
And what you seek belongs to me._

___But if you prove worthy through the one that guides your eyes, __  
then my power is yours to keep._

___I will caution you to choose wisely who it is you trust and follow, __  
for I will take nothing less than true balance in the bond that lies between, not fallow. _

___If you fail to show me order, __  
all you will find is timed death within a timeless tomb of order._

_I am bounded to a higher power. My vows the light to my own steps. _

_But be forewarned: _

___If the success of your endeavor only reaps my enemies, chaos and disorder, __  
then I will return to reclaim from you that which is mine—and which you have stolen._

___I will come swiftly to the worlds of time,__  
restoring order and punishing my enemies—and your crimes._

Danny stared wide-eyed at Vlad when he finished. But then the teen slowly said, "Uh… I did not really get all that, but I'm _pretty sure_ that last part was a threat, Vlad."

But the man shrugged, clearly unfazed. "Don't all legends have some foreboding warning or curse surrounding it? Besides, the warning is clear enough, Daniel. It's simply saying to be careful not to use the crystal to disturb the natural order."

But the man suddenly became frustrated as he added, "What I do _not_ understand is how this blasted thing is a map! This scroll is supposed to lead me to the crystal, but all I see here are warnings and gibberish about keeping and showing balance and order! _Where_ is the map—_the_ _instructions_—on how to find the crystal?"

Danny frowned in confusion himself. But then hesitating a bit, he asked, "Uh, can I see the scroll for a second?"

Vlad nodded distractingly, and rolling it up, he handed it over to Danny.

The teen hesitated again at the sight of the red glowing roll. But with a small gulp, he finally grabbed it and his eyes instantly widened in surprise when he unraveled it.

But not paying attention to the boy, Vlad picked up one of his ghost books and began flipping through it.

"Blast! What am I missing?" he muttered.

"Hey, Vlad?" Danny called to him, still sounding surprised.

But deep in concentration, the man didn't really hear him and instead muttered the part of the scroll's words that were just killing him.

"For the one seeking instructions on this map, you must first find the one light to your path." Vlad's eyebrows creased. "The 'one light'? Something that glows? A lamp? A candle?"

"Vlad?"

"Fire? _Ghost Enegry?"_ Vlad continued to list, still not hearing the boy. "Or, maybe electricity? No, it's singular. _A_ _light_ to my path?"

"Vlad!" Danny suddenly exclaimed.

At last, the man jolted and looked at Danny. But just when he was about to snap at the boy for startling him like that, Vlad froze.

The scroll… it was glowing _green_ in Danny's hands.

"Yeah, that's not all," Danny said, seeing the man finally notice something was up. "I don't know what you were reading, but it's not what _I'm_ reading on here."

Vlad stared carefully at the boy before he slowly asked, "And what is it exactly that you see on the scroll, Daniel…?"

The teen shrugged a bit as he looked back at the scroll in his hand. "Well, I don't see a map on here… but, well, it's _definitely_ not what _you_ read. It's… Here, just let me read it…"

___For the light that will guide, I tell you this:__  
Be sure of who you lead, for you will find it is you who will follow._

_Remember:_

___There must be balance in one before there can be balance in two.__  
But if you are certain of both, then I will guide you to that you wish to keep._

___The Spirit of Order, I am,__  
And what you seek belongs to me._

___But if you trust your shadow's voice, then be his eyes.__  
For only you can show the path to my Order's Crystal, descried. _

___Steer the balance between to the Forbidden Region until you go beyond the ends of time.__  
There, you will find a timeless tomb snared by the clicking clock, mistimed._

_But be forewarned:_

___When your shadow is blind, you will see.__  
Yet his steps are the ones that count._

_____You are the light, therefore the guide.__  
But follow your shadow or you will surely die._

___If you triumph to see the opposing pit of your core, you might want to turn back,__  
for you must go on now parted and alone._

___Each of your steps I will test, until you find me.__  
But once you do, I will reverse the roles and blind thee…_

___I will leave you exposed, your only hope your one shadow—  
For only yours can choose to set your path aglow.  
Be prepared, for this will mean it's you your one must then follow._

___Make haste, or I will consume you both.  
But reach the limits of my vows and I will let you leave—  
the price and reward, my Order's Crystal, quite atoned._

_Once last caution:_

___My wings are swift and my power's strong.  
Yet, you may escape me once; but help sow chaos with what I have given to keep,  
and through order your days, too, I will reap._

"Of course…," Vlad said, a smile growing on his lips when the boy finished. "You need _two_ of anything to create order. Why didn't I see it before?"

"See what? This is starting to creep me out, Vlad," Danny said, seriously confused and, well, creeped out!

"Light has its shadow. Life has its death," the man continued to muttered to himself excitedly. "One seeking' and 'one light' to the path…. Balance in 'one' before there is balance in 'two'…. It's a metaphor! It's talking about two individuals, Daniel! If _I'm_ seeking the crystal, then _you_ would be…"

"Huh?"

"This is amazing!" Vlad beamed, standing up and moving around his desk and looking at the scroll the teen was still holding open. "That's why the books say it's impossible for _someone_ to find the crystal. You need _two_ 'someones'. And not just _any_ someone, but the 'one' that compliments the _other_ 'one'—the seeker!"

Vlad suddenly laughed. "Can you believe this, Daniel? You're holding the scroll. And I cannot see what you're seeing! But you cannot see what I see, either!"

"What? Are you even speaking English anymore?" Danny asked, now annoyed with all the man's scattered words.

Vlad answered him by pulling the scroll out of his hands, and the moment he did, the scroll turned red. But before the boy could question him again, the man moved the scroll in front of the boy and asked, "What do you see?"

Danny's eyes widened when the words that he had just read on the scroll were suddenly gone. "Nothing. It's blank…" The boy turned his head a bit to look at Vlad as he added, "But I just read…"

"Daniel, the scroll reveals to _you_ the path to the crystal, but it does not reveal it me. What it reveals to _me_ is what I need, _the requirements_, to succeed in obtaining the crystal. And I need you. No, I need your _eyes_."

Vlad suddenly gave the scroll back to Danny and went back over to his desk to pull out some paper and a pen. He then quickly handed it to Danny and ordered, "Write down what you read."

"Please?" Danny added with a raised eyebrow.

Vlad cringed a bit, realizing in his excitement, he was being forceful. "_Please_, little badger."

Danny smirked, but then took the items and opened up the parchment again. And now that the teen was holding it again, the words that were meant for him reappeared. He began to write out what he could see on normal paper, while Vlad hovered over him, eagerly reading what he wrote.

But just when the teen suddenly got to a certain part of it, he stopped.

"The forbidden Region…," Danny muttered.

"Yes, I believe you know it," Vlad answered, even if the teen was clearly talking to himself. "And it makes perfect sense that the crystal is somewhere in there. They say the entrance to the spirit's realm, the Realm Beyond Time, is there."

Danny didn't reply as he read over the next part…

"…_.until you go beyond the ends of time._ _There, you will find a timeless tomb snared by the clicking clock, mistimed…"_

He didn't like the sound of that. Was this scroll leading them to the Realm Beyond Time? Where Clockwork lived?

But… it was saying to go beyond the ends of time… So, did it mean to go past Clockwork's Realm? Was this place not _in_ the Realm Beyond Time?

Which one was it?

It was hard to tell because the next part talked about a timeless tomb, yet it was ensnared by a clock? And what did it mean 'mistimed'?

"Daniel?" Vlad suddenly called to him, not understanding why he had stopped writing.

The teen frowned with uncertainty as he moved the pen back onto the paper. But again, he hesitated as he kept reading again.

_But be forewarned:_

___When your shadow is blind, you will see.__  
Yet his steps are the ones that count._

_____You are the light, therefore the guide.__  
But follow your shadow or you will surely die._

Danny suddenly lowered the pen again and unexpectedly said, "I'm going with you."

Vlad jolted. "What? I never said you're going with me."

"I get it, Vlad," Danny replied seriously. "You don't just need what this scroll says to me. You need _me_ to find this crystal. You said you need two of anything for true balance. And that's what all this _is_ about. If I'm the light, then you gotta be the shadow that it keeps talking about. Not only can you not find it by yourself, but if you try to go through this by yourself, you're not even going to make it back."

Vlad crossed his arms, this time. "Daniel, I think I can take care of myself. Besides, why do you think I have spent _months_ studying this legend? I'm not foolish, Daniel. I know what I get myself into before doing anything. Furthermore, I most likely will not do this all at once. I just want to find this crystal's location. Then, I'll return back here to do further investigations about the place. And only after I am sure of what I will find will I attempt to retrieve the crystal."

"Fine, but I'm still going with you," Danny said, getting to his feet and crossing his own arms.

The man was clearly surprised at hearing the teen contradict him. But then, Vlad readily frowned and seriously said, "Daniel, you are _not_ going with me.

"Why not?" the teen answered, matching the man's look.

Vlad scoffed, as if not believing the boy was asking him this. "You said it yourself. This is dangerous. And I am not going to risk taking you, especially when I'm supposed to take you back to Amity Park in a few days' time. What would your mother say if you get hurt in this and I have to explain to her why her son's leg is broken or worse?"

"Okay, now _you're_ being paranoid. I'll be fine," Danny insisted.

"Yes, that what you _always_ say. But you know what? It doesn't matter. The answer's still no," the man said firmly.

This time, Danny glared. "Look, just because I'm staying here doesn't mean you get to order me around. I can make my own decisions."

"Fine, but that doesn't mean you are suddenly entitled to do whatever you please, either, _especially_ when it might get you hurt," Vlad snapped back.

"Whatever. I'm going," Danny replied in a definite voice. "You want this crystal, then you gotta let me go with you."

"Come again? Are you telling me you will not write down the rest of the scroll's instructions unless I let you go?" the man questioned indignantly.

But Danny smirked cleverly. "Might as well accept it, cheese head. You need me."

However, the older hybrid was not amused at all. "Daniel, I do not want to fight with you. But I am _tired_ of your pretending as if you are made of stone!"

"Then stop treating me like I'm made of glass! You're worse than Jazz!" Danny exclaimed, more upset than he had just let on with his previous comment.

Vlad sighed and suddenly pinched the bridge of his nose. But he soon lowered his hand and looked back at the boy. However, he now looked more worried than anything else, "Daniel, the truth is I don't know what I will find on this search. I have never attempted to obtain a ghostly artifact that belongs to a spirit. I need to be able to focus as much as possible, and if you go with me, I will be too worried about you to do that. And then the _both_ of us could get hurt. Please understand. It's nothing against you. I just work better alone."

"But you work _best_ with me," Danny retorted, his eyebrows creased. "And so do I. I mean, look what happened with Dazzler and also with the Ghost King. Come on, you gotta admit, we make a good team."

But when the man was obviously not convinced, the teen sighed as he muttered, "I know I'm not as powerful or as smart as you. But… I'm not as defenseless as you think."

"I do not think that, Daniel," Vlad quickly said.

"Then, let me help. Let me go with you," Danny pleaded.

Vlad suddenly looked torn and he asked, "Why do you want to go so badly, Daniel? Going on 'treasure hunts' is hardly your sort of thing. So, why so intent on this?"

"For several reasons," Danny said soberly, though he didn't mention one of his reasons was because he was worried about _where_ this scroll was going to lead Vlad.

However, the boy sincerely added, "But the main reason is because _I'll_ be worried about _you_ if you go alone. I don't like the sound of those warnings. And, honestly, I wish you would just leave this alone. But I know there's no way I'm going to convince you to do that, so I might as well help you out. At least, I'm sure there's less of chance that you'll run into trouble if I'm with you. You know, the whole 'two heads are better than one' thing."

Vlad smiled, touched that the teen wanted to protect him. "You and your hero complex," he repeated again.

Danny shrugged, but then smiled and quipped, "That, and a very clever fruit loop once told me that you cannot fly _blindly_ into any battle. And if anything at all, I did get from the scroll that I'm your eyes in this weird quest. So, you _can't_ go without me."

"Insulting me isn't going to change my mind, Danny," Vlad said dryly, though he then smiled and added, "Besides, how do you know you are the 'one light' I need for this quest?"

"Call it a guess," Danny said with a grin.

Vlad chuckled lightly. "Touché, little badger."

But although they were joking around about it, they couldn't deny how they both felt _inside_ that, _together_, they formed the balance the scroll spoke of. Alone, they had no chance of finding the crystal, but together… they had a very good chance.

"Alright, Daniel. We'll go together," Vlad finally said with a sigh of surrender. He didn't fully understand Danny's need to go on this quest with him, but it suddenly pleased him that he wanted to.

Danny grinned triumphantly before moving back over to his seat and sitting down to finish writing what the scroll told him.

Vlad looked after him and smiled. There never was a dull moment with this boy, was there? They were not done with the issues surrounding the boy's staying with him and they were already taking on another one.

And yet, beginning something new in spite of those other things looming over them felt quite exciting…and, well, new…

A sudden part of the instruction directed at him suddenly came back to Vlad's mind…

_____I will caution you to choose wisely who it is you trust and follow, __  
for I will take nothing less than true balance in the bond that lies between, not fallow. _

The older hybrid wasn't sure if there was true balance between his bond with the boy, but it was definitely not fallow. It was germinating more and more each day. And the man was sure it was active enough for him to trust what he felt inside, especially when the boy had just admitted he felt that, too.

Vlad grinned excitedly.

The Order's Crystal was as good as his…

* * *

**Heh, finally we get to wrap up this mystery about that scroll Fright Knight got for Vlad all that time back. Or, at least, part of the mystery. *wink* Either way, next chapter should be interesting. At least, I know I had fun writing it.**

**Thank you for your support! Let me know what you guys think, as always, kay? **

***Vlad muse hugs all around***

**Ta!**


	73. Chapter 72: Order's Crystal

**Hello all! First, I want to thank you all for your reviews, even if I couldn't get to them again! But they definitely are as much of a treat to me as I hope my updates are to each of you! XD Sorry for the long wait. I've been busy with life, especially since the holidays are slowly approaching. I've picked up a few extra shift 'cause I need money for gifts! Heh-heh!**

**Well, without further delay, here is the next chapter of CM. And since it's been some time, let me give you a short refresher:**

**Danny's friends and sister still do not know the circumstances that led Danny to initially leave. (the nanobots) As for his parents, they are as clueless as always! However, Danny has now made a critical decision to stay with the older hybrid, wanting foremost to be a 'normal kid', but also thinking it is what's best for everyone.**

**Niane's still an unsolved mystery, which the hybrids are mostly clueless about. And while Vlad waits for everything to be ready for his plan to bring Danny back to Amity Park and then convince his parents to let the boy stay with him on a permanent basis, he has 'regained' his interest in the Ancient Scroll he asked Fright Knight to retrieve for him some time back. Now, he is going to use it to find the Order's Crystal. (which belongs to the Spirit of Order, who is an one of the Ancients) But with Danny finding out about Vlad's interest, he has decided to tag along on this odd and unexpected quest, for many reasons, which are not all clear.**

**And so, we return to the hybrids on their first real adventure **_**together**_**. Yay for action! Heh-heh!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

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* * *

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**Chapter 72: Order's Crystal**

* * *

Skulker frowned as he stared at the beeping instruments on his arm. He had picked up a very interesting ghost signature just days ago. And one of the reasons it was intriguing was because it was very similar to—though not _exactly_ like—the Ghost Child's. And the other reason he was now trying to learn more about this new ghost signature was because it belonged to a girl ghost that had been spying on him…

Actually, as he thought back on what had happened days ago, he had to conclude that she had initially been following _Fright Knight_ when he had come to his island with a message from Plasmius…

"_Fright Knight?" Skulker asked, surprised to see the ghost at his door._

"_Skulker," the other ghost replied with a calm gaze._

_The hunter frowned when the ghost knight paused immediately afterward rather than continue. And knowing that he couldn't be here for 'just a friendly visit', Skulker stepped out of his house and crossed his arms. _

"_What do you want, Fright Knight?" he questioned seriously._

"_There are a few things…," the ghost knight began. "First, I would to offer you an apology for how I was forced to treat you during our encounter at the land of Amity Park. However, you must understand I was simply following my lord's orders…"_

_Skulker shrugged. "Don't worry. I didn't take it personally."_

_Well, he had taken some of it personally…But that had nothing to do with the Fright Knight. In truth, however, that whole situation had put a strain on the hunter's relationship with Ember. In fact, she was still bitter with him for forcing her to leave Amity Park. But the ghost diva also had not been able to deny that he had done it to keep her safe; so Skulker was sure she'd get over it eventually. _

_In any case, he hardly blamed Fright Knight. He knew he was only 'the puppet' in all this. And the one truly pulling the strings was… Plasmius._

"_I am appeased with your words, Skulker," Fright Knight replied. "It would be regrettable to lose your alliance after all the time we have worked together for my master."_

"_I do not work for him, anymore," Skulker didn't hesitate to reply with a colder tone of voice._

_Fright Knight was quiet for a moment before he soberly said, "I had suspected that much after not seeing you around my master's home in so long… However, I did not realize it was this…grave."_

"_It was Plasmius' decision, not mine," Skulker answered. "I do not care, though. I might believe in loyalty, but I also have my pride. And if Plasmius believes he suddenly does not need me, then I don't need him, either."_

"_I wouldn't be so sure, Skulker," Fright replied. "I am also here to deliver a message from my liege."_

_Skulker was surprised by the news, but his eyebrows then creased with uncertainty and he fell quiet._

_Fright Knight took the silence as his cue to continue, "I delivered your own message to my master. And I could not help but notice that it somewhat troubled him. Then, before I left, he told me to let you know that the land of Amity Park is open to you…"_

_Skulker shook his head. "He said that?"_

_It was a rhetorical question, but the ghost knight still nodded._

_The hunter didn't respond, at first. He honestly didn't know what to make of Plasmius' message. Was… he trying to make amends with him? Or, was his former employer just trying to avoid having him as an enemy?_

_Somehow, Plasmius' 'kind' offer angered Skulker. But before he could voice it or even react, Fright Knight abruptly spoke again._

"_My liege is behaving oddly, Skulker. And I do not like it," the ghost knight said with a frown. "I do not know why the Ghost Child is now with him. However, I find the child a threat to not just our alliance with my master, but also to my master himself. The boy makes him weak, Skulker. And I fear it will eventually bring him very serious troubles, or even endanger his life…"_

_Skulker tensed with the news. But refusing to admit he was concerned, he shrugged again. "Plasmius can take care of himself. Besides, this is his choice. And if it gets him into trouble, then that is also his decision."_

"_I am surprised at you, Skulker," Fright Knight replied with a frown. "You have known my liege much longer than I… Hence, I would think you would show more concern for his wellbeing."_

"_And why should I?" Skulker retorted angrily. "He betrayed me!"_

_Fright Knight shrugged. "I was simply under the belief you shared a stronger bond with him—one of friendship."_

_Skulker's eyebrows rose, but then he scoffed. "Don't be absurd, Fright Knight! I am a cold and efficient hunter! There is no place in my core for emotional attachments of any kind! My relationship with Plasmius was solely a business one! Nothing else!"_

_Fright Knight was almost tempted to point out that the hunter had an emotional attachment to Ember. And, also, that he seemed a bit too touchy about their conversation about the older hybrid. _

_But, just as the ghost knight opened his mouth, the hunter abruptly raised a hand, silencing him. Skulker readily sniffed the air, confirming there was indeed an unfamiliar scent in the atmosphere. _

_And much to Fright Knight's surprise, Skulker abruptly pulled out a gun and fired it at a bush a few yards away._

_Instantly, there was an alarmed cry and then a young girl ghost darted out of the bush and took off into the green atmosphere. _

"_Is that the Ghost Boy?" Fright Knight questioned when he saw the black-and-white blur as it flew away. _

_Skulker quickly raised his arm band device at the figure and registered its signature. But even before his instruments confirmed it wasn't Danny Phantom, the hunter already knew it wasn't the Ghost Boy by its smell. _

"_No, that was not him. That ghost was female. And apparently she followed you here…" Skulker said, his eyes narrowing at the retreating figure. _

"_All the more reason to strike her down!" Fright Knight said darkly as he pulled out his Soul Shredder and readily mounted Nightmare._

_Skulker didn't need any further prompting. He wasn't about to let an intruder get away, especially if she had just been spying on Fright Knight and him._

_The two ghosts quickly took off after the mystery intruder… _

Skulker frowned at the memory of a few days ago, wondering how the ghost girl had managed to get away. He still did not understand how she had escaped him…

One moment, Fright Knight and he had been closing in on her, and in the next, she had suddenly dived down towards a floating land mass and disappeared in between two large boulders.

But then, what was strange was that the hunter's instruments had just as abruptly lost their lock on the ghost girl's signature.

He unconsciously sighed in frustration when he thought once again about how she had somehow escaped at the time. But at least, the girl had not gotten clean away without Skulker finding out that she was actually half-ghost. During his chase, he had picked up a heart rate, which left no doubt of this interesting finding…

"I was not aware there was a third human-ghost hybrid," Skulker muttered, his eyes narrowed with his growing interest of this latest discovery.

Her energy level was weak. Actually, extremely weak. That was probably why he had lost her signature. Her energy had gotten so weak at one point that the hunter's instruments couldn't register it anymore…

It was quite odd.

If there was one thing Skulker knew about half-ghosts was that they had the unique ability of regenerating their energy. That, plus their unique ghost cores allowed them to quickly grow in energy level and powers. In other words, their powers never stopped growing, unlike full ghosts, who reached an energy level and stopped at it.

That's what made Plasmius so powerful and the whelp such a worthy prey…

But this half-ghost _girl_ was very unstable and weak. Really, if it wasn't for the fact that she was half-ghost, Skulker wouldn't be even giving her a second thought.

Another odd thing about this ghost girl was that her ghost signature resembled the Ghost Boy's…

Could they be related, somehow?

"Hmm…," Skulker mumbled, rubbing his chin. "The whelp has been on my prey list for quite some time now… And I am certain he only had an older sister… Unless, they are related in some other way. Still, it does not explain how this human girl is part ghost…Or, why she is so weak and unstable…"

"Perhaps, I will get that half-ghost pelt I have wanted, after all… It will just have to come from a ghost _girl_…," Skulker said evilly before he laughed loudly.

* * *

A few hours later, after Vlad had felt he gathered as much information from the Ancient Scroll as possible, he finally decided to head into the Ghost Zone.

The man had not hesitated to warn Danny that the trip would take several hours; so they probably would not return until late evening. It had been Vlad's last attempt to dissuade the boy from going with him.

But it had not worked.

So, with no choice but to give up and accept the teen's tagging along, Vlad and Danny headed into the depths of the Ghost Zone. And now, they had been traveling almost three hours…

The two had been mostly talking about the Ancient scroll's _messages_, and Vlad had a lot of different theories on what awaited them; but, ultimately, he couldn't know until they got there.

First, though, they had to find the exact place the Order's Crystal was hidden.

So far, all they knew was that it was somewhere in the Forbidden Region. And since both had been to the place before—each for different reasons—they both knew how to get to it.

Danny, however, suspected that once they made it to the Forbidden Region, they would have to then enter the Realm Beyond Time. But, although he knew where and how to enter it, he had decided to keep that to himself for now…

For some reason, even when he trusted Vlad, the teen felt reluctant to give the man any information that could possibly lead Vlad to learn about Clockwork and, in turn… about his evil future self.

As he had told Vlad a few days ago…if he didn't tell him, it had nothing to do with trust. Danny just felt that the older hybrid would never see him in the same light again if he knew about his dark future. But, he also didn't want Vlad to further find out that… he was in great part responsible for it and that the man had paid the price by losing everything he had for the third time…

Perhaps, one day he would tell him everything. For now, Danny decided to keep quiet about what he knew and his own suspicions of where this crystal was…

"It's weird, right?" Danny suddenly commented after a brief moment of silence.

Vlad raised a questioning eyebrow, so the teen elaborated, "That we're in the Ghost Zone _together_, going on some treasure hunt, especially with everything hanging over our heads."

The man studied the slightly amused, though mostly, serious teenager.

But Plasmius just shook his head before calmly replying, "Actually, I find this quite natural. We still have a few days before we head to Amity Park; might as well use them wisely. Besides, little badger, if you are going to live with me, you'll have to get use to these sorts of 'adventures'. They are very common practices at _my side of the woods_"

"Like, also, your crazy parties and travels?" Danny asked with a smirk.

Vlad chuckled. "Yes, I suppose."

But then the man turned his attention back to the scroll in his hand as they continued their long flight towards the Forbidden Region.

"Hmm…It seems the Spirit of Order is not only interested in balance and, well, order, but also in time," Vlad mused out loud. "I suppose it's not all that surprising since time and order go hand-in-hand…"

Danny frowned, instantly thinking of Clockwork with Vlad's comment. Was it possible that Clockwork knew the Spirit of Order? After all, what the older hybrid had just said did make sense to him, too…

"What, uh, do you mean that this Spirit of Order is interested in time?" Danny asked, feigning ignorance.

Vlad shrugged. "I think I mentioned to you that there are stories about a realm in the Ghost Zone existing outside of time. Well, perhaps this crystal is hidden somewhere in this realm."

The man paused to measure the boy's reaction, only to find he didn't look at all surprised by the possibility.

Still, Vlad did not say anything and just continued, "If that is indeed the case, then that would mean that finding this realm would be a major discovery in itself. After all, I have studied the Ghost Zone for years, Daniel. And I have never found any concrete evidence that such a realm exists. So, honestly, I hope this scroll's instructions lead us to this place. Somehow, I just know it's out there!"

Plasmius smiled with interest as he further said, "Imagine all that we could discover within a realm upon which time has no effect? Do you see then how significant our quest is right now, Daniel?"

"Yeah, I can," Danny said with a forced smile. But then hesitantly, the teen suddenly asked, "Uh, you mentioned earlier that this Order's Crystal casts spells. I mean, I know it cast the spell of Forever Sleep on Pariah, but… what other spells can it cast…?"

Vlad shrugged. "I do not really know, but I imagine its magic can manipulate the order of things or create order. After all, the warnings on the scroll are against using the crystal to create chaos and destruction."

Danny nodded quietly, remembering both parts of the scroll—the part directed at him and the part directed at Vlad—and how they clearly warned them against that. In fact, in Vlad's part, the Spirit of Order called chaos and destruction his enemies…

"What's wrong, Daniel?" Vlad suddenly asked, halting their flight. He had noticed the teen was troubled by this the moment he heard of it, which is why Plasmius would have preferred the teen wouldn't have even found out. But, alas, he had. Still, he didn't want the teen upset through their whole trip.

That, and Vlad knew the boy was keeping something from him…

Halting his own flight, Danny stared uncertainly at Vlad. He wanted to trust him with this crystal, but… he just couldn't. It was hard to forget how every time Vlad got a hold of power, he'd make a mess of things with it…

"Why do you really want the Order's Crystal?" the teen asked quietly.

Vlad frowned at the boy. So, that was it. Daniel still believed he was going to use the crystal for evil…

At that moment, the man didn't know whether to be angry or sad. He understood the teen's uncertainty. The truth was that he had heard of this relic for some time now. And so many possible uses for it had sprung into his mind.

One of them, of course, had been to use it against Jack to win Maddie. But he had also thought about using it in his own life…

If this crystal had the power to manipulate the order of things, then its use was infinite. He could switch how things in his life happened. Perhaps… he could even stop them from happening all together. His accident, his family's death… there was so much.

But now, after all these months with the boy—after realizing that it was because of the way his life and everything played out that he had been able to meet this boy—Why would he want to tamper with anything when he now had what he had always wanted? And even if he did not have Daniel's love and respect, their time together made it clear to Vlad that without the tragedies in his life, the boy either wouldn't exist or he would not be who he was…

"Daniel," Vlad finally said. "If you are afraid of what I might do with it, then, why are you helping me find it? And don't give me that 'I don't want you to get hurt' reply. I know it's more than that. I know because I feel it, too."

Danny's eyebrows creased as he fearfully replied, "I don't like this, Vlad. I don't want to go anywhere near this thing. But ever since I touched that scroll, something inside me is urging me to help you find it… Almost like we are _meant_ to find it…"

"And that's one of the things I want to find out," Vlad said with a sudden daring grin. "You see, it's more than just finding this crystal, Daniel. It's now about us. There is something I need to know… But, I need you believe in me, as I believe in you, little badger."

The man wasn't kidding, either. Ever since the teen had activated the other part of the scroll, Vlad's own urge for finding this crystal had grown. But, it was because his mysterious link with the boy somehow felt stronger within him ever since they had agreed to do this together. He truly did believe in the boy…

Danny finally smiled. And although he was still nervous with this whole thing, he was sure that with whom he was doing this was the right person…

"Alright, Vlad. Let's do this," the teen said, his grin growing on his face.

Plasmius smirked before he resumed his flight. But when Danny followed after him and began to move up alongside him, the older hybrid sped up.

Danny raised an eyebrow before he picked up his speed to match Vlad's again.

But the billionaire accelerated once more.

And finally catching on, Danny narrowed his eyes in challenge. "Oh, I get it. You want a rematch, cheese head?"

Plasmius grinned. "Rematch? You were hardly a challenge the first time."

"Yeah, because you cheated," Danny said with a mocked glare. But then he smirked evilly and added, "This time…"

Plasmius gasped when Danny suddenly teleported several feet in front of him and took off.

"Oh, no you don't," Vlad said in sudden challenge before he took off after the boy. But using a trick he had never shown the teen before, the older hybrid suddenly turned into a beam of red light and shot right past the teen.

Danny's mouth gaped open when the man solidified again a yard in front of him.

And seeing the teen's astounded look, Plasmius' smirk widened as he taunted back, "Come on, little badger. I'm sure you can do better than that…"

Danny gasped when Vlad picked up speed again. But the boy wasted no time and bolted after him.

"Vlad, wait! Dude, you gotta show me how you did that! Vlad!"

But the man just laughed and continued flying on. However, several yards out, the billionaire saw—or, most like, heard—something up ahead.

And he abruptly halted.

Danny yelped when he barely was able to stop in time to avoid colliding with the man. "Vlad! What the—?"

"Shh," the man cut him off, suddenly seriously again. He pointed towards a floating land mass up ahead before whispering to the boy, "Listen."

Danny raised an eyebrow, but then focused his hearing enough to finally make out what the man was talking about.

"What? The growling?" the boy whispered back.

Vlad nodded before he turned invisible. And catching on, the boy did the same and followed the man towards a floating piece of rock that had very likely broken off the land mass where the growling was coming from.

Vlad then regained visiblity and suddenly split in two. As his clone turned invisible and headed further out, Vlad stayed by Danny, hidden by the floating boulder.

"Believe it or not, Daniel," the man whispered to the teen. "the main thing you have to worry about in the Ghost Zone is the mindless ghosts. What they lack in common sense, they make up for with their other senses, like smell. And most of them will attack anything that moves. So, I think it will be safer that we first find out what's over there before trying to move past it."

The teen raised an eyebrow again as he questioned, "And how did you even detect whatever is over there before we even got here?"

Vlad rolled his eyes. "Just because I was talking to you all the way here doesn't mean _I_ was not keeping an eye and ear on our surroundings, Daniel."

But before the teen could reply, Vlad's eyes flashed a brighter red as his clone shot him a mental message.

"Oh," Plasmius muttered. He then suddenly looked back at Danny and lightly ordered, "Wait here. I'll be back."

Danny jolted. "What? What is it?" But the man had already turned invisible and had flown away towards the floating land mass.

The teen scoffed in annoyance. "He's crazy if he thinks I'm actually going to listen to him." And with that, Danny took off after the man.

Meanwhile, the older hybrid had just stealthily landed on the floating land mass. He only briefly watched as his clone defended itself against three monstrous green dogs.

Plasmius usually didn't bother with confrontations, let alone confrontations with senseless ghosts. But it had been as he had suspected. The instant his clone had tried to just fly over the island, the creatures had sniffed it out and attacked.

So, there was no doubt in Vlad's mind that these ghosts were not going to let him and the boy peacefully be on their way without trying to eat them first.

Ah, well. Taking them out would be fairly simple.

Losing invisibility, Plasmius cleared his throat and hid a hand full of ectoplasm behind his back.

The dogs immediately noticed the second creature and two of the large dogs turned towards the real Vlad.

Plasmius smirked daringly as he taunted the approaching dogs, "That's it. Come to good ol' Plasmius…"

However, just before Vlad could blast the ghost dogs senseless, a black blur suddenly passed by his peripheral vision before landing in between the large dogs.

"Daniel!" the man gasped out, not believing that the teen would put himself in such a dangerous spot.

Danny chuckled for some reason, before saying, "Well, this is surprising."

He then turned to the single dog, which had been about to attack Vlad's clone and called out to it, "Hey, Cujo…"

The growling dog jolted at the boy's voice before he quickly looked down at Danny. And suddenly recognizing him, his vicious look instantly melded into a happy one.

But unlike Cujo, when the other two noticed the third unknown ghost, they were not happy to see him.

The two other dogs instantly bared their menacing teeth toward Danny.

Surprisingly, it was Cujo who stopped them from attacking the ghost boy. The large dog barked out a warning at the other two and they instantly backed off.

Cujo then calmed again and grinned happily at Danny. With another bark, he abruptly morphed into his puppy form and jumped on the teen, knocking him to his bottom.

Danny chuckled as the puppy licked at his face. And, soon, the other two large dogs turned into puppies and began to lap at the teen as well.

The whole time, Vlad just stared wide-eyed at the bizarre turn of events.

"Uh, Daniel?" he said slowly, as his clone disappeared and he took a step towards the boy.

Vlad quickly realized it had been a mistake.

The three dogs instantly turned their attention to Vlad. And turning into their large forms once more, they growled menacingly at him.

Plasmius raised up his hands and took a step back from the monster dogs. "Mind calling off your pets, Daniel?" the man asked, half-annoyed, half-nervous.

"Cujo, look at me," Danny quickly said as he picked up a stick.

The dog stared back at the boy, and seeing the teen wanted to play, Cujo turned into a puppy again. But then, so did the other two.

They ran over to Danny and wagged their tails in excitement and anticipation.

Danny grinned and with a good throw, he exclaimed, "Catch."

The three dogs took off after the glowing stick that fell somewhere inside some bushes in the distance.

Danny turned his eyes back to Vlad and shrugged meekly. "Heh. Ghost dogs."

"I'm not even going to ask," Vlad said dryly before he turned and flew off the island.

Danny snickered before following after him.

But as they continued on their way, it didn't take them much longer to finally reach the Forbidden Region.

"_Steer the balance between to the Forbidden Region until you go beyond the ends of time,"_ Vlad repeated from memory.

_"There, you will find a timeless tomb snared by the clicking clock, mistimed,"_ Danny finished before he and Vlad looked at each other.

But the older hybrid suddenly spoke up, after having already decided that he had given the boy enough time to tell him what he was hiding from him. If the boy wouldn't willingly speak up, Vlad was going to get it out of him…

"I have a question for you, Daniel. The day after I gave you my ultimatum, you traveled into _this_ region."

Danny's eyes widened. "How do you know that?"

"I had Skulker follow you. Now, answer my question. Why did you come here?" the man asked seriously. "As far as I know, there is nothing here. _Or, is there, Daniel?_ "

The boy froze in shock when he realized the man had known all along that he had been hiding the fact that he knew where the entrance to the Realm Beyond Time was.

"How did you..?" the boy began.

Plasmius crossed his arms. "It wasn't that hard to put together, Daniel. You said you met a spirit before. And before then, I knew you had come to this place for some unknown reason. You know the entrance to the Realm Beyond Time, don't you?"

Danny looked away.

And understanding his reply, Plasmius angrily muttered, "Fine. Don't tell me."

Danny gasped when the man flew off again. But he quickly went after him, saying, "Look, you gotta understand. It has nothing to do with you. I just… we can't go in there, Vlad!"

"You mean, you don't want _me_ to go in there, because _you_ obviously have been there before," Plasmius snapped.

Danny opened his mouth to defend himself. But Vlad cut him off, "It doesn't matter, Daniel."

But when he saw the teen frown sadly at him, Plasmius sighed away most of his anger. It really upset him that the teen was hiding something like this from him, and worse, that he had pretended several times not to know a thing about spirits and their realm. But then, there were things the man had yet to share with the boy as well. So, it would wrong of him to reprimand the teen for it when he was doing the same thing.

Still, he reluctantly told the boy, "I don't understand your reasons for hiding this from me, but I can respect it. Luckily for you, the scroll does not instruct us to go to the Realm Beyond Time. It says to go past it."

Danny frowned. "How can you be so certain?"

"_Steer the balance between to the Forbidden Region until you go beyond the ends of time,"_ Vlad repeated to him, clearly having studied this carefully. "It's saying to go beyond—_past_—the ends of time. And 'the ends of time' refers to 'where time ends'. And the only place 'time ends' is in the Realm Beyond Time. Therefore, it is instructing us to go past where time ends—to go _past_ the Realm Beyond Time. Understand? We have to go past its entrance. And since _you_ are the only one of us who knows where the Realm Beyond Time is, then, you will have to lead the way."

Danny could tell Vlad was still a bit upset with him. But, the teen could understand why. Still, the man was right. He did know where the Realm Beyond Time was because it's where Clockwork lived. However, what the man didn't know was that the Ream Beyond Time was almost like a whole other dimension. The entrance to the place was indeed found in this place—the Forbidden Region.

But the entrance was a single spot. Somewhere in this region, there was a single spot where time actually froze. And if you stood in that place long enough, it transported you to the Realm Beyond Time.

That was why it was nearly impossible to find. You had to know where this spot was; otherwise, you could never reach the spirit realm.

But thanks to Clockwork, Danny knew where this 'timeless' spot was. Therefore, he could guide them past it, like the scroll had said.

Silently glad that the scroll wasn't going to lead them into the Realm Beyond Time, Danny nodded and resumed their flight, while every-so-often he would glance at the watch on his wrist, which he had brought for this occasion…

The hybrids were quiet for several minutes until Danny suddenly halted and asked, "What next?"

Vlad raised an eyebrow. "We are past the Realm Beyond Time? How do know?"

"Trust me, Vlad. We passed it. What's next?" Danny repeated again.

"What you said," Vlad answered with a sigh. _"There, you will find a timeless tomb snared by the clicking clock, mistimed."_

"Yeah, but I don't know what that means," Danny replied.

Vlad looked out at the emptiness around him as he muttered, "I do not fully understand it, either…"

The two were quiet for another moment before Vlad suddenly said, "Come, let's keep going, maybe we'll find a hint a little further out."

Danny nodded and resumed his flight with Vlad.

However, they had only traveled several hundred yards out when they saw a large floating isle in the distance.

"I have never seen that here," Vlad said quietly, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"I don't think I've been out this far. But I've never seen that island, either," Danny replied, just as shocked.

The two looked at each other before they slowly began to approach the land mass. It was definitely ancient, yet it was beautiful. There were actually rivers running through it and it had a vast forest. But in the middle of the island, there was a volcano and built around it was some kind of ancient city with crumbling temples and tombs.

"I'm betting we found the place," Danny commented with a hint of sarcasm.

"But we cannot know for sure. It could be a decoy… or a trap," Vlad countered as he continued to study the isle from yards away.

Danny pulled out his copy of the entire scroll's messages to him and Vlad. But at the moment, since he knew that his messages gave him the directions to the crystal, he was more interested in that part.

He read over the whole thing, but his eyes always returned to the one of the verses he had memorized and had been trying to figure out all the way here…

_There, you will find a timeless tomb snared by the clicking clock, mistimed._

"Timeless tomb?" the teen muttered out loud.

But, suddenly, it hit him…

What if the word 'timeless' had a double meaning? Yes, it obviously meant 'ageless' or 'forever-lasting', since supposedly spirits had been around since the beginning of time or something…

But, what if it also meant 'time' and 'less', as if something that lacks—or doesn't have time!

Like the Realm Beyond Time! It was also known as the _Timeless_ Realm!

Not only was the realm ageless, but also frozen in time! And Danny knew just how to confirm when something was frozen in time!

Suddenly excited with his idea, Danny grinned over at Vlad, who had also taken out his own copy of the messages and was intently studying it again.

"I think I know how this works," the teen told him, getting his attention. "Come on."

Vlad jolted when Danny suddenly took off towards the mysterious isle. Clearly, the boy was suddenly very excited over something.

"Daniel, wait a moment!" the older hybrid quickly said as he bolted after him. The man was also eager to figure this out, but he didn't want to step on that island without some thinking and planning.

Too bad the boy had _other_ plans.

Danny landed on the island, just a few yards from the ancient's city's entrance. And just like he did to make sure they had passed the entrance to the Realm Beyond Time moments ago, the teen glanced down at his watch.

As he had suspected, his wristwatch was not moving. Time was stopped on this island!

"Daniel, what are you—?" Vlad began, only to be cut off by the teen.

"Look," Danny said, showing the man his watch.

Plasmius blinked at the unmoving watch, as if not getting it at first. But then, he grinned and exclaimed, "Little badger, you're a genius!"

"Well, you know," Danny quipped smugly, brushing off invisible dust from his black suit.

"Of course!" Vlad said, ignoring the teen's cockiness. "That's what it meant by a timeless tomb ensnared by ticking clocks. This isle is frozen in time, yet it's floating in a place where time is still moving! Do you see, Daniel? It's the perfect balance! This must be the place, after all!"

"But what does it mean, by mistimed? I don't even know what that word means!" Danny replied with a frown.

"Yes, but you know what 'ill-timed' means, correct?" Vlad asked. And getting a nod, he further explained, "It's the same thing. Except that I believe it has both a literal and symbolic meaning. You see, I am _certain_ this place was not here before. And with the further fact that it's frozen in time, I believe that this isle _moves_, Daniel. I don't know how long it will remain here, but it is only a matter of time before it escapes _time's snare_ and it vanishes to another location. That's why it says 'mistimed', we only have one chance at this, and… I was not expecting that…. Remember I just wanted to find the crystal's location and then return at a later time to find it, after some further research… But now…"

Vlad trailed off as he looked over at the ancient city. He wasn't the type to go out on a whim, but if he didn't try to go for this crystal now, he might not ever get the chance again…

Danny finally understood that they were on a clock even when time was frozen here. But… what would happen if this place just vanished or moved or something while they were still on it? What would happen to them?

The teen gulped. But then taking a breath, he looked at a certain part of the message from the scroll.

_But if you trust your shadow's voice, then be his eyes.  
For only you can show the path to my Order's Crystal, descried. _

Danny bit his lip before looking over at Vlad and asking him, "What do you want to do?"

Vlad was surprised that the boy was actually wanting him to make the call on this one, especially when it meant the boy—and he as well—were risking a lot…

Plasmius sighed as he hesitated for another moment, but then he remembered something from the scrolls own words to him.

_There is no light without its shadow, no life without its death,  
no destiny without sacrifice, and no truth without faith._

"_And there is also no journey without some risk,"_ Vlad thought, thinking how this trip would be a waste of time if they turned back now.

"I think I'm suddenly feeling a bit daring. What do you say, my boy?" Vlad asked the teen with a grin.

"You know me and danger!" Danny replied back with a smirk.

"Yes, remind me to keep you in check," the older hybrid replied with a raised eyebrow before he gestured the teen to follow.

Danny did so without further word, though he kept his eyes locked on the old structure as it began to loom over him.

The hybrids stopped at the main entrance of the city and looked up at the large golden statue of a bird with its wings spread opened and its head slightly lowered, as if judging with its penetrating gaze those passing through the arched entranceway beneath it.

"Creepy," Danny muttered before looking beyond the entrance way and seeing it was dark within.

Plasmius chuckled. "Relaxed, dear boy. It's just a statue of a phoenix. Not surprising at all since everything that mystical bird represents can be related to order. In fact, it's the perfect symbol of balance."

"It doesn't stop it from being creepy," Danny countered before he continued to follow Vlad into the archway.

But just as they were about to step in, Plasmius suddenly cried out and dropped to the ground, clutching at his eyes.

"Vlad!" Danny exclaimed before he fell to his knees beside the man. "What happened? What's wrong?"

"What in blazes was that?" the man hissed as he slowly lowered his hands from his face and blinked out the spots in his eyes.

"What are you talking about?" Danny quickly asked.

"The flash of white light! Didn't you see it?" Vlad asked as he slowly got to his feet.

"Uh, no…," Danny replied, looking at the man like he was crazy.

Vlad paused and incredulously said, "Daniel, it was bright enough to blind someone. It almost blinded _me_! How could you have _not_ seen it?"

Danny just stared at the man for a moment. But, suddenly, he noticed something just above his vision. And looking up, the teen suddenly gasped, "It's gone!"

"What?" Vlad replied.

But when Danny pointed at what he meant, the older hybrid tensed.

The golden statue of the phoenix had vanished!

"Still think it was _just a statue_?" Danny asked sarcastically.

Vlad frowned nervously. But just as quickly, he was even more determined to continue. Now, it was personal! He wasn't about to be intimated by little tricks and light shows!

"Come on, Daniel," the man muttered before he pushed his cape back and continued on.

The teen hesitated, but followed after, though he worriedly asked, "Are you sure you're okay?"

Vlad just nodded.

When they finally entered, they immediately noticed that the inside was more ominous than the outside. The corridor was long and dreary, but, this time, Plasmius was on high alert for any possible signs of danger.

Danny also looked around warily, though there was also curiosity in his eyes.

There were symbols on the walls which glowed an eerie red. What was strange was how the symbols on the left wall contrasted the symbols on the right.

For example, there was a symbol of water or ice on the left side and directly across was a symbol for fire. Then, there was a symbol of the sun and across from it was a carved drawing of the moon. And, so on and so forth.

Actually, Danny had never really realized until now how many things existed in a balance. They were opposite, and, therefore, contrasted each other; yet, together, they created a balance, an essential balance to all existence…

The teen was so distracted with the symbols that he didn't realize Vlad had stopped until he ran right into him.

Vlad glanced condescendingly at the teen.

Embarrassed, Danny just smiled back meekly and said, "Heh. My bad."

The man returned his attention to the three hazy passage ways opening more towards the left. Now where?

"What's wrong?" Danny asked, moving beside the man to get a better look of what was up ahead.

At, first, the man didn't reply. Instead, he pulled a small ball filled with a green substance from his pocket. But then, Vlad threw it into the green mist in front of the three passageways.

Danny's eyes widened when he saw the green mist dissolve the ecto-ball on contact.

"Bobby traps?" the teen automatically questioned.

"Um-hmm," Vlad replied as he distractingly continued to look around. But at that same time, the older hybrid turned human. Like Danny, the man knew that their human side protected them from harm in the Ghost Zone…

And catching on, Danny then turned into Fenton.

But… Vlad still wouldn't move.

"What are you waiting for now?" Danny asked quizzically. Seriously, couldn't the man see the obvious way they needed to go next?

But the billionaire was thinking of a certain verse from the scroll as he continued to study his three choices in front of him…

_But if you prove worthy through the one that guides your eyes,  
then my power is yours to keep._

"The one that guides my eyes," Vlad repeated out loud, his eyes still on the three entrances that he could see to his left. But, suddenly, he further said, "Tell me, Daniel… What do you see?"

Danny frowned at the odd question. But looking past Vlad, he rubbed his neck, trying to figure out what was the answer the man wanted to hear…

"Uh… Do you mean besides that single narrow and steep passage way to the very right?" he questioned.

Vlad smirked with the boy's response before saying, "Ah, that's very interesting…"

He moved forward towards one of the three passageways he could see. But when Danny tried to follow, the man raised a hand, stopping him.

The older hybrid then smiled when he walked through the green mist and saw that it did nothing to his human body. The mist was definitely meant to harm ghostly entities…

Choosing one of the three entrances, he raised a hand towards it, wanting to make sure it was there.

Danny, however, stared quizzically at Vlad. Why was the guy inspecting some solid wall?

Right then, Vlad took out another ecto-ball and tossed it randomly into one of the three passages.

And what he had been suspecting happened.

The moment the ball was tossed in, the entrance's walls came together, crushing the ball in between them.

Danny jumped at the loud unexpected sound that had come from the area Vlad had tossed in the ecto-ball.

"What the heck was that? And what's going on?" Danny asked in alarm and confusion, not understanding at all what was happening.

"You know, I had suspected from the beginning that I wouldn't be able to get to this crystal," Vlad commented to the teenager as he looked between the remaining two open entrance ways. But then he sighed, and turning around to finally regard the boy, he further said, "I just never thought it would be this impossible for me…"

"So… Are you saying that you can't find this crystal?" Danny asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying," Vlad responded as an unexpected knowing smile crawled onto his face.

Danny rubbed the back of his neck again, unsure of how to feel with the way Vlad was staring at him. And, yet, he knew he was missing something.

"So, uh, what are you going to do?" the teen questioned.

But instead of replying, Vlad asked his own question, "You said you can see a passageway on the _far_ _right_, Daniel? Point it out."

"It's right there," Danny replied slowly, pointing towards it, while his tone of voice made it sound like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Funny," Vlad replied with a smirk before he raised his hand towards one of the three entranceways he saw further on the _left_. And now with his back to the boy, he added, "I don't see anything over at where you are pointing, Daniel. But… I do see three directly in front of me. Or, in reference to you, on your _left_…"

Danny jolted in surprise. Wait. Were Vlad and he seeing _different_ things again, like when they read the scroll?

"I can't find the crystal, Danny, but _you_ can," the older hybrid suddenly said, turning to face the teen again with that knowing smile.

"Wait, what?" Danny asked, only to finally see the answer in his own mind…

_When your shadow is blind, you will see.  
Yet his steps are the ones that count._

"Oh, I get it!" Danny said with a growing smile.

How had he not seen it before? The entire message in the scroll emphasized that only the 'light' could find the crystal. So, it now made sense that only he could see the true path towards the crystal, while what Vlad saw were the paths that led to either dead ends or… traps.

Danny's grin suddenly melded into a smug one as he told the older hybrid, "And you didn't want me to come…"

Vlad rolled his eyes at the boy's 'I told you so' jab before replying, "Somehow, I knew you would say that. Come, let's keep going."

Danny nodded before moving past Vlad to lead the way and headed towards the entrance way that only he could see. Actually, the darkened passage was lit up by little moving red lights, almost like red fireflies.

But just when the teen took a step in, the ground he had touched literally fell from under him, revealing a dark abyss below.

Danny cried out in alarm, knowing he was about to nosedive right into the abyss.

"Daniel!" Vlad exclaimed as he jolted forward and grabbed one of the teen's hands, pulling him back to safety.

"Geez! This place is worse than Skulker's island!" Danny gasped out.

"Daniel, what were you doing?" Vlad asked, sounding nervous. "Have you not understood how this works by now? The Spirit of Order made it so that it was impossible to find the Order's Crystal unless shown a true display of order—_balance_. It requires the _both_ of us to get to this crystal. You might be able to lead us to it, but you have to follow me.

Those same words from the scroll instantly flashed in the teen's mind, before others chimed in with _their_ reminder…

_When your shadow is blind, you will see.  
Yet his steps are the ones that count._

_You are the light, therefore the guide.  
But follow your shadow or you will surely die._

"Oh, right," Danny said with a short nervous laugh.

"Exactly," Vlad said with a sigh of his own to calm his own nerves. He placed an affectionate hand on the teen's head before taking the lead again.

Remaining human, the two carefully made it around the gaping hole now in the ground before continuing down the steep passage way.

Now inside it, Vlad could also see the corridor that the teen had only been able to see at first. But instead of moving randomly like they had done to Danny, the strange balls of red light moved in front of Vlad, lighting up his way and showing him where it was safe to step.

Danny was sure to follow Vlad's every step, not wanting to risk falling into anymore holes. The teen was about to ask why they couldn't fly across when he briefly glanced upward and finally noticed that strange green mist that had dissolved the ecto-ball previously…

Danny gulped, but pressed forward. However, as they went along, the teen began to feel hot as if he was moving closer and closer into an oven.

The teen soon began to sweat before he finally muttered, "Why is it so hot?"

Vlad paused to look back at the teen. "Perhaps because we are traveling closer to the volcano this place is built around." But seeing the teen was really affected by the heat, the man frowned before saying, "Breath, Daniel. We are almost there."

Danny already knew the man had a hot core, so he was more tolerant of the heat. But, still, this was just a bit too much!

At last, though, they came to the end of the steep and narrow hallway.

Only to find out they had reached a dead end.

At first, Vlad didn't worry. After all, their human selves should be able to phase right through it. However, when he stretched out his hand… it didn't go through.

The man's eyes widened in surprise. What in the world was going on? How was it that their human selves were unaffected by the green mist, yet… now they couldn't get pass this wall?

"Tell me that you see something beyond this solid wall in front of us," Vlad said worriedly, looking back at the teen, who had seen his previous actions.

Danny shook his head. "It's a wall, Vlad. And by the looks of it, we can't get passed it even as humans…"

The man sighed as he placed his human hand against the wall again. He briefly thought of teleportation, but he couldn't teleport to somewhere he had never been. And, even if he could, it was too risky when he didn't know what was on the other side of the wall—if anything at all.

"Here, let me try," Danny suddenly said. He moved up to the wall and placed his own hand on it. But to his dismay, he also couldn't phase through it like often was in the case with things in the Ghost Zone. It appeared that in this time-frozen island, their human forms were not able to phase through things…

However, at the next instant, the teen lost the thought as he suddenly saw the red orbs of light that had once lit Vlad's steps disperse around them again. But, a single one slowly moved upwards, towards the green mist above their heads.

The teen just watched it with growing dread and when it finally touched the mist, the red orb instantly disintegrated.

But that wasn't the worst part.

Vlad and Danny gasped when the stone corridor suddenly shook and then the ceiling, which was lined with deadly spikes began to slowly come down on them…

"Oh, my…," Vlad choked out, only to abruptly exclaim, "Daniel! What did you do?"

Hearing the man's panic, Danny also panicked as he shouted back, "Me? I didn't do anything! It was the stupid firefly thing!"

Vlad looked back to where they had come from, but he knew it was too far for them to reach the other end in time. And that blasted green mist kept them from flying out!

However, before the man could think of how to get them out of this mess, something unexpected happened to him.

"AH!" Vlad cried out as he stumbled back and pressed his back against the solid wall behind him, while he gripped at his eyes again.

"Vlad!" Danny exclaimed, noticing the red energy seeping from between the man's fingers, almost like the man was using his energy beam from his eyes. But, the teen knew he wasn't and that for some reason the older half-ghost's eyes were burning him again, like they had when the man had claimed to have seen a flash of bright white light.

Not knowing what to do, Danny looked around desperately for a way out. But there was nothing.

"Daniel," Vlad breathed out, his eyes clenched together from the pain. "T-There has to be a way out! Look around!"

"But there's nothing here!" Danny shouted fearfully before glancing up and seeing the spikes now a foot from Vlad's head.

"There has to be! Find it, Daniel! Find it or we are going to die here!" Vlad exclaimed.

Danny began to desperately touch the wall to his right, hoping to find a lever or something!

But all he saw were those glowing drawings, like in the passageways before this one!

Vlad gasped as he squatted down, sensing the spikes closing in.

"Daniel!" the man shouted at the boy.

But Danny was frozen as he stared at one of the symbols, finally noticing that something about it was _off!_

In the passage before, each symbol only showed up _once_ and its counterpart or opposite was directly across from it.

It was the same for this passageway as well, except that here, the symbol for fire, which was a bright red flame, was repeated **_twice_**, _right next to each other._

Danny quickly looked at the opposite wall and saw that the symbol for what he guessed was ice or water, which was represented by a _blue_ flame was also repeated twice on the opposite wall.

"Vlad, the symbols! It has to be the symbols!" Danny exclaimed at the man.

"Then, figure them out!" Vlad yelled back as he attempted to get his blurry eyes to clear, but as the seconds went by his eyes only got worse.

Going on a hunch, Danny quickly moved over to Vlad and exclaimed, "It's a test of balance again. Hurry up! You have to touch the symbols for fire. It has to be that!"

Knowing there was no time to question the teen, the man did his best to move over to the wall. He then squinted his eyes, just barely making out the bright two red-glowing symbols and pressed his hands against them.

Danny then crawled over to the blue symbol, not even caring why _he_ represented ice, but just pressed both his hands against it and squeezed his eyes close, knowing that if he had been wrong, he and Vlad were goners…

But at that instant, there was a loud groan that vibrated through the stoned corridor…

Danny opened one of his eyes, as if afraid to know what he would see.

But when he saw the ceiling had stopped moving down, he snapped his eyes fully open and sighed in relief.

Danny looked over at Vlad, and was about to say something witty when his hands suddenly hurt.

"Ow!" the teen yelped out as he yanked his hands away from the symbols.

They were suddenly so cold that they burned!

But Vlad then gasped and pulled his hands away from the burning red symbols.

However, right then, the two red symbols and the two blue symbols shot out red and blue beams, respectively, at their opposite across of them.

Danny and Vlad instinctively covered their heads as red met blue and the beams struck each other. But instead of causing an explosion of power, they instantly repelled away from one another, much like fire on a fireproof shield. The opposing four beams splayed, as they bent and pushed each other at ninety degrees in opposite directions.

An instant later, each red and blue set of directly opposing beams shot in their new directions, racing with each other toward both ends of the corridor. And while one set of the red and blue energies were now traveling down the passageway Danny and Vlad had just come from, the other set of the energies drove themselves straight at the solid wall that had seemed to be a dead end.

But the teen gasped when he saw the wall instantly freeze over when the blue beam hit; but in a split second, the red beam hit, shattering the frozen stone wall like glass.

Danny's mouth fell open when he saw what was beyond the wall that had just been destroyed.

And forgetting about Vlad for a moment, the teen slowly walked pass the broken pieces of rock and stared in fearful awe at the huge cavern around him.

The teen moved forward a bit more and then looked down, noticing he was on a cliff. And below him was a river of boiling lava…

However, beyond the huge fiery lake was another archway leading into another unknown passageway. Clearly, the only way to get to it was to fly across.

But as Danny looked above him next, he noticed there were floating green boulders and beyond them was a black abyss.

He didn't like the looks of this…

"Daniel," Vlad suddenly called nervously to the boy.

Danny looked back, noticing the man was no longer in pain, but was only taking small measured steps towards him.

And not sure if the man saw what he did, Danny said, "I wouldn't come so close. There's a huge gap filled with something that's definitely not for swimming."

Vlad didn't reply; though he had finally realized this was more dangerous than he had imagined.

And that crystal wasn't worth their lives…

Danny glanced at the dark corridor across the gap as he muttered to himself, "I bet the crystal's in there."

But staring back at Vlad and seeing he was extremely troubled, the teen raised a questioning eyebrow. "What do _you_ see?"

"_Nothing,_" Vlad replied, closing his blue eyes as if to keep himself calm. But when he opened them again, he stared at the teen as he worriedly admitted, "Daniel, I cannot see."

The teen froze but then squinted his eyes as he asked in disbelief. "What do you mean you can't see? Not _literally_, right?"

"Yes, literally!" Vlad snapped, finally unable to hide how upset he was. "It's was that burst of white light that hit me at the entrance to this place. I know it was! I have felt odd ever since… and now, I'm blind. I cannot see _anything_!"

Danny's mouth fell open again. But then, his eyes widened in alarm. "Okay, look, just calm down," the teen said with a deep breath, though it sounded like he was saying that more to himself. He paused in thought for a moment, remembering the verse that said something about 'his shadow being blind'.

Oh, crud. It was once again being both symbolic and literal!

"Uh…," Danny said, trying to think. "Okay, it has to be a spell, right? It's like how we couldn't see the same things from the start. I'm sure once we, uh, find the crystal, it will wear off."

"No," Vlad suddenly said. "This is as far as we go. I shouldn't have even risked us coming this far. Come, we're heading back."

"What? Are you kidding?" Danny questioned in surprise. "We've made it this far. I mean, I think we're almost there. There's another passage just beyond the lava pit, if we can just fly across…"

"No, we're done," Vlad said, turning into Plasmius, though he still remained blinded even in this form. "This place could move at any moment. And let's not forget that I _cannot see_ _a thing!"_

"So, I'll guide you through. Plus, you said it yourself. Once this place vanishes, you might not be able to ever find it again."

"Daniel, I don't care. I am not risking our lives for this! And there is no way that I am going to _let_ you continue on your own!"

Danny glared at the man before suddenly morphing into Phantom.

And sensing the teen's action, Vlad turned into Plasmius and gasped out, "Daniel! No!"

However, at that same instant, a burst of red light came from above, pushing both hybrids away from each other.

Danny yelped as he almost fell off the cliff and into the lava pit. But looking back at Vlad, the teen's eyes widened when he saw there was now a red barrier separating the two of them.

Vlad quickly got to his feet as he exclaimed, "Daniel!"

"I'm fine, Vlad. Except, there's this barrier between us…" Danny said apprehensively.

The older hybrid took a few blind steps forward and reached out. The man gasped when he felt a solid wall keeping him away from the teen.

Vlad now really seemed to panic. And using his energy, he quickly shot several energy beams at the barrier, trying to destroy it.

But it did nothing.

Danny stared in quiet fear as Vlad then turned human and tried to pass the shield, but he still couldn't! And as the man resorted back to trying to destroy the barrier with his energy, the teen glanced down at the lava pit just a few feet from him.

"The opposing pit of my core," Danny muttered. But then getting a sudden idea, the teen quickly pulled out the scroll's message to him and quickly read the next part.

_If you triumph to see the opposing pit of your core, you might want to turn back,  
for you must go on now parted and alone._

"Blast! No!" Vlad suddenly exclaimed, slamming his hand against the barrier when he further found out he couldn't even teleport pass it.

Danny quickly looked at the billionaire, but before he could say anything the panicked man spoke up again.

"Daniel! Look around. Do you see any way to get back on this side? Answer me, Daniel!"

But the teen didn't answer. Instead, he took a step closer to the barrier and reached out to it. And as he had suspected, his hand went right through the barrier, even when he was in ghost form.

He had the option of turning back.

However, the teen was now sure that this place didn't follow the rules of the Ghost Zone. Actually, it didn't seem to follow any rules at all. He didn't understand how his human half could do some things, but not others. And now, he could easily phase through this shield, but Vlad could not?

What was going on? The oddity of this place made the teen nervous; so much that his self preservation and judgment told him to listen to Vlad and call it quits. He really should walk through this barrier and leave…

But… something inside the teen was urging him to keep going. And, also, he was worried about Vlad. What if the spell didn't come undone if they just left now?

Somehow, the teen felt certain that it would come undone if he managed to get to the crystal.

Danny gulped, realizing he was meant to finish this by himself. Maybe that's why the barrier prevented Vlad from going any further…

"Danny!" Vlad called to him again.

Finally, the teen answered the man. "I'm going to go for it, Vlad. I think I can get to it."

"No, Daniel. No!" Vlad replied fearfully.

The teen blinked, never having seen the man freak out like this before. Then again, Danny figured he'd freak out, too, if he suddenly couldn't see…

But, of course, the man's concern was also for the boy.

"Look, just trust me, okay? I'll be back in no time," the teen insisted.

But the man still continued to protest, though it now sounded like he was begging the boy not to go through with his foolish idea.

Danny sighed, knowing he wasn't going to calm the man. So, without anymore further words, the teen turned and flew off the cliff.

"DANIEL!"

The teen ignored the man's scream even as its echo chased after him and continued slowly across the lava pit. But, glancing down at the boiling fire, he gulped nervously.

Suddenly, he heard a groan from above.

The teen gasped as he snapped his head up in time to see one of the green boulders coming at him. And with no time to fly away from its path, the teen squeezed his eyes shut and teleported, just before the boulder could crush him and send him into the lava pit.

However, that one falling boulder seemed to trigger even more of them to fall.

Danny yelped as he took off at full speed across the lava pit, just barely dodging the green rocks as they fell from above.

But just when he was a few feet from the other side, a boulder fell in front of him. He was going too fast to stop and was about to slam head first into it!

The teen instantly thought of the inconsistency of this 'timeless' place, and knowing he wouldn't survive crashing into this boulder at the speed he was going in, the teen took a desperate chance and turned human, hoping that this would be one of the things his human half could get away with...

The boy let out a cry of fear as his human self surprisingly phased right through the boulder; but the speed of his previous flight was just barely enough for the teen to grab a hold of the cliff's end before he could plummet down into the lava.

The teen grunted as he clung onto the cliff face. He kicked his legs, trying to find something to help push him up. He thought about turning ghost again, but more boulders kept coming down from above him, with only the intangibility of his human self keeping them from throwing him into the lava pit._._

"I really need to step up on those workouts," the teen groaned before he used whatever strength he had to slowly pull himself up. But then, he heard the cliff cracking.

"Of course," the teen muttered bitterly before the cliff face broke off and he fell. The teen screamed again, but taking another desperate chance, he turned into Phantom. And then just as quickly, he closed his eyes and teleported.

Danny yelped, astounded that he was able to reappear on top of the remaining cliff before falling to the ground. But he was so relieved to be alive that he rolled onto his back with a sigh of relief.

"So much for being safer living with the cheesehead," the teen breathed out, trying to regain control of his breathing.

But as he thought back to how his human half had saved him from the boulder, his mind raced for an explanation for it. There just had to be a logical explanation!

With the green mist, his and Vlad's ghost half could be hurt, but not their human half. And, clearly, they had to be human to get through the tunnel until they came to the dead end. The symbols had been based on their ghost cores. Danny wasn't sure how cold his core was, but Vlad had mentioned it was colder than normal— and that the man's was hotter than normal.

Now, to pass across the lava pit, he had to obviously be ghost. Was there a pattern in this? Or, perhaps, whenever Vlad and he were meant to be one form, that form was the one in peril, while the other was safe from harm…

Did that even make sense?

Danny shook his head, already feeling a headache throbbing against his skull. He was not going to think about this anymore. He already had enough to ponder with the scroll's confusing messages…

Finally regaining his breath and getting to his feet, the teen looked up at the large entranceway into another corridor before looking back across the lava pit. He couldn't hear or see Vlad anymore, but he just dimly could make out the glow from the red barrier.

With another sigh, Danny turned his focus back to the matter at hand. But knowing better than to try to wing this, the teen turned to the scroll's words again, rereading the rest of the message…

_Each of your steps I will test, until you find me.  
But once you do, I will reverse the roles and blind thee…_

_I will leave you exposed, your only hope your one shadow—  
For only yours can choose to set your path aglow.  
Be prepared, for this will mean it's you your one must then follow._

_Make haste, or I will consume you both.  
But reach the limits of my vows and I will let you leave—  
the price and reward, my Order's Crystal, quite atoned._

Danny decided not to read the rest, knowing it already ended with a threat. But, his mind whirled with all the words he had read and their possible meanings.

"Great, more evil tests and talk of blinding," Danny muttered. But shaking his head, he sucked it up and went in.

Danny noticed that this corridor went upwards. In fact, it was a large staircase going further than he could see.

Danny turned human, not sure if it would help him or not.

It was almost as if whoever made this place knew he was half-human and half-ghost!

It was a creepy thought, one that became even more obvious in the next instant…

When he had gotten half-way up the stairs, Danny gasped as the walls on his sides suddenly turned into mirrors. But what had the teen alarmed was how the mirrors reflected his ghost half…

But he was in human form!

Danny hesitated to continue as he stared between his ghostly reflections, having the creepy thought that they were looking back at him as more than reflections.

"Get a grip, Fenton," Danny whispered to himself before continuing up the stairs.

However, he had not taken more than a few steps when he noticed the reflections on the mirrors changed. Now, the mirror was reflecting his actual human reflection.

The teen paused for a moment, finding the change odd. But seeing nothing really happened, the teen took another step…

Only to regret it.

"Ah!" Danny yelled as several knifes came from above on the step he had just touched. The teen managed to jump off the step, but not before one of his legs paid the price for his mistake.

The teen hissed as he gripped his thigh where one of the knives had skimmed the lateral side of it. There was a bit of blood, but the wound wasn't as bad as it felt.

Danny sighed as he looked back at the mirrors, only to find his human reflections were grinning evilly at him!

The boy glared at the mirrors, though he was mostly scared out of his wits.

"What the heck do you want?" he snapped at his reflections.

But the teen didn't get any answer, except for the same creepy grins.

Danny knew he couldn't take another step until he figured out what the trick was here …

The boy thought for a moment, remembering how he had been able to climb up the stairs just fine when his ghost half had been reflecting from the mirrors…

"Wait…," the boy muttered, further recalling how he and Vlad had to show balance between them when they had been trapped in that corridor with the spikes coming down on them…

Maybe…

Danny suddenly turned into Phantom. But as he had expected, the reflections in the mirror remained as his human self.

The teen sighed shakily before climbing up a single step again. He cringed, fearing he was wrong and the knives would come down on him once more.

But, they didn't.

"Yes!" Danny exclaimed before telling his reflections, "Take that, you creepy mirrors!"

But the teen readily blushed, realizing he probably sounded crazy talking to his reflections. Or, at least, that's what he hoped they were, because he was already freaked out enough.

Still, the teen continued on, watching the mirrors to make sure they didn't change again. He now understood that he could only move forward when he was reflecting the opposite of what the mirrors displayed. Again, it was all about creating balance as he went along.

"Oh, no, spirits aren't obsessive at all," Danny muttered sarcastically as he changed forms again to reflect his opposite when it changed again.

Now human, he finally made it to the top of the stairs without further incident. But when he got there, Danny found a large ominous well in the center of the huge cavern. The well was surrounded by a moat of lava. The only way to really get to it was a… narrow, bricked pathway leading to the well….

However, Danny noticed that around him were all kinds of jewels and treasures on various stands. Just a handful of the stuff could probably make him richer than Vlad—not that he really cared about that. But the place seriously reminded the teen of one of those treasure caverns you would see in movies… It was so cliché…

"Oh, come on. You don' think I'm going to fall for that 'bobby-trapped treasure' bit, do you?" he asked his empty surroundings.

And as if something had heard him, the treasures suddenly vanished, and were replaced by… hanging skeletons.

The teen gasped in alarm at all the dead bodies, which had clearly ended up there for letting their greed get the better of them…

Danny frowned in sympathy at the remains before looking back to the path. He was honestly scared of going onward, now sure this place was not going to just let him walk right up to the mysterious well.

Still, he had to find what he needed to do next.

The teen sighed and walked over to the bricked path. He stopped in front of it and looked up, noticing how there was that green mist above the path, which meant he was being forced to walk across it.

Swallowing hard, the teen took a single step forward, but readily gasped when his foot went through the brick, as if it wasn't there! However, since he had been on his toes, the teen managed to keep his balance, and quickly pulled his feet back.

Looking down at his human-half, he decided to try moving forward in ghost form. But, the results were the same, this time.

Danny growled in frustration as he looked up, wishing he could just fly across this thing already!

"Just perfect," he muttered.

Danny looked around again, trying to find another way across. He even looked straight up, but all he discovered was that he was very far down into this cavern. In fact, he couldn't see the top of it. It was just darkness up there. But he could see nothing that stood out.

And yet, when he turned back to the pathway, he finally noticed the two jagged black rocks on each side of him.

The teen stared warily between them before taking a tentative step towards the one on the left. With a grimace, he slowly reached out to the sharp rock and placed his hand over it.

But nothing happened.

"Darn it!" he huffed.

Now annoyed, he quickly walked over to the other rock on the right and placed his hand over it, not really expecting something to happen.

He was wrong.

Danny gasped as he felt something sharp penetrate his hand.

Yelping, he yanked his hand away clutching it against him, seeing how the rock had cut him enough to draw ectoplasm.

But the green blood that remained on the jagged black rock suddenly vanished within it; and just as suddenly, one side of the path, turned green.

"Sacrifice…," the teen muttered, fisting his injured hand.

Unfortunately, the other side of the path was not illuminated, and the single side that was wasn't broad enough for him to walk across without risking his life.

Danny already had guessed what he had to do to get the other side to glow.

The teen cringed before walking over to the jagged rock that had not reacted to his ghostly touch…

With a shaky breath, he turned human and reached towards the black sharp stone.

He squeezed his eyes close as he gripped it.

"Oh, crud!" he exclaimed as he felt the sharp rock cut his human hand, drawing blood.

Like with his ectoplasm, the red fluid seeped into the rock and a moment later, the rest of the pathway lit up, but was red in color.

The teen understood the symbolism.

His ghost blood represented death and his human blood represented life.

"Note to self: never go on a treasure hunt again," Danny grunted, squeezing his other throbbing hand into a fist.

With a sigh, he stepped forward, and this time, the brick pathway was solid. In no time, he made it to the other side and walked up the steps to the well.

He paused just briefly when he noticed that there were four floating white orbs above the well, perfectly aligned across from one another; and, in turn, lighting up the well.

The teen drew closer to the well and looked inside, only to cringe when he saw not water, but bubbling lava.

Danny gulped as he raised his hand hesitantly above the lava, not knowing what to expect. But much to his surprise, right under the shadow his hand created, the lava blurred, like a mirage.

Another test? But of what?

The teen searched his mind for the different symbolisms that were being portrayed… He definitely got how the light above was opposed by the shadow his hand created… But…

Danny pulled out the messages on the scrolls again. But as he read over his own, he didn't find anything that could help him. Still, he was sure he was missing something and that he had read it before…

He turned his attention to the message meant for Vlad, which he had written down… And he found what he was looking for almost instantly.

_There is no light without its shadow, no life without its death,  
no destiny without sacrifice, and no truth without faith._

Danny frowned thoughtfully. "Okay, I get the first three parts of that… but truth and faith? Unless…"

He looked back at the well. Was this a test of faith? Sure, the lava blurred oddly under his hand's shadow… but that still didn't subtract the possibility that it really was lava and that if he put his hand in it….

The teen gulped. And feeling his pounding heart, the teen took a deep breath to summon up his courage; and in spite of his fear, plunged his hand into the apparent lava.

To the teen's surprise, the lava felt a lot like very cold water! He had been right!

But as he continued to feel around blindly, the teen suddenly felt something warm inside, but the object's texture was strange. It was smooth, but, still, there was something jagged around it…

"Do I even want to know what this is?" Danny thought with a cringe. But managing to get his hand around it, the teen tried to pull it out. And to his surprise, he met no resistance.

He was so focused on what he was doing that he didn't see how the room began to light up with red energy the more he pulled out the object.

Or, when two red eyes suddenly appeared from the darkness above…

Finally, when it felt like forever, the object finally came out. However, at that instant the teen retracted his hand from the well, the 'lava' suddenly turned black, like it had actually been lava that whole time and it had suddenly cooled and solidified…

"Whoa…," Danny breathed out nervously, but when he focused on what he had in his hands, the teen gasped in disbelief.

It was an egg!

Or, at least, it was shaped like one. The 'egg' was clear, like a diamond. And yet, inside it was a gold burning flame. Still, the egg was being grasped and protected by red tree vines, eerily shaped like a clawed hand.

That definitely explained the smooth and jagged texture.

"Is this really it? The Order's Crystal is an… _egg__?" _Danny questioned skeptically.

A sudden hissing from above answered him.

The teen looked up, and froze in horror when he saw a huge bird somehow climbing down from the darkness above, its red eyes locked on him and the object in his hand.

"Heh. Uh…ahem..it's not what it looks like?" Danny said nervously as he backed away from the bird when it jumped down, its large talons crushing the well under its weight.

The glowing creature was as beautiful as it was horrifying. Its feathers were the different colors of fire, yet they held a golden sheen to them. But as the creature spread its huge wings in threat it suddenly burst into flames, while its red eyes burned with its fury.

He was looking what he could only imagine was a ghost phoenix…

But before Danny could react, the bird somehow released a burst of white blinding light.

"AHH!" he screamed in pain, dropping to his knees, in turn, dropping the egg-like crystal. He gripped at his eyes, trying to sooth away the burning sensation. But hearing a screech shake the cavern, Danny gasped and snapped his eyes open.

Only to find he couldn't see a thing!

"No," Danny breathed out as he groped around the ground, trying to find something to help him. But as his hands grazed the crystal he dropped, he suddenly _saw_ its glow.

He instantly reached towards the _only_ thing he could see before he turned into Phantom and jumped to his feet.

In response, the firebird screeched with its fury.

The teen snapped his head up as he heard the creature approaching him.

"Okay! Here, you want your egg? You can have it!" Danny said in a panic, throwing the vine-protected egg towards where he heard the bird.

But the moment he had thrown it, it was just as suddenly back in his hands.

"What the…?" Danny gasped, only to squeak when he heard something coming at him. And more out of instinct, then anything else, he jumped out of the way just as the bird's beak slammed into the ground, cracking the stoned floor and shaking it with the force of the hit.

The teen breathed heavily in his panic as he heard the creature come at him again. But knowing he had to get out of here before he become bird food, he suddenly bolted towards the cavern's exit—or, at least, in the direction he had last seen the entrance.

In turn, the large bird raised its huge wings and flapped them, sending a gust of hot air at the young half-ghost.

It was strong enough to send Danny spiraling out of control.

He ended up slamming into the wall, just a few feet away from the staircase that he had come from.

Danny looked down at the crystal in his hand, still the only thing he could see. He was horrified, honestly not knowing how he was going make it out of this when he couldn't see.

_"Oh, my gosh, this bad. This is **really** bad!" _Danny thought, completely panicked._ "Okay, just think! There has to be a way to get out of here..."_

But, suddenly, the teen remembered the time Vlad had blind-folded him, forcing him to use his hearing to find the floating disk in the simulation room. But, now that he thought about, his hearing wasn't his only sense.

Danny stood up, having already figured out that his ghost sense wasn't working around this creature—which was strange enough. But… he still could feel its heat approaching him and he could hear its steps...

The teen moved back until he was pressed against the wall.

With his unoccupied hand, he felt along the wall, slowly moving against it, trying to find the cavern's exit.

The firebird raised its wings up and flapped them, this time releasing a wall of fire at the blinded boy.

And both feeling and hearing it, Danny raised his hands, instantly creating a shield to protect himself against the fire.

He grunted as he was pressed painfully into the wall from the sheer force of the ghost bird's attack, but he was also sweating badly from the heat.

Still, he soon heard something different to his left. It wasn't like how the fire sounded as it slammed into the wall to his right or against his shield. No. The fire thrown to his left traveled further before it hit something…

The staircase!

When the phoenix briefly relented its attack, the boy made his move. Gathering energy, Danny fired a strong ecto-blast at where he guessed the bird was before darting towards where he had heard the echo.

The teen didn't see his energy get consumed by the bird's flaming body, but he did hear its angry screech.

Still, Danny knew he had no way of getting down the bobby-trapped stairs when he couldn't see. So, thinking quickly, the boy tossed the egg down the stairs, watching it with whatever 'sight' he now had, if he even wanted to call it that, as it fell somewhere in the distant darkness and finally came to a stop.

But then closing his eyes, the boy teleported to where the egg had landed.

And to his relief, the egg had indeed landed at the bottom of the stairs. At least, he could smell and hear the lava pit just yards away.

But what he didn't see was how the phoenix suddenly turned into a ball of fire and shot down the stairs like a comet, quickly reforming right in front of the teen.

Danny gasped as he felt ball of energy slam into his chest throwing him back several feet. The teen groaned in pain and gripped his burning chest; but somehow, the attack had not done permanent damage.

As before, the teen felt the crystal somehow reappear back in his hand. But it would now do him little good. Even using his other senses, he would not be able to make it across the lava pit; or, at least, he had no way of knowing if he was flying in the _right_ direction.

"_Think, Fenton! Think!"_ Danny screamed in his mind as he heard the bird approaching again.

But just as he was forced to roll away when the bird tried to peck at him, he finally remembered something from the scroll… It had said it would _reverse the roles_ and blind _him_!

And if the roles were now reversed that meant Vlad had to have now regained his own vision…

Danny yelped as he dodged the bird's beak again, only to be slapped painfully into the ground by something.

But the teen still search his mind for something to help him, and he knew it had to be found in that scroll's words!

_I will leave you exposed, your only hope your one shadow—  
For only yours can choose to set your path aglow.  
Be prepared, for this will mean it's you your one must then follow._

Danny suddenly understood. But at that moment, he felt something hot grab him and pin him against the ground.

The teen screamed in alarm, as he used his energy to protect himself. But no matter how many blasts he fired or how he flayed wildly, he couldn't escape what had trapped him.

Danny couldn't see that he was now in one of the bird's talons and that its beak was right above him, ready to pour out a ball of red energy from its mouth.

Danny squeezed his eyes close before he screamed at the top of his lungs, "VLAD!"

The teen didn't see the water-like ripple his scream created that had nothing to do with his Ghost Wail, nor did he see how it instantly shattered the shield that had the older hybrid unable to move any further.

But the teen had been right. Somehow and quite abruptly, Vlad had regained his sight and his eyes had widened in further alarm at finally being able to see the boiling lava pit just beyond the shield.

Of course, he had tried everything he could think of to break through it. He had not even been able to use teleportation even when he had then seen what was on the other side of the shield!

But now, the shield had suddenly vanished!

Still, the man had no time to think about the oddity of it. Instead, he more _felt_ than heard the young hybrid's cry for help…

"Daniel!" the man gasped out before automatically shooting forward, now in ghost form. But the moment he bolted across the pit, the rocks above started to fall and seeing them coming, Plasmius quickly teleported to where he could sense the teen.

But the moment the man got there, he gasped at the sight of a monstrous flaming ghost phoenix, holding the teen in its talons.

The bird, which had been about to deliver its fatal blow, quickly snapped its head in Vlad's direction and screeched in threat.

It was enough to freeze the man with a strange new fear. In fact, he barely noticed the red smoke leaking out of his slightly parted mouth.

"**Vlad!"** Danny shouted out again, snapping the man out of it.

And with a sudden dark glare, Plasmius quickly aimed his hand and fired a bolt of red electricity at the creature sending it slamming into the entranceway, which collapsed around it instantly.

Danny gasped at having felt the heat and force against him instantly vanish, allowing him to get back to his feet.

"Daniel!" Vlad exclaimed as he went over to the teen and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Foolish boy! I could strangle you for this!"

"Later, when I can see again and we're not about to be barbecued!" Danny loudly replied.

The man gasped with the teen's first comment. "What do you mean you can't—?"

But he wasn't able to finish. At that instant, the phoenix got back to its feet and fired a ball of hot white fire from its mouth.

"Oh, Apple crisps!" Plasmius exclaimed before grabbing Danny and taking off with him towards the cave's exit.

But although Danny couldn't see a thing, he could hear the sound of falling rocks from above.

"Vlad, Look out!" Danny screamed, knowing the man was preoccupied with trying to keep them from getting set aflame by the firebird.

The older hybrid gasped, instinctively teleporting them both a few feet ahead.

But at that moment, the phoenix flapped its wings forward, sending a gust of hot air at the hybrids. The force was so strong, even the older half-ghost could not keep himself from losing control of his flight.

"Daniel!" the man shouted in alarm as he lost his grip on the boy and was sent tumbling through the air.

Danny, on the other hand, plummeted towards the lave pit below. Luckily, the teen seemed to sense the danger and he forced his body to make a sharp U-turn upwards.

However, at that same instant, Plasmius reached him; and grabbing his arm, he yanked the teen towards the exit.

Except that, the shield had now returned.

"Oh, no," Plasmius whispered out.

But hearing it, the teen quickly asked, "What's wrong?"

"The shield. We can't get out!" the man answered fearfully, but then yelped as he had to dodge an incoming ball of fire.

Plasmius growled as he whirled around and shot another beam at the bird.

However, much to his surprise, the bird turned completely into flames and the electrical bolt went harmlessly through it.

It reformed in an instant and it almost seemed to grin evilly at the older hybrid.

Furious, Vlad fired several more bolts at it, this time one of them hitting the bird.

Abruptly, it exploded into hot ashes.

Danny gasped at the sound. "W-What happened?"

Plasmius blinked in disbelief as he watched the ashes fall into the fiery pit below. "I think I destroyed it," he muttered.

But that strange red mist came out of Vlad's mouth again. And, somehow, he just knew it was bad news.

Danny yelped as Plasmius suddenly yanked him around just as the lava below burst up, consuming them.

Luckily, the older hybrid had created a sphere of red energy, protecting them from certain death.

"Ah, hot! Hot!" Danny squeaked out, feeling the furnace just outside the shield.

And knowing even he couldn't take the heat for a second more, Vlad put on a burst of speed, finally getting them out of the spurting lava.

But at that same instant, the lava swelled even higher before it suddenly reformed into the phoenix again.

The hybrids cringed with the creature's loud screech vibrating from behind them. But the sound suddenly gave the teen an idea.

"Vlad, slow down!" Danny yelled.

"If you haven't noticed, we have a monstrous bird trying to kill us!" Vlad yelled back. "Not to mention, that blasted shield has returned again! We're trapped!"

"No, we're not! We can go through the shield!" Danny quickly assured him.

In truth, the teen couldn't be completely sure. But, if he had interrupted the next part of the scroll's message to him correctly, they would be able to phase through it. That is, if the bird or the boulders didn't get them first…

"What? How do you know we'll go through it? Plus, you're blind! I don't think you're in any condition to make judgment calls!" Vlad argued back.

"Ugh! Would you just go with me on this! Look, when I tell you, turn human, okay?"

"Daniel, we'll fall!"

"And if we don't get out of here, that bird is going to turn us into its morning toast! Now, just do it!" Danny yelled back.

"Alright. Alright," Vlad replied quickly before dodging a sudden ball of fire.

Danny took a deep breath and knowing Vlad was flying straight towards the shield and exit, the teen fired his ecto-energy repeatedly, hearing how it continued to crash against the shield. But the closer they got to it, the stronger the sound of the blast.

Working similar to echolocation, the teen calculated their distance from the shield.

Meanwhile, Vlad was using his own energy to fire back at the bird now chasing them again.

"Blast! This creature is indestructible!" the man exclaimed, seeing how he could barely get a hit on it; and when he did, it hardly slowed the ghost bird!

"Just keep it from wasting us for a few more seconds," Danny replied, still firing his energy at the shield.

Vlad glanced at what the boy was doing, but he readily gasped when he saw they were about to crash into the shield.

"Daniel!" the man shouted in warning.

But in his brief distraction, the bird shot a ball of red energy from its mouth. And it was coming at them too quickly for the older hybrid to react in time.

At that same instant, the teen fired one last ecto-blast and hearing it hit the shield almost instantly, the teen yelled out at Vlad, "NOW!"

Expecting the worse, the man shut his eyes as he turned human at the same time as the teen.

There was a loud 'bam' when the bird's ecto-energy apparently slammed into them… And yet, the hybrids felt no pain...

Vlad snapped his eyes open, just in time to see the ground closing in on them. And thinking fast, he turned into Plasmius again and stopped their fall inches from the ground.

Danny, who had also shut his eyes, opened them again, only to gasp in surprise.

"Awesome! I can see again!" he suddenly exclaimed in both excitement and relief.

Looking back and seeing they were now safe on the other side of the shield, Vlad sighed in relief with the fact and also with hearing the spell on the teen had finally worn off.

Another loud 'bam' jolted the hybrids full attention to the shield. Their eyes widened in alarm at seeing the phoenix trying to get through the red barrier without success. Even its powerful attacks couldn't break through the shield.

It had reached its limit.

_Make haste, or I will consume you both.  
But reach the limits of my vows and I will let you leave—  
the price and reward, my Order's Crystal, quite atoned._

Danny smirked as he remembered that part of the scroll. It really had been what had made him guess that they could get pass the red barrier. All that they had been required to do was to get away and make it pass the barrier.

And he had been right!

The teen's triumph, however, was short-lived when a burst of red light suddenly rippled through the place and it then began to shake.

"Of course," Vlad said bitterly, somehow not surprise that the place was now going to fall apart.

"Daniel, move!" the man exclaimed before soaring down the corridor they had come from.

Danny quickly turned into Phantom and shot after Vlad; surprisingly, no traps or anything else impeded their escape any longer.

The two made it to the surface of the island, just as it began to flicker in and out of existence. And with gasps of alarm, the hybrids flew off the island, just as it vanished completely in a burst of white light.

Now floating in the emptiness of the Ghost Zone, it was only then that they allowed themselves a moment to slow their heart rate and catch their breath.

"Man, that was close," Danny said with a loud sigh. But when he saw Vlad's glare in return, the teen smirked back in triumph and lifted up his right hand still clutching the Order's Crystal.

Vlad's angry look instantly melded into utter disbelief. "You… got it…?"

"Yup," Danny said, quite proud of himself. "And not even a scratch." But then he paused in thought and added with a meek smile, "Well, just a _few_ scratches."

"I'm still mad at you," Vlad replied with a small glare, though he moved closer to the teen to look at the egg-like crystal in his hold.

Danny chuckled. "No, you're not," he said dismissively before tossing the Order's Crystal into Vlad's hands, saying, "Here, it's yours. The thing gives me the creeps, anyways."

Vlad rolled his eyes in amusement, though there was a mixture of other emotions still in them.

The man sighed before looking down at the crystal. He had already noticed its warmness and egg-like appearance. But he was particularly fascinated by the golden flame burning inside it and how it was protected by red vine, looking much like a clawed hand… or more like a bird's talons…

He would have been unsure that this was the Order's Crystal had he not already seen a picture of it in one of his old ghost books. Still, his mind was more on the boy's rash actions than on the fact that he had in his hands the Spirit of Order's powerful relic…

Vlad shook his head and told the teen seriously, "I honestly don't know whether to classify you as brave or foolish, Daniel… You could have been killed back there."

Danny shrugged lightly, though he internally knew he had taken a serious risk. But what was done was done.

"Yes, well, nothing happened. So, whatever. Plus, I got the crystal, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did. At the expense of scaring me half to death," Vlad remarked, annoyed.

Danny laughed. "Well, that's what you get for doubting me. I told you I could do this."

Vlad frowned, not finding the comment funny at all. "Is that why you did that? To prove something to me?"

Danny jolted. "What? No! Of course not! I just didn't want you to stay blind for the rest of your life. And I was able to guess at what the scroll's message meant and if I got the crystal, the spell would come undone. And it did, right? Well, I then ended up affected by the spell…. Seriously, what was that about? I mean, what kind of ghost magic was that?"

Vlad didn't reply at first. For a moment, the man thought that the teen was just being in that competitive mood with him again. But the man could now see the teen had just been joking. Still, he didn't understand Daniel's quick change of topic; but deciding not to ask, he shook his head.

"I told you spirits have unique abilities, and I'm certain the Spirit of Order created that island to protect the Order's Crystal," Vlad replied. But then he sighed, and added more seriously, "Still, I suppose I cannot reprimand you for whatever your reason for risking yourself like that. After all, I was the one who got us into that situation in the first place. So… I'm sorry, Daniel."

Danny nodded, honestly not at all upset with the man. After all, he had asked—no, demanded—to come. Honestly, he now didn't even understand why he had been so intent on doing this. Somehow, he felt it had something to do with that eerie scroll…

Speaking of which…

"So, I guess that scroll is worthless now, huh?" Danny commented.

Vlad raised an eyebrow. "Are you kidding? This will be going into my collection. It is—" But the man suddenly stopped.

"What?" Danny asked as he watched the man search his pockets.

"The scroll is gone," Vlad replied with a frown as he continued to search himself over. "It must have fallen out of my pocket with all the jolts and sudden stops."

"Well, at least you got the crystal, right?"

Vlad sighed reluctantly, but nodded. "Yes, I suppose you're right. Come, let's get going."

Danny nodded and flew alongside Vlad as they began their journey back to Vlad's portal.

However, as they continued on, neither of them saw they were actually being watched by a pair of red burning eyes belonging to the phoenix from which they had barely escaped.

The fiery bird leisurely flapped its wings, while in one of its talons it held the Ancient Scroll Vlad had supposedly lost...

But, suddenly, the bird burst into flames and when the fire cleared, there was a purple hooded figure floating in the firebird's place.

Its eyes were still that flaming red color, but as it looked down at the scroll in its hand, the figure smiled calmly within its hood.

"Hmm… So, at last we meet… crossbreeds…," a feminine voice muttered serenely and thoughtfully.

* * *

"So, I couldn't help but notice how the Order's Crystal looks a lot like an egg and we almost got wasted by a ghost phoenix…," Danny commented as they flew through the Ghost Zone.

Vlad stared quietly at the Order's Crystal in his hands. He was more affected by that strange red mist that had eked out of his mouth when he had been around the bird. Thing was, it had not been the first time that happened to him. It had happened the night Daniel had lost control of his powers.

For the longest time, Vlad had believed the mist was somehow connected to Daniel. But now… he wasn't so sure. But he still had no way of knowing what the red mist was… and what triggered it…

"Vlad?"

The man blinked out of his thoughts, and remembering the boy had asked him a question, he shrugged. "I do not know, Daniel. But as I said, the phoenix myths can all be correlated to order somehow. To have a ghost one protecting the Order's Crystal makes sense to me."

"Okay, but why does the crystal look like an egg? It's not an actual egg, is it?" Danny asked worriedly.

"I don't think so," Vlad said, dismissing the idea. "It's probably symbolic. You see, a lot of human myths and stories are very often based on ghosts and spirits. People just don't know it. Anyways, the point is that one of the myths talks about how the Phoenix would gather the ashes of its former self into an egg and would take it to a special place to be protected. Humans over the years have added and changed the real version of the myth. But, the ghost legend talks about the Order's Crystal being in fact part of the Spirit of Order's essence. It comes directly from this Ancient, which is why the crystal is so powerful and has the ability to restore and create order."

"So, was the phoenix like the Spirit of Order's pet or something?" Danny questioned, still creeped out by the huge firebird.

"It's possible. Or, perhaps it was just another thing the Spirit of Order created to protect the Order's Crystal. As I said, Daniel, the legend is unclear and leaves a lot for speculation. The Ancients themselves are mysterious beings. I know very little of them. And the books I have do not have much on them, either."

Vlad fell quiet as he suddenly remembered how Skulker once talked to him about Ancient books. It was actually the same time the hunter had told him about the existence of Ancient Scrolls. But unlike the scrolls, which revealed each Ancient's source of power, the books talked about the Ancients themselves.

Vlad was sure he could learn the whole legend of the Spirit of Order and its crystal in one of the books. Too bad Skulker had said that these books could only be found in the Realm Beyond Time.

And the man would have to find this realm, first….

"Besides being creepy, it looks harmless," Danny commented thoughtfully.

The man looked at the boy, seeing he was staring intently at the crystal.

"It is, if you don't know how to use it," Vlad replied calmly. But when he saw the boy's eyes quickly turned to him, the man mentally cringed, realizing that had sounded very wrong.

"So, I read," the man quickly added. "There's…. certain ordered steps you must follow to activate its power. The books talk about creating a certain balance…"

"Meaning?" Danny asked raising a serious eyebrow.

"Meaning, no _single_ person or ghost can activate its power. So, as you said, it's creepy but harmless," Vlad said with a small smile.

The teen didn't reply as he looked down at the crystal before quietly asking, "What exactly are the steps?"

Vlad tapped his chin as he tried to recall what he had read. "I didn't fully understand it, but it sounded a lot like a…"

But the man suddenly trailed off and a tense frown fell on his face.

Instantly noticing, Danny asked, "What's wr—?"

But he was unexpectedly cut off by the man as he quite oddly continued in a casual voice, "As I was saying, it's very confusing. But there are requirements and I am sure one of them is that you need two people to get it work…"

Vlad then handed Danny the Order's Crystal, much to the boy's surprise. Why was the guy suddenly acting so weird?

"Perhaps when we get back, I'll show you the book, hmm?" the man further said, ignoring the teen's staring at him in utter confusion.

But abruptly, Vlad spun around and fired an energy blast at nothing behind them.

Well, the teen thought it was nothing, until he heard a loud scream…

Danny gasped as he whirled around to see what Vlad had just attacked.

In turn, Plasmius eyes narrowed, now confirming what he had heard and that was that something had been following them.

The man floated forward a bit, his hands glowing with red energy, ready to attack whatever had the nerve of trying to sneak up on him again.

And a second after, the invisible mystery ghost flickered back into visibility.

The hybrids gasped in instant recognition, but it was Vlad who questioned in utter surprise, "…Danielle?"

* * *

**Sorry for the slight cliff-hanger. This chapter was supposed to have more on it, but, as I am sure you all noticed, it got to long; so guess what happened… *snip-snip* I'm telling you, this story just doesn't want to end! Gah!**

**Anyways, expect Doas in a couple of days. Also, since I didn't get this up before Thanksgiving, let me wish you all a late Happy Thanksgiving! May God bless each and every one of you and your loved ones! **

**I am greatly thankful for all your support and love to me, my stories, and my evil muse! Don't worry, though, he did behave this week since he wanted turkey on Thursday! Lol! And, besides, he got all his evilness out on CM, Sid, and especially DoaS! *smirks* **

**Well, ta for now! Please let me know what you all think! **

**P.S. Please head over to the Niane club to vote on the contest! It's no fun, otherwise! Plus, my muse won't give you any leftovers, if you don't! Heh-heh!**

**Okay, until next time! *Pearl hugs all around* Mine are better than my muses! *giggles***


	74. Chapter 73: Unlikely Help

***gasps* I actually have a chapter that consist mostly of Danielle! My, what is the world coming to? Or rather, what the heck is wrong with my muse lately? Ah, well. I'll admit, I pity the girl. Still don't like her, but I pity her. **

**Anyways, I apologize for not having Sid up last week, some… unexpected things have been going on, which I won't mention; but believe me, it's a good excuse. But I think Truephan and I will be able to update Sid this coming weekend.**

**Either way, here's CM. Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, but the OCs are my own.**

* * *

**Chapter 73: Unlikely Help**

* * *

Danielle sighed as she sat down to rest on a floating piece of rock in the Ghost Zone.

For some time now, she had been trying to keep a close watch on Vlad's portal just like she had promised Danny's friends and sister.

And, really, it was a good thing that she had…

At first, she had believed it was a waste of time; because for days, her father's portal remained shielded with no kind of activity. In fact, there had been more activity everywhere else than with Vlad's portal.

She had heard random specters passing by, talking about certain rumors having to do with Amity Park and the two 'halfas'.

And having a bit of experience with dealing with specters, thanks to her time here in the Ghost Zone, Danielle had been able to find out more about these 'rumors'.

Apparently, Vlad had ordered Fright Knight to go to Amity Park and claim it as his own, further forbidding stronger ghosts from going near the town. There were many ghosts upset by this, but few who dared do anything about it.

Furthermore, Danielle was continuing to hear rumors about Danny being Vlad's ally and that her cousin had willingly abandoned Amity Park.

This really upset the twelve-year-old ghost girl. It was just too painful to even think this was true.

But with the news of Vlad's sudden conquest of Amity Park, Danielle's suspicions of her former father had greatly heightened…

And yet, there was no movement near Vlad's portal.

Until a few days ago.

She had caught Fright Knight going through her father's Wisconsin portal. Of course, she had had no way of knowing why her father's ally had come to visit him. And although she had wished to find out, Danielle was too terrified of being found by Vlad to try to sneak into his home and spy on him.

Even so, that day, Danielle had not hesitated to follow after Fright Knight once he had return from his talk with Vlad. She had hoped then that following the ghost knight would give her some clue as to what Vlad's plans were. And she knew it had to be something big when her spying had led her to Skulker's island.

Now two of her father's allies were involved in his mystery plans!

But when she had gotten to the hunter's home, it had proven very difficult to get close enough to Skulker and Fright knight without being detected.

In fact, she would not have gotten close at all if it wasn't because she had followed the ghost knight through a hidden path leading to the entrance of Skulker's home. But even then, since she had had to follow at a distance, she had not been able to hear all of their conversation. She had gotten near enough just when Fright Knight had told Skulker that Vlad was giving him access to Amity Park.

Danielle had had to suppress a gasp of alarm when she heard that.

However, she became readily confused once the two ghosts began talking about Vlad. Especially that the Fright Knight was worried about 'his master's' apparent alliance with Danny.

That troubled Danielle because she wondered if Fright Knight would try to do something to Danny in order to protect his 'liege' from the threat the ghost knight believed her cousin posed to Vlad.

However, Danielle was surprised when Skulker had come right out and said he did not care what happened to Vlad. Actually, the hunter had even talked about Vlad betraying him…

Danielle did not know much about Skulker and Fright Knight. In fact, when she had been with her father at the Rockies, she had not once seen her father's allies. So, she knew they didn't know about her existence—well, not until recently. Point was that Danielle only knew of them because she would hear her father talk with them through a communicator he always kept around his wrist, the one that resembled a watch more than anything else. Also, Danielle had only briefly heard of these two ghosts from Danny himself.

Still, she knew enough about them to know the hunter was her father's closest ally. So, hearing him talk about betrayal and how he didn't care what happened to Vlad really gave Danielle a lot to think about.

Exactly what was going on at her father's home in Wisconsin?

Of course, she had no way of knowing and she had not been able to think about it anymore, because soon after that, she had been discovered by her father's allies.

Danielle really had believed that she was going to be captured. It had only been pure luck that she had been able to lose them through some rock formations and that she had suddenly become so weak that her ghost signature had fallen completely off the hunter's radar.

It then had taken her about two hours to stabilized herself so that she wouldn't start melting again. But the effort had been worth it. The worst thing that could have happened to her was to have been caught by her father's allies. The possibility that she could be turned over to her father terrified her!

From what she knew, Vlad wasn't after her or anything. In fact, she was sure he didn't even think about her anymore. But… what would her father do if he saw her again after she had helped Danny destroy his perfect clone?

Danielle didn't want to think about it. And if she was honest with herself, she also feared seeing Vlad again because she didn't know if she would be able to hold back her emotions.

Even when he had called her a mistake… Vlad was still her dad.

She couldn't stop loving him…

But she also felt a deep resentment for him; one which kept her from even considering going back to him.

Not that her father would want her, anyways. She was sure he wanted nothing to do with her…

Danielle rubbed her suddenly burning eyes and sighed again. She didn't like thinking about her father anymore. It just hurt too much.

But… everything around her reminded her of him. She would never have a family or a real life thanks to him. She was unstable and had to live in the Ghost Zone like some _ghost_, thanks to him—heck, she even went to a _ghost_ school! And now, she could very likely never see her cousin again thanks to her supposed father!

It wasn't fair!

Danielle suddenly glared at the empty green abyss around her. She couldn't let her father get away with what he was planning. Somehow, she just knew her cousin was a main part of his evil plans. She couldn't let him hurt her cousin!

But she had been feeling physically bad ever since her close escape from Skulker and Fright Knight days ago. That was why she had yet to go to the Real World to speak about the things she had discovered to Jazz, Sam, and Tucker. She wanted to make sure her body was stable enough to withstand a trip there, first.

But… Danielle had to admit to herself that she was nervous to be around Jazz. The twelve-year-old still vividly remembered her accusation after Danny's sister had discovered she was Danny's _clone_…

"_So what if Vlad hadn't lied to you, would you have done it? Would you have helped Vlad hurt my little brother? What makes you any better than him?" _

"Isn't it enough punishment that I'll never have a real life?" Danielle whispered sadly.

Plus, as she had told Jazz, she had ultimately done the right thing. And she was very sorry for trying to hurt Danny. But… she had just wanted to be a normal girl and have her father love her so badly… Was that really so bad? She was only twelve! She needed someone to take care of her and love her!

But she would never have that. Sure, she could always count on Danny, but her cousin was also still a kid. And for her to ever live with Danny, he would have to tell his parents the truth about him and Vlad… But also about her.

What if Danny's parents reacted like Jazz? What if they didn't want or like her, either?

Danielle preferred not to find out.

"I guess I'll have to face Jazz again sooner or later," Danielle muttered quietly, returning to the matter at hand.

She had kept away from Vlad's portal ever since she had been discovered by Fright Knight and Skulker. She was afraid that her father's allies had told Vlad about her spying and that he had now put out a hit on her. She preferred not to risk it.

For the past few days, she had returned to her school and a small island she had found for herself. But she couldn't wait to talk with Danny's friends and sister any longer. It was why she was sitting on a floating rock near the 'Halfa Fork'.

Or, that's what some ghosts called this place. It was actually a very curious coincidence. Danielle knew her father had various portals. Three, in fact. But his main portals were those at Wisconsin. And although they opened at different areas, they were stationed around the same region.

However, if you came from the north or south while traveling in the Ghost Zone and you stopped a certain spot—the Halfa Fork—you would find yourself at mid-point between the Fenton portal and the region containing Vlad's portals.

That was why this spot was called by some ghosts the 'Halfa Fork'. Like other ghosts, Danielle knew if she turned one way, she would be heading to her father's portals. And if she turned the other, she would end up at Danny's portal.

She really wondered if this was indeed a coincidence or if Vlad had purposely done that when he made his portals. Also, she wondered if Danny knew how aligned his portal was to Vlad's…

She really should ask her cousin about that—that is, if she ever saw him again.

Still, she didn't know if this was a good thing or not, but the portals perfect alignment and their placement in respect to each other made travel from Wisconsin to Amity Park a whole lot easier through the Ghost Zone. Then again, travel through the Ghost Zone was normally quicker than through the human world. In fact, the trip from Wisconsin to Amity Park—or vise-versa—took at least a few hours in the Real World; but in the Ghost Zone, the trip took under an hour.

Indeed that it was convenient—if not a bit _too_ convenient.

Danielle frowned at the thought, but then readily shook her head.

"I really should get going…," she said floating off the rock she had been resting on.

The trip from her small island home to this point was actually pretty long—a couple of hours. So, it had worn her out. Still, the small rest was enough for now.

Danielle was just about to make a left when she captured the faint sound of voices coming her way. And knowing that not all ghosts were friendly, the girl readily turned invisible and crouched down on the rock to see what was coming…

A minute later, she received one of the biggest shocks in her life…

"Besides being creepy, it looks harmless…," Danny commented thoughtfully.

The ghost girl's jaw dropped open when she saw her cousin leisurely flying alongside her former father and talking to him in the most natural way.

Danielle was so shocked that she didn't even see the strange artifact in Vlad's hands…

She just stared unblinkingly as Vlad replied to Danny in a voice that she had never heard from him in the time she had live with him. His voice was calm, but it sounded so… open, so at ease. He was talking to Danny without any pretense!

"It is, if you don't know how to use it…. So, I read…There's…. certain ordered steps you must follow to activate its power. The books talk about creating a certain balance…"

Danny's response was lost to Danielle as her heart constricted at what could be plainly seen surrounding the older two half-ghosts…

"_It can't be…"_ she thought as her eyes began to burn with unshed tears.

She watched Danny and Vlad for another moment. But as they turned right, heading towards Vlad's portal, the girl slowly followed after them, still invisible.

This couldn't be happening! She had to be dreaming! Why was Danny treating Vlad as something besides his enemy? Why was her father acting as if he finally had his perfect… son?

Danielle's mind had become so overwhelmed with emotions that she didn't even see when Vlad briefly tensed or hear when Danny asked him 'what was wrong.'

She didn't even see Plasmius abruptly whirl around and fire at her until she was hit right in the chest…

"Ahhh!" she screamed in pain as she was thrown back a few feet until she was able to regain control of her body.

The girl readily gasped as she gripped at her burning chest, unaware that she had lost invisibility…

That is, until she heard two gasps of surprise and her father suddenly ask, "Danielle?"

The ghost girl instantly locked her green eyes with her father and she suddenly froze in a mixture of fear and longing…

But Plasmius' disbelief quickly melded into a dark glare and his hands suddenly filled with deadly red energy.

And seeing this, Danielle snapped out of it and quickly glared back at her father. But she could only fist her hands against her, unable to use her powers without risks of melting…

Meanwhile, Danny's mouth had dropped at the sight of his 'cousin'; but when he saw Plasmius' threatening stance, the teen reacted and readily put himself in between him and the younger girl.

"Vlad, wait. Calm down," Danny quickly said with a nervous frown on his face.

Plasmius turned his eyes to Danny, though the angry coldness in them remained firm. And yet, the older hybrid let the energy in his hands seep back into them.

For a brief moment, Danny couldn't tear away his gaze from Vlad. He had not seen such coldness in his eyes in so long…

"I can't believe it," Danielle suddenly said in a whisper, recapturing her cousin's attention again. "You actually _joined_ him?" she asked spitefully, though it sounded more like an accusation.

Danny frowned worriedly at the ghost girl, before glancing back at Vlad. He tensed at seeing how the man was silently staring between him and Danielle with that same cold, calculating, and angry look…

Danny suddenly sighed, cutting through the tense silence. He then turned from his cousin and moved a bit closer to Vlad.

Without a word, the boy extended the Order's Crystal still in his hands to the older hybrid; but there was quiet pleading in Danny's eyes.

And seeing it, Vlad's hard look faltered a bit. He then quietly sighed himself as he accepted the ghost relic. But after a brief pause, he reluctantly pointed towards a nearby island and seriously told the teen, "I'll be over there when you're finished…"

Danny nodded, though he didn't miss how Vlad briefly glanced back hatefully at Danielle before finally retreating.

The teen watched him go for a moment, but it was mostly to gather the courage to confront his cousin…

Finally, he slowly turned around to face Danielle. But when he saw how she was now looking at him like he was some sort of traitor, Danny's gaze saddened. Somehow, it didn't surprise him. After all, what else could his cousin think of what she had just seen…?

But when she just continued to quietly stare at him, Danny knew he had to say something. But, what?

"…H-Hi, Danni," he finally said quietly. "Uh... How are you?"

But the ghost boy quickly realized he said the wrong thing when his young cousin's unshed tears finally fell. And with a choked sob, she suddenly turned around and flew off.

Danny gasped before blurting out, "Danni, wait!"

But Danielle just continued to fly off as she tried her best to quiet her crying. How could he? How could Danny have anything to do with the person who had destroyed her life? All this time, she had thought her cousin was in trouble, but he wasn't… He was perfectly content at Vlad's side!

"Danni, please!" her cousin suddenly begged as he cut her off and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Look, just let me explain! It's not what you think!"

Danielle yanked herself free from her cousin's grip and readily glared at him, even when her tears were still falling.

"Then, what is it?" she demanded in a cracked voice.

"It's…" Danny sighed when he realized he didn't even know where to begin, let alone how to explain things. But not wanting Danielle to fly off again, he quickly added, "Danni… It's a _really_ long story. But you gotta believe me…. Things have changed, Danielle…"

But his words meant nothing to the younger girl. In fact, it made her feel even angrier and more betrayed. "I never thought you could be so selfish, Danny!" she exclaimed furiously as she wiped away her tears. "Everyone has been looking for you for months! We've been worried sick!"

"Jazz, Sam, and Tucker know that I'm with Vlad," he replied, lowering his eyes in sudden shame.

"I know they know!" she snapped. "I've been trying to help them get you back ever since we found out you were with him! But that doesn't make this any better! I thought you were in trouble! And here I find you all buddy-buddy with Vlad!"

"Danielle, it's not like that! I mean, not the way you're making it _sound_!" Danny said, raising his arms up in desperation.

"So, you didn't _willingly_ join him?" Danielle asked coldly, crossing her arms.

Danny rubbed the back of his neck, not sure how to answer. "Uh…Not exactly…"

What else could he say? He couldn't exactly tell Danielle that Vlad had initially forced him to come to Wisconsin. But that something had happened that led him to decide to give the guy a second chance. And that the man, in turn, had had a change of heart; and, therefore, he decided to willingly stay with him now. It even sounded lame to _him!_ Everything that had happened just wasn't something he could just summarize into a few words or even sentences! He didn't even know if there _was_ a way to explain this to someone who hadn't seen everything he and Vlad had been through in these past months!

Danielle just looked away hatefully for a moment; but then another emotion came to the surface as she muttered mostly to herself, "I guess he finally got his perfect half-ghost _son…_"

Danny's eyes widened, clearly hearing the hurt and even jealousy in his cousin's voice. But now really worried for her, he slowly floated closer to her and gently placed a hand on one of her shoulders…

"Danni, I'm sorry…," he said softly, though sincerely. How could he have not thought how this would make Danielle feel? Even after everything, he could understand that she still cared for Vlad. He also could understand her resentment…

But he had to make her understand _him_ now.

"It wasn't my intention to worry you or anyone else. I promise that I never knew any of this was going to happen! But it did! And I can't say I'm sorry for all of it!"

"What are you talking about, Danny?" Danielle demanded. "You ran out on your friends and family—and for Vlad, no less! Do you realize how serious that is? You've let him trick you! You've let him rip you away from everyone! Can't you see that Vlad's an evil guy and that he's manipulating you like he did with me?"

"No, Danni! He's not! At least, not anymore!" Danny quickly replied. But then he shook his head as he added, "You don't understand. Danni, Vlad… He…"

But Danny sighed when Danielle pulled away from him again. He then quietly pleaded, "Danni, _please_. I promise he's not manipulating me. Look at me. _I'm still Danny._ I'm still _your cousin_. And you'll always be my little cuz no matter what."

This time, Danielle's glare melded into a sad look as she shook her head and replied, "Then, why would you do this to me? To everyone else?"

Danny passed a hand through his white hair before answering the younger girl, "Because everything is better this way, Danielle." He sighed again and then added, "I know it doesn't seem like it, but it's the truth. Believe me, Danni, things are different now. _Vlad's_ different. I wouldn't have made this decision, otherwise."

But Danielle just angrily looked away and didn't reply. She just couldn't believe what her cousin was telling her. She couldn't! This all felt wrong! In fact, she suddenly felt the sting of her real feelings just now. It just wasn't fair! Vlad was _her_ father! What did Danny have that she didn't? Why did her father prefer Danny over her? Danny didn't belong with him! And it was so wrong for Danny to be with him, especially after everything she had given up to help him! She would never again have any kind of relationship with her father. And now her cousin repays her sacrifice by betraying her in the worst way possible?

"Danni, I need you to trust me," Danny suddenly pleaded, as if he could hear her thoughts. "I don't want you to be upset with me over this. And I also don't want you to worry about me. I don't want anyone to worry about me."

He paused before adding more quietly, "That's why I need you to do something for me…"

The young girl quickly looked at him and scoffed. "You're kidding, right? You're asking me for a favor after you abandon everyone and then betray me?"

Danny frowned, this time. "I haven't betrayed you."

The girl glared at him again as she abruptly snapped, "Then what do you call it when someone joins the person who used me, who tried to waste me, and called me _**a mistake?**_ Don't you get it? I have to live the rest of my life alone and in _this place_ because of **him! **Vlad's **my** father, Danny! He's the only thing I've got and **he prefers you over me!** _And_ _you_ don't care that he does!"

"What? Of course I care!" Danny quickly assured her. "I've been worried about you since you just disappeared after the whole cloning thing! Danni, you're my little cousin. You're my responsibility now! And I would do anything for you! But you just gotta trust me right now! So many things have happened in these months that you don't know! That's why it's really important that you go see Jazz for me!"

But when the girl opened her mouth to clearly deny doing that for him, Danny grabbed her by the shoulders and begged her, "Please, Danni! Don't you see? I don't want them to be worried anymore! I need you to tell her that I'm okay! That _**I **_said I'm okay and for her not to worry about me! I need you to tell her that she'll see me soon and that I'll explain everything to her then!"

"Do you also want me to tell her that you think being with Vlad is 'what's best?'" she asked in angry sarcasm.

"It is what's best!" Danny assured her in sudden desperation.

"For who? You?" Danielle hissed, yanking herself free from his hold again.

Danny's face fell into a serious expression before he soberly replied, "For _everyone_, Danni. And… maybe even for you."

Danielle silenced in sudden surprise and Danny quickly continued with a small smile. "Like I said, Vlad's different, Danni. I know it didn't seem like it just a moment ago, but I think he's just resentful over what happened. But I'm sure he'll get over it. I'll just talk to him and maybe—"

"No," Danielle suddenly cut him off, her voice as cold as ice.

Danny's smile disappeared. "Why not? Like you said, he's your dad and you should be with him. I'm sure he'll come around if I—"

"_I'm not interested," _Danielle interrupted him with an angry glare this time. "I don't want _anything_ from him! And I don't need his sympathy—_or yours! _He's a liar and a hypocrite! And—And so are you! Y-You're just like him! You're nothing but a traitor, Danny!" she shouted at him.

Danny reeled back with her insult. But then his face tensed and he hid the pain he felt within a sudden bitter tone as he replied, "I'm sorry you feel that way… And I'm sorry you don't seem to trust me enough to believe in me. But I do know what I'm doing."

"That's what makes it so bad," Danielle told him, matching his hard voice.

And knowing there was nothing else to say between them, the ghost girl turned away to leave. But before she did, she added, "I'll give Jazz your message. But I'm not doing it for you. I'm doing it for her and your friends…. They don't deserve to worry over someone that doesn't care about them…"

Danny's eyes widened with her claim, but before he could say anything, his cousin flew off.

Danielle didn't fully give in to all the pain until she had found another empty island some distance away. And as soon as she landed, she sat against a tree, buried her face in her hands and cried. She wept as hard as she had the first night she had spent away from her father, alone on a similar floating piece of rock. She had been fine with leaving her dad at first, but when after all that day's events had faded away, she had finally realized she was utterly alone and unloved by the man who created her. And she remained unloved..

She just sobbed harder with the fact, her pain shaking her whole body. Not only did she not have her father, but now she had also lost her cousin—and in one of the worst ways, too. Danny had betrayed her! He had betrayed her for the man that had given her this unfair life!

She was so consumed in her grief that she never saw the flash of blue light appear in front of her...

"I'm sorry to interrupt…," an unknown male voice suddenly, yet calmly, said to her.

Danielle snapped her blurry eyes upward and gasped at the sight of a hooded old ghost with a clock in his chest, holding a glowing staff.

"W-Who are you? W-What do you want?" Danielle asked fearfully as she hastily got to her feet and pressed her back against the tree, knowing if this ghost chose to harm her, she didn't have the energy to defend herself…

The red-eyed ghost suddenly turned into a strong adult and with just a small glint of smirk on his face, he replied, "In order? My name is Clockwork, Master of Time…. And as to what I want…"

The time spirit suddenly took out a time medallion from his cloak and dangled it in front of the girl as he added, "I believe I have a favor to ask of you… Danielle Masters…"

* * *

"…_They don't deserve to worry over someone that doesn't care about them…"_

As Danny landed on the island on which Vlad had told him he would wait for him, the teen lowered his eyes, unable to hide the pain that now gripped at his heart with Danielle's last words to him.

"But I do care…," he whispered sadly to himself.

But he was also very worried. If Danielle reacted like this with the news of his decision to stay with Vlad, then… how were his sister and friends' going to react? Were they going to think him a traitor, too?

Just the thought of that constricted Danny's heart with further sorrow…

Of all the times for him to run into Danielle, especially when he hadn't seen the younger girl since her last violent encounter with Vlad, the day that she had turned on him….

He could only imagine how she felt at seeing Vlad treating him in a way that perhaps he had never treated her. At least, the teen was sure that a good part of what was fueling Danni's anger towards him now was her sudden jealousy. Somehow, he couldn't blame her…

Raising his eyes, he finally searched for Vlad. It didn't take the teen long to spot him some distance away sitting by a tree with an arm resting on a raised knee, while staring soberly at the Order's Crystal in his other hand.

Danny had a feeling the man's expression had nothing to do with the artifact, through.

And he was right, of course.

Internally, Vlad was fuming over Danielle's sudden appearance. He couldn't stand her! Not only did the girl represent months of failure and one of the biggest mistakes of his life, but she had also _betrayed_ him!

And that was the one thing Vlad did not forgive….

Perhaps he had never really cared about her as she had wanted, but he had cared. At least enough to invest his time and money to provide for her and even train her. She had been his daughter—one that suddenly got jealous and turned on him!

She was an ungrateful little urchin! A mistake that left a sour taste in his mouth, especially now with her sudden reappearance.

In reality, the day Danielle left, all he had thought was 'good riddance'. He was not at all in the least interested in finding her. Actually, he had thought—and hoped—she would have melted by now.

Apparently not. And if he didn't have more important matters, perhaps he would be curious as to why she was still around. She should have melted like the other clones by now…

Vlad scoffed to himself. She was extremely lucky that Daniel was with him just now. Otherwise, he wouldn't have hesitated to get rid of _that mistake_ once and for all.

He might be willing to change to a certain extent for the boy…. But that didn't mean he was turning all noble and that his 'soft spot' extended to _everyone_ else—most especially not to _that_ girl.

The older hybrid turned his cold red eyes to the crystal in his hand, but it suddenly focused his mind back to Daniel and the man realized that his contempt for Danielle was due to more than her betrayal. It was what her sudden appearance signified…

A threat. The girl was a threat to his bond with the young hybrid.

Plasmius wasn't stupid. He knew perfectly well that it was going to be virtually impossible to convince Daniel's friends and sister to accept the boy's decision to stay with him permanently. And he was just as sure that Danielle was probably having a fit with the news that he was sure the boy was giving her.

But unlike Daniel, Vlad didn't care if they agreed or accepted this or not. All the man cared about was convincing the boy's parents—which he had the upmost confidence that he could do—and make sure Jasmine respected her brother's decision enough to keep her mouth close about his and Daniel's secrets.

Plasmius was ready to take on the world if he had to if it meant he could keep Daniel with him.

But…What if the boy changed his mind?

What was the older hybrid to do if it was _Daniel_ who put a stop to their plans? The man knew how much the teen cared about his friends and family—and much to his chagrin, Danielle was included in that fact. What if the ghost girl or even one of the boy's friends changed the boy's mind?

Vlad had not wanted to lose him when he gave him the choice to leave, and he most certainly did not want to lose Daniel now—after the boy's promise to stay with him had renewed Vlad's hope.

The truth was, Plasmius was utterly terrified with Danielle's appearance. If Daniel changed his mind—if he went back on his word—Vlad didn't know what he would do…

Of course, he wasn't going to force him to stay anymore. But…if the boy betrayed him in such a way…

Vlad's jaw tensed and his hand gripped harder against the crystal in his hand, barely noticing how the golden flame inside the egg-like crystal momentarily flickered red…

But the man quickly shook his head and calmed down. No, he couldn't think like that. Daniel wouldn't play with his emotions in such a way. He would never do something as cruel as give him hope by offering him love and then taking it from him when he had only just managed to graze his fingers against it…

Daniel wasn't like Jack. The boy wouldn't betray his trust and care…

…Would he?

"Vlad?"

The man slowly met the boy's sad, though worried gaze. But when Vlad didn't say anything, the teen readily opened his mouth to tell the man what had happened.

"Vlad, Danielle…"

But much to the teen's surprise, the older hybrid quickly raised a hand to silence him. Plasmius didn't speak at first, though he briefly looked away to compose himself. He needed to trust the boy…

"I don't need an explanation, Daniel. Whatever you said and whatever she said is your own business…. I just need to know one thing…"

Danny frowned in confusion when Vlad looked back at him with an unreadable expression.

"W-What is it?" the boy questioned warily.

Plasmius' red eyes stared right into the teen's own as he seriously asked, "Does this change anything?"

The teen blinked, unsure of what the man was talking about. But when he suddenly realized what he meant, Danny's eyes widened and he quickly blurted out, "What? No!"

The teen paused, not understanding why he had answered so forcefully. But, really, how could the guy think he'd go back on his word? That would just be wrong to raise the man's hopes up and then shoot them down.

The teen mentally cringed at just the thought of it, but then he sighed and shook his head. "Look, Vlad. You gave me the choice to go, but _I_ chose to _stay_. Just because Danielle doesn't understand doesn't mean I'm suddenly going to change my mind," he said seriously, though a bit worried.

Vlad's guarded expression relaxed a bit; and although it was forced, he weakly smiled and calmly replied, "Then let's go home."

Danny returned the smile as Vlad stood up. But as they took off towards the man's portal, both of them remained quiet the rest of the way.

But the teen had meant what he said. He wasn't just going to change his mind. He wanted to stay with Vlad. He had _chosen_ to stay with Vlad.

So, why was a small voice in the back of his head suddenly wondering if he had made the right choice…?

* * *

It was now late evening and Danielle was flying over Amity Park, searching for Danny's friends and sister. Her brief talk with Clockwork had left her disconcerted and in urgent need to seek out the older kids…

But the problem was she had not found any of the kids at their homes! She had had no choice but to turn human and ask Tucker's parents if they knew where their son was. At least, _his_ parents were the _safest_ to ask and the ones to most likely answer her _nicely_…

To her luck, Tucker's mother had told him he was at the park with his friend Sam…

It took her some time, but she soon spotted Danny's friends at a picnic table near some park swings. The twelve-year-old looked around, and finding a secluded place, she quickly changed human and then ran over to where she had seen Sam and Tucker.

"Sam! Tucker!" she called to them.

Sam and Tucker, who had just finished capturing an animal ghost, were currently on a picnic bench, waiting for Jazz. The older girl had been studying at the library when they had called her up. So, she had agreed to meet them at the park to take the thermos, since she was the one who would put the ghosts back into the Ghost Zone while her parents were out…

However, the kids had not expected Danielle to suddenly appear, so they jolted with her sudden voice.

"Danielle?" Sam asked in surprise as the younger girl sat across from her and next to Tucker on the picnic bench.

"What are you doing here?" Tucker added before Danielle could answer.

But still in a sour mood from her earlier argument with Danny, the twelve- year-old frowned at the boy and tersely replied, "What? Now I can't come here?"

Sam raised a questioning eyebrow at the younger girl's attitude, while Tucker smiled nervously and quickly stuttered, "I-I, uh, didn't mean it like that. I was just…"

"Forget it," Danielle cut him off, lowering her angry eyes to the table as her hands fisted against it.

Unable to keep quiet anymore, Sam seriously asked, "What's up with you?"

But before Danielle could answer, someone else spoke.

"Danielle?" Jazz asked, blinking at the girl in disbelief. They hadn't seen her in weeks!

"What are you…?" Jazz began only to trail off when Tucker waved his hands, warning her against asking that question.

"Where have you been?" Jazz asked instead, sitting down beside Sam and putting her backpack on the table.

"Where else would I be? In the Ghost Zone!" Danielle muttered bitterly.

Jazz, too, noticed the girl was upset. But she still continued in a calm voice. "Well, what happened? Did you find anything suspicious going on near Vlad's portal?"

"Oh, I found something alright," Danielle replied, finally looking up with a tense face. "But more importantly, I found _someone_… I saw Danny…"

All three older teens jolted and their eyes widened before they all exclaimed, "You did?"

But then the onslaught began…

"Where did you see him?"

"How is he? Is he alright?"

"Did he say anything?"

"Is—?"

"Whoa!" the younger girl exclaimed, raising up her hands at the bombardment of questions. But seeing Danny's friends and sister were still as anxious as ever to hear her response, she sighed and finally told them, "In order: I saw him in the Ghost Zone. He looked a little more than 'alright' to me," she added a bit more bitterly. "And he did say something, which is part of the reason I'm here."

Sam frowned as the younger girl's first comment stuck out the most for her. "Danny was in the Ghost Zone? What was he….?"

"I don't know what he was doing there," Danielle cut the older girl off before adding more angrily, "But I can tell you that he seemed to be pretty comfortable in there. And why wouldn't he be, right? I mean, he had _my_ _dad_ as his bodyguard!"

One of Sam's hands suddenly fisted on the table and she quickly said, "Wait. Are you saying Danny was in the Ghost Zone _with Vlad?"_

"You should have seen them…," Danielle said sadly, looking back down at the table. "It was like Danny was someone else… I don't know what's happened to him…"

Everyone stayed quiet for several seconds, unsure of what the younger girl was talking about; but it also made them very nervous…

Finally, Jazz spoke up and warily asked, "So, you spoke with Danny, right? What did he say?"

The younger girl sighed before looking up at Danny's sister and answering, "It's more like what _didn't_ he say! He kept going on about Vlad being different and that his choice to be with him was better for everyone! Can you believe that? Then, he practically begged me to tell you not to worry about him and that he's okay. He also said that you'll see him soon and that he'll explain everything then!"

Jazz felt her heart constrict in a mixture of relief and pain. She was glad to hear that her brother was fine… But… she couldn't help but feel hurt to hear Danielle say that Danny said he was with Vlad because _he wanted _to be—It had been the same words he uttered when they had found him at Wisconsin a couple of months back…

And yet no matter how many times she heard that her brother chose to leave them and go to Vlad, and no matter how all the evidence from the very beginning pointed to this truth…, Jazz still couldn't outright accept it. _Her heart_ still continued to fight against her logic!

Sam and Tucker stayed quiet, too shocked by what they were hearing to utter a word.

But after another brief moment, Jazz quietly asked, "Did… Vlad say anything?"

Danielle's eyes flashed green with her resentment and she angrily replied, "No. He _respectfully_ left to let Danny and I talk alone."

Jazz's eyes widened a bit this time. The only time she had talked to Danny since he left had been that night when she and Danny's friends had found him at Vlad's, and the man had not left Danny's side. Even while her brother had threatened her and his friends to leave that night, the man had been there…

But now, Danielle was telling them that Vlad had left her alone with Danny? What did that mean? Was it really respect? Or, even trust? Or, was it something else…?

Sam suddenly shook her head and said, "No, it can't be true. None of this can be true. I…I can't believe Danny would abandon all of us out of his own free will. He… He wouldn't do that."

"Yeah? Well, I got news for you. He would!" Danielle spat out, suddenly furious. "If only you had seen him! Danny acted like Vlad was—like he was his…"

Unable to say it, the young girl slammed a fist against the table. And while Tucker jolted with the girl's display of anger, Sam and Jazz frowned deeply.

But before anyone could say anything, Danielle sighed sharply and muttered, "Look, I already told you exactly what Danny told me to tell you. He wants to be with Vlad. So, if I were you guys, I'd stop worrying about him, because he made it more than clear to me that he doesn't care about anyone but himself and Vlad."

Sam suddenly had enough and she quickly jumped to her feet, glaring at the younger girl as she exclaimed, "I don't believe you! You're just jealous of the fact that he's with Vlad and you're not!"

Danni's eyes stayed green this time as she quickly stood up as well and growled back, "Yeah? And what if I am? I think I have the right to be! I turned my back on my dad for Danny! And now he goes and betrays me by joining him? Don't you get it? He forgot about all of us! Danny forgot about me when he was all I had now! How do you expect me to feel?" she ended in a pained shout.

Sam was not at all moved by the girl's words, not after the things she was saying about Danny. She was making her half-ghost friend sound like a heartless jerk! How dare she? After everything Danny had done for her?

But before she could argue back, Tucker interrupted her, worriedly asking, "Are you sure, Danni? I mean, are you sure Vlad wasn't forcing him to say all that? The things you're saying he said…That doesn't sound like Danny to me…."

Danielle shook her head, though she did calm down a bit as she replied, "No, Tucker, I'm sure. Look, I probably wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, but I did see it! And I did talk to him, and I'm positive this is Danny's choice. He…joined Vlad and for some reason he thinks it's better for everyone!"

But Sam stayed firm in her belief; and turning to Danny's older sister almost in a plea, she desperately said, "Jazz, listen to me. Danny's your brother!"

And looking at Tucker and Danielle, she added with as much conviction, "And he's our friend! We know him! And abandoning everyone and joining Vlad isn't something he would do! I-I know everything points at that, but—but there's just something off about all this! From the very beginning something just doesn't add up! And I know at least you and Tucker feel that, too, Jazz!"

Jazz and Tucker's eyebrows creased with uncertainty. They, too, felt something was wrong. Or, at least, that they were missing something—something crucial! But were they just going to ignore all logic—especially after Danielle was assuring them that Danny himself told her that he wanted to be with Vlad?

"You guys can't believe Danny would do this!" Sam insisted. "Just think about it! Do you remember how Danny was acting before he left? He was really upset about something! Heck, he almost beat up Dash from how on the edge he was! And I just _know_ his weird attitude had to do with _more_ than you being sick, Jazz! Plus, if he was worried about you—_like I know he was_—then why would he just leave?—Especially when Tucker and I would practically have to drag him out of the hospital during that first week you were in there! It just doesn't make sense that he would go to Vlad's without any reason! It didn't make any sense then—and it doesn't make sense now!"

Tucker sighed quietly as he tentatively added, "And he did lie to us about the bracelet. He told us Valerie gave it to him when it had been Vlad the whole time… And… we never did figure out what all those codes programmed into the bracelet stood for…"

"See?" Sam quickly jumped in again, even more convinced. "And Vlad destroyed it when he found out we took it, remember? Why would he destroy it unless that bracelet hid something he didn't want us to find out?"

Jazz frowned in growing suspicion this time, as she added herself, "And that ghost girl at Vlad's castle kept us from finding out what that mainframe in his secret lab did and how it related to the bracelet other than sending it commands…"

"But what about the fact that Danny keeps saying he wants to be with Vlad? What about his letters? What about what Danni just found out?" Tucker suddenly countered, confused, his mind clearly torn in two.

"And… I can't deny that Vlad sounded… _different_ when he talked to me that day that he attacked the school," Jazz said with a sigh, though she glanced at Danielle who just scoffed and looked away. But Danny's sister turned her attention back to Sam and Tucker as she further said, "And Vlad also assured me Danny's happy with him… It's hard to deny that when _I heard_ him laughing over the phone that one time…"

"Well, what about Fright Knight's appearance about a week ago?" Sam argued. "Vlad has practically taken over our town now!"

"But the ghost numbers have gone down—like he told Jazz that they would as part of his compromise with her," Tucker piped up.

"So, what?" Sam argued. "It could all be part of his evil plot!"

"Man," Danielle finally spoke up, rolling her eyes at the older kids' arguing in circles. "You guys are getting nowhere fast. Why do you keep trying to grasp at straws that are not there? Nothing you have said proves anything! In fact, the only sure thing I hear in _all_ this is what you've all have heard several times now: Danny _wants_ to be with Vlad!"

"Or, maybe you're too bitter to want to believe anything else!" Sam accused, now furious with the young girl again.

"Or, maybe you're just in denial because you _like_ him!" Danni snapped back.

Sam slammed a hand against the table. "How can you go accusing him of betraying you when you did the same thing to him when he first met you?"

"I was confused!" Danielle argued back, matching the older girl's glare.

"Yeah? Well, maybe he is, too! But, guess what? At least, _he_ forgave you when he understood you were confused! Something you clearly cannot seem to do for him!" Sam said firmly.

Danielle opened her mouth to argue; but, this time, she had nothing to say to that… Sam was right. Even if all this was true—even if Danny did choose Vlad over them—she had no right to judge him. He could very well be confused, too. Or, worse, maybe Vlad has just tricked and manipulated him into joining him. She, above everyone else, should know how well her father was at twisting other's thoughts and beliefs to his benefit…

Danielle suddenly plopped back down at her seat and buried her face in her hands. "You're right, Sam…" she said after a small moment of silence. "I just felt so angry and jealous that I… I have no right to judge Danny. And I have no right to turn my back on him now—not when he didn't turn his back on me after everything I did to him in the past…"

The half-ghost girl sighed but looked up at the older kids as she sadly said, "But I also know what I saw and heard. For whatever reason, Danny wants to be with Vlad."

Sam couldn't argue back, this time. And with her own sigh, she had a seat again. "But… didn't you say Danny also said that we're going to see him soon and that he'll explain everything then? Maybe he's coming back home!"

But Danielle just shook her head. "I don't know… Maybe," she muttered, looking away, clearly not believing it. How could she when she saw with her own eyes how content and trusting of Vlad Danny was?

Tucker just stared with a frown at Sam and Danielle when they both finally fell quiet. He also didn't know what to think anymore…

But Jazz was quietly thinking, trying to piece together everything she knew…

Too bad she and Danny's friends were still missing the most important piece of the puzzle…

"There's more," Danielle suddenly said, pushing aside her turmoil to get back to her other reasons for coming to talk with Danny's sister and friends.

"What?" Jazz asked, while Sam and Tucker looked up with anticipation.

Danielle looked around, wanting to make sure no one was close enough to see what she was about to show the older kids. And seeing that the coast was clear, the twelve-year-old pulled out an object from her pocket.

Sam and Tucker instantly gasped at the sight of one of Clockwork's time medallions.

Jazz's eyes finally widened and she blurted out, "That's Clockwork's! How did you get that, Danielle?"

Danni sighed. "It was so weird. I mean, I had been really upset after talking with Danny that I went to sit down on a small floating landmass for a moment. But then, out of nowhere, this strange body-changing ghost shows up in front of me, saying that he's Clockwork, Master of Time and that he wants me to do him a favor…

"What favor…?" Jazz asked tentatively, eyeing the medallion.

Danielle glanced down at what Clockwork had given her as she recapped her talk with the Time Ghost…

"_I believe I have a favor to ask of you… Danielle Masters…" _

"…_You know who I am?" the young girl asked nervously._

"_You are the creation of a man with power he has yet learned to use," Clockwork replied calmly. "You are an unfortunate experiment gone wrong—a clone made from Danny Fenton's DNA with a single accidently altered chromosome. And yet, it is part of your own creator's ectoplasm that runs through you. His mid-morph sample… Too bad his ghost energy proved too much for your already unstable body… In short, you were never meant to be, Danni Phantom. In fact, if I didn't already know your fate, I would very likely destroy you for the safety of the timeline…"_

_Danielle could only stare back at the strange ghost with utter fear. _

_She hadn't known all that! She had no idea her father had used his own energy to make her half-ghost! But, it did make sense. Otherwise, why would he have had need of Danny's mid-morph sample for the other good clone? Her father had already found out that his own sample would not work on his clones, which is why he had gone after Danny to get his…_

_Swallowing hard, she tentatively asked, "H-How do you know all that…?"_

_Clockwork's lips quirked up a bit as he replied, "As I said, I am the Master of Time. I know of everything and everyone within time. Therefore, I know you very well… Just as I know your… 'cousin'."_

"_Danny…?" Danielle questioned quietly, though she already knew that was who the ghost was talking about._

"_He is the reason why I am here," Clockwork explained. "I would like you to deliver a message…but to his sister. Oh, and, give her this…"_

_Danielle's eyes widened when the time ghost handed her the medallion he had taken out. But still shocked and even scared by this mysterious entity, she accepted the medallion and just quietly asked, "W-What's the message?"_

_Clockwork smirked openly and answered, "It is time…"_

_Danielle's eyebrows creased in confusion. But then she shook her head and replied, "I don't understand. Why didn't you just go to Jazz? Why come to me?"_

"_I have my reasons," the time ghost said. "But I do believe you were on your way to see her. So, why not?"_

_The ghost girl stayed quiet for a moment. But when she saw Clockwork float back a bit and lift his hand to his staff, clearly about to leave, she suddenly jolted and blurted out, "Wait!"_

_The time spirit lowered his hand from the top of his staff and calmly replied, "Yes?"_

_Danielle stared at Clockwork, unsure of how to feel about the fact that there was a ghost powerful enough to see through time… But, something he had said really had troubled her…_

"_You said you know my fate… What's going to happen to me?" she asked fearfully._

"_That is something I cannot answer without endangering the timeline's destined course," Clockwork intoned. "However, you will know in due time. And, I can assure you, it will be for the better…"_

"_For the better?" Danielle questioned. "Of what? Or… who?"_

_Clockwork smiled calmly before he said, "Do not forget my message."_

_And with that, the time ghost vanished with a spin of a clock…_

Jazz frowned in confusion when the twelve-year-old fell quiet after sharing her encounter with Clockwork. "That's it? He told you to tell me, 'It is time…' and to give me this medallion? Why didn't he just come talk to me like last time?"

Danielle shrugged as she handed over the time medallion to Jazz. "That's what I asked him, but he didn't reply. And I was honestly too scared to try to get anything out of him that he didn't want to tell me. The way he stared at me… it was creepy. And then everything he said about me…" The ghost girl trailed off and looked away, very troubled and sad about how Clockwork had described her…

"I wouldn't read too much into it, Danni," Tucker said, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder to comfort her. "Clockwork is a weird dude. And half the things he says are so cryptic that I wonder if _he_ understands them himself."

Danielle looked up at the boy and smiled appreciatively. But the truth was that she knew how uncertain her future was… Still, she had decided since she left her father that she would make the most of the time she had and just take things as they came… even if her uncertainty and fear was still there…

"Let's go to Wisconsin," Jazz said suddenly, though her serious gaze stayed locked on Clockwork's medallion.

Danielle jolted out of her thoughts, while Sam and Tucker blinked in surprise.

"Wait…," the teenage boy then spoke up. "You want to go to Wisconsin? But I thought you said you wanted to let Danny work this out on his own?"

"That was before Danielle told us about her talk with Danny and before Clockwork showed up with another of his cryptic messages!" Jazz replied with a bit of aggravation, though it was mostly directed at the fact that she felt so confused about everything.

But the eldest girl then sighed, trying to calm down. And she did, but there was once again a serious frown on her face as she added, "And, besides, I said I would give Danny some time to work this out and come home. I've given him enough time. He said we would see him soon, but I don't know what his definition of 'soon' is right now. We _need_ answers, you three. And the only place we'll find them is at Wisconsin."

"Not exactly," Danielle suddenly said, getting everyone's attention. "Maybe there's one other place where you could go to get answers…Skulker's."

This time, all three older kids jolted.

"What?" Sam asked.

But Tucker quickly added, "Naw-uh. No way! I am not going to that insane ghost's island! He'll chop off our heads before we can even get a single word out!"

"Why do you think we could get answers from Skulker?" Jazz asked, ignoring Tucker's outburst. "I don't know if you know, but he has it out for my brother. And, therefore, he isn't exactly fond of us."

"I don't know much about his relationship with Danny," Danielle replied. "But I know about his relationship with Vlad. I never met him in person, but my dad would always talk to him. If anyone would know what Vlad's scheming, it's Skulker. And, besides, I have evidence to suspect that _something's_ going on. I don't know if it has anything to do with Danny, but _something's_ happening that involves Skulker and Fright Knight."

"How do you know?" Sam quickly asked, now suspicious.

"Well, as you guys know, I have been keeping a look out for any activity near Vlad's portal; and just a few days ago, Fright Knight paid my father a visit!" Danielle explained.

"Did you find out why Fright Knight went to see Vlad?" Jazz questioned with a worried frown.

"Are you kidding? There's no way I'd set a foot in Vlad's house! He'd probably waste me! I mean, you should have seen the hateful way he looked at me when he saw me in the Ghost Zone! I think if it wasn't for Danny being there…"

"So, what happened then?" Sam interrupted, not wanting the girl to work herself up again.

Danielle sighed. "I didn't go into my dad's house, but I did follow Fright Knight. I wanted to see where he was going. You know, perhaps Vlad had given him orders to carry out. And, I was right! I'm sure Vlad told him to go see Skulker. I followed Fright Knight all the way there, and they started talking about things I didn't understand, but then talk about Danny came up. And Fright Knight said something about not being happy that Danny was with Vlad and that their alliance was a threat to his and Skulker's own alliance with my father!"

All three kids' eyes widened with fear. What if Fright Knight and Skulker planned to do something against Danny?

"But that's not all," Danielle quickly said. "My dad had Fright Knight deliver a message to Skulker." But the girl paused and suddenly asked, "Is it true? I heard rumors in the Ghost Zone that Vlad marked Amity Park as his territory now?"

"Yeah, I think that's what he did…," Tucker muttered uncertainly. "It was supposedly to bring down the ghost numbers. Since Danny left, they were really up there… until Vlad did what he did…

"I wouldn't lower my guard if I were you guys," Danielle advised with a firm frown. "Vlad doesn't do anything for others, unless it benefits him. And this is all very suspicious to me, especially after the message my dad asked Fright Knight to give Skulker, which was that he was giving him free access to Amity Park."

The older kids gasped with the news.

"I knew it!" Sam exclaimed, fisting her hands on the picnic table. "You see, Jazz? Vlad was lying to you! And I bet you that he's somehow tricking Danny, too! It's the only explanation for what Danny's doing!"

"You're probably right," Jazz said with a troubled sigh. "But then that would mean it's possible that going to Wisconsin would probably be a dead end, after all… Danny might not tell us anything; or worse, react like the last time… But, going to Skulker isn't any better. He isn't going to help us…"

"Then, we'll make him," Sam said, her eyes narrowing with determination. "After everything Danni told us, I'm pretty sure Skulker has to know something. We have to get it out of him."

"And, if we can't?" Tucker asked worriedly, not at all happy with their latest idea…

"Then, we'll go to Wisconsin," Jazz replied, now also set on finding out the truth one way or another.

Sam smiled and said to Jazz, "Finally we agree on something."

"Yeah, that makes this even scarier," Tucker muttered under his breath.

But hearing her friend, Sam frowned and told him, "You don't have to come, Tucker…"

The boy scoffed. "Are you kidding? You two wouldn't survive a minute without me. I gotta come."

Sam would have protested to that comment had it come from anyone else; but since it had come from Tucker and it was his way of showing his loyalty and friendship, she smirked and replied, "I guess you have no choice then…"

Tucker sighed dramatically. "I guess not," he quipped, a small smile on his lips. He still believed going to Skulker's was a bad idea, but there was no way he was going to leave Sam and Jazz alone in this.

"What about you?" Jazz asked, looking at Danielle. "Are you coming with us?"

Danielle lowered her gaze and sighed sadly. "I'd like to… But I think I would be more trouble than good." She looked up at the older kids and added, "I can't use my ghost powers. And Skulker found out I was spying on him and Fright Knight that day; so if he sees me, you guys will probably have less chance of getting anything out of him."

Jazz, Sam, and Tucker frowned in worry at the girl, but they still nodded in understanding. After all, they knew of her delicate condition and asking her to risk herself by going with them to Skulker's island would be too much. Not to mention, they wouldn't forgive themselves if something were to happen to Danni because of them…

"But," Danni said with a sudden smirk. "I could show you the entrance to the hidden path that Fright Knight took to get to Skulker's home. I think only those Skulker trusts know about it; but since I followed Fright Knight… I now know where it is, too…"

"That would be really good," Jazz said with a smile at the ghost girl.

"But, when are we going?" Sam asked, eager to carry out their plan.

Jazz thought about it for a moment before answering, "We can go tomorrow in the morning. After my parents leave to do their usual morning ghost hunting round."

"But we have school tomorrow," Tucker reminded her with a raised eyebrow.

"I guess this is one time I don't mind skipping," Jazz said with a smile.

Tucker grinned back. "Well, I've got no objection to that!"

"Tomorrow it is, then," Sam said with a daring smirk.

* * *

The next day, Skulker was at his lair preparing his breakfast…

"You'll make a good hearty meal for me today," he said evilly to a three-headed rabbit ghost he held up by the scruff of its single thick neck.

The creature could only kick its legs and squeal helplessly, already knowing its fate.

"Oh, stop your whining. I won't let any part of you got to waste," the hunter said before laughing loudly.

He moved over to his carving table and picked up a claw-like apparatus. In one fluid moment, he then pinned the rabbit ghost on the carving table and stabbed the claw through the table, effectively trapping the struggling creature in between.

Sure that his breakfast wasn't going anywhere, Skulker moved over to grab the things he would need to make his food. Perhaps two ghost bird spheres— which was the equivalent of bird _eggs_—would compliment his rabbit nicely…

The hunter nodded to himself; and after getting his pan, he went over to the fridge to grab two bird spheres…

But as he pulled out the glowing green 'eggs', the hunter frowned, suddenly remembering how his girlfriend liked them in the morning, too. Well, she liked them when they were already cooked.

The hunter sighed. Perhaps he should pay her a visit. It had been a bit of time since that incident at Amity Park. Surely Ember must have cooled down by now. Besides, he had done nothing wrong. She should be grateful that he saved her hide! Ember might have that guitar, but she was no match for Fright Knight, let alone…

Plasmius.

Skulker's face instantly tensed, but he still moved back over to his squealing breakfast, though he hardly heard its cries now…

"Does he really think giving me free access to Amity Park is going to fix the way he treated me? Or, the fact that he choose the whelp over me?" Skulker growled before ripping out the claw and grabbing the rabbit again.

But then something Fright Knight said to him days ago returned to his mind yet again….

_"I am surprised at you, Skulker," Fright Knight replied with a frown. "You have known my liege much longer than I… Hence, I would think you would show more concern for his wellbeing."_

_"And why should I?" Skulker retorted angrily. "He betrayed me!"_

_Fright Knight shrugged. "I was simply under the belief that you shared a stronger bond with him—one of friendship."_

Skulker frowned even more. But then that memory triggered another—an older one. It had been the day he had gone to Ember's house and he had told her about his fight with Plasmius…

_"Sounds to me like ya do care. I think that worry that you were takin' about is that you're worried about **him**," Ember said, shooting him a knowing smirk._

_Skulker looked completely affronted by her claim. "That's absurd!" he protested angrily. "It's only business! I'm angry because now I have no one to provide me with my needs, that's it! That's always been it! And he knew that, too!"_

_"Oh, I don't know, __Skulky__…" she said, her teasing smirk growing. "You have been around way before the guy was even born and you survived just fine without him. You're obviously worked up about this. And the only reason I see for that is because you saw him as more than just __your __boss, __even if you don't want to come clean with it…"_

Skulker suddenly growled in his throat as he glared at the ghost rabbit and told it, "What are they talking about? I do not care about him, let alone do I see him as a… friend…"

The creature in his hand just squeaked a bit. But for some reason that set Skulker off.

"What? It's true! And stop staring at me like that!" he exclaimed, shaking the creature in his hold. "I do not care! I'm Skulker, the Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter! And I'm about to mercilessly skin you! So, how can I feel 'care'? Feelings are for the weak!"

The poor ghost rabbit just trembled in the hunter's angry grasp.

But seeing this, Skulker scoffed in disgust. He was silent for a moment before muttering mostly to himself, "It doesn't matter anyways. It's not like Plasmius ever saw me as an equal, let alone a friend. Otherwise, he wouldn't have doubted my loyalty… and he wouldn't have betrayed it."

The hunter glared at nothing for a few more seconds before turning his attention back to what he was doing. He reached behind his back and pulled out a blade before grabbing the rabbit's heads and pinning them against the carving table.

He was just about to start skinning the creature when there was an unexpected knock at his front door.

Skulker frowned in the direction of his door, a mixture of curiosity and annoyance on his face. But then with a sigh, he picked up the claw on the table and used it again to keep the three-headed ghost rabbit from escaping.

He walked over to his front entrance, and traded his blade for one of his cannon guns, in case his visitor was an unwelcomed one.

But when he opened the door, there was no one there…

Skulker instantly glared suspiciously at his surroundings. But he then activated his cannon as he stepped further out of his home and sniffed the air.

The scents he picked up were quite unexpected.

But just the fact that these intruders had bypassed his security, infuriated the hunter; and knowing by smell that his three unwanted guests were hiding behind a boulder some yards away, he marched right over there and without warning fired his cannon.

Three familiar screams filled the air as the boulder was instantly destroyed, creating a cloud of dust and smoke.

"Get out here, humans! I know you're here!" Skulker growled as he lifted his arm and aimed once more at the three fleeing shadows in the cloud of debris.

With quick precision, Skulker fired out a net, and effectively trapped the three intruders.

Skulker rolled his eyes at how easy it had been. But, nevertheless, he walked through the clearing smoke and stopped in front of his favorite prey's three trapped helpers.

"Did you three really think you could sneak up on me?" the hunter growled, raising his cannon at them again.

Jazz unexpectedly smirked. "No, but maybe we weren't trying to sneak up on you."

"Yeah," Sam added with her own confident look. "Maybe we _wanted_ you to find us and get close enough…"

"Close enough for what?" Skulker demanded.

Tucker grinned smugly as he suddenly raised his PDA and replied, "To do this!"

Skulker gasped as the boy's PDA shot a small red beam at him that instantly invaded his suit's operating system.

"No!" the hunter cried out as his entire suit shut down and he fell on his back as if he were, well, dead.

"Ha! It never gets old," Tucker snickered.

But now knowing they didn't have to pretend to be helpless victims anymore, the three kids quickly cut through the net with a small knife Sam had brought and got to their feet. They hurriedly went to a nearby bush and grabbed the guns they had hidden away there, which had been all part of their plan.

And keeping them aimed at the hunter, they slowly approached him. His system might have been under Tucker's control now, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Meanwhile, Skulker sighed in heavy annoyance as all he could do was stare up and move his mouth.

"I was about to have breakfast, you know," he deadpanned when the three kids came into view.

"Sorry, but you'll have to hold off," Sam said with a firm frown on her face. But then she glared threateningly at the hunter and added, "We have some questions for you, first."

"How did you even get pass my traps and security anyways?" Skulker asked angrily, ignoring Sam's comment all together.

"We're asking the questions here, Ghost X! I-I mean, Skulker!" Jazz quickly corrected herself.

Skulker suddenly laughed. "Even if I knew what you three want to know, what makes you think I'm going to tell you anything?"

"Because we'll make you," Sam growled, charging her gun.

"You don't want to see what else I could do to your suit with this baby, dude," Tucker added with a smirk as he wagged his PDA above Skulker.

The hunter's eyes narrowed as he darkly said, "I don't usually hunt outside my list of prey, but I think I will be making an exception with you three after today."

Jazz frowned nervously, but she then snapped, "Look, just tell us what we want to know and we'll leave you alone, alright?"

The hunter fell quiet as he studied their faces, clearly considering it. But he then finally said, "On two conditions."

"And what are those?" Sam demanded.

"First, you will let me up. I will not tell you anything in such a degrading position. And, two, I want that contraption."

"My PDA?" Tucker gasped. "No way! I already lost one to you before!"

"You're kidding right?" Jazz scoffed. "You want us to let you move again and also give you the only leverage we have against you? What do you take us for?"

"I never said you have to give me the contraption now," Skulker hissed back. "You keep your leverage, but you let me up right now!"

"How do we know you'll keep your word?" Sam asked suspiciously.

"I'm a ghost of honor!" Skulker roared. "My word is my bond! How dare you question it?"

"Okay, geez, calm down," Tucker said nervously. But then he looked at the girls and added, "I'm not giving him my PDA."

Sam pulled her friend closer and whispered to him so only he and Jazz could hear, "Tucker, we need answers. Look, I'll replace it, alright?"

"But for now, keep it ready," Jazz quickly added. "You know, in case he doesn't keep his word, we'll need you to shut down his system again."

Tucker sighed and reluctantly said, "Alright, but just so you two know, I think this is a really bad idea…"

"We don't have another choice right now," Sam replied with a frown, clearly not liking the idea of having to trust the ghost to keep his word, either.

The three moved back to the hunter, who impatiently asked, "Well?"

"Fine," Jazz replied. "But you tell us everything we want to know in return, alright?"

"I can agree to that, human," Skulker said with a small smirk.

The kids hesitated and looked at each other. But then taking a step back, Tucker aimed his PDA at the ghost and quickly rebooted his suit.

The moment that Skulker got to his feet again, Sam and Jazz quickly raised their guns to him, while Tucker kept his PDA ready in case he had to use it against the hunter again.

Skulker ignored them and just checked himself over to make sure everything was working properly.

But impatient with the ghost's stalling, Sam cleared her throat and demanded, "Well?"

Skulker turned his eyes to the three humans, but he just stared thoughtfully at them for a moment. However, he then calmly commented, "I have to admit, you three have some gall… It's almost admirable…"

"About our questions," Jazz began, ignoring the hunter's creepy comment all together.

The hunter smirked this time; but he didn't reply. Instead, he gestured with a hand for them to follow him…

The three kids looked at one another when they realized Skulker wanted them to come into his home… But seeing the ghost walking off without them, Jazz, Sam, and Tucker swallowed down their fear and quickly followed after him.

Skulker paused at the door and courteously allowed the three kids to enter his abode before closing the door behind them. The hunter then silently moved passed them again, leading them towards his living room.

The kids wearily followed, though their eyes did wander a bit. They had to admit, the hunter sure knew how to decorate. Almost everything was made of either fine wood or marble. But everything also spoke of the hunter's personality and his incessant need to make trophies out of other creatures…

When Sam finally entered the living room, she cringed as she stared around at the numerous animal skins and heads decorating the room. But when she turned her eyes to a monstrous fireplace and saw an empty mount, labeled, 'Human-Ghost Child', she literally gagged.

Skulker moved over to the fireplace and with a quick ecto-blast, he lit it up. He then turned to the three humans standing at the living room's doorway and calmly asked, "Well? Aren't you three going to come in and sit down?"

The three teenagers slowly moved further into the room, but Jazz then crossed her arms and replied, "I think we'll stay standing, thanks."

Skulker shrugged. "If you insist… However…" The hunter discreetly pressed a hidden button beside his fireplace before adding, "I prefer my prey in a more _vulnerable position_…"

The kids gasped in alarm when a green cage suddenly appeared from under and around them and instantly enclosed them inside it.

"Hey, you tricked us!" Tucker exclaimed.

"Tucker, quick! Your PDA!" Sam exclaimed.

But just as the boy aimed his handheld device at the hunter, Skulker raised a gun at the boy and darkly said, "I don't think so. Hand it over."

Tucker gulped as Skulker moved closer and extended his hand at the boy.

"Oh, man!" the teen bemoaned before giving Skulker his PDA.

Sam quickly glared and aimed her gun at the hunter as she demanded, "Let us go, Skulker!"

"I wouldn't fire that gun if I were you. That cage renders all energy inert," he answered smugly, though he curiously studied the PDA in his hands.

He really needed to find a way to finally protect his suit against whatever program the human boy kept using to hack into his operating system…

"I thought you were a ghost of your word!" Jazz spat out. "You said you would answer our questions if we let you up!"

Skulker laughed evilly as he put away his gun and then stored Tucker's PDA in a compartment in his arm. But he then replied, "I do keep my word. But letting you three go was never part of the agreement."

As he moved to another side of the room and pulled out his blade, he causally added, "So, tell me, what would you like to know? I'll answer you while I get my blade sharpened to add you three to my collection…"

Jazz, Sam, and Tucker gulped, realizing that Skulker had found a loophole to their agreement…

But deciding to proceed with the reason they had come here in the first place, Jazz took a calming breath before moving to the bars of the cage to look at the hunter.

She hesitated, trying to determine the best approach to this. And thinking of something, she seriously said, "I know you work for Vlad, Skulker. I saw you the day you stole the ecto-generator from my parents under _his_ orders."

"And your point is?" Skulker coolly retorted as he pressed a button on one of his decorative tables. In an instant, the table turned into a sword sharpener. And he began to sharpen his blade on it.

Tucker and Sam glanced worriedly at each other, but said nothing. Still, they began to look around the cage for a way out.

Jazz cringed herself, but still continued. And knowing she couldn't afford to stall anymore, she forwardly asked, "What do you know about Danny going to Vlad's almost five months ago?"

This time, the ghost paused in what he was doing; and turning his head towards the kids, he raised a curious eyebrow at the older girl. "I know what you know…," he replied evasively.

"I doubt that," Sam said with a glare.

Skulker grinned evilly before he turned back to sharpening his blade. There was a small pause before he offhandedly said, "The whelp was working for Plasmius the last time I saw them."

"And… when was the last time you saw them?" Jazz asked worriedly. She definitely didn't like the sound of Danny 'working' for his evil arch-enemy.

"About two months ago," Skulker answered right away. He glanced back at the humans and added with a small smirk, "A lot could have happened in that time, though. So, who knows?"

The three kids fell quiet as the hunter continued with what he was doing.

But Sam soon broke the silence with the next sudden question.

"Is Danny really with Vlad because he wants to be?"

Skulker chuckled amusedly as he turned off the blade sharpener and then replied, "It depends on what you mean by '_wants'_."

"Quit messing with us!" Jazz abruptly exploded. "You know what she means! Did Danny go to Vlad's by choice, yes or no?"

Skulker turned back around and walked over to the trapped teens as he lightly replied, "Oh, if that's the case, then, _yes,_ he is there by _choice…_"

Jazz sighed sadly, while Sam and Tucker frowned. Although all the evidence had pointed to that, they had had an inkling of hope that it wasn't true. But if it was, they had to accept that—even Sam.

The goth girl bit her lip to keep calm before pushing forward, knowing that there was more they needed to know.

"You were there the day Fright Knight declared Amity Park part of Vlad Plasmius' territory," Sam said seriously. "What does Vlad want with Amity Park? Better yet, what is Vlad _really_ up to? And what does it have to do with Danny?"

Skulker quietly inspected his blade for a moment. But then he suddenly scoffed and shook his head. "You whelps ask a lot of questions." He paused again and with an unexpected secretive smile, the hunter added, "Too bad they are _all_ the wrong ones…"

The teens stared, confused by the hunter's words.

"And, uh, what are the right questions?" Tucker, at last, spoke up.

The ghost just raised an eyebrow as he asked them, "Have you three not wondered _why_ he left in the first place? Or, perhaps, _why_ the whelp _choose_ to side with Plasmius?"

The three teen's eyes widened. Of course, they had wondered that. But, in all this time, the only answer they found was what Danny had told them… He left because he wanted to—because he was tired of his life as Danny Phantom…

But…. they had also suspected back then that their brother and friend had said all that because he was forced to by Vlad. Problem was that as of late, that belief had been disproven on multiple times. Danny's laughing over the phone; Danielle's own encounter with him; and even Clockwork's and Vlad's words had them doubting…

But now, here was this question again. _Why?_ Why did Danny choose to do all this in the first place?

Jazz frowned and tentatively said, "Alright, Skulker… Do _you_ know _why_ Danny left and joined Vlad?"

Skulker raised his blade a bit, and the kids tensed when the hunter pointed it at Jazz. But what he said next, floored them.

"Because of you."

Jazz's heart jolted with fear for some reason as she whispered back, "Because of _me_? What do you mean? Did Vlad threaten him somehow? Or, did _I_ do something? What do you mean, Skulker?" she asked with sudden desperation.

The hunter smirked at the girl, but then he turned away and walked back over to the fireplace.

"Wait! Skulker!" Sam quickly jumped in, and now angry, she added, "Aren't you going to answer us? You can't just say something like that and not explain it!"

"Uh, considering he has us trapped here, I think he can do whatever he wants," Tucker piped in.

Sam shot her friend a glare, though then turned her eyes back to the hunter.

But Skulker didn't say anything, this time. Instead, he was staring at the fireplace with a firm frown on his face. He knew Plasmius didn't deserve his loyalty. In fact, this was his chance to get back at the man for betraying him. But… as he told Ember, he was not looking to get revenge on his employer… And, for some reason, he just wouldn't be able to do it, even if he wanted to…

But he also didn't want this to go on.

The hunter raised his hand to the button that controlled the cage. He hesitated for a brief moment before he suddenly pressed it.

The kids gasped in surprise when the cage suddenly disappeared, freeing them.

Skulker turned back to look at the three and soberly said, "You whelps are lucky. I'm feeling merciful today…"

"You're letting us go?" Tucker gasped out.

But more interested in what the hunter had said before, Jazz moved a bit closer to him and pleaded, "You have to tell us what you meant. Why did you say that Danny left because of me? I know you know, Skulker! You have to tell us the truth!"

Skulker stared emotionlessly at the girl for a second. But then, he oddly sighed and glared down at his sword.

There was another tense silence before the hunter almost reluctantly muttered, "Axion."

"Axion?" Tucker quickly repeated. "You mean as in Axion Lab?"

Skulker abruptly sheathed his sword on his back before looking at the three and replying, "I am not going to tell you anymore than I have. However, if you _badly_ want the truth, then find it yourself at Axion. All you have to do is look up any ghost break-ins in the past five months. You'll understand why after you do."

"Wait. How are we supposed to hack into their files to find that out?" Tucker asked, flabbergasted.

Skulker just shot the boy a condescending look. But then his eyes narrowed at the three as he darkly said, "I think we are done; you three better leave before I change my mind about letting you go. But know this: If I catch you humans here again, I'll use your bones to make a new dining table. Understand?"

The three teens looked at each other before quickly nodding.

But Tucker then meekly asked, "I don't suppose I could get back my…? Oh, okay, no. Got it," he added when Skulker reached back for his sword.

The three backed away from the hunter before turning tail and leaving.

Skulker soon heard his door open and close. But as he then returned to his kitchen, he made a mental note to better his security system.

However, the thought quickly passed as what he had just done continued to take priority in his mind.

He grabbed a nearby carving knife before pulling out the claw and grabbing the rabbit again.

But he paused again. He had not done what he had out of revenge… He wished it was, but it was for a greater reason…

Fright Knight and Ember were right.

He did care.

And although this realization was something he would never admit to anyone, the hunter could no longer deny it to himself. Betrayal or not, he just couldn't sit back and watch any longer as Plasmius destroyed himself because of the whelp… His loyalty to the man wouldn't let him—and neither would his care for him…

"Sorry, Plasmius…," he muttered out loud. "But you're no good to me with the whelp at your side... And besides, this is also for your own good…"

* * *

Returning back to where they had left the Specter Speeder, the teens looked at each other.

"Uh…," Tucker began slowly. "Is it just me or was that too—?"

"Easy?" Sam and Jazz quickly finished for him.

"Yeah," they all agreed as they climbed into the speeder.

But before they could say anymore, Danielle, who had waited for them in the ship, quickly ran up to them and asked worriedly, "Are you guys okay? Did you find out anything?"

"We're fine, Danni," Sam said, her lips pursed together in her attempt to make sense of what Skulker had told them.

"Yeah, and most of what Skulker told us we kinda already knew," Tucker added with a frown of his own. "But…I think we might have a new lead."

"Axion Lab…," Jazz muttered thoughtfully as she took a seat in the driver's chair, while Sam took the passenger seat, and Danielle and Tucker sat behind them.

The eldest girl turned on the speeder before she paused to look at the other kids. "Doesn't Vlad own that lab?"

"He does," Sam answered, her suspicion growing with the thought. "He bought it off from the previous owner and rehired Valerie's dad to run it. It's the perfect set up for him to make Danny's life miserable by using Valerie's blind trust in him."

"Okay, but what does this lab have to do with what's going on with Danny now?" Danielle asked, even more confused than the older teens.

Jazz sighed as she glanced out the window to Skulker's home. "That's what we need to find out." The girl then turned her attention back to the speeder and took off towards the Fenton portal.

Thanks to Tucker's putting in a map of the Ghost Zone into the speeder's computer system, it had been easy to get to Skulker's Island. And it would now be just as easy to get back home.

But Jazz's mind was mostly focused on a single comment Skulker had said to her…

"_Because of you…"_

"_What did he mean?"_ Jazz thought nervously.

"Look, if I didn't believe it before, I definitely believe now that there's something weird in all this. And we gotta find out what it is!" the goth girl said seriously.

"I don't know. I still think Skulker was a little too quick to answer our questions. I don't really trust in what he said," Tucker retorted.

"Well," Danielle answered. "I didn't hear everything, but when Skulker was talking to Fright Knight several days back, I heard Skulker talking about my dad as if he were angry at him… Maybe he opened his mouth to get back at Vlad."

"Or, he could just have lied to us and we just fell for it," Tucker added.

But Sam shook her head. "I doubt it, Tucker. He had us trapped and let us go. Still, in any case, we have to check out Axion. Skulker said to look up any break-ins in the past five months and that everything would make sense once we do. I say we give it a shot. It can't hurt."

"Well, I would be able to do that now if I still had my PDA," Tucker muttered as he crossed his arms in a huff.

Sam rolled her eyes and was about to retort when she finally realized Jazz was very quiet.

"Hey, you okay?" she asked the older girl.

Jazz briefly glanced at her and nodded. "Yeah, I just… I'll feel better once we get to the bottom of this…"

The other kids agreed, but fell quiet, too. However, they all dived back into their own thoughts, even when they knew speculating was not going to get them anywhere. But it was all they could do on their way back to the Fenton Works.

A half-hour later, the kids were all up in Jazz's room, waiting for Tucker to work his magic.

Jazz's parents were still not home—_thank goodness._ And TJ was sitting in the middle of the room wagging his tail at the kids as he looked from one to the other to the other and so on.

But as the minutes ticked away, the girls began to grow anxious as the only real sound around them was TJ's tail thumbing softly on the carpet and Tucker's fingers typing away.

"Anything, yet?" Sam finally asked, unable to keep quiet anymore.

"Give me a few more minutes, Sam," Tucker chided her. "It's not easy to hack into a high-tech lab's private files, you know…."

"Sorry, I'm just really hoping we finally find out what's going on…," Sam muttered.

But Tucker paused at hearing her words. The boy sighed before saying, "Sam, you know I'm hoping we find something, too. But… if we don't… We're just going to have to accept that…"

Sam cut him off a bit too quickly as she said, "Let's just get a hold of those security files before we think about anything else."

Tucker's eyebrows creased in concern. He knew Sam was set on believing Danny would never willingly leave them or go to Vlad's; and he also wanted to believe that, too. But Tucker also didn't want his friend to get her hopes up too high. He didn't want to see Sam disappointed.

But knowing there was nothing he could say to sway her, Tucker sighed and returned to working on accessing Axion's private system.

Several minutes later, Tucker suddenly stopped typing.

"What did you find?" Jazz quickly asked, while Danielle moved closer to look at the computer screen.

"Well, there's good news and bad news…," Tucker replied with another exhale of air. "The good news is that Skulker wasn't lying to us. There has been _one_ ghostly break-in within the past five months. Actually, it was a week before Danny left—if the newspapers have it right…"

And what's the bad news?" Danielle asked tentatively.

Tucker spun the computer chair around to look at the three girls as he answered seriously, "The newspapers have no clue what ghost broke-in and Axion refused to divulge to anyone what was stolen. Also, I can't access all of Axion's private files. It seems that all information about what was stolen that day has been _conveniently_ erased from their system."

Sam frowned. "So, there's no way of finding out more about that robbery?"

"Well, there is one way," Tucker said, nervously adjusting the red hat on his head. "You see, these kinds of high-tech places like Axion tend to have a second internal system that can only be accessed manually. Nothing is usually ever erased from these kind of systems because it's pretty much the place's database and backup in case anything was to be accidently lost. There's a good chance this internal system, which is probably a single mainframe, has the information we need…"

"But… you can't access it?" Danielle asked slowly, still not following.

"Oh, I can access it," Tucker retorted. But with a raised eyebrow, he added, "But I have to do it _manually_. In other words, we would have go to Axion Lab, find this internal central computer, and hack directly into it…"

The girls cringed, finally understanding.

But Jazz suddenly sighed and said, "Well… if that's our only choice then…"

"What?" Tucker quickly blurted out in disbelief. "You're not actually thinking what I think your thinking, are you? Jazz, we could get into some serious trouble!"

Sam suddenly smirked. "Only if we get caught…"

And Danielle added with a growing smile, "I probably can't help much, but…I think I could keep one of you guys invisible long enough to get you in without detection…"

"Uh, we need to do more than get into Axions," Tucker quickly retorted, still against this idea. "How are we going to keep everyone distracted long enough to find the mainframe and attempt to hack into it? It's not like we can go up to Valerie's father and ask to use his internal central computer to access confidential files on it!"

Jazz smiled wickedly, which was quite uncharacteristic of the well-behaved and A-plus student and said, "Now, there's an idea…"

Tucker's eyes widened with the girl's reply. But before he could protest any more, Danny's sister proceeded in telling them exactly what she had in mind…

* * *

"Whoa, boy," Danny commanded the black stallion—or, as Vlad had named it, 'Phantom'…

As the horse slowed down to a light jog, the teen patted its neck and glanced up at the sky. It was almost time for his usual training session with Vlad.

But, he honestly wasn't in the mood for it.

His argument with Danni yesterday in the Ghost Zone had him both worried and upset.

Of course, Vlad had noticed. In fact, the man had asked him at dinner yesterday if everything was alright.

Danny had just causally nodded and continued eating. Surprisingly, Vlad had backed off after that. Though, the teen had a feeling the guy had seen past his lie.

But how could he be alright when his cousin was angry at him? She had called him a traitor, and as much as he tried to tell himself that was not true, he felt very guilty. And now he couldn't help but ask himself: Was he _really_ a traitor?

"Is it so wrong to do something _for me_ for once?" Danny muttered, his voice a mixture of anger and sadness.

Was it so bad for him to want out? He didn't want to live the rest of his life with all the problems that came with ghost fighting! He didn't want to always have to be looking over his shoulder, fearing for his safety and for those around him!

With Vlad, he felt safe. For once, he didn't have to really protect anyone, but rather, have someone protect him. The older hybrid was so much smarter, stronger, and more powerful than he was. A good part of his ability to finally deal and surpass his fears was because of that! He was confident in himself because Vlad's own confidence gave him that extra reassurance.

So, what was wrong with that? What was wrong with wanting to be with the only person who could help him with his powers? Who could offer him a normal life? And who could protect _him_?

What was wrong with not wanting to go through what he was alone?

But his decision to stay with Vlad wasn't just for him. He really did feel that it was the better choice for _everyone_. Plus, it wasn't like he was going to keep his parents in the dark for much longer. And it wasn't like he was never going to see his friends and family again.

And speaking of them, without Danny Phantom, his friends could go back to their usual lives—before he turned half-ghost and put all that weight on their shoulders. He also wouldn't have to burden his sister with keeping him safe from his parents' inventions. And his sister also wouldn't have to worry every day about him because of the dangers his duties put him in.

As for his home town, he most definitely wasn't going to abandon Amity to its own luck. Danny Phantom would always be willing to defend them against any ghostly attack that proved too much for the local ghost hunters.

Sure, Vlad would probably be against it. But, the teen wasn't going to let the man keep him from protecting Amity Park.

And, who knows? Maybe Vlad would even help him with that. He sure had a lot more allies and a lot more power in the Ghost Zone than he.

Danny smiled weakly at the thought. But seeing he was approaching the stables, the teen slowed down even more until he came to a stop. He really had grown fond of riding. It was almost as relaxing as flying—almost.

Dismounting the black horse, the teen sighed as he gazed out towards the castle in the distance. But hearing Phantom snort, he turned his attention back to him.

He petted the horse's face as he quietly muttered, "Danielle doesn't know everything that has happened between Vlad and me…That's why she doesn't understand. I…" The boy's hand stilled and he sighed before seriously saying, "I'm not blind. I know that Vlad still has issues. But I can also see that he's changed! So, if he's changed this much in just months, then he could continue to change… right?"

The horse just scratched at the ground, sensing the boy's troubled emotions.

Danny scoffed. "Man... I'm actually talking to a horse…" But the boy's eyebrows creased inward as he fell quiet again. However, he soon spoke up, though this time it was in a whisper, as if he was saying it more to himself than anything else.

"The truth is that… I now feel like I _need_ Vlad. But… he needs me, too. He's changed because of me. And I believe what he told me. I believe he can let go of his hate for my dad someday. Heck, he's let go of mom for me! I guess… we both need a different life—and it's only with each other that we can have it… I just wish Danielle would understand that…And… I can only hope Jazz, Sam, and Tucker don't react like her…"

Danny let out a troubled sigh before pulling the black stallion forward and leading it into the barn.

Whatever was going to happen, it would be happening in a matter of days. Vlad was just waiting for the papers from the school in Florida. Then, he'd be going back to Amity for a few weeks, while the older hybrid convinced his parents to let him come live with the man. That was the plan, at least.

But that thought turned Danny's musings in a slightly different direction…

He began to think about what Vlad had asked him after he had talked with Danielle…

"_Does this change anything?"_

What had been going through Vlad's mind when he had asked that?

Whatever it had been, it had really put the man on edge. Just the way he had asked him that had been so… guarded. His face had been so tense and his eyes so emotionless that it really had troubled Danny. Perhaps that's why he had blurted out his answer so quickly.

But why would Vlad ever think that Danielle's presence would suddenly make him change his mind about staying?

Then again, everything Danni had said had made him feel uncertain of his choice. But… he wasn't going to change his mind.

If Vlad had given him the choice of going home and he had refused it back then, he wasn't about to go back on his word, and just say, 'Hey, sorry, Vlad. I changed my mind. I'm going home after all.'

That would just be… wrong, especially when it was more than obvious that Vlad was so happy he was staying with him. The guy now had something he had not really ever seen in his eyes before: hope.

No, he couldn't go back on his choice. He would just have to make his loved ones understand…

Danny shook his head tiredly when his thoughts returned back to his friends and family. But realizing he was giving himself a headache, he tried to push away anymore thoughts. He coaxed Phantom into his stable and proceeded to remove the riding equipment off him.

"Man, you sure worked up a sweat," Danny told it with a small smile. It was so cool to actually run the stallion at full speed. It was a bit scary, but very _very_ fun! But, also, the horse seemed to love it, too. He would get all excited every time Danny came into the stables.

"I don't know why Vlad says you're stubborn and rebellious. I don't have a problem with you," Danny said with a chuckle.

The horse just neighed in response.

And deciding he had time to give the horse a rub down and a quick brush, the teen grabbed the mounting equipment and went to put it away. But as he turned back around to get the cleaning cloth and brush at another wall, the teen startled when he found someone suddenly standing there.

"Niane?" he gasped out in surprise.

The young maid cringed. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

Calming down, the teen smiled back and replied, "That's fine. I'm almost used to your sudden appearances. What's up?"

Niane smiled back oddly at him before she answered, "Master Pla—I mean, _Vlad_," she corrected herself, remembering the boy had insisted that she not call her employer by his title around him."—is looking for you. I believe he wants to start your daily practice a bit earlier today."

"Oh, okay," Danny replied. "I'm just gonna clean down the Friesian, first."

Niane nodded but she didn't say anymore as she watched the boy grab a cloth and brush from the far wall. However, the girl then followed after him towards the stallion's stall.

She continued to look at him for another moment before suddenly commenting, "I see he's taken to you."

Danny paused, and finally noticing he had an audience, he raised an eyebrow at the ghost. "Yeah, but…" The teen smiled back at the horse and admitted, "I'm also taken with him."

"He is a beautiful creature," Niane agreed.

But now curious, Danny asked the girl, "Do you like horses?"

The ghost girl shrugged lightly before glancing over at Ginger. "I like her…"

Danny moved a bit closer to the barn's door and followed Niane's gaze.

"You mean _Vlad's_ horse?" Danny asked, bemused.

Niane shrugged again before suddenly floating off towards the cleaning tools. Still, she answered, "She's a sweet horse."

But as she grabbed a bucket and filled it with water, she abruptly changed the conversation a bit, "By the way, it's best to use a wet cloth to wipe him down and then use a dry cloth to dry him."

The teen blinked in surprise, but then as the ghost girl floated back over to him, he raised an eyebrow again and skeptically questioned, "So, you kinda like horses, but know all about them?"

Niane smiled meekly, this time. "Dazzler liked to talk a lot. So, I picked up quite a bit about horses from him…"

"Uh-huh…," Danny replied, not fully buying it.

Niane suddenly chuckled at him. "Danny, you read too much into things sometimes. Here, let me help you so you can return quicker."

Danny studied her for another small moment, but then he sighed helplessly and returned to wiping down Phantom.

However, as a small silence fell over them, Danny's thoughts drifted to something else that had been floating around in his head since yesterday. And for some reason, he suddenly felt incline to ask Niane about it…

"Hey, um, do you know anything about the Order's Crystal?"

Niane instantly stilled, but then her brows furrowed as she questioned, "Why do you ask?"

Danny rubbed his neck before replying, "Well…, I kind of helped Vlad find it. And, since you just said you pick up things here and there, I guess I'm wondering if you've ever heard anything about it."

Niane looked away for a moment; but when she turned her eyes to him, her expression had changed, and Danny felt like he was talking to an adult instead of a teenage girl.

"I heard a few things about it, and all of it is bad news. Danny, that crystal belongs to a dangerous spirit."

"Yeah, the Spirit of Order. Vlad told me," Danny interrupted, though there was a worried frown on his face now.

Niane sighed before muttering more to herself than the boy, "You both should have never gone after it."

"Why not? I mean, Vlad's not going to use it. He said he just wanted it for his ghost collection," the teen explained, though saying it was now leaving a bad taste in his mouth. It was true, wasn't it? That's what Vlad told him… the guy wouldn't lie to him… right?

Niane frowned, realizing she was making the boy doubt her employer. But then a warm smile melded back on her face, and her voice returned back to her shy and sweet tone.

"I'm sorry, Danny. I didn't mean to frighten you. Look, if you want to prevent any trouble with that crystal, just keep away from it, alright? If what I have heard is true, it takes two beings to activate its power."

Danny nodded and relaxed a bit. Vlad had told him that, too. But hearing it from Niane as well really made him feel better. Even if Vlad would want to, he wouldn't be able to use the Order's Crystal without him… So, at least, that was one less thing to worry about…

"Danny?"

The teen snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the maid. "Yeah?"

She smiled encouragingly at him as she replied, "Why don't you head to your practice. I'll finish with the horse for you."

Danny glanced at the stallion; but knowing Vlad was waiting for him, the teen nodded, "Okay, thanks."

He stepped out of the stable and with a 'see you later', the boy left the horse stables…

Niane sighed when she was finally alone. But then her eyes briefly flashed a brighter red before she muttered, "This is most definitely going to complicate things…"

* * *

The day Vlad had decided to teach the boy more about their powers, he had told himself he would never engage Daniel in hand-to-hand combat.

That was months ago…

Now…

Danny grunted as Vlad fired a blue blast at his shield, but he was able to hold his ground and he quickly retaliated with his own energy.

Vlad easily dodged the green ray before pushing the pink shield in front of him forward with his mind.

Danny gasped at the energy wall that suddenly came at him; but he quickly teleported behind the older hybrid. However, the teen did not use his quick move against the man and instead pulled up a shield in front of him again.

One of the things he had learned from the older hybrid was to mentally hold an energy shield without the physical need of touching it. It required quite a bit of focus and maybe even more energy, but it was very useful in battle as the teen was now learning.

Plasmius turned to face the teen who had his hands poised for attack while his body was tense and ready to move the moment Vlad tried anything.

But there was something in the boy that was not all here: his mind.

And Vlad knew why. It had been why he had left the boy alone for most of the day. Since Danielle showed up, Daniel had been very quiet. And his horse ride, _alone_, just moments ago, only served to prove that the teen's mind was quite troubled.

Perhaps that was also why Vlad had decided to do something different for their training. A good physical battle was sometimes the best way to deal with frustration—at least, for half-ghosts, anyways.

Luckily, there wasn't that trust issue between them or that 'we're enemies' mentally from before. Then again, Daniel had broken that last barrier between them a few days ago when he had challenged him to throw an electrical bolt at him…

But Vlad's thoughts were not fully on their training session either. He had wanted to give the boy his space, but he just couldn't ignore the teen's sullen look anymore…

Still, wanting to keep Daniel's mind moving, Plasmius created energy in his hands once more, but this time, he increased his power until it was glowing pink.

He fired, though purposely aimed slightly to the left of the teen, anticipating his move.

Danny startled when he indeed tried to dodge the pink energy by moving left, only for him to almost get hit by it.

"Do not assume your enemy will always come directly at you," Vlad advised. "I'm anticipating your moves, so anticipate mine," he commanded before firing two more blasts at the teen.

Danny held his ground this time; and while one of Vlad's attacks had been aimed to the left again, the second came directly at the teen. However, the stronger attack pushed Danny back into the wall behind him.

The boy cringed and his shield flickered with his brief loss of concentration.

Vlad sighed this time, before slightly lowering his hands and seriously asking, "Are you sure you are alright, Daniel? You don't seem to be all here."

Danny exhaled himself, but also realizing he was cornered into a wall, he teleported to Vlad's right and quickly fired an ecto-blast at the man.

Plasmius just barely managed to turn intangible to avoid the attack.

"Or, maybe I'm wrong…?" the man then questioned with a small amused smile. What could he say? The boy was quite clever and even better at catching on...

Danny smirked a bit, knowing he had almost caught the man off guard. But also acknowledging Vlad's true question, the teen raised a shield again before soberly admitting, "I guess I'm just worried…"

"Oh?" Vlad retorted raising a questioning eyebrow while gesturing at the boy to come at him.

Danny charged both his hands before combining the energy and firing a strong ray right at Vlad's shield.

But much to the teen's surprise, Vlad's shield bounced his attack right back at him and he would have been struck hard by his own energy if it hadn't been for Vlad's sudden pink shield that appeared inches in front of him.

Danny froze in surprise for a moment, not believing what had almost happened.

"How did you…?" the teen began to ask, but Vlad interrupted him.

"When your energy is different than your opponents, you can increase your own energy's density and cause your opponent's energy to repel against your shield," Plasmius explained. "It makes for a good surprise attack, but also helps you conserve energy. You can also absorb weaker forms of energy than yours and circulate it back out towards your opponent."

Danny nodded, knowing he had seen Vlad do the latter against him before. But charging his hands again, the teen fired, but purposely aimed above the man's head, distracting him long enough to teleport behind him and thrust his own green shield at Vlad.

Plasmius gasped when he was pushed forward, almost tumbling head over heel with the unexpected move. However, he quickly regained his composure and turned to face the boy.

"Hmm. Not bad. Now, are you going to explain this 'worry' you were talking about...?"

Danny's brief smug look vanished with the question. He sighed again, honestly unsure how to bring up what he was really thinking; but knowing runarounds would just delay the inevitable, he directly said, "You know I'm worried about how my sister and friends are going to react when I tell them I'm permanently staying with you. But, right now, I'm mostly worried about Danielle…"

"Why?" Vlad asked, almost indifferently. "Do you believe she will retaliate against you? I might not know what you both talked about—and I am not interested in knowing, either—but I can guess she was not happy that you are with me."

"Of course, she not happy about it," Danny replied with a frown, feeling a bit irritated with the man's tone of voice. "But I don't think she's going to try to get back at me or something. Danni isn't like that."

"And how do you know what she's like?" Vlad asked coolly.

"Look, don't start," Danny warned with a light glare.

"Hmm," was Vlad's only response before he suddenly shot an attack at the boy.

Danny gasped, barely creating a shield to protect himself. But suddenly angry by the man's lack of warning, the teen quickly fired two stronger beams at him.

The older hybrid smirked for some reason as he raised his hands in front and absorbed the teen's energy.

Danny wasn't surprised at all when Vlad threw his energy back at him; but he was surprised when his energy suddenly spun around him, encasing him in hot ghost energy.

The boy growled when Vlad chuckled smugly. But creating a small shield on each of his hands, the teen quickly pushed outward dispersing away the ring of fire.

Danny quickly flew closer to Vlad and charged one of his hands, though he suddenly pointed at the man with his other as he seriously said, "You know what? You should apologize to Danielle—or, _at least_, talk to her and try to work things out with her!"

Vlad raised an incredulous eyebrow at the boy. But he then had to instantly bring up his shield, when the teen quickly fired a blast at him—though, Vlad suspected it was more out of anger now than just simple training.

Still, Plasmius scoffed. "Oh, please, Daniel. I am not going to apologize. And most certainly I am not going to talk with her because I'm not interested in _working_ anything out. I think things were very clear between us when she turned on me."

"She turned on you?" Danny asked, outraged. "Look, I don't want to bring up what happened, but you better not go blaming it on Danni!"

Vlad frowned, but then fired an ecto-blast at the teen.

And hardly thinking about training anymore, Danny just used his shield to block it, though he was pushed back.

"Feed more energy into your shield when you anticipate an attack, Daniel," Vlad advised. But then frowning, he turned back to their conversation about Danielle. "I think I have been clear with you, Daniel," he said soberly. "The fact that things have changed between us doesn't mean I am suddenly _all noble._"

Danny frowned deeper with the man's words; but lowering his hands and dispelling his shield, the teen quickly protested, "You…"

But his words melded into a gasp when Vlad suddenly fired another blast at him, this one barely missing his head.

"You're losing focus, Daniel," Plasmius chided.

Danny exhaled sharply before bringing his shield back up and thrusting it forward at Vlad.

But the man quickly used a red ray and shattered the boy's energy wall before it could strike him.

That annoyed the teen even more. Sure, he was use to talking with Vlad as they trained. In fact, the man insisted on it. He would say that talking while training was a good way to practice multitasking and learning focus.

But this was serious. And Danny really wasn't in the mood to have to train while talking about this!

However, he was given no choice when Vlad fired yet another ray at him, this time a red one. And knowing his shield could not stand up against its power, Danny turned intangible to avoid it.

"I get it, aright!" Danny snapped a bit too forcefully than necessary. "But it's not about being all noble, Vlad! I think it's your obligation! You made her! Don't you care about what could happen to her all alone in the Ghost Zone?"

Danny preceded his question with two strong blasts, which hit Vlad's shield and actually pushed him back.

"Not bad," Vlad said with a smirk.

But Danny didn't react to the compliment or the man's smile. How could he joke around right now? Didn't he see he was very upset about this?

Vlad readily frowned with the boy's displeased look. "She betrayed me, Daniel," the man said, almost coldly. "And if you haven't learned this by now, then know that betrayal is the one thing I _do not_ forgive."

"Yeah, I know. That's why you hate my father," the teen muttered angrily.

"We are not talking about your father, Daniel," Vlad almost spat out.

"Yeah, we're talking about your inability to forgive," Danny accused. "We're talking about the fact that you don't care about what happens to Danni because you think she betrayed you!"

"She did betray me!" Vlad hissed at him.

"You betrayed her first!" Danny exclaimed.

Vlad fell quiet, this time. But then he suddenly gathered energy in his hand.

And seeing this, Danny glared and said, "I'm not in the mood to train anymore."

"I know," Vlad replied off-handedly before shooting an energy-blast at the teen.

Danny growled as he was forced to dodge it again.

But before he could say anything, Vlad said, "Alright, let's say for a moment that I attempted to 'work things out with her'. You forget that _she_ chose to leave. I highly doubt she would return to me even if I did offer."

"Of course she left!" Danny exclaimed, but when another energy blast hit his shield, it shattered and he was shoved a few feet back.

"You're not concentrating, Daniel," Vlad said with displeasure.

"I already said I'm done with training!" Danny exploded. "Look, Danni is all alone and that's not fair! Darn it, Vlad! She's practically _your_ _daughter!_"

Vlad rolled his eyes before suddenly teleporting behind the teen, who quickly whirled around only to jolt when he saw a hand filled with red energy just inches from his face.

"_Always_ guard your back," Vlad warned.

Danny suddenly had enough and he slapped Vlad's hand away from his face as he growled, "You might want to avoid talking about this, but you're gonna listen! You might think you have no responsibility towards Danielle, but _I_ do! And I won't leave her to her own luck, especially while I'm with _her_ father! Don't you get it? It's not fair to her! If anything, _she_ should be with you—not me!"

Vlad tensed this time, and he guardedly asked, "What are you saying?"

Danny calmed a bit with the man's tone of voice. "I'm… I'm saying that I feel bad. She belongs with you, too," he added sadly.

Vlad relaxed again with the boy's clarification. But he then dispelled his energy and crossed his arms. "Daniel… What are you asking of me exactly? Do you want me to take her in? Is that it?"

Danny sighed. "I don't see why not."

Vlad studied the boy for a moment before saying, "And what makes you believe she will accept to return to me? Just because you know things have changed doesn't necessary mean she'll believe it—or that she'll trust me enough to even listen to anything I could say."

Danny fell quiet, knowing it was true. But suddenly thinking of something, he smiled a bit and suggested. "What if you stabilized her? She would have to believe you, then."

"You want me to stabilize one of the worse mistakes of my life?" Vlad asked incredulously.

Danny suddenly fired an ecto-blast at the man and angrily exclaimed, "Don't you call her that, Plasmius!"

Vlad had easily created a shield to block the attack. But seemingly unfazed by the boy's furious look, he offhandedly remarked, "That was sloppy, Daniel."

Danny growled again and quickly fired a stronger energy blast before he sarcastically asked, "How's that?"

Vlad shrugged. "A bit better. Not by much, though. You could do better."

Danny fisted his hand to keep whatever self-control he had left. But then, glaring at the man, he warned him, "I'm about to leave this room."

Vlad raised an eyebrow but then sighed. "Daniel, I think you have forgotten that you destroyed my cloning lab at the Rockies. Even if I _wanted_ to stabilize Danielle, I don't have the means to do it anymore."

"Then, make a new one," Danny quickly said, his mood lightening a bit when he realized the older hybrid was considering his words. But when he saw Vlad gesture at him to make a move, Danny rolled his eyes, yet still complied.

He raised his hands and quickly fired a barrage of ecto-disks at Plasmius, which effectively embedded themselves into his shield and finally shattered it out of existence.

Danny smiled a bit at the man's surprised look, but the teen quickly continued with their conversation, "I know you can, Vlad. If you built it once, you can do it again. Look, I'll even give you whatever you need to stabilize her. You said last time that you needed a mid-morph sample, right? I'll give it to you. I'll give you whatever you need to help Danielle."

Plasmius sighed deeply, clearly unhappy with the boy's instance. But then the man shook his head and replied, "Daniel, I cannot—"

But already hearing the man's refusal in his voice without needing to hear what he was going to say, Danny instantly exploded again. "Darn it, Vlad! You owe her that much!"

Vlad glared weakly at the teen; but seeing Daniel match it two-fold, the man's expression melded into a frown and his lips pursed. He was quiet for another moment before finally nodding, "At least give me some time to think about it, alright? I believe we have enough on our plate as it is right now."

Danny's angry look melded into a small smile. He had been with the billionaire long enough to know that 'let me think about it' was pretty much a 'yes' when he was reluctant to concede to something.

"Thanks, Vlad," the teen said sincerely.

Plasmius sighed and helplessly said, "Oh, little badger…" But the man didn't finish and just shook his head. However, he then shot the boy a stern look and asked, "Do you think you could focus now?"

"Yeah," Danny said with a grin.

"By the way," Vlad said, floating closer to the boy. "We have to work on your ability to control your emotions. You let them impair your judgment a bit too much."

Danny frowned, finally realizing why the man had kept insisting that they continue with their sparring in spite of their delicate conversation.

"Also," Vlad continued before the teen could say anything. "Your fighting skills are very random."

"Isn't that good?" Danny questioned back.

"I said they were random, not _unpredictable_. You have to have a fighting style—an _order_ to your movements. Then, you can work on unpredictability."

"Okay… So, I'm guessing you have something in mind to teach me a proper fighting style... and emotional control or something?"

Vlad smirked before he ordered the room, "Run program SF-30…"

In an instant, the room's walls were lined with white cushion before a sword rack came out from under the center of the floor.

"Tell me, Daniel…. Have you ever fenced before?"

The boy could only blink back at the man.

* * *

**Heh. Didn't think the hybrids wouldn't argue anymore, did ya? But what's different is how they can manage to work things out, which says a lot about how far they've come. *winks***

**Well, I'll admit, the fencing thing is a new add. See, I was editing this chapter and I got to this part and I suddenly remembered Danny and Vlad's sword fight in IR. So, I started thinking, 'where the heck did Danny learn to fence?' So, I decided to add an 'explanation' for that, too. In my opinion, I think it would be something Vlad would teach him. And in IR they seemed well matched, which was pretty impressive, I must say. Fencing is a great way to teach Danny both mental and physical control! So, there you have it!**

**Okay, enough of that! Thanks for your support! I left this one extra long because I didn't feel like splitting it. This chapter is overdue anyways, so think of it as two chapters in one! Heh-heh!**

**Let me know what you think! Until next time! As you guys can guess, things are going to get pretty complicated very soon! *winks***


	75. Chapter 74: At the Brink

**Hello, my dear little pawns—er, **_**readers**_**! Sorry, Vlad muse is awake! Heh-heh! Phew. Well, it's been a while, I know. Sorry about that. And I will have to further apologize to those I said we would get to see Stephanie in this chapter. I, uh, had to split this chapter because if I had left it as it was, it would have been, like, ninety pages on word. Yeah, so Stephanie's in the next chapter, which will come out a lot sooner than this one since I've done most of the editing. I am also like half way through the next chapter of DoaS. So, I won't keep you guys hanging for too long! I am also quite happy because I got to reply to everyone's reviews this time around! (At least, those who signed in and/or didn't have their PMs disabled) XD Well, I'll let you guys get to the reading. This chapter is mostly a set up for the next one—or for the part I cut off and made into new chapter. *shakes head* I'm telling you. This story does not want to end…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. But I can say that the OCs are my own! Yay for that!**

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**Chapter 74: At the Brink**

* * *

It was lunchtime the next day when Vlad returned to his castle after his usual work trips to Dalv and his other companies.

"Thank you, Carl," Vlad muttered absently as his ghost driver opened the front door for him.

"Don't mention it, Mr. Masters," Carl replied, looking happier than usual. And he soon voiced his reason…

"Mr. Masters?"

The billionaire, who clearly was troubled by something, turned to his ghost employee, finally giving him his full attention.

"Yes?" he answered.

Still looking quite excited, he asked, "I can still use one of your sports cars, right? You know, I got another date with that car-loving, hot human that works for you!"

"You mean, Ms. Brax?" the billionaire asked with a light frown.

"That's her!" Carl said, his grin melding into a smirk.

Vlad briefly regarded the ghost before replying, "Carl, I don't care that you take one of my unregistered cars. However, I don't know if it's wise that you spend so much time with this _human_ girl. What if she discovers you are a ghost? It would not only get you into trouble, but it could also compromise me. I cannot have that."

Carl's smile fell a bit, but he still replied confidently, "You have nothing to worry about, Mr. Masters. I'm not going to get caught. After all, I've been your driver for many years and no one has suspected a thing yet. Trust me, I'm a natural at playing 'human'. I mean, otherwise, you wouldn't have hired me, right?"

The billionaire sighed at his overly smug ghost driver. But all too use to his personality and having more pressing matters about which to think, Vlad nodded and replied, "Very well... I will not need your services for the rest of today, anyways."

Carl's smile returned two-fold. "Thank you, sir!" he exclaimed before his chauffeur's outfit suddenly changed into a pair of jeans and button-down shirt, while his driver's hat turned into a beret.

Vlad just raised an eyebrow at the ghost who chuckled back and said, "I gotta play the part, you know. I'll see you in a couple hours, Mr. Masters. Oh, and I said it before and I'll say it again, you're the best employer I've ever had! Later!"

The older hybrid didn't reply. Instead, he watched Carl stroll off towards his car garage as he flipped out his cell phone and began dialing a number.

"Where's he going?" a voice asked.

Vlad turned his attention to Derek, who had just entered the foyer and was staring curiously after Carl.

"To get himself into trouble," Vlad dryly answered his ghostly butler before he began to head up the stairs.

"Oh," Derek replied, a small smile curving on his face. But then remembering the time of day, he added, "Lunch is ready, sir."

Vlad just nodded in acknowledgement before continuing to his room. When he got there, he put down his briefcase and sighed deeply.

But, this time, his worry had nothing to do with Daniel or his upcoming plans to go to Amity Park with the boy. Actually, that was moving quite smoothly. The papers he needed would be in any day now, and Daniel seemed a lot better after their 'talk' regarding Danielle…

No, what had Vlad troubled at the moment was… Stephanie. She had not come to work today. She had called in sick. And although it was possible that she really wasn't feeling well, he had a feeling she didn't come because of something else. After all, his high-school friend had been practically avoiding him ever since his confrontation with Maddie and her.

He had been meaning to go to her house to speak with her in person for some time now, but with everything going on in regards to Daniel, Vlad had not found the time.

But now, he was going to make time. He refused for things to continue like this between him and Stephanie any longer. He would make her listen to him—and he already knew how he was going to do that…

"Ring!"

The billionaire jolted with the sudden noise and the feeling of vibration coming from within his jacket's pocket.

Slightly annoyed, he grabbed his cell phone and answered a bit briskly, "Vlad Masters speaking."

There was slight hesitation on the other line before the person finally stuttered out, "M-Mr. Masters? It's Valerie… Valerie Gray…"

Vlad's eyes slightly widened in surprise, but then he readily frown as he glanced uneasily at his door…

"Ms. Gray… What a surprise to hear from you."

"Uh, if you're busy, I could just…," she began, having noticed the man's odd tone of voice.

"Oh, no. It's fine, my dear," Vlad quickly said, adopting a calm voice again. "I just simply did not expect your call. But, what can I do for you?"

Valerie seemed to relax herself and she replied, "Well, I don't exactly need anything. I just had some information for you. You told me to call you if anything changed here in Amity Park…"

Vlad cringed, suddenly remembering how he had hired Valerie as his personal ghost hunter a few months back, even before he and Daniel developed any kind of truce. Sure, he had _originally_ given the girl ghost equipment to monitor Daniel in order to make his perfect clone—not that the girl ever knew that; but his use of Ms. Gray had been solely for that. But his reason for _hiring_ her just a few months back had been to mainly have a direct connection to the things happening in Amity Park, especially after Daniel's friends had discovered the boy in Wisconsin. Not to mention, the ghost hunting girl was very good at what she did. And her skills could be useful to him in so many ways…

But now… it was a bit of a problem. If Daniel found out he had hired—and used—Valerie Gray…

Well, the boy wouldn't be too happy. But, then again, it wasn't like he was scheming against the teen or his family anymore. And having Ms. Gray at his disposal meant he could have even more control over the ghost numbers at the boy's home…

"Mr. Masters?"

Realizing he had gone quiet, the billionaire quickly said, "Yes, I'm still here. And, thank you for calling, Ms. Gray. I am very interested to hear what you have to tell me."

Valerie sighed over the phone. "Well, it's really weird. Remember how the last time you came here and we talked, I told you that the ghost numbers in Amity were out of control?"

"Yes," Vlad replied, though he now had an idea what the girl was about to tell him.

"Well, a few weeks back, this really powerful ghost came here—the very same one that had been helping the Ghost King that one time he tried to invade Amity."

"You don't say…," Vlad replied, unable to keep a small smile off his face, now _certain_ he knew what she was going to tell him.

"Yeah, but that's not all," Valerie quickly continued. "That freaky knight ghost came here sayin' that Amity Park belonged to this ghost named 'Vlad Plasmius'. And I'm pretty sure that's the same ghost that was helping Danny Phantom fight off that ghost knight during the Pariah Dark incident."

"Hmm… And what do you think that means, Ms. Gray?" Vlad asked as he sat down on his bed.

"Isn't it obvious, Mr. Masters?" Valerie retorted. "That whole thing about Phantom and Plasmius trying to help defeat the Ghost King was a big hoax! They are friends with that ghost knight! They have to be! The day I discovered Danny Phantom had somehow escaped being destroyed by my ecto-missiles a few months back, I saw that ghost kid with that ghost knight! And now that _same ghost knight_ comes here, declaring Amity belongs to Plasmius! Do you see? They are all in on it! And what's worse is that they are making everyone think that they have reduced the ghost numbers again, so that people will think they are 'good' or something just as ridiculous!"

Vlad frowned at the girl's completely wrong assumption, but still calmly replied, "Well, _have_ the ghost numbers declined?"

"Well, yes… a lot, actually…," Valerie admitted reluctantly, but then quickly added with fervor, "But I'm sure it's just a scam! Those spooks are trying to draw us all into a false sense of security, and when we least expect it, they're going to show their true intentions! I just know it!"

Vlad rolled his eyes; but the girl's deductions didn't surprise him. After all, the girl had a strong dislike for ghosts. And after she had seen Daniel with Fright Knight that day he had allowed the boy to visit his family, and then more recently, his own claim over Amity Park…. well, her beliefs weren't all that farfetched. In fact, in the eyes of _outsiders_, Ms. Gray's perception was the only _logical_ conclusion.

Still, the older hybrid could not have the girl hunter gunning for his ghost persona, or the boy's at that—at least, not to the extreme she seemed to be taking this…

"Your theory is more than valid, Ms. Gray… However, it's also possible that this is just some ghostly dispute that has nothing to do with Amity Park or its citizens, and that the reappearance of this… _Vlad Plasmius_ and that ghost knight around Amity Park is a… positive sign…"

"How can having two high-powered ghosts that are allied with Phantom be a positive sign, Mr. Masters?" Valerie asked skeptically.

Vlad shrugged, even if the girl couldn't see it. "It's merely another possibility, Ms. Gray. As I said, perhaps this is just some territorial struggle between this 'Danny Phantom' and 'Vlad Plasmius', which, in turn, has frightened away the other specters. You see, from what I have learned through my relations with other ghost hunters, sometimes higher leveled ghosts keep away other ghosts. It would explain the decline in ghost numbers as of late, anyways."

"Or, they could just be scheming something and they are waiting for us to drop our guard," Valerie insisted.

Vlad smiled again. "It's also possible... Alas, only time will tell. Meanwhile, my suggestion to you, Ms. Gray, is to keep a close eye on things… but, also, take this 'quiet time' to relax and focus on your school endeavors, hmm?"

Valerie didn't seem fully convinced, but she replied, "I guess that's the most logical thing to do."

"Indeed," Vlad replied with a smirk. "In any case, I should be making a trip to Amity Park in a few days' time. Perhaps then, we could talk more about this. Also…, I will be requiring your services as a ghost hunter fairly soon. Naturally, you will be compensated for your work…"

The girl instantly perked up. "Anything you want, Mr. Masters! And I can't wait to talk with you in person."

"Likewise, Ms. Gray. Ta for now," Vlad said before hanging up.

The man tucked his cell phone into his pocket before chuckling to himself. "Perhaps Ms. Gray can still be of some use to me. After all, should any ghost stir up trouble while Daniel is visiting, he might not be able to help himself and go into his 'town hero' mode again; and, of course, defend his town…"

Although Vlad's claiming Amity Park as part of his territory now would keep at least a good amount of the more 'smarter' ghosts away, there was still the 'instinct-driven' ghosts _and_ then the _stubborn_ ghosts to think about… But he was sure Ms. Gray and the other ghost hunters could handle the 'instinct-driven' ghosts. And, _he_… could take care of the stubborn ones. It was all a matter of bribing them to do as he wanted or… destroying those that opposed him. In any case, he just couldn't risk Daniel getting involved in all of that.

That much was certain. The older hybrid would make sure Daniel found no reason to go back to ghost fighting. It wasn't that he was against it entirely. However, he wanted the boy to _fully_ understand that he indeed had a choice and that he didn't _have_ to be some 'hero.' Vlad wanted the boy to concentrate on himself, _first_.

Then again… there was one other thing that he could do to assure that Daniel wouldn't have to worry about the ghost numbers in Amity Park…

Vlad rubbed his chin as he muttered thoughtfully, "Perhaps it's time I teach Daniel how to establish himself among other ghosts. If he marks Amity as _his_ territory, it should keep most of _his_ enemies at bay… Then, it would all be a matter of having him establish his power in the Ghost Zone… If I could teach him better control over that Ghost Wail of his, perhaps it could be the tool to do just that…"

Really, it was all about strength and power when it came down to it. Ghosts didn't have those concepts of right and wrong or good and evil that existed among human beings. If a ghost wanted something and could get away with it, it was going to do it. The only thing that would stop a ghost from its wants was if something it feared or respected stood in its way.

And to be feared and/or respected by ghosts, you had to prove yourself to be stronger and more powerful than they.

A normal human being could never truly invoke true fear, let alone, respect from ghosts. Simply put: even the weakest ghosts knew that when it came down to it, even the best ghost hunter wasn't a match for them if it wasn't for their weapons.

That was why ghosts had always haunted humans—and humans had always feared ghosts. They could get away with it.

But Vlad knew from experience that in the pecking order between ghosts, things were very different. Walker, for example, used fear to establish himself among his kind. Skulker used a similar method, though, he also had respect for his fellow specters and they for him.

Vlad… well, he also liked a combination of both. When it came to power, he liked his power to be feared—and his unique level of manipulation of electrical energy was his trademark. His strength, on the other hand, was where he aimed for respect. He used his resources and intelligence to prove he was a force to be reckoned with. In turn, it was how he had made his allies and had so many ghosts for his usage.

In Daniel's case, well, he couldn't imagine the boy ever wanting to invoke fear in others. So, he was going to have to establish himself through respect. His Ghost Wail, if he could master it, could most certainly be his trademark. But he would have to master it. It would do him little good to use it against a ghost and then have the ghost see the boy turn back into a 'weak human'. That would hardly invoke respect. As for strength, it would be a little more difficult because it was something the boy would have to develop on his own. Aside from power, ghosts somehow sensed inner strength—confidence. Then again, the boy had a very quick tongue. If he could simply boast up his confidence a few more levels, then the strength part would be covered.

The billionaire nodded to himself before standing up and heading out of his room. It seemed he and Daniel had a lot to talk about during lunch…

"And speaking of chats…," Vlad added out loud as he suddenly remembered something else.

He had still to tell the boy about the antidote for the bloodstream nanobots' still within Jasmine. Yes, he had put the mainframe which controlled them under permanent hibernation. However, only that antidote could eliminate them out of her bloodstream. And it was only until then that he would be able to destroy the mainframe. After all, it was the mainframe that was keeping the nanobots from fully activating; and destroying it before Jasmine got the antidote would very likely mean her demise…

Vlad frowned at the thought as he headed back down stairs. Perhaps that was something he didn't need to tell Daniel just yet… Why bring up such a displeasing topic when it was something that needed to be taken care of when they were in Amity Park? Perhaps he could tell him, then… Actually, he could probably even take care of this himself. It was all a matter of giving Daniel's sister the antidote, after all. And that was something Vlad could do with a bit of intangibility and while the girl was asleep. It really was unnecessary to tell the teen about it. Daniel had enough to worry about. So, why bother him with one more thing, especially when it dealt with his sister?

"_I'll just take care of it myself when we go to Amity,"_ Vlad mentally decided before dismissing his current thoughts.

Still, he couldn't help but feel a bit bad for keeping things from the boy. But he had plenty of reason to do so. There were just some things the boy wouldn't understand. For example, his hiring Ms. Gray. Or, his claiming Amity Park as part of his territory. Daniel didn't see certain things as he did. So, for the sake of avoiding any more confrontations with the teen, some things were just better left unsaid…

When Vlad got to the dining room, Danny had yet to arrive. But knowing the teen had exams today, the man expected him to be a bit late.

Still, the billionaire had a couple of things to get done himself; so he wasn't going to wait up for him today.

Martha soon came in with his lunch, which was sushi.

"What would you like to drink, sir?" she then asked him.

"Nothing. I'm fine with water," he replied as he poured himself a glass of water from the pitcher that had already been placed on the table.

Martha nodded and left.

As he picked up his chopsticks and began to eat, Vlad thoughts drifted to Maddie and Jack.

He honestly didn't know how he would feel to see them again under such different circumstances… After all, he had given up the love of his life and his want for revenge. And all for the boy…

But as he thought about it, Vlad knew it wasn't going to be easy. He still felt his heart clench at the fact that he would never have Maddie. And as he thought about Jack, he still felt a strong dislike for the man…

But, somehow, his feelings weren't unbearable anymore. That's how he knew he would keep his word. Then again, Daniel was doing the same thing. The teen finally understood that he _could_ survive without his family and friends—but also that he was better off with _him_. So, giving up Maddie and letting go of his dislike for Jack was the least he could do for the teen.

Still, Vlad wasn't about to deny the boy seeing his friends and loved ones. In the end, it wasn't about choosing between them and a better life. No, the boy's loved ones would always be a helicopter ride away. What Vlad wanted was Daniel to see that he didn't have to sacrifice his own needs and wants for anyone else. Here, in Wisconsin—here, with _him_—the boy could choose what he wanted to do with his life.

And Vlad… He now was sure that Daniel was enough for him to learn to live without Maddie—and without the need for vengeance and hate…

"Meow."

Vlad was quickly pulled out of his musings and he glanced down at the little kitten sitting on the ground beside his chair.

"Hello, Maddie," the man said with a smirk.

He had yet to tell the boy he had named the cat after his mother. But, really, it wasn't because the cat actually reminded him of her. He had picked the name just to annoy the teenager.

After all, Daniel had manipulated him into keeping the feline… He had to get back at the boy somehow, right?

"Meow."

The cat got up on its hind legs and began to paw at his leg.

"It's a good thing I got you declawed," the man muttered with a frown, but then he smiled again and grabbed a piece of sushi from his plate. He then threw it down at the cat, and grinned when Maddie quickly got off him and happily devoured the piece of food.

"It seems we enjoy the same cuisines…," he mused out loud. "Perhaps keeping you wasn't such a bad idea… But… we'll have to come up with some sort of cover up… It would ruin my image if anyone who looks up to me discovered you… After all, an unmarried and rich business man with cat just won't do…"

Vlad tossed another piece of sushi at the cat as he thought for a moment. But he soon smirked again, "Hmm… I suppose I could just say you're my nephew's cat… except that 'my nephew' might just say you're mine to embarrass me," the man added, rolling his eyes, knowing Danny would do that.

But then getting another idea, he smiled and said, "Or… I could always pass you off as my sister's cat. The press doesn't know anything about her, so it would be a perfect cover up… And Daniel wouldn't dare deny it…"

However, the thought of Viviane put a frown back on the man's face. Why was he always thinking of her lately? Ever since the boy came here, she had returned to his mind… Perhaps it was just because Daniel's noble personality really did remind him of his deceased sister.

But if his constant thought of her was just because of Daniel, then why had he also been missing his deceased sibling lately…?

In fact, he had been questioning as of late how his life would be if she was around… But then…What _would_ his sister think of his life—think of _him_—now? He wasn't anything like what he used to be. He had done so many things that she would not have approved of…

Yet, somehow, he felt like a better person with Daniel on his side.

And speaking of the boy… What would Viviane think of him?

Vlad smiled sadly as he remembered how he had once asked Stephanie that question…

_"You know, Danny looks a lot more like his mom in real life than in this picture," Stephanie calmly commented as she held the picture of the Fenton family she had grabbed it from Vlad's fireplace._

_"I wonder what Annie would think of him…," Vlad suddenly said in a quiet and slightly saddened voice as he solely stared at the picture of Daniel, before looking back to his female friend._

_Stephanie smiled sadly as she replied, "She would love him."_

_Vlad nodded his agreement, before placing the picture back._

The older hybrid sighed as he further remembered why they had ended up talking about his sister and the boy that day... And, perhaps, Stephanie was right. Maybe he needed to return to Florida… But he really didn't want to reopen old wounds. Then again, maybe going back was the only way to heal them _permanently_…

He wasn't sure. But he was sure that he didn't want to keep thinking of Annie. He had long since closed the book of his childhood, so his resurfacing memories of her really troubled him…

Vlad absently tossed another piece of sushi at the cat who was thrilled with the fact that her new owner didn't seem to be too hungry anymore.

But this time, her feeding was interrupted by a sudden voice.

"Yuck! Sushi? Seriously, Vlad, you're giving the cat sushi? Are you trying to poison her?"

Vlad smiled a bit as he retorted, "No, of course not. I'm just trying to expose her to a little culture or to keep her off of my lap, whichever way you'd like to see it."

Danny rolled his eyes but replied, "Yeah. Right. Then it looks like you really just want her company since you are giving her stuff like that."

Vlad merely smirked and said, "I told you before, Daniel. I cannot eat when I have a cat begging me for food. A cat, which, by the way, _you_ brought into this house."

"Don't change the subject," the boy dryly quipped. "She wouldn't beg you for food if you wouldn't feed her everything you ate. And if she keeps eating all of that 'culture', she's going to get fat."

"Nonsense," Vlad dismissed. "If anything, she could put on a few pounds…Much like yourself," the man added with a small witty smile.

"Oh, that's clever. Criticize me to excuse your being a poor cat owner," Danny said sarcastically. But then he frowned and added, "And for your information, I have put on weight."

"And for _your_ information, I'm not her owner, _you_ are," Vlad quickly argued. However, he then paused, and looked the teen over before grinning. "You have put on weight? Really? Hmm, I don't see it..."

"Don't pretend you don't know it's true," Danny replied, narrowing his eyes a bit.

The teen had accidentally found out that the simulation room kept track of his 'development' among other things—just as the black bracelet once had. And, much to Danny's chagrin, he had also stumbled upon the fact that the simulation room also kept track of the _man's_ own development. That definitely wasn't something he would have even wanted to know and now that he had, it was certainly something he knew he wasn't going to be able to _unsee_! It had even occurred to the boy that Vlad had set that up because in the end, the man was a scientist and would want to know all about them. After all, they were half-ghosts and all and there was no manual on what to expect about them. Still, in the end, it was all very creepy.…

"Dear boy, how would I know that?" the man retorted innocently, just as Niane came in and placed Danny's lunch in front of him.

The boy smiled at the ghost girl, but as she left, he looked back at the smirking billionaire and finally answered with a hint of annoyance, "What? Do you think I'm _that_ clueless? I know all about the simulation's room little features. And I further know you have George _still_ put vitamins and who knows what other ghost stuff in my food and drinks... Because for some time now, I, uh, noticed I'm…different."

Okay, so he didn't know _for sure_. But Danny wasn't about to admit to the man that even though he knew about the ghost vitamins and some other things like that during his first month here, he had only suspected that Vlad had never stopped giving them to him.

And the man's next reply finally confirmed that suspicion...

Not wanting to show too much surprise, the man's face relaxed and he grabbed his drink and took a light sip of it before raising an amused eyebrow and saying, "Okay, maybe I have noticed that you are…different. But that may in part be due to all that training I insisted that you take. Still, there is a possibility that other 'factors' were involved….And yet… I'm intrigued as to why you haven't said anything until now about your discovering the simulation room's other _features_ …"

"If I haven't said anything, Vlad, it's because it didn't surprise me in the least," Danny replied offhandedly, but then he smirked as he picked up his fork and added, "After all, just because you're not a big jerk anymore doesn't mean you're still not a fruit loop. I figured it was pointless to protest anymore about something that there's no cure for…"

Vlad narrowed his eyes a bit, in a mixture of annoyance and sarcasm. "Oh, really? I didn't realize concern over a growing half-ghost teenager's health was considered _loopy_. I should apologize then that you have _in fact_ gained a healthy amount of weight and are developing muscle tone. And I should, also, apologize for the fact that your ghost half's energy is much more stable and stronger… Yes, I am indeed a 'fruit loop' for helping you out."

Danny blushed a bit, knowing it was true. Heck, he still couldn't get over the fact that he was seeing some definition in his body when he looked at himself in the mirror every morning. It was a bit surprising, but really cool, because although he wasn't interested in turning into 'Dash', his modesty about his body had a lot to do with the fact that he had always been practically skin and bones, especially after he began to skip meals and sleep less because of ghost hunting.

But now, even if he wasn't totally buff or anything like that, he didn't look half-bad, either… Not that he still wasn't modest, though.

Still, he wasn't about to let Vlad win this one, so he quickly returned the man's mock glare and replied, "No, you're a fruit loop because you add stuff to my food and check my health behind my back. You know, you could just tell me. You'd be surprised how compliant I am about things when you tell me or, dare I say, _ask_ me about them."

"Alright," Vlad replied calmly before suddenly looking over at Derek who was standing at the entrance of the dining room, trying not to laugh.

"Derek?"

"Yes, sir," Derek replied after clearing his throat and adapting his 'butler face'.

Vlad smirked, but still calmly asked, "Could you please get me a glass vial I left on my bathroom counter?"

Danny frowned as Derek nodded and vanished. But he then quickly asked Vlad, "What are you doing?"

Vlad smiled and replied, "Proving a point."

The teen rolled his eyes before taking a bite of his macaroni-and-cheese.

But then a minute later, Derek reappeared and handed Vlad a vial that looked more like a small glass bottle with a clear glowing liquid inside.

Danny had just been about to take a sip of his soft drink when the billionaire abruptly took it away from him. "Hey! What are you…?"

But the teen trailed off when the man began to measure out two capfuls of the weird glowing liquid and then poured it into his soda. The man then grabbed a spoon and quickly stirred it. The brief glow caused by the mystery ghost liquid soon vanished, leaving the soft drink as it was before, and the man then gave the teen his drink back.

"Go on, Daniel. Drink it," Vlad said as he surprisingly put one of his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his hand to stare expectantly at the boy.

Danny quickly frowned nervously as he looked from Vlad to his soda. There wasn't anything different about it, but the teen didn't like the fact that the man had just added something ghostly and unknown to it.

"Uh… what did you add to it?"

"An immune enhancer," Vlad calmly replied. "I use it all the time. It keeps me from getting ill. In fact, thanks to it, I rarely get sick at all…"

"Oh," Danny replied before bringing his glass up to his mouth. But then he suddenly paused and asked, "Uh, am I gonna feel anything weird?"

"No," Vlad said, barely containing his growing mirth.

"Does it taste funny?"

"Why would it?"

"You tell me."

"No, Daniel."

"Oh, okay… Uh, you said it was an immune enhancer, right?" Danny quickly asked, wanting to make sure what he was drinking.

"Yes."

"Is that all?" the teen asked, still hesitating.

"Should there be more to it?"

"I don't know. You're the biochemist!" Danny snapped, now a bit edgy.

"Daniel?"

"What?"

"Just drink it."

Danny scowled before lifting up his glass again. But once again, he paused and put it down.

"Point proven," Vlad said with a dramatic sigh as he removed his elbow from the table and grabbed his glass of water. He knew the teen's inexperience made him naturally skittish of foreign ghostly things, which was why all this time he just added the ghostly remedies without the boy's knowledge, especially when the few times in the past that the remedies had left a trace in the form of a glowing residue, the teen had refused to consume it or had put up a fight before he did.

Danny quickly protested, "Hey! You haven't proven anything! I just so happen to avoid consuming strange things, especially when they glow."

"Your drink isn't glowing," Vlad calmly pointed out.

"Yeah, for once!" Danny quickly replied, ignoring the fact that he was exaggerating, because the truth was that he had only seen his drink glowing a handful of times. And knowing his argument was weak, he added as a quick afterthought, "Plus, didn't you know taking too many meds isn't good for you? They have side-effects, you know!"

"What I just gave you is not a medication, Daniel," Vlad said with a roll of his eyes. "It's a natural immune-system enhancer, like Echinacea and vitamin C, mixed with ghost plants with similar properties. I don't give you _meds_; I give you natural herbs and other such things and simply use ghostly influences so that your ghost half can also benefit from it. As I said, it's _good_ for you."

"Problem is that _most_ of the stuff you give me _glows_."

"You're exaggerating, Daniel," Vlad said with a shake of his head.

"So? The point is that meds aren't supposed to glow, let alone make your food or drink glow, like it's commonly the case since I've been here!"

Vlad shook his head and sighed. "You know what? I think I'll be the adult here and change the topic. There's clearly no winning with you."

"Duh, of course you won't. I'm a teenager," Danny quipped, grinning victoriously at Vlad's surrender.

Derek, who had been hearing the hybrids' odd argument from the doorway again, smiled in amusement. He found it odd how his employer and the boy seemed to be able to create a debate about anything. And even with all the sarcasm and name calling, they always ended up laughing or rolling their eyes at each other.

It was definitely very different from the hurtful insults or their physical fights. And yet, the two just seemed to naturally contradict each other—even when they had just as much in common…

The ghost butler smiled a bit wider. Perhaps the others were right. Maybe having the boy here was a good thing, especially for his employer.

Although he had grown fond of Danny Phantom after all these months, he had been worried that his presence here was doing his employer more harm than good—something he had voiced to Niane and Carl a few times.

But seeing them now arguing over something so odd and trivial; yet they were grinning at each other, as if their verbal challenges were some exciting event for them, Derek finally had to agree with the others.

These two belonged as allies—and, perhaps, something stronger…

Vlad and Danny didn't see or hear Derek softly chuckle before he vanished down the hallway. They were still going on about Vlad's odd meds, though now they sounded as if they had re-wound their DVR, since, somehow, they had turned their 'argument' back to the white kitten meowing at Vlad to feed her some more.

"Maybe you should give the cat some of your weird meds. Or, better yet, you should worry about _her_ health, because at this rate you're clearly going to make her fat!"

"It's your fault. You shouldn't have brought the feline into my home," Vlad retorted with a smirk.

"Oh, so that's how you're gonna get me back? By making her unhealthy and _fat_?" Danny answered with a scowl.

Vlad laughed. "Oh, no, dear boy. I have already conjured up my revenge plan and it has nothing to do with the cat's weight."

Danny stared suspiciously at the billionaire, before rolling his eyes and grabbing a glass of water. He refused to drink his contaminated soda.

"You realize I'm just going to get you right back with whatever you do?" Danny suddenly said with daring smirk before taking a sip of water.

Vlad just grinned back, as if the boy's challenge excited him. In a way, it did. The man couldn't help but be amused by the teen's boldness.

"We shall see…," the man simply replied, finally putting an end to their latest battle—or more like putting it 'on hold'.

"In the meantime, tell me how your exams went…"

Danny smiled, amused by how smoothly the man could change topics; and yet, it hardly surprised him anymore.

"I think they went pretty good. I didn't find them hard, just challenging at times. Ms. Thomas is great. Well, except for the whole 'eyes going red when she gets angry' deal."

"It comes with the 'ghostly territory'," Vlad quipped. "Then again, in her past life, her eyes never flashed red and she could still be quite intimidating when upset."

"Yeah, you would know, wouldn't you, Vladdy?" Danny teased.

"I don't know why I ever told you she was my teacher," Vlad said with a sigh.

"Your mistake. My advantage," Danny replied with a cocky attitude.

But the teen's mentioning of 'mistakes', suddenly brought something quite important and _serious_ back to Vlad's mind and he almost frowned at the sudden thought. Luckily, he managed to keep a smile on his face as he retorted, "Hmm… just for that, I'm tempted not to take you to where I had in mind this afternoon."

Danny was quickly intrigued. "Where are we going?"

Vlad still held his smile and answered, "Stephanie's. I promised months ago that I would take you to her house one day and I still have yet to keep my word. Today seems like a good day. I'm sure Annabelle will be thrilled to see you. And… vice-versa."

"Definitely!" Danny said with a large grin. But then he suddenly remembered something and asked, "Wait. Isn't Stephanie mad at you? I mean, I saw how upset she was after you…"

The boy trailed off, unsure if it was wise to bring up the memory about the day his mother had come looking for him, and Vlad had been forced to confront her in front of Stephanie…

And by the way Vlad's smile fell, the teen knew for sure that _that_ was still a rather sensitive subject for the man…

Still, Vlad remained calm, though he took another drink of water just to give him a moment to decide how to respond.

"…Well, I can't say we are at the best of terms at the moment… which is mainly the reason I would like to go visit her. For obvious reasons, there are just some things I cannot speak about with her in a work setting."

Danny studied the man's face for a moment. After all these months, the teen was more commonly able to tell when Vlad was keeping something from him.

And having an idea what it could be, the teen raised an eyebrow and said, "Tell me something… Does Stephanie know we're coming over?"

Vlad shrugged lightly, still refusing to give up his act that nothing was wrong. "I have never needed a formal invitation before."

Danny scoffed before shaking his head. Vlad's avoidance to answer his question was all the answer he needed to be sure of what this was really all about. Still, he didn't say anything more, and instead, cut a piece of his roasted chicken and resumed his lunch. If the guy wasn't going to be honest with him, then he wasn't going to talk about this anymore…

Having already finished his own lunch—or more like, having fed most of it to the white kitten beside his chair—Vlad just picked up his half full glass of water, though he didn't make any motion to drink any more of it.

Knowing from the short silence that the teen was upset with him, the billionaire finally spoke up.

"I thought you would be thrilled with the idea of seeing Annabelle…," he muttered.

Danny couldn't keep quiet anymore after that comment.

Lowering his fork, the teen shot the man a hard look. "I am. I mean, _I was._ Seriously, Vlad, if you're going to _use_ me, the least you could do is be honest about it!"

Vlad frowned. "I'm not using you."

"You so are!" Danny exclaimed, though he was more troubled than angry. But seeing the man open his mouth to argue, he quickly snapped, "No, stop denying it! I know what you're trying to do. Stephanie's mad at you, so you think if you bring me with you she'll be swayed enough _not_ to slam the door in your face!"

Vlad remained quiet for a moment, but then he sighed and lowered his gaze.

"I do not know what else to do," the man reluctantly admitted. "Ever since the incident with your mother, she will not talk to me outside of work matters, and today… she called in sick."

The man looked up at the teen as he more seriously repeated, "She _called in_, Daniel. She never does that. She always calls _me_ when she cannot make it to work."

Danny's hard look fell, as the man continued, sounding more and more troubled.

"I know it is possible that she could really be unwell or something of the sort, but I don't think it is that. I… have a bad feeling. I need to see her. I know that she's upset for the way I treated her in front of your mother, but I… I had no choice. I couldn't let either of them discover the truth about you."

The teen knew what the man meant by that. After all, he knew how Vlad had told Stephanie that he was just visiting with the consent of his parents. A lie…. A lie to cover up how the man had really gotten him here in the first place…

"I _need_ to speak with her," Vlad said once more. "And if she refuses to do so, then I have no other choice than to force her to listen to me." The man paused before saying more quietly, "So, you see, I'm not trying to use you, dear boy… I just need your help."

Danny smiled a bit, glad that the man was finally being honest with him; and trying to lighten the mood, he said, "You could have just said that, you know…"

But Vlad wasn't amused and without looking at the teen he seriously said, "Don't mock me right now, Daniel. Stephanie's important to me. You know that."

Danny sobered up. "Sorry, I just…" The teen sighed. "Look, don't worry. I got your back on this."

Vlad finally looked at the teen and raised an eyebrow at his choice of words. "Does that translate into 'you'll go with me?'"

Danny smiled sadly. "I know how much it reeks to have your best friend mad at you… So, if a surprise visit with you to Stephanie's will help you patch things up with her then you can count me in. Besides—," He smirked, "She might be able to slam the door in _your_ face, but I have yet to have an older woman slam the door on _my_ face." But then thinking about it, he added more sheepishly, "Uh, well, except Sam's mom, but you get the point."

Vlad couldn't help but laugh at that last comment. That was one of the things he loved about this boy. Daniel somehow could manage to take any problem and lighten it with his optimism and banter.

"Then, it looks like we have ourselves a plan, little badger," Vlad said with a smirk of his own, suddenly feeling a lot better.

Danny grinned back mischievously. "It's foolproof."

Vlad nodded, though his smirk melded into a warmer smile. "I would like to help you out with something as well…," he suddenly said.

Danny's eyebrows shot up, but then they quickly lowered in confusion. "And what's that?"

"Well, I know how you worry about your hometown's safety. So, I would like to teach you how to mark out Amity Park as your territory—and, in turn, drastically reduce its ghostly attacks."

For now, the man had decided not to mention he had already claimed Amity. But Vlad's plan was to have them _both_ claim it. After all, who in their right mind would dare mess with a powerful half-ghost, let alone _two_?

The boy's eyes widened. "You can do that? I mean, that's possible?"

"Of course, Daniel," Vlad replied, leaning back in his chair. "All ghosts have an established territory; and its range depends on each ghost's power level."

Danny took a bite of his chicken as he mulled the man's words over. But then swallowing, he pointed his fork at the older hybrid and said, "And I'm guessing that includes you… Is Wisconsin your territory?"

"Have you not noticed the lack of rogue ghosts?" Vlad retorted with a smirk. "No one steps into my territory without my permission; and if they do, I make sure they regret it…"

Vlad, however, further decided not to mention it wasn't his _only_ territory. He had a few, one being part of the Rockies. And, of course, Amity Park.

Danny gulped down a bit of water with the brief darkness in the man's voice. And feeling a bit uncomfortable, he said, "Uh… I'm not interested in destroying my enemies, even if it's to make them back off from Amity."

"One day, you will have to resort to that, Daniel," Vlad said seriously. "I can only hope it is not anytime soon, but there are some enemies that are just too dangerous to be dealt with any other way."

The young hybrid just stared back nervously at the man, unsure of what to reply to that. But he was sure about one thing: he hoped that day _never_ came. He doubted he could be able to purposely destroy any living being, not even a ghost.

"However, I am not talking about destroying your enemies, dear boy," Vlad continued, not wanting to make the boy uncomfortable. "I am talking about establishing your power among the inhabitants of the Ghost Zone. You are already well known. All we have to do is… force them to respect… or fear you."

"Let's go with respect," Danny quickly said.

Vlad chuckled. "Yes, I thought you would want to go that route. I will admit, the quickest way to do this would indeed be to destroy a few of your enemies. However, since I know you are not ready for that, then we will try a different approach. Marking your territory is fairly easy. It's just a matter of picking…a sort of trademark—something that identifies you among other ghosts. But before you can do that, you have to establish _that_ trademark in the Ghost Zone."

"But… I don't know anything about that," Danny replied with an unsure frown. "I mean, what would make a good… trademark?"

The billionaire gave the boy an odd smirk as he replied, "I had in mind your… Ghost Wail. It's powerful and unique enough. We would just have to teach you to master it. Now that you've learned blue energy, and in turn, understand the fudementals of ghost energy, I think you can begin practicing that wail of yours with some proper guidance—_my_ guidance, of course."

Danny's eyebrows creased. He couldn't help but remember how his evil self had also used the Ghostly Wail as his trademark. At least, after all Vlad had just said, that's what the teen had to conclude. And it made sense since his enemies in the future had known all about it, and had further been ticked off with him for using that wail against them. So, maybe Evil Phantom had also used it to establish himself in the Ghost Zone.

"Why are you so hesitant?" Vlad asked, confused. "I'm offering you an alternative mean of protecting your town. Don't you want that?"

Danny slowly nodded. Vlad was right. This was a good thing. And, besides, he had already surpassed his whole 'evil self' thing. He would never turn into him and that was that.

"Yeah, I would like that," the teen then said with a small smile. "I mean, if there's a way to protect my town without having to constantly fight ghosts, then I'm all for it…"

In spite his words, Vlad could detect a bit of uncertainty in the boy's voice. Still, he was use to Daniel's cautious approach to new things, especially if he feared they might test his moral views. He supposed it all came with the 'hero' thing. And perhaps it was something he would never be able to take out of the teenager—not that he wanted to anymore. Daniel wouldn't be Daniel without that goodness in him.

The man smiled at last, and replied, "We will start tomorrow, then." However, he then glanced at the clear glowing liquid in the vial sitting on the table and calmly grabbed it before tucking it into his suit pocket.

"I must leave you now. I have a few things to get done before we leave for Stephanie's house."

Danny nodded, but asked, "What time we leaving?"

"Five," Vlad replied as he stood up.

The teen made a sound of acknowledgement before he went back to his meal.

But just as Vlad had turned to leave, the man paused and turned back around as his eyes narrowed with sudden mischief. "About the immune enhancer…," he commented just as suddenly.

Danny quickly looked up at him and frowned uneasily at the man's expression.

"Although your untouched soft drink proved my point, I hope you realize I would never let you skip out of taking something that's good for you…"

The teen's fork instantly clattered down on his plate, knowing exactly what the man meant.

"…You've already added that immune stuff into my lunch, didn't you?"

Vlad just shrugged causally. "Possibly…," he replied.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Danny demanded. But then he paused when he realized the man could have put the enhancer in anything he ate. For all he knew, he had already consumed it during breakfast!

"You're so wrong! I mean, you could have _at least_ waited for me to finish eating before telling me that!"

Vlad smirked. "You're the one who insisted on knowing, dear boy. I am simply doing as you want."

"Yeah, but I would have liked to finish my lunch, first!" Danny snapped.

Vlad shrugged again. "I'll see you later, Daniel…"

"What?" Danny asked when he saw the man turn again and head out of the dining room. "Wait! At least tell me exactly what you put that enhancer stuff on!"

But Vlad didn't reply. Instead, he glanced back towards the kitten on the ground and causally said, "Come along… Maddie."

The teen jolted when he heard what the man had just called the cat. "Oh, heck no! You did not just call her… Vlad! Vlad, get back here! That's not funny!"

But the man ignored the teen's protest as he headed down the hallway and laughed. "I knew he'd like that one."

* * *

"Good afternoon, Mr. Gray," Jazz greeted Valerie's father with a shake of her hand. "I can't thank you enough for doing this for me, especially on such short notice."

"Think nothing of it, Jasmine," Damon replied with a small smile. "I'm more than happy to help you expand your resume for college. After all, everyone knows you are Casper High's brightest student. But, tell me, what exactly do you need?"

"I would like to interview you on the work that you do here," Jazz replied, as she opened the notebook in her hand to a clean sheet of paper and raised her pen. "I've done my research, Mr. Gray. And I know that Axion Lab is one of the leading research and technology laboratories in this state and among the top fifty in the world. It must be a big responsibility to be on the management team of such an important facility."

Damon smiled. "I suppose it is. And I do strive to do the best I can, especially when Mr. Masters graciously gave me my position back after an… unfortunate incident that occurred when the previous owner was around…"

"Yes, I heard Vlad Masters recently purchased this lab," Jazz said and had to keep a frown off her face.

"Indeed. And this place has improved ever since. Did you know we went from being 'number forty-two' to 'number thirty' on that list of 'the top fifty technology laboratories' just two months after Mr. Masters bought Axion? It's an incredible feat!"

Jazz faked an astonished look. "Wow… that is something!"

"Yes," Mr. Gray said. But then he paused as he suddenly thought about something. "But now that I think about it, wouldn't you prefer to interview Mr. Masters? He is the owner, after all. And, I'm sure he'd be able to give you more insight than what I'm allowed…"

Jazz chuckled nervously but quickly said, "Oh, no. It's not necessary. I mean, Vlad Masters is always so busy and so far away. Besides, I need an interview from someone who sees what goes on at Axion on an everyday basis."

Damon laughed lightly. "Well, I suppose that would indeed be me. Well then, why don't I give you a tour of the lab? It'll be easier to show you than to tell you what _I_ do and what Axion is all about."

Jazz smiled pleasantly as she discreetly touched a green earpiece in her ear before hiding it with her long hair.

"A tour sounds excellent…," she replied politely.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sam, Tucker, and Danielle were hiding inside a bush that was right beside one of Axion's windows.

"Man, she's good," Danielle whispered, able to hear everything the older girl was saying to Mr. Gray through a small Fenton radio that was linked to the ear piece she had on.

"Yeah, she's so good it's scary," Tucker added. "Trust me, Sam and I would know. When Jazz is out to find something out, there's no stopping her."

Sam quickly shushed her friend before quietly telling him, "Listen, Tucker. We need to find out where Axion's central mainframe is, remember?"

The younger girl and the teenage boy quickly turned their focus back to the radio as they continued to hear everything Jazz was saying. It took a bit over ten grueling minutes before they finally heard what they had been waiting for…

"_That's very impressive. So, this mainframe stores this whole lab's database?"_

There was a pause as Mr. Gray answered, before the girl replied,_"… I see. And I completely understand how important it is to keep a backup of things, especially very important files. I mean, it would be terrible for me to lose my computer work; I couldn't even imagine how serious it would be if such an important lab lost a file, say on some latest technology project."_

Sam rolled her eyes at the girl's ranting, but still continued to listen, now sure Jazz was being shown that mainframe they wanted to get to.

"_Out of curiosity, why is access to this room restricted? I couldn't help but notice how you used a fingerprint lock to access this room and to get to the mainframe" The girl laughed a bit as she added, "Obviously, it has to be highly restricted when we're the only ones in here right now."_

"Yikes. They really have that computer under lock down," Danielle commented with a cringe. "Do you really think we can get to it?"

"We gotta try," Sam replied seriously. But everyone quickly silenced when they heard Jazz speak again.

"_I guess keeping such an important mainframe on the top floor and in the center of the last hall—Hall D, right?—is pretty smart. If that doesn't avoid unauthorized entries, then the ghost security and intruder alarms will."_

Tucker grinned at finally hearing the location of the mainframe. "Subtle, isn't she?"

"_So, where are we going now? … Oh, one of the work labs. Exactly how many does Axion have…?" _

"And that's your cue, Tucker," Sam said with a smirk before she clicked the radio's second receiver on.

Tucker cringed when there was a bit of feedback on the earpiece in his own ear. "Well, it's working."

"Good," Sam replied. "I'll keep you updated if I hear anything important with Jazz. Now hurry, and be careful, Tucker."

Being that the ghost girl only had enough energy to use her powers on one person, only she and Tucker were going to sneak into Axion, while Sam would be outside informing Tucker of any unexpected changes. The goth girl would have preferred to be in on the action, but this was the only way for this to work.

The boy nodded before looking at Danielle and asking, "You ready?"

"Sure am," she said with a mischievous smile as she turned into her ghost form and grabbed the boy's arm. She then turned her and Tucker invisible and intangible and quickly phased through the nearby window.

"_Third floor; hall D, Tucker,"_ Sam said quietly in her friend's ear.

Being they were both invisible, Tucker could see the ghost girl and pointed up to gesture where they needed to go.

Danielle quickly shot up through the ceiling and didn't stop until they were on the third floor of Axion. They quickly landed, though they kept invisible since there were people walking around the hallway.

"Jazz said it was on the last hallway—_hall D_—and in the centermost room," Danielle whispered to the boy as they walked down the hall.

But just as they turned the corner of the next hallway, they almost ran right into Jazz and Mr. Gray. But, instead, they ended up going through them thanks to Danielle quickly turning them intangible again.

Jazz shivered when she suddenly felt an odd coldness go through her, while Mr. Gray muttered, "Huh, it's a lot colder in here than usual."

Jazz glanced back and smirked, as if she could see the invisible younger kids.

"It's probably just a cold spot," Danny's sister replied, barely able to keep the mirth from her voice.

Tucker and Danielle, who had paused to look after the older girl, looked at each other and grinned before heading on.

"_Tucker? Are you there yet?"_ the boy suddenly heard in his ear.

Tucker pressed a button on the ear piece and replied, "We're getting there, Sam."

"_Don't forget that the room's ghost security is on. And, how are you going to get pass the fingerprint lock?"_

The boy rolled his eyes at his overly worried friend. "Relax, Sam. I got this."

It wasn't all that hard to find the 'control room'. After all, the door containing the mainframe had in red large letters. 'Authorized Personal Only'. And, of course, the door had a fingerprint lock…

"Okay, Danielle," Tucker said quietly as he pulled out his PDA. "You're gonna have to stay out here because of the ghost security. I could probably deactivate it, but it would take longer, especially since I already need to deactivate the security cam and override the lock on the door."

"Okay. I'll keep watch," she replied. "But remember, if anyone comes in, you'll be in big trouble, so try to be quick."

"Don't sweat it. I'll be in and out before you know it," Tucker said in an overly confident voice as he linked his PDA with the electronic door lock.

It took the teen a few minutes, but he soon deactivated the security cameras in the room, programming them to come back on in fifteen minutes—which he calculated would be plenty of time for him to do what he needed to do and get out.

After a bit more overriding and working the system, the door unlocked. Tucker grinned at the invisible Danielle and clicked on the earpiece in his ear so Sam could hear his next comment.

"Man, I feel like a secret agent!" he whispered excitedly.

"_Just get in there, double-O-geek,"_ Sam retorted dryly.

"Hey!" Tucker quietly protested. "It's double-O-_**techno**_-geek."

Danielle stifled a laugh before looking around. And when she made sure the coast was clear, she let go of Tucker, who instantly lost invisibility before he quickly 'vanished' inside the mainframe room.

Now alone, Tucker looked up at the huge computer system inside. "Whoa… Hello, gorgeous… Where have you been all my life?" he whispered out in awe.

But as if it was protesting, his PDA suddenly beeped and the boy cringed. "Just joking, baby," he quickly told his little hand computer.

The teen quickly sobered up as he briefly studied the complicated computer system in front of him.

"Well, this might take a lot longer than I thought… But it's still doable. And when I'm finished, it'll probably be my greatest achievement yet…," he added with a smile as he pressed a button and a high-tech keyboard suddenly came out in front of him.

Tucker quickly connected his PDA to a nearby port before cracking his fingers. "Don't worry, gorgeous. I'll be gentle…" he quipped before he began to work his techno magic…

* * *

Vlad was a bit surprised when five o'clock finally came by, and Danny was not down at the foyer. The teen knew how punctual he was, so it was odd that Daniel wasn't down yet.

Deciding to go see what was keeping him, the billionaire headed up the stairs and made a left towards the young hybrid's room.

But when he knocked, he heard a sudden gasp before the teen exclaimed from within the room, _"Oh, crud! It's five!"_

Vlad chuckled before he entered the room just as the teen jumped off his bed and ran towards his closet; though as he did, he called back to the billionaire, "Oh, man! I'm so sorry! I completely lost track of time. But I just gotta put on my shoes and—"

"Calm yourself, Daniel. There's no hurry," the billionaire cut him off with amusement still in his voice. However, his eyes wandered around the boy's room, noticing how he was just about finished with that 'remodeling'.

Honestly, Vlad had been surprised the teen had done it all in just a few days. Then again, Carl, Derek, and Niane had helped the teen paint the room a sky blue. And Martha and Patricia had done a fantastic job of replacing the rugs and bedcovers to match the boy's love for the stars.

Of course, Vlad had more than happily purchased it all. He had even bought the boy some hand-made paintings of the solar system and a beautiful photograph of a rocket launching into space.

The teen had been delighted by those, especially when the man had helped him put them up.

But in reality, the older hybrid thought that it was the personal touches the young hybrid had been making to the room that really brought it out.

Aside for the celestial theme in his room, the boy had some poster of some rock band 'Dumpty Humpty' on his study room door and also some other decorations here and there in regards to the rock band. It hardly was anywhere near Vlad Masters' taste in music artists, but it still defined the boy.

Then, there were those glowing stars he put on the ceiling. Vlad had chuckled when the teen had dragged him into his room that same night he finished putting them up and had asked him what he thought of it.

"_It's cool, right?"_

Vlad definitely had to agree. But that had also given the man an idea, and the night after, the teen had been readily surprised when he had turned off the lights and found that his walls had been 'sabotaged' by the billionaire.

While the teen had been taking lessons, the man had drawn the boy's 'DP' emblem all over his walls using a ghostly ink that he had made with the extract from a ghost plant. Vlad had discovered that the plant contained a protein that was common in all ghosts and was what made each ghost's glowing aura. The billionaire had taken several hours to refine the ghostly ink even with the help and efforts of several of his duplicates to hasten the project. But in the end, it was all worth it. It was one of his best practical jokes, especially when he was able to refine the concoction so that the 'ghostly ink' showed up only in the cover of darkness and could only be seen by ghosts… or half-ghosts.

Surprisingly, the teen thought the glowing white emblems were one of the coolest things he had seen and had insisted to know what he had used to do it. Of course, Vlad didn't hesitate to take the opportunity to talk about his ghost plants and how he had extracted that glowing 'ink'.

Ultimately, the teen had been thrilled with the fact that he finally had his room like he wanted it. But if Vlad had to pick one thing he really liked about the boy's refurbished room, it was the very thing that had distracted the teen enough to forget the time of day just now…

The billionaire sat down on the boy's bed and grabbed the half-made spaceship. The teen had already finished several of them and had them carefully placed in the room. But it just amazed the man how detailed the models were.

He did not remember buying the construction materials for the boy, so he had asked Daniel where he had gotten them and the teen had replied that he had bought them during his outing with Stephanie and Annie.

Honestly, though, Vlad didn't even know they sold the things the boy used to make the ships. The models were hardly made out of cardboard or Styrofoam. They were made out of actual constructing materials, very similar to the materials Dalv used to make its own aerospace models, in fact.

"You are really quite good at this," Vlad suddenly complemented as he continued to admire the intricacy of the rocket model.

Danny, who had been hopping on one leg, trying to get his left shoe on, paused to look back over at the billionaire. And seeing his unfinished rocket in the man's hands, the teen smiled, though he shyly replied, "Thanks…They're, you know, just a hobby."

"It might just be a hobby, dear boy, but your ingenuity on these designs is _superior_ to most of the aerospace models that my own engineers at Dalv have come up with. It's truly astonishing."

"Better than the ones at Dalv? You really think so?" Danny asked, surprised. And after shoving his shoe on, he went and took a seat on the opposite side of his bed to inspect his own work.

Vlad chuckled as he handed the teen his unfinished spacecraft. "No, Daniel, I'm certain of it," he replied with a smile.

Danny grinned appreciatively, though he kept his gaze down on the model in his hand as he muttered mostly to himself, "Then, uh… maybe you won't think it's too lame, after all…"

Vlad raised an eyebrow, unsure of what the teen meant.

But with a small sigh, the boy got up, though he was careful not to trip over his untied shoes as he walked over to his dresser. He then opened a large cabinet just below the place where the water globe from Germany rested.

He pulled out a finished spacecraft model that was wrapped in protected bubble-wrap before turning back around and walking over to the older hybrid.

"I, uh, made this, like, two days ago… I wasn't sure if you'd like it or not, which is why I didn't give it to you before but…," Danny trailed off and just offered his gift to the man.

Vlad just stared at the boy, who blushed at the man's lack of response. But looking down at the wrapped rocket model, Vlad's eyebrows creased as he quietly asked, "You…made this for me?"

"Y-Yeah…It's not a big deal. I mean, you got me that globe, and I'm sure that's like worth a _whole_ lot more than this thing…,"

Vlad finally smiled and accepted the gift, though he shook his head and said, "My silly little badger… You out of all people should know that the value of something is not always what's most important. Though, this… _this_ is priceless. In fact, I don't think I deserve such a lovely gift…"

"Well…," Danny said quietly, moving a bit closer to peel back the wrapping and point at something written on the model's belly. "I happen to think differently…"

The billionaire's eyes opened a bit more as he saw a dedication written there. And it truly was the most heartwarming words he had ever read…

_To: Vlad Masters_

_From: Danny Fenton._

_~For proving to me that my dreams don't have to be as unreachable as the stars~_

Danny rubbed his neck awkwardly when the billionaire became quiet again. And thinking of something to say, he commented, "I, uh… remembered how I saw those spacecraft models at Dalv when I got in trouble for going into that restrictive aerospace room. I figured if they were there it was because you had approved of them. So, I based the basic proportions of this model off the ones there, but with the rest, I kinda just went on what I thought looked good."

It wasn't the typical spaceship shape for sure. The shape resembled the Specter Speeder somewhat, except that it was sleeker and more 'aerospace' in design. The teen had decided to go with a sleek sliver tone and then did the outlines in red. He finished it with a more personal touch by adding a 'V' on both sides of the spacecraft that looked like two bolts of lightning coming together.

What could he say? The whole 'electricity-thing' was purely Vlad; so what better 'emblem' for the guy than a 'V' resembling lightning bolts?

At least, Danny thought it suited the man…

If Vlad had not said anything yet, it was because he was so overwhelmed with emotion that he feared his voice would crack. The whole thing was just beautiful, but it was the fact that the boy had made this _for him_, and had written such a touching dedication that just swelled his heart with emotion.

The man cleared his throat a bit as he ran a hand over those words before finally looking at the teen and smiling warmly at him.

"Thank you, Daniel. You have no idea how touched I am by your gift and… words." He smirked softly as he added, "Perhaps when you become an astronaut, those stars won't seem as unreachable, either, eh?"

Danny chuckled quietly. "I told you, it's the fact that they are unreachable that makes them so awesome. But… I'm glad you like it. And… I really meant what I wrote, you know…"

It was true. Out of everything Vlad had done for and taught him, the teen was most grateful to Vlad for giving him the chance to reach his dreams—dreams he thought he had given up the day he had become Danny Phantom.

But now, the teen knew that with Vlad's help, they were no longer unreachable.

Vlad stared at the boy's gift for another moment before gently wrapping it back up and standing. He placed a hand on Danny's shoulder and said, "You're a sweet boy, Daniel."

The teen suddenly made a half-disgusted, half-embarrassed face at Vlad's choice of compliment. In turn, Vlad chuckled. But instead of saying anymore on it, he said, "I'll meet you at the car garage, hmm?"

Danny rolled his eyes but nodded before sitting down on his bed to finishing tying his shoes.

But as Vlad left, the teen suddenly stopped him as he said with fake annoyance, "Don't think this means you're off the hook about naming the cat 'Maddie'. I'm gonna get you for that."

The billionaire grinned widely this time, as he paused at the door way and taunted back, "I'm quivering all over."

Vlad ignored the boy's quiet 'fruit loop' jab and walked off. But as he did, he looked down at the boy's gift and smiled softly.

He was so happy right now that the billionaire almost feared he was dreaming…

Of course, it was all very real. And perhaps the fact was what made it all so touching and perfect…

And yet, Vlad choose to ignore the small voice in his mind that was trying to remind him that 'happiness' was something that never lasted very long in his life…

**

* * *

**

Ah, Vladdie… if you only knew. *smirks* I wonder if any of you have yet to realize what Danny has forgotten in all this… eh? Maybe? *chuckles* Well, you'll find out soon enough.

**I gotta say I enjoyed writing this last scene between the hybrids. Danny being the sweet boy he is and giving Vladdie a gift, while Vlad gets all emotional. Well, at least he didn't get teary-eyed like he did in 'Maternal instincts' when Danny fakes to want him as his dad! Heh-heh! That was harsh, now that I think about it. But a hero's gotta do what a hero's gotta do! Oh! Can any of you guess what I based Danny's spaceship model he gave to Vlad? *snickers* If not, go watch Phantom Planet again... *winks***

**I also mentioned the whole thing about Danny getting stronger and gaining more muscle because he looked more buff in season three, so I added another tie-in. Hey, why not! But speaking of tie-ins, Vlad finally named Maddie cat and did you guys catch the 'fat' thing. Now we know why Maddie cat gets fat! Vlad feeds her all his sushi! LOL! **

**And the whole DP emblem thing was Vladdie being silly and my thinking it would look cool! Ha-ha! **

**So, next chapter will definitely be interesting… But until then, let Vlad muse and I know what you thought of this one! Thank you for your support! Until next time! **


	76. Chapter 75: Truth Revealed

**Hello my lovely readers! Sorry for the wait! This one is a very important chapter, so I wanted to make sure I didn't miss anything and that it came out right! It is pretty long, so hopefully I will be forgiven for keeping you all anxiously waiting!**

**Enjoy and talk at you at the bottom!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. But the OCs are my own and so is this story plot! Yup! XD**

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Chapter 75: Truth Revealed

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"Wow… this is a nice house," Danny commented as he got out of the Vlad's car once they had arrived at Stephanie's house.

The teen hadn't been surprised at all when Vlad told him that they would not be taking the limo and that he would be driving them instead of Carl. He clearly understood why the billionaire had also picked one of his more inconspicuous cars…

"Yes, I suppose it is," Vlad muttered absently, though he seemed to be curious about one of the two cars in the driveway.

However, Danny didn't notice since he continued to look at his new surroundings. Stephanie's house was two-stories and looked to be a pretty good size from the outside, especially when only two people lived in it.

The teen couldn't help but notice that although the house wasn't anywhere as isolated as Vlad's castle, the woman's closest neighbors were a good distance away. Then again, by the fact that her backyard was large enough to house some stables, that would make sense.

"Does everyone in Wisconsin like horses or something?" Danny asked with a small smile.

But Vlad didn't return the smile, and instead, gestured for him to follow him towards the front door. Still, as they did so, the man finally replied, "No, Daniel. Stephanie and I just both grew up with them, so I suppose we have kept to that liking as adults."

At last noticing the older hybrid's serious frown, the teen frowned himself; and believing the man was just troubled with the thought of confronting his friend, the teen reassuringly said, "Look, don't worry. She'll forgive you. I mean, she likes you enough."

Vlad quickly looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

And realizing his slip, the teen quickly added, "Well, because she's your friend, right? She's gotta like you enough to forgive you. Heh-heh."

Although Danny would have loved to just smack the man for being clueless and just tell the guy the truth about Stephanie's feelings for him, the teen knew he wasn't the person who should tell him. After all, if Annie hadn't even said anything, Danny wasn't about to do it. Plus, Vlad was an adult. Trying to get involved in his love life would be as creepy as when he was forced to be around his parents when they got all romantic with each other.

Fortunately, Vlad looked away, dismissing his odd words; but as they climbed the steps and finally stopped in front of the front door, the billionaire soberly said, "Although I am worried about how this will go, I am now more intrigued as to why my legal advisor is here…"

Danny stared in confusion. "Your lawyer is here? How do you know?"

"Because that is his car in the driveway," Vlad coolly answered, though his tone of voice wasn't directed at the boy.

"Oh… Uh, why is he here?" the teen asked, now getting a bit nervous about all this.

"That is precisely what I intend to find out," the man replied in the same icy voice before he rang the doorbell.

A moment later, the door opened and the woman on the other side tensed when she saw Vlad at her door. But her surprise didn't last long and an uneasy frown fell over Stephanie's face.

"Vlad…What are you doing here?"

"I thought you were ill," the man replied, his voice slightly detached for some reason. "But…" He briefly looked her over before adding, "By the looks of it, you are in pretty good health."

"I had my reason for calling in sick today," Stephanie replied, her lips pursing.

"And what would that reason be? Does it have to do with why _Lawrence_ is here?" Vlad asked, his eyes slightly narrowing.

Stephanie quickly returned his hard look as she coldly told him, "I don't have to explain myself to you."

"Odd. Last time I checked, I was your _boss_," Vlad hissed back.

Danny, who had been floored by the man's sudden hostility, jolted back to life with his last words, especially when the teen saw Stephanie grip the door, clearly about to slam it in her friend's face.

"Let me tell you something…," Stephanie growled back at Vlad.

But before she could finish, Danny lightly pushed Vlad away from the door, enough to make his presence known. "Oh, hi there, Mrs. Hui!" he then said with a weak smile and a wave of his hand. "It's been a while, huh?"

Stephanie blinked in surprise, clearly not having seen, let alone expected, the boy at her door.

Danny's nervous and sheepish smile remained on his face as he brought up a hand to the back of his neck and rubbed it. "So, uh, yeah… Is Annie around? Think I could say hi… or something?"

Stephanie relaxed a bit, though instead of looking angry, the woman now looked anxious. But she still forced a small smile on her face and greeted the boy, "Hi, Daniel. Um… Yes, Annie is here. Come on in."

Stephanie opened the door a bit wider before moving away from it to let the teen in.

But before Danny went in, he shot Vlad a brief disapproving frown. He seriously didn't get why the man was being, well, a jerk. He thought the guy had come to apologize, not make things worse!

Still, this was as far as Danny would go with this. He had done his part by getting Stephanie to receive them. If Vlad wanted to be an idiot and waste his chance, the teen wasn't about to stop him.

"Well?" Stephanie quietly said when the billionaire didn't walk in after the boy.

Vlad just stared coldly at her before entering the house as well.

"Daniel," the woman then said, getting the teen's attention. And pointing at a nearby staircase, she then said, "Annie is in her room. Second door on your left."

Danny hesitated but then nodded and walked off towards the stairs.

Stephanie waited for the boy to be out of hearing range, before quickly glaring at the billionaire. "I know what you are doing, Vlad. And I do not appreciate that you used that boy to force me to accept you here. I think we have discussed everything that we needed to."

"I beg to differ," Vlad answered, just barely containing his own growing indignation. "You have yet to explain to me why Lawrence is here."

"Oh, that's cute, "Stephanie said sarcastically, though it was clear she was trying to keep her voice down. "I wasn't aware I had to inform you of whom I invite into my own house!"

"You do when the person you invite into your house just happens to be my private lawyer!" Vlad snapped back just above a whisper. But then he suddenly moved passed her and headed further into the house. And by his lack of hesitation, he knew exactly where he was going—and what he was about to do…

"Vlad! Where are you going?" Stephanie hissed at him. But when the man ignored her, she fisted her hands and quickly followed after him.

When Vlad entered the woman's living room, he quickly spotted his lawyer sitting on the sofa with a beverage in his hand.

The other man blinked once in surprise before he quickly stood up and extended a hand at his boss. "Mr. Masters… What a pleasant surprise. I… didn't expect to see you here…"

Vlad smiled calmly, though there was a calculating look in his eyes as he took the man's hand and shook it. "Likewise…. I simply came by to make sure Ms. Hui was feeling better… Imagine _my_ surprise to find she's not only better, but in _such_ good company… Unless, your visit is purely a business one? In that case I would have to ask what that business might be…?"

Stephanie crossed her arms, clearly growing more furious by the second. How dare Vlad come in here and start asking questions?

Lawrence was a bit caught off guard with everything the billionaire had just said. He was honestly unsure of what his employer really meant by all he had said, let alone, how to react to it. The lawyer couldn't put his finger on it, but… there was… _something_ radiating off the billionaire that made Lawrence a bit nervous.

Still, catching his last question, the lawyer smiled uneasily with the other man's awaiting, yet piercing, stare.

"Oh, Uh, no. My visit isn't a business one." He laughed weakly as he added, "You'd be the first to know if that was the case, Mr. Masters. After all, the only business discussions I could have with Stephanie would be over your companies. But, no, I'm just here on a simple social visit."

"Ah, I see," Vlad replied, his smile still on his face.

"Yes," Stephanie suddenly interrupted him, "And I would like to thank you for your concern for me, Mr. Masters. Surely, though, you have much to do, so why don't I just—"

"Actually, yes, I do have quite a bit to do," Vlad cut her off. And turning his attention back to his legal representative, he added, "But, perhaps, Claire, you could be of some assistance with that… Or, at least, with _one_ thing in specific…"

The other man put his glass down on the nearby coffee table before nodding. "Of course. What can I do for you, Mr. Masters?"

"Well, there is this new company opening up in Madison. Have you heard of it, Claire?" Vlad asked casually.

The man thought for a moment before slowly nodding. "Yes, I think I have. They specialize in daily electronics and communication devices. Why?"

"Nothing new, really," he replied with a shrug. "They are fairly close to Vladco; so I simply need your legal expertise on whether or not this new business will pose any sort of competition for Vladco…"

Neither man saw Stephanie roll her eyes with the older hybrid's words. She already knew what her friend was doing. But she was less than impressed…

"Well…," Lawrence began in a thoughtful voice, "the first thing we need to do is find out who exactly is the owner of this new business. Then, we could further investigate if the owner is a rookie in the field or if he or she has already established business elsewhere …"

"Yes. That was exactly what I had in mind," Vlad replied with just the slightest smirk touching his lips, yet it didn't reach his still calculating eyes. "I would like to know as much as I can about them. And if necessary, we can always set up a meeting with this new 'potential competition.' But since I have every bit of faith in you, I know you will inform me of the best legal approach to this matter, hmm?"

"Uh… Yes. Yes, of course," Mr. Claire replied, a bit surprised by his employer's vote of trust. "I will definitely do the necessary investigations and then give you my advice."

"Excellent. But when do you think you can get back to me with said information? It's quite urgent, after all," Vlad said calmly.

"Well…," Mr. Claire looked at his watch before looking back at his employer. "I suppose I could have that to you by tomorrow if it's truly that important to you."

Stephanie crossed her arms. She wasn't sure what angered her more: The billionaire's little stunt, or the fact that there was nothing she could do to stop him from getting away with it.

"Stephanie," Lawrence said, turning his attention to her. And the woman was hardly surprised by the lawyer's next words.

"I think I've taken enough of your time," Mr. Claire said with a small apologizing smile; though in truth, he was leaving because he wanted to start working on what his boss wanted.

If only he knew his employer could care less about that 'new company' and that it was just a hoax to get rid of him.

"Yes, it is getting rather late," Vlad causally agreed, glancing at his own watch.

The lawyer blinked at his employer, who just pleasantly smiled back at him.

Lawrence returned the smile, albeit a bit awkwardly, before clearing his throat and looking back at the woman. "Uh, thank you for dinner, Steph."

Stephanie smiled weakly and replied, "No, thank you for stopping by, Lawrence. Here, I'll walk you to the door."

"Oh, no, that's fine. I think I can manage," he replied. He then shook Vlad's hand and said his goodbyes to him. But when he went to bid Stephanie farewell, he grabbed one of her hands and kissed it before saying, "Have a pleasant evening. Please, say 'goodbye' to your daughter for me."

The woman nodded, while Vlad discreetly rolled his eyes at the tone in which the other man had said that. Still, it all made sense now. The billionaire hadn't understood at first why a couple of days back his lawyer had been discreetly asking him questions about Stephanie.

Oh, he knew why now.

Stephanie smiled and watched the man go. She waited to hear her door open and close before she turned her eyes back on her friend and coldly said, "You know, you should have just _kicked_ him out. It would have been faster than using your predictable tactics to manipulate any situation to your liking."

"Hmm…Kicked him out, you say," Vlad replied thoughtfully, ignoring her last comment all together. "Actually, _something_ of the sort initially crossed my mind…," Vlad retorted in off-handed tone of voice, though he briefly glanced in the direction of the door as his eyes flashed red.

But then looking back at her, he raised a questioning eyebrow and said, "I wasn't aware you were on a first-name basis with my lawyer. Then again, I didn't know you commonly invited strangers into your home."

Stephanie rolled her eyes. "_Lawrence_ isn't a stranger, Vlad. He's a friend. I happened to have worked with the man for many years now—_if you haven't noticed."_

"That doesn't mean you know anything about him," Vlad pressed, a frown falling on his face.

"You must be kidding, right?" Stephanie replied, putting a hand on her hip. "I know the man's _credit score_ thanks to your crazed need to know every tiny detail about everyone you hire. Or, have you forgotten you asked me to check his background before you hired him all those years back?"

But then the woman paused and suddenly scoffed as she asked both herself and Vlad, "Why am I even explaining anything to you? It's none of your business anyways!"

"Oh, it's _plenty_ my business, woman," Vlad said, suddenly angry. "You call in sick and I find you on a dinner date with my lawyer!"

"What are you talking about? He's a friend!"

"Trust me. He's looking to be more than your friend," Vlad hissed back.

"And? I think that's my problem and mine alone," Stephanie snapped back.

"So you are seeing him?" Vlad asked, his eyes narrowing. "What about Annabelle?"

Stephanie stared at the billionaire in disbelief. "What about my daughter?"

"Does she know you are seeing some _stranger_?"

"He's your lawyer!" Stephanie exclaimed, sick of hearing the man say that.

"**I know he's my lawyer!"** Vlad yelled back, now furious.

Stephanie just stared back at her friend for a moment before soberly asking him, "What is your problem, Vlad?"

The man's glare instantly fell, as if finally realizing how he was acting. He looked away for a moment, not understanding why he just felt _so angry_ at finding his lawyer at his friend's house.

"I am not seeing him, Vlad," Stephanie suddenly said quietly.

Vlad looked back at her, but before he could say anything, she continued, her voice back to its normal volume, though now it held a grave tone.

"And I realize he wants more than a friendship with me, but I have also made it clear to him that I am not interested in anything more. In any case, if I ever did engage in a relationship with someone, the only person's approval I need is my daughter's."

"I…I know that," Vlad replied with a small sigh.

"Then, you understand why I do not appreciate your sudden hostility?" She then pointed at herself as she added in a sharper voice, "I am not one of your possessions, Vladimir. Therefore, you have absolutely no right to treat me as such."

Ignoring the fact that no one had called him by his birth name in years, the man's eyebrows creased, feeling a bit hurt with her words, but he still soberly replied, "No, but as_ your friend,_ I have the right to concern myself about you. And perhaps even to _protect_ you… I would not want to see you go through another disappointment…"

Stephanie just stared soberly back at him before she suddenly closed her eyes and sighed. Why was he always doing this to her…?

"Vlad," she said, opening her eyes. Her eyebrows drew in a bit as she told him, almost sadly, "I want you to leave. I want you to take Daniel and leave. Please."

The man's face instantly hardened and he shook his head. "I am not leaving—not until you and I talk. I know you are upset about how I treated you in front of Maddie, but I—"

"That is not why I'm upset," Stephanie cut him off. "Yes, I was hurt by the way you treated me, but that is not why I am _upset_ with you."

Vlad frowned. "Then why?"

"Why?" the woman repeated, her face tensing again. She suddenly walked past him and made a sharp right.

Vlad only hesitated a bit before following after her.

Stephanie quickly led them to her office and closed the door behind them before moving over to her desk and opening a drawer. She pulled out a newspaper and slapped it on top of her desk.

"_This_ is why I am upset with you," she told him angrily.

Vlad only glanced at her before walking closer to the desk. But when he looked down at the newspaper, he tensed, though he finally understood her reasons.

The newspaper wasn't from Wisconsin. It was a newspaper from Amity Park. And on the front page there was a picture of Daniel with the word 'Missing' above it…

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Danny sighed as he walked up to the room that Stephanie had said was Annabelle's room. The door was slightly opened, but he didn't want to barge in. He already felt awkward enough being in some new house.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Stephanie or her daughter. They were both very nice people—albeit Vlad's secretary being a bit creepy towards him sometimes. Still, as nice as they were…, well, he only had recently met them. And although he now considered Annie his friend, he didn't have that same bond that he had with Sam and Tucker. Whenever they would go to their respective houses, they didn't even need to ask their respective parents' permission—well, except for Sam's—to come in and see their friend, and they seldom knocked on their bedroom doors. There was just this _ease_ between him and his friends in Amity that could only be built with someone after years of knowing them…

So, it was of no surprise when Danny tentatively raised his hand to knock, while his other one nervously rubbed at the back of his neck.

However, before he could actually knock, he heard the girl's voice he had expected from beyond the slightly opened door.

"_I don't know what's wrong with them, H__ǔ__z__ǐ__. I mean, why do they make things so complicated? And, my mom, I sometimes just don't get her! She's always so secretive when it comes to stuff about Vlad, and it just makes me so angry! Doesn't she trust me?"_

Danny cringed, realizing he had come at a bad time. Obviously, Annie was upset about something and she was venting it off with someone…

The teen quietly sighed again, unsure of what to do. He didn't want to interrupt her conversation; but he also didn't want to just stand out here and listen in…

Danny passed a hand through his hair before turning away, finally deciding he would just go back down and come back later. However, just as he took his first step, he accidently snagged his foot on the throw rug on the floor and fell face first with a small yelp.

"Some things just never really go away, do they?" he asked himself, annoyed with his clumsiness.

But as he pushed himself over and sat up to rub his sore ankle, Annie's door opened all the way and she blinked down at him in surprise.

"Danny? …What are you doing here…? And on the floor?"

Danny turned bright red, though he quickly stood up and smiled meekly. "Oh, heh. Hey, Annie. I just wanted to say hi, but you were talking to someone on the phone so I didn't want to interrupt…"

The girl turned bright red herself as she glanced back into her room and embarrassingly admitted, "No, I wasn't talking on the phone… I was, uh, talking to the cat... You know, the one I kept?"

"Oh," Danny answered awkwardly, not knowing what else to say to that.

Annabelle nodded back, all the while sure that the boy now probably thought she was crazy. But now that she saw him, she suddenly remembered something very important that happened over a week back. No longer embarrassed, her face melded into a deep frown.

"Is Vlad here?" she asked quietly, though her voice was serious.

Danny nodded, a bit surprised by her change of demeanor, though he still replied, "Yeah. He's talking with your mom."

"Lawrence is probably still down there, too," she remarked, rolling her eyes.

"Vlad's lawyer?" Danny guessed, though he still did not get what the big deal was with Mr. Claire's being here. Of course the ghost boy remembered the man, since he had overshadowed the lawyer that time at Vlad's castle during that business deal he purposely messed up. But that was when he was out for revenge since he had not been on the best of terms with Vlad then. And, of course, since then, he had seen the lawyer on many other occasions.

Annie didn't answer. Instead, she turned around and headed back into her room, this time leaving her door wide open.

Danny hesitated; but guessing that meant for him to follow her, he did just that. He saw the grey kitten the girl had kept on her bed. But then the teen only briefly glanced at the girl's room, though he could quickly tell that she must be into animals and photography by how she had decorated her room.

The teen smiled at the girl. "My friend, Sam, likes animals, too. Though, I think she's more into defending their rights than anything else," he commented.

But when Annie didn't reply and instead just stared soberly at him, Danny frowned worriedly and asked, "What's wrong?"

Annabelle glanced over at her open window, as if not knowing what to say… or maybe how to react to what had her upset…

Finally though, she looked back at Danny and quietly asked, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Danny tensed. "About what?"

Annabelle's face tensed and her green eyes narrowed just the slightest bit as she elaborated on her question. "Why didn't you tell me it was your mother who Vlad's in love with?"

The teen's eyes widened a bit and he took an unconscious step back.

"How… How did you…?" But Danny trailed off when he realized how Annie had discovered the truth. The girl had also been there when Stephanie had run into his mother just over a week back at Vlad's castle. Somehow, the girl must have figured it out.

Danny sighed. "I, uh…You didn't ask me, Annie," he muttered, unsure what else to say.

But, apparently, it had been the wrong answer…

"I didn't ask you?" she repeated, now looking really upset with him. "I _did_ ask you!"

"Your mom interrupted us before I could answer anything!" Danny defended himself, not wanting to admit the truth.

But the girl already knew the truth and she didn't hesitate to tell it to him, "Even if she hadn't, you wouldn't have told me, and you know it!"

This time, Danny fell quiet.

Annabelle sighed in frustration before crossing her arms and turning her glare back towards her window.

There was a small tense silence before the girl muttered bitterly, "I don't get it. Isn't your mother married to your father?" she asked, turning her eyes back to Danny.

"Yes," he answered. But then he sighed himself and said, "Look, I'm sorry. If I didn't tell you it's because I didn't want things to get awkward between us, and, well, I didn't want to be the one to have to tell you that. But…"

"What does Vlad _even_ _see_ in your mom?" Annabelle suddenly asked more to herself than the boy. But although she had not really meant it as an insult, her angry and bitter tone of voice made it sound like it.

Danny instantly frowned. "Look, I get you're upset, but that doesn't give you the right to—"

"Hasn't your mom told him she's not interested?" Annabelle almost demanded. "I mean, I don't get why Vlad's so hung up on her! My mom so much prettier and so much more—"

"Hey!" Danny abruptly exclaimed, instantly silencing the girl, especially when he pinned his own glare on her. "You need to stop," he told her seriously. "I don't care if you're angry; don't take it out on my mom! This isn't her fault. She has told Vlad she's not interested in every possible way imaginable! He's the one who can't take a hint, Annie! So, it's not right that you think you can blame all this on my mom, and on top of that _insult_ her! She a good person, and a great mom and wife, at that! Plus, I happen to think she's _very_ pretty! So, you need to stop, because I'm not going to stand here and let you talk bad about her. If you want to yell or insult someone over this, then take it out on me, but not my mom!"

Annabelle stared sadly at the angry boy before she sighed and slumped down on her bed, beside the kitten. There was another moment of silence; but then the girl shook her head and said, "I'm sorry, Danny. You're right. I… I didn't mean to say anything bad about your mom… I just…"

The girl sighed again and looked up at the teen before quietly saying, "You know how I said I didn't care that I don't have a father?"

Danny's angry look melded into a compassionate frown and he nodded.

"I guess I lied to you," she admitted guiltily. "It doesn't matter what people say, no kid can completely _not_ care that they don't have either their mother or father with them. But… I guess in my case, I've never really missed my real dad all that much because Vlad's always been around. Danny, Vlad is the closest thing I've ever had to a real father, and just the thought of anyone taking that away from me makes me so angry and upset. But… I guess the truth is that it's no one's fault that Vlad doesn't want to be with me and my mom."

Annabelle looked away again, clearly on the verge of tears, though she held them back as she asked the boy, "Why aren't we good enough for him, Danny?"

But the teen didn't have an answer for that, but he knew he could at least try to make her feel better…

Danny walked up to the girl and placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her an encouraging smile.

"Don't think like that, Annie. You and your mom are more than good enough for Vlad. He's just always been a bit of a… fruit loop."

Annabelle couldn't help but chuckle weakly with the comment. What an odd thing to call someone, yet it surprisingly hit the nail on the head right on.

Danny lowered his hand, though he continued a bit more seriously. "I haven't known you and your mom for very long, but I'm sure you two are exactly what Vlad needs. I mean, just look at your mom. She's not only, well, um, pretty, but I have never seen anyone stand up to Vlad and win like she does. She has confidence to match Vlad, and I'm pretty sure no one knows him better than her. Then, there's the fact that she and Vlad go a long way back, and he's practically raised you. So, if Vlad doesn't value that someday soon, then he's going to be the biggest idiot on the planet."

Annabelle sighed, though she stroked the grey kitten on her bed when it meowed for attention. "My mom's really upset with him…," she told Danny. "At first, I thought she was just angry because of your mom's appearance at his castle last week, but I think there's more to it now. I keep asking her to talk to me, but she won't tell me anything! I'm really worried about her, but, I'm also mad at her because she won't trust me!"

Danny bit his lip. He really pitied the girl; but having to be faced with her situation suddenly made Danny even more grateful for his family—that he had one and that it was whole.

A family he was now willingly abandoning…

Danny almost jolted with that abrupt thought and he couldn't help but feel guilt tug at his heart again.

But he quickly banished the thought and focused on the distraught girl.

"I can't ever fully understand what you're going through, Annie," Danny admitted to her. "But… I know what it feels like to fear losing someone you love. And I can guarantee you that whatever happens between Vlad and your mom, you're never going to lose him. He might still not see how you guys are all that he needs, but I'm totally sure he cares. In fact, he has been very upset over his fight with your mom."

"Really?" Annabelle asked, a bit hopeful.

Danny smiled and nodded. "Yeah. He was dying to come over and fix things with her."

But remembering Vlad's abrupt change of attitude when they first arrived just now, Danny frowned. He at least hoped the guy was going to fix things, like he had said.

Danny sighed before creasing his eyebrows and adding, "They're friends, Annie. And real friends cannot stay angry at each other for long. And real friends will always be there for each other. So, don't worry so much. It's going to be fine."

But when the girl didn't say anything, Danny quickly added with an understanding smile, "You know, I once got really upset and scared, too, when this one time my mom got really mad at my dad because my dad accidently forgot their anniversary. I even thought they were going to get a divorce! But when I tried to intervene, I just made things worse. Luckily, everything worked itself out. But after that experience, I learned that sometimes you just gotta have a little faith and just let the 'folks' solve their own problems, you know?"

Annie smiled this time. But then she unexpectedly stood up and hugged the boy.

Danny tensed in surprise, but he readily relaxed and lightly hugged her back with a small blush.

"Thanks, Danny," she said, pulling away. "You really are a nice and cool person. I'm really glad I got to meet you. I know we haven't known each other for very long, but I already feel like you are a true friend."

Danny rubbed his neck and chuckled. "Thanks. I also think of you as a friend now. So… no hard feelings?"

Annie shook her head. "The only one who has the right to be upset is _you_. I'm really sorry about what I said. I guess I can understand why you didn't tell me about your mom."

Danny smiled back. "It's alright, Annie. And I can also understand why you were upset. You had the right to know the truth, after all."

Annie sighed as she glanced over to her door. "I wish my mom thought the same…" But then looking back at Danny, she shook her head and smiled, suddenly saying, "Oh, gosh. I'm not being a very good host. Sit down," she said gesturing to her desk chair. "Do you want a drink? Or how about something to eat? Oh! My mom and I made steamed sponge cake today! Have you ever had it before?"

Danny blinked at her sudden questions. But he slowly shook his head, answering her last question. "Well, no, but I already ate—"

"Oh, then you gotta try it!" Annie cut him off before she quickly grabbed one of his hands and pulled him out of her room.

"Annie, I—" Danny began again. He really wasn't hungry.

"No. I won't take 'no' for an answer. You gotta broaden your taste buds, Danny," the girl said with a smile as she finally let go of him, though she kept leading them towards the stairs. "Trust me, you'll like Chinese Steamed Sponge Cake. It's very soft and moist. And my mom adds this coconut milk icing that's so good!"

Danny smiled a bit in amusement. Did Annie even realize how much she could act like her mom sometimes? Maybe that's why they suited Vlad so well. Their quirky personalities fit right in with the cheesehead's own.

The girl continued on about the Chinese dessert her and her mom had made, but just as they made it downstairs, the girl froze and readily frowned.

"I wonder if Mr. Claire left… It's quiet," she muttered.

Danny's eyebrows creased, realizing that the girl was right. "Where did Vlad and your mom go?" he asked back.

Annie didn't reply and instead went over to the front door. She then opened it and stuck her head out to look over at the driveway.

"Oh, good. He's gone," Annie finally said as she closed the door again after confirming the lawyer's car was gone. She smiled back at Danny and added, "Vlad and my mom are probably talking in her office. They always go in there when they talk business." She paused and further added with a roll of her eyes, "Or when they talk about something they don't want me to hear."

Danny just glanced curiously over at the large office door to which Annie had motioned. But the girl quickly got over her brief annoyance and led them to the kitchen.

"You drink hot tea, Danny?" she asked as she gestured for him to take a seat at the kitchen table.

Danny smiled slightly as he replied, "Now I do…"

Annie looked at him and suddenly laughed, clearly understanding his underlying message. After all, she knew how much Vlad liked tea.

"Well, I'm gonna make you a Chinese tea. It goes really good with the cake."

"Sure. I'm a lot more open about food nowadays," he said with a chuckle, though he mentally added, _"So long as it doesn't have some ghostly ingredient in it." _

Their now light conversation not only continued on the topic of food, but then also drifted to talking about school and even friends.

Danny was actually quite happy to tell the girl more about his two best friends, though doing so made him miss them even more. He really couldn't wait to return to Amity to see them again…

After Annie cut them a slice of the Chinese dessert and made them the tea, she sat down at the table with her friend.

Danny smiled at the plate in front of him. He had never heard of Chinese Steamed Sponge Cake, but it looked good, especially with the white coconut icing on top and strawberries.

When he tried it, he smiled. It was as good as it looked. It was a lot softer and moister than any cake he had. In fact, it almost melted in his mouth. And the creamy coconut milk icing gave it an extra creamy and sweeter taste. It was very different, but it was really good, nonetheless.

"Wow. I'm gonna have to come by more often. This is really good. And the tea really does fit," Danny commented as he took another bite of his cake.

Annabelle grinned. "I'm glad you like it. Vlad loves it. Whenever my mom invites him for dinner or something, he always insists that my mom make him this for dessert."

"Yeah, he really has a taste for Chinese cuisine," Danny said with a small chuckle.

"Maybe he'll have some after he fixes everything with my mom," Annie added more to herself with a hopeful smile.

But before Danny could say anything, she curiously and quite unexpectedly asked him, "How much longer will you be in Wisconsin, Danny?"

"Well…," Danny said with a growing smile, actually feeling excited about sharing the news about his staying with someone who would be happy about it. "If my parents agree to it, I might be staying around here permanently."

Annie's eyes widened. "Really? That's great! But about school and your friends and family?"

Danny's smiled faltered a bit. "Uh, well, I'll be able to visit them whenever I want, and with school… I currently have a tutor…"

Annie made a face. "You're getting home schooled? Isn't that boring for you?"

Danny took a slow sip of his tea to buy himself a moment to think of a response. But then with a small shrug, he finally replied, "It's not so bad. But I guess I would have to eventually go back to regular school. Um, Vlad wants me to, anyways. He even said he wants me to go to… your school."

"Oh my gosh! That would be so cool! You'd like it there, Danny," Annie beamed. "Did you know Henry goes there? You remember him, right? He asked me about you the other day."

Danny smiled. He remembered the boy alright. He was the son of the owner of that hotel where Mark's gala had taken place. The kid also was really outgoing and spontaneous. And he had been pretty cool with him at the party.

"Yeah, I remember him. And I'm sure if I do have to end up going to a new school, I am going to feel a lot better about it knowing you and Henry are there, too."

Annabelle took a sip of her tea before asking, "Not that I'm not happy with the news, but… what made you decide to stay with Vlad?"

Danny passed a hand through his hair as he replied with a deep sigh. "It's a long story. But, I guess you can say I'm needed more here. And, well, it's also better for me. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's not like I don't like my life in Amity. But I just… I don't know. I want something different."

Annie slowly nodded, though she was not sure if she understood what he was trying to say. But dismissing it, she smiled a bit more and said, "Well, since you'll be around more often, maybe you can help me out with my mom and Vlad…"

Danny chuckled as he raised his hands in surrender. "Sorry, Annie. But I'm not very good at playing 'matchmaker'."

"Oh, come on!" she insisted. "You're on the inside! You gotta help me!"

"You make it sound like we're pulling off a heist, Annie," Danny remarked with an amused look.

The girl lightly rolled her eyes. "What I mean is that Vlad listens to you."

"When he wants to," Danny said with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, right. I've seen how he acts around you," she retorted, raising her own eyebrow. "If anyone can convince him, it's you."

Danny frowned lightly. "And what exactly do you want me to convince him about?"

Annie traced the mouth of her tea cup with a finger as she innocently replied, "Oh, not much… Just that he'll make a trip with my mom and I to… Florida."

The teen's eyes widened a bit, but he then soberly said, "He's not going to go there, Annie."

The girl frowned back. "Why not? He grew up there. Wait. Do you know why he won't go back?"

Danny quickly looked away before hesitantly saying, "I… I don't' think I should…"

"Tell me, Danny," Annie quickly cut him off in a plea. "I'm tired of being left out of everything! If you know, you must tell me!"

The teen sighed. He didn't want to lie to his new friend, but… would Vlad be upset if he told Annie the truth…?

"Annie, it's kinda personal and I'm not sure Vlad—"

"I won't say anything. I promise," she interrupted him again.

Danny fell quiet as he looked at his empty plate. But finally deciding the girl had a lot more of a right to know than him, he quietly answered, "You know how Vlad's mother died, right?"

"Yeah…," Annabelle said slowly.

"Well, did your mom ever tell you how his father died?"

She nodded. "Yeah, he died in a car accident. Is that why he won't go back?"

"Part of it," Danny answered, realizing the girl knew after all. "But it has to do with his twin sister's death, too. He was really close to her."

Annabelle jolted, clearly not knowing as much as the boy had thought.

"Wait. Vlad had a twin sister? And she died, too? How?"

Danny frowned. "In the same car accident as his dad… I thought you knew. Her name was Viviane. In fact, her nickname was the same as yours: 'Annie."

The girl's breath stilled. "I-I didn't know that. My mom never told me."

Danny cringed. "I'm sure she had her reasons. Like I said, this was pretty personal for Vlad. But… that's why he stopped talking to your mom all those years. He wanted to just forget anything and everything that reminded him of his twin… "

Annie's gaze lowered to her tea, though she quietly whispered, "Now it all makes sense… Poor bà ba…"

The girl suddenly looked up at him and seriously said, "But maybe that's it, Danny. I mean, perhaps Vlad has worked so hard to forget about everything that he really has, and a visit to Florida will help him remember. I know he loved my mom at one point. He just needs to remember his feelings for her. That, and… it can't be good that he refuses to visit his childhood home. That alone is a reason for him to go back. I'm sure it had to really hurt, but it can't be healthy to bury your past like that!"

Danny sighed. "Annie, this is really rocky territory. I doubt Vlad would even listen to me long enough for him to consider going back to Florida. Sometimes it's better to just leave things well enough alone. I really don't want to push him to have to face something he doesn't want to. I mean, I can only imagine how horrible it had to be to have to lose your family. I can't bring myself to ask Vlad to go back and relive that pain, Annie."

"But, Danny," she said pleadingly. "Maybe it's what he needs. Sometimes we gotta go through stuff that hurts to grow and realize what's important in life. I just… Please, just talk to him. Just try. If he says 'no', then we'll leave it alone."

Danny still looked reluctant, but he nodded. "Alright. I'll try to talk to him about it. But that's all I'm gonna do, Annie. I respect that you have your own way of doing things and that you want to get involved with your mom and Vlad's relationship. But that's not me. And I don't exactly have a right to do so, either."

Annie grinned. "Okay, Danny. I understand and thank you!"

Danny smiled back, but then he raised an eyebrow and questioned, "By the way, what does… 'baba' mean? You often call Vlad that…"

Annabelle happily replied, "_Bà__ba, _is the informal Chinese word for 'father'."

Danny almost choked on his drink. "You call him 'father'?"

Annabelle chuckled. "Well, yeah. I told you I consider Vlad practically my father. He always smiles when I call him that. I think deep down he likes the idea of having children."

Danny huffed, knowing how true that was. "Yeah, I'm sure he does."

"Well, since we're on the topic, you gotta tell me something I've been dying to know," Annabelle said.

Danny raised an eyebrow. "And what's that?"

"Why does my mom call you 'little jié'?"

He chuckled. "Beats me. I don't even know what it means," he answered before taking a sip of his tea.

"Well, that's easy Danny. 'jié' means 'hero'. My mom calls you 'little hero.'"

This time he did choke on his tea and he stared up at Annabelle with wide, horrified eyes.

"What's wrong? Is it something bad?" Annie asked, oblivious. "I always thought you did some noble act she knows about, which was why she calls you that… Is that it, Danny?"

But the boy didn't reply as his hands unconsciously coiled on the table. Stephanie knew. She knew who he was. She knew he was Danny Phantom! It was the only logical explanation as to why she called him 'little hero'!

Vlad had told her. Vlad had told her **his** secret! No wonder she always looked at him with that creepy—no, not creepy, it was a _knowing_ look. She knew all this time who he was! And that also meant she knew Vlad was half-ghost, too!

But… but did that mean she knew _everything_? He already knew the woman knew about Vlad's grudge against his father and his love for his mother. And apparently she also knew they were both half-ghost. But… did she know all that Vlad had done as Plasmius?

Did she know how he had stolen his first million? Did she know how he had been trying to get revenge on his father and steal his mother? Did she know how Vlad had wanted to _kill_ his father—and had tried on a few occasions? Did she know all the evil he had done?

Was it possible that she even knew that Vlad had brought him here against his will—by threatening his sister's life?

"Danny… are you alright?" Annabelle asked worriedly, noticing the boy's face growing angrier and angrier by the second.

What kind of person was Stephanie, then? Was she Vlad's accomplice with everything? And….

HOW DARE VLAD TELL SOME STRANGER HIS SECRET?

Danny abruptly got out of his seat; and now too livid to even think rationally anymore, he stormed over to where Vlad and Stephanie supposedly were.

Meanwhile, Annabelle jumped to her own feet and quickly raced after him, exclaiming, "Danny, what's going on? Why are you so angry?"

But the boy was only focused on getting to Vlad. Oh, he was so going to tell that jerk off!

* * *

"How did you get this?" Vlad asked soberly, without looking at his friend. It was a newspaper from when the boy had _first_ gone missing. It couldn't be anything else since Daniel's disappearance had become 'old news' after all these months.

"Does it matter?" she replied angrily.

The billionaire turned his eyes away from the newspaper and answered in a mixture of worry and indignation, "Humor me, Stephanie."

"Vlad, I have helped you take down multibillion dollar corporations by simply digging up a bit of dirt about them. And you are asking me how I got a hold of a meager newspaper from a small town?" she asked incredulously. But then her lips pursed as she further added, "And just to get it out of the way, I also got into the police database. I found it odd how there's no 'missing person' report on Daniel…. I hardly doubt his parents wouldn't report his disappearance to the police, so I can only imagine _someone_ made it vanish_—_perhaps literally…"

Vlad's eyes flashed red, though the woman's eyes surprisingly only narrowed further at the sight. She knew her friend was angry. But she was angrier.

"What have I told you?" the man whispered before he abruptly exclaimed, "My business with the Fentons is my business and mine alone, Stephanie!" He suddenly grabbed the newspaper off the table and let it burst into pink flames in his hand as he furiously hissed, "You had no right to do this!"

"I had every right!" she snapped back, rounding on him in spite of the fact that his hand was still glowing with ghost energy. "You were the one who brought Daniel to Wisconsin! And the moment you brought him into my daughter's and my life you gave me that right!"

Indeed, Stephanie knew a lot, even if she had only hinted at it for all this time. She knew about her _half-ghost_ friend and how he was bent on revenge against Jack… And she also knew about his strained relationship with Jack's half-ghost son—Daniel.

And yet, she didn't know the true extent of it since Vlad had personally made sure to keep her from finding out. The woman simply thought that the hybrids' strained relationship had to do with Vlad's wanting to woo the boy's mother. She also thought Vlad's revenge was simply against Jack and that he wanted to get back at the man for that accident that left him in the hospital for so many years. She had tried to talk her friend out of his goal, telling him to just forgive and forget and move on, but Vlad had never listened. And her pleas would always end up with their arguing. So, she had just left it alone and tried her best to stay out of Vlad's affair with the Fentons.

So, when Danny had initially come to Wisconsin, it had been very surprising. She wasn't exactly alarmed by it because she never thought the boy was in any danger with her friend. Still, that had not kept her from doing a bit of investigating from the very beginning. She had right away questioned Danny about his being at Vlad the first chance she got, which had been the day the boy had come with her friend to Dalv. She had even demanded an explanation from Vlad, but the man had simply told her that he had convinced Maddie and Jack to let Daniel stay with him for a time. And having seen no hint of this being untrue, since Danny didn't seem all that upset to be with Vlad, Stephanie had accepted it, especially when her friend was quick to tell her it wasn't any of her business, anyways.

She would have never guessed that her friend's lie was _so_ far from the truth. She had never thought Vlad would hurt a kid out of revenge against the boy's father. And that was because she indeed did not know the extent of her friend's hate for Jack.

It wasn't so hard for Vlad to hide it, though, since in all these years, he had made sure to keep Stephanie from finding out what he did as Plasmius. He also always kept his ghost persona out of the _human_ public eye—unlike Danny.

It really was how he had gotten away with so much in all these years. After all, he was very careful with his ghost half. The largest scandal that _Plasmius_ had been involved in was the incident with Pariah Dark. And the media believed the 'mysterious and powerful' ghost that had assisted Danny Phantom that day had been _helping_ Amity Park.

Only Danny truly knew of the 'evil things' Plasmius had done.

So, keeping from Stephanie things, like, how he had stole his first million, or how he wanted not only revenge, but had also wanted—and tired—to kill Jack was practically effortless. The woman had no idea about even half of the horrible things he did as Plasmius. And Vlad had hoped it would stay that way…

But now that Stephanie had unveiled the truth about Danny's 'visit' to Wisconsin, she was starting to realize that her friend's hate and resentment had left him capable of much more than she could have ever imagined…

"What did you do, Vlad?" she demanded. "How did you convince that boy to leave his home for you? Especially when you told me yourself that the boy wanted nothing to do with you since your college reunion?"

But the billionaire didn't answer, though the energy in his hand vanished.

And further seeing most of her friend's anger meld into… regret with her question, Stephanie's eyes widened as her worse suspicion was confirmed.

She placed a hand against her mouth as she drew in a shaky breath before whispering, "You _forced_ him to come here… didn't you?"

Vlad's eyebrows creased, knowing it would be pointless to deny it anymore when the evidence was now stacked against him.

"Stephanie… I was angry." But when he saw her eyes shroud with disappointment, he sighed and moved past her. He paced a bit before looking at his now quiet friend and asking her, "Do you remember when I first told you about him?" But he didn't let her answer and further said, "I had been astounded to know there was someone else like me; and the best irony was that he was _Maddie's_ son! Initially, part of my interest to have Daniel at my side was because I realized taking him from Jack would be a better revenge than simply ruining him."

Again, Vlad left out that part of his revenge plans had also once included killing his college friend…

"But after all this time…," the billionaire continued, only to pause and instead say with more fervor, "Stephanie, I have wanted him at my side for so long, and you cannot imagine how much it stung to be denied by him over and over again—to be denied just as Maddie denies me for Jack!"

The man paused once more and sighed. "Yes, I forced Daniel to come here. I gave him no choice but to leave his hometown and come to me…. I now know that my actions were rash and foolish… But I had been _so angry_ that he wouldn't join me that…"

"You practically kidnapped him," Stephanie finished soberly. Vlad just stared sadly at her, but she then asked him, "How did you do it? How did you force him to come here?"

But the billionaire shook his head and muttered, "You do not want to know."

Stephanie closed her eyes and began to breathe heavily a she whispered mostly to herself. "I should have known… No, deep down I just knew something wasn't right the moment I saw Maddie's son here…! I-I just never thought you would be capable of…"

Seeing his friend close to panicking, Vlad quickly moved forward and grabbed her shoulders and assured her, "Stephanie. It's alright. I—"

But she didn't let him finish as she suddenly pushed him away from her.

"You foolish man!" she exclaimed as her eyes began to glistened with tears. "Do you even have the slimmest idea what you have just done? Do you not care that you have jeopardize both yours and that boy's secret? You could lose everything! Vlad, you could go to jail for this! And-And not only you, but me! You've turned me into your accomplice!"

"That is precisely why I told you to stay out of my affairs with the Fentons, Stephanie!" he exclaimed, though he sounded desperate. "You were not supposed to get involved! You were not supposed to know about this!"

"_Do not_ _dare_ blame this on me, Vladimir!" she hissed, her shaking hands fisting. "I told you, you got me and Annie involved the moment you brought that boy here!"

"Stephanie, you need to calm down," Vlad pleaded, truly worried for his friend. He didn't even remember the last time he saw her lose her composure like this. "I am going to fix this."

"The only way to fix this is to call the police," she suddenly whispered.

Vlad instantly tensed and fell quiet.

He just looked at her, and she knew exactly what the man was thinking. If she did that, she would destroy his life forever.

Stephanie's unshed tears finally fell. "I cannot keep quiet about this. If… If you get caught, we will both go to jail… What would happen to my daughter, then, Vlad?"

The half-ghost sighed before he soberly said, "I will not ask you to risk yourself for me…. If you truly believe that is the only solution, then go ahead. Call the police, Stephanie. Tell them everything."

The woman looked at him for a moment before suddenly moving over to her desk and grabbing the phone there. Vlad just gravely watched as she pressed the 'talk' button, and the phone's dial tone reached his sensitive ears.

But just as her shaking finger hovered over the first number, she couldn't bring herself to even push that first one.

Stephanie just as quickly threw the phone back on the desk, and instead, sat down on her office chair and buried her face in her hands, whispering, "I can't do it! I can't do it!"

Vlad was crouched down in front of her in an instant. "Stephanie?"

She looked helplessly at him as she whispered, "I can't hurt you…"

At that moment, the billionaire realized that he truly had never had a greater friend than this woman.

"Stephanie," he said again with a sigh of regret. "I am sorry I compromised you like this. I'm sorry I lied to you. But… you have to believe me. I am going to _fix_ this," he assured her.

"How can _anything_ fix the fact that your hate for Jack Fenton grew so much that you were willing to hurt a young boy? How can you fix having ripped him from his home and his family out of revenge?" she questioned, a mixture of anger and disappointment in her voice.

"I cannot take back what I did," Vlad answered, grabbing her hands as he stayed crouched down in front of her. "But I can make things right. I can rectify the harm I have caused the boy. You see, Stephanie, I do not have to force Daniel to be at my side anymore… He wants to be! He _chose_ to stay with me!" he revealed with a hopeful smile.

"What?" she asked, unsure of what the man meant.

Vlad let go of his friend's hands and suddenly stood up as he told her with the same happy smile. "It's exactly how it sounds. Daniel has finally realized that he belongs at my side—that he will be better off with me. Stephanie, he is going to remain here with me out of his own free will!"

"And… his family?" Stephanie asked, still unable to believe what she was hearing.

"They will be fine," he said dismissively. But then Vlad grinned and he suddenly began to pace, but in excitement as he added, "And he will see them whenever he wants. Just hear me out. I have it all planned. The boy and I are going to Amity this week—just as soon as I get the papers that I need to assure this all works out. His parents will be thrilled to have him back. And, of course, they will be grateful towards me, which will work in my favor when it comes time to convince them to allow Daniel to live with me here in Wisconsin. Maddie will be the hardest to convince, but, of course, I have Jack to vouch in my favor. I plan on finally getting Daniel away from anymore of his foolish and dangerous ghost hunting. He will focus on his grades and his wellbeing here, and I will help him with his developing powers—as it should be. Do you see, Stephanie? This is the best thing that could have happened! You have always wanted me to forgive Jack and move on, well, I can do that now. I have Daniel. I have a son now, and I am more than willing to dedicate all my time and energy to him! And before you ask me about Amity's safety, I can assure you I have also thought of that. In fact, I have covered every possibility and outcome. No one will discover our secrets, and with this alliance, we are both going to be for the better! Everything will be for the better!"

But when he grinned back at his friend, his excitement quickly fell when he realized she was just staring at him with a troubled and almost fearful expression.

"Stephanie, everything is going to be alright," he insisted, more serious, this time. "This whole foolishness about the boy's disappearance will be a thing of the past in just a few days. Stephanie, for once in a very long time, I feel hopeful. I'm _happy_." He paused before further confessing. "He… He reminds me of Annie. In a way, it is like I have her with me again. Do you see? Daniel is everything I have lost and more!"

Vlad became worried when his friend still didn't say anything.

But Stephanie just didn't even know what to say. The truth was that there were _so many_ things wrong with everything her friend was saying that she didn't even know where to begin; but suddenly finding a thought to bring it together, she sighed and lowered her eyes.

"Do you remember when I once told you that I couldn't decided if having Daniel with you was a good thing for you or not?" She shook her head and looked at her friend sadly as she then said, "I'm sure now it's not. In fact, it might just be one of the worst things that have happened to you."

"How can you say that?" Vlad asked, a little angry. "Stephanie, this is what I have always wanted! He _needs_ me. And I need him!"

"No, Vlad. This 'need' of which you speak is wrong! Can't you see that you are _both_ destroying your lives?"

"That's outrageous!" Vlad denied.

"Is it?" Stephanie retorted, standing up. "Look at you. Do you even hear all that you have said? Comparing him to your sister? That it's like you have her again? Saying he's everything you've lost and more? _You're obsessed." _But pausing only slightly, she added even more troubled, "And… so is Daniel, if he has agreed to this insanity!" She sighed sharply before saying, "I… I don't understand, Vlad. Why is your relationship with that boy always so _extreme_?"

"What? Do you prefer that I go about hating Jack, and as result have the boy detest me and I him?" Vlad asked, appalled.

"That is exactly what I am talking about!" Stephanie exclaimed, briefly pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. "Why is it that you two either hate each other relentlessly, or you gravitate so close that you both push _everything else_ away? Why can't there be an in between? How can there _ever_ be any balance in your relationship with that boy when there's no midpoint—no restraint to it?"

Vlad shook his head, believing she was exaggerating. He was quiet for a moment before he soberly replied, "You were right when you said earlier that you do not understand. And, I suppose, I cannot blame you for being unable to. But the fact of the matter is that I am not going to let him go," he said with conviction. "He _chose_ to stay and _nothing_ is going to take him from me now—nothing."

Stephanie nodded. "Alright, Vlad…. Do as you want." She returned back to her desk and pulled out an envelope with a letter inside from the same cabinet from which she had initially taken out the Amity newspaper.

"We might be friends, but I do not have to support everything you do," she continued soberly, her eyes to the item she had just pulled out. But looking at him, she further said, "Still, I am not going to stand in your way… Then again, if nothing else matters to you but Daniel, then that just make this easier, I suppose."

Vlad frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You want to know why I called in sick today? …It was to straighten a few things out, and… to make _this_."

The billionaire stared warily at his friend as she extended the sealed envelope at him. "What…? What is this?" he asked slowly, hesitantly taking it from his friend.

Stephanie's eyebrows creased just slightly in sadness, though there was conviction in her gaze as she replied, "My resignation letter—two weeks in advanced, if need be."

Vlad's eyes instantly widened with horror. "_What?_ You cannot resign from Dalv!"

"I can. And I am," Stephanie said seriously, crossing her arms.

"No. You cannot do this to me!" Vlad replied, sounding angry and mortified. "Forget the fact that no one knows my companies like you do, how are you going to just resign after all these years?"

"You will find someone else. Perhaps you could promote one of your sub-secretaries," Stephanie said with a small shrug. Though, in truth, this decision was definitely a lot harder than she was letting on. But… she couldn't bear all this heartache and disappointment anymore. And most importantly, she couldn't watch, let alone be part of, everything her friend was doing. She was afraid where it could lead him.

"No. I am not going to hire someone else, nor am I going to promote anyone," Vlad snapped. But his anger faltered as he sadly told her, "I-I could never replace you. I could never trust anymore else like I trust you, Stephanie."

The woman bit her lip before replying, "I cannot support what you are doing, Vlad; but I also cannot bring myself to stop you. So, the best solution for the both of us is for me to put a considerable amount of distance between us."

"So you are abandoning me?" Vlad asked, his voice a bit cold now.

"Abandoning you?" Stephanie repeated, sounding heartbroken. "Vlad, how can I be abandoning you when all I have done since Viviane died is _fight_ to _stay_ in your life? When all _you_ have ever done, even to this day, is to fight just as hard to keep me out of it? I…I don't think there is room for me in your life anymore… Perhaps once, long ago, but now…" She sighed before she quietly added, "I am doing you a favor. I won't be an obstacle for you anymore…."

"Obstacle?" Vlad repeated before suddenly grabbing the woman by the shoulders and desperately telling her, "Stephanie, you are my _friend_. In fact, the only real one I have."

But the woman moved away and turned her back on him as she tiredly asked, "When, Vlad? When am I your friend? In here? Inside my house or yours? Behind closed doors?" She looked back at him and added with a bitter smile, "You couldn't even introduce me as such to Daniel's mother."

Vlad sighed. "… You know who I am. What do you want me to do? Let the world know my secretary is my most intimate friend—that I grew up with her and once shared…" He hesitated. "…a lot with her? You know what would happen."

"I do not need the world to know anything," she replied, almost desperate. Her eyebrows creased as she placed a hand against her chest and added, "_I _would just like to know. I would like to know where I fit in your life, Vlad. Your secretary? Your friend? Or just the person you come to when you feel desperate enough to remember her? If you really want me near you as you keep assuring me, then tell me what role you want me to take and I'll take it! But I cannot keep up with trying to be your secretary one part of the day, then your friend on another part, then a day later something in between, and the rest of the days having to deal with the feeling that you do not want me anywhere near you! I need you to make up your mind because my heart and mind cannot take all this confusion and pain anymore!"

Vlad lowered his eyes, knowing his friend was right. There had once been a balance to their relationship; but in these past months, he had made a mess of things with his friend.

Still, there was a deeper truth in all this as well... And after having opened his heart to the younger hybrid, sharing that truth with his friend now wasn't as hard as it would have been a couple of months ago… In fact, a few months back, he probably would have never told her what he did next…

"Stephanie, you are very special to me," he said softly. "You are all that's left of a time in my life when everything I knew was _real_."

"Is that it, then? I'm a memory for you? A window to your past that you look through whenever you _want to_ _remember_ it?"

"No, you are a good and loyal friend!" he corrected her passionately. "You are the person who has been with me through the darkest times in my life. Your optimism and care for me has been the only thing that has kept me _human_ in spite of what I became—in spite of the hate, and lies, and hypocrisy that surrounds me that have practically _become my life._ Do you not understand? I need you, Stephanie. Without you, there would be nothing _real_ left in my life."

Vlad sighed as he quietly added, "For goodness sake, woman. Have you not realized after all this time that I would be lost without you?"

His friend could only stare back at him in astonishment. Stephanie didn't even remember the last time her friend had been this… _open_ about his feelings. And she most certainly never thought she would ever hear him admit he needed something outside _his_ own strength to be who he was…

"Forgive me for hurting you," he then said sincerely, surprising the woman even more. "I have made a lot of mistakes lately, but it has all been in the hope of finally obtaining what I need."

Stephanie instantly saddened again. "Daniel and Maddie's love? Is that what you need?"

"That's what I want," he said with a deeper sigh. "But… I have realized that out of the two, who I need is him. I know you think I'm obsessed, but I'm not. It is not like that anymore," he assured her seriously. "I truly _care_ about that boy, Stephanie. I…I love him as if he were my own son—my own flesh and blood. I know how it sounds because I still cannot believe it myself sometimes. But… I feel this… I don't know—this _connection_ with him. I feel this inexplicable urge to protect him—to always keep him close."

He paused and his eyebrows furrowed, as if he was trying to understand all this himself. And yet, even when he couldn't explain it, he was sure of what he felt…

"You know that I stopped believing a _long_ time ago that everything has a purpose in life—that the things that happen have a significant reason. And yet, when I now look at Daniel, it is as if that boy is the personification of _my_ purpose in life. It's as if he represents some destiny I must fulfill. In all honesty… it frightens and disconcerts me most of the time. But every time I wonder if I have finally lost my mind, I _look at him_ and it feels _so right_ that I don't care if I have. I don't care that _this feeling_ makes no sense because it feels _right_."

Stephanie smiled sadly at him. "I never thought I would see this side of you again…" But her smile vanished as she worriedly added, "But now I am very afraid for you… Vlad, you are putting too much faith in this boy. Don't get me wrong. After all the good I have heard he has done, I am more than sure he is worthy of it; but, Vlad… _He's only fifteen._ If this… 'connection' you believe you both share disconcerts _you_, imagine how much more it could confuse a _child_! I'm sorry, Vlad. But I honestly do not believe Daniel realizes what he is doing if he has truly chosen to remain with you."

"Of course he realizes!" Vlad said defensively. "I don't think I have ever heard him sound so sure of something. And, besides, his choice cannot possibly be that hard to believe. You just said it yourself. He is a child—and no child wants to be in the line of danger every day. No child wants to have the weight of the world on his shoulders. And no child wants to give up the normalcy in his life! _Why_ do you make this sound so terrible, Stephanie? Why is it that no one but the boy and I see how I am _helping_ him? Or, what? Do you think it is right for a fifteen-year-old to have near-death experiences almost every day and to have supernatural enemies out to destroy him? …What if it was _Annabelle_ in Daniel's shoes?" the man asked seriously.

Stephanie lowered her eyes, but had to honestly answer, "I would never allow it."

Feeling a bit of hope that perhaps she was beginning to understand, Vlad continued, though a bit of desperation return to his voice. "Stephanie, all I want at this point is to protect and help him. But I also feel that in doing so, I'm helping myself. I _need_ him. And you have no idea how much I have sacrificed for things to finally end up as they are—_how much I have had to let go…_ And I am sure I will have to give up a lot more by the time this is all said and done. But…" He suddenly grabbed her hands with his growing anxiety. "I do not want you and Annabelle to be part of those sacrifices I must make. So, please, tell me. _Tell me_ what I have to do to keep from losing you in all this."

She looked quietly at him before gently removing her hands from his hold and shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Vlad. But I cannot stand behind you with this. Not this. And I cannot turn a blind eye to the lies and immorality that surround the fact that you are willing to take a young boy from his family." She paused briefly before adding, "Don't get me wrong. I am not judging you. I have no right when I know _I _have done plenty of wrong things myself."

Shrugging lightly, the woman commented more to herself than Vlad, "…I guess honesty and nobility were two of the things we both lost when your sister passed away. After all, out of the three of us, she had always been the voice of reason…"

She smiled fondly at some distant memory, while Vlad just looked away to hide the sadness in his eyes.

However, when she snapped out of it and noticed her friend's reaction, she soberly said, "Unfortunately, we have had to learn to live without her. Still, I might not be the angel your sister was, but I do have enough of a conscience to know where to draw the line. And more importantly, I now have Annabelle. And I need to be a good mother and the best person I _can_ be for her." She smiled sorrowfully at Vlad again as she assured him, "No matter what you do or who you become, I will never stop being your friend, Vlad. I will _never_ abandon you. But for my daughter's sake, I cannot stay _near _you in these circumstances."

Her eyebrows creased as she finally said in a painful tone of voice, "If you take Daniel from his family, Vlad, then you will lose Annie and me."

Vlad's face tense with her last words, and he almost coldly asked, "So, that is it, then? That's your decision?"

"No, Vlad. It's yours," she gently corrected him before reaching out and placing a hand against his face, effectively melting away the tension on his face. "It has _always_ been your decision. And for as long as you have known the Fentons, you have _always_ chosen them over Annie and me—over our friendship. Whether it had been in your quest to gain Maddie's love or your adamant need for revenge against Jack—that has always been more important to you. And now, with… Daniel…."

She lowered her hand, though she smiled weakly as she further said, "It's alright, though. I am not reproaching you for it. You have the right to choose your priorities. And I never expected you to choose any differently this time around. I just hope with all my heart that your decision doesn't cause _you_ another disappointment. And I sincerely hope that I am wrong, and that having Daniel with you is as right as you and that boy believe."

Vlad just stared at her, unable to find anymore words after that. He didn't understand Stephanie's need to bring up his relationship with the Fenton family every time they talked about _their_ relationship. And now she made it sound like the Fentons were an _obstacle_ between what they had.

And yet, after hearing all she had said, he couldn't help but wonder if she was right…

After all, ever since Stephanie came back into his life, he had always been set on keeping the part of his life that **involved** her and her daughter away from that other part of him that was attached to the Fentons. He had always told himself that the reason for it was because one had nothing to do with the other. But perhaps it was more than that. Perhaps deep down, he knew that what he had with his childhood friend and what he had with his college friends opposed each other. It seemed that the only way he could deal with both was through deceit or by always keeping them separate.

And yet… Somewhere in these months, he had disrupted the balance between both relationships. Perhaps it _was_ from the moment he had brought Daniel to Wisconsin. But one thing was certain**:** Vlad was having a hard time keeping his friendships separate now. In fact, he suddenly remembered how he had been comparing his feelings for Maddie and Stephanie not too long ago…

But why had he done that? His feelings for them were completely different! Maddie was the love of his life; and Stephanie… She was just a good friend… Wasn't she?

Vlad mentally froze when he suddenly recalled part of that strange conversation he had had with Stephanie in his office some time back…

_"You were not alone in that hospital, Vlad," Stephanie said quietly. And…you did not always care for Maddie, either," she added._

_Vlad froze, but then he turned to look at Stephanie, some strange emotion in his eyes as he replied, "You're right… I didn't." _

_But in his mind he added, __"I once cared for you…"_

Vlad tensed even more. It was true… He had once loved Stephanie… Is that why he had been comparing her to Maddie lately?

But he honestly didn't know what he felt for either of them when he did. It was easy to say he loved Maddie when he pretended like Stephanie didn't exist, or to say he cared deeply for his childhood friend when Daniel's mother was in the back of his thoughts. But… when he acknowledged **both** in his mind, his feelings made no sense. It was if some emotional line blurred between them… But why?

Had everything that happened surrounding the boy confused his feelings? Unless… It wasn't that he didn't understand his feelings, but, rather, something more significant…

Did he know what he felt and was just _afraid_ of accepting what his real feelings were…?

"It's getting late, I think you should…," Stephanie began when she realized their conversation was over.

"Wait," Vlad suddenly said, grabbing her arm before she could move away from him. He stared at her for a moment before suddenly pulling her even closer.

Stephanie tensed at finding herself close enough to have to tilt her head up to keep her eyes on him. "Vlad…?" she asked quietly and nervously.

At this proximity, Vlad's sensitive hearing captured the sound of his friend's suddenly racing heartbeat without even needing to consciously enhance it. And as his own thoughts at the office echoed pass his mind again, he suddenly remembered how much he once enjoyed being this close to Stephanie when they had been more than just friends…

"_I once cared for you…"_

And not just cared… He had loved her so much. He had thought he always would… Whatever happened to that? When had he stopped loving Stephanie?

Vlad had no idea. But… he remembered when he had started loving Maddie… So, what did that mean? Did one love replace the other? Or, was one stronger than the other? Was it even possible to be in love with two people?

If so, hadn't he already given Daniel his word that he would give up Maddie?

"What if..," Vlad suddenly said quietly, his blue eyes darkening with some unknown intensity. "For once… It wasn't my choice. What if I would ask _you_ to choose for me?"

Stephanie's eyebrows creased, not exactly sure what her friend was really asking, but still guessed and answered, "It doesn't work like that. I cannot choose for you. And even if I could, you would not want that."

"How do you know?" the man retorted, his hold on her arm softening. "How do you know one word from you would not change my mind entirely?"

"A-About, Daniel?" she asked, growing even more nervous at the numerous meanings his question had. Though somehow, she was sure that his being this near to her was more than a hint from him that he was expecting another answer than the one she gave…

Vlad knew Stephanie knew he wasn't talking about the boy. He could see it in her eyes. So, instead of answering, he continued.

"You said I have always chosen my relationship with the Fentons over the one I have with you and Annabelle…. Would you like me to choose differently? If I did—" He suddenly, though gently, placed the back of his free hand against his friend's cheek. "—would you stay with me, then?" he asked.

Stephanie instantly blushed, though she now couldn't tear her gaze from the man's own—not when he had touched her with such softness. She didn't know how to react to it, let alone how to respond. The way he was looking at her, it almost reminded her of how he looked at her when they had been…

"Answer me, Stephanie," Vlad quietly urged, as his hand moved down and he softly cupped her chin. "What would happen if I didn't choose her, and instead… I chose you?"

Stephanie's heart raced. Had he just said what she thought she heard? Did he mean that he might choose….? Her mind was a bit on a whirl now at the thought but she knew that she had to stay focused…

But when she suddenly saw Vlad's gaze lower just the slightest bit, her own gaze was drawn to another part of her friend's face as well. Actually, his face was now a lot closer. When did that happen?

"Vlad, I'm not…leaving you," she said breathlessly, trying to find something to keep this from spiraling anymore out of control. "I just… cannot be…close when…"

She would have mentally cringed at how incoherent she sounded if she wasn't so focused on the feel of her friend's warm breath washing over her face.

Instead, she breathed out, "I will always be your friend."

"Always?" Vlad asked softly, just barely resisting closing those last few inches between them. He wanted to kiss her. He didn't understand his sudden desire, but it was there and the only thing holding him back was the fear of rejection. He didn't know if he could take his closest friend's rejection. So, he could only watch her, waiting to see or hear some sort of consent from her first.

"If… that's what you want…," she replied, this time taking a chance and moving just another inch closer.

And her small movement and words were all Vlad had been waiting for.

But just as their eyes closed to do what they both wanted, they were… interrupted.

"Knock-Knock-knock!"

Vlad and Stephanie jolted, but it was the woman who the quickly pulled away from her friend.

The billionaire just stared at her, though he now looked extremely anxious… and somewhat horrified…

"Knock-Knock!"

"_Vlad!"_ Danny suddenly called, sounding extremely upset.

Unsuccessfully keeping down a blush, Stephanie quickly moved past Vlad to open the office door.

But as she opened it, she frowned in worry. "Daniel… What's wrong?"

However, the teen froze in sudden indecision. He didn't know whether to also be upset with the woman or to be afraid of her now that he knew she knew his secret.

Ultimately, he didn't get time to decide.

"What is it, Daniel? And where are your manners?" Vlad asked, almost angrily as he moved to the door and stared at the boy with a tense frown.

The teen's answer quickly reignited as he hissed back. "My manners? What about your disrespect?"

"What?" the man replied, honestly confused.

"Little 'jie' _Little hero?"_ Danny growled out. "Didn't think I'd find out?"

Vlad's frown deepened, while Stephanie tensed, realizing the boy had discovered the truth.

And their reaction was all the teen needed to confirm what he had already discovered.

"You told her my secret. No, you told her _**everything**_…!" Danny accused him.

"Daniel," Stephanie interrupted. "Things are not as you believe them. Yes, I do know, but… I swear I would _never_ tell anyone your secret."

But right then Annabelle, who had been there the whole time, finally spoke up, asking, "What's going on? What secret?"

However, the adults and Danny just stared silently at each other before the young half-ghost muttered quietly to the older one, "You had no right."

And seeing Daniel then turn around and walk off towards the front door, Vlad jolted but quickly said, "Daniel, wait!"

But Stephanie was as equally concerned, realizing she had just made matters worse. Vlad was right. She should have never called the boy that. He had been bound to discover its meaning!

"Vlad, I'm sorry! I never should have…," she began sadly.

But the man cut her off, "It's fine, Stephanie." He sighed as he stared worriedly at her before shaking his head and soberly saying, "I, uh… I must go. We will finish talking at another time."

Stephanie's eyes widened a bit when her friend moved past her, heading after the boy.

"Vlad," she called to him, now wishing with all her heart he wouldn't leave.

But as if hearing her desire in her voice, the billionaire paused to look at her again. He suddenly realized she was right. He always did choose the Fentons over her and her daughter…

But he couldn't stay. The boy was indeed more important to him….and all that he had gone through in the last twenty years couldn't be…wasted.

"I am very sorry," Vlad said soberly, not wanting to admit the truth. And he couldn't tell her how he…felt… about what he almost did. "I'm so sorry about… everything. Please do not quit, alright? I'm-I'm truly sorry."

Stephanie saw the regret in his eyes as her friend turned to leave. She frowned, her saddened eyes following him out. Why did he have to be sorry about what had almost just happened in her office? But, perhaps, he couldn't apologize about what happened in her office because he also couldn't apologize for everything else…

"You're going to quit?" Annie suddenly gasped out, the sound of the front door closing snapping her out of her shock and confusion.

"I… I don't know. I do not know what to do anymore," Stephanie replied quietly, her eyes still towards her front door.

"Then, at least tell me what's going on? Why was Danny so upset? What secret are you all talking about?" Annabelle demanded.

The woman finally looked at her daughter. "I cannot tell you, Annie. That's something between Vlad and Daniel."

"Then how come you know about it?" she asked angrily.

Stephanie sighed. "Now I wish I didn't. I… wish I didn't know anything."

"That's not fair, Mom!" Annie exclaimed. "Everyone knows everything, and I'm the only idiot left in the dark!"

"Annabelle, do not talk like that," Stephanie scolded her.

"It's true!" she fought back; and too angry to remember she promised not say anything, she added, "You didn't even tell me about Vlad's twin sister and how you named me after her! Why don't you trust me?"

Stephanie frowned with the fact that her daughter now knew about Viviane, but then she pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "Annabelle, I do trust you. You know I do," she said seriously, looking back at her. "But in regards to Vlad, I cannot share those things with you because they are not my things to share."

"But you know how much Vlad means to me, Mom!" Annabelle insisted. "I just want to understand! And I want him to want to be with us!"

This time, Stephanie frowned angrily. "Annabelle, you need to stop this nonsense. First of all, my relationship with Vlad isn't something you should be getting involved in. I have told you that time and time again!"

"But I have a right to pick my father!"

"He doesn't want you to be your father, Annabelle!" Stephanie suddenly exploded. "He wants Daniel. And he wants _his mother_, not me! So, just stop!"

The girl instantly silenced and stared wide-eyed at her mom.

But when Stephanie saw her daughter's eyes swell up with tears, she instantly regretted her words.

"Oh, sweetheart, I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean… Annie!" she exclaimed when the girl suddenly ran out of the room. But to her surprise, she didn't go up the stairs, she went for the front door.

Stephanie gasped. "Annabelle!" she shouted before quickly following after her.

* * *

By the time Vlad caught up with Danny, the teen was angrily waiting for him by the car.

"Could you be any more dramatic?" Vlad hissed at him.

Danny reeled back before his eyes flashed green. "Wait. Are you angry at me? You don't have a right to be angry at me!"

"I have every right!" Vlad snapped back. "The way you behaved in there was rude and childish! This was something you had to talk with me in private; but instead, you make a scandal over it not only in front of Stephanie, but Annabelle as well!"

"Forgive me if I'm not as good an actor as you and your secretary!" Danny yelled back.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Vlad growled, his eyes flashing red.

"You know what it means!" Danny answered, his hands fisting. "She's known about me from day one, and she and you have pretended all this time like she doesn't! You know how that makes me feel? I feel like an idiot! I feel like I'm being laughed at behind my back by you and _your friend!" _

"If I didn't tell you that she knows, it's because I knew you would blow the whole thing out of proportion!"

"I'm not blowing anything out of proportion!" Danny exploded. "My parents don't even know the truth about me, yet you go and tell some stranger about me!"

"Stephanie isn't a stranger!" Vlad exclaimed back.

"She is to me! And if I—"

But the boy was interrupted when the woman's front door opened and Annabelle ran out.

Vlad was as equally surprised, especially when Annabelle suddenly ran up to him and wrapped her arms around him, crying.

"Oh,_ bà__ba!_ Tell me it's not true! You love me, right? Because I love you and I don't want anyone else! You're perfect to me and… I love you! And I don't understand what's going on, but please don't leave me for them!"

Vlad jolted out of his shock with her last words. He gently returned her hug before pulling away to look at her, "Annabelle, what's wrong? Why are you so upset?"

Annabelle did her best to calm down as she softly asked, almost pleading, "You love me, right?"

The billionaire's eyebrows creased, not understanding why the girl was suddenly questioning him about that. But not wanting to see her so upset, he smiled at her as he placed a hand on her wet cheek and assured her, "Of course I do, sweetheart. You are very special to me. You know that."

"But mother said…It can't be true….Then why don't you want…?" she began, pleading almost in desperation, only to be cut off.

"Annie," Stephanie anxiously called to her. Though her face was troubled, her gait was hesitant as she approached the trio.

Vlad looked up at his friend, instantly noticing her agitation.

"Please, come inside, Annie. Vlad and Daniel need to go. They have their own things to discuss—just as we do," she said soberly.

But Annabelle only turned back to Vlad and caught his gaze. Her eyes searched his, begging him to assure her that what her mother had said wasn't true. He wouldn't do that to them…he wouldn't do that to…_her_…

She hitched a gasp when Vlad not only said nothing, but his eyes fell to the ground momentarily before he looked back up _not_ at her…but at Danny.

With silent tears now drowning her shock, Annabelle glanced over at Danny, who had fallen silent after seeing how upset she was. He, too, still looked upset, and from the argument she heard in her house, he had to be feeling as…betrayed as she was right now. However, at that moment, she realized that Danny wouldn't feel so upset unless…unless he, too, cared enough about Vlad to be….hurt by her _bà__ba_'s words….And Vlad wouldn't have looked to Danny instead of her…unless what her mother said was true. Her _bà__ba _didn't want her or her mother…he wanted another…family.

She choked on another tear as she glanced away from Danny. From what she knew about him, she couldn't really blame him for any of this. Then, she suddenly felt sorry for Vlad. In a way, she could sympathize with him, because, like her, Vlad was after his 'perfect family', too, but it would always be just out of reach for him—and for her, too…

Annabelle glanced back sadly at Vlad and sighed, "I hope it's what you really want, _bà__ba." _

But before Vlad could even think of what to say, the girl moved away from him and headed back inside.

Stephanie tried to place a comforting hand on her daughter as she passed her, but the girl just shrugged it off and went inside.

Vlad frowned uncertainly before worriedly asking his friend, "What did you say to her, Stephanie?"

The woman sighed. "The truth, Vlad." But before he could ask her what 'truth' she was talking about, she looked over at the boy and sadly told him, "If I have upset you, I am sorry. But as I said, your secret is safe with me…"

Danny didn't reply and just watched as the woman went back inside her house.

Vlad, however, suddenly pulled out the keys and unlocked the car, angrily ordering, "Get in the car, Daniel."

Danny briefly contemplated not complying, but knowing he had a lot more to say to Vlad, the teen open his door and got in.

Vlad slammed his own door before quickly starting the car. But as he pulled out of the driveway, he said, "I hope you are happy, Daniel!"

"What are you talking about? This is all _your_ fault!" Danny accused. "If they're upset it's because of you! And if _I'm_ upset it's because of you! Darn it! Why do you always do this? Whenever you get caught in a lie, you twist things all around so much that it seems as if you're the one offended in the end! I thought you felt you could be honest with me from now on, but I see that it's still one secret after another with you!"

"I cannot believe you are saying that to me!" Vlad sneered before he slammed down the accelerator and took off down the road. "I have gone so far out my way to be honest with you that it's practically out of my character! And who are you to talk about honesty when we both know there are still things you haven't told me!"

"What does that have to do with the fact that you told _my secret_ to your secretary?" Danny snapped indignantly. "And could you slow down and look at the road?"

"Oh, now suddenly you also know how to drive better than me!" Vlad said sarcastically, glaring at the teen.

Danny nervously put on his seat belt but still pressed with the real issue, "I want the truth, Vlad! What does Stephanie know exactly? Was she in on it when you stole all that money to become rich? Did you tell her how you tried to clone me and instead ended up with Danielle? Has she been in on everything you've done?"

Vlad unconsciously increased their speed as he grew angrier. "What sort of person do you take Stephanie for? Of course she doesn't know about those things! She would be furious if she did! In fact, she's upset with me because she found out that you are here without your parents' consent!"

"And how did she find out? If you ask me, she's a little _too_ interested about me! Heck, if I thought she was creepy before, now I don't even know how to feel about her now that she knows all about me!"

"Be careful, Daniel. I will only tolerate so much of your impudence. Stephanie is a good woman. If anyone has ever deserved my trust, it's her. She would never betray me. And she also would never compromise me or you."

"You might trust her but I don't! And would you stop driving like a crazy person? You're freaking me out!" Danny exclaimed.

But when Vlad suddenly swerved the car into the grass, the boy yelped, only to gasp as he slammed into his seatbelt with the sudden slamming of the brakes.

Vlad thrust the car into 'park' and yanked off his own belt before looking at the boy and growling, "You can such a hypocrite, Daniel Fenton!"

But before the boy could get past the shock of being insulted, the man continued, "You have absolutely **no** right to reproach the fact that I told Stephanie about you!"

Danny opened his mouth to protest, only to be cut off as Vlad suddenly demanded, "When did you _ever_ ask me for permission to divulge **my** secret to _your_ friends, huh? When did I ever say anything to you for telling Jasmine?"

This time, Danny's glare faltered, though he answered with a frown, "I never meant for Jazz to find out. And as for my friends, you were trying to kill me and my dad! I had to tell someone!"

"And did it ever occur to you that perhaps_ I_ also _needed_ to tell someone?" Vlad retorted, though he was still glaring. "I am not made of stone, Danny. I, too, sometimes need someone to trust and talk to. And while you are fortunate to have at least three people who support you, Stephanie is all I have. Or…" The man paused before adding more to himself, "I use to. I do not even know if she wants anything to do with me now…"

He frowned with the truth. Not only had he lied to Stephanie, but she was disappointed and disturbed by how he had forced the young hybrid here. He was sure that the woman wouldn't look at him the same way again after what she had just learned.

And on top of that, instead of going to her house to fix things, he went and made things worse by trying to… _kiss_ her?

What got into him? Where in blazes had that desire even come from? Was he that desperate, that upset in having to give Maddie up after all his ache to have her that he was in effect acting as if he could settle for someone else: his secretary—his _only friend_?

Surely, that had to be the only reason why he would have ever even contemplated doing something like that! It couldn't be that he had feelings for Stephanie still! It was impossible!

He was just trying to use her to forget about Maddie or… something! But… But that was just horrible! What sort of man was he? He had tried to take advantage—to use his own friend just because he couldn't have Maddie! His actions were revolting at best!

Danny's face softened when Vlad had suddenly fell quiet. But then the man looked at him, his anger suddenly melding into sadness as he told him, "I do not deserve your spite, Daniel, especially when I am giving up so much for you."

The boy wasn't given a chance to reply, since Vlad abruptly opened his door and got out of the car.

Danny sighed as he watched the man walk around the car, his back to him as he crossed his arms to stare out at some cattle field, only the lights from the car keeping the darkness of the night at bay.

The teen had never really thought about it like that. He had just been so shocked and scared to know someone he barely knew had learned his secret…

But… who was he to deny the man the right to confide in a friend when he had done the same thing?

Danny couldn't help but feel guilty, though he felt even worse when he realized he had been experiencing that feeling a lot as of late.

The teen shook his head at his rashness. He really should have talked this through with Vlad in private… He had really messed up. And he was the type of person who could admit when he did… And he was also the type who also tried to fix his mistakes….

Sighing, the teen opened his own door and stepped out.

"Vlad, listen," the teen began as he approach the man, "I… maybe I did overreact. I just… "

But the man cut him off with a tired sigh, clearly having cooled off himself. After a short pause to take in a small breath, Vlad admitted in a troubled voice, "I never meant for her to find out my secret, you know. But after she had continued to insist to come see me at the hospital after she found out about my accident, I had needed someone to be with me so badly that I eventually conceded to see her. That was probably my first mistake. Shortly after that, I learned about my powers, but quite late to realize that I had little to no control over them."

Vlad chuckled bitterly. "I think I panicked more than she did when my arm unexpectedly vanished in front of her one day." He sobered up as he added, "I had had no choice then but to tell her the truth after that. I am still amazed she didn't flee in fear or that she kept my secret in spite of the severity of it."

"She found out by accident… like Jazz?" Danny whispered quietly, now feeling worse.

"I would have never told anyone otherwise, Daniel," Vlad replied, glancing soberly at him. "I was too afraid that I would be locked away even more than how I was treated in that hospital. Or worse, that I would be treated like some sick experiment."

Vlad looked up at the sky for a moment before admitting, "Until this day, I was so grateful for her. I was so grateful she stayed around even when I was always keeping myself distant from her. And yet… there are days like these that I wish with all my might that she had never found out. Sometimes I wish I would have never seen her again after I left Florida. Maybe then I would not have to fear losing her now. Or, have to see the disappointment on her face."

The man shook his head as he added bitterly, "I am a fool, little badger."

But when he said that, he was not just upset at recalling Stephanie's disappointment in him, but he was also troubled again in thinking about his and Stephanie's conversation and 'incident' in her home.

But as the billionaire continued to mentally kick himself, Danny frowned and said, "Don't say that." And unaware Vlad was calling himself a 'fool' for more than he let on, the teen added, "There's nothing wrong with wanting help. I don't know what I would have done without my friends supporting me through all I went through after turning half-ghost."

Needing something to take his mind off his idiot-move on his friend before he blushed in embarrassment and indignation at himself, Vlad focused on what the boy was saying. And deciding to just finish telling the boy the truth, he explained, "When I told her about you, it had been the day after the college reunion. I practically dragged her into my office and told her I had discovered the existence of a second ghost-human hybrid and how you were also Maddie's son. I think it was when I told her that I realized you were not just an instrument to use against you father, but rather, someone I truly wanted at my side. Imagine how that felt when I discovered that I was not the only one of my kind and that I was not some… freak…. I think you are the only one who could understand that feeling. But, it was so overwhelming that I had to tell her."

Vlad paused a moment before saying, "Over the years, I have learned to cover my tracks—from her and the world. She doesn't know all I have done as Plasmius. She just thinks you despise me because I despise your father… She thinks I just wanted to gain revenge by 'ruining' your father…" He scoffed bitterly before adding, "We might go a long way back and hence you would think she would know me like no one else, but… Stephanie doesn't know me. She does not know who she calls 'friend' and who she allows her daughter to be around… She has no idea the type of person I have become."

Danny's stomach jolted, wondering now if even _he_ knew of all the evil Vlad had done. On the other hand, if there was more than what Vlad had told him, he didn't want to know.

"As I am sure you have guessed," Vlad continued seriously. "Annabelle knows absolutely nothing. She thinks I am a respectable and good person. You heard her; she thinks I am perfect… That poor naïve girl," he muttered with a click of his tongue. However, his voice saddened when he further said, "I have asked Stephanie to keep my secret—and yours—from Annabelle…If only to just avoid complicating her life…"

Danny didn't reply, though he knew what Vlad meant. After all, his friends' and sister's lives had also changed and were more complicated ever since they found out about his ghost identity. Yes, he knew they were more than happy to help and support him. But… he also worried about their being involved.

"You really care about her, huh?" Danny said quietly, focusing back on their conversation.

Vlad exhaled. "I have never denied it. I care a lot for the girl. How could I not? I still remember when she was first born. I have seen her grow up into what she is now—a beautiful and smart young lady… I can only hope she never learns I am not who she believes me to be…"

Danny didn't reply, though he honestly hoped Annie also never learned the truth. Sometimes not knowing was better than knowing…

"That's it, Daniel," Vlad suddenly said, his eyes to the vast field in front of him. "Now you know the truth. If you still want to reproach me for telling Stephanie your secret, go ahead. But I am not apologizing. She has been the only one there for me in all these years. And whether it was fate or her zealous insistence to remain at my side, she has been my support. And even if she wants nothing to do with me after all this, I will still continue to trust her. I have no doubt that she will keep our secrets."

Danny sighed. He was thoughtful for a moment before finally replying, "Then…if you trust her, I should, too."

Vlad looked at him with a small smile, though it hardly reached his eyes.

The teen's eyebrows instantly creased with compassion. "Look, I'm sure Stephanie isn't going to stop being your friend. I mean, of course she's going to be upset that you lied to her. But, she's your friend, Vlad. And the good thing about real friends is that they never stop being your friends."

The billionaire exhaled tiredly once more as he looked out at the field.

"I hope so, Daniel," he muttered. He wanted to believe the boy, but, ultimately, he was skeptical. After all, hadn't he already had two friends abandon him before? It wouldn't surprise him if the last one he had did, too.

Though, it would greatly hurt him.

"This has all turned out harder than we thought," Danny voiced quietly.

"Yes…," Vlad agreed soberly. Things were really getting complicated. First, Danielle. Now, Stephanie… What was next? And the most worrisome part was that they hadn't even gone to Amity yet to even begin their plans…

"It doesn't matter," the man suddenly said, a resolved tone in his voice. "I have made my choice... And…" He paused and looked at the teen. "So have you."

Danny almost heard a bit of fear in the man's last statement and it troubled him a bit… and almost made him hesitate.

But he quickly smiled and nodded. "Yeah. We'll work this out somehow."

Vlad genuinely smiled this time and wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulders. It would hurt if he lost Stephanie and her daughter. It truly would. It also hurt to have to let Maddie go and perhaps even hurt some of his pride at having to put an end to his revenge plans.

But… he had this boy and nothing matter to him more than that. As long as he didn't lose him, he would be fine.

Danny just smiled back, but he didn't reply and just turned his own gaze to the field. He was glad to see the man didn't look so crestfallen anymore, but he was a lot more worried than he let on.

Things were indeed getting complicated.

* * *

The files for Axion had been so extensive that it had taken Tucker almost an entire day to sort through them. Luckily, though, their 'break-in' at Axion's yesturday had gone down smoothly and without consequence. It was now Friday, just after school and the kids were all up in Jazz's room, including Danielle.

"So, what's the news? Was Skulker just pulling our legs or is there really something?" Sam asked skeptically.

But before Tucker could reply, Danielle said, "I still think he was just sending us on a wild goose chase. Skulker would never betray Vlad."

"I don't know, Danielle," Jazz replied. "If Skulker just wanted to mess with us, then he wouldn't have let us go. I also don't understand why he would even help us, but I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth."

"Okay, ladies, though I love all those puns, I hope you're all done with them and your debate so that I can give you some actual facts. I think I just found some pretty interesting stuff," Tucker said, spinning his desk chair to look at the three other teens.

The three girls instantly silenced and stared back at Tucker with anticipation.

"Well, surprisingly, Skulker wasn't lying. There have been ghostly break-ins at Axion in the past several months—specifically, there has been two. The first was almost seven months ago, and the second almost five months ago."

"What was stolen?" Sam asked with a frown.

"Actually, that's what I'm trying to find out right now," Tucker answered as he turned back around and resumed typing codes and opening secured files. "But there is so much information here that it's hard to sort through it all."

"Do they have any idea what ghost broke in?" Danielle readily added.

Tucker answered the ghost girl, "No, Danni. They couldn't identify whatever ghost broke in both times. That ghost or ghosts actually did a pretty good job of getting in and out without detection."

"Odd," Jazz muttered. "Mr. Gray told me that they have top-notch human and ghost security. How's that possible?"

"Wait. Didn't Danny tell us about Skulker breaking into Axion that one time?" Sam asked, suddenly remembering.

Jazz quickly replied, "Yes, he did. That was that time Vlad had been making his secret weapon with my dad's ecto-suit and ecto-converter."

"Huh?" Danielle replied, not following since she did not know anything about that incident. Actually, her formation had yet to be completed during that time…

"It's a long story, Danni," Tucker replied, glancing at her before going back to what he was doing.

"Anyways," Jazz continued, "now that I think about it, that whole incident with Vlad making that secret weapon was almost seven months ago, so I think it matches the first of the two ghost robberies you found on record, Tucker. Furthermore, it would make sense, then, that Skulker could get in and out of Axion without detection if it was the 'owner of Axion' himself who hired him to 'break-in'"

"That's right!" Sam replied, snapping her fingers. "Danny also told us Skulker stole a jar of nanobots and Technus' staff. But…" She paused and then frowned as she asked, "All that stuff was destroyed, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," Jazz answered. "Danny and I programmed the ecto-suit to self-destruct."

"Well that may be true," Tucker suddenly spoke up. "But I have a feeling there's more to all this."

"Why? What else did you find?" Sam asked.

Tucker's eyebrows were creased in concentration as he typed a few more things in. "I'm still searching to see if we're going in the right direction with all of this. And what I mean by that is that I want to see if those break-ins and the stolen nanobots and stuff are what we're really looking for…Hey! I think I found the folder we need!" He clicked on the file and quickly read it over before saying, "See, according to the data here, both items that were stolen had been developed in conjunction with each other. In other words, both things belonged to the _same_ project Axion was working on. They were just in the phase of testing it, so they only had one sample of each thing when the first was stolen. After that, the project was frozen and it was only recently, like four months ago, that the project was finally terminated under the instructions of… the owner."

"Vlad Masters," Jazz said sourly.

"He made sure to keep the press from finding anything out about the robberies, including the specifics of what was stolen," Tucker continued. "And although it doesn't say it here, I'm pretty sure he's responsible for all the data on these two robberies being completely wiped out of Axions' primary database."

"Yeah, but we now have the backup files," Danielle said with a victorious smirk. "He couldn't make those vanish."

"Yeah, but it was still annoying to have to break into Axion to gain access to this stuff," Tucker replied with a sigh. But then he huffed and added more irritably, "And it's even more annoying trying to shift through all the stuff in these backup files! The software that they use is so primitive that it's almost as bad as having to go to the library and research with _books_!"

"Well, try keywords, Tucker," Jazz said, moving closer to the teen. "Books are categorized by name, author, and section numbers. Maybe it follows a similar pattern."

"That's all great, Jazz," Tucker replied. "But we don't know exactly what we are looking for, so I can't exactly narrow down my search."

"Well, do you have the project number?" Jazz asked.

Tucker turned to look at her. "The project number? What's that?"

Jazz rolled her eyes before she moved over to the computer and grabbed the mouse. "Every project or experiment has a specific series of numbers or codewords so that no one confuses them. Otherwise, you could easily end up mixing the wrong chemicals or do something worse. Here, look at notes where you found out about the stolen items belonging to the same project…"

Jazz scrolled down the page and at the bottom right corner was what she was looking for. "See? The items stolen belonged to Biological Weapons Project 3501. Type it up as a keyword; see what it gives you."

Tucker grinned when he keyed in the code and he instantly found the project's specific file. "Hey, you're pretty good at this stuff! I'm impressed!"

Jazz just smirked and shrugged.

It only took Tucker a minute to find the information for which he was searching…

"Uh…" Tucker said slowly. "You guys were right about the first item that was stolen. It was the bloodstream nanobots. It's actual name is 'BS-NB 3501.'"

"Wait," Danielle quickly spoke up. "If that thing was a biological weapon, then doesn't it mean it's meant to, like, harm, people?"

Jazz frowned. "They were meant to control heart-rate and breathing, Danielle. See, my dad's suit used neuro-receptors to work properly, but they had a side-effect. They would drain the wearer like a battery. So, Vlad solved the problem by adding to the suit its own endless supply of energy using the ecto-converter and Technus' staff. Then, the nanobots which were injected into the wearer through the neuro-receptors were meant to keep the wearer's vitals stabilized."

Danielle raised an eyebrow. "And… how do you know all this so well?"

Jazz looked away, though she replied, "Because I was the one who wore Vlad's super suit when he made it…"

Danielle's eyes widened in disbelief and although the older girl's revelation raised a lot more questions in the twelve-year-old mind, Sam cut her off.

"What is the second item that was stolen, Tucker?" Sam questioned, wanting to keep moving. Danny hadn't told them everything about that incident with Jazz at Vlad's castle, but he had said enough to know that the two had been lucky to make it out of it unscathed.

Or, so she believed.

"The second item stolen was called, BS-NBN 3501." Tucker said, turning turned away from the computer and looking at the three girls with a worried frown. "It was meant to neutralize the nanobots…"

The three girls froze with a sudden bad feeling about this.

"Neutralizers…," Jazz said quietly. "Why… Why would Vlad need nanobot neutralizers…?"

"Yeah, you said they only made a single sample for both the nanobots and this neutralizer, right?" Sam asked nervously. And getting a small nod from Tucker, she further added, "So… the bloodstream nanobots were used up and destroyed once Vlad's super-suit got blown up… weren't they?"

But this time, no one answered.

Sam and Danielle looked at Jazz, who suddenly looked really pale as she answered fearfully, "I-I thought they were. But… What is it, Tucker?" she suddenly asked when she finally noticed the boy looked like he was about to be sick.

"I-I… I've seen the nanobot's code name before," Tucker answered after swallowing hard.

"You… have?" Danielle asked tentatively.

Tucker breathed as he answered, "The bracelet Vlad gave to Danny. I don't know if you know, Danni, but we managed to steal it from Vlad's castle; and although we were never able to activate it, we did manage to gain access to program files on it before Vlad made the bracelet self-destruct."

The boy quickly pulled out his PDA and began typing with trembling fingers, though he continued to explain, "I was confused at first because every code on the bracelet had a program linked with it which showed up on Danny's device-thingy, save for _that_ one code and its name was…" Tucker turned his PDA around so everyone could see the code's name themselves:

**BS-NB 3501**

Jazz stumbled back, almost falling on the ground if it hadn't been for her bed behind her. But Sam and Danielle were also just as horrified.

"Jazz," Tucker said quietly. "The program wasn't on the bracelet because there is no program. That bracelet must have had a direct link to… the bloodstream nanobots. And… the only developed sample was injected into… your body."

But the girl couldn't believe what she was hearing. It was… It made no sense! Or, did it?

A sudden memory flashed in her mind…

"_Alright, Skulker… Do __you__ know __why__ Danny left and joined Vlad?"_

_.__"Because of you."_

Jazz's eyes widened at finally understanding what the hunter ghost had meant.

"But, Tucker," Sam spoke up, sounding almost panicked. "Those nanobots were inserted into Jazz seven months ago! How are they even still in her body?"

Tucker stared back at his friend with his own growing anxiety, "A-According to the project notes on the backup files, it says that the nanobots could survive dormant in its host for an indefinite amount of time. It further said that the project was still in the experimental phase. Yes, the nanobots were made to stabilize and even better breathing and heart-rate, but it had a really bad side effect. Once they were _activated_, they would go out of control and kill all the host's red blood cells as quick as in an hour. That's why they made the neutralizer. It was meant to slow down or remove the effects; but in test runs, it just ended up _eliminating _the nanobots, instead. So, they accidently ended up making an antidote against them instead of something to neutralize the nanobots deadly side-effects. "

Jazz still didn't say anything, but thought after thought raced in her mind as it all began to come together in hers and everyone else's minds…

"_Your blood cells keep dying."_

"_We can't find the cause of your illness…"_

"But… wouldn't that mean that those things should have already…," Danielle began, only for Tucker to cut her off.

"Not unless _someone_ found a way to _control_ their activation level," Tucker replied soberly.

"Vlad," Danielle said sourly. And Tucker and Sam instantly agreed.

Jazz just tensed even more as her mind continued to feed her memory after memory.

_"Jasmine… Do you really think you can outsmart me?"_

_"I've done it before, remember?" _

"_Things are not always what they seem, girl!"_

Tucker continued, looking more and more disturbed by the second. "I am not sure what that bracelet did, but I don't think it controlled the nanobots' activation level. There has to be something else controlling it… And the worst part is that the only thing that can get rid of the nanobots was stolen. We know that Vlad took the nanobots in the first place, and who's the say that he didn't steal the antidote? So, it _must_ be Vlad who took the antidote…it all makes sense now!"

Sam seethed, "I knew it! I knew Danny wasn't there by choice! That… that monster! He's using Jazz to force him to be there! He probably threatened to—to hurt her if he didn't join him!"

Danielle's eyes widened. "You mean… it's all been an act? Danny doesn't really want to be with Vlad? He's forcing him to be there? But—but, he didn't sound like it when I talked to him!"

"He also didn't sound like he was being blackmailed when we first discovered him at Vlad's, either, Danni!" Sam said angrily, though it wasn't directed at the younger girl. The goth girl growled in indignation as she paced and hissed, "From the very beginning that jerk has been leading us all through smoke and mirrors! But it all makes sense now! No wonder Danny was freaking out the last week he was here! And Vlad probably threatened him into not saying anything to us! I swear if I ever see that sick man in front of me, I'm gonna…"

"Sam," Tucker suddenly said, getting her attention before he nodded over to Danny's older sister.

Danielle frowned in worry at the unblinking stare on the girl's face. "Jazz… you okay?"

But Jazz was still overwhelmed by the thoughts in her head. How had she not seen all this before…? From the very beginning… Now, Danny's words before he left made sense. Now their conversation during that tragic flight together that night above the hospital made sense…

_"It must be wonderful to have powers like yours," Jazz complemented, her awed expression never leaving the peaceful atmosphere._

_"It does have its nice moments, but they come at a price… and sometimes I ask myself if they're worth it."_

_Jazz frowned, returning her attention to her brother. "Danny you can't think that way. Your powers are a blessing. You have helped so many people with them." __Jazz laughed softly. "You're a hero, Danny"_

_Danny looked at her with sad eyes. "What kind of hero can't help his own sister?" he whispered painfully._

_"Danny …why do you keep blaming yourself for this?" she asked with a worried look. _

_Her brother's response was silence. _

_"Danny…please, talk to me; what's wrong?" she pleaded, at seeing fear flash in his eyes._

_Seriousness quickly replaced the fear and sadness. He looked up at the moon, before speaking once more. "I just want you to be okay, Jazz…and if I could trade these powers for that I would." _

Jazz's eyes welled with tears and they finally spilled as she recalled something else her brother had said to her, but in his 'goodbye letter'…

_First of, I just want to apologize for getting you involved with my problems, for hurting your feelings when you would try to give me advice. I've really messed up more times than I can fit in this letter, but none of that compares to what I did to you now. I shouldn't have been so selfish, I should have thought about you first. I'm so sorry, Jazz. Now I wish I would have listened to you more; I wish I wouldn't have been such a jerk, maybe none of this would have ever happened…_

How could she have missed all the clues when they had been in front of her face all this time? How could she have not realized that her sudden sickness and Danny's sudden disappearance were correlated?

Then again, how could she have _ever_ fathomed that something that happened seven months ago was the reason Danny left now? She had thought that whole nanobot incident had been over with! How would she have ever been able to guess those things were still in her body after all this time and that Vlad had now activated them and was using her against her own brother?

Vlad had been in control of all this from day one. He had been playing her and everyone else! How could she have ever believed anything Vlad Masters had said to her?

_"Oh, please, Jasmine, do you really think I could have made Daniel say such things to the people for whom he supposedly cares? We both know every one of his words that night were his own."_

"_He choose to come to me."_

_"I know my word means nothing to you….," Vlad said with sudden softness. "But I can assure you that Daniel is well taken care of. And I will do everything in my power to keep it that way, Jasmine." _

_"Or should I add the fact that your brother is quite content with me? Why don't you prove yourself to be a caring sister and just respect his wishes, hmm?"_

_"If it makes you feel better, I can assure you that he smiles everyday… He laughs everyday…"_

"Liar," Jazz suddenly whispered as her eyes narrowed in hate before she abruptly jumped to her feet and exclaimed, **"That lying, sick, two-face son of a cheese! I can't believe I thought for even a moment that he cared! I can't believe I actually thought—I'll show him!"**

Sam, Tucker, and Danielle startled when the older girl abruptly turned around and stormed towards her door before flinging it open and heading out, her hands balled against her sides.

"Uh… is she about to do what I think she is?" Danielle asked meekly.

Sam and Tucker's eyes flew open in panic and they ran after Danny's sister exclaiming, "Jazz! Wait! Don't do this!"

But the girl had made up her mind. She was going to tell her parents everything!

* * *

**Down here already? Yeah, don't kill my muse for the cliff-hanger! I still need him. So… let's see… About five-six chapters left? Yes, that's about right. We have one more chapter before the final climax, so that should tell you guys something! Heh-heh! I will tell you, though that the closing of this story will require more than the usual one chapter that it usually takes for other stories. But, hey, this story is going to be about 81 chapters long, you can't expect to wrap everything up in one chapter, eh?**

**Tsk. I'm getting ahead of myself. And I need to stop talking about CM's ending… It's kinda… creepy. I've been working on this story for SO long. *sighs* It will be a big accomplishment when I am done. But we'll leave the tears and words of bitter-sweetness for when I post that little chapter called… 'epilogue'… Epp!**

**Anyways, still more to come, so don't go getting too comfortable yet! In other news, NewGhostGirl did a second trailer for 'Dawning of a Sun' and let me tell you all: I got chills! No, seriously! Man! It makes me wish I own some nuero-receptors that I could connect directly to my computer and just have the story in my head instantly appear on this computer screen! But darn, I can only type as fast as my fingers let me and my life permits. *shakes head* But, hey, at least I get showered by gifts by you all! And, of course, your support is equally important to me! But, check out that second trailer! Awesomeness!**

**Lastly, let me know your thoughts on this one. I think you guys got to learn a lot of stuff that's been pending for a pretty long time. *cough* And… Vlad's little moment with Stephanie… Yeah, that one wrote itself. And I did enjoy writing this chapter, especially because I finally got to show you all how complex and deep Vlad and Stephanie's relationship is. Still, Vlad's been set on wooing Maddie and hating Jack for over twenty years. Even with all Stephanie means to him, it's not something he can just flip a page in his book for. Pretty much, to admit any feelings outside friendship for Stephanie would mean accepting that he has wasted away twenty years of his life. It's not a choice he is ready to make, let alone acknowledge. He has already done so much just realizing he can let go of Maddie and forget his revenge plans on Jack for Danny… Even with the length of this story, it isn't enough to totally change Vlad. Sad, but true.**

**Anyways, I'm ranting now. Until next time, my lovely readers! Thank you all for your support!**


	77. Chapter 76: Rescue?

**Hello all! I know it's been a **_**while**_**! But I'm sure you all don't want to hear my excuses; so I'll skip it. Heh. I had to split this next chapter again, because it got too long after editing. Still, I'm already working on the next part, but I'll talk about that down there. I just want to continue to thank you all for your support and reviews. I am very sorry I have not been able to answer individually, but I will try my best for this one; and know that your reviews are my fuel! So, thank you! Enjoy this next chapter. Oh, and I decided to add a small summary below since it's been a while. *winks***

*****So, we left off with several interesting discoveries. First, the kids, including Danielle, now know the truth about Jazz and the nanobots; and, of course, they now imagine the worst—though, they are partly right. As for Danny and Vlad, they seem quite confident in their decision to beat the odds and remain united as allies. However, as the days are slowly passing, they have realized keeping to their choice is going to be harder than they could have ever believed. They have now been confronted by Danielle, Stephanie, and Annabelle; and we still have yet to see the confrontation between Danny's loved ones. However, Danny learned that Vlad's been keeping a very important secret from him, and that's that Stephanie knows a lot more than he was aware. Vlad's secretary and high school sweetheart has known all along about the hybrid status of Danny and Vlad. And while she discovered Vlad was half-ghost by accident during Vlad's being in the hospital all those years back, she learned of Danny by Vlad himself. However, Annabelle has also learned a sad truth, and that's that her 'competitor' for Vlad as her father, is Danny himself. But she has also realized that perhaps she will never have Vlad as she wants. Now, Danny and Vlad find themselves wondering if their decision was the right one after all. However, Vlad refuses to backtrack because he wants nothing more than to have the young hybrid on his side. He has even been willing to lose his only friend for him... As for Danny, well, he is starting to have his doubts, but is still determined to keep his promise to Vlad…. Finally, we left off with Team Phantom, and Jazz has become so upset by the news that she has decided to carry out her last move against Vlad: tell her parents the truth about him and Danny...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. But the OC characters are my own. So, ask if you want to use them.**

* * *

**Chapter 76: Rescue?**

* * *

In spite of the fact that her son had now been missing for almost five months, Maddie was in a particular brighter mood today. And that was because she had just gotten the cast removed from the arm she had broken. The doctor had told her she would make a full recovery from that time six weeks ago when she had been dropped six feet off the ground by the ghost vultures after the Specter Deflector had malfunctioned. So, Jack and she decided to celebrate by doing what they loved best: making ghost weapons.

However, as they worked on her husband's latest invention, Maddie's eyes drifted over to were the Specter Deflector was. Neither she nor Jack had gone near it since 'the incident', but now, Maddie really wanted to find out what went wrong with it that day…

Jack glanced at Maddie when she suddenly walked off, and seeing where she was going, he quickly gasped and said, "Mads, be careful with that thing! It could hurt you again!"

"It's deactivated, Jack. And we cannot just ignore it forever. We need to find out what's wrong with it. After all, it had been working fine before."

She picked up the belt and went over to a working bench. Being careful not to activate it, she began to open it up to get to its wiring. Jack, nervous about her fiddling with the malfunctioning belt, quickly went to watch, hovering over her as she worked.

But when she finally got into the inner system her eyes widened. "Jack, the wires are crossed! No wonder it electrocuted me instead of those ghosts! But… But how could this have happened?"

Jack's eyes widened, too, but then they quickly narrowed in sudden suspicion as he replied, "It's the government! I bet they are spying on us again!"

Maddie lightly rolled her eyes. "Jack, even if that were true, why would the government sneak into our home and invert the Specter Deflector's wiring?"

"Then, it was ghosts! They are trying to take us down, Maddie!" Jack replied, just as passionate.

Maddie frowned as she looked down at the belt… "Maybe," she muttered, unable to come up with another explanation for this.

She then sighed and carefully began to unhook the wires to correct their positions, but before she could finish, she heard a loud shout.

_"**Mom!"**_

Maddie and Jack quickly looked at each other, both hearing the anger and fear in their daughter's voice.

"Jazzy-pants!" Jack exclaimed before running out of the lab with his wife behind him.

However, as they made their way up the lab's stairs towards their daughter, Jazz made her way down from the top floor towards them. But just as she reached the bottom of the main stairs, Danny's friends—though Danielle had stayed behind in Danny's room—caught up with the older girl, and Sam quickly grabbed one of her arms, stopping her.

"Jazz, wait! You need to think about this!" Sam hissed nervously.

"There's nothing to think about. I'm putting an end to Vlad's scheme the only way I can," Jazz said determinedly before yanking her arm away from the younger girl.

"Mom! Dad!" Jazz called again as she passed the living room, but Sam and Tucker were still on her trail, now begging her to reason with them.

"Jazz, come on," Tucker pleaded. "We can think of another way to get Danny out of this!"

"There's no other way," Jazz muttered back.

"There has to be!" Sam whispered urgently, grabbing the older girl's arm again and forcing her stop. "Because if you do this, you won't just take Vlad down, but you're going to take Danny down with him! Your parents are going to call the police, Jazz! And that could lead to Danny's secret being exposed!"

"Yeah, especially after how Vlad threatened you not to tell your parents his secret or he would expose Danny, too!" Tucker added.

But the younger kids could no longer say anymore because Maddie and Jack finally spotted them.

"Jazz, please. Don't hurt Danny like this," Sam whispered in a last desperate plea.

"What's wrong, Jazz?" her mom asked worriedly as she came up to her and grabbed her face when she noticed she was shaking. "Are you feeling ill?"

"We can take you to the hospital if you want," Jack added, frowning at his pale daughter. She had not had a relapse in months, but the father didn't want to risk it happening again.

Jazz sighed, lowering her gaze to her clammy hands. "I-I have something to tell you… about Danny."

Maddie immediately let go of her daughter's face and quickly asked, "Danny? What about him? Jazz, did you find something out?"

Sam and Tucker just looked at each other helplessly.

"Well… it's Vlad… He…," Jazz began, only to be cut off.

"Vladdie told you something about Danny?" Jack asked, hopeful. "Did he find him?"

"No, Dad," Jazz said with a sigh. "It's not like that at all. Look, the truth is that…"

The girl paused as she stared at her anxious and confused parents. It was so hard to do this because she knew her brother's friends were right. She was risking her brother's life, secret, and even future, if she went through with this. Even if the government didn't find out about Danny's secret, if she exposed Vlad, she knew the evil man would not hesitate to retaliate by divulging her brother's own secret to the world…

"Jazz, you're worrying me. What's going on?" Maddie asked seriously, glancing at the nervous and quiet Sam and Tucker.

Jazz lips pursed. No, she was not giving that jerk the satisfaction. She was going to beat him at his own game without compromising her brother.

Thinking of another approach to this, she sighed once more before asking, "Mom, do you remember when I first got really sick?"

Maddie and Jack nodded.

"Well… um, I talked to Vlad and he mentioned he was there that day and that Danny had been pretty upset…"

Maddie slowly nodded. "Yes, Vlad was there when you first got sick." She paused and added more thoughtfully, "In fact, your brother was really upset when he saw him…"

"Yeah, the doctor said Danny was just not himself. Can't blame him. It was pretty scary seeing you so sick, princess," Jack explained. "Although…" the man added, now thoughtful himself, "Danny had said a lot of weird things to Vladdie then and even called him… something… Uh, I can't remember what it was… But I never got it, anyways. Did you, Maddie?" he asked, looking at his wife.

Maddie frowned and shook her head. She had been too upset herself that day to hear much of what Danny had been screaming at Vlad. And since then, she had not thought about that incident; but now that her daughter was bringing it up, it was a bit… strange. Then again, her husband was right. Danny had not been thinking clearly. Plus, after that incident at the Rockies, she knew her son had a strong dislike for Vlad… That could explain it.

Sam and Tucker stiffened with the news. They had not known that Vlad had been around Jazz from the beginning. Otherwise, they would have suspected the man a lot earlier.

But Jazz also had not known that; but after learning the truth in regards to the nanobots just a moment ago, it didn't surprise her. Vlad had probably come to Amity Park to activate the nanobots, which landed her in the hospital. He then very likely laid out his ultimatum for her brother soon after, which would explain what her parents were saying. Danny was upset with Vlad's presence because he had known by then that the evil man was responsible for her sickness.

It made so much sense now.

"I do not understand, Jazz," Maddie suddenly said. "Why are you bringing all this up?"

Jazz wanted to tell them. She really did. But… for her brother's sake, she had to try one last thing on her own before she resorted to that.

"I was just trying to figure out why Danny left, Mom," she muttered reluctantly. Her eyes saddened as she added more truthfully, "And after what you told me, I'm sure Danny left because of me… It was my fault."

"Oh, sweetie, don't think that," Maddie said, wrapping an arm around her daughter. "Danny was very confused with what happened to you. And I'm sure that if anything, he left because he was very scared."

Jack nodded. "Yeah, Jazzy-pants. Whatever happened, we are not going to rest until we find Danny. Whether he ran away or was taken by some spook, we're gonna get him back."

Jazz nodded in determination and agreed, "Yeah… We're going to get him back." But she then smiled and asked, "What's for lunch, Mom?"

"Oh!" Maddie exclaimed, realizing the time when she glanced at her watch. "Sorry, Jazz! I got caught up down in the lab. I'll make something right away."

"Great! I'm starved!" Jack beamed. "Oh! Can we have fudge for dessert?"

As her parents left for the kitchen, Jazz closed her eyes and bit her lower lip, trying to control all the emotions raging inside. But then she took a deep breath, narrowed her eyes and squared her chin, determined to do the other thing she had planned to do. She took the opportunity to go to her new destination: the lab.

Sam and Tucker looked at each other again before following after her.

At first, Danny's friends just watched the older girl as she angrily grabbed an empty weapon's carrying bag and then quickly opened the weapons vault. Jazz didn't hesitate to start grabbing the most painful-looking ghost devices and weapons she could find and stuffed them into the bag. Luckily, her father had repaired or replaced many of the weapons he had destroyed in a moment of desperation some time back in the first month when Danny had gone missing.

But unable to take anymore, Sam finally walked closer to the older girl and tentatively asked, "Jazz? …What are you doing?"

"What does it _look_ like I'm doing?" she snapped back. "I'm going to get my brother back once and for all!"

Sam and Tucker stared uncertainly at each other. But then looking back at the girl, Sam's expression melded into a determined look and she finally stepped forward, saying, "Jazz, you need to slow down. I know that you're upset—"

"Upset?" Jazz interrupted abruptly, turning around to glare at the girl, "I'm **furious**, Sam!"

Sam was taken aback by the level of the older girl's anger, but she quickly composed herself, and said seriously, "We're angry, too, Jazz. But, what are you planning on doing exactly?"

"Besides use as many of these ghost devices as I can on Vlad?" Jazz retorted darkly. But then turning back around and continuing with her 'packing', she added seriously, "I told you, I'm bringing Danny back with me."

Unable to keep quiet anymore, though he sounded mostly nervous, Tucker finally spoke up, "Jazz, even I can see we need a better plan than that! If we just go back there with guns blazing, all we are gonna accomplish is the same thing as last time! Either Vlad's evil ghost servants are going to try to waste us, or Danny's gonna kick us out! Heck, after the other two times we broke into Vlad's place, I wouldn't be surprised if it's _Vlad_ this time who kicks us out—or worse, tries to waste us!"

"I'd like to see him try!" Jazz growled back determinedly, grabbing the Fenton bazooka and putting it in the bag, which was now filled to capacity. The girl could only partially zip it up, but still hoisted it up to her shoulder, even though she could barely do so from how heavy it was. "And even if that was true, it isn't going to be like last time, because, one, I'm not falling anymore for Vlad's tricks; two, I know the truth now, so nothing Danny can say is going to convince me out of the fact that he needs our help. And, three, and most importantly, no matter what, I'm not leaving that creep's castle without my brother this time!"

Suddenly thinking of the Fenton Ghost Peeler she kept in her room, Jazz heaved the heavy bag completely on her shoulder and walked with determined steps back towards the lab's stairs.

Now really alarmed, Sam gasped and followed after her, saying, "Jazz, wait! We have to talk about this! We need to _think_ this through, first!"

"No!" Jazz yelled, abruptly whirling around and startling Danny's friends. But then with eyes glazing with angry tears, she exclaimed in a broken voice, "I-I'm sick of thinking things through, Sam! That's all I've done for almost five months and IT HASN'T GOTTEN ME ANWHERE!"

"Jazz?" Maddie's voice suddenly sounded from outside the lab just before she and Jack stepped in.

Sam and Tucker tensed in dread, while Jazz, who was still facing them, gripped the bag's strap on her shoulder even tighter to contain the emotions consuming her inside. But then taking a quick breath, she just as quickly wiped her eyes and turned to face her parents. "Y-Yeah?"

Maddie frowned at the three kids, before focusing fully on her daughter and asking, "Is everything alright? We heard you yelling and…"

"What are you doing with our ghost weapons, Jazzy-pants?" Jack interrupted with a confused frown.

Knowing Jazz was too emotionally distressed to think of a cover-up, Sam took the initiative. And although she hated having to lie to her best friend's parents, she said, "We were just… hoping we could help you… um, hunt ghosts. I mean, you and Mr. Fenton are so busy searching for Danny and all that we thought we could… help…"

Jack lit up like a Christmas tree and beamed. "Well, of course, you kids can help! And at last one of my kids has decided to take up the family business!" A tear formed in one of Jack's eyes as he turned more emotional and added, "I-I thought for a moment this day would never come…"

Maddie resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her husband's theatrics and instead put a hand on her hip as she regarded the three teenagers in the lab. "First of all, Sam, you and Tucker are minors. I could not allow you two in good conscious to expose yourself to dangerous specters. As for you, Jazz, you know you cannot physically strain yourself. Besides, you have always been adamant about staying away from your father and my work, so why the sudden change?" But not waiting for an answer, she added, "Second of all, the ghost numbers have fallen for whatever reason; so although we appreciate you all wanting to help, it is not necessary."

"Aww, but, Maddie…," Jack began to whine, only to fall quiet when he saw his wife was not going to sway on this. Still, Jack pouted some more and muttered another protest to himself.

"Now, put those weapons down, Jazz," Maddie continued, though her voice wasn't as firm as before even if she was clearly giving no room for disobedience. "You know we don't like anyone down here without us being present, much less allow you or Danny's friends to handle our ghost equipment. They might be made to hurt only ghosts, but it could still be harmful to someone if they don't know how to use them. So, out you all go. Lunch is ready anyways. Sam, Tucker, you are both welcome to stay."

"Uh, thanks, Mrs. F!" Tucker beamed, though his excitement was strained.

Sam just nodded and smiled weakly, before moving over to Jazz who still had not said anything this whole time; but she still grabbed the bag from the older girl.

Jazz reflectively held onto the strap to keep Sam from taking the weapons from her, but the goth girl looked significantly at her as she said, "Come on, Jazz. Your parents are right. We don't know how to use this stuff. It's not going to _help_ _anyone_…"

Internally knowing she was right, Jazz reluctantly released the strap and allowed Sam to take it off her shoulders. As Sam set it back down on the ground, the older girl lowered her gaze before suddenly moving past her parents, muttering, "I'm going to go wash up…"

"Good idea, Princess!" Jack beamed before following after her, adding, "Ya need clean hands because what your mother made is finger-lickin' good! Ha-ha!"

Meanwhile, Sam and Tucker looked worriedly at each other before Sam quickly said, "Yeah, we need to wash our hands, too."

"Heh, yeah," Tucker added. "Can't risk ingesting ghost contaminants or something, right?"

Maddie said nothing as she watched the two young kids leave the lab. There was a suspicious expression on her face now that she was sure they were not only keeping something from her, but that something was off about their and Jazz's reactions. However, knowing by now how strange and secretive her kids and Danny's friends could be, she mentally shrugged it off. But then, she suddenly paused and glanced at the bag full of ghost weapons and muttered in confusion, "If I didn't know any better, I would say those three were preparing for some ultimate battle…"

With a sigh of helplessness, Maddie shook her head and headed out of the lab herself, wondering if all teenagers of this current generation were as puzzling as her children and their friends… After all, Danny had been the most perplexing of the foursome…

The mother sighed wistfully at the thought of her missing son… Oh, how she missed him!

* * *

Instead of going to the bathroom to wash up, Jazz went into her room and closed the door after her. She then sat down on her bed and grabbed Bear-Bert Einstein and pulled it close to her, hoping to find comfort in her childhood toy. But it… only reminded her more of her brother…Her little sweet brother…

"_Jazz, let Danny hold Bear-Bert." _

"_No! He's mine!" she protested, keeping the stuffed animal away from her brother._

_The less-than-a-year-old baby crawled after his sister, who kept taking large steps away from him. _

_"Stop it, Danny! He's mine!" she yelled._

_Danny in return babbled at her and continued to follow her around the room. A minute later, he stopped trying and his bottom lipped quivered. _

_"You're such a baby!" she yelled, crossing her arms and looking away from him._

_Danny stared at her; momentarily, his babbles silenced. He crawled closer to the coffee table before grabbing it and slowly lifting himself to his two feet._

_Jazz looked at him curiously, but then her eyes widened at seeing him let go of the table and stand on his own. "Mom?" she called warily._

_Danny smiled at his sister and slowly walked towards her. _

_Jazz was so shocked she didn't move from where she was. She couldn't believe it, her baby brother was walking, and it was a memory she knew she would never forget…_

"Oh, Danny…" she whimpered before she pulled the stuffed bear closer and wept. She cried as she imagined all the suffering her brother had to endure at being forced to choose between his life—_who he was_—and her life—in the literal sense. She cried for ever believing her brother would willingly abandon his home and family. She cried for ever even remotely trusting in any of Vlad Masters' words and leaving her brother in his hands for almost five months. And she mostly cried because of how helpless and guilty she now felt after having learned the whole truth.

"_Jazz?"_ Sam called suddenly from outside her door after knocking softly. _"Can we come in? We really need to talk."_

But the older girl barely heard her and just continued to cry.

After a moment, the door slowly opened and then closed before Sam and Tucker tentatively moved closer to their best friend's distraught sister.

The two younger kids were quiet for a moment, only able to imagine how badly the older girl felt. After all, if they felt distraught being Danny's friends, Jazz had to feel like the whole world was falling on her after having learned that her brother had been forced into his current situation by using her as an ultimatum against him... No sooner had Sam and Tucker thought this when….

"It's all my fault!" she cried out between her tears.

"No, Jazz, it's not," Sam quickly assured her, sitting down next to her.

But moving closer, though he stayed on his feet, Tucker added, "Yeah, this is Vlad's fault. He's the one that's done all this."

But seeing Danny's sister just continued to cry, Sam sighed deeply and closed her eyes for a moment. But then looking at Tucker, who looked helplessly back at her, the goth girl's eyes filled with determination.

"Jazz," Sam suddenly said, standing up, though she then gently grabbed Bear-Bert from the older girl to get her attention. And when Jazz stared up at her with wet and troubled eyes, Sam told her, "Danny needs you."

Jazz nodded before burying her face in her hands and saying between them, "I-I know, but—"

"No, Jazz," Sam suddenly cut her off, grabbing her arms and forcing her to focus back on her. "He needs _you_. The real you!" she explained with growing vigor. "Crying your eyes out over this isn't going to help him! In fact, you're wrong when you said all you've been doing is 'thinking things through' for the past several months. The truth is you _haven't_ been really thinking about all this. You've been letting your emotions cloud your judgment for the longest time, and that's what I've been trying to tell you for a while now. It happened to me, too, and it's understandable, because everything has been so confusing, and Vlad's used our feelings for Danny against us! But enough of all that! If anyone can find a way to get him out of there, it's you—but the real you! You need to pull it together and do what you do best: _think_ of a way to fix this!"

Jazz just stared back at the girl and sniffed for several seconds before glancing at Tucker and seeing that although he was quiet, he clearly agreed with Sam. But like the girl, he was also staring expectantly at her, both pleading for her to get a grip and help them find a way to help Danny.

Jazz lowered her gaze as her eyes filled with more tears, but then taking a breath, she forced herself to calm down. Her brother's friends were right. The time for emotional judgment was over. It was time for them to think through this with cold calculating clarity.

They had to put an end to Vlad's scheme—and fast.

There was another moment of silence before Jazz stood up and wiped the remaining tears from her eyes. She soberly glanced out her window, though it was clear the wheels in her head were now turning and very quickly.

Suddenly, she said soberly, "Vlad has the antidote."

Sam and Tucker almost startled by how sure the girl sounded, and Tucker quickly voiced that. "How… can you be so sure? What if he… got rid of it?"

"No," Jazz replied, looking back at the two with controlled anger. "Vlad's a manipulative creep. He would never get rid of something that he could use as leverage later. Not to mention, the neutralizer was his escape card if things didn't go as he had them planned. Trust me on this, Vlad _has_ that antidote, and it's somewhere in his house. And we have to get it; because without me in his sick clutches, he has nothing on Danny. We get that neutralizer and Danny is free."

Sam slowly nodded seeing the logic in the older girl's words. "Okay, but… how do we find this antidote? I mean, I'm pretty sure Danny had to have tried every possible way to get out of Vlad's ultimatum after all these months. After all, we all know he isn't the type of person who gives in easily, especially to a jerk like Vlad. So, if Danny probably hasn't found the antidote, how are we going to find it?"

"Yeah," Tucker agreed. "Especially when we have Vlad and his servants guarding his house as if it was a prison—and considering the circumstances, it might as well be one!"

"Something like that needs to be kept under special conditions," Jazz replied, not swayed, though she suddenly moved to a drawer of one of her night stands and pulled it open. However, she continued, "That means, the neutralizer has to be in some kind of cold storage device, and I am willing to bet we'll find it in his secret lab."

Jazz suddenly pulled out Clockwork's medallion and stared at it as she further said, "Still, we are going to need time to search for it. That means we need to get into Vlad's house without detection from him or any of his helpers. It's going to be hard, but we have to do our best. Still, we'll bring a Fenton Thermos in case we are forced to capture any ghost that stands in our way. Hopefully, it won't come to that and we can keep out of sight from anyone, and…" She paused and looked at the younger kids. "…if Danny doesn't know we are there, either, it will be better. If he sees us there, he might fear for our safety like last time, and try to stop us himself. You two are right. We can't go in there guns blazing. We need to do this carefully. We must do this without _anyone_ knowing. At least, until we get that antidote."

Sam and Tucker couldn't help but smile at hearing and seeing the older girl was now thinking this through.

"Now, that's the Jazz we know!" Tucker beamed.

But although Sam nodded in agreement, she moved a few steps forward and carefully said, "Your plan is perfect, Jazz. It's perfect except for one thing…"

And by the way Jazz lowered her gaze, Sam knew the girl was also aware of it. Still, the goth girl voiced that single snag…

"You, Jazz," Sam said seriously. "You can't go."

The girl's hard look melded into a sad and desperate expression as she looked back at the younger girl and replied, "I know I shouldn't go, but I _have_ to go, Sam! I can't stay behind sitting around while my brother's in trouble because of me—because of some rash decision_ I_ made some time back that has now come back to haunt us! Can't you understand? I messed up! And it's my responsibility to fix this—it's my responsibility to bring Danny home!"

"Listen, Jazz, we all know that even when we have learned the truth, there are still some things that don't add up—factors that we have no way of taking into consideration because we don't know what they are!" Sam insisted.

"Like, how Vlad's controlling the activation level of nanobots in your body," Tucker added. "According to what we found, that black bracelet that Danny had been wearing definitely had been programmed to excite the nanobots. In fact, that's probably why you started feeling bad and Danny freaked out to the point that he threatened us into leaving that one time."

"But the bracelet was destroyed, so that shouldn't be a problem now," Jazz retorted, not wanting to back down, even when she knew they were right.

"But that mainframe in his secret lab **is** a problem!" Tucker argued back. "And I am willing to bet that that mainframe is what's keeping the nanobots from… well, uh, wasting you, Jazz. Still, from my attempt to figure it out last time, I can't say I could do anything about the mainframe, and I don't think we _would_ want to try anything with it anyways. If it's really what's controlling those nanobots, then messing with it could cause it to lose control over the nanobots and then…"

The boy trailed off; but he knew he didn't need to finish what he was going to say. The girls knew how it ended. If something happened to that mainframe, it could mean the end for Jazz. And yet, it could also be dangerous for the older girl to be near it, and the goth girl quickly voiced it.

"Yeah," Sam continued before the older girl could say anything. "And just as bad is that we have no way of knowing if with you close by, Vlad can use that mainframe to excite the nanobots even more, or even increase their activation level. That's why you can't come with us, Jazz. We can't risk Vlad finding out we are there and using you against Danny or even us. If you stay here, there's less of a chance that he can try to hurt you."

But Jazz shook her head and determinately said, "I'm going, you two. And that's final."

"Geez, stubbornness runs in this family, doesn't it?" Tucker muttered to Sam.

"Apparently" Sam replied, crossing her arms in growing aggravation. But then focusing on the other girl, she insisted, "Jazz, how do we know having you close by isn't going to make things worse? What if something goes wrong?"

"I caused all this, Sam, and I'm going to put an end to it! I'll be fine," Jazz replied.

"What if you're wrong?" Sam countered.

"I'm not wrong," she answered, stuffing the medallion in her pocket and then looking around for the Fenton Ghost Peeler.

"Jazz, you can't risk yourself like this!" Sam exclaimed, now fed up.

"_Yes_, I can!" Jazz answered forcefully. "I'm going to free Danny from that fruit-loop even if it's the last thing I do! I don't care if I have to risk my life for him! I'm going to save my little brother!"

"Then, don't risk Danny!" Tucker abruptly intervened, and both girls instantly silenced and looked over at him.

"_Huh… those were the right words," _he thought happily; but he kept it from showing on his face as he added out loud, "Jazz, if something happens to you, it'll destroy Danny. I know you want to help him, but the best way you can help him right now is to stay here."

"Tucker's right, Jazz. We can handle this. Please, you gotta trust us," Sam all but begged the other girl.

"Gah!" Jazz suddenly yelled in frustration as her hands fisted against her sides. "That jerk! How could he do something like this? It-It's low even for him!"

"He's tried cloning Danny, Jazz," Sam reminded her with a disgusted frown. "Since then, I don't put anything past Vlad."

Jazz took a deep breath to control herself again, but then she nodded sadly and said, "Alright, I'll stay. But you two need to go prepared, and you need to go now."

Tucker gasped and quickly said, "But we can't just disappear! Our parents will ground us for life!"

"What else is new, Tucker?" Sam retorted, clearly not caring about getting in trouble at this point.

"It's Friday, Tucker," Jazz reminded him. "I can cover for you two with your parents by saying you're spending the night here. Now, come on, we need to go to Danny's room. He keeps some of my parents more dangerous weapons hidden in there."

However, when they got to Danny's room, they startled a bit.

They had forgotten about Danielle! And she was still waiting for them where they had left her after finding out about the nanobots…

"Sheesh! I thought you three would never come back!" the younger girl said, though she sounded relieved to see them. She looked from Danny's friends to Danny's sister before tentatively adding, "Did… Did you tell Danny's parents about…?

"No, I didn't tell them," Jazz interrupted, knowing what the girl was about to ask. "I want to, though, and badly; but… it's not going to help Danny right now."

"Yeah, so we're going to get him back ourselves. All we need is that antidote and we can get Danny out of there," Sam added with determination.

Danielle stayed quiet for a moment, unsure of what to make of the goth girl's words. But then her eyes quickly widened as she realized, "Wait. Are you saying you and Tucker are going to _break into my dad's_ _house_ to find that neutralizer thing? You can't do that!"

"Why not? We've done it before—the breaking in part, that is," Tucker clarified. "I mean, I'm not exactly looking forward to it, since each time we've done it, something happens—or specifically, someone or something tries to waste us. But, that's our only option at this point."

"B-But, it's too dangerous, guys!" Danielle insisted. "Once Vlad knows that you all know the truth and finds out you are trying to steal the antidote and foil his plans with Danny, he's going to _really_ come after you!"

Jazz's eyes narrowed with her next words. "We're not afraid of that sick creep! We are getting Danny back even if I have to tear apart Vlad Masters molecule by molecule!"

"Ugh, that sounded a bit too like your dad there, Jazz," Tucker commented, a bit perturb.

Jazz scowled. "Whatever! You three know what I mean!"

"Yeah, we do. And I'm with you, Jazz," Sam added with an angry frown. "So, let's not waste any more time and get the things we need so Tucker and me can get going."

Jazz nodded; but then she paused as she suddenly thought of something else, and quickly looking back at Danielle, abruptly said, "I can't go with Sam and Tucker, but… you can."

The ghost girl, who had fallen quiet with her worry, jolted with the older girl's suggestion and squeaked out. "_Me_?"

"Yes, you," Jazz answered. "You could help Sam and Tucker get into Vlad's lab undetected by using your powers."

"But I'm unstable! I'm still feeling bad from using my powers for that little while to get Tucker into Axion!" Danielle exclaimed.

"You could try," Sam intervened, unable to deny that with Danny's 'cousin', they had a better chance of pulling this off. "Plus, it would be just for a little while."

But Danielle shook her head. "N-No. I can't risk it. I mean, I want to help Danny… But I can't break into my dad's home. If he finds me there…"

Danny's friends and sister looked at one another, finally understanding the young girl's refusal: she was terrified of Vlad.

Jazz stepped closer to the young girl before gently saying, "We would never let anything happen to you, Danielle. I know I've just met you in these few months, but if Danny cares about you, then so do I. And I know Sam and Tucker feel the same. But, we could really use your help with this. _Danny_ needs _all_ of our help. Please go with them. I would feel so much better about staying behind if you did."

Danielle just stared back at the older girl, clearly fighting between her desire to help and her fear of her former father. But one of those feelings soon won over the other.

Her eyes filled with tears as she softly shook head and whispered, "I-I'm sorry, I…can't."

Jazz opened her mouth to say something; but Danielle suddenly turned into her ghost form, turned invisible, and fled from the room.

"Danielle!" Jazz exclaimed after her; but it was too late. She was gone.

Danny's sister sighed, but then Sam suddenly placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "It's fine, Jazz. We can do this on our own. Now, come on. We've wasted enough time."

Jazz silently nodded before moving away from the goth girl and moving to her brother's bed. She then got on her hands and knees and reached under his bed, pulling out a box.

Jazz smiled bitterly as she opened the box revealing a couple of ghost weapons as she commented, "Every now-and-then, my parents create a ghost device or weapon that works a little _too_ well. So, Danny secretly takes them and hides them in his room. My parents think it's government spies who steal them."

Tucker chuckled weakly as he added, "Or, ghosts. Though, I guess with that one, they are not too far off."

The girls smiled, trying to liven the mood, but Jazz then noticed something else under her brother's bed; though if it wasn't for the shiny wrapping, she wouldn't have caught sight of it.

Reaching under again, she pulled out what had caught her attention and her eyes widened a bit in surprise at seeing it was a gift box. However, at that instant, she knew what it was.

"My dad's gift," she muttered, and Sam and Tucker suddenly remembered how Jack had given Danny some weapons for his birthday just months ago—the same day all this nightmare started.

Jazz lifted the cover on the box, and since it had already been opened, she had no trouble with it. However, she frowned as she pulled out three green-and-silver metal balls the size of ping-pong balls. All three kids vaguely remembered the weapons in the gift box and what they did, since Jack had ranted about them to Danny in front of everyone…

"The Fenton Ghost Knock-out…," Jazz muttered thoughtfully, remembering the name her father had called the balls when he had given them to Danny, while she further wondered if they worked. Her dad had said something about paralyzing a ghost and knocking it unconscious…

However, looking back in the box, she found two other weapons. One was a ghost thermos; and the other was some kind of gun. She didn't really recall what her father had called this specific gun. Something about… 'spectral eater'? Whatever. She did remember, though, that her father said that one blast from the gun would pull out all of a ghost's spectral energy, leaving a dry husk…

It sounded dangerous, even deadly…and yet, Jazz was beyond caring at this point. Looking at Danny's friends, Jazz said, "Here, take these. I don't know how to use them, but I'm sure it can't be all that hard since my dad's ghost devices are rarely hard to use. She then handed them another gun from Danny's box of 'forbidden ghost weapons' before finally handing them her preferred ghost device: the Fenton Ghost Peeler.

Tucker, who had gone to Danny's closet to get a duffle bag, then helped Sam put the weapons in.

"Do you think this is enough?" Tucker asked sarcastically.

But missing it, Jazz asked, "Do you need more? There's some other weird-looking weapons left in Danny's box…"

But Sam shook her head. "This is enough, Jazz. We need weapons that we know how to use and know what they do—or for the most part, anyways. Last thing we need is using something that could also accidently hurt Danny."

Jazz nodded, but then Sam further asked, "So, how are we going to get to the speeder with your parents in the house—and in the kitchen, no less?"

The older girl replied, "Don't worry. I'll distract them. I'll tell them you two had to leave, and while I distract them over lunch, you two can sneak into the lab. Just make sure you don't get caught. I'll just have to think of an explanation for why the speeder is gone when they finally notice it missing. But I'll handle it."

Sam and Tucker nodded; but then they fell quiet and lowered their gaze. Jazz also found herself at a lost for anymore words. The truth was that they were both anxious and scared. Everything was at stake now. If they didn't find the antidote, then they really would have no choice but to tell Danny and Jazz's parents the truth. Not to mention, Sam and Tucker were now as worried for Jazz as they were for Danny. Nothing could go wrong, or it would be both of them who would pay the consequences…

"Sam. Tucker," Jazz finally spoke up in a quiet voice, showing how troubled she was. "Be careful, alright? Don't get yourselves or Danny hurt."

The two younger teens nodded before Sam retorted, "You be careful, too. Stay close to your parents… just in case, okay?"

Jazz smiled weakly and nodded. However, suddenly remembering what she had put in her pocket, she reached into it and pulled out Clockwork's medallion.

"Danielle said that Clockwork asked her to give this to me," she began with a small sigh. "I initially didn't understand why; but... I know now." She looked at the other teens as she said, "When he talked to me all that time back, he advised me to stay on the sidelines. It makes sense now. But, he also said it was my choice. I think he sent me this to _remind_ me of the things he said to me… But… I also think he sent it to me for something else… As another reminder..."

Jazz stared quietly at the medallion for another moment before looking back at the kids, though mainly at Sam. And extending the medallion, she said, "I want you to give it to Danny, Sam."

"Why?" Tucker asked, confused, knowing the thing was useless unless one had time powers.

"Call it a hunch," Jazz answered.

Sam nodded; and accepting the medallion, she put it in her pocket.

Jazz hesitated for a minute, before reluctantly saying, "Well, I guess I'll go take care of my parents. Give me ten minutes before trying to sneak into the lab, okay?"

Danny friends nodded, but then just quietly watched the older girl leave. However, as Jazz pulled open her brother's door, she looked back at them and added with a resolved and grave look, "One more thing. I didn't tell my parents anything because I am hoping we can put a stop to Vlad ourselves. But, if you two are not back by tonight _with Danny_, I'll tell them everything. And this time, no one's going to stop me. I mean it."

Before Sam and Tucker could say anything, Jazz left. Now alone, the two friends looked at each other; but it was Tucker who chuckled nervously and lightly joked, "No pressure, huh?"

But Sam just returned her eyes back to the closed door and unconsciously gripped the medallion in her pocket.

* * *

It was an hour after dinner when Vlad finally got time to himself and decided to use the simulation room. After two days since his argument with Stephanie over Daniel and vice versa, he was still a bit troubled by all that had happened—especially when the woman had yet to show up for work. It seemed she was going to quit after all. However, he remained firm in his decision.

He wasn't going to give up what he had with the young hybrid for _anyone_.

Still, running several multi-billion-dollar corporations without his business-savvy and quick-witted secretary was both stressing and tiring. But he wasn't going to insist anymore. In fact, maybe Stephanie distancing herself and her daughter from him was the best choice. She already knew too much, and if anything ever went wrong, he wouldn't want her and her daughter to be affected by him. And besides, right now, he had Daniel and the Fentons to focus on.

And…. he finally had what he needed to move forward:

He had the awaited paperwork.

Vlad smiled with the thought before switching into Plasmius and asking the room to run his usual training program.

Daniel didn't know yet that he had the documents they had talked about. But the billionaire had received them early morning at Dalv. It definitely had made his worry over his childhood friend ease at the prospect of finally being able to get his and the boy's plan started. He really had thought about giving the teen the good news as soon as he had seen him when he had returned from his business affairs. But… Vlad decided to leave it as a surprise. It would definitely be more appealing to wake the boy up early tomorrow morning and hear Daniel complain about its being Saturday and too early to be awake, before he would wipe the irritated look off the child's face by showing him the papers and telling him to get dressed because they were finally going to Amity Park.

Plasmius could already imagine the overjoyed smile on the boy's face when he found out tomorrow.

Chuckling lightheartedly, the older hybrid took down several attacking ghost weapons around him. And although he continued to mull over his plans, he still had no trouble getting through the training program.

Although he had been anticipating this day, Plasmius was also a bit cautious because it would be the beginning of the rockiest part of their plans. After all, if things were to go well, Vlad knew Daniel would have to stay with his family for at least a couple of weeks. And… it wasn't so much that he would miss the teenager in that time, but that in that time in Amity Park, well, Vlad feared that what Stephanie had told him two days ago could be true.

What if Daniel wasn't sure what he wanted? What if he changed his mind in the weeks that he would be back home?

It really was a worry that had passed through Vlad's mind on more than one occasion now. Actually, that fear had started ever since they ran into Danielle in the Ghost Zone. And although the young hybrid had assured him several times that he had made his decision and he wasn't retracting it, Vlad still had that little seed of doubt.

That was the reason he had already been thinking of some precautions. Daniel was well aware that in terms of his friends and family, he would always be able to visit them and spend as much time with them as he wanted. After all, they were only a helicopter ride away. So, they weren't as much the problem. If anything would sway the boy's decision to stay with him, it would be that 'hero' streak of his.

Therefore, the solution was simple:

Vlad just needed to make sure that in the weeks Daniel would be in Amity Park that the boy would have absolutely no reason to turn into Phantom outside of for pleasure. And, luckily, it wouldn't be too hard now that he had marked Amity Park as part of his territory. Most smart ghosts would stay away now, and the foolish ones and weaker ones would easily be taken care off. Of course, Vlad wouldn't be able to do it himself, since he had too many affairs in Wisconsin to leave things unattended for too long—especially without Stephanie around now. However, he could call on his allies for that, and with a bit of compensation, they would keep any trouble-making ghosts away.

The ultimate goal was to make sure Daniel had no doubt that Amity Park would be just fine without _Danny Phantom_. Perhaps… Vlad could even fund the Guys-in-White so that they would up their focus on Amity Park and better their equipment and such things… Yes, that was possible, too. And since Daniel would not be there to worry about those ghost hunters or any others, then it wouldn't be a problem to fund them.

Then again, Vlad was going to avoid having the young hybrid find out about those extra 'precautions'. He didn't want the boy getting the wrong idea, for example, thinking that he was manipulating their plans. And knowing Daniel, he probably would think that. Of course, that was not true at all. Vlad was just a natural strategist. It was in his nature to plan things out and then take precautions to make sure those plans went as he had, well, planned them. And this specific plan to have Daniel stay with him was too important to the billionaire for it to go wrong.

The young hybrid would never know just how much it truly meant to Vlad to finally have him at his side. As he told the boy, just because Daniel could never see him as his father didn't meant he couldn't see the boy as his son. But it was also more than that. The young hybrid represented the family he had always wanted and now would never have; and he also represented the childhood family he had and lost.

No, the boy could never understand how important his decision to stay with him was to him.

Vlad ended the program as his hand began to spark with blue electricity. He smiled again. Who would have thought an inexperienced impulsive half-ghost teenager could ever teach him, a man with over twenty years of experience, to master one of the hardest tricks with his powers?

Plasmius shot a bolt of blue electricity at the now glowing ice-covered wall and watched how the ice cracked, yet the electricity splayed out on it, going as far as leaving little sparks of electricity tingling on its surface.

Daniel didn't know it, but the combination of ectoplasmic-based ice and electricity was very peculiar. Some instances, they would repel each other like normal fire and ice, yet other times, they could actually combine to create a stronger attack. It really all depended on the level of each type of energy. It most certainly gave Vlad a lot to think about, because every day that he continued to practice with the boy, he began to suspect that Daniel didn't have a normal core as he had originally thought. The boy most certainly didn't have a hot core, but…. perhaps, the opposite of it…

They were subtle hints for the most part. Vlad had always believed Daniel's unstable energy had to do with his developing body; but… perhaps it could also have to do with his ghost core itself developing or awakening some of its dormant properties. Then, there was his ghost sense. It was odd enough that it was visible, let alone that it commonly made the boy shiver. The few times the billionaire's own ghost sense had been visible, it had been red and hot—and he had yet to figure out why it turned visible those few times. So, Daniel's own being constantly visible and so cold was an interesting event in itself. Then, there was also the time the child had lost control of his powers and not only did his temperature drop, but he also froze his room over.

Well, perhaps that one wasn't as subtle. But Vlad was still unsure. He didn't know as much about cold cores as he did on normal or hot ones; but he was fairly sure that ghosts with cold cores didn't generally exert as much energy as other ghosts without that type of core. It was because of natural physics, really. Energy created heat, so heat was associated with stronger and more intense power, as oppose to cold properties, which decreased and even lost heat, and therefore was associated with weaker forms of energy. It was why ghosts with cold cores couldn't produce any other type of energy besides blue energy—the weakest form of energy.

And that wasn't Daniel at all. Just yesterday Vlad once again got to see the sheer power the boy's ghost core contained…

"_Well, I've gotten better at it. I mean, I can now turn back almost immediately after I use my Ghostly Wail," Danny explained._

"_And that certainly shows you are gaining control of that power, as well as, endurance," Vlad replied while they were in the simulation room practicing the boy's powers. "However," he continued, "I think the trick is not so much in avoiding turning human again, but rather, avoiding using so much energy in that attack that it forces you to become human. In other words, what you need to learn is to control the amount of energy you use in this wail of yours. And now that you have learned to create blue energy and have mastered those fundamentals we have been working on in the past months, I think you are ready to do this."_

_Danny grinned. "Now that's what I'm talking about! I was starting to get tired of all the wimpy practices!"_

_Vlad rolled his eyes as he dryly answered, "Shame that I have no program that helps you learn to develop 'patience'." _

_Danny just chuckled before turning into Phantom and asking, "Okay, so what exactly am I going to be doing?"_

_This time, Vlad smirked as he replied, "First, I am going to teach you proper vocal control."_

_Danny jolted before he stuttered out, "W-Wait, what? Vocal control? Isn't that something singers worry about? Wait. Are you talking about teaching me to __**sing**__? Dude, I don't sing!"_

_Vlad laughed, clearly enjoying working the boy up. "Now, now, Daniel," he said, though he was still smiling. "When you put it that way…"_

"_I don't think so, Vlad," Danny said with an irritated frown. "And what does my voice have to do with ghost powers?"_

_Vlad crossed his arms this time and raised an eyebrow. "With you? Everything. Really, dear boy. All ghost powers can be classified into different categories, and all powers in a certain category require similar techniques to master them. Your wail is simply a form of vocal power, similar to those of ghosts that can hypnotize or cast spells using their voices." Vlad smirked again as he added, "I am probably not the best teacher for this since that is not one of my own abilities. However, I have studied ghosts and their powers enough to at least teach you to control this vocal power of yours."_

"_I'm still not singing," Danny grumbled back._

_Vlad just chuckled before continuing. "One thing you have to understand about using your vocal chords as a weapon is that there is a direct flow of energy from your ghost core to your vocal chords. Unlike other times when you use your energy and you control the output of ghost energy from your core, when it comes to this type of usage, your control is located at your vocal chords."_

_Danny just stared at him with a frown, clearly expressing through it that he wasn't liking this and that he also did not understand what the man meant._

_Vlad paused in thought for a moment before saying, "Your ghost core is similar to your heart, except that you can control the energy it sends through your body. But that energy travels through your muscles most of the time. However, when the energy coming from your core does not end in a muscle, your core loses its control over it. For example, I can shoot energy from my eyes…"_

_Vlad quickly demonstrated this and shot pink rays at a nearby target as he said, "I cannot control the amount of energy that comes out of my eyes because there is no muscular control involved when it comes to expelling my energy out this way. Think of it as if I opened a channel from my core to my eyes with no barrier in between—which is actually the case. How do I control then the amount of energy that I lose through my eyes?"_

_Danny just blinked, though he was starting to get what the man was saying._

_But Plasmius just nodded. "Exactly. I blink. I use my eyelids to close the channel and prevent myself from expelling all of my energy, and therefore, avoid unwillingly reverting back to my human form."_

_Danny's eyes widened with understanding. "Oh, I get it! So, when I use my Ghostly Wail, I create an open channel from my core to my voice, which is why I end up losing all my energy because I have nothing blocking all my energy from escaping. But… how do I do that? I mean, I could stop, er, screaming, I guess. But sometimes I need to hold out my Ghostly Wail for a long time before it works on my enemies, and by then, I'm wiped out."_

_Vlad smiled. "Well, that is why using your vocal chords as a form of power has its advantages and disadvantages. It takes a lot of practice to learn proper control. Take Ember. She is probably one of the most experienced ghosts that exist at using her vocal chords as a type of ghost power. However, in spite her young appearance, it has taken her many decades to master it. Still, the elemental controls are the same: your breathing and your voice."_

"_So, I gotta sing," Danny said dryly._

_Plasmius rolled his eyes before replying, "You are the one who has insisted on my helping you master your Ghost Wail—or whatever you call it. I am simply telling you what you need in order to do that. Look, just give it a try, alright? I am not asking you to sing, silly child. I am asking you to control the amount of energy you let out from your vocal chords by using proper breathing and voice control."_

_Danny looked a bit embarrassed about this, but then nodded and muttered a 'fine'._

_Plasmius smirked, clearly amused by the teen's exaggeration about what he had to do. But he then continued. "Alright, as I said, I am not the best teacher for this, but I know the essentials. So, place a hand on your stomach."_

_Danny frowned, but did that._

"_Now, I want you to take a deep inhale of air, but without your chest rising. In other words, you need to store your air in the lower part of your diaphragm." _

_Danny watched as Vlad demonstrated, and noticed specifically how his chest didn't move but his abdomen expanded. Trying it, it took the boy a moment to figure it out since he had never breathed like this before. But when he finally managed it he felt by the hand on his stomach how his abdomen filled with air._

"_Weird," the teen muttered._

_Vlad ignored the comment and instead said, "Good. Now, the other part of your control is the shape of your mouth itself. The more 'o' shape you keep it, the more easier your chords will vibrate and the better your flow of energy will be; but also you can control how much energy you want to exert by how wide you open your mouth. The smaller the 'O', the less energy; and the larger it is, the more energy you let out. Now, the pace or the speed in which you release your energy is controlled by your breathing. And using the muscles in your abdomen to control the air in your diaphragm will give you a sure control."_

_Danny just slowly nodded._

_But annoyed a bit by that, Vlad urged, "Well, don't just stare at me, boy. Try it. But do not use your energy yet. Just do everything I told you and hold out your voice."_

_Danny raised an eyebrow. "I told you I'm not singing, Vlad."_

_Plasmius pinched the bridge of his nose before saying, "Define 'singing', Daniel? Just hold out your voice, or say 'boo' for all I care. The point is that you have to know how to control your voice alone first before you can control it when it's charged with ectoplasmic energy. And to do that, you have to practice proper breathing and voice control!"_

_Danny's eyebrows creased in embarrassment before he sighed. Finally, after a moment of hesitation, he opened his mouth and went 'ah'._

_Vlad couldn't help but grin and mocked, "Little badger, what a lovely singing voice you have."_

_Of course, that got the obvious reaction._

"_Agh! Forget it! I'm not doing this!" Danny fumed as he turned human again, ready to leave with cheeks bright with embarrassment._

_Plasmius laughed, but then forcing himself to calm down, he quickly said, "Ah. Ah. Come now. I'll stop, alright? You just set that one up all on your own, Daniel."_

_Danny just glared back._

_But still smiling, the man raised his hands up in a pacifying gesture before he said, "Alright, little badger. Let's be serious. Come, do it again; but this time, use more of an 'O' shape with your mouth and make it louder without losing control of the air in your diaphragm."_

_Danny grumbled something about being an idiot for actually doing what a 'fruit loop' was telling him, before reluctantly doing as he had been told. Naturally, the result was a more definite 'ah' and a stronger voice._

_And that was good enough for Vlad as he told the teen, "Good. You have the idea; you can continue to practice that when you're alone, so to avoid you further mortification to your pride," he teased. But before Danny could say anything, Vlad called out a program to the simulation room and then told him, "Now, try that with your energy this time; just be careful not to expel all your energy. Remember. Control how much energy you want to use through your vocal chords."_

_Danny nodded and he watched Vlad teleport behind him. And having come prepared since he had already had in mind practicing this with the teenager, Vlad pulled out two small chip-like ear pieces and placed them in his ears—spectral noise filtrators. He hardly needed a headache after this._

_Getting the 'go ahead' from Vlad and now with no one watching him directly, Danny used his newer techniques more freely before he let loose his Ghostly Wail. However, although he managed to control the amount of energy he let out, the speed in which he let it out slipped out of his control when he accidently released all his air at once. The result was a resonating boom throughout the simulation room that impacted the wall like a swinging metal ball._

_Vlad cringed as a piece of wall came off. Well, that certainly would have to be repaired manually. _

"_Uh, sorry," Danny said meekly, after turning to face Vlad and having caught the look on the man's face._

_Clearing his throat to compose himself, Plasmius waved a hand. "It's fine, Daniel. That's what this room is for. Now, try it again. But watch how fast you exhale your air… And… point it at another wall, this time."_

_Danny couldn't help but chuckle at the last comment before facing the wall to the right of the one he had just damaged and trying again. He did better on his breathing this time; at least, he didn't damage the wall, that is. But the waves of energy were as varying in size and strength as his wavering control of his voice and breathing. And feeling himself growing dizzy, he quickly closed his mouth and stopped._

_Danny dropped to his knees, but he stayed in ghost form. _

_Squatting in front of him, Vlad asked, "Are you alright?"_

_The teen nodded as he looked up at him as he breathed for a moment. But then he said, "This is harder than it looks."_

"_Like I said, it requires a lot of practice, Daniel," Vlad replied._

_Danny smirked weakly. "I didn't change back, though. That's some progress."_

_Vlad chuckled as he stood up and then helped the teen up. "Indeed. However… if you really want to improve much faster, I could always hire a private singing instructor for you…"_

"_Yeah, after you go see a shrink, fruit loop," Danny grumbled back, pulling his arm from the man and glowering at him._

_Plasmius just laughed._

Vlad chuckled once again with the memory. That boy had quite the quick-witted mouth, which was topped by that hot temper of his. It was greatly annoying sometimes; yet other times, it was greatly amusing, especially when it made it so easy to work the boy up.

However, in all seriousness, Daniel's 'ghost wail' was an interesting ability for the teenager to have if he indeed had a cold core. But until Vlad was certain of it, he had decided to keep his suspicions to himself and just watch the boy. Aside from his parental side, the young hybrid also often stirred the scientist part of him. It was so interesting how he and Daniel, being the only two genuine hybrids to exist, ended up with such different cores. The question was why. Perhaps, merely fate? Then it also led to more questions, like, aside from the obvious difference in powers, would it also cause a difference in energy development or energy levels? In other words, when Daniel had the same number of years of experience, would the boy have a higher energy level than his own? The teen already showed signs of developing things quicker than he had at his current stage. But, then, that could also be because Daniel's body was continuing to develop unlike how his own had been fully developed when he got his powers.

Another thing that would make Daniel's having a cold core odd was because Danielle—his clone—had a normal one. Now, of that he was sure, because he knew her genetic make-up completely. So, if the boy had a cold core, it would leave to speculate why Danielle ended up with a normal core. Then again, Danielle was not supposed to come out a girl and she had. But that mystery was a lot easier to explain that it seemed. After all, it was only a matter of altering a 'y' chromosome for an 'x' or, accidently removing the 'y' chromosome all together. And it was a very easy genetic mistake to make in a cloning process. But for Daniel to have a cold core and Danielle to have come out with a normal one was something completely different. It would mean almost a complete change in the ghostly make-up of the girl in her developing cloning stage. In other words, it would mean Danielle was not as genetically similar to the boy as it had been intended, and that would further mean that the girl couldn't be correctly called 'a clone.'

Perhaps, he was jumping to conclusions. After all, there were no sure signs yet that his suspicion of Daniel's having a cold core was true.

"We'll have to wait and see," Vlad muttered to himself. However, if the teenager indeed had a cold core, it would be wonderful. Not only would the boy prove to be even more scientifically intriguing, but it would be interesting to put the boy's cold powers to the test of his own hotter ones…

It would be yet another reason to have Daniel at his side.

* * *

"Ha! I win again!" Danny boosted with a grin as he slapped his wining hand on the kitchen table and then leaned back on his seat and smugly crossed his arms.

Derek, Carl, Bennie, Jasper, and even Niane groaned in unison as they threw their own cards on the table.

"Geez, what are you? A professional card player, kid?" Carl grumbled, annoyed.

Danny chuckled. "No, my parents just have something called the 'Fenton Family Game Night', and my parents have a special liking for card games. Not that I mind. It's better than their 'Fenton Family Ghost Weapon Testing and Inventory Night!'"

The ghosts at the table cringed, definitely not liking the sound of that.

Meanwhile, Patricia and Martha had been curiously watching their game, and Martha suddenly said, "You know, Master Phantom, I would have taken you for a checkers type of person."

But Patricia quickly argued, "And why is that, Martha? How can you take someone for a specific kind of game? Actually, I find him more suitable for card games, as he has made it obvious with his several wins."

"Certainly not. He does not look like a 'card game' type of person. I certainly say checkers or even other board games," Patricia insisted, a small frown forming on her face.

"There you go again!" Martha snapped. "People don't _look_ a certain game!"

"They most certainly do!" the other maid snapped back, now glaring. "Just look at Master Plasmius. I knew he was a 'chess person' from the day I met him!"

"You did not!"

"I did, too!"

Danny sighed as the maids continued to bicker before looking at his companions at the table and asking, "Whose turn is it to shuffle?"

"Me!" Bennie quickly raised his hand before grabbing the cards off the table to begin to shuffle them.

This time, Danny smirked over at Jasper sitting beside him and commented, "He really likes shuffling the cards, doesn't he?"

Jasper grinned and nodded.

However, as the boys did their best to ignore the two older maids, Niane opted out of the next card game and instead got up and began to try to reason with the two older maids before they ended up in a bigger fight. Playing referee was something that Niane did a little too often, and yet, she was too used to it to be anything but mildly annoyed.

Niane glanced helplessly over at George, who was in the kitchen with Ms. Thomas watching everything behind the bar counter.

George just chuckled in response.

However, his attention went to the ghost teacher when she suddenly commented, "Perhaps, I should stop him…"

But thinking she referred to the older maids, George frowned and asked, "Don't you mean 'them'."

She shook her head and pointed at Danny. "No, I mean _him_. Surely there is something more educational Danny could do with his time than playing cards—most especially now when he will be leaving us for several weeks. Perhaps I should advance him on his lessons so he will not fall behind while away…."

But George didn't hear the rest of it since something she said jolted him with surprise. "What? The young halfa is leaving us?"

Ms. Thomas raised an eyebrow at him as she answered, "I thought you knew. Mr. Masters informed me of it a few weeks ago. In fact, I had to sign a couple of papers for him, which supposedly is part of the whole process. Do not worry, though. Danny will return in a few weeks' time."

"Yes, but a lot could happen in a few weeks!" George said, now looking troubled. "I wish I had been told sooner. I would have long since modified his diet."

"I do not follow you, George," Ms. Thomas replied.

"That's because you did not see him when he first arrived," George explained. "The young halfa was quite undernourished. It's been thanks to my healthy meals and well-structured eating plan that he has gotten as healthy as he is. Now, if he leaves all my efforts will be wasted!"

Of course, George was exaggerating, but Ms. Thomas didn't know that, and she frowned in worry herself.

"I must admit. I do not like the idea of his leaving us for so many weeks. A few days or a week away from his private lessons is not a problem, but several weeks? I just hope his public schooling will be adequate enough to keep him caught up until he returns…"

All the while as the two continued to discuss Danny's wellbeing, the teenager coincidentally remembered something that could have something to do with his returning to Amity Park, even though at this point he didn't know anything more about it.

"Hey, I forgot to ask you, Derek," the teen said, looking over at the butler from above his new card hand. "What was Jim doing at the house today? Doesn't he stay away unless Vlad has a trip or something?"

Derek tensed a bit before stuttering, "Oh, I-I would not know. Mr. Masters called him. I-I do not know why, though."

Danny raised an eyebrow as he replied, "Uh-huh…" Of course, he did not buy it. Derek was a terrible liar. But he wasn't going to insist on finding out the truth—not when he could just get it out of Vlad later…

His thoughts returned to their game when Danny picked up a card and saw another good hand. He smirked as he set it down and heard everyone complain again.

"Oh, come on! I haven't won yet!" Danny teased.

"You said it, Mr. Fenton," Derek said with a frown. "_Yet_."

Niane, who had finally been able to get her sisters to settle down, floated up behind Danny before whispering smugly in his ear, "You might be good at card games, Danny. But I bet you cannot beat me at a chess game…"

The teenager quickly turned his head a bit to smirk at the grinning young maid before saying, "Oh, yeah? Don't be so sure. I've been practicing with the master of chess—or as you deem him, 'your employer'."

Carl smirked himself as he added, "I'd actually like to see that—it would make me feel better to see the kid lose to someone—especially to a _girl_."

Danny and Niane rolled their eyes as the hybrid replied, "Thanks for the support, Carl. See if I ever help you convince Vlad to let you use one of his cars for another of your dates."

Carl waved a dismissive hand as he answered, "Not necessary, kid. I broke it off with Ms. Brax. Can you believe she mistook the Ferrari's unique engine for another? How can she do something as obscene as that? Nope. I am now a free male ghost once again."

Derek grinned this time as he shot back, "Yes, because we all know how coveted you are by human females."

"As a matter a fact, I am," Carl replied, lifting his chin at his friend. But then he grinned himself as he added, "You'd be surprised how many brownie points I get just for being the chauffeur of the renowned Vlad Masters—that combined with my looks—I am quite the catch, Derek."

"And why is that in all the time I've known you, the only human you have dated was this girl from our employer's company?" Niane teased back.

Carl pouted before replying, "Because I have my standards, too. And it's hard to find a girl who has the same love for cars as I do." He frowned at that before muttering mostly to himself, "Maybe I shouldn't have been so hard on Ms. Brax…" However, he quickly shrugged it off and said, 'Oh, well! I will always have my cars!"

Danny chuckled. "You remind me of someone so much that it's scary, Carl." But then looking at Niane, he narrowed his eyes a bit as he challenged, "So, about that chess game…"

Niane smirked before suddenly teleporting and then quickly returning with a common chess board. She set it on the table before taking a seat.

"I will have you know, Danny. I am not Master Plasmius. I will not go easy on you…," she said with a smirk.

Danny raised an eyebrow as he wondered if he would ever truly know the girl ghost in front of him. She could act almost unrecognizable sometimes. And this challenging side of her was definitely new.

But the teen wasn't about to back down and said, "Alright. You move, first."

Niane shrugged and without much hesitation she moved her first piece. As Danny debated his own move, the others, including the older maids focused on the new game, clearly curious to see who would win it.

However, just as Danny made his first move, George walked up behind Danny before placing a bowl of fruit and yogurt next to him. The teen blinked up at the cook before asking, "Uh, not that I'm complaining, but I didn't say I was hungry, George. I mean, I did have dinner an hour ago, remember?"

"Yes, but with your leaving us, then I need to make sure you are as nourished as possible, so the damage will not be too severe in your time away," he calmly explained.

But before Danny could ask what he was talking about, everyone except for Niane blurted out, "You're leaving?"

"And without telling us?" Carl added with a deep frown.

Danny jolted before quickly saying, "Of course not! I mean, I am! But not like that! I mean, I was going to tell you all eventually but I was just waiting for Vlad to get everything ready!"

However, when they all remained quiet, Danny sighed before asking George, "How did you even find out about that?"

"Ms. Thomas just told me," George replied, though he did not look happy with the news, either.

Danny looked over at Ms. Thomas who had looked up from her book when she heard the staff's outburst; but before the teen could question how _she_ knew about that, Jasper tugged on his shirt.

The teen looked at him as he signed something to him, but having no idea what he was saying, Danny looked questioningly over at Bennie, who replied, "He says that he thought you liked it here."

"I do," Danny said with a small smile at Jasper. "And, really, it's not that big a deal, guys. I'm just leaving for a few weeks. I gotta go see my family and friends. Spend some time with them. It's been months, you know…"

"Oh," Carl replied. "For a second I thought you were, like, _permanently_ leaving and not telling us, kid. That would be kind of be rude, you know."

Danny smiled. "I wouldn't leave without telling you all."

"When are you leaving, Danny?" Niane asked after being quiet all that time.

The teen shrugged. "I don't know yet. Vlad said he was waiting on some paperwork or something."

"Oh, well, Ms. Thomas just told me that—" George began before abruptly cutting off when he caught Derek wave his hands frantically, clearly telling him not to say anything. "I mean, she… mentioned that. Er, right, Ms. Thomas?" he added looking at the teacher.

"Yes, that is correct," she replied, closing her book and walking over to the group. "And do not worry, Danny. I will have an intricate lesson plan and the necessary materials for you to take with you while you are away. I expect you to be on top of things upon your return. In fact, I think I will go get those things ready for you now. Excuse me."

Danny blinked as his teacher floated out of the kitchen. She might be a good academic instructor but she was still odd.

"Anyways, I think it will be soon, though," Danny continued. "Or, at least, that's what Vlad said two days ago and I hope so, too. I like being here, but I do miss my family and friends, and I'm dying to see them all again."

Niane just smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes.

"Yes, well, it might sound selfish of me, but I do not like your leaving for so long," George said with a frown. "How will you be properly nourished without me around?"

Danny chuckled, though he fondly answered, "No one is better than you at that, George. But my mom comes pretty close. Don't worry. I'll be fine. But if it makes you feel better, I'll make sure to never skip a meal. And, here, I'll even eat 'extra' until I leave. So, why don't you make me a sandwich while I eat this?" Danny emphasized his request by grabbing a piece of melon and popping it into his mouth. The truth was that even if it had been an hour since dinner, he was hungry again—something about Chinese food always went through his system very quickly.

George grinned like a child on Christmas morning before he quickly nodded and floated over to his kitchen to make that sandwich.

Derek, Carl, and the two ghost gardeners shared amused looks, while Patricia and Martha began to debate over what made a properly balanced diet.

It took barely just over half-hour before Niane beat Danny at the chess game, and everyone even clapped with the fact.

Danny grumbled something about ghosts always ganging up on him; but he then admitted defeat and surrendered his seat to Jasper who was now excited about playing chess himself.

"I should tell Vlad he has a chess-worthy competitor in his own house," Danny said with a smile at Niane.

But the girl surprisingly frowned before she suddenly became shy and answered, "Oh, I'm not that good…"

Danny scoffed. "You're better than me. Then again, perhaps that's not all that impressive since I'm not all the great myself. Heh. At least I know I'm better than the cat," he added with a grin, remembering how he caught Vlad last night playing chess with the kitten. Well, he was playing chess alone with the cat as company; but that was technicalities. It just made it so easy to tease the man, though.

Niane grinned this time, "You mean 'Maddie'?"

Danny rolled his eyes. "I refuse to call that cat by my mother's name." However, wanting to go relax in his room, Danny grabbed his half-eaten sandwich and changed the topic, "You guys keep playing, I'm gonna call it a night. My pride can only take defeat once a day."

Everyone laughed at that, but they all nodded and bid the teen 'good night' in case they didn't see him anymore for the day.

Danny soon headed out of the kitchen with his sandwich. It was still early, so he wasn't planning on going to bed yet. But he also wasn't going to look for Vlad, either, since Danny knew he was probably training right now, and really, the teen just wanted to relax in his room and watch some TV or even play video games.

However, just as he thought that, Danny paused in step when he remembered there was something more important he needed to do. He needed to talk with Annie—or, more like chat online, anyways. He had exchanged emails with her some time back and on occasions talked with her. But he had wanted to talk with her since what happened at Stephanie's. Danny just thought it would be better to let a day or two pass by before doing so. And, besides, he now had news for her…

But although he wasn't sure if she would be interested in what they talked about two days ago, Danny had promised to help her out with Vlad when it came to convincing him to go to Florida. And Danny had indeed talked to Vlad about that. He wasn't sure if it would make Annie happy or not to know he had indeed convinced the man, but she wanted to tell her anyways, especially when it hadn't been easy…

_When they got home from Stephanie's, Danny decided to do what he had promised Annabelle. It was probably not the best time to do it, but the teen wasn't sure if he'd have the nerve to do it if it wasn't right now._

"_Vlad…I know this isn't the best time, but… I have been thinking about what you said some time back about not going to Florida because there's nothing for you there…"_

_Vlad raised an eyebrow. "Why would you be thinking about that now?"_

"_Uh…," Danny began, realizing he had not measured his words too well. He did not want Vlad to know Annie had put him up to this. "Well, it was just a passing thought. And, well, it got me thinking that maybe you have more in Florida than you want to admit to yourself…"_

_Vlad studied the teenager for a brief moment before he sighed and said, "Daniel, there are things Annabelle does not know; therefore, she does not understand."_

"_What does Annie have to do with this?" Danny quickly protested._

"_We both know 'everything', Daniel," Vlad answered with a frown. "She has always insisted that I go to Florida with her and her mother every time they make a trip down there. So, it hardly surprises me now that she has talked you into attempting to convince me."_

"_She's just worried about you because she cares for you, Vlad," Danny said with a frown of his own._

"_Yes. And she worries and cares a bit __**too**__ much," Vlad answered with a deeper frown. "In fact, I now realize she cares more than I imagined."_

"_You make it sound like it's a bad thing," Danny replied, crossing his arms._

"_Because it is!" Vlad said a bit more loudly than necessary, clearly still worked up about what had happened just two hours ago with Stephanie and her daughter. "Annabelle has made herself illusions over things that are never going to happen!"_

_Danny raised an eyebrow as he asked, "What? You mean the fact she wants you as her real father? What gave you a clue? The fact that she calls you __**father**__, Vlad?"_

"_I never thought she took the term so literally, Daniel," Vlad snapped. "Alright. I suppose it is normal for a young teenage girl to yearn for a father figure, and it's understandable she'd find it in me when I've been around all her life, but I never gave her reason to believe her mother and I have anything but a simple friendship, Daniel. I thought that was clear to Annabelle!"_

"_And just what is wrong with 'you and Stephanie'?" Danny dared to ask, though he sounded a bit annoyed now._

_Vlad glared lightly as he replied, "I am not talking with you about my 'love life', Daniel." _

"_You have no problem talking about how much you love my mother to me," Danny shot back sarcastically. _

"_That's different," Vlad replied through clenched teeth. "And I do not even know why you bring it up now. Let's not forget I have agreed to give up your mother."_

"_It was your choice, Vlad. I mean, if you are regretting it, then…," Danny began a bit wary._

"_No, Daniel. I just…" The man sighed before shaking his head. "Could we talk about this at another time?"_

"_Look, Vlad," Danny said after taking a deep breath himself to calm down. "All I'm saying is to think about it. Forget what anyone wants. It has to be what you want. Going back to Florida has to be **your** own choice. I just want you to realize that there is more back in Florida for you than you admit. And that's something, __**I'm**__ saying—not because Annie put me up to it. Your whole past is back there. Your childhood family and your memories with them are back there, and I might just be a kid, but even I know those are things you can't just forget or pretend like they never existed. At least, think about returning one last time as a sort of closure. You have taught me not to let my fears control me; well, now I'm telling you that you can't let the bad stuff that happens in your life control its outcome. I know everyone has their own way of coping with hardships, but I don't think the loss of your family is something you should cope with by trying to forget them—because it's like wanting to get rid of part of who you are. And, trust me, doing that never ends well for anyone. So, think about it, cheese head. Good night."_

Danny had not even given Vlad the chance to say anything back to him that night and just left him alone after that. It wasn't until late the next day that Vlad had told him that after the whole thing with returning to Amity and speaking with his parents was through, he would make that trip to Florida. Danny couldn't help but feel proud of the man for making such a strong and brave choice.

Vlad really had changed in the past few months, and it honestly amazed Danny even more how much and how quickly. Of course, there was still a lot that Vlad did that he didn't agree with and sometimes the way he thought of things disturbed Danny…. In fact, one of his newest worries had to do with the Order's Crystal…

"_Hey, Vlad. Did you call me?" Danny asked as he made it down_ _to the man's secret lab._

"_Yes, I just had to show you this. Come," Vlad urged excitedly as he gestured the boy to follow him to a deeper part of the lab where there was a lone bench._

_But when Danny saw what was on the work table, he frowned in worry. "What…. are you doing with the Order's Crystal?"_

"_Just running a few tests on it. How else am I to study it to find out how it works?" Vlad answered causally as he turned his attention to another nearby bench with a couple of normal house plants on top. Why the man had the plants, Danny had no idea, but right now, the teen didn't care about that. He cared about what he man had said!_

"_**What**__? You promised me you were not going to use the crystal, Vlad!" Danny exclaimed, now really upset._

_Vlad instantly frowned and looked at him. "I know I did. And I am not using it, Daniel. I am simply studying it. What? You expect me to have such a mysterious relic in my possession and pretend it is some silly ornament?" _

"_No, but you never said you were going to be messing with it!" Danny passed a hand through his hair as he muttered mostly to himself, "Why did I even help you get this? Deep down I knew it was a bad idea… I mean, something that allures you without being near it can never be good!"_

"_Daniel, calm down," Vlad said "nothing is going to happen. You need two beings to be able to use the Order Crystal's powers."_

_However, that didn't make Danny feel any better and he frowned at the man as he all but demanded, "And how do you know that? I thought you didn't know a lot about this stupid crystal, Vlad!"_

_Vlad glanced away at the Ancient relic before admitting, "Well, I know a bit more than I told you, Daniel. But not all that much," he quickly added when he saw the boy glare at him with green eyes._

"_Then, what is that you want to show me if it can't do anything unless activated by two people?" Danny asked, still angry._

"_Well, its full powers need two people or beings," Vlad clarified. But before Danny could get angrier with the response, Vlad further added, "In other words, anything it can do never lasts while in its current dormant state. It's what I wanted to show you…"_

_Danny just frowned with mostly anxiety this time as Vlad neared the Order's Crystal, which right now was looking seemingly inoffensive on top of the table. But as Vlad neared it, Danny saw how the glowing gold energy inside the crystal egg began to turn and pulse red._

"_It seems to sense the type of ghost energy that nears it, but not just that, I think it even knows __**what**__ I am."_

_Danny stared warily at Vlad as he asked, "Why… do you think that…?"_

"_You see how it's pulsing? Well, it's pulsing in time with my own __**heartbeat**__, Daniel! Isn't that amazing?" Vlad asked with a grin._

"_More like creepy, Vlad," Danny replied, now really wary of the strange ghost relic._

_It's harmless, Daniel," Vlad assured him. "First of, it's dormant, and second off, even if it were active, it only obeys those in command of it. Now, watch this…" Vlad grabbed a house plant on the other nearby table and Danny noticed how the plant's trunk was a bit abnormally bent in one place, instead of being straight like it should be._

"_As you can see, this plant is defective, so watch what happens when I place it near the Order's Crystal…" Vlad said and did just that._

_At first, nothing happened, but then the gold energy inside the egg began to eke out and surround the plant. Suddenly, as if made of rubber, the plant's base straightened out, becoming as perfectly structured as nature intended._

"_It… fixed it," Danny muttered, surprised._

"_Yes, but only momentarily," Vlad explained as he moved the plant away from the Order's crystal and placed it again on the table with the other plants._

_As the gold energy seeped back into the egg, the once perfected plant returned back to its abnormal form._

"_That's not all, though. Its effects vary. Take these other two plants," Vlad then said, grabbing a young plant with little leaves and then a very old badly bent and misshaped one._

_One at a time, he placed each of them next to the Order's Crystal and the initial effect was the same. But when the gold energy reached the plants, the younger one began to grow and develop until it was fully bloomed. However, the other suddenly began to wither even more until it was completely dead._

_Danny stared at the plants for a moment before he asked, "What does that mean? Why does it have so many different effects with the same kind of plant?"_

_As Vlad placed the plants away from the crystal again, he replied, "It is quite intriguing, but I find there's a pattern to what the crystal does. See, as I told you and as we can clearly observe, the crystal is meant to create perfection and order; so I think that is precisely what it did to the plants. It fixed their defects."_

"_Being young is a defect?" Danny asked with a frown, not understanding what had been wrong with the young plant._

"_Well, youth is unstable, undeveloped—__**unordered**__," Vlad explained. "So, in a black-and-white point-a-view, yes. It is an imperfection."_

"_Well, why did it kill the last plant? I mean, if being young is imperfect," Danny said with a roll of his eyes, "then isn't being old imperfect, too?"_

"_Yes, but my guess is that it is easier to destroy something that far gone than to try to 'fix' it. So, I suppose in terms of 'order', death is part of it. It's something natural and constant, I suppose. And yet… when the young, deformed, and old plants are put together beside the crystal, look what happens…"_

_Danny watched as this time, the crystal allowed the plants to remain their age and were simply fixed of their more obvious defects, like straightening the bent base on the middle-aged one and producing leaves on the young one. The old one remained as it was._

"_It lets them be because **together**, they form a sort of balance. It truly is an amazing concept. And this crystal is indeed more complicated than I had ever imagined," Vlad said in awe._

_Danny was quiet for a moment before he raised an eyebrow at Vlad and asked, "So, this is what you've been doing all morning? Playing with the Order's Crystal and some plants?"_

_Vlad frowned. "Well, when you put it that way…"_

_Danny shook his head._

_But then Vlad dared to ask, "Now that we both know nothing can come out of it, I was hoping you would help me study the crystal more…"_

"_You mean, you want me to help you use it?" Danny asked angrily._

"_Daniel, no one is using it. I just want to see how it works," Vlad insisted, though he sounded a bit exasperated now. "Come…" Vlad said extending a hand at the teen, "You can trust me. I know what I'm doing."_

_For a moment, Danny felt the urge to comply, much like he had felt the urge to seek the crystal with Vlad. In fact, the teen had unknowingly taken two steps towards the man, but then he caught sight of the crystal and he froze._

_It was glowing again, but with green energy. And it was pulsing in a quick steady beat—much like his own heart._

"_No," Danny suddenly said as he backed away again and the crystal regained its steady gold color._

"_Why not, Daniel?" Vlad asked, confused. "It is harmless. And it's not like you have not been close to it before, little badger. After all, you were the one who retrieved it. So, stop worrying so much. Please? My curiosity is killing me," Vlad said with a small smile._

_Danny once again felt the urge to comply, though it wasn't as strong as it had been when he had been closer to the crystal. And yet, it was still there and Danny could see the crystal had turned red as it now seem to focus on Vlad._

_How had Danny not realized it before? It was this crystal that kept urging him and Vlad to draw close to it. It had urged them to find it, and now it was urging them to use it!_

_However, when Danny suddenly realized Vlad was talking again and that he kept insisting on this, the teen felt the urge to comply to Vlad's request even more. But suddenly afraid of all this, Danny impulsively raised a hand and fired an ecto-blast at the crystal as he exclaimed, "Stop it!"_

_Vlad jolted in surprise with Danny's reaction, but quickly looked at the crystal only to be even more surprise when Danny's blast went through it as if the crystal were intangible, which it was not._

_Vlad looked back at the boy and seeing his troubled expression, the man frowned and said, "I was not aware this troubled you this much, Daniel."_

"_We should have never gone after this thing, Vlad," Danny said quietly as he stared fearfully at the crystal, especially when he could feel that urge to use it still inside him. But then looking back at Vlad, he begged, "Let's return it. Or, bury it, or something! There's something strange about that thing, Vlad, and I don't like it. Please, just listen to me on this."_

_Vlad sighed, still believing the teenager was making a big deal out of this; but really seeing Danny was very upset about this, he replied, "Even if I agreed to returning it, we don't know where that isle is now. And burying it or something, as you put it, would risk its falling into the wrong hands."_

"_Then store it somewhere and lock it up," Danny insisted. "I don't care, just please stop messing with it, Vlad!"_

_The need to examine the relic suddenly diminished inside Vlad at the intensity of the boy's plea. And with a helpless nod, the man agreed. "Alright. I will leave it be."_

_Danny himself felt the urge to want to use the crystal vanish from within him the moment Vlad had conceded. And although that made the teen wonder if his strange urges were coming from the billionaire himself and not the crystal, he was also too relieved to give it all that much thought. _

_The teen did not leave the lab until he saw Vlad store the crystal in some glowing small vault and until the man left the lab with him._

Danny sighed at that memory. He truly did regret helping Vlad find that crystal. Niane had been right. It had been a mistake. But he was somewhat relieved because he believed the man really wasn't going to mess with that thing anymore. And, besides, as long as he stayed away, Vlad could not activate the crystal on his own. Furthermore, if the crystal did fall into anyone else's hands, they would have the same problem. One needed two people to use the thing, and not just any two, but there had to be some sort of balance between them, much like Vlad showed him with the three house plants.

Perhaps later, he could further convince Vlad to get rid of the Crystal all together. Still, Danny was troubled with the fact that his energy had not harmed or even touched the Order's Crystal—almost like it was immune to ghost powers.

But that would take another few more arguments with the man. He was still working on convincing the guy about accepting Danielle. At least, Vlad said he would think about it, which in the future could mean a 'yes'. He just needed to also convince Danielle that things had changed. And Danny was sure of that—just like was sure that Vlad would continue to change for the better…

Danny's thoughts were interrupted just as he was going to go up the stairs. There was whispering… coming from the bottom-floor lab, which had its door open just a bit…

* * *

The sunset was falling behind them by the time Sam and Tucker made it to Wisconsin—specifically to Vlad Masters' castle.

But knowing that they were going to try to avoid being seen by anyone, including Danny, the two teenagers decided to take a different route with their new mission….

Parking the Specter Speeder in the closest part of the forest around Vlad's castle, the two hiked their way towards the backyard of the mansion. Of course, they were careful to keep as hidden as possible. Luckily, the shadows that were forming thanks to the setting sun were a great help with that.

Soon, they made it to one of the backyard veranda's windows…

Sam took the lead in the 'breaking-in' process. After all, if there was one thing she was very good and experienced with it was getting in and out of large houses without getting caught. Of course, the stakes were quite different in this instance. Being caught by her parents usually meant a simple grounding, but being caught here would most likely result in her demise—or worse.

Still, she didn't let the danger of what she was doing deter her. Sam was determined to rescue her half-ghost friend from the evil man that lived in this castle….

It didn't take the girl long to pop open one of the locked windows with her learned techniques practiced in her own house. However, as she softly slid the window fully open so they could climb in, she whispered to Tucker, "Be careful with the weapons bag when you climb in, Tucker. Actually, why don't I climb in first and you pass them to me?"

"Yeah, okay," Tucker answered back softly. "But be careful with the Fenton Ghost Peeler in your hand."

Sam just nodded. And being careful not to use the hand with which she was holding the ghost device, she climbed in. Then, she grabbed the bag from Tucker as he also joined her.

However, Sam also took the time to grab a small ghost gun, one of those strange 'knockout' ecto-balls Danny got for his birthday, and a thermos from the bag before handing it back to Tucker.

"Here, keep one of these balls in your pocket and the thermos in hand just in case," Sam said, handing her friend the items and keeping the gun for herself, though she hoisted it on her hip.

After picking open the locked veranda door, Sam and Tucker finally made it into the actually castle. They wearily looked down the hallway in which they found themselves before taking the longer path of the hallway, hoping it would lead them to the main part of the castle. From there, they could get their bearings and head towards their main objective: Vlad's secret lab.

"Man… being rich is awesome!" Tucker whispered suddenly as he admired the expensive décor along the hallway.

Sam shot him an irritated look before turning her attention to their surroundings again; though it didn't stop her from dryly saying, "Tucker, we are currently sneaking around a house not only full of evil ghosts who work for the owner, but said owner is a deranged man with ghost powers who is keeping Danny here by threatening Jazz's life. Yet, all you can think about is how loaded this place is?"

"Well, I was just trying _not_ to think about where we are and what we're doing, but thanks for detailing it all out for me, Sam," Tucker replied back, annoyed.

Sam rolled her eyes to herself, but said nothing else. Soon, they made it to the end of the hallway and they could see the foyer opening up ahead. However, they didn't approach it too quickly. They first made sure that they couldn't see anyone in sight before slowly moving into it. But they were even more careful because they were well aware that there were indeed evil ghost servants in the castle and that they had the ability to be invisible; so there was no such thing as being too careful.

"Hey, Sam? Do you really think we can make it all the way to Vlad's upstairs lab without being caught? It's a long way from here, and what if Vlad's there right now? Don't evil dudes do most of their scheming once the sun starts to go down?"

"We both knew this wasn't going to be easy, Tucker; but we have to still do this. Now, come on. Once we make it up the stairs we just gotta watch not running into anyone through the hallways."

"But that's the hardest part," Tucker whined, but still followed Sam.

Eyes darting all around them the two slowly approached the main stairs, weapons tight in their hands, though Tucker was still carrying the bag on his shoulder.

However, just as they climbed up two steps on the stairs, they heard approaching footsteps from one of the nearby halls.

"Oh, crud!" Tucker hissed at Sam.

And knowing they were closer to the ground floor than the top, Sam thought quickly and yanked Tucker down the few steps with her and then hid in the first door they found—which happened to Vlad's bottom lab right in between the stairs….

The two didn't move a muscle as they heard faint footsteps echo pass the closed lab door. They were actually very fortunate that they had been in the foyer or the footsteps would not have echoed as much as they had or had given them enough of a warning to hide.

However, now that they thought of it, the soft clicking those footsteps made were odd. They doubted the footsteps belonged to one of Vlad's ghost servants. Otherwise, they would have just abruptly appeared out of nowhere like most ghost do—and then the two would have been caught. And they were sure Danny's shoes were not so refined to make a 'clicking' noise.

That only left Vlad Masters.

And he was the last entity or person in this house they wanted to be caught by. Sam and Tucker felt like it was an eternity before the 'clicking' vanished from earshot. And it was only then that the two released the breath each of them had been holding.

"Sam, I think that was Vlad!" Tucker hissed nervously. "What are we going to do now? What if he's still out there?"

"Calm down, Tucker," Sam replied, though she was also just as nervous, even when she wasn't showing it. "Let's just wait in here for a few more minutes. I think he was just passing by."

"You _think_? We need to be sure," Tucker answered worriedly.

Sam bit her lip this time before approaching the lab door which they had managed to close to avoid suspicion. However, she knew Tucker was right. They needed to make sure Vlad was indeed just passing by.

"Look, let's check. I need you to softly open the door for me, while I chance a peek outside, okay?"

Tucker gulped, but nodded. And soon grabbing the door handle, he carefully opened it enough for Sam to see through the crease and then stick her head out.

"There's no one," she whispered once she put her head back in. But knowing they needed to be careful, she added, "But let's still wait a few minutes before trying to head back out. Meanwhile… It wouldn't hurt to give this lab a sweep for that antidote."

Tucker looked around, finally realizing that they were in the bottom-stairs lab. "Well, Jazz said the antidote would likely be in same cold storage place…Look, there's a fridge over there."

Sam nodded and went over to it, while Tucker followed her—though he forgot to fully close the door again…

However, as they opened the fridge, they found several beakers and test tubes full of glowing things.

"You know, now that I think about it… how are we going to recognize the nanobot neutralizer when we have no idea what it looks like?" Tucker asked, worriedly.

Sam moved closer to the fridge and grabbed one of the beakers, examining the label on it.

"I'm sure the neutralizer would be labeled or something—at least, I hope," Sam answered with a frown. The label on this beaker was written in codes and numbers which, of course, didn't mean anything to her…

"Uh, why don't you keep looking around, Tucker, while I check through this stuff in here?" Sam then suggested.

Her friend nodded and soon began to sort through the different cabinets, hoping to find some secret storage area somewhere or another cold storage place.

However, as they continued to whisper to themselves about their lack of findings, though they still continued to search, they didn't notice someone fully open the cracked lab door...

Then again, Danny's shoes didn't echo in the foyer like Vlad's; so it wasn't surprising the other two teens didn't notice his appearance.

Danny himself would probably not have caught the subtle noises from the lab had it not been from how much more tuned his hearing was…

But he had been expecting to find Vlad looking for something in the lab or even one of Vlad's ghost allies. Heck, the teen would have even believed some random ghost had the gall to sneak though Vlad's portal.

But this… He had not expected _this_…

For a moment, all Danny could do was stare at his two unaware friends. Seeing them there was almost all but an impossibility in the half-ghost's mind. But as his mind seem to jolt back to life, Danny's eyes widened and the plate and cup in his hand slipped right out of his hands as he whispered just two words:

"Sam? Tucker?"

* * *

**I know. I know. Horrible ending. But it was not my original choice. Chapter just got too long. I'm telling you. CM does not want to end. But I'm giving it no choice. In fact, I am working on the next part now and I'm probably going to have it up before DoaS. Sorry DoaS fans! But I feel that once CM is done, it will be easier for me to update DoaS. So, I'm going to try to get this story done since we are so, so close. One more chapter left before the final climax… so yeah!**

**By the way, not sure if I mentioned it, but I edited the prologue chapter of this story. It looks a lot prettier now; but I haven't changed anything plot-wise on it, so you don't have to go back and read it, unless you're curious enough. I just cleaned it up to make it more pleasant on the eyes, especially to any new readers. *winks***

**In other news, I would like to thank Pidadae for making a story trailer for CM! It is very neat, so check it out! Thank you, sweetie! I loved it! And I'm glad I could inspire you! XD **

**So, here's that link. I will also put it up on my profile page on here. (****ht tp:/ / w ww. youtube . com /watch?v=aW5YmL6v60I ****)**

**Lastly, some interesting stuff going on in the Hidden Pearl club! We have two contest. The first, is the 'big contest'. And it is called the V.S. Contest. In other words, you gotta draw or write two or more characters from any of my stories in an epic confronation. It can even be a crossover between stories or AU. Whatever you want. Of course, there will be prizes and the big one is that I've decided to give an exclusive copy of the first-chapter of Endgame to the winner. There is a catch and rules, of course. So, go over to the club site and get more details there.**

**The second contest is smaller, but it also has a prize. It's a DoaS blank meme to fill out! Made by NewGhostGirl. It looks So much fun that I might even give it a go! Again, more info on the club page! And, of course, you can find the link for it on my profile on here if you don't know the site page. Kay? I hope you guys all go join us and participate of these funs little contest games! You know it truly thrills me when you do!**

**Well! That is all the ranting I will do for this one! Thank you all once again! Love you lots and I hope I can continue to make you all happy with my writing—even if my muse likes to be evil at times and give you all scares! Heh-heh!**

**Ta for now, my dears!**


	78. Chapter 77: Confront What You Lost

**Well, here it is! I said it would be sooner than that last update and I have kept my word. Yes, I know you guys didn't like that last ending, but I'm pretty sure you'll like this one even less. As I always say, 'blame Vlad muse'! Ha-ha! Enjoy this chapter! It's a doozy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

* * *

**Chapter 77: Confront What You Lost**

* * *

Sam and Tucker startled at the sound of glass and china breaking on the ground; but as they whirled around, they didn't even see the broken plate and glass on the ground. All they saw was their half-ghost friend's shocked face before he uttered their names out in a whisper.

Danny's friends mentally berated themselves for getting caught. After Vlad, Danny was the second person they had wanted to avoid. After all, some evil ghost they could hurt or even suck into a thermos, but their best friend? What were they going to do now?

"Danny…," Sam whispered back fearfully, while Tucker just stared back as the tense air around them intensified.

Then, suddenly….

**"Sam! Tucker!"** Danny exclaimed in pure joy before he moved forward and threw himself at them before drawing them into a tight hug.

The two friends had gasped in alarm with Danny's suddenness, but seeing that he was thrilled to see them and not upset like they had feared, Sam and Tucker felt their bodies flood with relief before their own happiness caught up to them and they quickly gripped their half-ghost friend just as tightly.

They hugged for a full minute, each of them not wanting to let go. But still so overwhelmed with surprise, shock and happiness at seeing his friends after almost four months since they found him at Vlad's, Danny especially hugged harder...

Reluctantly pulling away, Danny said with wide eyes and a wide smile, "I-I can't believe you guys are here! What are you doing here? I-I mean, I'm glad to see you and all, but I… don't understand…"

Sam and Tucker just stared back at him, their throats constricted with emotion. They both missed him so much that they couldn't even speak with the sheer happiness of having their friend in front of them, especially when they could see that he looked alright.

Sam swallowed down a whimper before she threw herself on her friend again and whispered in relief, "Oh, Danny…."

"…Sam?" Danny asked worriedly, though he hugged her back. He understood how relieved she had to feel at seeing him after so long, but she sounded almost scared for him, too.

And suddenly realizing why, though he mentally smacked himself for forgetting how they didn't know anything, he rubbed her back a bit in reassurance before gently pulling away from her. He then smiled as he said gently, "Hey, it's fine. I'm fine, Sam."

Tucker sighed deeply himself when he could see his friend was telling them the truth. "We're so glad to hear that, dude," he said, his own smile growing.

Releasing Sam, Danny grinned at his male friend before hugging him again. "And I'm really glad to see you, Tuck. You and Sam. But…" He pulled away a bit quicker this time and raised a curious eyebrow at his two friends as he asked, "I still don't understand what's going on…."

"We came to bring you back home with us, Danny!" Sam said with an assuring smile.

But the half-ghost's own grin faltered before it melded into a small sad one as he replied, "I'm not going back, Sam. At least, not how you two want…"

Tucker frowned before he said seriously, "We know everything, man. So, really, you can stop acting like you want to be here anymore."

Danny instantly tensed and his eyes widened as he sputtered out, _"_W-What? You know…_e-everything?"_

"Danny, we know about Jazz!" Sam clarified, her voice now just as grave as Tucker's. "We know how Vlad's using her against you to force you to be here!"

Danny just stared quietly at them before he lowered his gaze to the ground, finally noticing how he had dropped the plate and cup in his hand. Of course, his spilled soda and sandwich on the floor was the last thing on his mind right now…

Aware of how he was caught between a rock and a hard place, Danny returned his blue eyes back to his friends as he tentatively asked, "How did you two…?"

"It doesn't matter how we found out right now," Sam cut him off, having already guessed what he had been about to ask. And as her voice filled with more urgency, she added, "We'll explain all that later, when we're all safe back in Amity Park. Right now, we have bigger things to worry about. Like, do you know where Vlad is? We have to get out of here without him finding out!"

Danny's frown deepened as he muttered back, "I think he's in the simulation room, but that doesn't really matter. Guys, I'm not acting. I meant what I said: I'm not leaving."

Sam and Tucker stared at him, unable to understand why their friend was so set on staying in this place. However, they suddenly remembered the antidote! Of course, Danny probably was too afraid to leave because he thought Vlad would hurt his sister if he did!

"Dude, it's alright," Tucker quickly spoke up with a smile again. "We found a way to get rid of the nanobots inside Jazz; so Vlad can't threaten you anymore! You don't' have to be here anymore, Danny! Isn't that great?"

"What?" Danny questioned back, his eyebrows rising up. "You found a way to _get rid_ of the nanobots?"

"Yeah, there's an antidote, Danny!" Sam said, sounding anxious again.

But Tucker readily added, "Thanks to Skulker, we found out about it! We snuck into Axions, got their private files, and found out that the nanobots have a neutralizer that destroys them! And get this, it was stolen by some 'mystery ghost' just before Jazz fell sick!"

Danny's eyes widened with the revelation, feeling as though he had just gotten punched in the stomach. The nanobots could be _destroyed_? They had an antidote? Why didn't Vlad tell him any of this? The man had just said the mainframe couldn't be destroyed; so he had set it to a dormant state because shutting it down or destroying it would mean the nanobots in Jazz's body would fully activate without its control! Had… Had Vlad _lied_ to him?

"Danny, are you alright?" Sam asked when she noticed the half-ghost's face pale significantly.

"…A-Are you sure?" Danny whispered, his voice sounding like he didn't have enough air.

"Positive," Tucker replied. "And we're just as sure Vlad has that antidote hidden in this very castle—probably in his secret lab!"

Danny focused his gaze on Tucker with his words, which further kicked his memory into full gear. He recalled fighting Skulker at Axions the day just before Jazz fell unconscious and was taken to the hospital. Wait. Of course! Skulker had stolen something from Axions, and he had gotten away with it! Danny didn't think too much about it then, and he certainly failed to realize it had all been connected to Vlad's initial scheme to force him here!

"What's the antidote called, Tucker?" Danny asked emotionlessly, sure that if he heard the name of the stolen antidote he would recognize it. After all, Danny had heard the computers at Axion saying some name when the vial with the purple liquid he had seen Skulker take was released from its storage vessel.

Tucker glanced at his PDA before replying, "BS-NBN 3501. Short for 'Bloodstream Nanobot Neutralizer.'"

Danny closed his eyes, hoping it would contain his sudden indignation when he was certain that what Tucker had said was the same name he remembered hearing the computers at Axion utter five months ago. His friends were right! There was an antidote and Vlad had it! But what upset the boy most was that the man hadn't told him about it! Why would he keep something as important as that from him?

But before Danny's anger could swell anymore, his mind jolted him with another sudden memory; or more like several things Vlad had said to him the day Danny had been meant to leave but had decided to stay…

_Having heard the sound of the door opening, Vlad, who had been typing something up on his personal computer, paused and raised his blue gaze to the boy._

_The teen just held the billionaire's gaze, knowing he didn't need to voice what could be seen._

_And Vlad showed his understanding with a small sad smile. But in spite of it, he calmly stood from his desk and walked over to the grand chimney. And as he tilted the golden football to access his lab, he told the teen, "I need you to take something with you."_

_But although it was obvious the man wanted the boy to follow him into the lab, Danny did not move from his spot near the doorway._

_And realizing it, Vlad paused to head into the lab himself and turned his attention back to the teen. "This is very important, Daniel. I promise it will only take a moment…"_

…_Vlad finally turned back to the confused teen and seriously told him, "I cannot destroy it __**yet**__. But I can keep this mainframe permanently dormant. Once it finishes, it can't ever be used again. As I said, there is one more thing on my part, but… I'll take care of it as soon as possible."_

Danny suddenly let out a deep sigh and shook his head, feeling most of his anger quickly dissipate. Vlad had intended to tell him about the neutralizer. The teen had no doubt about that after remembering the man's words. However, he was still bothered by the fact that Vlad _didn't_ tell him; though he now knew it wasn't because he was trying to betray his trust by keeping something so important from him. Rather, just like always, Vlad thought he didn't need to 'bother' Danny with certain information because like he had said, 'he could take care of it himself'.

"_Stupid fruit loop," _Danny thought with thick annoyance. _"Wait until I find him…"_

However, suddenly realizing he had fallen quiet for a bit too long and that his friends were staring worriedly at him, Danny focused fully on them as he seriously told them, "Come on, I think I know where it might be…"

Tucker and Sam's eyes widened with surprise, not understanding how Danny could know where the antidote was, and if he did, why he hadn't gone after it before. However, before they could ask, Danny turned around and began to head out of the lab without hesitation, and that greatly startled the two other teenagers.

"Danny, wait!" Sam hissed nervously. "We have to watch out for Vlad!"

"Yeah, dude! He'll waste _all_ of us if he finds out we're onto him!" Tucker quickly added, just as troubled by the half-ghost's lack of worry.

Danny quickly stopped, and turned back to his friends. And seeing the fearful, but also confused, look on their faces, the hybrid sighed softly, knowing he had some explaining to do. That, and he had a lot to _tell_ them, too. But… where was he supposed to start?

"Guys…," Danny began hesitantly, a hand going up to his neck as he rubbed it nervously, while struggling to find the right words, "There's some… things you guys don't know. Uh, it's a lot, actually. But mainly, it's… about… Vlad… H-He, uh… He isn't… well, he's, um…He's…changed…"

Sam and Tucker glanced at each other to see if the other had gotten what Danny was talking about; but seeing the other was as equally confused, they looked back at the half-ghost with equal frowns of uncertainty.

Danny sighed, realizing he was going to have to do better than that lame explanation. But gesturing for them to follow him, he then said, "Just, come on. I'll explain on the way…" But only getting quiet stares in response, Danny further said, "Look, trust me on this. We're not in any danger. So, come on."

This time, Sam and Tucker hesitantly followed their half-ghost friend out, but they now had a bad feeling curling inside them. Still, they trusted Danny, so they kept quiet as they headed out of the lab and up the main stairs. Yet, they were not dropping their guards and made sure to clutch the weapons in their hands tightly.

Danny turned his head slightly to glance at his two friends behind him as they made it to the top of the stairs and he led them down the right hallway. However, he could see how tense and on-alert they were. And he had long since noticed all the weapons they were carrying. Honestly, it made him a bit nervous.

But wanting to break the tense silence, he smiled back at them and weakly joked, "What's with all the ghost weapons? You'd think you two had prepared to fight off Pariah Dark and his army for a second time!"

"No, it's worse, Danny," Sam said seriously, squelching his attempt to liven things up. "We've come prepared to rescue you from a man who has been keeping you captive for almost five months by threatening your sister's life."

Danny's smile fell as he looked ahead again, though he muttered mostly to himself, "I guess you guys have no reason to think anything else…"

However, as the silence now dragged on, even when they turned another corner, Tucker finally spoke up, unable to bear the strange tension around them, "Danny…What's going on? You're acting …strange, man."

"I just… I don't want to freak you guys out," Danny slowly replied, pausing in his steps to finally look straight at his friends. But by the look on his face, the half-ghost was more than worried about freaking his friends out; he was afraid of losing them. He was afraid they would react like Danielle to the news about Vlad, and… hate him. He didn't know if he could handle another rejection…

Passing a hand through his hair, Danny mentally steeled himself and revealed in all seriousness, "We're not in any danger because…Vlad's not forcing me to stay here anymore…"

"What?" Sam and Tucker whispered, not sure how to take their friend's words, though they were sure they didn't like them...

"Well, at first, he was," Danny admitted, still hesitant to speak. "I mean, everything you guys have found out is true, but now… there's more. It's a _really_ long story, actually. And, well, it's hard to believe. In fact, I sometimes can't believe it myself, but…"

"Danny," Sam interrupted her ranting friend, even more worried. "Just tell us. What's going on?"

Danny's eyebrows creased deeply as he suddenly pleaded, "I need you guys to trust me. You trust me, _right?"_

"Of course we trust you, dude," Tucker replied right away while Sam readily nodded in agreement.

Danny smiled in both relief and appreciation; but instead of finally telling his friends the truth, he turned around and continued to lead them towards Vlad's private lab. It made the half-ghost feel so much better to know his friends trusted him, which meant they would very likely believe and understand his choice; but… it still was very hard to tell them... especially when he couldn't stop thinking about Danielle's reaction…

Meanwhile, Sam and Tucker quietly continued to follow their half-ghost friend. They were now sure something was very wrong, and that whatever the problem, Danny was afraid to tell them. So, although they wanted to know, they forced themselves to give Danny a moment to sum up the courage to tell them everything…

As they finally reached Vlad's private study and Danny opened the door, he finally spoke up, but hesitantly so, "Do you know if… Danielle gave Jazz my message?"

Danny needed to first know if Danielle had gone to see his friends and sister—and if… she told them anything about him and Vlad…

"Yeah," Sam replied as she and Tucker followed Danny into the study. "We were with Jazz when Danielle showed up saying things about you that made no sense; like how she saw you and… Vlad in the Ghost Zone, and that you told her to tell Jazz you were alright, and that…you were here by… choice?"

Sam paused when Danny halted his steps near Vlad's desk and turned to face her and Tucker. But when the blue-eyed teen kept quiet, even after she had said the last comment, Sam's eyebrows creased in further fear as she added, "Danny… I don't understand. I know what Danielle said can't be…" Sam sighed before pleading, "Talk to us, Danny."

Danny leaned back against Vlad's desk as he lowered his gaze from his friends. He was quiet for another moment before looking back up at them with sad eyes as he honestly told them, "I…I missed you guys. I have missed you both and my family _so much_…"

Sam and Tucker smiled again.

"And we missed you, Danny," Sam assured him with a longing voice.

"Yeah, dude," Tucker added. "Things aren't the same without you."

Danny smiled sorrowfully. "How are my parents and… Jazz?" he then questioned, realizing he had so many things he wanted to ask—and, of course, tell—them after so long. But right now, he was sort of relieved that he could stall them a bit in telling them what they really needed to know.

Sam nodded. "They're fine. Don't worry. Jazz is doing really well. I mean, she hasn't had any relapses since…you left."

Danny sighed. "Well, now you know why that is…" He looked up at them with troubled eyes as he further said, "I promise if I could have told you all that was going on, I would have. But I… found no way out but to…"

"We know, Danny," Sam said soberly. "But, we can put an end to all this now. We're going to help you out of this."

Danny shook his head. "Sam, I feel bad with you guys and Jazz and my parents. I lied about everything. I made you all think I ran away. I… hurt you guys." Danny's frown deepened as he remembered one thing in particular he did. "I-I threatened you…I'm so sorry about what I did to you two and Jazz that night that—"

But before he could finish, Tucker cut him off, already knowing what he was going to say, "Dude, we know why you did what you did that night. We know you had no other choice; so there's no need to apologize. Just forget about that—about everything, alright? Let's just find the antidote and get this over with so we can get out of here. Okay?"

Danny smiled appreciatively at his male friend as he replied, "Thanks, Tucker. Thank you _both_ for everything—for coming here and wanting to help me—for coming to my rescue like always. But…" Danny sighed deeply; and knowing he could not keep stalling anymore, he told them seriously, "The thing is that I don't need rescuing this time. Guys, what Danni told you is true. I'm here because I want to be. I know you came to bring me back, but I'm not going back with you because I _want_ to stay."

"_What?"_ Sam and Tucker gasped out before exclaiming, _**"Why?"**_

"Because… I've realized I have a choice," Danny replied seriously

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Sam demanded, though her voice sounded slightly panicked.

"It means that I've decided to take control of my life and… my future. It means… I belong here," he answered without any doubt in his voice.

"Danny, how can you say that?" Sam asked sadly.

"Yeah, man. You belong with us—in Amity Park!" Tucker readily added, now sounding as upset as his female friend.

"Not anymore, guys," Danny replied with a shake of his head. But then he suddenly pushed away from Vlad's desk; and as he began to pace a bit, he raked a hand through his hair, trying to think of a way to explain all this to his friends.

"I… I know how it's gotta sound to you… But, so much has happened. And, well, I've learned to see things differently. I understand now that it's true what I learned after that whole thing with my evil self…" He paused and looked at his friends with a small smile. "Everyone deserves a second chance—and if I stay here I won't only give myself that second chance, but, _Vlad_, too."

Sam and Tucker just stared back in confusion.

And noticing that, Danny sighed sharply before trying another approach, "Um, do you guys know how ever since I got my powers that all I've wanted has been to have a normal life—to just be a normal kid?"

Sam just stared back uncertainly, while Tucker quietly nodded.

"Well…" Danny continued, a smile growing on his lips. "Now I finally _can_ be!" And suddenly becoming more animated with his next thoughts, he happily said, "You guys aren't gonna believe it, because I can barely believe it myself, but I've been taking private tutoring for some time now and I've gotten so much better now that I actually have time to study. Heck! Even math makes so much more sense to me! But that's not all! Vlad's been helping me develop my ghost powers! He's taught me _so_ much! I've learned some _really_ _cool_ new abilities! Oh, and Vlad! Man, the guy's a genius! He knows so much about, like, everything! But what's more important is that he's changed! He wants to help me—no strings attached this time! I mean, can you believe that he's even considering taking Danielle back in? Do you guys see what this means? It changes everything—for the better!"

However, when he got nothing but unreadable frowns from his friends, Danny's smile melded into a worried look before saying, "Guys…I really do miss you and my family, but everything is better this way. No more Plasmius trying to hurt my father and separate my family. No more having to hide my powers from my parents or have to worry about other ghost hunters—like those Guys-in-White or… Valerie. You two and my family—even Amity Park—are better off without me there. And… I'm better off here."

Tucker and Sam's faces tensed as they continued to take in everything their half-ghost friend was saying to them. But unable to take anymore, Sam suddenly said in a completely serious voice, "You don't know how hard it is for me to not punch you this very instant, Danny…"

Danny's eyebrows raised up, shocked by her comment. "Sam—"

"No! Don't even!" she abruptly exclaimed, her hands quickly fisting against her sides with her growing fury and… pain. But even as she suddenly began to advance toward him, she angrily continued, "Do you even realize—_or care_—what we have been through since you left?"

Danny couldn't even think of a response as he nervously backed up with her continuing approach; but he soon hit the desk behind him and tensed, his mouth going dry.

"We looked _**everywhere**_ for you!" Sam yelled at him, finally stopping to glare at him. "We thought for the longest time you were dead! Do you know how that felt?"

"Sa—" Danny tried again, only to be forcefully cut off by the goth girl once more.

"No, Danny! Now, it's _your_ turn to listen! _Do you even care_ that your parents were so depressed that they spend _entire days_ traveling through different towns looking for you—going without sleep, forgetting all about ghost hunting, and almost breaking up because of how guilty they felt because you disappeared? Jazz has barely been holding it together since you left! We have been worried sick for you! We've been on the verge of insanity trying to find a way to get you out of this place! How _dare_ you say this is what's best for us, Danny!" she yelled at him, though her voice cracked at the end.

"Because it is!" Danny replied desperately, needing for her to understand.

"Dude…," Tucker suddenly spoke up, crossing his arms as he frowned angrily at his male friend. "I can't decide if you're acting like the biggest jerk or the biggest idiot."

Danny just frowned back as Tucker readily continued, "Everything in Amity is a mess. For the longest time the ghost numbers were so out of control that Valerie got burned out— so much that she ended up in the hospital!"

The half-ghost's eyes widened in alarm as he quickly asked, "Is she alright? Are the ghost numbers still up?"

"Oh, they're down thanks to Vlad _taking over _and calling Amity Park his or something like that!" Tucker snapped back. "As for Valerie, she's as fine as she can be when she thinks _Plasmius and Phantom_ have kidnapped 'Danny Fenton'. If she wasn't gunning out for your ghost half before, then she's definitely out to get you now! Oh, and let's not forget where me and Sam stand in all this! We've been taking up the slack with the ghosts because there's no one else to do it, except for those crazy Guys-in-White, who, by the way, have practically invaded Amity Park!"

"As for your parents," he continued without a pause, "they've been so focused on finding you that Jazz had to convince them to get back out there to help with the ghosts—are you listening, man? Jazz had to _convince_ _them_ because they have spent months looking for you—just like **we've** spend all these months trying to save you from your jerky arch-enemy! Jazz has been blaming herself for your disappearance all this time, especially now that she knows about the nanobots! And _we've_ been wracking our brains this whole time, not wanting to believe any of the stuff that said you had willingly abandoned everyone even when it was getting harder and harder to do that! And we didn't believe it because we trusted you, man! But I now see that we've been kidding ourselves because you've done _exactly_ what Danielle and all the evidence has told us—**you've joined your arch-enemy!" **

"No!" Danny denied in alarm, but then he quickly added, "And he's not my enemy!"

"What do you call someone who has made your life miserable since he found out about you, huh?" Sam continued without skipping a beat. "Vlad has tried to _waste_ you and your dad on more than one occasion! He turned Valerie against you; he's tried to clone you and as a result left a little girl to her own luck! And now—_now,_ he's threatening Jazz's life and has forced you to come here! So, how is he _not_ your enemy?"

"T-Things have changed," Danny replied softly.

"Open your eyes, dude! No, they haven't!" Tucker persisted. "Can't you see that he's been manipulating you—_all of us_—all this time? While he's probably been acting all friendly with you while he's here, he's been making trips to Amity Park—threatening us and making his usual evil plans against your parents! In fact, because he messed with the Specter Deflector in hopes to hurt your dad, he ended up hurting your mom! She broke her arm because his freaky vulture lackeys attacked your parents and the Specter Deflector shocked your mom because he inverted the wires! Not only that, but he's tried to hurt _us_! Do you know what he did because we stole that black bracelet? I bet he didn't tell you about that or how he blew up the bracelet, almost wasting us and Jazz!"

"What?" Danny asked in disbelief and fear, his eyes widening with sudden mixed emotions. But then he quickly shook his head, denying it, "No, there's gotta be an explanation for all that… And… Vlad would _never_ hurt my mom!"

"I can't believe it," Sam said with indignation. "You're defending him? You're actually going to believe him over us? _Are you nuts?_ Danny, can't you see what's going on?" she asked more desperately this time. "He still has you trapped here! He has just sugar-coated it so that you don't fight back against it!"

"What are you talking about?" Danny argued. "He gave me the choice to leave—and _I_ _chose_ to stay!"

"Danny, he's **_still_** threatening Jazz!" Sam exclaimed. "Why else do you think we're here? He _wants_ you to believe he's giving you a choice, but it's not true! Nothing he has said is true! Vlad hasn't changed—he's the same manipulative sick jerk, Danny! He _still _has your sister's life in his hands! And all the proof you need that he's been tricking you all this time is that he kept all that about nanobot antidote a secret from you! As long as he has it, it's gonna continue to be his means of controlling you and all of us!"

"Man, you can't be this selfish!" Tucker insisted, not giving his half-ghost friend the chance to say anything. "You can't just abandon your home and your friends and family—your entire life! Don't you see how much we all need you? How much Amity Park needs you?"

"And what about what _**I**_ need, Tuck?" Danny angrily exploded, unable to take anymore of the pain his friends' verbal assault was causing him. "For more than I year I have sacrificed _everything_ _that I am_ to protect Amity—to use these powers for good! And that's **not** going to change; but why can't I watch out for myself this once? Why can't I look out for what's best for me? Don't I have that right? I…I thought you guys would understand…" he added in a heartbroken whisper.

"Danny…," Sam said with a small sigh, her anger melding into utter sadness as she begged, "Please don't do this—"

"No!" Danny yelled, growing more furious; and pointing a finger at them, he forceful added, "_**You**_ don't do this! You guys have no right to put this kind of weight on my shoulders—I don't deserve it! It's not fair that you think you can treat me like some idiot who would sell himself out—because this isn't what **this** is! I know exactly what I'm doing! And no one—not you guys, or my sister; not even Vlad—is making my choices! I can make my **own** choices! And **I **am choosing to stay here! Not because I'm letting my 'evil arch-enemy manipulate me into staying', like you guys seem to believe, but because I'm **sure** staying here is the right choice! And if you guys knew half of the things I've been through in all these months, if you knew the things I have learned and discovered here, then you would understand! Can't you guys at least see why I've made this choice? What this means for me? I can keep you two and my family safe! There will be no more enemies for me. I don't have to worry about Valerie or Vlad anymore. No more sleepless nights! No more battles day after day for the rest of my _freakin' life!"_

"**Darn it all!"** Danny yelled in desperation."I want to be an astronaut and here I have the best chance to do it! Vlad's the only one who can help me, who can teach me about what I am! I can grow stronger—_more powerful_—so that I can protect you all better! As for Amity, you've said it yourselves! There are plenty of _professional_ ghost hunters around now to take care of the ghosts! And let's not forget that several of the ghosts that go to Amity go because they're out to get revenge on me! Besides, half of the people don't even trust Danny Phantom—they think I'm evil and they say I destroy more than I save—which actually isn't that far off. Don't you get it? I have a choice now! I don't have to live two lives anymore! I don't have to hide what I am! I don't have to be worried about my parents finding out my secret and ripping me apart molecule-by-molecule!"

Danny suddenly realized he was shaking with his overwhelming emotions, and paused to take a deep breath and reel in his pain and anger. He then stared back at his friends with a sober and resolved look as he said, "No. I'm not changing my mind. I'm staying because this _is_ what's best. And when everything works out, you'll both see I'm right."

Danny suddenly turned away from them and walked over to the fireplace, not saying another word as he tilted the left football and opened up Vlad's secret lab.

Sam and Tucker could only look sadly after their friend before glancing at each other. But neither knew what else to say.

* * *

After Vlad had finished at the simulation room, he had headed upstairs to his bedroom for a quick shower and to change into something more comfortable. However, even though it was getting late, he had no plans of calling it a night yet—most especially when he had so many things on his mind which involved his plans for tomorrow with the boy...

"Meow…"

Vlad smiled down at the kitten rubbing against his pant leg. And clearly in a good mood, the man readily picked up the white furball as he said, "Ah, Maddie… things are really looking up. Tomorrow I'll be giving the little badger quite a pleasant surprise. Not only will we go to Amity tomorrow, but I already received all the information about that summer internship program NASA offers for aspiring astronauts, and I am most certain Daniel will readily approve."

He paused as he slightly frowned and muttered mostly to himself. "The only thing I dislike about that program is that… it's in Florida…" He sighed. "I did agree to go down there sometime in the near future, but… if the boy does agree to the summer program, then I'll have to think about getting a vacation home down there, which would mean spending the entire summer there while the boy does this program…Furthermore, it would be an annual occurrence until he graduates high school…"

He was quiet for a moment before sighing more deeply again and saying in surrender, "I suppose it will be another sacrifice I must make. And, besides, it would only be a few months and then we would readily return back to Wisconsin. After all, I intend for the boy to carry on his high school studies here." He stared pointedly at Maddie as he seriously said, "And you can be sure I will convince Daniel to attend a school here. Ms. Thomas might be an exceptional educator, but he needs more than her."

Vlad suddenly smirked at the cat as he said sneakily, "I think I know how to convince him… In fact… I think I'll use his own little trick against him…"

Vlad chuckled as he thought of what he and the boy talked about just this morning at breakfast…

"_Hey, Vlad…?" Danny began causally._

_But noticing a strange tone in the boy's voice, Vlad lowered his paper and raised a questioning eyebrow at the teen. "… Yes?"_

"_Can I ask you for a favor…?" Danny asked innocently. _

"_Depends..," Vlad answered evasively, though he could barely contain an amused smirk wanting to curl on his lips._

"_Um, did you ever see the puppy Tucker got me for my birthday…?"_

_Vlad frowned. "What about it?"_

"_Well, I was, uh, thinking about how I'm gonna be living here and all… And well, TJ is __**my**__ dog…" Danny suddenly grinned as he asked, "Do you think I can bring him back with me when I move in permanently once my parents agree?"_

"_Are you trying to turn my house into a zoo?" Vlad asked, annoyed._

_Danny pouted as he pointed out, "You had horses before I even got here, so they don't count. I only brought the cat, and you can't deny you like her."_

"_First of all, the horses are outside. And second of all, I would have still preferred if you had taken the cat to a shelter. Daniel, dogs are too much of a hassle. Who is going to take care of it if, say, we go out of the state or the country?"_

"_I'm sure Niane wouldn't mind. She likes the cat, at least. If not, that's what kennels are for. Come on. You can't say 'no' to me on this. I can take care of TJ just fine, and he's a smart dog; he'll be good."_

"_And what about the cat?" Vlad reminded him._

"_They'll get use to each other," Danny said, a growing smile on his face again, knowing he had Vlad in his hands._

_The billionaire sighed before lightly glaring at the boy and saying, "That mutt better not eat my furniture."_

_Danny grinned in triumph this time. "He won't."_

_And seeing the victorious look on his face, Vlad scowled even more as he said, "You can be quite manipulative…"_

"_Naw, you're just too soft, Vladdie," Danny teased back._

_But Vlad's look melded into a small smile as he replied, "Just with you, dear boy."_

It was true enough. Vlad knew he had never had so many considerations with anyone. It truly was ironic that in the past he had worked so hard to manipulate the boy to do what he wanted, and now, the teen was the one who could manipulate him with hardly any effort. He really couldn't say 'no' to him.

But… that didn't mean Vlad was any pushover. If Danny wanted him to help Danielle and also keep his pet dog, then, the billionaire would have to simply add some conditions to those requests. Yes. If the boy wanted those things, then Danny would have to yield at the idea of attending a private high school here in Wisconsin. Perhaps… if all worked out with Danielle as the boy believed, then he could also put her in the same school. After all, Vlad wasn't about to have any teenager in his home just sitting around twiddling his or _her_ thumbs.

The billionaire frowned in scorn at the thought of Danielle. He really didn't want to see that girl, let alone have her in his home. He might be trying to avoid doing things that the boy considered 'evil', but that didn't mean he suddenly was as forgiving and noble as the boy was—especially not to some brat who had betrayed him…

However, with his next thought, Vlad's frown melded into a soft smile. "And yet… it's touching how Daniel seems to believe he can turn me… 'good'."

Setting Maddie down, the man sighed. The boy's hope in him was quaint at best. But perhaps that was why he was trying his best to not disappoint the young half-ghost—and to even make an effort to be the person the boy wanted him to be.

Vlad already knew that their way of viewing life was probably the biggest difference between them—one which had brought about many fights and arguments in the past. And even now, they would clash on this subject if they were not careful. Still, if they had been able to go through all they had in these past months, they could handle this point of disagreement.

For now, the billionaire wanted to focus on the trials to come. They needed to keep their heads together and, well, remain united in their decision for their plans to go well. All they needed was to trust each other, and Vlad was sure everything would work out…

And yet… the thought of having to go see Maddie and Jack had Vlad wondering about something else:

How would it feel to see Jack and Maddie under these circumstances?

As he thought about them, he knew that he still loved Maddie. But… with the boy at his side, with _a son_ at his side, Vlad was certain he could live without her. As for Jack… Well, he felt heavily annoyed just thinking he had to see him tomorrow. But that hate he had for him… it wasn't really there anymore. Really, searching his feelings, Vlad found he felt… nothing for Jack. It was now mostly indifference. Honestly, he wouldn't care at all if his former friend were to suddenly drop dead, but he also didn't feel that burning need to have him suffer a slowly and painful demise…. That had to be some form of improvement, yes?

Vlad thought about that for another moment before he suddenly shrugged it off. He had no interest in focusing on that bumbling fool anymore. He preferred to dedicate his valuable time on his little badger…

Vlad smirked down at the kitten as he said, "And I think it's time to go find him. We still have much to talk about…"

The billionaire headed out of his room with the white cat trailing behind him. However, as he walked through the halls towards the boy's room, he remembered a very important pending conversation with Daniel.

The truth was that he had considered not saying anything and just handling the issue himself when he was in Amity… But… perhaps it was wiser to at least mention to the teenager that he had a… neutralizer for the nanobots. It was just… a delicate subject, which was the reason Vlad had been reluctant to bring it up at all.

The billionaire had actually planned on giving it to him when he had been sure Daniel would choose to return home. But… after the teen had said he wanted to stay, well, Vlad hadn't wanted to ruin the moment. But, if they were indeed going to Amity Park tomorrow, then it was time to tell Daniel about the nanobot neutralizer. Vlad only hoped it wouldn't bring back that past tension between them…

"Daniel?" Vlad called once he reached the teen's room and knocked on the door. "Are you there? I would like you to join me for tea and... we have a few things to speak about…"

The billionaire frowned when he didn't get an answer. And after trying a second time and still getting no response, the man finally opened the door and poked his head in. But finding the main part of the room empty, he walked all the way in.

"Danny?" he called this time, heading to the teen's study room. But he was not there. And after another moment of searching, the man realized the boy wasn't in his room at all.

"Odd…," Vlad muttered thoughtfully. However, he suddenly smiled when he guessed next where the boy could be.

Walking out of Danny's room, he commented with amusement, "Who would have thought the boy would have taken such a liking to my ghost staff? I suppose it is quite fortunate. All that is needed now is that he will accept my allies… Yes, I will have to do something about that…"

Vlad soon made it to the main stairs and headed down. However, just as he was going to turn left towards the kitchen, he halted when he noticed the bottom lab's door ajar…

"Odd…," Vlad said again, sure he hadn't even stepped into that lab all day. And, his ghost staff never opened the door—they would always phase through if they needed to use the ghost portal there.

So… that left just one person.

"Daniel?" Vlad called as he walked towards the lab. The teen rarely came to his ghost labs. In fact, most of the time, the man had to persuade him to come in for things. One thing Vlad had learned about the boy was that he hadn't inherited his parents' interest in experimental science. It also probably had to do with the fact that Daniel was so use to avoiding his own parents' lab for obvious reasons that he also had that same response here. So, the possibility of the teen being alone in one of Vlad's labs was beyond strange.

Unless…

"He wouldn't go into the Ghost Zone without telling me, would he?" Vlad asked himself a bit fearfully, unable to think of another reason why the boy would be in one of his labs.

However, when Vlad entered, his eyes widened at the sight of his lab. Clearly, someone had been searching thoroughly for something… And yet, Daniel wasn't in there…

Vlad took a step forward about to investigate further, only to pause when he heard a 'crunch' under his left foot. He readily looked down, only for his eyes to widen even further, this time in alarm.

There was broken dishware and a half-eaten sandwich on the floor!

"What is this?" Vlad whispered. Had…Had Daniel been attacked by a ghost?

Vlad gasped in worry and quickly moved towards the computer beside the closed ghost portal. He typed something in before urgently requesting from the system, "Date and time of last activation."

"…_Portal last activated yesterday at 11:07 am..."_

Vlad frowned in confusion. The portal hadn't been open at all today! But…that meant no ghost had come in or out of this portal. Vlad briefly closed his eyes and searched his castle for the feel of any foreign ghost energy… But he found nothing…

Opening his eyes, he looked around his lab, further observing the open storage fridge and half-opened drawers... Someone _had_ been here. He was sure of it because he never kept his lab like this; and he was just as certain it wasn't any of his ghost staff, because they didn't rummage through his things.

That only left two possibilities: either Daniel was looking for something, or there was an intruder in his home. And judging by the spilled drink and food on the ground, Vlad was more inclined to believe the latter…

Narrowing his eyes, Vlad suddenly turned into Plasmius. He might not sense any intruder and this portal had certainly not been used, but that didn't mean there _wasn't_ an intruder here—especially when he had yet to investigate his _other_ portal in his secret lab. But he had every intention to do just that at this very instant.

The older hybrid swirled his cape around him as he teleported to his secret lab. He truly hoped he was just being paranoid and that it was merely the boy who was looking for something—because if someone had indeed invaded his home and had further hurt the young half-ghost…

He or she would know what Vlad Plasmius was capable of...

* * *

Remembering the time the man had shown him how he made that ghostly healing cream, Danny moved straight past the mainframe and to the end of the lab where he knew Vlad stored the liquid chemicals. But unlike his friends, he knew exactly what he was looking for since he had clearly seen what the container for the nanobot neutralizer looked like.

However, just as he reached the large storage fridge, he paused when something caught the corner of his eye. Danny turned his full attention to one of the work tables to his left… the one which had the three house plants Vlad had been using to test the Order's Crystal…

The pots were still there, but the actual plants… were gone.

"What the heck?" Danny whispered to himself, moving closer to the pots only to find no trace of the plants ever being there. Well, actually, as he looked closer, there was a tiny pile left of…saw dust… or ashes? Had… Vlad done something to the plants? Had he been using the crystal again? Wait… Could the crystal even do something, like, make the plants disappear or turn them to ashes?

"Danny, what's wrong?" Sam asked quietly as she stood alongside Tucker a few feet behind their blue-eyed friend. But they didn't understand why Danny was staring at the empty plant pots…

The half-ghost frowned at the pots for another brief moment, before slowly shaking his head and replying, "It's nothing…" He hesitated, but then turned away from the work bench and returned to the fridge. He then turned his hand intangible and grabbed the lock on the inside of the fridge just like he had seen Vlad do previously. He quickly unlocked it and then opened the fridge.

However, when he searched through the various vials and beakers inside the storage freezer and fridge, he couldn't find the vial with the purple liquid he was searching for. But… he did find a small password-protected safe box in the top right and back side of the freezer.

He couldn't be sure, but Danny was pretty confident that's where the antidote was. But… he didn't know the password.

"Danny, please," Sam suddenly begged him. And getting her half-ghost friend's attention, she readily said, "I know you're really set on this idea of staying with Vlad, but you have to _think_ this through!"

Danny sighed tiredly as he replied seriously, "Sam, there's nothing more to think about. I've thought this through long and hard. And this is my final decision—and I need you to respect it."

"Well, I can't do that, Danny," Sam said firmly. "Not when I'm _sure_ you still can't see what you're doing! And you can say what you want, but I'm not leaving this place without you—_not this time!"_

Danny crossed his arms as he irritably replied, "You're starting to sound like Jazz, Sam."

"No, I'm sounding like a good friend—one that can tell you upfront that you're making a mistake!" Sam shot back. "But you know what? If that doesn't mean anything to you, then maybe another news flash will knock some sense into you."

"What do you mean by that?" Danny questioned with a frown.

Sam angrily replied, "I mean that Jazz has had enough. I mean that she's _this_ close to telling your parents everything, _including your secret."_

Danny's eyes widened with horror. "What?"

"What you heard, dude," Tucker answered before Sam could. "In fact, she told us that if you didn't return back home with us **tonight**, she was going to tell your parents everything!"

"No!" Danny exclaimed, his eyes flashing green with his sudden fury. "She has no right! It's **my** secret!"

"Uh, Hello?" Sam replied sarcastically, waving her hands in the air. "You have been missing for almost five months! And now she discovers Vlad blackmailed you into coming here by threatening her life! _What did you expect?" _

"Yeah, you're lucky she hasn't said anything yet!" Tucker readily added.

Danny glared back at the open freezer, specifically at the sealed vault inside it. He needed to get the antidote; but he now also needed to urgently talk with Vlad. This had gone far enough. He couldn't let his sister tell their parents the truth about him and Vlad… It would ruin everything.

"I'm going to go find Vlad and get the antidote," Danny suddenly said turning to face his friends with an upset frown still on his face. "I'll take care of that, alright? But I need you guys to leave right now. You have to go back and stop Jazz from telling my parents anything."

"Look, even if we were willing to leave you here—_which we are not_—Jazz isn't going to listen to us, Danny," Sam replied seriously. "She's made up her mind about this!"

Danny's anger finally melded into what he really felt: fear.

"Then, you guys have to at least stall her," he pleaded. "Please. She can't tell my parents. It could ruin my life, and Vlad would get locked up or something."

"It's the least he deserves, Danny!" Sam exclaimed.

"I've already told you things have changed, Sam!" Danny yelled back. But then he suddenly pinched his nose and took a breath before looking back at his friends. "Look, there's still a lot you guys and Jazz don't know yet. But I promise I'll explain everything if you guys just give me the chance. In fact, I've already talked with Vlad about this whole situation, and he agreed to do this the right way."

"There's a right way to this?" Tucker asked sarcastically.

"I mean, I'm going back to Amity Park so my parents will stop worrying about me, Tucker," Danny answered with slight aggravation. "Once my parents see that I'm alright, Vlad's going to talk to them and convince them on letting me live in Wisconsin with him. I'm going to be doing this astronaut program for the summers and continue my studies and practice my powers the rest of the time here. Do you guys see now?" he asked desperately. "Everything is going to be fine. Vlad's going to fix everything, and all this is going to be some long forgotten nightmare. And, besides, it's not like we'll never see each other anymore. I'll be visiting regularly while making sure Amity Park is not suffering any serious ghost threats. I _want_ this, can't you see? So, _please_, you guys have to go talk to Jazz and tell her not to say anything. Tell her I'll be home in a few more days tops. And tell her everything I told you. I know that will stop her. But I need you guys to do this for me."

Sam and Tucker stared at him wide-eyed for a moment before Tucker lowered his eyes in defeat while Sam just looked right out heartbroken.

"You really want to stay here, don't you?" Sam asked softly.

And seeing in his friends' responses that they finally understood he was serious about this, he sighed before gently replying, "Yeah…. I really do."

"Do you realize what this will mean for all of us?" Tucker asked just as softly, his eyes still lowered.

"It means a better life for all of us," Danny insisted before he pleaded, "_Please_, guys. Why won't you believe me when I say this is what's best? Like I said, I'll come to visit all the time and you guys know that if Amity ever really needs Danny Phantom, he'll be there! I would never abandon my town, let alone my friends and family. I just… I want the chance to be normal and to fulfill my dreams, and this is where I can get that."

His friends said nothing; and this time, even Sam lowered her gaze.

Danny sighed sadly; but knowing he had nothing more to say, he turned around and headed for the lab's exit. "I'll be back," he muttered back to his friends.

But just as he made it across the large lab and began to ascend the stairs, he was stopped cold by Sam's soft but sudden question.

"…How could you have forgotten who you are?"

Danny slowly turned back around, a mixture of uncertainty and dread in his eyes. "…W-What did you say?" he asked shakily, his eyebrows creasing.

"You heard her, man," Tucker answered, resentment in his voice. "And Sam's totally right. You've forgotten who you are!"

Danny's hands softly coiled as his eyes filled with further distress. His friends words… He had heard them before, but from someone else. Someone had said something similar to him a while back; and it troubled him because he was certain they were significant… They were significant enough that it was all he could think about now…

Was it true? Had he forgotten who he was?

Danny shook his head as he fearfully looked at his friends and whispered, "No, I… I'm…I'm Danny."

"No, you're more than just 'Danny'_," _Sam quickly said, approaching him with renewed vigor. And grabbing her friend's hands tightly, she added, "You're Danny _Fenton_ and _he_ belongs in Amity Park where he grew up; where he has a family who cares about him so much that they are all but falling apart without him; and where he has two friends who feel lost without him."

Danny felt his eyes glaze with tears at her words, feeling them penetrate him down to his very soul.

But before he could even begin to find his voice again, Tucker quickly continued, moving closer to his friends, "But you're also Danny _Phantom._ And he also belongs in Amity Park. You swore to protect your home from evil ghosts and you have done it for a year now! You said you would always use your powers for good and for the benefit of others, no matter what—no matter if people would see you as an evil ghost or if you had Valerie and even your own parents gunning for you. Do you remember why you did it, dude?"

Danny lowered his gaze to his hands, realizing that Sam was still holding them in hers. Yet, as he searched his mind, he still answered his male friend with a nod, "Because… it's my responsibility…"

"Yeah, dude. That's what you said," Tucker replied sadly. "And you also said because no one else could protect your town—at least not like you can. Danny, don't you see it? You're a hero; **that's** who you are."

Danny was quiet for a moment before he wretchedly asked, "But… don't I have the right to choose?"

Sam sighed deeply before letting go of her friend's hands and nodding, "You're right, Danny. You do have the right to choose who you want to be. But Tucker and I are just trying to make sure you _remember_ who you are and realize what you're choosing…"

Danny looked helplessly at her; but she then suddenly lowered her gaze as she remembered something important. And with another sigh, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a certain ghostly amulet...

"Here," Sam said quietly, offering it to her half-ghost friend.

Danny's eyes widened in disbelief as he choked out, "C-Clockwork's medallion… Where did you…?" But he abruptly trailed off as something just as suddenly hit his mind…

He finally remembered why his friend's words were so significant…

"He gave it to Jazz and she told me to give it to you… I guess Clockwork has been watching after you all this time…," Sam replied quietly.

Danny's hands shook as he slowly reached for the medallion and took it in his own hands. It was Clockwork. He remembered now. It was Clockwork who had said those same words to him as his friends just did… But… he had spoken them in a… warning…

_"You are stronger than you think, Danny; but that is something you will have to learn on your own…," Clockwork asserted him, his form becoming elderly._

_"But I'm only strong __because__ of them," Danny replied. "Please, help me, Clockwork! Tell me how to stop all this; tell me what to do!" he pleaded._

_"You already know what to do, Danny," Adult Clockwork enlightened confidently._

_Danny moved away from him, looking at the time ghost with a sad and hurt expression on his face before lowering his gaze and turning towards the door._

_"Danny?" Clockwork called. _

_The young ghost stopped, but didn't turn around. _

_"Do not forget who you are. Or…. what you have learned," Clockwork warned in a knowing voice._

How could he have forgotten Clockwork's warning to him? That was probably why the time ghost had indirectly sent this medallion. Clockwork had sent it for him to remember again, because… even with Clockwork's warning, his friends were right. He **did** forget who he was!

All this time, he had become so focused on the latter part of Clockwork's warning about remembering his past lessons that he forgot the first part—perhaps the most important part of the time ghost's advice!

Danny's eyes widened in further distress as he remembered how in all this time, he had missed all the other warning signs. Even Niane had given him similar advise….

_Niane spoke, "I suppose it's easier for me to see past what he has become because I knew him before he chose such a sad path. He wasn't evil. He __**isn't**__ evil... He has just forgotten who he once was."_

_Danny sighed deeply. "Well… looks like I'll have to get him to remember." _

…_Niane's eyebrow creased again with sympathy. "You miss your loved ones greatly."_

_The boy nodded. "Yeah. And more than I could ever explain," he said sadly…. But the teen abruptly shook his head. "It doesn't matter, though. It's not like I can do anything about it," he added bitterly, leaning forward and picking up a pebble from the bed of the stream. "I'll never be able to go home. And after everything, maybe I don't deserve to. At least, I know I don't deserve to ever see them again." _

_"Oh, no," Niane said worriedly, getting the boy's attention. "Master Danny, you must be careful. If you truly believe that everything has a purpose, then you must stay strong, or else… you could lose yourself in all this."_

Danny couldn't believe it. He had fought so hard to change Vlad that… he never realized that he lost himself in his own battle. He lost sight of what was truly important in life…

He had remembered his past lessons as Clockwork advised. If he hadn't, he wouldn't have gotten through all these months or had turned his arch-enemy into his ally… But… he forgot to heed Clockwork's warning from the very beginning…

He forgot who he was.

"Look," Sam suddenly said after a long silence, which made it seem to her that her friend was not going to change his mind. "We'll do what you want. We'll leave, alright?"

Danny looked back up at Sam as he watched her take a few steps back before sadly continuing, "As much as it hurts, we'll respect your decision to stay; because you are absolutely right. You have the right to choose who you want to be, and it's not right for us to tell you otherwise. So, if you really believe you can be who you want here, with Vlad, then… we'll have to accept it. But I want you to understand that if you are staying here, it means you're also renouncing who you are—it means you are consciously choosing to let go of _everything_ you are, because you—_Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom_—they are not here, they are back in Amity Park…"

Danny just lowered his gaze back to the medallion in his hands.

And taking her friend's silence as his final response, Sam's eyes glazed with tears. But she still managed to look at Tucker and whisper, "Come on, Tucker. Let's go home…"

Tucker glanced at his male friend before he nodded back at Sam. "Yeah," he said quietly, deciding there was nothing more to do but to respect his friend's decision.

Danny still said nothing as his friends brushed past him; all he could do was stare at Clockwork's medallion as one single thought raced through his mind…

What had he done?

"Wait…" Danny suddenly whimpered as a new kind of pain and fear gripped his heart and swelled his eyes with tears.

Sam and Tucker turned back to look at their friend just as he, too, turned to face them.

Danny began to shake all over as he gripped the medallion against his heart. But, then, suddenly he uttered in a plea, "I-I'm so sorry…"

Sam and Tucker's eyes widened at the lost look on Danny's face and his voice filled with regret and fear.

"Oh, Danny," Sam shakily said before running over to him and hugging him tightly.

Tucker also quickly joined them in their hug.

Danny just shook even more as he gripped them back like his life depended on it. And all that continued to race through his mind was that same question: _What had he done?_

"It's gonna be alright, dude," Tucker assured him, still hugging his friend. "We'll help you get through this. You know we will."

"Yeah, Danny," Sam added softly. "We're _always_ going to be at your side, Don't ever forget that."

Danny nodded in their embrace as he closed his eyes and felt his tears finally pour out as the gravity of what he had done weighed heavier and heavier against his heart the more he thought about it… He wanted nothing more than to curl up in a corner at the moment, but he forced himself to calm down, knowing that crying over this wasn't going to solve anything. What had he done? How could he have done this to his friends and family? How could he do this to… Vlad?

_"Daniel, I want nothing more than for you to stay with me. But… __**Are you sure?**__ Are you certain this is what you want?"_

"_I've made up my mind and I'm not changing it."_

_"…I don't need an explanation, Daniel. Whatever you said and whatever she said is your own business…. I just need to know one thing… Does this change anything?"_

_The teen blinked, unsure of what the man was talking about. But when he suddenly realized what he meant, Danny's eyes widened and he quickly blurted out, "What? No! Look, Vlad. You gave me the choice to go, but __I__ chose to __stay__…"_

Now he knew why he had been feeling so much guilt and uncertainty as of late. Deep down his conscience had been trying to get him to see the horrible truth: Vlad had given him a choice and… He chose wrong.

Danny reluctantly let go of his friends and wiped his eyes before smiling weakly at them, "I don't know what I would do without you guys…"

"And we didn't like it without you," Sam replied sadly. "Come home with us now, Danny. _Please_."

Danny lowered his gaze, "I can't just… I need to…"

But whatever he was trying to get out was interrupted by a sudden bright light and a gust of hot wind.

"Daniel!" Plasmius exclaimed when he instantly spotted the teenager.

However, before Danny could do anything but jolt with the man's sudden appearance, Sam and Tucker gasped in alarm; and while Tucker instinctively raised the thermos in his hand, Sam aimed her ghost gun at the evil half-ghost… and fired.

"**No!"** Danny cried out.

* * *

**Ah-ah! You can't hurt me or Vlad muse. Otherwise, you won't get to find out what happens next. *grins* How's that for an ultimatium! *evil laugh* Vlad muse has overshadowed me and probably for the duration of this story. He is just having too much fun! But, hey, you all at least finally got to find out what Danny forgot in all this, eh? Yup Clockwork's warning. Of course, the time master new Danny would make this choice, which was why he warned Danny from the very beginning. Shame the kid got so focused on the part 'do not forget what you've learned', that the part 'do not forget who you are' went right over his head.**

**The question now is: What will Danny do now?**

**I'll leave you all to ponder that, while reminding you that the next chapter begins... the final climax of this story. Chapter 78: Who am I?**

***winks* As always, let me know what you think! Oh, and don't forget about the contests at the club site; we already got some really good entries for the mini contest meme! **

**Ta for now, my dear readers! *vanishes with Vlad muse***


	79. Chapter 78: Who am I?

**Ahem! Hello, dear readers! It's time! Drum roll please!**

***drum roll***

**Ha-ha! Vlad muse plays the drums, how cute! But, okay, here it is! The final climax of CM… *sheds tear* Happy reading….**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, but the OC characters are my own.**

* * *

**Chapter 78: Who am I?**

* * *

Danny moved on instinct as he grabbed Sam's wrist in time to send her aim astray.

Vlad startled as he barely managed to duck when the ghost gun's blast past right over his head, singeing of few of the black strands at the tips of his hair. But quickly pushing back his surprise, his eyes narrowed and he didn't hesitate to pour pink energy into his hands.

And seeing the threat, Danny let go of Sam's wrist and whirled around to face the older hybrid. "Vlad, no!" he gasped, raising his hands in front of him, forgetting he still had Clockwork's medallion in hand.

The man's glare briefly faltered when he instantly noticed the strange gold necklace with the 'CW' engraving; he was about to ask what it was, when he heard the sound of a charging gun.

And hearing it, too, Danny split his attention back at his friends, moving one of his hands to block them as well, as he further exclaimed, "Wait! Just Stop!"

But Sam was not willing to lower her gun, and Tucker quickly reached into his pocket pulling out the Fenton Ghost Knock-out ball as he exclaimed, "Danny! Move!"

"Yes…. _Move_," Vlad sneered darkly, daring the two teenagers to attempt to attack him again.

And seeing his friends and Vlad not letting up, Danny growled before yelling, "Would you all just _STOP_?"

This time, everyone focused fully on Danny, who still had his arms out, while standing between the other teens and the billionaire. The young hybrid breathed for a second, but it was then that he realized he had Clockwork's medallion in the hand he had extended towards Vlad. Luckily, the man seemed too ticked off to have noticed it—or, so Danny thought.

"Look," Danny said with a sigh, though he nervously lowered his arms and quickly hid the medallion in his pocket. He then addressed his friends and Vlad as he firmly continued, "Just chill out, alright? There's no need for this!"

But still fuming with the other two teens' audacity, Vlad turned his glare on the young half-ghost as he demanded, "Then, you tell me what is the meaning of this, Daniel!"

The billionaire hardly was interested in picking a fight with two pathetic human teenagers; but the fact that they were daring to threaten and attack him _in his own home_, was infuriating! They were _extremely lucky_ Daniel was present, or he'd teach these brats a lesson they'd never forget!

Slowly lowering his arms, Danny just frowned quietly at Vlad, conveying he was not happy with the man's hostility and that the guy really needed to chill out. But when he saw Vlad's glare remain firm, the young half-ghost turned his eyes back to his friends and quietly pleaded with them, "Guys… let me handle this, _okay_?"

Sam and Tucker also frowned back at their friends; but then glancing at each other, they reluctantly lowered their ghost weapons. Still, they kept alert, not trusting the evil hybrid at all.

Danny just briefly closed his eyes and dragged a hand down his face, as if to calm his own nerves; but then he turned back to Vlad and stared at him for a moment before seriously asking, "Why didn't you tell me there was an antidote for the nanobots?"

Vlad was taken aback by the teen's sudden and unexpected question. But then the expression on his face fell back into a frown as he glanced between the boy's glaring friends and the sober young hybrid. It didn't take a lot of thinking to understand that Daniel's friends had learned the truth about the nanobots and had further divulged everything to the boy.

Of course, since the man arrived just after their entire conversation, he had no idea that Danny's friends had told the younger half-ghost a lot more.

Vlad fully regarded the young half-ghost again, as if trying to read the teen's thoughts; but then he finally answered, a little guardedly, "I… was going to tell you…"

"But you_ didn't,"_ Danny did not hesitate to reply, sounding a little angry this time as his arms crossed in front of him, clearly demanding an explanation.

And understanding this, Plasmius clicked his tongue in displeasure; but as if thinking it better, he suddenly sighed deeply. His expression melded into a calmer look as he explained, "It was not my intention to hide it from you, Daniel. It's merely that with… _everything_, well, I wanted to wait for an opportune moment. I did not want to create any unnecessary tension between us. Nevertheless, I did not believe it was such an important piece of information when I had every intention of going to Amity Park myself to take care of the issue concerning the nanobots. Ergo, the antidote was something that would soon not matter."

"Not matter?" Danny repeated in disbelief. "How can you say that, Vlad? Of course it matters! It's the antidote to get rid of the nanobots _inside_ _my sister! _I get you wanted to take care of it yourself, but _the least_ you could have done was _tell_ me! I had every right to know! And I don't appreciate that my friends had to come all the way out here to tell me something _you_ should have told me a week back!"

Vlad stayed quiet for a moment as he studied the teen's anxious face. Daniel seemed more hurt than upset that he had disregarded something which he could now obviously tell was important to the boy. The man sighed again, but this time his tense expression melded into an apologetic look as he replied, "You're right, Daniel. I should have told you… I'm sorry."

Danny nodded, though he lowered his gaze. He really couldn't stay angry at the man when he gave him that look. It wasn't very often Vlad admitted he was wrong, so it always impacted the teen, even after all these months. Nevertheless, the teen also wanted to demand explanations about everything else his friends had told him. However, those other issues were not as important in his mind as his _true_ dilemma…

Meanwhile, Sam and Tucker were so shocked by the hybrids' brief interaction that they had fallen silent, barely keeping their mouths from falling open.

However, the two slowly looked at one another before Tucker whispered, "Uh, Sam? Did we miss something here?"

Sam turned her eyes back to Danny and Vlad as she frowned warily before muttering, "Apparently…"

She didn't understand it. The way Danny had talked and responded to Vlad was just… _not right._ And… did _Vlad_ just _apologize_? What was going on?

Unable to bear the sudden silence, Vlad turned his red eyes back to Danny's friends as he suddenly crossed his arms and drawled out, "You know, you two could have been civilized and _knocked_ on the front door. Then again, I suppose that is asking too much of you…"

Tucker and Sam looked nervously at each other before turning their unsure and nervous gaze back to the man. They honestly didn't know how to react to him now, especially when it was clear their half-ghost friend did not want them to harm the man…

But before the two human teens could reply to Plasmius' jab, the older hybrid suddenly rolled his eyes before turning calmly on his heels. He only glanced briefly at the younger hybrid as he lightly ordered, "Come, Daniel."

However, as if already guessing the intention of the other two human teens before their doing it, the man quickly added with a warning glare in their direction, "_Just_ Daniel. In fact, why don't you both just wait for us _outside_ in my study? I do not like _uninvited guests_ here in my _secret_ lab…"

Sam and Tucker looked at Danny in alarm, not wanting their friend to go anywhere alone with the evil half-ghost, and were ready to follow him in spite of Vlad's warning for them to stay behind and—more alarmingly—leave.

But Danny quickly shook his head at his friends, silently pleading at them to just do what the man wanted. And when he saw them reluctantly agree, the boy smiled weakly at them. But Sam just scowled and stomped up the lab's stairs, while Tucker just quietly followed her out.

Danny sighed before finally turning and following Vlad, who was already moving past the mainframe.

The hybrids were quiet, though each for different reasons. Danny was still trying to figure out what to do; and the fact that he also had to keep his friends and Vlad from doing anything to the other did not help matters. He wished he could just get a moment to _think_. But it seemed he wasn't going to get that any time soon, especially with the threat of his sister's telling their parents everything if he didn't come home _today_…

However, just as they reached the storage fridge, which was in a remote corner of his lab on the opposite side of the ghost portal, Vlad spoke up at last. But his voice sounded irritated at best, "You know, Daniel. I do not appreciate your little friends breaking into my home, going through my things, and further attacking me. This is the _third_ time this has happened, and frankly, it's getting old. I expect this to be the _last_ time, or I will be forced to teach them a lesson, whether you like it or not."

Danny didn't reply right away, staring worriedly at the man's back as he watched him open the fridge and reach into it, further typing in the password to the safe-box inside…

"They just think…. we're enemies still and that… you are still forcing me to… stay," the teen said both softly and hesitantly.

"Well, didn't you correct them?" Vlad asked, pausing in what he was doing to look at the boy. But realizing the answer himself, the man rolled his eyes and added, "I suppose they didn't believe you. Not that it's of any surprise…"

This time, Danny stayed quiet. But Vlad didn't seem to notice since he focused back on what he was doing and pressed a small button on the small vault which released the door with a small hiss. He carefully reached in and pulled out a single vial—the very same one Skulker had stolen from Axion almost five months back under his orders…

Vlad finally turned around, though his gaze remained briefly on the purple liquid in his hand, just barely noticing the tiny little silver spheres floating within the liquid that were meant to destroy the nanobots…

Finally, the older hybrid turned his gaze to the teen, who was staring sadly at the vial in his hand. However, Danny glanced back up at Vlad when, without a word, the man extended the neutralizer towards him, willingly giving it up.

Danny just continued to stare back at the man's calm red eyes before slowly lifting his hand and taking the vial from him. The teen bit his lip as he further pulled it closer to his chest, barely feeling how cold it was with all the thoughts running through his mind.

"It has to be kept cold," Vlad suddenly explained seriously. "It is frozen now, so it should be alright for two more hours at most. It is an intravenous drug, Daniel, which means it has to be injected into her body. Or… it could just be phased into her, which had been my original intention. However, since your friends are here and still _insist_ that I'm keeping you here against your will and brainwashing you or something of the sort, you could give it to them now if you want." The man rolled his eyes at that, but then he smiled weakly at the boy and further informed him, "Or, you could convince them to wait until tomorrow, and… you can phase it into her yourself…"

Danny's eyebrows instantly shot up, but then they just as quickly furrowed as he tentatively asked, "What…? What do you mean by… that?"

Plasmius' smile broadened, though he looked a bit disappointed as he explained, "Well, I had hoped to surprise you tomorrow; but, _obviously_, it's no longer possible, so I might as well tell you now… We are going to Amity Park tomorrow. First thing in the morning."

Danny's eyes broadened as he whispered out in disbelief, "You mean… everything is ready?"

Vlad grinned and nodded, "That's right. You will be able to go see your family tomorrow and we can then proceed from there."

The young hybrid wanted to grin back and tell the man that that was great news! But… it wasn't—_not at all._ In fact, this just complicated things for him… And it made Danny feel even worse, especially with the way Vlad looked so excited with the prospect that their plans were going to at last move forward…

What was he going to do?

Vlad raised a curious eyebrow at the boy. He had expected Daniel to be more thrilled with the news; but… he just looked troubled. Then again, he supposed the boy was still nervous and upset with his friends' unexpected visit. Blast those two brats! They even spoiled his surprise and his chance to make the young hybrid very happy.

However, unable to do anything about it now, the billionaire reluctantly returned to the matter at hand as he soberly asked, "So, what are you going to do?"

Danny almost jolted with the question. Did Vlad know that...?

"With the neutralizer, my boy," Vlad clarified when he saw the boy's sudden alarmed look—though he didn't understand it.

Lowering his gaze, Danny took in a shaky breath and shook his head. "I-I don't know…," he whispered, clearly thinking of something else. He had hoped he could sit down with Vlad to talk things through, but now it wasn't just Jazz's threat to tell his parents his secret in the air, but also that Vlad was planning on going to Amity _tomorrow_! He had no time!

This time, Vlad frowned, finally realizing something was wrong with the young hybrid.

"Daniel….?" he asked tentatively.

But before he could say anymore, the boy breathed out, "I-I just need a moment." But he was clearly saying it to himself, since he suddenly turned around and headed out of the lab without another word.

Vlad raised an eyebrow again; but then he frowned, a mixture of confusion and curiosity in his eyes. What in the world was wrong with Daniel?

But knowing he wouldn't find out by just floating there, Plasmius quickly followed after the teen, though as he made it out of the lab, the man made sure to close his lab. He didn't want to risk Daniel's nosey friends intruding anymore than they already had…

Still, Vlad halted his steps when he saw the teen walk over to his friends. So, the boy wanted 'a moment' to speak with them? Well, that was understandable; especially when the teenage girl was _still_ aiming her blasted gun at him, as if warning the billionaire not to move any closer.

Plasmius glared at the threat. He knew it would take _a lot_ of time before Daniel's friends accepted that he was not going to hurt the young half-ghost. Still, he didn't like their hostility, and he couldn't help but return it, which was why he was still in ghost form. If these brats were not lowering their guard, then neither was he!

"Guys?" Danny said quietly as he stopped in front of his friends before he lowered his gaze to the vial in his hand.

His friends reluctantly turned their attention away from the threat several feet away and instead focused on Danny. However, finally realizing what was in his hand, the two human teen's eyes widened in surprise.

"You got it?" Tucker asked in disbelief.

"He just… gave it to you?" Sam further questioned, though she still sounded suspicious. What was that rich jerk trying to pull? Wait…

"Are you sure that's it, Danny?" she further asked. "What if he gave you…?"

"No, Sam," Danny cut her off with a small sigh, finally looking up at her and Tucker. "This is it. I've seen it before, so I'm sure… Here," he then soberly added, extending the antidote to Sam.

Sam and Tucker tensed, not sure why Danny was giving it to them; unless… Was he still going to stay here?

"Danny?" Sam asked fearfully, not wanting to take the vial.

The young half-ghost lowered his gaze again, knowing it was time to choose. And he knew that if he ever looked back on this, he would always wonder if he had done the right thing, because he was sure this had to be by far one of the hardest choices he had ever and would ever have to make…

Danny swallowed hard, already feeling his heart beating a mile a minute. But drawing in a small breath, he looked back at his friends before grabbing one of Sam's hands and putting the cold antidote in it.

"Could you and Tuck… give me a minute?" he asked quietly, his body tense to keep himself from shaking with his restrained emotions.

Sam and Tucker just stared back, but could now clearly see their friend's choice in his eyes. But they also understood that he wanted them to leave him alone with Vlad, and… they didn't like that.

"Danny, are you sure?" Tucker asked nervously.

But Sam further asked, just as worried, "Danny, what if…?"

"Trust me," Danny cut her off with a small smile. "It's okay. I'll be okay."

Sam briefly frowned in distrust at Vlad, but she looked back at Danny; and with a reluctant sigh, she lowered her gun and nodded, "Okay, Danny. But we'll be _right_ outside."

Tucker clearly wasn't happy, either, but he silently agreed as well.

However, as they hesitantly turned from their half-ghost friend and exited the billionaire's private study, Tucker muttered to Sam, "Yup… we definitely missed something huge…"

Meanwhile, Vlad was a bit surprised to see the boy's friends leave so willingly. He would have thought they would have put up a bigger fight. Or, at least, not leave without some verbal threat at him against hurting Daniel. But… they were just…leaving with the antidote…

However, that wasn't what mostly had Vlad feeling disconcerted. It was how tense Daniel was behaving. But when the door closed and they were finally alone, the older hybrid was suddenly even more concerned when a troubling feeling planted itself inside his gut.

"Daniel? Are you alright, my boy?"

Danny was feeling sick with remorse by now and he suddenly felt dizzy, as if he couldn't breathe right, especially when all his thoughts were running together…

"_Do not forget who you are or what you have learned…"_

"_How could you have forgotten who you are?"_

"_You're a hero, Danny! That's who you are!"_

"_You are stronger than you realize, but that's something you will have to learn on your own…"_

_"Daniel, I want nothing more than for you to stay with me. But… __**Are you sure?**__ Are you certain this is what you want?"_

"_I've made up my mind and I'm not changing it... I'm not changing it…"_

"Daniel?" Vlad called again, now really worried; so much that he walked up to the teen and grabbed one of his shoulders in hopes that the teen would turn to look at him.

But Danny just tensed some more with the man's touch; but also with a strange sensation inside him, as if he could feel the older hybrid's worry for him. That hadn't happened to him before, and he knew that it didn't happen often with Vlad, even though there was that time Vlad said he could feel when he was in trouble. The teen now realized that the connection he had with the older hybrid must only be noticeable when either of them was in extreme distress, which made the boy further understand _how_ worried Vlad now was for him…

"V-Vlad?" Danny quietly said, finally turning to face the billionaire. "I-I'm sorry… I-I…"

"Daniel, what is it?" Plasmius pressed, now feeling slightly alarmed.

The teen sighed painfully. He didn't want to do this. He didn't want to choose; but he had to—and he had to choose what was right. Or, at least, what was the _most_ right, because the boy was sure that this wasn't as black and white as he would have once believed it to be. He finally understood what Vlad had meant that one time in the simulation room…

_"…There are times when we cannot have all the things we want most; especially when there is a conflict of interest between two or more of those things, Daniel. Ergo, if it is two contradictory things, you have to often choose one or the other…"_

_Vlad's eyebrows creased with some unknown emotion as he asked with slight surprise, "You really have never felt torn between two given choices?"_

_The teen paused in his efforts and looked up at the man. "I don't really know. I mean, one choice always outweighs the other, right? Two complete opposite things can't both be equally important. So, then, why would I ever feel… __**split**__ about it? Why would I want to choose both ways equally when both ways can't really __both__ be __right__?"_

_Vlad sobered a bit as he replied a little quietly, "You'd be surprised, Daniel..."_

Danny's eyebrows creased at the cruel irony of it all. What a horrible way to find out what the man had meant back then. He could see now that in _this_ instance—in his two give choices—there was indeed no real wrong choice; just two right choices—two paths—that contrasted each other… And he couldn't choose both equally…

Sadly, there was no 'nice' way to tell the man what he needed to. And he also couldn't wait to tell him under 'better circumstances'. There was no time for it...

"I… have to leave…," Danny forced himself to finally whisper, lowering his gaze.

"…Leave?" Vlad repeated, staring warily at the boy. "…Where to?"

Of course, the man wasn't this naïve, but everything inside him was pushing away his logic. Surely the boy meant something else than what it sounded like he was saying…

Danny's throat constricted with the older hybrid's almost innocent question. The teen knew he had made a lot of mistakes in his life; but few had ever hurt someone else, and even fewer had hurt those he cared about. He had hoped the nanobot incident with Jazz had been the last time he hurt someone he cared about; but yet again, another of his mistakes had done just that… Each time it made him feel like the lowest person in the world. And right now, he also felt like the biggest jerk on the planet. How could he have been so—_so selfish?_ How could he do this to the man in front of him?

"My-My friends and sister," Danny began again, now also feeling like a coward because he couldn't bring himself to just come out with it. "They know about the nanobots. They...came to take me back home. Jazz… She's determined to tell my parents everything if-if I don't come home _tonight_."

Vlad's eyes widened in a mixture of surprise and fear, but he readily frowned with concern. But he now understood why the boy was so troubled—or, at least, he thought he did.

"Well, that is most certainly unexpected; then again, I shouldn't be surprised…But if Jasmine tells your parents the truth…" Vlad trailed off. He was quiet for a moment before he suddenly nodded to himself and then said with a decisive voice, "Fine. Then, we will just have to get you back home right now. That will keep your friends and sister from divulging our secrets and ruining our plans." Plasmius suddenly turned around and floated over to a filing cabinet as he further said, "Just let me get the papers and then I'll call Jim to get the helicopter ready…"

Danny was surprised at first with the man's words. But then he realized Vlad was still not getting what he was trying to tell him. And, suddenly, he felt a pit in his stomach. He hadn't wanted to tell the man this way, but there was so much desperation in the situation, he had to. Then, the teen's hands began to shake before he suddenly coiled them as he continued to hear the man speak…

"…You did good to send your friends away. We cannot return to Amity with them or it might raise too many questions," Vlad said distractingly, searching through his files for the right one. "We will just do as we planned _ahead_ of schedule. I will call your parents after I talk with Jim so that—"

"I changed my mind."

Plasmius halted mid-sentence, clearly hearing Danny's sudden but softly spoken words. His heart could not push aside his logic this time.

Vlad slowly turned around to face the young hybrid, who was looking away again, which only served to confirm what the boy was really trying to tell him.

Now feeling like someone had robbed him of his own air, the older hybrid just stared at the teen for a tense moment. But then opening his mouth, he forced himself to speak, though it sounded weak, nothing like that confident voice that characterized the man…

"Daniel… I-I don't… Is… Is this about the antidote?" he asked softly before quickly adding in a more fearful voice, "Because if it is, I swear I was going—!"

"No, Vlad!" Danny exclaimed, finally exploding with his own desperate emotions. "It has nothing to do with that! I believe you, okay? I-I... You… You didn't do anything wrong…," he added more quietly. "I did. It's… me."

This time, Vlad just stayed quiet, though he looked to be fighting with something inside him. He didn't understand.

Danny passed a hand through his black hair, clearly not knowing what to do with himself, but he still continued in an utterly troubled voice, "I-I made a mistake, Vlad. I didn't think this through as I had thought. I… I thought I could stay here and start a different life, but… but I _can't_ do that! I can't abandon _my life!_ I can't abandon _my responsibilities!_ Because… Because **I'll be renouncing who I am!"** he exclaimed.

But then the teen looked away and took in a shaky breath as he added softly, "For a moment, I forgot who I was, Vlad. … And I shouldn't have. I _never_ should have."

"I...But, Daniel," Vlad said quietly, sounding both frightened and confused. "W-Who you are is here, _at my side._ You can be anything and whoever you want _here_, little badger. Isn't that what you wanted?"

Danny sighed and sadly replied, "I wish things could be _that simple_, but… I realize now they're not. They _can't_ be, because what I am here is not… _who I am._ And I… I-I can't stay here and pretend to be something I'm not…."

Vlad didn't know what to say this time. He couldn't even think at the moment. All he could do was stare at the boy in front of him. He couldn't believe what Daniel was telling him. He had changed his mind? _Now?_ _After everything?_ After the young half-ghost's constant assurances that his mind was made up about this and nothing would sway him? After he had asked the boy if he was certain? After getting his hopes up and going through impossible lengths to find a right way to have this child at his side? After giving this boy his word he would give up Maddie and turn aside his revenge plans against Jack? After he… gave up his best friend and her child for him? After all his sacrifices, Daniel was leaving him alone now?

Danny slowly looked up when the unexpected silence suddenly became more than he could bear. But when he found he could read nothing in the man's eyes, the teen's own eyes filled with further guilt and worry as he pleaded, "Please say something."

But… Vlad just continued to stare at him with that fixed and unreadable look.

"Vlad?" Danny called, sounding desperate. "I need you to tell me something. Please."

Vlad suddenly exhaled sharply, which silenced the teen. But instead of saying anything, the older hybrid pursed his lips and looked away at nothing in particular, trying as hard as he could to stay calm and rationlize this at the same time. He just couldn't believe Daniel was doing this to him!

Unable to bear the continuing silence, Danny pleaded, "Vlad, please, talk to me! I never—"

"Let me get this straight," Plasmius abruptly cut him off coolly, his red eyes just as quickly returning to the teen's own. "Your friends come along and, suddenly—_now_, _after everything_—you stumble upon this… _grand_ revelation?"

Danny's gaze fell as he quietly answered, "I-I want to stay, but…"

"What are you playing at, Daniel?" Vlad snapped, feeling even more insulted by his response, unable to stay calm anymore. "You want to stay. You _don't_ want to stay. _Which is it?_ Do you think me your puppet, Daniel? Do you think I am some _lifeless thing_ that you can toy back and forth with?"

"No!" Danny answered desperately, his wide eyes locked with the man's angry ones. "I-I didn't want this! I mean, I never meant to do this! I didn't think this through! I didn't realize what my decision to stay here meant—at least not all of it! You gotta believe me, Vlad! I want to stay! I really do! But-But I can't! _It isn't right!"_

"Right?" Plasmius repeated incredulously. "You obviously have _no idea_ what that word means! How can you stand before me and assure what's truly right when over a week ago, when _I gave you_ a choice, you assured me the _right thing_ was the _exact opposite?"_

Danny sighed. "I know what I said, and I meant it. I don't want to go back on my word, but…_things are not that simple_."

"_Or course_ they are not simple!" Vlad exploded. "What did you _think_ it meant when I promised you I would let go of my love for your mother and my hate towards Jack _for you?_ What did you think you were saying when you _just as equally_ promised to let go of everything to stay here with me? What part of anything we have been planning and have agreed on sounded _simple_ to you?"

"Vlad, _please_…," he begged, approaching the older hybrid, only to halt when he saw the man visibly tense, clearly not wanting the boy any closer to him right now.

Danny bit his lip, and instead raised his hands up in a pleading gesture as he stressed in desperation, "I _need_ you to understand. You said no one could ever understand me like you. Well, I need that now," he begged. "You gotta understand. I don't belong here. I can't live some carefree and normal life, because it's not _my life._ I'm needed in Amity Park. And I can't pretend otherwise, especially while others suffer because of me."

Vlad's red eyes darkened with his last words, and Danny instantly paused before adding, "But I don't want to hurt you, either. That's why I need you to understand. I need you to help me because I don't want this to change anything between us. I just know there's a way to work this out… right? _Right, Vlad?"_

The older hybrid's hard look melded into something else. But Danny didn't see the utter disappointment and hurt, since the man looked away, not replying to him.

This time, Danny chanced moving a bit closer, and when the man didn't tense this time, the teen felt a bit hopeful as he whispered, "_Trust me,_ Vlad. _Nothing_ will change. I just… can't stay. But, that doesn't change anything between us. I'm not gonna abandon or forget about you. I-I can't. Not anymore. Not when I know you are not who I thought you were. Not when I've learned so much about you, and in turn, so much about myself, and about… well, everything. I don't know if you realize it, but, I need you more than I let on sometimes—especially now that you've become so important to me. You've become my advisor, my teacher, my friend…because you're right: there are things about me that only you can understand, that only you can help me with and support me through. But above all that, I need you because, because you're… _family_ to me now…"

Vlad finally looked at him, but the teen could finally see that all the man's anger was gone and had been replaced with utter sadness. And it was with that emotion that Vlad suddenly pleaded, "Don't do this to me, Danny… _Not you_…," he added more quietly and desperately.

The young hybrid had only heard Vlad sound this weak and broken one other time and each time it nearly broke his heart, especially now when he knew he was responsible for it.

The teen couldn't help himself, and suddenly grabbed the man in a desperate hug and pleaded, "I'm sorry."

But when he didn't feel the older hybrid hug him back, the teen just gripped him harder, silently begging him to forgive him.

However, Vlad just gazed down at the boy, _feeling_ the boy's desperation through their ghostly and unexplained connection as easily as he had felt the young half-ghost 'calls' for help those few times in the past months. But how Daniel felt was nothing compared to how the billionaire felt. This boy had become like a son to him; he had discovered in these past months that they shared so much more beyond being half-ghost.

Vlad had even gone beyond himself to help and to understand him. In fact, he had been willing to change _for him_—to move pass all the pain and suffering and hate he had endured and carried for so long—all of it for him! And it was to this very child that he had lowered that wall he had built up for over twenty years. To this very boy, whom he had come to endear as _his little badger,_ he had opened his heart to and he would have given him his very soul if he had asked him for it. That's how much he had come to trust this child; he would have never expected this from him—from anyone else, yes. But him, never. And instead, his little badger had just done the worst thing anyone could ever do to him.

He had given this boy his heart in his very hands and… he had just shattered it with his… betrayal.

Suddenly, that dark little corner of Vlad's heart that he had locked up a few weeks ago was cut open; and, finally, out spewed all of that coldness that came with it—all the coldness that he used against anyone who had dared hurt him like this in the past.

It didn't matter how Daniel worded it. In the end, the boy was abandoning him. And although he would have painfully accepted that just a little over a week ago, now, after Daniel had raised his hopes up with his promises to stay, he just… _couldn't_, because he could forgive anything _but this…_

He couldn't forgive betrayal.

And yet… Vlad felt utterly torn. He didn't want to lose him. _He really didn't._ But he couldn't ignore the burning feeling of betrayal inside him, because it burned as strongly as his love for this child…

Danny felt like his heart had shattered when Vlad just wouldn't return his hug or say anything to assure him it would all be okay somehow. But just when the teen had been about to pull away, Plasmius unexpectedly wrapped his arms around the boy and held him with a different form of desperation—as if trying to hold on to something he knew he had forever lost…

Danny felt a drop of hope and he seized it with his own desperation and quickly gripped the man back, saying, "I-I promise nothing's going to change."

Vlad's red eyes closed before he quietly asked, "Is this really your final decision?"

Danny just buried his face in the man's jumpsuit and nodded. He just couldn't stay. He… couldn't forget who he was.

Plasmius sighed painfully, as one of the two raging emotions inside him finally won out with the teen's reply. He opened his eyes and moved one his hands away from the teen's back; but his sadness was replaced by something else as he muttered back, "Then… I'm sorry, too…"

Danny was about to pull away to ask why the man was sorry, when he suddenly felt one of Vlad's hands right at his chest… and it was getting… hot.

The teen gasped, only having enough time to pull away to look up at the older hybrid before an ecto-blast suddenly propelled him back clear across the room.

"Ahh!" Danny cried out before he slammed into a decorative stand, destroying it completely.

"Just… Not as sorry as you will be," Plasmius added soberly, his hand still glowing with pink energy as he stared emotionlessly at the groaning teen. But inside the man, the pain he felt was unbearable...

Danny slowly pulled himself out of the rubble before he sat up, a hand pressed against his chest where… Vlad's energy had struck him. But having heard his words, the teen looked up at him, his eyes wide with disbelief and hurt.

"Vlad…?" he asked softly.

But before he could say anymore, his friends who had still been waiting for him just outside the study and had clearly heard Danny's cry of pain, burst into the room, exclaiming, "Danny!"

But Sam and Tucker froze when they saw Plasmius with burning energy in his hand, now outwardly glaring at their half-ghost friend, who was on the ground and clearly hurt.

"You want to leave, Daniel? Fine._ Leave_," Vlad hissed, ignoring the human teens and just keeping his full focus on the young hybrid. "But, first, I am going to make sure you regret this day _for the rest of your life!"_ he exclaimed as both his hands filled with pink energy and he approached the young half-ghost with a dark look.

Plasmius' sudden approach towards their friend snapped Sam and Tucker out of their stupor and they instantly reacted and ran to stand protectively in front of Danny.

"Stay away from him!" Sam yelled angrily, firing a blast at the evil hybrid.

Expecting this, Vlad turned intangible before producing an ecto-rope; and faster than anyone could react this time, he sent it towards the two human teens.

"**No!"** Danny exclaimed, jumping to his feet just as the rope wrapped around his friends like a constricting snake, pinning their arms at their sides and knocking the open bag of weapons off of Tucker's shoulder. The older half-ghost then waved a hand and they were flung against the right wall and glued against it.

Danny froze in cold dread for a moment as he watched his friends struggle against the rope, but it just constricted even tighter around them, forcing them to release the ghost weapons in their hands. Fortunately, Sam had stored the nanobot antidote in her skirt pocket beforehand, so it was still safe.

"Danny!" they cried out, though more out of fear for him than themselves.

The young hybrid quickly looked back at Vlad who was now approaching him again. And alarmed by his clear threat, Danny raised his hands up as he pleaded, "Vlad, stop! Please, just calm down! It doesn't have to be this way!"

"You had your chance to leave on good terms—and that chance has long since come and gone," Vlad answered coldly before raising a hand.

Danny cried out again as another ecto-blast slammed into him and thrust him into the wall behind him. The teen just stayed on the ground, moaning in pain. Being that he was still human, the other half-ghost's attacks were especially painful.

Still, even as he stood up with the help of the wall and saw Vlad approaching him, he stayed human.

"I suggest you morph and accept the consequences of your choice, because the only way you are leaving is if you're the only one of us left standing!" Plasmius growled out, one of his glowing hands lifting in threat again.

Danny just stared sadly at him before he lowered his gaze and quietly muttered, "Then, get it over with because…. I'm not fighting you."

Vlad's red eyes flared a brighter red before he abruptly dispelled his energy from his hand and instead grabbed the teenager by the neck.

"Danny!" Sam and Tucker exclaimed, still struggling; but the rope that had them pinned against another wall was as strong as a steel cable. But they still continued to fight against their bonds, knowing their half-ghost friend was in trouble. But what had them even more scared was that Danny wouldn't defend himself! Didn't he see that his arch-enemy was determined to hurt him? So, why wouldn't he fight back?

Meanwhile, still not getting anything out of the boy, Plasmius sneered and then slammed the teen up against the wall before pulling him up to his eye level as he menacingly hissed, "The games are over, Daniel! Fight, or I _will_ destroy you," he assured him darkly as he squeezed harder.

Danny grunted, instinctively grabbing Vlad's hand around his neck when he couldn't breathe. Still, in spite of his spinning head the teen managed to wheeze out, "C-Could you? Really?"

Vlad's eyes widened with the teen's question, knowing his choice of words had been ones that the man had used himself…

_"….you have no idea how much I'm trying not to make you sorry for what you're saying," Danny suddenly growled, his hands fisting on his sides._

_Vlad immediately paused in thought and just stared quietly at the boy for a second or two. But then he sadly asked, "Could you really do that, Daniel?"_

It hurt, because he knew the boy was right. They both knew that he could never bring himself to kill this boy—he hadn't before, and even with his betrayal, he couldn't do it now.

And it infuriated the man.

With a snarl, Plasmius threw Danny across the room, where the teen painfully collided with the man's desk.

"Get up, Daniel!" Vlad demanded furiously.

But Danny just remained on the ground, groaning from both pain and distress. He knew he deserved the man's wrath and his hate, which was why he refused to even defend himself. But he also didn't want to fight Vlad—because it would mean they were enemies again, and he didn't want that! And he knew that Vlad didn't want that, either. In spite of the older hybrid's actions, the teen had been with the man long enough to know why he was doing what he was. Vlad wanted them to fight in hopes of just pushing aside all these months and going back to how they were before. But it didn't matter what the man did, that was impossible.

Danny just couldn't see him as his arch-enemy anymore, and he was sure Vlad couldn't see him as before, either…

"**Curse you, you little rat!**" Vlad yelled at him as he blasted the teen into the desk again, this time destroying it. **"Fight me! It's the least you can do!"** he added, a bit of his helplessness and desperation leaking out past his furious visage...

But Danny shook his head in response and just held his aching side.

Plasmius just glared spitefully at the subdued boy when he still refused to confront him. He wanted to the boy to fight him—to _hate_ him like before…

Maybe then he could hate him again, too…

"_Get up. Right now,"_ Vlad growled as his fisted hands' pink energy melded into a dark red.

"Please, don't do this," Danny whispered back.

The older hybrid's glare faltered for a fraction of a second, but then he narrowed his eyes further and quickly raised one of his hands—but it wasn't aimed at the young hybrid.

It was aimed towards the boy's captured friends.

Danny's eyes widened with horror with Vlad's unspoken but clear threat. And feeling his heart beginning to race, the teen got up, his voice trembling as he pleaded, "V-Vlad, wait… n-no… **No!**" he screamed when the man suddenly released a red ecto-blast towards his friends and the boy knew he was too far away to do anything to help them.

Sam and Tucker cried out in fear and squeezed their eyes shut, expecting pain, but instead, they heard a loud 'bang' just inches above their heads. They quickly snapped their eyes open and stared up in alarm at the gaping hole in the wall just above them.

Danny stared in frozen relief and alarm at his still breathing friends before he slowly turned his gaze back to Vlad.

"The next one won't miss…," Plasmius coldly assured him.

Danny's fear melded into sorrow, knowing now he had no choice but to confront the older hybrid for the sake of his friends. The teen sighed quietly before he morphed into Phantom and let green energy seep into his hands.

But Danny still didn't attack; instead he begged again, "Vlad, _please_. I know you're angry and you have every right to be, but it doesn't have to be this way! Nothing has to change!"

Plasmius' hand, which was still aimed at Sam and Tucker, filled with more red energy again as he replied in the same angry voice; though this time, there was undeniable pain in his tone, "Anger? No… It's _not_ anger..."

Danny briefly lowered his eyes, knowing now what was driving the man. He felt betrayed. How could he have not realized it sooner? How could he have forgotten how Vlad felt about betrayal; but... Danny still could have never imagined the man's feelings for it were _this strong_... to the point that the man was determined to destroy everything they had built in _months_ in a matter of... _minutes._ And only because he felt betrayed.

But even if the man was right about that, the young hybrid couldn't let him hurt his friends—they had nothing to do with this. But… he also wasn't going to go through with what the man wanted… He couldn't. He couldn't let Vlad destroy what they had!

Danny closed his eyes for a second before he suddenly looked up at the older hybrid with a determined look and just as quickly fired a green ecto-blast at him. However, the boy had purposely aimed the attack _just slightly_ to the left of the man.

In turn, Vlad instinctively dodged but realized too late that the boy had purposely missed him and had only wanted him to move out of the way.

And before Plasmius could react, Danny took the opening and quickly aimed a hand at his friends before flicking it rapidly it in a wave-like motion.

Sam and Tucker gasped in surprise when a green barrier suddenly appeared in front of them, protecting them from any future attacks. They couldn't help but be awed, sure that their half-ghost friend had never been able to sustain energy barriers _this_ far away from his person. So, how was he doing it now?

Vlad growled at the boy's quick-thinking; but the older hybrid then abruptly teleported in front of the boy, grabbed him by his jump-suit's collar and flung him across the room towards the very wall on which his friends were being restrained.

Danny squeezed his eyes shut as he forced himself to hold his concentration on the ghost shield around his friends, knowing it was the only thing keeping them safe. But when a pink blast hit him squarely in the stomach and he momentarily lost his ability to breath, the shield in front of his friends flickered, threatening to fall apart.

"Danny, what are you doing?" Sam asked in alarm as she watched her friend slowly rise on shaking legs, coughing and gasping. "Darn it, Danny! Why won't you fight him?"

"Dude, come on! You gotta fight him!" Tucker readily added, just as worried."Or, he's going to waste you and us! Look, use the ghost weapons! Or, the thermos! Or, _anything_! Just fight back!"

Danny just took in gaping gulps of air as he stared fearfully at his friends. But before he could even say anything back to them, the older hybrid was in front of him.

Plasmius glared over at the shield, feeling even more insulted at seeing the young hybrid using the very things he had taught him against him now. Or, that's how the man saw it anyways.

"Very good, Daniel. You have gotten _so much better_ at using your powers," he sneered sarcastically.

Danny yelped as the older hybrid grabbed one of his hands and yanked him closer as he further added, "But we both know you are still no match for me…"

Danny cried out as Vlad sent a surge of electricity through his body, and as he dropped to his knees in front of the man, the shield protecting his friends shattered.

Danny gasped as Vlad suddenly let him go; and seeing the man turn his eyes to his friends, the young hybrid raised a hand as he cried out, "No!"

Plasmius fired at Sam and Tucker; but just before the blast could hit them, a green barrier reformed around them and the attack splayed against the shield, which cracked with the man's blast, but still remained intact.

Plasmius whirled around and fired a blast at the young hybrid, sending him tumbling across the office floor.

"You sick jerk! Leave him alone!" Sam screamed at Vlad.

But the older hybrid ignored the girl, and floated over to Danny, who slowly sat up, grabbing his spinning head. He didn't know how much more of these attacks he could take.

However, instead of attacking him again, Plasmius kneeled down on one knee in front of the boy. He briefly looked at the disheveled and clearly pained teenager before he suddenly scoffed in disgust as he asked in the same voice, "What kind of fool are you, Daniel? You give up everything I have given you—everything I _would have_ given you—in exchange for _what_? For your _old life?_—for _that_ life that awards your sacrifice and good-doings with misery and rejection?"

"I-It's not about that, and you know it," Danny replied with a painful grimace, though he stared sadly back at the billionaire. "Please, understand. I—"

"Understand?" Vlad abruptly cut him off. "No, I do not understand. _I cannot understand._ Why would you do this? _Why_? Look at us! Is this what you want? Answer me! Is this what you want?" he yelled at him, grabbing him by the collar and shaking the teen.

"N-No" Danny gasped out. "No, I don't' want this! Stop!" he cried out, phasing himself from the man's hold and falling back on his bottom. He stared at the angry and distraught man as he said. "I don't want to be your enemy. And I know you don't want—"

But before he could finish, the older hybrid unexpectedly backhanded him across the face, before hissing at him, "_Do not_ _dare_ say you know anything about me! You arrogant rat! Is that what you think? You think that a mere few months with me suddenly gives you the right to assume what I want and don't want? You know _nothing_ about me, Daniel Fenton!"

Danny just gripped at his burning cheek with a shaking hand, feeling too ashamed to even look at the man. This was the second time Vlad had hit him like this and made him feel lower than dirt. The first time Danny had been furious; now, he just felt utterly heartbroken.

But hearing the man's last words, he finally met the red eyes glaring at him and quietly replied, "I know enough."

This time the older hybrid just stared back at him. And although he was still glowering at the younger one, his eyes reflected an inner struggle. As much as the man was desperately trying to raise that cold wall he had once had up to protect and keep himself strong against years of pain and suffering, against rejection and betrayal, it now continued to crumble over and over again, as if he was trying to build that once solid wall out of pebbles now. And that only led his every attempt to hide the emotions burning inside his heart to failure.

Danny sighed heavily with the sudden silence before quietly repeating, "I don't want to be your enemy; and… it doesn't matter what you say or do, I _know_ you don't want to be mine, either. Can't you see we can choose something better between us _without_ sacrificing everything else?" he asked desperately.

A flash of sadness glowed in the man's red eyes before he scoffed in cold bitterness. "How ironic. The hero now wants to have his cake and eat it, too, hmm?"

Danny's eyes widened, but then he lowered them again, unable to reply to that. It hurt so much to hear the man mock him like that, especially after everything he had shared with the billionaire about his inner struggles.

"You know, I have to hand it to you," Plasmius remarked coolly, after another brief silence. "I never expected such a low blow from you. What do you know… You're not such a bad actor after all."

"What? No, it's never been an act!" Danny quickly protested, now even more troubled.

But as if he hadn't heard him, Vlad chuckled humorlessly and added, "I suppose I had it coming after everything I put you through. Well, then, congratulations, Daniel. An eye for an eye. You swore you'd make me regret bringing you here and… you have."

Danny felt a painful lump form in his throat. "Don't say that. I didn't plan any of this. I never meant to hurt you! I didn't want to hurt anyone! I would never purposely do that!"

Vlad smirked cruelly. "What's wrong, Daniel? Don't like the truth? Is the _great Danny Phantom_ unable to accept that he made a wrong choice _yet again_?"

Danny just looked on at the man with hurt eyes. But he then sighed and shook his head, muttering, "I know what you're trying to do, Vlad. You are just saying all this to hurt me, to drive me to hate you and do what you want. But… It won't work this time." The boy narrowed his eyes a bit, but not in anger, but in seriousness and conviction. "You can insult and hurt me all you want, but I see right through you. And I know you don't want things to end like this, either. Not after everything!"

Vlad's eyes widened a bit before the anger in his gaze suddenly fell away, now fully showing his sorrow. But the man suddenly got to his feet and stepped away from the teen.

He stared silently and sadly at Danny for a moment before quietly telling him, "I could have forgiven you for anything, little badger. _Anything_, but this. So, I might not want this anymore than you, but… there's no other way for things to end." He scoffed as he added, "You know, Stephanie was right. It seems our relationship will forever only exist at extremes. There is no in-between for us, Daniel."

But Danny shook his head, saying, "No, I don't believe that. We have a choice, Vlad! And I choose _not_ to be your enemy!"

"Believe me, Daniel… I can force you to change your choice," the man replied soberly.

This time, Danny glared, hating the fact that the man was sure he could make him do something he did not want. Well, that might have been true a few months ago, but not anymore!

Finally standing up, the teen fisted his hands on his side in determination as he said, "As I told my friends, you are not making my choices! I am! And I'm saying I can't fight you… I _**won't**_ fight you!"

Vlad's eyebrows creased, and then he surprisingly looked away from the boy before whispering, "I-I didn't want to do this, but...you leave me with no choice…"

Danny sighed. "I won't be your enemy, Vlad," the teen said with the same conviction, though he sounded sad again. "But… I'm not going to stop you from doing what you think you have to..."

The teen suddenly smiled sadly at the man as he spread his hands out, like he once had in one of their past fights and said, "Go ahead. I'm wide open. You'll never get a cleaner shot… If this is what it takes for you to realize I'm not going to be your enemy again, that I'm not going to fight, and that I'm not going to let you destroy what we built in these months, then go ahead."

Plasmius raised his distraught gaze back to the boy, knowing he could easily take his life and have his revenge… But, he couldn't. And he made it clear when he lowered his gaze again, the energy in both his hands seeping back into them. Perhaps, the boy was right; perhaps, there was no need to destroy everything they had built together between them in these months; but... Vlad was _so tired_ of losing the things he cared for, of always falling second place in everyone's heart, of... being betrayed and having to swallow it down. No, he was done with it all. It was all or nothing.

And by Daniel's choice, it would be nothing... But if they boy was going to leave him with nothing, then... he would return the favor... Even if it would mean shattering everything they once had into irrepairable pieces... Why not? Wasn't that what the boy had just done to his heart?

The older hybrid was quiet for another moment before he softly and suddenly asked, "You said you forgot who you were, right?"

Danny bit his lip, troubled by how the man wasn't looking at him. Still, the teen nodded and softly replied, "Yeah… I did."

Vlad finally met the boy's gaze and smiled sadly at him as he then said, "That's not all you forgot, little badger…"

Danny frowned, unsure of how to respond to that. What was the man talking about?

"You forgot who I am as well," Plasmius assured him, his smile falling into a sober look. But then the man looked away yet again, though his eyebrows creased as he whispered mostly to himself in sudden realization, "And…so do I…"

"What?" Danny asked, both troubled and confused, so much that his hands fell to his sides again.

But the boy's heart suddenly skipped a beat when Vlad just as unexpectedly stared back at him, but with a look he had not seen on the older hybrid in a long time…

Eyes narrowing with his deadly expression, Plasmius darkly said, "I think it is time I remind the both of us…"

Danny jolted when Vlad abruptly vanished in a cloud of pink smoke. But it was a fraction of a second later that the teen's eyes widened in both horror and realization when he suddenly just knew exactly what the man had meant.

"NO!" Danny screamed, abruptly teleporting out of the study himself, only a small remnant of greenish-white smoke left in his place.

Sam and Tucker instantly gasped when their half-ghost friend clearly teleported.

"Whoa… When did he learn that?" Tucker asked, dumbfounded.

But pushing back her surprise, Sam rolled her eyes at him and dryly asked, "You don't listen, do you?"

However, before the dark-skinned boy could say anything, the entire house unexpectedly shook with a sudden boom that echoed from somewhere.

"Danny!" Sam exclaimed before saying to her friend in a panic, "Tucker, quick! We have to get free!"

But although their struggles renewed, the energy-rope keeping them pinned against the wall just wouldn't budge…

* * *

Danny appeared inside the older hybrid's secret lab just in time to see his worst fear become a reality.

"BOOM!"

The entire house shook on its foundation as a red lightning bolt struck the one-and-only mainframe that controlled the nanobots and it exploded everywhere, destroying a good portion of the lab. Even the Ghost Portal's steel doors were bent in, exposing just the slightest bit of the unearthly green world on the other side of it.

In fact, if it wasn't because the billionaire had reinforced and ghost-proofed his lab ever since his house had been blown up by his portal's exploding, the entire house probably would have been brought down by how strong the impact of the lightning bolt on the large mainframe had been.

However, Danny didn't see the sheer destruction around him. He only had eyes for the smoldering pill of ash and metal that had once been the mainframe. In fact, it had just been on instinct that he had turned intangible to avoid being flung backwards with the explosion.

But as reality set into him, Danny's wide green eyes swelled with tears as he fell to his knees, his breathing stilled as he continued to stare at the destroyed mainframe.

Meanwhile, Plasmius slowly lowered his smoking red hand and coiled it on his side to hide the fact that it was shaking. He knew now there was no turning back for either of them… And he was also painfully aware he had just crossed a line he never thought he would...

Swallowing down any and all emotion, the man spoke coldly. "You wanted a villain, Daniel? …Now and from here forth… you will have one."

His arch-enemy's words were like an echo in Danny's mind as the teen slowly gripped his white hair with both hands and his breathing began to race. Vlad had destroyed the mainframe… Vlad had _destroyed_ the mainframe! It had been the only thing keeping those nanobots from becoming fully active! The _one thing_ keeping his sister—_his only sister alive!_

Jazz… Vlad had just…

Danny's disbelief and horror suddenly twisted inside his heart into something else, something he had only felt once before but _never like this_... it melded into utter and pure hate.

Hate… directed at… Vlad Masters.

Danny abruptly ripped his hands out of his hair, and with a scream of pain and anger, he jumped to his feet and sent a bright green blast at his arch-enemy.

Not having expected such a quick and violent attack, the older hybrid gasped just before he was sent flying across the lab where he slammed into some already turned-over lab tables. The man gritted his teeth as he gripped at his chest before slowly getting himself free from the rubble and to his feet.

But before he could do anything else, Danny suddenly lunged at him with another cry of fury, throwing them both into the metallic and wood debris on the ground.

The teen shook violently and his eyes were yellow-green as he pounded the older hybrid with his fists, screaming, **"**YOU JERK! HOW COULD YOU? _HOW COULD YOU?**"**_

Plasmius' eyes flashed a brighter red before he blasted the boy away and quickly got to his own feet, hissing, "I could ask you the **same** question!"

Danny barely felt the pain of the hot ectoplasm that struck his body and instead quickly got to his feet and sent a volley of green spheres at the man responsible for his sister's demise. Pain and hate had completely taken over his mind and all he could think of doing was hurting Plasmius.

And all the man could do was hold up a shield, unable to get in a single attack himself.

Still, the younger hybrid's hysterics were as clear as his fury when half of his attacks missed their target while he cried out, "You jerk! You heartless Jerk! This was between us—not her! **It was never about her!** She didn't do anything to you! She didn't do _**anything**_ to you! It was me! Why? Why didn't you just hurt me?" he asked in anguish as tears fell down his face.

But as if all his hate suddenly turned into grief, Danny suddenly stopped firing and crumpled on the ground in short sobs, asking, "How c-could you do this to me? Jazz… you…"

Plasmius finally lowered his shield and just stared emotionlessly at the broken teen. "This is your doing. This is _your_ choice—not mine. As I told Dazzler, no one betrays me—not without paying dearly for it. And you Daniel Fenton have committed the worst betrayal against me… You are no better than your father."

Vlad suddenly raised a hand burning with red energy as he cruelly added, "Now, we have yet another thing in common…. We have both lost our only sibling. What a cruel irony, is it not?"

Danny slowly stared back up at the older hybrid with wide tear-filled eyes; but even when he saw the man was about to knock him out, the teen could only stare back at Vlad, unable to believe the man could have dealt him such a low and unforgivable blow. He had taken his sister from him.

However, just when Plasmius was about to fire, there was a sudden explosion behind him, and the man whirled around, only to gasp when he saw someone had finished destroying his portal's door.

_Someone_ who he had not expected to see any time soon.

"Get away from him!" Danielle yelled before firing another blast at Vlad; and catching him by surprise, the attack threw him backwards across the lab floor, where he hit a small storage cabinet, which promptly fell on the man.

Knowing her weak attack wasn't going to keep her father down for very long, she flew over to Danny's side and quickly said, "Danny! Are you okay? I'm sorry for not coming sooner, but I was so scared; but I just couldn't—"

"Jazz," Danny cut her off in a broken voice. "Vlad destroyed the mainframe. Jazz, she's… gone."

Danielle gasped and quickly looked over at the destroyed computer system. She wasn't sure about it, but she had heard Tucker explaining to her, Sam, and Jazz that Vlad had to have something keeping the nanobots from becoming fully active. But, the techo-savvy boy had said some other things when they had discovered Vlad's evil plot.

"Danny, but there's an antidote! Your friends and sister were sure that—"

But Danny cut her off again with a shake of his head, still not moving off the ground. "It's too late," he whispered as more tears fell down his face.

Danielle paused when she heard Vlad groan and slowly push the cabinet off him. But she then quickly turned back to Danny and said, "No, Danny, it's not! Tucker said that according to the file we got from Axion that it would take about an hour—or maybe more if she got help—for the nanobots to, um, waste her! There's still time! We just gotta get the antidote to her!"

Danny's eyes instantly snapped up, his hope revived with what his cousin had just said. "A-Are you—?"

But he wasn't able to finish since suddenly Danielle screamed when she was unexpectedly grabbed by the hair from behind.

"Danielle!" Danny gasped out when he saw Vlad had teleported and had surprised his cousin. But knowing this had gone far enough and that he had to put an end to it before someone else got hurt, the teen's mind cleared; and with his next sudden idea, he abruptly teleported out of the lab.

Meanwhile, Danielle yelped when her father forced her to turn to face him before quickly switching his grasp on her hair so that it was now around her neck and raised her up to his eye level.

"You…," Plasmius sneered at the girl. "This is all _your_ doing! I should have known from the moment I had the wretched luck of seeing you in the Ghost Zone that you would bring me nothing but trouble. Well, now I'm going to do what I should have done from the very beginning…"

Danielle gasped when she saw red electricity suddenly cackle in Plasmius' free hand. "Wait! Dad, please!"

"I'm not your father, girl. I never was. I told you, you are nothing but a mistake!" Vlad growled darkly.

"Let her go, Plasmius!" he heard Danny demand suddenly, unaware that Danny had been gone for a few seconds.

Vlad glared back at Danny, though he knew the teen couldn't do anything when the girl was in between them. "I'll let her go… once she's nothing but a pile of goop in my hand…" he answered darkly.

And seeing that Plasmius was about to waste Danielle, Danny jolted in alarm before exclaiming out in warning, "Danielle, behind you!"

The older hybrid was confused by his words, but Danielle was not when she heard the sound of an ectoplasmic ray racing towards her. And she quickly turned intangible.

The ghost ray that Danny had fired passed harmlessly through the girl's body, but Vlad who had not been expecting it, was hit right on, and he was forced back yet again, instantly losing his grip on Danielle.

However, Plasmius quickly recovered and didn't hesitate to shoot a bolt of red electricity at Danielle. Luckily, Danny also didn't hesitate and he tackled the man in time to make his attack miss the girl—though the bolt struck the ceiling, drilling a hole right through the ghost-proof lab's roof and making the entire house shake again.

As Danny struggled to hold Vlad down, he yelled at his cousin, "Dani, go! Get out of here! Sam and Tucker are in the study! Tell them what happened and get the antidote to Jazz! Go!"

Danielle hesitated, knowing her cousin was no match for her father, but she knew Jazz needed their help. She quickly turned and zoomed towards where she could see stairs.

But just as she was about to phase through the lab door to get out, something stopped her.

"Mark my words, girl! You will wish you had stayed away! I will make sure you are forever hunted for what remains of your wretched existence! **I will find you!**" Plasmius assured her, furious that she was getting away.

"Danni, GO!" Danny yelled at her when he saw she had frozen in terror.

Danielle took a shuddering breath before she finally phased out of the lab to go aid Danny's friends.

With a furious snarl, Vlad finally kicked the young hybrid off him before he blasted him further back with a pink ray.

Danny cried out in pain as he fell amongst the still sparkling and smoking pieces of the mainframe. Still, he slowly pushed himself to his feet and looked up at his arch-enemy. Now that he knew he had a chance of saving his sister, that was the only thing on his mind—getting to Jazz.

He knew the trip was at least two hours away for him if he flew at his maximum flight; while on the speeder, it would take a good five hours. And Danielle, she wouldn't physically stand the long trip. So, the truth was he had only told her all that to get her out of the lab before Plasmius could hurt her.

Danny knew he was the only one who could save his sister—and even that was a slim chance. But, the more time he spent fighting Vlad, the smaller that window got.

And… he was sure Plasmius was well aware of it, too.

"Okay, Vlad," Danny suddenly said, raising his hands up in surrender. "You win. I'll stay. I'll do whatever you want; but, please, _please_ let me save Jazz. I know you don't want this kind of guilt on your hands! If you don't let me save her, you'll be worse than the man who took your sister from you!"

Plasmius stared coldly at the teen for a moment before uttering, "It's too late to change your mind again, Daniel. You want to save her? …You will have to go through me."

Danny gasped as he was hit by another blast, dropping him back to his knees amongst the rubble. The teen breathed for a moment before his eyes narrowed and he quickly stood up. "Fine, Vlad… I forgot you always get what you want…If it's a fight you want, then… it's a fight you'll get!"

Vlad jolted when Danny abruptly teleported; but just as he whirled around, two green blasts came his way. Plasmius barely had time to raise a shield and so was pushed back several feet with the strong attacks. But… he knew they could have been stronger…

Danny flew up and threw another blast at the older hybrid. But this time, Vlad dodged before retorting with his own pink blast, which hit the teen right in the stomach.

Danny grunted as he fell and rolled across the lab floor where he collided into the damaged portal's doors on the ground.

However, the teen didn't stay down and jumped back into the air and threw a volley of ecto-disks at the evil hybrid. The man growled as he dodged most of them, but a few clipped him, singeing his clothing and stirring up a cloud of smoke and debris.

And yet, it wasn't what the teen was doing that angered the man—it was what he _wasn't_ doing.

"You're holding back, Daniel!" Vlad hissed. "What part of 'your sister will die if you do not defeat me' do you not understand?"

Danny raised a shield to block a pink blast aimed at him; but he knew the man was right. And he hated himself for it. Even when he knew he needed to defeat his arch-enemy, even when he knew he should forget everything and just hate him, his heart couldn't fully do it. And it was causing him to be weak—to hold back.

But… Danny had also noticed something else, and he didn't hesitate to voice it.

"I've seen you fight, Vlad! And _I know_ you're holding back, too! Don't you get it? Things don't have to be this way! Just let me save her!"

Plasmius made a large barrier and thrust the teen into the nearest wall with it, as he sneered back, "You're wasting precious time, boy! Your empty words are not going to sway me no matter how you say them!"

Danny gripped his spinning head as he got to his feet, but the man's words finally made him accept that he wasn't going to change Vlad's mind about this…

"I didn't want this," Danny said sadly before his hands suddenly swelled with raw green energy, the same energy he used to make blue energy. But he wasn't planning on changing it.

And Vlad realized it when he saw the boy's raw energy quickly darken and condense, like it had when he had used it against Dazzler. However, what had the billionaire stunned was how the teen was willing his raw energy in _both_ his hands—he had not taught him to will his raw energy to that extreme yet!

However, in that second that Vlad had frozen in shock, Danny instantly thrust his hands forward and the energy in both his hands turned into a darker green sphere which exploded out… and towards the older hybrid.

"**Ahh!"** Plasmius cried out as the attack riveted his body before he was thrust back, soon slamming just to the right of his ghost portal. The man gasped as he gripped his chest and squeezed his eyes shut with the immense agony. The attack had been so strong it was taking everything in him not to turn human again.

As he tried to recover, the man didn't see Danny pull something out of his pocket before he briefly closed his own eyes and his form blurred…

It only took the older hybrid a few seconds more to push down the pain, but when he finally opened his eyes and slowly got to his feet, all the man saw was Danny standing where he had last been with his hands still lightly glowing with green energy and a resigned frown on his face.

"I would have thought you would have taken the opportunity to flee…," Vlad said with a small pained chuckle.

"You would have just followed and stopped me…," Danny replied, emotionlessly.

Plasmius eyes narrowed. "Good to know you are finally thinking ahead. And now that I see you have finally accepted this, it's time for me to end it."

Vlad fired a strong burst of energy at the boy; but the teen dodged before he flew at his enemy with extended fists. However, Plasmius side-stepped the attack at the last second, and quickly grabbed the boy's ghostly tail and used his momentum to swing the boy around and fling him into a storage cabinet in the far corner. However, a pink ecto-blast drove Danny further into the cabinet, which promptly fell on him.

Oddly, though, the young hybrid's body flickered in and out of view with the blow; but his enemy didn't notice because of the debris that had been stirred up by the large furniture's destruction.

Danny just groaned for a moment as he lay pinned under the cabinet; but although he wanted to pass out, he knew he couldn't—too much was at stake. Squeezing his eyes close, his form stopped flickering and he phased out of his trapped position. However, he was so weak that all he could do was slowly get to his trembling feet. The initial beating he had received in human form, plus all the energy he was expending now, had him at his last reserves of strength.

However, as he looked up, he saw Plasmius slowly walking towards him, clearly sure this fight was over. And to make it certain, the older hybrid quickly split into four.

All Danny could do was back up into the wall, as he was cornered by the man and his copies. And knowing he had no escape, the teen lowered his hands in defeat, a dishearten look on his face.

"You know what's sad, Daniel?" Vlad asked coolly as he stopped about a feet from the teen. "What is sad is that the real fool here is me… What was I ever thinking putting my trust in you? For ever believing you'd be any different than your idiot father… I will _never_ forgive you for this."

Danny's eyes widened with both fear and sorrow, but he could find nothing to say.

"Fortunately for you, you are right," Plasmius added, his voice growing more resentful. "I simply cannot bring myself to cause _your_ demise—no matter how much I wish I could… But that does not mean you will not regret what you have done. And your price is your sister's life. Remember that when you wake up…."

Danny's eyebrows creased as he watched Vlad and his clones raise their hands and aim their pink energy at him. However, focusing on the one who had been talking, knowing it was the real one, the teen quietly said, "Please…You don't have to do this, Vlad…"

Vlad paused at hearing the way the boy had said those words. They were full of sorrow and… pity. And although it would have infuriated his pride at any other time, this time, _it hurt_. It hurt because deep down he knew it wasn't pity what the boy was expressing. It was sympathy. Care.

But not even his care could fix this now…

Plasmius lowered his gaze for a moment before his pink energy melded into a red color. Yet, the angry energy didn't match the look of sorrow on the man's face, nor his words.

"I…I don't know what else to do," Vlad finally replied miserably.

Danny didn't even flinch this time when he saw the man and his copies take aim at him again. But before the older hybrid could fire, the teen sighed shakily before saying in a pained voice, "I'm so sorry…."

"_Clank!"_

Vlad startled with the noise behind him, but before he could turn to investigate, something rolled in between his legs and lightly hit the inside of his left foot. Frowning, he readily looked down, only for his eyebrows to crease in further confusion.

There was a golf-ball-sized metal sphere in between his feet….

"What…?" the man began, but he never finished….

"_Boom!"_

Plasmius gasped and instinctively raised his cape around him when the ecto-ball unexpectedly exploded; but instead of hurling him away, it released a fume of green smoke, which quickly rose around him.

Now confused _and_ alarmed, the man quickly looked up at the boy he could barely see through the smoke. But… he could see Danny enough to gasp again when he saw the teen's ghostly body flicker again before it dissolved away into green energy…

No. It wasn't possible… Had the boy…?

Plasmius whirled around and his eyes widened in utter disbelief as he saw another Danny Phantom staring soberly at him several feet away, his body glowing with a dull green hue which soon vanished.

A duplicate…. The boy had actually done it. Daniel had successfully split himself! But…. that meant he had been fighting a copy! But, for how long? And when had the teen set up this obvious trap?

The truth was that it hadn't been easy for Danny to outsmart the man; but… he supposed learning to plan and think ahead was another thing the teen would be taking with him from the older hybrid…

Still, it had been thanks to Danielle's intervention that Danny had been able to teleport and retrieve the ecto-ball. He had seen Tucker had brought them along with all those other ghost weapons; and remembering from his father what they did, it had been the best option right now. Then, when he had hit the man with his raw energy, the teen had taken the chance to split himself.

That part had come to him very easily…

Still, duplicating and all that teleporting had Danny very weakened… but he knew this fight was now over…

Plasmius' disbelief suddenly melded back into alarm when he began to feel this strange tingling run through his body before it increased into painful shockwaves, which ran up and down his system. In an instant, his duplicates vanished out of existence.

The man hissed as he staggered backwards, unsure of what was happening to him, but now sure of what was causing it.

"What is this?" Vlad demanded angrily as he tried to escape the green smoke around him, but even when he did, the mild shocking feeling continued; but it soon began to ebb when he felt his body grow numb and quickly weaken.

With a gasp, the man unwillingly dropped to his knees. His breathing turned shallow and he closed his eyes as he mind began to spin. It was clear now that whatever device the boy had used against him was meant to knock him out…

If only the man knew that was exactly what Jack had named it: The Fenton Ghost Knock-out…

Mind growing more incoherent by the second, Plasmius suddenly chuckled bitterly, feeling somewhat amused at this unexpected turn-of-events. The teen had actually planned ahead. But not just that…

"C-Clever boy…You did it. You f-finally… duplicated…"

Vlad took laboring breaths for another moment, but then lifted his head up with great effort. He smiled sadly at the teen before his body finally succumbed to the Fenton Ghost Knock-Out's tranquilizing and paralyzing gas and he fully fell to the ground, unconscious.

The whole time Danny had just stared at the man with a serious expression. But hearing his last words swelled the boy's heart with pain. He watched as the older hybrid's black rings returned and turn the man human. But even though he knew the man couldn't hear it, he finally whispered sorrowfully in response, "I just finally got what you meant…by wanting to equally choose… two ways…"

If Danny wasn't fully aware that he had to get to his sister, the boy would have broken down at that instant.

But he couldn't.

Regret filling his eyes as he looked at his unconscious enemy one last time, the teen then teleported and reappeared back in the study.

He caught sight of his friends and cousin just as the ecto-rope trapping Sam and Tucker vanished out of existence. Clearly, the energy-made restraint had been too strong for Danielle or his friends to break—but Vlad's losing consciousness had done the trick.

Gasping as they fell to the ground, Sam and Tucker didn't even wonder how they had gotten free. Instead, they and Danielle, who was now in human form, ran over to their friend and Sam asked in alarm, "Danny! Are you alright? What happened?"

"I told them about the mainframe!" Danielle added.

"Yeah, we have to get to Jazz!" Tucker then said, just as terrified.

But Danny ignored their questions and comments, and instead ordered urgently, "Sam, give me the antidote. I need to get to Jazz."

Sam didn't hesitate to pull out the vial from her pocket and hand it to her half-ghost friend, but still said, "I know, Danny! But we left the speeder in the forest, so you'll…"

"I can't. It will take too much time. I'm going alone," Danny replied before focusing on Danielle and further telling her, "Danni, make sure you get yourself and my friends out of here as fast as you can, alright? I'll meet you all in Amity."

"Wait. What?" Sam gasped, finally understanding. "You're going to _fly_ all the way over there?"

"Dude, it's too far! It'll wipe you out completely—and clearly you are already pretty weak!" Tucker readily added.

"I don't have a choice!" Danny exclaimed, now sounding desperate. "It's the fastest way I can get to Jazz! I can't just—" But he abruptly halted and shook his head, muttering, "I have to go. Get out of here, okay?"

His friends and cousin just nodded; but just when Danny was about to fly out, a small voice halted him.

"Danny... wait."

Sam and Tucker gasped when their eyes darted in the direction of the voice and saw the same young ghost maid that had attacked them when they had snuck into the castle with Jazz that one time. She had appeared out of nowhere and was now just floating there in the study!

"Danny!" Sam exclaimed as her eyes darted over to her gun on the ground.

"Wait," Danny quickly said, halting his friends' attempt to get their weapons before they could even move.

Meanwhile, Danielle stared warily yet curiously at the ghost girl. Who the heck was she?

Danny moved closer to Niane, who had a sad look on her face. The boy had no idea how the girl knew what had happened, but somehow, he was sure her troubled stare was due to what happened between him and Vlad.

"I'm sorry, Niane," Danny said softly. "I… have to go… Vlad's in the lab… Make sure he's not too hurt, okay?"

But when the girl didn't respond, the teen sighed before he turned and flew up, clearly about to phase out of the study.

"You will not make it in time," Niane suddenly assured him quietly.

Danny instantly turned to look at her, confused again by how she knew so much. But with no time to think about it, he shook his head and sorrowfully replied, "I gotta try. I can't lose her."

"I know…," Niane answered before he could even move again. "That is why I…I want to help you."

"Niane," Danny began, feeling desperate that the ghost girl was wasting time—which his sister didn't have.

But the ghost maid interrupted him, saying more urgently, "Listen to me, Danny. You need to go through the Ghost Zone. There is an alignment between Vlad's portals here and your parents' portal which you do not know about. The perfect placement between them creates a flow of energy, a _connection_ between both portals. In short, it creates a shortcut that could get you to your home in under an hour."

Danny's eyes widened in hope. "Really? Thanks for telling me that!"

But seeing the teen about to take off, Niane said more firmly, "Be still. I am not done. You do not have even an hour at this point. You will need more than luck to get to her in time…. And even then…"

Niane paused but then sighed and looked away as she reluctantly admitted, "There is much you do not know about me, Danny…"

"Yeah, no kidding," Tucker grumbled under his breath, a frown on his face. He did not trust this ghost. And by the glare Sam had on her face, she didn't, either. Yet, they did not dare interrupt, knowing that time was of the essence.

"But, there's only one thing you need to know right now…" She looked back at the young hybrid and said seriously, "You see… I have this unique power… I can will …_manipulate_ connections…"

Danny frowned in confusion, but then shook his head. "Niane, that isn't going to help me. I gotta go. Maybe if—"

"You will not make it in time without my help," Niane repeated, troubled.

"But I don't understand how you can help me," Danny answered anxiously.

"Connections can mean many things, Danny. And right now I am referring to bonds. Just like there are physical ties, blood ties, there are many other things that bond a person to another. And love is the most powerful of all. There is almost a spiritual tie, if you will, between you and your sister that connects you to her—_a love bond._ I could… temporarily enhance it between you and her…It will lead you directly to her. It will even shorten the physical distance between you both so you can reach her quicker."

Danny's eyes widened again with disbelief.

But before he could say anything, Niane added in a graver voice, "But… it's risky… You are very young. Your unique body could react… strangely if I enhance this bond in you with my powers…It could have future consequences…"

But now understanding how the ghost maid could help him, Danny quickly floated down and closed the distance between them as he grabbed her hands and said pleadingly, "If you're sure it will get me to her faster, then I'll try anything. I'll take whatever risk you think there is! I don't care, Niane! I just have to save Jazz! I couldn't live with myself if something happened to her—if I lose her!"

"Danny, wait," Sam intervened at last. "You don't know what this could do to you. And how do you know she's telling you the truth? She works for Vlad! She could be trying to trick you!"

"Yeah, man!" Tucker further protested. "She tried to waste us! Don't trust her!"

Danny, who had looked back to his friends with their words, slowly turned his now wary eyes at Niane and released her hands. Was that true? Had Niane tried to hurt his friends?

And when the girl didn't defend herself, Danny knew it was true… Yet… he still trusted her. How could he not when she had always been there to help him and to urge him not to give up?

Danny nodded. "Do it."

Niane bit her lip, looking unsure of her offer, yet she knew it was necessary.

"There is one other thing that you must know before I do this…," she said. "Although enhancing this love bond between you both will guide you directly to her and get you to her faster, there is a downside. In this… enhanced state, you will become momentarily blind to everything else, for your entire being's focus will be solely on your sister…. I think you understand the danger of that…"

"I told you, all I care about is saving Jazz," Danny replied, not even hesitating with the girl's foreboding words.

"Very well, then…," Niane said with a small sigh.

"Danny…," Sam began fearfully, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. And seeing Tucker smile weakly at her, she understood his silent words and just sighed reluctantly.

This was their friend's choice.

Meanwhile, Danielle just continued to watch quietly; though, she was frowning at the ghost girl. There was something weird about her…. Not to mention… the ghost girl had not triggered her ghost sense—or Danny's. _Hadn't he noticed?_

Danny suddenly frowned when Niane moved closer to him; but his frown was due to a sudden thought, and he voiced it worriedly and sadly, "Are you sure you want to help me? What if…Vlad finds out? He might think you betrayed him, too…"

Niane smiled softly at the teen before assuring him, "I will be just fine, Danny." But she then raised her hands and gently rested a hand on his forehead and another at his heart. "Are you ready?" she then asked.

Danny hesitated this time, feeling dread begin to crawl into him. But… his love for his sister was stronger.

"Yeah…," he said with determination. "Oh, and uh… apologize to everyone for me?" he added sadly.

Niane gazed at the young boy for a moment before her smile broadened into a warm one and she nodded before gently telling him, "Thank you…You really are special… Take care of yourself, Danny. And do not forget about your time here… It is my last advice to you."

Danny sadly smiled back; but then his mind jolted when Niane's close proximity and smile finally clicked something inside of him. Her smile. He had seen it before on someone else… No, not _someone else_…

"No way…," Danny breathed out, his eyes wide with disbelief. "You're his…"

But the teen never finished because Niane's eyes suddenly glowed an even brighter red before a wave of pain exploded inside his mind and gripped his heart.

Niane's glowing red hands retracted from the boy just as he suddenly screamed in pain and dropped to his knees, eyes squeezed close as he gripped at his head and curled his body in hopes of easing his pain, but also in hopes of calming his pounding heart, which felt about to jump out of his chest.

He didn't hear his friends and cousin's cries of alarm, or see how Niane raised a red dome-like shield around her and him to keep them from intervening.

In fact, he saw nothing, because the world around him was slipping away, and began to be replaced by an intangible one, one only found inside his heart, but viewed through his mind…

The pain ebbed away as something unexplainable took over him. His eyes slowly opened, but they were now completely red and he saw nothing. At least, not externally. Internally, though, he was being bombarded by so many sights and thoughts; in fact, his mind somehow seem to rewind back, as if trying to catch him up or make him see something really important…

"_Where are they?" Jazz asked worriedly as she paced around in her room and stared at her clock which read almost ten._

_She had had a heck of a time when her parents had come running earlier into her room and asked her if she knew why the Specter Speeder was gone. She had gone the route of playing innocent and had replied she did not know it was even missing. _

_Her dad had run out of her room, yelling, "I told you it was the ghosts, Maddie!"_

_However, her mom had casted her a suspicious look before leaving her alone, too. But Jazz knew they would find out eventually, especially if her brother's friends' parents called to check on their kids who were 'spending the night.'_

"_It's way too late," Jazz muttered. "Something had to have happened! I… I can't wait any longer…" She sighed in defeat before whispering, "Sorry, Danny…"_

_Jazz made her way to the kitchen where she could hear her parents talking privately about Danny again._

"_Oh, Jack… what if we never find him?"_

"_Come on, Mads! Chin up! He'll show up eventually!"_

"_But it's been almost five months… What if my baby…?"_

_But Jazz interrupted them, saying, "He's not, Mom."_

_Her parents turned their attention fully to her when she entered, and with another sigh, continued, "Danny's fine. And… I know where he is."_

_Her parents gasped. _

"_You do? Where, Jazz?" Maddie asked, jumping to her feet and moving over to her daughter._

"_He's…"_

Danny suddenly gritted his teeth when he felt a wave of weakness travel through him, which he knew wasn't his, yet he still felt it as if it was; but then he readily felt pain and his heart suddenly raced even faster as the visions in his mind spun and he could only hear his parents' cries of alarm in the background.

When a clear vision finally returned back into Danny's mental eyes, he saw he was somewhere else. There were white and red lights coming from somewhere, burning his vision. But now, the pain had ebbed and the weakness had increased.

But there was something more prominent burning inside his heart.

It was fear and panic—but not really his… It was… his sister's!

Suddenly, the teen understood. What he was witnessing was his sister's memories and what _she_ saw; and what he was feeling was his sister's emotions! Not only that, but his very heart, he somehow knew it was racing because Jazz's heart was racing, too!

Their hearts were in sync with each other!

Danny would have never believed it unless he was experiencing it, but he hardly thought about it when he was more focused on what he was seeing and now that he understood what was going on, he also better understood what he was seeing through Jazz's mind…

_Having come to after initially fainting in the house, Jazz stared around, the ambulance lights burning her eyes. She soon realized she was on a stretcher and being rushed into the emergency doors of a hospital…_

_And… she could hear her mom's quiet sniffs beside her…_

"_Mom?" Jazz called weakly…_

_Jazz heard someone say 'she's conscious!' but ignored it when she felt her mom grab her hand and assure her, "I'm right here, sweetheart. It's gonna be okay. You're gonna be just fine."_

_But Jazz was hardly thinking about herself; but about her brother. She knew the nanobots were killing her, which could only mean something had gone very wrong in Wisconsin._

_Her brother was in trouble._

"_Mom, Danny… I know where he… is… He… He's with…V…"_

Danny's breathing began to race as he felt even weaker, too weak to keep talking—or, at least that's how _his sister_ felt. But then Danny felt a change in his wildly beating heart, which was beating in time with his sister's whose own was racing because of its inability to get enough oxygen to her brain and body when her blood cell count was rapidly plummeting.

His heart was… slowing down. Jazz's heart was slowing down…

And when he further saw everything go black again, he knew it meant his sister had fallen unconscious again and that she didn't have much time.

Danny almost panicked; but he stopped himself when he knew it wouldn't help his sister. Action would.

Getting up, even when he could see nothing, he fisted his hands in determination. But right then, another voice, not his sister's, was suddenly in his mind….

"_Danny, focus. Focus and you will find a light at the end of the tunnel. Let it guide you. Do not lose sight of it and do not stop moving towards it for any reason."_

Danny's still glowing red eyes widened a bit when he knew it was Niane's voice echoing in his mind. What? Did she also have telepathic abilities? … Apparently.

However, following her advice, Danny briefly squeezed his eyes close and focused on the link he could feel in both his mind and heart.

"_Where is she?"_ he asked them.

And as a softly pulsing white light appeared in the darkness around his mind, he suddenly knew it would guide him to Jazz.

He opened his eyes and although he still could see nothing but that soft burning light ahead of his mental eyes, he didn't hesitate to move forward.

Meanwhile, in the world Danny had left behind, his friends and cousin were totally freaked out.

"What are you doing to him?" Sam yelled angrily. But no matter how much she fired at the red dome keeping her from her friend, it would not even crack. In fact, Tucker had even gone as far as trying to use the Fenton Ghost Peeler against the dome; but it had done nothing.

However, when they saw their half-ghost friend slowly rise to his feet, Sam, Tucker, and Danielle froze with a new dread. Danny was so rigid it was like he was under a spell. And when he suddenly turned to them, they gasped upon catching his pupil-less blood red eyes.

"Danny…," Sam whispered fearfully.

But their friend wasn't looking at them. He was looking straight ahead, at something unseen. And, then, suddenly, he turned intangible and flew through the red doom.

The human teens watched as Danny quickly phased through the closed chimney disappearing through it.

Only Niane understood the boy was heading to the ghost portal in the secret lab.

However, as she finally lowered the shield around her, Sam, Tucker, and Danielle jolted their attention back to her.

Sam's grip on her weapon tightened as her eyes narrowed and she demanded, "Where did he go? _I swear_ if you've hurt him…"

"I understand your distrust," Niane interrupted the girl with a calm look, though she regarded all three of them. "But in spite of how things may seem and my previous actions, I, too, have Danny's best interest at heart."

"Yeah, right," Danielle retorted, now glaring suspiciously herself, though she was still human. Sadly, she had spent too much energy in getting to the castle and then firing that ecto-blast at her 'father.' "I don't know who or what you are, but anyone that attacks my cuz's friends has a problem with me!"

Niane regarded Danielle with a strange stare for a moment; but just when she was about to say something, the girl tensed and her eyes flashed a brighter red as they darted in the direction of her employer's secret lab.

The ghost girl's eyebrows creased in worry before she looked back at the human teens again and said seriously, "I strongly recommend you all take Danny's advice and leave at once. You will be reunited with him back home. Good bye, children…"

The kids startled when the ghost maid abruptly disappeared.

"Man, she's creepy," Tucker muttered, disrupting the silence.

"Yeah, but she was right about something," Danielle added. "We need to get out of here."

"But, Danny," Sam began warily.

"Danny was set on getting to Jazz, Sam. I also think we'll see him back in Amity," Tucker said.

Sam sighed, but nodded. "Come on, let's go, then."

The kids quickly scooped up the ghost weapons and bag and headed out of the study without a glance back.

Even as they made their way out of large castle, they didn't look back.

Otherwise, they would have seen the group of nervous ghost servants return to visibility as they watched them leave at last….

* * *

***sighs* I know. But don't be too disheartened. Danny and Vlad's time together was not worthless. It will be very important in the future… and… they did learn a lot from each other now, so it all wasn't in vain. As I told my beta, where there are ashes, a flame can return…**

**Also, don't know if your are angrier at Vlad or at Danny; but a big part of this was the circumstances; perhaps if Danny could have sat down with Vlad about this, or perhaps if it would have happened a little later, things would have turned out differently. In the end, Danny changed Vlad in many ways, but there are things that he cannot: and Vlad's inability to forgive betrayal is one of those things. And as for our hero, well, he's human and he does make mistakes. And we all know he never meant to hurt anyone. **

**Anyways, I hope you caught the tie-ins for season three in this chapter; though they will become clearer in the few remaining chapters. Three or four now… wow. Don't worry, though, we are not totally done. There's a few more things to address, like more about Niane... *winks* **

**On a happier note, not sure if you all know, but Truephan wrote a oneshot called Father's Day Gift! Oh, please go read it! It is SO good! Seriously it's a wonderful little piece, so check it out and let her know your thoughts! I know she'll appreciate it! And that way you can also thank her for being my awesome beta for this story, 'cause, come on, you guys can tell she does an awesome job, right? I know I can! She makes my story all shiny and stuff! Heh-heh!**

**Okay, well, thank you all for your support! And please, _please_ let me know what you think about this one, because it's very important, and I really want to know what you thought!**

**Until next time!**


	80. Chapter 79: Love Bond

**Hello, readers! I know I've kept you all waiting long enough, so I'll be quick. I just want to say thank you all for your reviews! You do not know how happy they make me, especially when I saw readers who had not been able to review for some time and new ones! Thank you all! I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoy your thoughts!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. Furthermore, I directly use scenes and quotes from the show in this chapter. You know, not mine, either. Belongs to Mr. Hartman and the rest of the Danny Phantom creators. Yup!**

* * *

**Chapter 79: Love Bond**

* * *

It was hard to focus, but Danny forced himself to ignore the heavy pounding of his speeding heart and the panic wanting to consume him from knowing that he had wasted too much time defeating Vlad.

—Time which was running out for his sister…

Fear was creeping somewhere in the back of his muddled mind now that he could sense that his already exhausted body was going twice his normal speed through the enemy-infested territory of the Ghost Zone. And it didn't help knowing that he might as well have been blind right now since he still could see nothing but that light ahead of him; not to mention that he had no sense of where he was going or if any danger lurked by. Even still, the sight of that soft pulsing light was the only thing giving him the hope to keep moving in spite of his body's still protesting how exhausted it was in every way possible after the fight he left behind. And his overwhelmed mind was not faring any better, either.

Suddenly, muffled voices began to hum against his eardrums, and he almost gasped when, for a second, he thought there was a ghost or something next to him which he couldn't see. But as the voices faded in and out of his hearing, he began to realize that it wasn't really himself that was hearing these voices, but his sister.

She was regaining consciousness again! But… this time, Danny still saw darkness, so he knew his sister was too weak to even open her eyes. Still, she could hear the hospital staff talking around her…

Danny's attention was jolted again to something else when he heard a hiss in front of him and then something cold brush past him. He almost stopped in his alarm, but quickly remembered Niane's warning of not halting for anything, and pushed forward, ignoring his mind telling him he had just past some ghost.

The truth was that by now the young hybrid had passed several ghouls on his straight shot back to Amity Park. But he was moving so fast that he was nothing but a white-and-black blur of light, shooting like a comet across the Ghost Zone. The nameless ghosts that had the misfortune of being in his way, hissed and growled mostly out of fear as they dashed away, the quickness of his flight too confusing and strange for them to do anything but get out of the way.

Moments later, Danny unknowingly made it to the 'Halfa Fork'. And the instant he unconsciously moved into its invisible path and alignment, a green whirlwind formed around him and raced out in front of him, shooting him faster in the direction of his home portal.

But just when he had picked up speed because of this supernatural wormhole, the softly pulsing white light he was following in the darkness of his mind slowly began to grow brighter. In fact, he could feel its increasing warmth as he got closer and closer to it; and although it gave him even more hope to see and feel the light, which he somehow knew was his sister, it also filled him with desperation, because it also felt like it was light-years away. In fact, he felt like he couldn't breathe right. It felt as terrifying as if he had been somehow dropped into the bottom of the ocean and that he was now sluggishly swimming against the pressure above him in hopes of breaking the surface soon in order to breath, and more importantly, to reach the sun so out of his reach above him.

It was a terrible feeling for him when he could feel how unusually light and energized he felt, when he _knew_ he was moving _so fast_; yet it just didn't feel _fast enough! _

But Danny could do nothing but push forward; he didn't even notice the tears that fell from his bright red eyes, or the red hue that had suddenly enveloped his body as he flew, making his spectral body now almost appear like nothing more than a red laser light.

However, the voices in his sister's hearing faded and a whimper unwillingly left Danny's lips when he knew his sister had lost complete awareness again. However, before he could really panic, his mind's eyes were filled with new visions…

His sister was dreaming….

"_Mommy! Daddy! Watch!" Jazz exclaimed as she swung on a swing at the park, going as high as she could to impress her parents. But then with a mixture of excitement and nervousness, she jumped and landed on her feet, though she lost her balance and dropped to her hands and knees right after._

_Still, she giggled and stood up before she grinned over at her parents as she said, "Ta-da! Did you see? It was neat, right?"_

_Her mom clapped excitedly and praised her, while her dad ran over to her and lifted her up by the waist and spun her around, exclaiming, "That sure was, Princess!"_

Danny smiled sadly as the dream faded. He never knew his sister still dreamt about her childhood…

But before he could ponder it anymore, another 'dream' blossomed in front of the boy's eyes…

_"__Mommy! Daddy!" Jazz said as she entered the hospital room. _

_Maddie smiled at her daughter. "Jazz, come say 'hi' to Danny; he's your baby brother."_

_Jazz looked up at her mom, before cautiously getting closer to her. She studied the wiggling baby in her mom's arms with a frown. _

_Finally, her lips slowly curved upwards. "Hi, Danny! I'm your big sis!" she told him proudly, holding one of his hands. _

_Her brother looked up at her with large sleepy eyes and she giggled._

_"__He's weird_-_looking," she told her parents, and they laughed._

_"__Well, he's only a few hours old, sweetie." Maddie explained with a warm smile._

_"__You know, princess, having a little brother is a big responsibility," Jack informed her. "You have to keep him safe; you never know when a ghost might try to get their dirty hands on him."_

_"__Jack, don't tell her that!" Maddie scolded. _

_Jazz laughed, climbed up on her mom's bed, and sat next to her. "Don't worry, mommy! I'll keep Danny safe! Hear that, little brother? I'm not gonna let no mean ghost get you, cause that's my job!" She announced, sounding very much like her father…_

Danny eyebrows creased in a mixture of emotions as that image faded, too; but… something was slowly beginning to dawn on him, even when another vision appeared in his mind…

"_Hold my hand, Danny,"_ Jazz instructed her young brother._ "Mommy said to always look both ways before crossing the streets and that you also hold a grown-up's hand. And since I'm your big sister, you have to hold my hand because I'm a grown-up compared to you."_

_Jazz heard her parents laugh behind her, while Danny nodded happily up at her and took her hand._

"_Now, we look that way, first," Jazz explained and pointed to her left. _

_She smiled at seeing her brother look curiously to where she was pointing before he said in confusion, "I don't see nothin'…"_

"_Yeah, that's good. So, now you look that way," she replied and pointed again. _

_Jazz watched as her brother looked at the opposite side of the street, before suddenly jumping up and down. "Ice cream! Ice-cream!"_

_Jazz smiled brightly, too, when she spotted the ice-cream truck at the end of the street. _

_The siblings instantly turned around to face their parents and Jazz joined her brother as she, too, began to jump up and down as they both exclaimed, "Mommy! Daddy! Ice cream!" _

Danny took in a slow breath, now sure this was no dream. These were… memories. But why was his unconscious sister suddenly remembering all these things…?

_Jazz cried in front of everyone in her class. "Jazz, what's wrong?" her teacher asked._

"_I want my little brother!" she exclaimed. _

"_Jazz, Danny is just down the hall. He is in class coloring with the other kindergartners," her teacher explained, a confused frown on her face._

"_But what if he gets hurt?" she asked as she continued to cry. _

_But before her teacher could say anything else, there was a knock on her classroom door and someone walked in._

_Jazz's eyes quickly darted to the familiar sounds of whimpers and sniffles coming from the doorway. And she instantly saw her brother walking in with his own teacher._

_And as Danny rubbed his watery puffy, red eyes, his teacher pointed at Jazz and gently told him, "See? There's your sister, Danny. She hasn't left you." _

_The sibling's faces instantly brightened and they ran over to each other and hugged tightly, both happy and relieved to be together again… _

This time, Danny didn't have time to think before the next memory melded into the previous one…

"_Mommy, what is he going to do to Jazz?" her sister heard her brother ask fearfully to their mom._

_Sitting on an examining table at the doctor's office, Jazz wailed out, "They are going to stick a needle in me!"_

"_Jazz, don't tell Danny that," Maddie lightly scolded her daughter before adding, "And, please calm down, sweetie. It will be really quick. I promise."_

_But Jazz wasn't convinced and she continued to cry. _

_She heard her mom sigh before she looked at her dad and said, "Jack, why don't you take Danny to the play area while the doctor finishes with Jazz?"_

_But before Jack could say anything, the doctor returned and Jazz's wails got louder. _

_In fact, seeing his sister so scared set Danny off and he began to cry, too._

_But when Jazz began to scream when she saw the doctor come closer with a needle, her brother did something most unexpected._

_Jazz gasped when her brother suddenly ran over to the doctor and kicked him, yelling angrily, "Leave my sister alone!"_

"_Danny! No!" Jack scolded, while the doctor yelped in pain when the little boy hit him again._

_But before Danny could get any more hits in, Jack quickly grabbed him from behind and pulled him away._

_And seeing her brother being taken away, Jazz began to cry again, while her brother continued to scream out her name all the way down the hallway._

Danny choked back a sob as a wave of emotions flooded his body. It was hard to distinguish which belonged to him and which belonged to his sister, who, even when senseless, seemed to be emotionally aware of her memories. But as the next one came immediately, Danny could feel a wave of regret come from his sister…

"_Danny, get out of my room!" Jazz snapped when her brother walked in with his toys in hand. "I'm trying to do homework and I can't do it if you're interrupting me all the time!"_

"_You didn't care before!" Danny pouted. "And I thought we were going to play with my rocket ships. You promised, Jazz!"_

"_I didn't care before because you weren't bugging me then," Jazz replied in frustration. But when she saw his bottom lip begin to quiver, she rolled her eyes and said, "Danny, I'm a girl. I don't play with rocket ships." _

"_But I played house and tea party with you all the time before!" he argued, now angry. _

"_Danny, we're not little kids anymore!" she scolded him, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "I'm eight and you're six. We can't play like that anymore."_

"_But, you promised… You…You're mean!" Danny suddenly yelled at her before he ran out of her room, crying. _

_Jazz frowned sadly before sighing and returning to her book…_

Danny suddenly gasped when he was even more aware of his body's low energy. He was practically flying on empty and he could feel his core barely keeping up with the amount of energy he was wasting on his high-speed flight. And worse than that, he still wasn't getting there! But even as his core was slowly giving up, his heart wouldn't let it—his heart—no, his _love_—for his sister was the only thing that was keeping him going…

And even when he had all these things to worry about, the memories never stopped coming. In fact, even if he wanted them to stop—which he didn't because it brought him some comfort—he couldn't make them stop. He had no control of this connection with his sister because it was so new to him and he had no idea if it _could_ be controlled… Yet, it didn't matter for his sister's memories were still invading his mind; and this particular next one stirred his own guilt and regret…

_Jazz frowned as she watched her brother run down the stairs and right past her without a word. _

"_Mom, Dad. Tucker said I can come over now!" he told his parents in the kitchen._

_Jazz moved closer in that direction just as she heard her mom say, "Jack, can you take him while I finish making dinner?"_

"_Aww. But, Maddie, I was about to have a breakthrough!" he whined back._

_Jazz rolled her eyes at her father and the weird gadget in his hand. Still, her dad did put it down and stood from the kitchen chair he had been seating on._

_Meanwhile, Danny fidgeted excitedly as he adjusted his duffle bag on his shoulder._

_Jazz bit her lip. She was beginning to miss her brother's company. Ever since he had met Tucker, he hadn't seen much of him anymore. She decided to take a risk._

"_Danny?"_

"_Yeah?" he asked with a smile, though his eyes were locked on their father as he got the keys to the RV. _

"_You want to play Hungry Hippos when you come back?" Jazz asked, hopeful, knowing how much they used to have fun playing that game._

"_Can't," Danny quickly replied, sparing her a glance. "Mom said I could spend the night at Tucker's. Maybe tomorrow," he added as an afterthought. He then quickly waved at her and their mom before following their dad out. _

_Jazz sighed sadly before making her way to the kitchen table and sitting on one of the chairs. She drew circles on the table with her hand and rested her face on top of her other hand. But as tears began to form in her eyes, she sighed and whispered, "Mom… Danny doesn't love me anymore…" _

_Her mom turned her attention away from the stove a moment to look curiously at her daughter. But seeing the heart-broken look on her face, she smiled gently and said, "Sweetie, Danny loves you very much; but he can't spend every minute of the day with you. He has friends now—and so do you—but that doesn't mean he doesn't love you or that you don't love him."_

_Jazz just nodded sadly…_

Danny sighed. He had never realized how much he had hurt Jazz's feelings back then. In fact, he didn't even remember that until just now with his sister's memory. But the next memory he did remember with full clarity…

"_Why do they have to be so weird?" Jazz asked angrily as she and Danny ate a piece of pie in the kitchen._

"_Jazz, you really shouldn't let it get to you." Danny shrugged. "I'm use to it by now."_

"_Well, I'm not!" she fumed. "They spend __**hours**__ down in the lab, Danny! Do you know how embarrassing it is when people ask me what they do?" she asked, stabbing at her piece of pie with her fork._

_Danny frowned and lightly scolded, "Jazz, they're our parents. You shouldn't be embarrassed of them." _

"_Let's hear you say that when you get to high school," she snapped back, though she was mostly annoyed with the situation than with her brother._

"_You've only been there for two weeks, Jazz," Danny retorted, rolling his eyes. "Besides, what does that have to do with anything?"_

"_Because you're still a child, Danny; and you haven't experienced the real pressures of life yet," Jazz answered seriously._

"_What? Jazz, you're still a kid, too!" Danny exclaimed, clearly exasperated and confused._

"_I'm now a young adult, Danny," she corrected him. But narrowing her eyes a bit, she added, "In fact, I'm a lot more mature than my parents are at times…especially our dad. Agh! They're so embarrassing, Danny!"_

_Danny sighed in defeat and muttered back, "Whatever, Jazz."_

Danny's throat constricted and his breathing turned shallow as he realized something very frightening. He had not understood why his sister was recalling all these memories; but he suddenly knew why with this last one. The memories… They were in order… They started with his sister being very young and now she—_and he_—were getting older with every memory…

Jazz was having flashbacks…. And he also realized they were now speeding up with every one that passed… Didn't people say you had flashbacks before….?

Danny's eyes widened in pure panic this time and he somehow found the strength to propel himself even faster—if that were possible. He had to get to his sister—now!

Jazz_ was upstairs reading a book when she had heard her little brother's piercing scream like nothing she ever heard before echo through the house as it briefly and inexplicably shook. _

"_Danny!" Jazz cried out as she jumped off her bed and raced downstairs. She could only gasp when she saw the lab door wide open and green smoke pouring out of it._

_Still, in spite the possibility of a fire, she ran right in, only to scream in horror._

_She had not seen when her brother had fallen out of the now active portal, or how he had been changed forever. She didn't even see the white rings change him back to his usual appearance. _

_But the sight of her unconscious and deathly-pale brother on the floor, while his panicking friends were hovered around him, trying to wake him, was enough for Jazz to freak out._

"_**Danny!"**__ she screamed, rushing to his side and inspecting him for any visible injuries, while trying to wake him up._

_Tucker looked about to be sick as he stuttered in fear and disbelief, "H-His h-hair was—was w-w…"_

"_What happened?" Jazz demanded of the two other teens, cutting Tucker off as she now glared at them with a look that could kill. What were they doing down here? They weren't even supposed to be in the lab!_

_Sam and Tucker jolted, though their eyes stayed wide with fear and they had lost all color on their own faces._

_But, somehow, Sam managed to find her voice and she choked out, "W-We don't know! We-We were l-looking at the portal, and he walked in and—Jazz, I'm so sorry! I didn't—"_

_But a groan suddenly cut her off, and they looked down at Danny._

_Jazz pushed back his shaggy black hair and pressed her hand on his forehead in hopes of getting him to rouse. But she only felt sick herself with how cold and clammy his skin was. _

"_Danny? Are you okay?" Jazz asked softly as she watched his blue eyes finally flutter open. _

_But instead of replying, Danny gripped his chest and cried out in pain, though he was now fully awake. But then his breathing turned erratic and he started shivering violently. _

"_That's it," Jazz said, completely panicked. "I'm calling my parents!" But as she pulled out her cell phone, she looked at Sam and Tucker and further ordered, "You two, call an ambulance!" _

"_N-No," Danny whispered in a pained voice, freezing everyone in place._

"_Danny, you're hurt!" Jazz said fearfully before she glared at the portal that was swirling with green energy. "I __**knew**__ their stupid inventions were going to cause an accident someday!" _

_But her attention went back to her brother as he struggled to sit up. And with a little help from her and his friends, he managed it. Still, her brother continued to shiver horribly and his face was stark white._

"_Please, don't tell them, Jazz." he begged her fearfully._

"_But, Danny," Jazz began, ignoring how Sam and Tucker continued to stare at her brother like they had seen a ghost._

"_I'm fine," Danny cut her off. "I just need to lie down for a moment."_

_Jazz sighed in resignation before helping her brother up and leading him to his room. _

"_Danny…," Sam began fearfully as she and Tucker followed the siblings towards the stairs. "There's something you should know about…"_

_But before she could finish whatever she wanted to say, Jazz glared back at her and Tucker and ordered, "You two, go home."_

"_But—" Tucker tried to object._

"_Go home," Jazz said more sternly, her overprotective-sister glare doubling in intensity._

_Jazz ignored their sighs of surrender and focused on getting her brother to his room. And the moment she helped him back into bed, Danny passed out again__**.**_

_Jazz covered him up and then pushed back his hair, watching him shiver. She wanted to stay, but she had to at least call her parents and tell them about Danny's accident. _

_However, before closing the door behind her and stepping out of the room, she shot her brother a troubled and scared look..._

Danny swallowed. If she had only stayed longer, she would have seen him unwillingly phase through the bed and end up back in the lab…. Where he finally learned what had happened to him…

But the memories he was sharing with his sister through her mind, which had brought him comfort just moments ago, were now clawing at his heart, especially as they only picked up even more speed, as if trying to race and outdo his own physical speed. The flashbacks had now turned into a clock that was running down his sister's life, betting it could get to the finish line before he could!

No, that couldn't happen! He had to get to his sister before they were over, or…

Danny gasped as his mind jolted with pain as the flashbacks flew by without stopping, now blurring and mixing into each other…

_In the living room, Jazz rolled her eyes when some gadget exploded in her father's hands and got him covered in green goo._

"_Ha! We almost got it this time, Maddie!" he beamed._

_Maddie grabbed the device and began to study it intently, trying to see what went wrong. Still, her voice sounded hopeful as she said, "With this, we'll be able to track ghosts, Jack!"_

"_That's right, baby! And we'll finally be able to trap one to study and dissect! I know! We'll call it the 'Fenton Ghost Finder!"_

_Jazz gave them a disgusted look before slamming her book in hand. _

_The sound caught her parents' attention and they looked up at her._

"_Where're you going, Jazzy-pants?" Jack asked as he watched his daughter stomp over to the front door._

"_To my friend's house—where __**normal**__ people live!" she exclaimed angrily before slamming the door closed after her._

…_._

"_Danny," Jazz heard her mother call to her brother, stopping him the moment he walked into the house. _

"_Yeah?" he asked sullenly, clearly already knowing what this was about._

_Still, Maddie explained, "Mr. Lancer called us... What is this about you breaking beakers?"_

"_I… um…," Danny began nervously._

_But Jazz, who had been listening from the couch in the living room, frowned up at her brother before closing her book and intervening, "Mom, Danny's just going through typical teenage stress. It's very normal for a boy his age to become clumsy and nervous around his peers."_

"_Jazz, stay out of this," Danny began in an annoyed warning tone of voice._

_But Jazz stood up and sighed; but then addressed her brother in an all-knowing voice, "Danny, denial just adds to stress. Why don't you try making friends? It will help you cope better with your school environment."_

"_I have friends!" he argued back._

"_Yeah, and they are both 'social outcasts' like yourself," Jazz retorted dryly, ignoring the furious look her brother sent her._

"_Whatever the reason," Maddie finally intervened. "We won't ground you this time, since I'm sure it was an accident. But, Danny, just be more careful. Okay, sweetie?"_

_Danny just nodded, though his frustrated gaze was burning a hole through the floor. _

_Once her mom left, Jazz moved to sit back down and opened her book. However, she quickly noticed her brother was still just standing there, staring after their mom as if he was dying to tell her something but was too afraid._

_Jazz sighed and began to flip through her book to find the page she had been on, but still casually told her brother, "Danny, you don't have to hold it in, you know. I know exactly what you're going through, so—"_

_But her brother didn't let her finished when he suddenly exploded and furiously yelled at her, "No, you don't! You have __**no idea**__ what I'm going through!" _

_Jazz lowered her book again, a troubled frown on her face. She had not realized all the pressures in school were getting to him this much…_

"_You can tell me if you want," she told him sincerely. "You know I'll always listen to you, Danny." _

_Danny just glared, though it was more bitter than angry. "No, thanks. I think having you as a nosey know-it-all sister is enough. I don't need you as my shrink, too!" he snapped before running up the stairs—_

—_Only to suddenly and inexplicably loose his grip on the railing and fall mid-way up._

_Jazz gasped in surprise and worry, but before she could say anything, her brother pushed himself back to his feet with a growl and finished his ascent._

_She readily frowned when she heard his door slam shut, now feeling even more concerned for her brother… _

Danny squeezed his eyes close and clenched his extended fists, willing himself to focus on getting to his sister and not on the emotional turmoil raging inside him. Her memories brought him so many different feelings; and for the first time since he got his ghost powers, he truly wished he had trusted his sister enough to tell her from the beginning. He had been wrong to think she wouldn't understand or that she couldn't handle the truth.

She was his older sister; she had helped him and protected him all his life. How could he have ever forgotten that?

But he knew it was no time for remorse, especially when it was his turn to help and save her.

"I'm coming, Jazz," he whispered as he continued his unending journey; and in spite of his inner musings, the images in his sister's mind had never ceased…

"_AH! More ghosts! Get em', Daddy!"_

_But when she saw her father get slammed into the wall by two ghost animals, Jazz cringed. She then heard him grunt in pain as he was hit again and the Jack-a-nine-tails flew out of his hands._

_Jazz suddenly jolted into action, catching the ghost weapon with a now determined look on her face. Just as the ghosts were about to drive their sharp talons into her father, she activated the Jack-a-nine-tails._

_She let out a battle cry as she sent the devices tendrils at the ghosts and then slammed them into the ground. The ghouls instantly puffed out of existence and she exclaimed in triumph, "Yes!"_

_However, when she saw her father's impressed look, she blushed, especially when he said, "Wow…Note to self: make a Jazz action figure…"_

_Clearing her throat, Jazz looked around for anymore ghosts before saying, "I guess they're all gone…"_

"_Can't be so sure, princess," Jack replied, getting off the floor. "Come on; let's get geared up in case more spooks barge in!"_

_Jazz followed after her father, but they soon split ways when her father told her he was going to get something upstairs and for her to meet her in the lab. _

_However, when Jazz got to the lab, she looked down at the Jack-a-nine-tails in her hand and smiled… That had actually been kinda… fun. _

_Her attention went to where she knew her mom kept her spare jumpsuits and she bit her lip. But then curiosity getting the better of her, she went over there and pulled out one of her mom's smaller jumpsuits._

"_I must be nuts," she muttered before sighing and putting on the suit. However, just as she began to thoughtfully look at herself over in the door-length mirror, she heard her father walk in._

_Jazz, honey, I—" But Jack paused and blinked before happily exclaiming, "Maddie! You're home!"_

"_Dad, it's me. Jazz," she corrected him calmly, though internally she felt a bit awkward at having been mistaken for her mom._

"_Jazz?" her dad questioned, surprised. But then he quickly beamed, "Why look at you! You're the spitting image of your mother. I knew this day would come," he added with a wavering voice and sniff. But then rushing to the closet right next to his wife's in the lab, he quickly pulled out an orange jumpsuit and said, "That's why years ago I had this made for you!"_

_Jazz chuckled nervously. "…Nice…"_

_Jack blinked down at the huge suit before saying, "Sorry about the size. I thought you would be swimming in my end of the gene pool—the end that's filled with ranch dressing, melted cheese and fudge—lots of fudge!"_

_Jazz resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the hungry look on her father's face. Instead, she corrected him, not wanting him to read too much into this._

"_Look, this is just a sociological experiment. I figured I owed it to myself to experience all this ghost stuff one time, so I can hate it in a more informed context._

"_I don't know what you're saying, sweetheart; but I do know that ghost fighting is in your blood!" Jack assured her confidently._

"_No way!" Jazz protested, crossing her arms. "I am not like you and mom! I'm a brilliant, reasonable, sophisticated girl—"_

"_In a blue hazmat suit," Jack interrupted._

"—_In a blue—Gah! Quit messing with me!" Jazz snapped, not wanting to admit she had anything to do with her parents' work. No, she was nothing like them. But now annoyed, she quickly added, "No more talk about ghost hunting, okay?"_

_But right then, the room got cold before several ghost animals appeared for an attack. And her father exclaimed, "No talk! Action!"_

_Jazz glared at the ghosts before lining up next to her dad. And with determined cries, they both lunged forward with guns blazing. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she felt so at ease with this. She and her father might have had horrible aim, but, together, they were an awesome and unstoppable team._

_She realized… Maybe what her parents did was… kinda cool…_

….

"_Danny!" Jazz exclaimed when she ran out of the back door of the ice cream parlor, just as her human brother suddenly turned into a ghost and flew off._

_For a split second, she was frozen, her mind unable to assimilate what her eyes had witnessed. It was impossible. No. Her brother had not just turned into a ghost! People didn't turn into ghosts! _

…_. Right?_

_Jazz's eyes darted to Sam and Tucker who looked completely nervous and alarmed; but hoping for them to bring some logic to all this, she asked, "Did you see that? Tell me I didn't see what I just saw!"_

_Tucker cringed before uneasily replying, "I-It's not what you think, Jazz—" _

"_Of course it's not!" Sam suddenly interrupted him, shoving his ice cream cone into his mouth. Her fear from a moment ago had been instantly replaced by cool confidence. "Ghost aren't real. Jazz, you sound like your father." _

_Jazz didn't reply; but her own shock melded into something and she became thoughtful, recalling a few things her brother's friends had said to her…_

'_He keeps some things to himself…'_

'_We're Danny's friends. That means we keep his secrets from you…'_

_Suddenly, in that instant, everything made sense. The clumsiness and nervousness. The secrecy and dropping grades. _

"_Jazz?" Sam asked._

_The girl jolted out of her thoughts, but seeing the wariness in her brother's friend's eyes, she quickly played off that she now knew the truth…_

"_Oh, Oh, of course. Ha-Ha! Ha! My parents are such loons, it's rubbing off!" But when she said this, and the realization of what she had discovered sank further into her, she felt her throat constrict. And she knew she had to get away._

_Looking down at her watch to hide the tears threatening to spill out, she quickly forced herself to say in a perky tone of voice, "Oh my gosh! Is it that late? I have to work on my spirit week's speech!" _

_She ran off, and only slowed down when she finally reached her car. She took a deep breath to stay calm as she got into her car. But for several minutes, she just sat there, a troubled frown on her face._

"_He's a… ghost? But… But how?"_

_Suddenly, she knew and she gripped her steering wheel with both hands as she recalled the accident in the lab a little over a month back. That had to be it. That accident. It had affected her brother more than she could have ever imagined._

_But what was he? All ghost? Part ghost?_

_Whatever he was, her brother had been forever changed._

_And as her emotions swelled with her confusion, fear, and even remorse, the tears she had managed to stay off came back full force. _

_She began to cry harder than she ever had in her life. And as she buried her face against the car's wheel, she sobbed out, "Oh, Danny! I'm so sorry for ignoring you! I should have noticed earlier! I'm your sister! How could I have not realized?"_

…_.._

_Jazz walked in quietly into her brother's room. She sighed as she looked at the clock that read 2:21 am. _

_Her brother wasn't back yet._

_With a sigh, she returned back to her room. She then sat down and stared back at the clock. She was so worried! It was times like these that she wanted to desperately tell her brother that she knew the truth—that she knew his secret._

_But she also didn't want to force him or make him feel obligated. He would tell her eventually, right? She could understand why he hadn't told her yet. Their close relationship had somewhat drifted ever since they had reached 'teen-hood.' But… they still shared a bond—that bond that had made them inseparable when they had been younger. That bond had to still be there!_

_So… why wouldn't he tell her?_

_Jazz sighed again before grabbing a book off her nightstand, hoping to focus on something else. She wasn't going to sleep until she was sure her little brother was back and safe inside his room._

_But an hour later, she grew restless again and put her book down and left her room. She quietly opened her brother's door enough to peak in. But not seeing any light or any sound of her brother's snoozing, her eyebrows creased with further fear. What if something had happened to him?_

_She had just been contemplating going out in her car to look for him when her brother suddenly phased through his window as quiet as, well, a ghost._

_She quickly closed the door a bit, so he wouldn't see her. But a moment later, she dared to open the door just a bit and peek in again._

_Danny was sitting on his bed, clutching his side. He had turned human by now and had turned on the lamp on his desk._

"_Stupid giant ghost cats and their claws," he suddenly murmured angrily as he lifted his shirt a bit to inspect an obvious injury. But then unable to get a good look at it, her brother phased off his shirt and cringed at the large gash across his stomach._

_Jazz had to cover her mouth to hold back a cry of alarm._

_As he watched him move around his room, getting some first-aid kit to clean up the wound, Jazz was terribly tempted to go right in and help him. She wanted to so badly. But… she couldn't._

_Her brother sighed tiredly as he finished cleaning up the wound, though he didn't patch it up. Oddly, it wasn't bleeding anymore—though Jazz knew it had been from the green and red stains she had seen on her brother's hands and shirt._

_When she saw he was going to get ready for bed, she decided it was time to leave; however, a groan stopped her and she focused back on her brother._

_He was staring at his alarm clock with an anxious expression before he said helplessly, "Oh, man. You have got to be kidding me!" He then stared at his book-bag on the ground and muttered, "Lancer's gonna kill me…"_

_Jazz closed her eyes, realizing her brother had probably not done any of his homework or studying because of ghost hunting again…_

_But knowing there was nothing she could do, Jazz carefully closed the door and finally walked back to her room, her face full of sorrow…_

Danny's heart jolted when he began to _feel_ his sister's presence. He didn't know how that was possible or how to explain it. It… wasn't like his ghost sense, but more like an intuition, a feeling. He was close. He just knew it!

And he indeed was.

If Danny could see where he was going, he would have seen the Fenton Portal just up ahead. He didn't even feel his body instinctively teleport past the closed doors and reappear inside his house's lab.

But as his sister's flashbacks continued to move all the faster, he still focused on reaching that white light in his vision just out of his reach.

"_Jazz, can I talk to you for a moment?" her mom asked when they were alone in the house._

_Sitting on her bed, Jazz lowered her book and curiously looked at her worried mother. "Sure, mom. What is it?"_

_Maddie sat down beside her daughter with a sigh before replying, "It's about Danny… I'm worried about him. He seems different somehow."_

_Jazz tensed a bit, but then thought of something to say, "Oh, well… He's growing up, Mom."_

"_Yes, I know," she said with a sigh again. "But, I don't know. I 'feel' it's more than that." She paused and then looked at her daughter right in the eyes. "Has he told you anything, Jazz? Or, do you know anything that could explain why… he's changed so much…?" _

_Jazz bit her lip. He hated lying to her parents. And she hated it more now when she could tell her mom was really worried._

_And her mom had a good reason to be. But Jazz couldn't tell her. She couldn't betray her brother like that—especially when he didn't even know she knew his secret yet._

"_No, Mom… He hasn't told me anything and… I haven't noticed anything, either…"_

_Her mom looked at her for another moment before she smiled sadly and unexpectedly said, "You know I love you, sweetie. I know your father and I spend a lot of time on our work, but we love you and Danny very much."_

_Jazz smiled guiltily. "I love you, too, Mom…" _

_Maddie hugged her daughter before standing up and heading out of her daughter's room. _

_But when she finally left, Jazz thought, "And don't worry, Mom. I'll watch over Danny for you… I promise."_

….

"_Princess! There you are! I was hoping you could help me!"_

_Jazz raised an eyebrow at the pleading look on her father's face as she walked into the kitchen. "With what?"_

"_Um… well," He looked around before quietly and quickly telling her, "Your mother hid the fudge from me! She said I can't have any until after dinner. But she went out to the store… Think you can help me look?"_

_Jazz rolled her eyes. "Dad…," she began in a reprimanding voice._

_But her father pouted and she stopped. She sighed helplessly before saying, "It's in the fridge, on the top compartment in the back. I saw her put it there."_

_Jack instantly brightened and quickly grabbed her daughter in a bear hug and spun her around. "Oh, Jazzy-pants! You're the best! I knew you were my favorite for a reason!"_

"_Dad! Stop! Put me down!" she complained._

_Jack laughed before doing so, but then he leaned forward and kissed her. "I love ya, Princess!"_

_Jazz placed a hand on her cheek and smiled. "I love you, too… Daddy."_

"_C'mon! Let's have some fudge!" Jack beamed before running over to the fridge._

_Jazz rolled her eyes before flipping her hair and throwing back, "Uh, pass."_

"_Oh, well, more for me!" Jack answered with a mouthful of fudge._

…_._

"_Ah, hello, Daniel!"_

"_You? What are you doing here?"_

_Jazz frowned in confusion at the hostility her brother displayed towards Vlad Masters. She had noticed it got worse every time the man showed up here-and-there to visit. But… she couldn't understand why…_

"_Then again," she thought privately. "The guy is a bit of a creep."_

_But she startled when her mom suddenly dropped some hot tea on the billionaire's lap and Vlad yelped._

"_Totally valid question," Maddie growled._

"_Still steaming?" Vlad questioned._

_Jazz frowned as she watched her brother's eyes turn bright green with the seductive smirk on the man's face. _

_As Vlad continued to explain his visit and get scorned by their mother, Jazz grew even more confused. She could see the disdain dripping off her brother for this man. And even with his flirting with their mom, it didn't explain its depth._

_But when her parents stepped out of the room, Jazz saw her brother move closer to the billionaire to talk in private with him. And she had to wonder what her brother and Vlad were whispering so heatedly about…_

….

_She hated to have to use such drastic measures. But she had to help her brother. She had been worried for some time now what all the stress with his ghost hunting was doing to his mental stability—and now, she had confirmed it was worse than she thought!_

_She had to stop him the only way she could—even if it meant locking him inside the RV._

"_Jazz! What are you doing?" Danny demanded._

"_This is for your own good, Danny," she replied seriously._

"_Let me out!" he ordered furiously, slamming his fists against the RV's window._

_But Jazz ignored him; and already guessing what he was going to do, she further activated the Ghost shield before informing him, "And just to humor you, I activated the ghost shield so no ghost can get in—" But added to herself, "—or out…,"_

_Even as her brother's desperation to get out increased, as did his attempts to convince her he wasn't crazy and that there really was a ghost, Jazz kept firm. She was going to end her brother's almost-obsessive fixation with ghosts, even if she had to force him to stay inside the RV until he listened to reason._

_But when her brother's actions got annoying and he further wet her with the windshield wiper fluid, she began to get agitated and remarked, "Agh. Oh, real mature, Danny. If you are going to be delusional could you at least act your age?"_

_"Or, maybe you should act your...age..." _

_Suddenly, to her growing irritation, Danny wet her again!_

"_Ah!"_

"_You're not an adult, Jazz. You're a kid, just like me," her brother said, sounding smug for some reason._

_But she rolled her eyes and retorted, "We're focusing on your problems, Danny—Not mine."_

…_._

"…_So, yeah, sometimes I feel like the weight of the world is on my shoulders, and I'm the only responsible adult in my family… But… Danny's responsible, and he's a kid! So… I guess it's safe then for me to be a kid every-now-and-then…"_

_Jazz smiled as she pulled Bear-Bert close and watched her brother fly around in the night sky. However, just as she hugged her bear, it let out an offensive sound and she quickly found the culprit inside her bear._

"_Oh, real mature, Danny!" she grumbled. _

_But not really upset, she smiled as she turned her gaze back to her window, and thought warmly, "Regardless…Thanks, little brother, for helping me remember my inner child…"_

Danny shuddered as a sharp pain unexpectedly shot through his head. His sister's memories were speeding by so quickly in his mind that it was starting to hurt. He now felt like he was sinking deeper and deeper into a cold pool, and the pressure was getting unbearable the more he sank…

And yet… there was nothing he could do, but to push forward…

"_You don't know the half of it."_

"_No, Danny I know all of it," Jazz said with a surrendering sigh, her eyes falling to the Fenton Boo-merang in her hands. She moved a bit closer as she continued, "…That you're part ghost. That you use your powers to help people—until now," she added bitterly, looking back at him._

_Her brother's blue eyes widened in disbelief. "You knew?"_

"_I know," she corrected him._

_But to her surprise, her brother's disbelief melded into a dark look, which she had never seen on him before as he then said, "You were always smarter than I gave you credit for…"_

_Jazz gasped in fear when Danny change into another ghost—a clearly evil ghost!_

_Suddenly, it all made sense and she gasped out, "That's why the boomerang wasn't homing in on your ecto-signature! You're not Danny!"_

"_Well, I was," Evil Phantom replied with a smirk, "But I grew out of it. The 'Danny' you know is floating helplessly in the Ghost Zone ten years from now._

"_He'll escape! He'll stop you!" Jazz exclaimed firmly, though she was truly scared out of her mind._

…_.._

"_I didn't want to tell you until you wanted to tell me. It's your secret, Danny," Jazz said with a sincere look._

"_Well…," he replied as he smiled at her. "It's our secret now."_

_Jazz smiled as she hugged her brother tightly before a ghost suddenly appeared, capturing her brother's attention._

_Still, as he stood, she teasingly said, "Don't think this means I still won't be meddling and over-protective."_

_Her brother chuckled, making her heart fill with happiness. "I wouldn't have it any other way," he answered._

"_Go," she encouraged._

_Danny's grin widened before he raised his arms and exclaimed, "Going Ghost!" But as he flew up to the large ghost, he further quipped, "Hey, giant, green, and gruesome! Guess who's back and better than ever!"_

_Jazz's own smile grew but it abruptly turned into a gasp when a ball of goo came right at her, covering her completely. _

"_This is going to take some getting us to," she told herself with a grimace. _

_However, as Jazz stood up and cleaned herself off the best she could, she turned her eyes back to her brother and smiled again. _

"_I'm proud of you, little brother…" _

…_._

"_Because it's none of your business!" Danny exclaimed at her._

_Sam and Tucker shared a look before quickly moving out of the closet they were in as Sam meekly said, "If you don't mind, we'll be outside doing the 'I'm glad I'm an only child' dance."_

_Jazz ignored them and said to her brother with a frown, "Danny, calm down."_

_But he did the opposite._

"_Calm down? How can I calm down when you're constantly butting your nose where it doesn't belong?"_

"_I was just trying to help!" she defended herself, only to be abruptly cut off._

"_Nobody asked you to help! You are a lousy ghost hunter, an over-bearing sister, and an annoying, obnoxious know-it-all with no respect for her brother's privacy. __**So stop helping!"**_

_Her brother's words instantly cut deep into her, and Jazz did the only thing she could do at this point: she ran out of the room in tears. His words hurt more than he would ever know. She just wanted to help him! She wanted to be at his side! But even when he now knew that she knew his secret, he wouldn't let her near! Why did he push her away? _

"_He used to share everything with me," she thought as she continued to run out of the school and towards her car, feeling humiliated and hurt. "He used to trust me with anything back then… What…? What happened to our bond?"_

_Reaching her car, she cried harder into the steering wheel; but as her indignation swelled over her heartbreak, her eyes narrowed and she quickly wiped her tears._

"_I'll show him!" she fumed, a resolve look growing on her face. "I'm going to figure out what Vlad's up to. Let's see what he says after that!" _

…_.._

_Jasmine, what are you doing in my private study?" Vlad asked with a firm frown._

"_Private? Why would you have a private study from someone you consider a daughter?" she asked innocently before quickly changing the subject to the yearbook picture in hand, "Ooo… and you were such a looker in college! I wonder why 'this' never happened…"_

_Vlad watched as she folded the picture in way that the billionaire and her mother were joined together, which instantly made him grin. _

"_Ah, Jazz, you sweet perceptive child. Oh come give your uncle Vlad a hug!"_

_Jazz quickly moved over and hugged the man, but then she said sneakily to herself, "Yes, keep hugging, we'll see who hugs last."_

"_What?"_

_Jazz cringed, "Oh, nothing!" _

_She hugged the man a bit longer before pulling away and smiling sweetly at him._

"_Well, come along, dear girl," Vlad said with his own smile. "It is almost time for dinner. Are you hungry?"_

_Jazz nodded as she followed the man out of his study. "I sure am, Uncle Vlad. What are we having?"_

"_My chef has prepared a wonderful Greek cuisine…," Vlad replied pleasantly._

"_Chef? I… haven't seen any staff around…," Jazz muttered, confused._

_The man shrugged and offhandedly replied, "They like to keep to themselves…"_

_Jazz just frowned suspiciously, finding the comment odd._

….

"…_Meanwhile, the nanobots will control your breathing and heart rate," Vlad finished his explanation._

_So… the suit won't waste me?" Jazz asked fearfully._

"_No, so I can if you betray me! But that need not happen if you behave like a good little adoptive-daughter-to-be…"_

_Jazz gulped, though internally she was close to a panic. Would Vlad really waste her just for betraying him? _

_But her thoughts were interrupted by her brother._

"_Let her go, Vlad! She clearly is some clueless know-it-all who got in way over her head!"_

_Jazz quickly glared down at her brother. "You're toast!"_

"_Oh, yeah? You and what toaster?" Danny retorted back._

"_And that's my cue…," Vlad said happily._

_Jazz jumped when she felt the suit charge, sending a strange sensation up her back through the neuron receptors linked to her spinal cord. And as she felt a tingle wash over her, she was fearfully aware that the nanobots had just been injected into her body._

—_Nanobots that could waste her with the press of single button…_

….

"_I was so busy being angry at you that I didn't realize that you really can help."_

_Jazz smiled, simply glad to hear her brother appreciated her and even wanted her help. But she also knew she had messed up and replied, "But just because I can, doesn't mean I should. Ghost fighting is your thing, Danny. I'll always be there for you. Just in different ways."_

"_Consider yourself a reserved member of Team Phantom," Danny replied with a smile._

"_Don't you still need to go fight Ghost X—I-I mean Skulker. I can totally cover for you."_

"_Naw, I rather ride home with my big sister—if that's okay," Danny replied, stretching his arms across the back of the seat and giving her a warm smirk._

_Jazz felt her heart warm with her brother's words. And she finally realized privately, "No, our bonds not broken. It just changed, just like we have after all these years. But… I know now it will always be as strong as ever..." _

_..._

_Jazz yawned as she made her way to the bathroom. She stopped at seeing a dim light coming from downstairs. __"Who left the light—?"_

_Jazz smiled warmly at her mom and brother, sleeping together on the large living room couch. She quietly approached them to turn off the lamp beside them. Her eyes fell on the photo album there and she picked it up. She flipped through it, smiling at the thoughts it brought her. _

_Her eyes finally fell on the last picture in the album. She stared at it before raising her amused eyes to her sibling and mother on the couch. The picture was the carbon copy of the scene before her, with the exception that Danny was around eight years old in the picture. _

_"I took this picture,"__ she recalled with a smile._

_Jazz chuckled as she went back up stairs and arrived in her room before pulling out her camera. She turned it on, making sure that the flash was off, so she wouldn't wake them._

_She carefully entered the living room once more and aimed the camera at Danny and her mom. "It's nice to know some things never change, " She whispered before taking the picture and freezing forever the sweet scene in front of her._

_It would look wonderful in her new scrapbook…_

Danny gasped and almost stopped when he felt several things just fluttered by him, followed by several squeaking sounds.

Bats.

Wait. Was he still in the Ghost Zone? Or, was he now flying in the night sky over Amity?

It was hard to focus on any external feelings when the internal ones were so powerful and overwhelming. But as he felt a gush of warm air brush back his hair, he knew he couldn't be in the Ghost Zone. The air there was never that warm.

With another sharp intake of air, feeling both anxious and hopeful, Danny ignored the throbbing in his head and his fatigued body and focused back on getting to his destination. He had to be close! He could feel his sister was almost right next to him! But, he knew he was running out of time, especially when her next memories were focuses solely on these past months—on the nightmare that they were still both in.

And it made it hard to focus because the next visions he saw were all over the place and sped up to an almost indiscernible point, only to drastically slow down and drag at another instant…

It was unnerving…

_"Jack dear, you can finish that later. We need Danny to cut the cake," Maddie said, smiling gently at her husband. _

_Danny quickly jumped away from his father and Valerie before Jazz saw him give her a thankful look._

_Jazz smiled at him in return. They both knew that the only way of distracting their father from 'ghost stuff' was food. And Jazz definitely had not wanted her father to continue 'showing' Danny his birthday gift, especially when her brother had looked close to a panic._

_But Jazz's smile vanished as she suddenly felt a bolt of pain explode within her brain. She gasped at the pain, the cake accidentally falling from her hands as she gripped her head. Leaning forward she scrunched her face and tightly shut her eyes trying anything to stop the pain threatening to split her head. She could barely hear the worried voices around her trying to ask her what was wrong as agonizing waves pounded her brain with increasing frequency and magnitude._

_The torture became too great; she opened her mouth to scream but she couldn't hear anything coming out; her vision began to darken into a red hue, the blurry world around her slowly fading. _

_When she thought her suffering couldn't get any worse, she felt her lungs painfully constrict. Jazz grasped at her chest and throat, desperately trying to force life-giving oxygen down into her lungs, but her paralyzed lungs refused to take it in. The pain and fear she felt suddenly seem to stop as her body and brain became numb; then, in a flash, she felt her strength leave her._

_"Jazz? __**Jazz!"**__ she heard her brother scream before she knew no more._

…_.._

_"It must be wonderful to have powers like yours," Jazz complemented, her awed expression never leaving the peaceful atmosphere._

_Danny's smile faded, a frown replacing it. "It does have its nice moments, but they come at a price… and sometimes I ask myself if they're worth it."_

_Jazz frowned as well, returning her attention to her brother. "Danny, you can't think that way. Your powers are a blessing. You have helped so many people with them." Jazz laughed softly. "You're a hero, Danny."_

"_What kind of hero can't help his own sister?" _

_"Danny …why do you keep blaming yourself for this?" she asked with a worried look. But when her brother stayed quiet, she pleaded fearfully, "Danny…please, talk to me. What's wrong?"_

_"I just want you to be okay, Jazz…And if I could trade these powers for that I would." _

_Jazz sighed sadly "That's not possible, Danny; and even if it was, I wouldn't want you to. I know they bring you problems and stress that you shouldn't have, but they have given you so much more in return. They make you '__you', __and I couldn't be prouder, little brother."_

_Danny hugged her. "Thanks, Jazz"_

_She hugged him back; but her heart ached for him. Something was wrong and he wouldn't tell her!_

_She sighed again and thought to herself, "And I'd trade my life, if it meant I could take away all your worries and fears, little brother…"_

…_.._

_"Danny?" she whispered in a hoarse voice._

_Danny smiled warmly at her. "Go back to sleep, Jazz," he told her tenderly, pushing her hair away from her face._

_Jazz frowned at him, "But I just woke up." _

_Danny chuckled softly, "Yeah, I know, but you need to rest."_

_Jazz's eyes unwillingly began to close due to the sleep her body required, yet she still fought against it, feeling she needed to keep Danny in her sight._

_But seeing it was a lost cause, she gave her brother's hand a comforting squeeze before falling into slumber once more, but not without thinking, "I'll always be here for you, little brother…" _

…_.._

_"Mom, where's Danny?" Jazz interrupted, unable to take her mother's stalling any longer._

_Her mother's fear-filled eyes rose to meet her own. "We don't know," she whispered._

_Jazz gasped in disbelief. "Mom, what do you mean you don't know? How could you not know?"_

_"Jazz, he ran away!" her mom exclaimed, her tears returning._

…_.._

_"Valerie said that they ended up above the lake… and that she shot him down," Tucker whispered._

_Jazz gasped loudly, her hands covering her mouth. She barely noticed a choked sob escape the other girl in the room._

_But she did notice Tucker's voice as it finally crack, "S-she said she shot him down, J-Jazz, a-and he n-never came back up…She's so sure that she…"_

_Tucker lowered his head, clearly unable to bring himself to say it. _

_But Jazz didn't need him to finish._

_She leaned forward, her hands covering her face, while she trembled from head to toe. "No…," was all she could think as a horrible pain gripped at her very soul…_

….

_Vlad grabbed her chin, forcing her away from her thoughts and to look back at him. "Do not test me, Jasmine. My intentions never were to threaten you. But if you put my identity in jeopardy, I'll destroy your father in every way possible. I promise you, you will __**never**__ see him again. I'll have him locked up for the rest of his life!" _

_Jazz stared back in terror and disbelief as he let go and further said in a sweet tone of voice, "So, be a good little girl, and do as I ask, yes?" _

_Vlad patted Jazz's shaking hands in reassurance. "I just want you to understand that it is in everyone's best interest to keep our mouths sealed about this, dear girl. Besides, if you're brother were to return, then you would have ruined his life. He would be hunted for the rest of his life; or worse, captured and used as some rat… Jasmine, you don't want to be responsible for all that, now would you?" he asked softly._

_The girl lowered her head in silent defeat. "Okay, you win," she whispered._

…_.._

_Danny folded his arms, regarding her with a cold look, "I never thought I'd have to spell something out for you, Jazz. But you don't seem to get it. I'm here because I __want__ to be. I left because I __wanted__ to. I __wanted__ to get away from everything __and__ everyone, __**including**__ you three. So, to make it plain and simple: leave. I don't want to see any of you again!"_

_"Danny…I-I'm not leaving without you," she said softly, but her strength of mind had shattered from her brother's hurtful words._

"_Yes. You. Are," Danny growled darkly, ecto-energy appearing in his hands._

_Jazz stared back, for the first time in her life, actually afraid of her little brother._

"_Danny, what's wrong with you?" she thought, her heart breaking with the hateful look on his face._

…_.._

_"The three of you, Jasmine, have stood by his side every step of the way," Clockwork spoke to her with complete seriousness. "Even when you didn't initially know of his powers, you have aided him. But there comes a time in everyone's life when they must stand alone. Your brother's time has come. He does not need my help. And he does not need yours or theirs. This battle, he must fight alone."_

_"I-I won't leave my brother there," Jazz said shakily, not believing what the ghost was implying._

_"He is there for more than one purpose. And your presence will only delay his completion of them. I understand how this must sound to you, but I know what lies in his path ahead. And I will assure you that if he does not succeed now, he stands no chance of success for what's to come."_

_Jazz remained quiet for a moment. But then she whispered, "You still haven't answered why you're talking to just me."_

_"You will find out soon enough," Clockwork replied. "For now, I leave you with the knowledge that everything Danny needs right now is at his reach. I recommend that you stay on the sidelines for this one." _

_The ghost suddenly smirked again as he added, "But then again, the choice is yours…"_

….

_"__**Vlad, please!**__ Even __**you**__ can't be this cruel! Don't you see that he belongs with his family?"Jazz begged desperately. _

_But when the billionaire still did not reply, Jazz finally broke down and began to cry._

_"No," the man then said coldly after a short pause. "He belongs nowhere near there, Jasmine. He is better off with me. Here, he does not have to worry about having his fat oaf-of-a-father use him as some lab rat! Here, he doesn't need to live a double life or carry the burdens of what he is alone! And, here, Jasmine, he does not have to risk his life to protect some fools who thank him by either shunning him or trying to shoot him down! Accept it, girl! There is nothing but misery, pain, and rejection for him there! Daniel is happy __**and**__ safe here! So, why don't __**you**__ stop being cruel and leave him in peace?"_

_Jazz could only cry harder, because part of her did believe the evil hybrid's harsh words. _

_But when his voice unexpectedly softened, it took her by complete surprise…_

_"I know my word means nothing to you….But I can assure you that Daniel is well taken care of. And I will do everything in my power to keep it that way, Jasmine."_

_Jazz couldn't take the pain anymore and hung up on the man._

…_._

_Jazz looked up at Vlad, her eyes filling with tears as she softly said, "If you promise me that you will take care of him, that you're not hurting him, and that he's __happy__, I won't say anything. I'll let him stay with you, even if it means I won't see him again...But you give me your word, Vlad Masters. You look at me in the eye and tell me that this isn't some trick. You tell me my brother is safe and happy with you."_

_Vlad's gaze softened. "I already gave you my word that I won't let any harm come to him. As for my intentions…I just want to help your brother, Jasmine." _

_"Promise me he's happy," Jazz pleaded._

_"….No one is ever truly happy, Jasmine…"_

_Jazz finally couldn't take it anymore and she buried her face into her hands and wept. She was just so torn and confused. She didn't know what to do!_

_"…If it makes you feel better, I can assure you that he smiles everyday… He laughs everyday…It's contagious, sometimes…" The man chuckled. "Daniel is __so full__ of life and energy. Every day is practically an adventure with him around. I honestly have trouble bringing him down from the clouds—and I do mean that both metaphorically and literally," he said with another chuckle. "Your brother just loves flying—a little too much, in my opinion. It's quite…"_

_The man suddenly halted in mid-thought before he slowly turned to face her; and for a moment, Jazz saw true uncertainty in the evil half-ghost's expression._

_He clearly had not meant to say all that. And she just couldn't believe it, either, especially when she realized what this meant…_

"_Oh my gosh…," she thought, shocked. "He really cares for Danny…"_

_And suddenly, Clockwork's words made even more sense to her… And she began to wonder: 'Did she truly know Vlad Masters?'_

_No. She did not. And she further realized that there was more to the man that met the eye. And yet, she understood she could never hope to even scratch the surface of who this man truly was… _

_But maybe her brother… Was it really possible?_

…_.._

_Skulker just raised an eyebrow as he asked, "Have you three not wondered __why__ he left in the first place? Or, perhaps, __why__ the whelp __choose__ to side with Plasmius?"_

_Jazz frowned and tentatively replied, "Alright, Skulker… Do __you__ know __why__ Danny left and joined Vlad?"_

_Skulker raised his blade a bit, and the kids tensed when the hunter pointed it at Jazz. _

_But what he said next, floored her and Danny's friends..._

_"Because of you."_

…_.._

_Tucker quickly pulled out his PDA and began typing with trembling fingers, though he continued to explain, "I was confused at first because every code on the bracelet had a program linked with it which showed up on Danny's device-thingy, save for __that__ one code. And its name was…" Tucker turned his PDA around so Jazz and everyone else could see the code's name:_

_**BS-NB 3501**_

_Jazz stumbled back, almost falling on the ground if it hadn't been for her bed behind her._

_"Jazz," Tucker said quietly. "The program wasn't on the bracelet because there is no program. That bracelet must have had a direct link to… the Bloodstream Nanobots. And… the only developed sample was injected into… __**your**__ body."_

_She felt herself grow numb with fear and disbelief. It was her. She was the reason her brother left. She was what Vlad was using against her brother…_

_All this, in all these months… It was her fault._

_Hers and… Vlad Masters._

…_.._

_"__It's way too late," Jazz muttered. "Something had to have happened! I… I can't wait any longer…" She sighed in defeat before whispering, "Sorry, Danny…"_

_Jazz made her way to the kitchen where she could hear her parents talking privately about Danny again. But as she approached, she felt her eyes water and her chest ache. She didn't want to do this. She was afraid of what would happen if she told her parents the truth._

_But she had no choice. She told herself that if it meant her brother's life, she would spill his secret._

_And now, it wasn't just her brother's life on the line, but his friends and even hers._

_She had to tell their parents!_

_With a sigh, she entered the kitchen just as her father made a comment, and she interrupted him, saying, "Danny's fine. And… I know where he is."_

_Her parents gasped. _

_"You do? Where, Jazz?" her mother asked, jumping to her feet and moving over to her daughter._

_"He's…"_

_But just when she was about to tell them, she felt that familiar, yet foreign pain constrict her heart and lungs, leaving her breathless and weak._

_As she fell to her knees on the kitchen ground with choked scream, her eyes widened in panic, thinking, "Oh, no! He found out! Danny! I gotta tell them about—"_

Danny had been in tears by now; but when what he had been seeing abruptly just… stopped, he instantly held his breath. His mind was once again incased in darkness; but that wasn't all. The light. The white light, which he knew had been his sister, was now also gone.

He blinked rapidly, willing that comforting glow to return—for _anything_ to return. Even the flashbacks would be welcomed right now. But there was nothing. And he was now completely blind.

No! Where was his sister?

But when Danny suddenly realized one last horrifying thing, he began to shake.

He couldn't _feel_ her anymore.

He had run out of time.

"NO!" he screamed in panic; and for the first time since he left Vlad's place, he halted his flight. But he didn't even care if he was doing what Niane told him not to! He was completely gone with the thought that it was too late—just like he had been too late to save his family and friends from his evil self. The difference now was that Clockwork wasn't here to save them—to help him!

"No! No!" he continued to cry out as he gripped his now closed eyes and shook his head, trying to get rid of whatever Niane had done to him. He was now doubting, wondering if he was indeed out of the Ghost Zone! No, he had no idea where he was! What if he had gone in the wrong direction? What if this was a trick?

_What had he been thinking_? Niane worked for Vlad! She had always defended Vlad! She was loyal to Vlad! She could have easily tricked him and he was now paying the consequences of trusting her when his friends had warned him against it!

"No! Jazz, no!" Danny screamed when no matter what he did he could not escape the darkness surrounding him. "JAZZ!" he cried out with all the despair he felt in his very soul.

"…_Danny…?"_

Danny's panic instantly halted in its tracks and his eyes snapped open. The white light… It was back! He still couldn't see anything around him, but he could see that light—that light which revived his hope instantly.

But wait… Did he just hear…?

"Jazz…?" he whispered.

"_Danny, where are you? I can't see you."_

Danny felt his breathing return, but at a quick pace. She… could hear him? How was that possible?

Suddenly, he didn't care how or why. All he cared was that he now knew his sister was alive!

Danny quickly sucked in his reeling emotions and resumed his flight, following that single light in his vision.

He swallowed before he thought, _"Jazz? Can you really… hear me?" _

"_Yeah, but where are you?"_ she asked back, and he felt a wave of confusion hit him.

"_I-I don't know, Jazz,"_ he thought fearfully, though he now wondered if she could feel how frightened he was.

But when Danny suddenly saw the light in front of him flicker and he got no response, his panic began to return again.

"Jazz? Jazz!"

He didn't get a response again, but he felt several emotions come from his sister at once, which told him she was still there. It was strange, she felt happy, sad, and afraid all at once.

"_I'm so happy to be able to hear your voice, Danny. I really missed it—and you…"_

"_And I miss you, too!"_ he quickly answered. _"And don't worry! I'm coming for you! We'll see each other again, and everything's gonna be fine! I promise!"_

It took his sister another moment to answer, but he soon heard her say, _"I… really want that to be true, but… I know what's happening, Danny. I know what's happening to me… I'm… I'm dying."_

"_No, Jazz! Don't say that!"_ Danny answered, now completely panicked again. _"I'm coming, but you have to hold on!" _

Danny felt her many emotions meld into mostly worry before she gently said, _"Don't be scared, Danny. Whatever happens, this isn't your fault, so don't feel responsible for this, okay?"_

"_Promise me that you'll hang on,"_ Danny pleaded desperately.

"_I promise I'll try, little brother,"_ Jazz answered reassuringly.

Danny felt so overwhelmed by grief that he didn't know what to think, let alone say anymore. All he knew was that he needed to get to his sister! But he had no way of knowing how far away he was! Why was this taking so long?

"_Talk to me, Danny." _

Danny's desperate thoughts were halted by his sister's sudden request. But he also could feel a wave of calmness coming from her and washing over him. It helped him significantly. He didn't know how she did it, but even when they were apart, she could make him feel better…

"_I-I love you, Jazz,"_ Danny said, feeling himself choke on a sob as he hoped that she could feel how much he meant those words and his next ones, _"I'm sorry that I don't tell you often, but I do. I love you."_

"_I know you do, Danny,"_ she replied with another wave of comfort.

Danny closed his eyes, which only caused more tears to fall from them; but he didn't care. He opened his eyes again when he saw the light in his vision dim with his actions. And he didn't want to see that light leave—not now, not ever.

"_I love you, too, little brother,"_ Jazz continued. _"But I think—"_

"_Jazz? Jazz!"_ Danny called when he saw the light flicker and his sister's words cut off.

But they returned to him a second later; but now instead of that comforting feel, his sister's sadness was dominating the rest of her emotions.

"_You know I will always be with you, little brother. Bonds this strong can never be broken no matter what happens."_

"_Jazz, don't talk to me like that,"_ Danny begged her, not liking the feeling that had come with those words, either. _"Please, I __**need**__ you."_

"_And I will always be there for you—__**with**__ you. I will always watch over you, little brother, because that's what big sisters do_," she continued regardless of his pleas.

"_Jazz… Please…"_

"…_I need you to promise me something, Danny,"_ Jazz said, now serious.

"A-Anything," Danny whimpered out.

"_Promise me that if I don't make it, that you will tell mom and dad about your secret."_

"_Jazz, you'll make it!"_ Danny insisted. _"I'm almost there! I can __**feel**__ it! Just… Jazz?"_ he abruptly called when the light vanished again.

But to his relief it returned again.

"_Danny,"_ she said, though her voice wasn't as clear in his mind anymore. _"Promise me. Please. I don't want you to carry everything you do on your own. Promise me that you'll tell them everything. I need to know you'll be safe."_

"_Jazz—"_

"_Please, Danny!"_

"I-I promise," Danny said with a shuddering breath.

"I love you, Danny. Since the moment I saw you in mom's arms at the hospital, I loved you…"

"Jazz, don't leave me," Danny begged her with all his being.

But just as he said that, the white light in his vision abruptly vanished—and this time, it didn't return.

"Jazz? **Jazz**!" he called, but he got no answer this time.

But before he could panic anymore, a wave of pain, like nothing he ever felt before, exploded in his head, and he screamed as one last vision passed before his mental eyes, burning him with all its intensity.

It was so bright. There was white light everywhere, but it wasn't his sister's light. It was actual ceiling lights.

He could see a white room. But then his sister's face suddenly flashed in his vision, and he could see how pale and fragile she looked.

How… gone she looked.

But then he could see the room again and all the doctors and nurses hovering around his sister's unmoving form.

"_We're losing her!"_ a woman exclaimed to the doctor.

"Jazz!" Danny screamed before the pain in his mind intensified and he felt himself lose strength.

He was suddenly falling. He didn't know where he was, but he could feel himself falling and he didn't have the energy to stop himself.

All too soon, he impacted something hard and he gasped as the air was driven out of his lungs.

If he could see, he would have realized he had just fallen from the sky and into an alleyway near the hospital.

But he did feel himself change back as he lay on his back, gripping his head as the vision in his mind flickered from view, just like his red eyes flickered from that foreign hue to its natural blue color.

Still, fully aware that he needed to get to his sister, Danny pushed himself off the ground. He forced himself to release his throbbing skull and squeezed his eyes closed before moving forward, going now on just _feeling_.

He didn't know anymore—and probably would never know—how he knew where to go or how he even managed to make it inside the hospital when his legs felt like lead and he knew he was totally out of ghost energy to have even flown there.

But as he stepped into the hospital, another wave of pain burned his mind and he dropped to his knees, unable to keep in another cry of pain.

"_Young man, are you alright? What's wrong?"_

"_Judy, call a doctor!"_

The voices were surrounding him, but he didn't care what they had said or whose they were. Instead, Danny clenched his teeth against the pain and finally opened his eyes, only to find he could see again.

Well, somewhat. Everything was horribly blurred and he could barely make out that there was a person right in front of him as she continued to ask him things.

The aching in his head and body seem to become more real now that he had returned to reality. And it took him only a moment to understand that the person in front of him was a hospital staff and that he was inside a hospital.

With a gasp, Danny skidded to his wobbling feet, and took off running with the strength he didn't have. Thanks to that last vision, he knew where his sister was and he didn't hesitate to go to her aid.

He had to get to her now!

But Danny was so weak and disoriented that as he ran through the hallways, he constantly tripped and fell or slammed into the walls, startling everyone he passed.

He ignored the questions or the gasps around him and just kept going.

Finally, he found the emergency doors and threw them open. He didn't have to take the time to figure out which room his sister was in, because he could see a mass of people inside one specific room, calling instructions frantically to one another.

"Jazz!" Danny exclaimed and took off towards the room; but just as he reached it, just as his outstretched hand brushed the door, a pair of unknown hands grabbed one of his arms, forcing him to a stop.

"You can't be in here!"

"No, I can save her!" he screamed back. But when his enhanced hearing heard the constant sound of a flat-line from his sister's heart monitor inside the room, he renewed his struggles.

"Get him out of here!" someone ordered angrily before telling someone else, "Let's give her another transfusion!"

"No! You have to let me in there! I can save her!" Danny screamed as more hands grabbed his body, this time successfully pulling him away from the room.

But now past all logic, Danny clenched his fists and concentrated on his powers.

He didn't care if he was going to blow his secret; it was the only way to save Jazz!

But no matter how much Danny tried to get the rings of his transformation to appear, they would not even flicker and it just made his head spin more.

And as he was dragged further and further away from his sister, he panicked even more when he was suddenly aware that his body was seconds away from giving in. He was going to pass out!

"_**No, I have to get to her!"**_ he thought desperately. He **had** to turn ghost!

Danny closed his eyes and just stopped struggling against the people holding him. He was going to get his ghost powers to work, even if it was the last thing he did.

And true to his conviction, his white rings appeared and he turned into Phantom.

But in that same exact instant, someone firmly commanded, _"Time out!"_

Everything in the hospital froze, just before a blue clock appeared and spun before Clockwork was left in its wake.

Everything, _but Danny_ had frozen.

The teen, who was now in ghost form, gasped and turned towards the voice that had echoed from behind him.

"Clockwork?" Danny choked out. "How are you…? How am _I_…?"

The Time Master just calmly pointed his staff at Danny and replied, "I believe you have something that belongs to me…"

Danny's eyes widened even more before he reached into his pocket and pulled out the time medallion—the one Sam had given to him at Jazz's request…

"You… You knew," he whispered out.

"I thought you could use a few more seconds...," Clockwork said with a knowing smile.

Danny smiled in utter relief as he nodded and answered, "Y-Yeah, I really could…"

But after puting the medallion around his neck, Danny then quickly pulled out the purple vial from his other pocket, feeling how although it was thawed out, it was still cold.

Without a word, Danny phased through all the frozen people and moved over to his sister. He never once questioned at the moment why he didn't feel in pain or out of energy. All he cared about was that he had finally reached his sister.

Danny felt his eyes swell with tears all over again at how lifeless she looked; but he forced himself to reel in his emotions and focus.

"_It is an intravenous drug, Daniel, which means it has to be injected into her body. Or… it could just be phased into her…"_

Danny's eyebrows creased with the memory of Vlad's words before he pulled out the vial's corkscrew and then lifted his hand above the vial.

How ironic that the man who had almost taken his sister's life was the same man who would now help him save her…

Using levitation just as Vlad taught him, Danny willed the liquid in the vial to come out, where he held it together in a tight ball; and a light blue hue surrounding it, kept the liquid from spilling.

Danny kept the antidote levitated above his hand as he moved closer to his sister. He stared sadly and fearfully at her for a moment before he turned his hand and the liquid above it intangible and phased it through his sister's chest before finally releasing the liquid into her very heart.

At last, Danny removed his hand and turned it tangible before destroying the glass vial in his hand with ecto-energy.

He turned around and found Clockwork quietly floating behind him.

"Thanks, Clockwork," Danny said his eyes glowing with his gratitude. But even then, the teen knew he could never be able to express how thankful he was with the… spirit. He had saved him and his loved ones, helped him, and put up with his rashness too many times now. And what struck Danny most was that Clockwork didn't have to—he didn't have any obligation to do all he did and had done for him. The spirit did it because he wanted to.

And Danny would never be able to express how much that meant to him—how much he owed Clockwork.

The Time Master smirked again and shrugged as he answered, "I believe I can spare a bit of time…" But with a warmer smile, he added, "And I hope that I have your trust once more…"

Danny's eyebrows creased, remembering all the times he had doubted Clockwork in these months. He remembered all he had said—and even yelled out—against the spirit in his despair… And how guilty he now felt for it.

"Clockwork, I'm—" Danny began, only to be cut off.

"You do not need to apologize, Danny," he assured him. "I know you did not mean the things you said… and I cannot blame you for doubting when things looked so bleak."

"Still," Danny said with a deep sigh. "I'm sorry, Clockwork. You've always been there when I've needed help. I should have trusted you. And…" He paused with deep regret before he lowered his gaze and continued, "I-I should have listened to you. You tried to warn me from the beginning, and _I didn't listen._ If I had, maybe I would have made the right choice from the beginning… I should have _left_ when I had the chance; maybe none of this would have happened… Maybe, Vlad wouldn't have…"

But when the teen trailed off, obvious pain in his voice, Clockwork sighed himself. The spirit glanced over at the boy's frozen sister before looking back at the young boy. Danny looked so troubled and saddened over what happened—over his broken bond with the older hybrid.

Most others would at least despise the person who had almost caused the demise of one of their loved ones.

That was why Clockwork was so sure that this boy could never be evil—in spite of the Time Spirit's employers' thinking and assuring him otherwise; and in spite of even that once dark future. Clockwork did not need to be able to see through time to have known from the very beginning that Danny would always find his way towards the right path.

He would never truly turn evil.

The boy's heart was too big for that…

Still, Clockwork kept his thoughts to himself. And instead, said, "Danny, you cannot expect to always make the right choices, because if you did, you would never learn the things you do from your mistakes."

But the teen shook his head, and uttered, "No, I-I should have known he would react like that. He… He didn't deserve what I did. I never meant… I feel like the biggest jerk on the planet, Clockwork!"

Clockwork didn't reply this time, and instead turned his attention to the clock on his staff and began to turn it.

"I'm going to erase the last ten minutes," he informed the teen, before everything moved in a blur around them.

And when it stopped, Danny's eyes widened when he found himself in his room.

"Clockwork, what? Jazz…?"

"She will be fine now," Clockwork assured him, lowering his staff again. You injected the serum outside of time, so even when I erased all memory of you being in the hospital just a moment ago, that will not change. Nevertheless, I brought you home, because you cannot be there right now. It would not do for you to reveal your secret before the right time…"

Danny frowned in further confusion. What was that supposed to mean? Whatever it meant, the spirit clearly did not want the teen's secret revealed, or he would not have done what he just did.

But although he was sure he could never understand Clockwork, Danny raised an amused eyebrow as he said, "I thought you couldn't interfere…"

Clockwork smiled calmly, but explained, "When you came to me for help all those months back I said I couldn't interfere _unless_ it was necessary. You see, Danny, in all different outcomes I have seen in your timeline, there is one thing that is always the same: one way or another, you always end up going to Vlad Masters. And that's what had to happen now. You were _meant_ to go to Wisconsin—regardless of an evil future, or losing your loved ones, or anything else. This is how things were _meant_ to be. You and your arch-enemy's paths are intertwined—more than you still know…"

Danny's eyebrows creased, but it was what the time spirit had called the billionaire that impacted him most, and he was unable to stop himself from sadly saying, "Don't call him that."

Clockwork raised an eyebrow and intoned, "That is who he is, Danny."

"No, no it's not," Danny denied with more conviction. "That's not _who he is_, Clockwork. And what he said and did back there _isn't him_, either…He's…"

But Danny suddenly sighed and looked away. He didn't know if he was too afraid or if it hurt too much to finish. Still, there was one thing he knew was even more painful than that, and he voiced that instead.

"Everything we went through…," Danny whispered sadly. "It was for… _nothing_."

Danny never saw the smile on Clockwork's face when he had heard the teen so firmly deny Vlad Masters as his arch-enemy. But the smile melded into a small frown with the boy's last words, and it was Clockwork's turn to correct him.

"No, Danny. What _anyone_ goes through is _never_ for nothing. I thought you understood that now...," he added with a slightly reprimanding tone.

Danny turned his eyes back to the spirit just as Clockwork continued, "Everything has a purpose—even the hardest of trials or the… darkest moments of someone's life. It all has a purpose—whether it is to make you a stronger person; or…" Clockwork paused and finished with a knowing voice, "…so that you can walk in another's footsteps someday and realize that that someone has been—or is going through—something similar to you. And because you have also experienced that same trial, you have gained the ability to _help_ that person find his way through that similar hardship…"

Danny stared wide-eyed at the spirit, now fully understanding what his mentor was telling him.

And Clockwork's next words confirmed it.

"Surely you do not think that it is pure coincidence that you and Vlad Masters, a man with so much similarity to you, were both destined to become half-ghosts?" Clockwork questioned with a small smirk. "It is not who you both are or what you both have been through that separates you. I think you now understand just how similar you both are—how similar your paths are. So, then, what truly makes you _so different_ from him is not the things you once believed—it is your choices, Danny. You and he are solid proof that two people can walk through the same path in life and end up at two different places, all because of their _choices_."

Danny's eyebrows creased even deeper as he whispered in realization, "That's one of the reasons this had to happen. So that… I could realize Vlad is more than just some enemy or some person in my parents' past. He is what I could become if I chose the easy way out… But, he is also still just a man, _a human being_ who has made the _wrong_ choices… And because I know where his dark path could lead, because I have _experienced_ what could happen to either of us if we are not careful, then it's been my responsibility to _help_ him, to stop him from destroying his life…"

Danny paused and added sadly, "If… he'd only let me…"

"Precisely. _If _he would let you," Clockwork repeated. "You needed to understand and learn something very crucial, Danny—something I have uttered to you before: everyone deserves a second chance. But not just a second, but a third, and a fourth, and as many times as it is necessary. But as you said, you can attempt to help someone, but that person has to _allow you_ to help, too… That someone has to make _that choice_ on his own..."

Danny just stared back intently as Clockwork said with even more seriousness, "You have learned to give _everything_ for those around you, but you had yet to fully understand that there will be times when you will have to save those who have harmed you. Being a hero, Danny, means you help all those that are in need of it—even if they do not deserve it… or it seems impossible."

"I understand that now, which is why I can't accept this!" Danny replied, suddenly desperate. "I can save, Vlad! I can help him, if only I could go back and make the right decision! Please, help me fix things, Clockwork!"

"How can you be so sure that if you would have left when he gave you the choice that he would not have simply gone back to his old ways?" Clockwork asked seriously.

Danny shook his head. "I-I just know. Things would have been different. Are you going to tell me I'm wrong?" he questioned back. But even when the Time Master didn't reply, it was all the answer he needed, and the teen passed a hand through his sweaty white hair in helplessness.

"What am I going to do, Clockwork? How am I supposed to live with this… _guilt_?" Danny asked desperately.

"You should be proud of what you have accomplished, because no one else could have accomplished it," Clockwork answered. "And most in your shoes would have just given up and let their hate and sorrow consume them. But you did not do that. And it is because you did not give up that you were able to learn the things you have from this experience. But these past months were not written within the timeline _only for you_, Danny. They were also necessary for your arch-enemy. And yet, what he had to learn from this is not necessarily the things you needed to learn."

Danny stared back sadly at the spirit and uttered, "What do you mean?"

Clockwork sighed before replying soberly, "You have always been a very forgiving person. It is part of you. But you had yet to understand that _true_ forgiveness is found in not just forgiving those you care for, but forgiving those who harm you—no matter how many times they have done so. Vlad Masters…He has yet to learn what this means."

"Then, why didn't he learn that now?" Danny questioned. "I tried so hard to—"

"Forgiveness is something that comes from within, Danny—something _he_ will have to learn on his own," Clockwork interrupted him. "Sometimes… the greatest lessons are learned when you lose everything, Danny. Some people rise above it; others… let their loss consume them. He might not have learned such an important lesson yet, but he did learned many things—more than perhaps you will know…"

Clockwork paused and smiled a bit before he asked the teen, "Tell me, can you teach a man who has submerged himself in lies and hate for years to truly care for someone else again? Can you make a figuratively blind man see the things _he has_ among all the things he believes he does not have? Can you prove to someone who has lost all hope in others that there is still hope to be found? Can you make a man who has all but forgotten his past remember it? Can you teach someone that it is _possible_ to forgive the one person who has done you so much harm? Surely you know, Danny. For it is the very things you have done for Vlad Masters—that and more."

"Do you think he'll remember any of that over… my betrayal?" Danny whispered back, lowering his gaze.

"A seed that is planted correctly—_with goodness_—will eventually take root and grow, Danny," Clockwork said with a smirk.

"He taught me so much, Clockwork," Danny said, looking back up at the spirit.

"Yes, he did, And more than just ghost powers, I would say… You needed to understand that _true_ strength and power come from within. And as you told your arch-enemy, your loved ones are not your strength, they make you stronger."

"You… were listening…," Danny said, a small smile touching his lips.

Clockwork didn't confirm the boy's words, and instead continued, "You needed to let go of those fears that lie within you and those insecurities that held you back; you needed to learn and understand _who you are_ and _what you are_—and only _he_ could help you accomplish all this. And only _you_ could show him—_remind him_—what true caring is, _what love means_—even if he has yet to learn the aspects that surround such a powerful emotion. Your future isn't carved in stone, Danny; but there are things that must occur because they will lead you to your true destiny. And this was just a stepping stone towards what's to come—for you and… your arch-enemy."

"Clockwork, that still doesn't take away from the fact that Vlad wouldn't now be who he is because of me! Do you know how that makes me feel?" Danny insisted.

This time, Clockwork's voice turned stern as he said, "Events in the time stream do not occur because of _one_ person. Vlad Masters made the wrong choices _before_ you ever did, Danny. Do you not understand? What one starts wrongfully ends in the same way. He has chosen his path—as have you. And they so happen to be at opposing streams, and yet…" Clockwork suddenly smiled. "—that does not mean they could not join again someday."

"When?" Danny asked, hopeful.

Clockwork's calm smile melded into his knowing smirk. "You do not truly believe I will answer that, do you? But I can say that…just as his and your choices greatly influence one another, so do each of your destinies… Someday, you will learn that everything is tied throughout the movement of time, Danny. You taught him as much as he taught you—_and for now_, that is all that was meant to occur."

Danny stared sadly at him before he recalled one other thing he had wanted to ask the spirit about for a while now… "Can I ask you one last thing?"

"Of course."

"When I was there with Vlad… I had these dreams… nightmares… _visions_, Danny uttered, eyebrows creased in uncertainty. "In one, I saw myself turn into my dark self. But I am sure now that that was just my fears overwhelming me. I know that will now never happen, because… I can't turn into anything I don't want to."

Clockwork didn't say anything, but a smile ghosted past his lips.

Danny had looked down after repeating Vlad's words to him. Those words would always stay with him. And he meant what he had said; he was sure now he could never turn evil as long as he didn't want that.

Danny bit his lip and forced himself to return to his previous thoughts, and trying to recall his 'dreams', the teen continued, "But… in this other one, I saw you and the Observants. I… was dressed in a red-hooded cloak….I heard you all talking about me. It was so… unreal. Then, in another dream… I… I saw my evil future self's timeline. I saw how my other self lived with Vlad, how he ended up making that decision of ripping out his humanity, and… how he ended up creating his dark fate with that decision. But I also saw how Vlad was saved…"

Danny paused and turned his gaze to the spirit as he said uncertainly, "Clockwork, you said earlier that in all the different ways my timeline can go, in all of them I ended up at Vlad's in one form or another. Those things I saw about you and the Observants and about my other self's timeline... they weren't dreams, were they? They were visions…. Those things really all happened."

Danny stared deeply at the Time Master when the spirit didn't say anything, but then forcing himself to speak what he was thinking, the teen asked cautiously, "Clockwork…, tell me the truth. Did… Did you make me see those things?"

Clockwork regarded the teen for another moment, his expression as neutral as usual. But at last, the spirit calmly replied, "I am the Master of Time. I can control how events occur within the time stream; I could alter its reality and even add or remove someone permanently from it. But for all my power, it is restricted to time. I cannot touch your mind, let alone give you visions. In fact, I might be able to see your actions through the timeline, but I cannot 'see' or 'hear' your thoughts unless you speak or act on them."

"Then…these visions…?" Danny began, now even more at a lost.

"However they occurred, Danny…," Clockwork calmly interrupted him. "I can only hope that whatever you saw helped you through these months… and that you will remember those… visions in the future…

Danny smiled helplessly, knowing that even though he still didn't understand, Clockwork wouldn't tell him anything else. So, with a surrendering sigh, he uttered the only thing he could now, "Thanks, Clockwork. Thanks for everything."

Clockwork nodded and smiled warmly. But as quickly as it came, it left and as the spirit turned his attention back to his staff, he calmly informed the teen, "Just a fair warning: you will be in pain again once time resumes."

"Yeah, thanks for the heads up," Danny replied with light sarcasm.

Clockwork actually chuckled. But then seeing the sadness still in the boy's eyes, a calm smile returned to his lips before saying, "Believe me, this was not in vain. In time, you will see… and understand how true this is… After all, I have been told true bonds are impossible to break."

Before Danny could ask what he meant, Clockwork took the medallion off him, freezing him within time.

By the time he came to, all Danny heard was the last echo of Clockwork's voice, having said, "Time in."

But Danny hardly had time to think about it when he felt the throbbing pain in his head hit him with full force.

Danny gasped as he dropped on his knees on his bedroom floor, just before his body unwillingly changed human again.

But that only made his weak and pained body grow heavier and his hand head begun to spin horribly.

Squeezing his eyes shut and realizing he was going to pass out, he somehow pushed himself on his bed and fell on his back on it, gripping his pounding head.

The consequences of whatever Niane had done to him had finally hit him and the teen had to wonder if he would wake up again.

But he didn't care either way. He was home again. His sister would be okay, and he was sure his friends and Danielle were on their way back.

Everything was fine now. Everything, expect for one thing:

He had lost... Vlad.

And it was with that sadness in his heart, that he closed his eyes and allowed the darkness to take him.

* * *

**Bittersweet, huh? Yeah, and we're not finished just yet. But I do hope you guys enjoyed this all the same! It's nice to see Clockwork come in at the last minute or after everything's over. He is so good at that, isn't he? Heh. Anyways, the next chapters will be wrap ups. I am aware we still have a few loose ends. And… I'll be tying most before we finish this story. But, you know what will happen to the ones that remain… *winks***

**On a personal note, I gotta share this with you all. Jazz reminds me a lot of me. Not sure if that makes you all like me more or dislike me. lol. But, her bond with Danny reminds me of my bond with my younger brother. We are very close. So, I did add a lot of personal things into Jazz's thoughts and memories. Like, the scene where Jazz is crying because Danny is in his classroom and she's worried. Well... that's one of my own memories. I remember when my brother first started elementary. I was in fourth grade. And I would sit in my classroom and cry because I had never left my young brother alone before in a new place. And he would also cry because he'd miss me so much. Yeah, took me like two weeks to stop worrying and get use to it. Then, the whole thing about holding Danny's hand when they crossed the streets, and going to the doctors office together, and the ice cream thing. Yeah, those are all my memories. Well, my brother didn't kick the doctor. He just started crying. But you know Danny would have reacted that way! lol! But, yeah, this chapter was very personal to me in that sense, because it made me reminisce and got me all sentimental. Just thought I'd share that. :) **

**Well! If you all did not get the memo at the Hidden Pearl club site, we are having a chat today Saturday! 11 a.m. New York Time. I made the chat earlier than the usual, so those in other time zones might get a chance to join. I will be hanging out over at the chat room, in case any of you want to keep little ol' me and Vlad muse company… *puppy-eyes***

**Oh, lastly. Sid will be updated until the following weekend. Truephan had a family thing and I am very busy with a church thing I'm directing in August. So, we've both been pressed for time. So, expect Sid until then.**

**Ta for now, my dears! Thank you all for your support! And I look forward to your thoughts! Yes, I do! XD**


	81. Chapter 80: Reunions

**Hello all! Yes, update's been slow, but I've been busy and distracted lately. Not good for my stories. But here it is! We are getting there! Slowly but surely! Heh-heh! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, but the OCs are my own, and so is this plot.**

**Vlad muse: I don't think so, girl. I own this story!**

**Pearl: Yeah, yeah. And the packers, too, right? Pfft. **

***dodges blast***

* * *

**Chapter 80: Reunions**

* * *

Floating high above his castle in ghost form, Vlad stared thoughtfully out at the forest stretching far beyond the eye could see. It was a perfect night. The cool wind blew softly against his cape and caressed his ghostly skin.

However, what made it so perfect was the feeling within him; a feeling he had not felt in so long that it had taken him a long moment to understand and remember what it was:

Hope.

He still wasn't sure why he felt hopeful or for whom or what he felt hopeful; but… the feeling was there, burning in his heart and core, making him feel a sense of peace and happiness he never thought he could feel.

And yet, even when he wasn't sure why he felt hope, he knew where it originated…

Vlad eyes drifted higher and he smiled warmly at the bright stars shining above him in the clear sky…

He was sure he would never be able to look at the stars again and not think of the boy who by the mere sight of him stirred this sense of hope within him.

Daniel.

For so long, he had sought out love and purpose to his life, sought out… something worth fighting for. And for so long, he had focused that need on the love of his life—on Maddie. But now he knew that everything he needed and wanted was inside _a child_—a young boy who had shown him real love and care; a boy who had at last _defined_ his purpose in life.

Daniel _was_ his purpose for being. Everything he had faced, everything he had lost and gained had been necessary so that this boy could come into his life; so that Vlad could learn his purpose.

Daniel and he were connected in more ways than he or the boy had yet to learn; but that was what made this so wonderful. They could look forward to finding out where their destiny took them now that they had been given the opportunity to seize it.

Maybe that's why Vlad felt hope at the mere sight of Daniel. The boy made him feel like he could be anything; like he…. didn't have to forever remain in the darkness in his heart. He could rise above it; he could change, but into someone… _better_ for the boy—be who Daniel needed him to be.

Vlad exhaled slowly, as his thoughts drifted back to the real reason he had come out here. It had been what Daniel had said to him after they had returned from Stephanie's and had had that fight…

"…_Your whole past is back there. Your childhood family and your memories with them are back there, and I might just be a kid, but even I know those are things you can't just forget or pretend like they never existed. At least, think about returning one last time as a sort of closure...__I know everyone has their own way of coping with hardships, but I don't think the loss of your family is something you should cope with by trying to forget them—because it's like wanting to get rid of part of who you are. __And, trust me, doing that never ends well for anyone…"_

Did the boy understand how much power he had over him? How one word or action from him could change his entire life or way of thinking?

In all these years, not even Stephanie had been able to even get him to contemplate the thought of returning to Florida, let alone take it into consideration.

But that same hope that the boy gave him somehow also gave him courage and strength to face the darkness and sorrow in his past, and to… recall the happiness in it, too.

Not to mention, Daniel's words were true. It was odd just how certain he had sounded, too, like he spoke from experience…

Vlad thought about that for a bit before his musings returned to his previous contemplation. Since he left Florida, Vlad had not missed his deceased family as much as he currently was now. It was as if the boy's mere words had broken that wall he had kept up to dam those feelings.

But what filled him most with sorrow right now was the thought of his… sister. She had died so young. She never even had time to even fulfill any of her dreams. She had had so many…

If she were alive, Vlad knew she would have been beautiful; she would have probably been married and had children. He… would have been an uncle. He… would have never ended up where he was now.

He would have forgiven Jack and even forgotten Maddie, because his sister would have been there to support him… and she would have never let him wallow in sorrow or thoughts of revenge.

Oh, how he missed her! How he wanted her to be here now. But… she wasn't. And nothing Vlad could do could change that reality.

And yet, his sad thoughts resulted in further realization. Perhaps… it wasn't fair to her memory for him to pretend like she and their parents never existed—as if he had never had a family that had cared for him. After all, if he felt such a strong need to have a family of his own, it was because he _knew_ from his past how wonderful it could be. He knew the importance of family because he had learned it with them…

Daniel was indeed right…

Vlad's eyebrows creased in a mixture of emotions. It was time to put closure to his painful past—but in the right way. By acknowledging it and dealing with it. After all, he now had _a reason_ to overcome that sadness in his past. Maybe… it was too late for him to ever have a family of his own, but… he now felt as if he had a boy whom he loved like a son. For the boy, he would face anything, including his past. He wanted to be part of Daniel's life. He wanted nothing more now. He wanted to watch him grow into a smart and caring young man, and watch him fulfill his dreams. He wanted to be there when he married and when… he became a father.

In some ways, then, Vlad could regain lost bonds, like the one he had with his sister. That and more, because it didn't matter how old Daniel got, Vlad wanted be there to protect and guide him…

…guide him as a…

The man's eyes widened a bit at his latest thought. He had always wondered where he fit in Daniel's life… Surely he would never be his father. He understood that now. But… 'as a friend' wasn't it, either. An uncle sounded better. But it didn't seem to do justice to his connection with the boy… And he was sure that what he was thinking and strongly feeling seemed right… He… wished to _guide and protect_ Daniel and there was _a title_ for someone who did that…

Would it be right to say he was the boy's…?

"Vlad!"

The older hybrid jolted out of his thoughts and quickly looked down towards the familiar voice below him. The man smiled warmly as Danny floated up to him. There was a confused and slightly troubled look on the boy's face. Clearly, the boy didn't understand what the man was doing all the way up here, alone, and so late.

"…Uh, what are you doing?" the teen asked, raising an uncertain eyebrow.

Vlad's red eyes drifted back up at the stars before calmly replying, "Contemplating… a few things."

The teen followed his gaze, but seeing just the stars, the teen looked back at the man; and feeling a bit awkward, he began to rub his neck as he asked, "Like?"

Vlad smiled again. "Like what you said when we returned from Stephanie's home… About my childhood family and returning to Florida…"

Danny blushed, and the man knew the teen understood what he was talking about.

"Well…," Danny began, "I know that's your personal business, but the fact that you once told me you haven't… _visited_ them since you were a teen is kinda troubling. Like I said before, it's not good to want to… rip out, so to speak, a part of you. And your past is part of you. At least, I know I'd want to go back… if I were in your shoes…"

"I would never want you to be in my shoes, Danny," Vlad replied seriously. "But… I do know what you mean…. I have put so much effort into not thinking about them, in pretending my family never existed, that… I managed it. I have not felt the need to go back because I forced myself to all but forget about them… But I realize now how wrong that is. I realize now that the reason I do not want to go back is because… I'm afraid. I fear how it could affect me. I fear I will reopen an old wound and will not be able to handle it…But even then, it does not justify trying to forget my past—forget part of who I am. I have told you one should face their fears, that we should confront our weaknesses, and I see now that you were right in that, too. I have not taken my own advice…"

Vlad scoffed softly at the irony, but then he sighed wistfully and said, "Perhaps… it's time I face my own fears… Perhaps… we'll make a trip to Florida after you return from Amity Park…"

Danny's eye widened in true surprise, but then a large grin curled his lips. "Really? And… You want me to go with you?"

Vlad met the boy's gaze, and his eyebrows creased with uncertainty and even fear as he replied quietly, "I _need_ you to go with me."

Danny nodded and replied more gently, "I'd told you, cheesehead. I got your back."

Vlad's warm smile returned, but he suddenly ruffled the boy's white hair.

Danny, in turn, readily cried out in protest.

"I'm sorry," the older half-ghost said with a chuckle. "Were you looking for me?"

Danny managed to swat away the man's hand and flatten his messy hair as he grumbled, "Yeah, I was. You, like, disappeared all the sudden."

Plasmius grinned smugly. "Well, I am a ghost, dear child. It is in my specialty. But pray tell, why were you looking for me?"

Danny's annoyance quickly melded into a mischievous look as he pulled out of his pocket one of Vlad's chess pieces. And not just any chess piece, but the _diamond_ 'king' piece belonging to his very expensive emerald-and-diamond-sculpted chess set.

"I wanted to show you something," Danny finally answered, playfully tossing the diamond 'king' figure between his hands.

Vlad frowned. "That's all fine, Daniel… But what are you doing with that?"

The teen smirked before answering, "Practicing. Watch."

Vlad raised an amused eyebrow when he watched the boy's ghostly form mist, and then followed the chess piece in his hand, before the teen suddenly teleported.

Sensing him reappear behind him, Plasmius turned around and smiled in understanding.

"I can teleport stuff now, too! Cool, huh?" Danny said with a satisfied grin still on his face.

"Well done, my boy," Vlad praised with a nod. But then raising an amused eyebrow again, he asked, "But, may I ask, why you are practicing with one of my expensive chess pieces?"

Danny's smirk returned full of mischief. "Because I wanted to see the look on your face when I did this…," the teen then said before tossing the game piece high into the air.

Vlad gasped as he watched the unique piece of his game ascend and then quickly descend, threatening to vanish into the darkness below. But before he could do anything, Danny suddenly teleported and grabbed the diamond king before it could be lost.

"Uncle Vlad…," the boy taunted him as he tossed the chess piece up and down in his hand, "How many times do you think it will take for me to finally miss?" he asked devilishly.

"Daniel!" Vlad finally reacted, his eyes now wide with alarm and annoyance. "Do not play with that! If you lose it, I'll have to buy the entire thing again and it took almost a year to have it made!"

"Then, it's gonna reek if I do miss, huh?" Danny answered smugly before he tossed the chess piece high into the air again.

"No! Daniel!" Vlad exclaimed before the man teleported after the game piece which had just reached its highest point.

But Danny also teleported; and as he and Vlad both reappeared, they collided into each other, and in turn, they both missed the game piece, which was now quickly descending towards the darkness below.

Danny, however, reacted quickly and dove down after the piece, grabbing it before he lost sight of it.

Vlad then came up right behind him and attempted to grab one of the boy's legs. However, Danny reacted again and quickly transformed his lower half into his ghostly tail, easily slipping out of the older hybrid's grip.

"You're gonna to have to do better than that, cheese head!" Danny taunted before teleporting a few feet away from the man.

Vlad righted himself and looked over at the grinning teenager. And seeing the daring look on his face, Plasmius narrowed his eyes playfully, asking, "Now, Daniel, do you think it wise to challenge me?"

"Do you think it's wise to _let_ me?" Danny retorted, teleporting behind Vlad and quickly grabbing then tossing his cape over his head.

Vlad yelped in surprise; but he quickly turned intangible, escaping his compromised position. The man whirled around to face the teen, ready to teach him a lesson—and josh him back.

But much to his surprise, the boy was gone.

Plasmius instantly frowned as he looked around for the young hybrid, slightly annoyed that the teen was hiding from him again. But… the man soon realized that that wasn't the case. The boy had just… disappeared?

"Daniel?" Vlad called, a bit of fear in his voice as he continued to look around.

However, he suddenly noticed a small sphere of white light that had just as suddenly dropped from above him. But before he could wonder what it was, another fell down, then another, and another.

Vlad was suddenly surrounded by white orbs which were raining all around him; and now alarmed, he looked up, only for a true wave of fear to wash over him at seeing what these white orbs were.

They were the stars above him—the very ones that had just a moment ago filled him with so much peace. They were inexplicably falling from the clear darkened sky. But as they continued to fall, the area around him got darker and darker. And Vlad realized the stars were his only source of light—the only thing keeping the darkness around him away.

Gasping in desperation, the man reached out to grab at least one of the falling stars; but no matter how hard he tried, they just continued to slip right through his fingers, like water.

All too soon, the last star fell and Vlad watched it fall until it extinguished into nothing. And it was at that instant that he was left alone in complete darkness…

Vlad's eyes fluttered open, but his vision was so blurry and his mind so murky that he couldn't really see or process much at first. All he knew was that he felt this odd warmth every time he exhaled and… something soft caressing his face. It was soothing enough that he almost drifted back into unconsciousness.

But something inside him urged him to wake up. And as he blinked his blue eyes a couple of times, he finally noticed a pair of blue eyes looking back at him.

He scrunched his eyes trying to make out who it was. Could it be Danny? Who else in his home had blue eyes but the boy?

But when another warm yet strange breath passed through his slightly parted lips, he shivered and squeezed his eyes close again.

He never saw the last puff of red smoke pass through his lips and dissipate into the air.

But the person watching him did. And the hand that had been on the older hybrid's face just as quickly moved away….

Opening his eyes again, Vlad's vision and mind finally focused, but he was confused at first when what he thought had been blue eyes were now red eyes staring at him.

It took him a moment, but he was finally able to make out to whom the warm red eyes staring at him belonged.

Vlad's eyebrows creased, an odd feeling running through him as he just looked back at his youngest ghost maid. It was almost like déjà-vu… Or… something else.

"This… brings back memories," he said quietly, mild amusement, but also confusion, in his voice.

Niane finally glanced away from her employer, though a shy smile curled her lips, knowing the man was remembering the first time they met and how back then he had woken up with her gazing upon him, too.

But deciding not to comment on that, she quietly said instead, "I-I took the liberty of asking George to bring you to your room, sir. I also brought you a cup of tea… but it seems it took you longer to wake than I thought, so it got cold. I… could bring you another if you wish?"

Vlad didn't reply, instead he slowly sat up, only partly noticing Niane move away from him. He ignored it, however, as he grabbed his spinning head in his hands. What kind of device was _that_ that had knocked him out? He felt like he had gotten his strength and energy ripped away from him, followed by this numbness and weakness. It had been horrible.

"_Just not as horrible as what Daniel did to me…"_

Vlad tensed with the unwanted thought, but quickly squashed it out of his mind. With a tired sigh, he glanced up at his clock and saw it was almost ten in the morning. That blasted device had knocked him out clear straight into the next day!

A flicker of annoyance passed through the man, but it quickly left his tired body. With another sigh, he looked at his young maid. She looked highly troubled, but it didn't surprise the older hybrid. After all, he knew after all these years that his ghost servants did show some concern for him; and Vlad was too tired at the moment to lie to himself and say he didn't have any concern for them as well.

Managing a small appreciative smile, Vlad at last said, "I do not need any tea, Niane. Thank you, though."

The ghost girl nodded, but she was clearly reluctant to leave.

"That will be all, Niane," Vlad said, showing her without a doubt that he wanted her to go.

But even then, the young maid refused to go. Vlad had been about to ask her if there was a problem, when she suddenly said in a soft voice, "I want to reaffirm to you that… I will always be loyal to you, sir. That is why I-I feel obligated to… to tell you what I did… Forgive me, but… I aided… the boy last night."

Vlad stared at her for a long moment, an unreadable look on his face. The news had been very unexpected at it was, especially coming from the ghost girl who kept to herself and was always saying she did not want to 'get involved' in his affairs. But as her confession slowly began to sink in, he soberly replied, "You helped him… How?"

Niane's eyebrows creased in sadness as she replied, "His sister…I-I didn't want to see you make a mistake I know you would have forever regretted. I don't think you really wanted to hurt the boy in such a way… So, I helped him get to her faster; and in turn, I helped you prevent that… mistake. I am sure it was a mistake you didn't want to make, sir."

Vlad's pursed his lips this time, knowing he should at least be upset with Niane. After all, how dare she assume what he wanted and did not want? How dare she help the one person who had now hurt him as deeply—or more deeply than—Jack Fenton?

And yet, even as he tried, he… couldn't feel angry at her; perhaps because deep down, he knew she was right. He couldn't take back ending someone else's life, especially the life of a young girl—of Daniel's sister and Maddie's daughter. But even with Niane's help, who knew if he had succeeded in his dark purpose? Either way, it was something he would now have to bear for the rest of his life. So, then, did it really matter that the young maid tried to prevent the evil fruit of his actions?

Honestly, he couldn't bring himself to care about Niane's interference. Not just because it didn't change anything either way; but also because… there had always been something about the ghost girl that made it hard for him to truly feel any anger towards her…

Still, that didn't keep him from reminding her of her place.

"I appreciate your concern and honesty, Niane," Vlad began calmly, but his voice got firmer as he added, "However, this will be the last and _only_ time you interfere in _my_ choices. Do not ever get in the way again, or I will see it as a betrayal. And you know I do not take kindly to that, Niane. Regardless of our past, I will not hesitate to make you regret it. Do we understand each other?"

"Yes, sir," Niane quietly answered, head lowered in submission.

"Good. You may leave," Vlad answered, the firmness in his voice replaced by a distant tone.

Niane turned and began to float towards her employer's door to leave. However, she hesitated again, and before she could stop herself, she turned back around and sadly asked, "Sir? Will… Will you be alright?"

The softness in her voice snapped Vlad out of his unblinking expression. He looked at her for a long moment, trying to understand why his heart was suddenly throbbing so painfully at the sight of her and with the unmistakable worry in her question.

But not ready to acknowledge the despair in his heart, the older hybrid glanced away from his youngest maid and calmly nodded.

"I am fine, Niane. Tell George I will not be coming down for breakfast, hmm?"

"…Yes, Master Plasmius," she replied with a small sad smile before she finally left him alone.

Vlad's eyebrows creased as he rubbed at his throbbing head some more. But there was more than physical pain bothering him. And when he unwittingly remembered his dream before waking, that inner pain swelled inside him.

That dream… it had been no dream. Or, at least not all of it. The ending of it had been the only 'dream part'; the rest was a memory. It had been something that had really happened with him and the boy only a few days ago. Just when Vlad finally had made such an important decision as to return to Florida, which had taken him until now to make, he was dealt with another cruel blow.

Daniel had left him… The boy had betrayed him now that he needed him most; now that he had trusted him most…

Vlad looked upward, only for it to lock on a specific item on his dresser: the rocket model the boy had given him.

A sharp jolt of pain gripped Vlad's heart, and too terrified to acknowledge it, he forced another emotion to drown it:

Anger.

Eyes flashing red, Vlad got up from his bed and marched over to the rocket model on his dresser. He glared darkly as he raised a hand towards it, and let his red energy draw out, wanting nothing more than to vaporize the gift that now mocked him with its hypocritical presence.

"Treacherous, ungrateful little rat," Vlad whispered through his clenched teeth. Yet, no matter how angry he made himself with the thought of Daniel's betrayal, he… could not bring himself to destroy the boy's gift.

Feeling his extended hand shake with another emotion that wasn't anger, he quickly lowered it and extinguished the energy in it. Instead, he swatted the rocket model off his dresser.

He only glared some more when he saw just one of its wings break off when it hit the ground. He had hoped it would have broken into unrecognizable pieces!

He shot the damaged gift one last hateful look before turning away from it and walking towards his closet. He had more important things to do than linger on thoughts of that lying rat. If Daniel rejected all he had given him, then it was the boy's lost, not his. He hadn't needed the brat before, and he most certainly didn't need him now!

He refused to let the boy's betrayal destroy him. He had been through worse, and he was still standing. Curse Daniel! He didn't need him! In fact, he was better off without him!

With those angry thoughts, the man grabbed a set of clothes and went into his bathroom, closing the door louder than necessary.

But the anger inside him didn't last very long. By the time he finished bathing, he just felt… drained. In fact, he was so mentally, emotionally, and physically tired that he couldn't even force himself to hold onto his angry façade.

And it didn't help that when he walked back out of his bathroom, now clean and dressed, he saw Danny's gift still on the ground. Why couldn't it just disappear? Why couldn't these past months, along with the agony in his heart, _vanish_?

Eyebrows creased, Vlad bent over and picked up the spaceship, along with its detached wing. It was still fixable. After all, it had been such a wonderful model. In fact, he really had been looking into creating a life size ship from this very model. It was that good. With a bit of tweaking the aerodynamic design would…

Vlad suddenly jolted and then scowled at his train of thought. Why was he thinking this? He didn't want anything that reminded him of the boy. In fact, he had a good mind to get rid of everything that reminded him of the brat. Yes, that's what he would do!

Gripping the model in his hand with his renewed anger, Vlad headed out of his room, his narrowed eyes set on getting to his intended destination. But just as he walked out, a small noise at his feet jolted him.

"Meow?"

Vlad briefly froze as his eyes quickly lowered to the small white kitten that had been sitting outside his door and was now looking up at him with bright yellow eyes.

But the man quickly reacted and glared at the cat. Still, he did nothing else and just stepped around it and continued towards his destination. Nevertheless, he made himself a mental note that once he finished with the boy's room, he would come back for that cat and kick it out of his house once and for all!

And all too soon, he was at the boy's room. However, the moment Vlad opened the door and stepped in, he halted as he instantly took notice of something: It was like… like the boy had never left. One of his pillows was on the floor and his bed was slightly tussled with an open text book and his closed laptop lying on top. There were also a few boxes in one corner, which were filled with some of the things the boy had used to decorate his room to his liking.

And Vlad knew that with the curtains drawn as they were, and if he turned off the light, he would see the ghostly glowing DP emblems written on the walls. The man himself had done them as a simple prank against the boy, which had backfired, since the teenager had thought it was the coolest thing.

Vlad scoffed bitterly, though he didn't really know why. It was hard to grasp, let alone hold onto, the various feelings inside him. It was like… trying to hold onto the falling stars in his dream… But as he finally moved further inside and noticed more rocket models on the boy's dresser, an unreadable frown fell on the man's face. There were some still unfinished, and now…

They never would be finished.

Vlad placed the damaged model and its broken wing in his hand beside the others. He suddenly had forgotten why he had even come here. Hadn't it been to… destroy something?

No… destroying anything was not going to change what the boy had done. It was not going to make anything better. And… it was not going to take away this pain inside him that was threatening to explode out…

"Congratulations indeed, Daniel," Vlad muttered quietly as he thought of the things he told the boy. But… there wasn't really any anger in his voice, just…detachment.

It didn't matter if he tried to force himself to wave this off or even if he could get revenge on the boy for his betrayal. Nothing would ever be the same. Vlad knew he would never be the same, for Jasmine had been right. The boy had changed him. Daniel was the only one with the ability _to _change him… for better…. And for worse, too.

Danny had succeeded in something—something most thought to have been impossible. At least, Vlad thought it impossible until now.

Vlad had spent twenty years chasing after love—for a long time in the form of Maddie, and recently, in the form of Daniel. But now… as he stared at what remained of the hope he once had, he decided right then and there that he was done.

He was done chasing after something that would never be his.

He now knew that 'love' just wasn't meant for him. He was meant to be without it, and it was foolish chasing after it anymore. That, and… he couldn't deal with the heartache, with the betrayal, and with the continuous failure. He was tired of fighting for something that only continued to slip between his fingers.

Maddie and Daniel would never be his. The boy had made him understand that now in the cruelest way. And what was worst was that he knew that deep inside, he would always love them both.

But they would never be at his side.

So… he was done.

He knew he would have to find something new to fight for, to keep him going; but right now, he didn't know what. And he was too torn to want to find out.

What was he going to do now that the person he cared most about was the very person he now hated most?

What was he going to do with this need inside him to protect the boy when another part of him wanted to destroy the boy? How could he ever function with this connection, this sense of purpose inside him, one that would go unfilled now, leaving him feeling lost, empty?

What was he going to do without Daniel?

Vlad's peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of something more painful than the unfinished rocket models. There, at the end of the dresser was… the water globe he had bought the boy in Germany.

The coldness in his eyes slowly faded as he hesitantly approached the globe—the very thing that had symbolized his love for the young hybrid.

He suddenly wished he had not come to the boy's room. He should have gone anywhere else but here. But he now realized that something forced him come here. No. Something _begged_ him to come here. He frowned at what that could mean and then he finally understood what had been burning inside of him all along. It was more than just an 'elusive something' that wanted him here. He was part of a bond…with Daniel; and it was that bond that had led him here, desperate to find its counterpart.

But now that he was at the Danny's former room, staring at the water globe he had especially made for him, Vlad could not bring himself to leave. It was as if the connection he had with the younger hybrid had at last whispered the hard truth to him:

The boy, his sense of purpose and hope… he was gone. And he was never coming back.

He was alone again.

Vlad picked up the globe with shaky hands and moved over to the teen's bed and sat down. He studied its every detail, and with every one, he relived the memories that came with it. But not only of his time with the boy in Germany, but of their entire time together in these months. The sorrows. The trials. The victories. Everything they shared and accomplished together. All of it.

And just like he couldn't stop the memories from invading his mind, the sorrow that he had not wanted to acknowledge finally escaped and swallowed him whole. He suddenly could feel nothing but the pain—not even his hate and anger stood a chance anymore.

Things really would never be the same.

No, they would be worse.

His hands shook even more with his sorrow at his next thoughts. It wouldn't be just Daniel's fault of whatever lay ahead in their uncertain future. He was also at fault. Vlad had crossed a line that he never should have. Even if Niane tried to prevent it for whatever reason, he had still crossed it. And now there was no going back.

He was done fighting for love. He was now nothing but the very thing he so passionately refused to become.

He was nothing but… a villain.

Vlad's eyebrows creased as he recalled his fight with the young hybrid and everything they had done to each other. But as he continued to stare at the water globe in his hand, it felt like he was holding onto 'what could have been'.

And now would never be…

With a soft sigh of sadness and defeat, Vlad let go of the water globe in his hands and watched as it instantly shattered on impact against the hard wood floor…

He watched with a heavy heart as the water once inside the orb spread on the wood, while some slipped and was absorbed into the blue solar system design carpet a few feet away.

But the final straw was when the carpet was fully soaked and the little white stars on it turned dark, almost disappearing from his sight... and leaving his heart in the darkness of anguish and loneliness

Burying his face into his hands, he began to take uneven breathes, trying desperately to control that sorrow burning inside him. But ultimately, it was impossible. It was too much.

And it was with one last shaky breath that he did something he hadn't done since the day he found out Maddie was marrying Jack:

He wept.

* * *

Danny smiled at the feeling of someone gently caressing his hair as it slowly woke him from his slumber. There was something about the touch that just made him feel so relaxed and happy. In fact, it helped him take his mind off his sore muscles and throbbing head, which grew more prominent with his growing awareness.

At last, the soft touch and his protesting body brought him fully back to consciousness and his blurry eyes slowly opened. And yet, he didn't need his eyes to fully adjust to know exactly who the person sitting beside him on the bed was…

"Mom…," he whispered, giving her a tired smile as his gaze remained on her.

"…My baby boy," Maddie whispered back, the tears in her eyes falling down her cheeks. "You came back to me…"

Danny's eyebrows creased at the mixture of relief and sorrow in his mother's expression. His absence must have been terrible for her, probably more than anyone else. She… had always been so protective of him and they shared such a strong bond. It filled his heart with regret and sadness to see his mother like this.

"I'm sorry for leaving," he said quietly, his own sadness and guilt reflecting in his voice and face.

Maddie just nodded as she quietly sobbed and continued to gently stroke her son's hair. It still felt like a dream. In fact, she could barely believe it. She had come in here in the early hours of the morning, after having left the hospital. But after that other nightmare last night, where she had almost lost her daughter, things had taken an unexpected turn for the better.

Not only had the doctors assured her and Jack that Jazz was completely out of danger and that her illness had miraculously vanished, but when she had come home, she received yet another miracle. As she had entered Danny's room in hopes of getting a few hours of rest, she had almost fainted at the sight of her son, who had been now missing for practically five months, there on his bed, fast asleep—as if he had never left.

She never thought she could cry so much from sheer relief and happiness. But after calming down enough, she had then called Jack, who would have run home to see that their son had returned with his own eyes if it wasn't that he needed to stay at the hospital with their daughter.

Alas, it had been the best thing that had happened to the couple in the past months. Both their children were safe and in their reach.

Maddie was a bit surprised Danny had not stirred with all the noise she had made, but she had not dared to wake him up, since he just seemed so at peace.

Still, the mother had not moved from her son's side since she found him, eagerly waiting to see his beautiful eyes open and look at her. And although it had taken hours, for it was now almost noon, she at last had her reward.

Her son was awake now and the way he was looking at her at this moment was like there was no one else but them in the world—as if she was all he had wanted to see.

And Maddie, at that moment, felt the same way. So much that, she didn't care right now to ask her son why he had left or where he had gone. All she cared about right now was that he had returned and that she could touch him and kiss him and tell him how much she loved him.

Danny slowly sat up, all the while ignoring the pain from his body. There was something more important burning inside him, and it propelled him to throw his arms around his mother and bury his head in her chest as he whispered with the same burning emotion, "I love you, mom. I… I missed you so much!"

Maddie quickly gripped her son tighter in her arms and began to cry loudly before she buried her own face into his messy hair.

"I missed you, too, sweetheart! I missed you so much! And I love you so much, Danny!" she cried before kissing him repeatedly. "I'm so glad you're safe! I love you, sweetie! I love you so much!"

Danny just held onto his mother in a way he had not since he had been a little kid; but he realized that no matter how old he got, he would always need his mother, he would always need her love. And the way she held him made him feel like nothing could hurt him, like everything was perfect.

Eventually, the emotional elation exhausted the teenager. He didn't even realize that he had drifted off again, this time in his mother's embrace.

Maddie gently laid her son back down on his bed when she realized he had fallen asleep again. And as she tucked him in, she felt a bit concerned with how… exhausted her son was. He didn't look sick. Just… tired.

"Where ever you went, Danny, it clearly took away every ounce of your strength…," she muttered quietly as she pushed aside a piece of her son's hair from his eyes.

Right then, her son's door slowly creaked open and she looked back and saw her husband poke his head in.

"Hey, Maddie," Jack said, surprisingly very quiet, though he also looked very tired. However, as he glanced over at his son, a relieved smile lit up his face.

"He… really is back," he said mostly to himself. He looked back over at his wife and asked worriedly, "Has he woken up yet?"

Maddie was about to reply when the door was pushed open more noisily and her husband almost yelped as he fell over.

"TJ!" Jack exclaimed in a harsh whisper as the puppy bolted into the room and jumped on his son's bed.

Danny lightly jolted when a wet tongue began to lap at his face. And although he did not fully stir, he awoke enough to lift a hand up and pat the Dalmatian on the head.

"Hey, buddy… Yeah, missed you, too," the teen quietly slurred with a small smile.

Maddie frowned a bit, not very happy that the seven-month old puppy had stirred her son.

However, she didn't say anything, especially when Jack moved over to their son's side. The dog settled down enough to lay down beside his master as Jack came over and smiled down at his half-awake son.

"Hiya, son…," Jack said, his voice filling with emotion as he placed a hand on his son's face. "It's good to have you home."

Danny smiled back, now too tired to speak. But he raised his own hand and affectionately squeezed the wrist cupping his face, assuring his father that he was happy to see him, too.

And seeing his son really was tired, so much that he could barely keep his eyes open even though he was clearly trying to, Jack nodded in understanding and said, "It's alright. Get some shut eye. We'll have plenty of time to talk later."

Danny barely nodded before he was out again. Jack swallowed to keep himself from losing it completely. He had missed his son so much that words couldn't describe it. And although he always kidded around about Jazz being his favorite, he loved his son just as much. And he was so relieved to see him home, because he suddenly felt like he was whole again—his family was whole again. Somehow, Danny just filled their house with hope and light. With his return, everything suddenly looked brighter again.

Leaning down, Jack kissed his sleeping son's forehead before he whispered in his ear, "Don't worry, Son. Everything will be just fine."

Jack didn't know why he felt the need to tell his son that, but when a tear escaped one of Danny's eyes, the father had a feeling his son had heard it and had _needed_ to hear it.

"How's Jazz?" Maddie asked.

Pulling away from Danny, Jack smiled in reassurance at his wife and replied, "The doctor's still sayin' she's out of danger. In fact, they did her blood work this morning and her blood cell count is back to normal. They're not dying anymore, Maddie!"

"Oh, Jack!" Maddie exclaimed quietly in happiness before she reached for and then hugged her husband.

"Don't worry, Maddie, this nightmare's done with. Our kids are safe and sound and with us!" Jack said, hugging his wife back.

Maddie nodded and smiled as she let go. And though Jack kept an arm around her, she looked back at her sleeping son, saying, "I could never lose my kids, Jack. They mean the world to me."

"We won't lose em', sweet cheeks! Not now, not ever!" Jack assured her.

Maddie's smile widened. And although it was partly because of her husband's words, she also smiled when her son turned to his side and with a smile, pulled the large puppy lying beside him closer.

TJ just licked his master on the cheek once before cuddling beside him, deciding to take a nap himself.

"It's crazy how that dog is so attached to him when they only spent a few days together, isn't it?" Jack muttered, confused.

Maddie smirked a bit. "Believe me, Jack. It's hard for anyone or anything to forget our son… He's…special."

"A Fenton through and through!" Jack proudly added.

Maddie chuckled a bit, but then sighed and said, "Come on, Jack. Let's go have lunch. Maybe Danny will get up by the time we're done, and then we can all go see Jazz. She's going to be so happy when she finds out her brother's home."

"She sure will! Only one thing can make this day better: Fudge!" Jack proclaimed before all but running out of his son's room.

Maddie just shook her head in amusement and followed behind…

* * *

A few hours had passed when Sam and Tucker, who had safely returned home along with Danielle, had finally been able to stop by Fenton Works.

The duo had had to act surprised and excited to see Danny was home—though the latter emotion wasn't faked. Sam and Tucker really were thrilled and happy to see their half-ghost friend home—where he belonged.

Meanwhile, the two friends' visit had been the best distraction for Danielle to get the speeder and the ghost weapons back into the lab without Danny's parents finding out. All in all, everything had gone about without a hitch.

But although Sam and Tucker—and Danielle—did wait for some time, wanting to talk and hug their friend again, Danny had not woken at all during their visit. So, Sam and Tucker had had no choice but to head back to their own homes. Still, they had let the elder Fentons know they would meet up with them at the hospital later to see Jazz.

It was actually evening by the time the elder Fentons had been able to stir their son awake enough for them to head to the hospital.

But when Danny and his parents made it there, Sam and Tucker had yet to arrive. And Jazz herself was asleep, as she had been for most of the day. Still, the doctor had said it was normal, since her body needed the rest for it to fully recover from the lingering effects of her mysterious illness and her 'close-call'.

Considering the time of day and that they had now been sitting in the hospital room for a good hour, the Fenton family was hungry by now; but none of them wanted to leave Jazz's side, especially Danny.

And yet… although he was there with his sister, Danny was also still having trouble staying awake himself. He was _so_ tired…. Not to mention, his head had been throbbing all day…

In fact, he was so out of it that Danny didn't notice when at last Jazz opened her eyes…

It had been hard at first for her to keep them open, with all the brightness hitting her eyes. But eventually, with a bit of blinking, she was able to adapt to the light and focus her gaze.

Looking around, Jazz realized she was in a hospital room; but then she noticed her parents, who were sitting on some seats beside one another at the far corner of the room.

They instantly smiled at her when they saw she was awake. But then with their eyes, they motioned at something beside her…

Jazz lowered her gaze to the place they had gestured, and what she saw instantly brought back everything that had happened.

Right there, beside her, was her younger brother. He was sitting on a chair he had pulled up next to her bed, and had his head resting on the bed, right next to her arm. He was clearly more asleep than awake, since he had yet to realize she was awake.

Jazz almost cried both out of relief and happiness right then and there; but instead, she quickly looked back at her parents and sent them a silent yet pleading message.

They both immediately got it and they nodded in understanding.

"Danny," Maddie suddenly called as she and Jack stood up.

"Umm?" her son replied, not looking at them.

"We're going to get us all some dinner, alright? We'll be back in a little bit, okay, sweetie?"

Danny nodded without really lifting his head. But as soon as he heard his parents leave, he let out a deep sad sigh. He felt so guilty about everything he had put his family through, especially…his sister.

Grabbing his sister's hand lying motionless beside him, he closed his eyes in sorrow before whispering sadly, "I'm sorry, Jazz… I'm so sorry."

But much to his surprise, he felt his hand suddenly being squeezed and a comforting voice answer back, "Don't be."

Danny's head shot up and his eyes widened when he saw his sister was awake and staring back at him.

"Jazz!" he exclaimed with a bright smile.

But Jazz's sisterly-expression of comfort and warmth remained on her face as she continued with her previous thought, "I know why you did what you did, little brother; so don't be sorry."

Danny's excitement melded into relief and he smiled appreciatively at his sister, feeling like a good chunk of his guilt was suddenly lifted off his shoulders. She wasn't angry or blamed him for all the hurt he had put her through. She… understood.

He felt so relieved that he was suddenly tired again; and with another sigh, he laid his head back down, though he didn't release his sister's hand.

Jazz carefully sat up. She didn't understand what had happened. After all, the last she recalled, she had imagined the worst. No, she _knew_ the worst case scenario had occurred when the nanobots had attacked her body. And yet… here she was. Alive, and according to her doctor, her 'mysterious illness' had vanished. And now her brother was here with her, safe and sound…

It only left her to conclude that her young brother had somehow managed to 'save the day' once again.

She did want to know everything that happened, but she could also see it wasn't the time to bombard her brother with questions—especially when she suddenly noticed something off about her brother.

"Danny…, are you alright? You seem… so drained and exhausted," she stated, a concerned frown on her face.

Danny nodded his head a bit, but didn't raise it. "I'm fine, Jazz. I just have a massive headache," he explained calmly, though he was internally a bit concerned himself with how exhausted he felt. It was late into the next day and he had practically slept through it; yet, he still felt like he hadn't slept in days. And his head… it was pounding; not even the aspirins he took had helped him… He figured it had to do with whatever Niane did to him, but he figured it could be worse. He could have had one of those lingering consequences she had warned him about—not that he had really understood what she had meant by that, either…

Jazz didn't say anything this time, and instead looked thoughtfully at her brother. Although she had already decided to wait for a better time to ask and tell her brother the things she wanted, there was… one thing that she was really tempted to ask him now…

"_Should I ask him about how I could hear his voice in my mind?" _she thought uncertainly, clearly remembering that in spite that she had been unconscious and… dying. But… although yesterday was a blur, she did remember… his voice… and feeling his emotions…

Danny's forehead scrunched as a small jolt of pain unexpectedly shot through his head. And just as suddenly, there was a single question going through his mind.

The teen lifted his head again and looked uncertainly at his sister before blurting out, "You really heard me, Jazz?"

Jazz almost jolted in surprise when her brother asked her exactly what she had just been thinking. But then she stared back at him in confusion and replied, "I… did. I wasn't sure if it was a dream or not, which is why I wasn't sure about asking you or even mentioning it… But now I know it wasn't some dream…. I did… hear you… and you heard me. And then there was how I could feel your… It was so surreal, Danny. How… How did you do that?"

Danny lowered his gaze for a moment as he thought about who had helped him—_just exactly who_ had aided him to save his sister…

It was still hard to believe, and it also made the hidden pain inside him greater…

Looking at his sister again, he finally answered with a sad smile, "I did it with the help of someone who knows just how important it is for a brother to always have his sister with him…"

Jazz didn't understand the comment, let alone did she understand how they had shared such a tangible connection even if it had been only for a brief moment. But she didn't mind not understanding or not knowing for once. She was too happy and touched by her brother's assertion of always needing her.

"Oh, Danny!" she said in an emotional voice, before he leaned forward and grabbed him in a hug. "I really missed you, little brother," she added softly.

Danny, of course, had not hesitated to hug her back, and he smiled in her embrace as he replied, "And I missed you more than you'll ever know. You have no idea, Jazz. And I know you don't want me to be sorry, but I am. I messed up. I was selfish and I hurt you and everyone else I care about because of it."

Pulling away, Danny lowered his gaze and added more sadly, "I know I can't ever take that back, but… I hope I can make it up to you and everyone else. I promise I'll never think about abandoning any of you again. This… This is my home. I belong here."

Jazz squeezed one of her brother's hands and replied, "I'm glad you see that again, Danny. But, it's alright. Don't beat yourself up about this. Everything's alright now… It's over, Danny."

Danny didn't look at his sister as he slowly nodded his head, and agreed with a sad and odd tone of voice, "Yeah… it's over."

But noticing it, Jazz's eyebrows creased in concern again. "Danny…?" she began, only to be interrupted by the sudden knock at the door before it was slowly opened, and two familiar heads poked in.

Danny instantly grinned when he saw it was his friends.

And when they saw him, they quickly exclaimed, "Danny!"

Sam and Tucker ran over to him and hugged him tightly. Danny, of course, eagerly returned it. But then when they at last parted, Sam and Tucker turned their attention to Jazz, and exclaimed how thrilled they were to see she looked so much better and that she would be alright.

Then, without skipping a beat, Danny said to his friends, "My parents told me you guys came by earlier. I'm so glad you both made it back okay!"

"And we're so glad to have you back, dude!" Tucker replied as he raised a hand to his male friend.

Danny chuckled, and as he high-fived Tucker, he replied, "It's good to be back, Tuck!"

But then Danny's gazed at Sam again, who was standing in front of him, smiling warmly.

Standing from his chair, Danny shot her a boyish grin before grabbing one of her hands.

Sam instantly blushed at the way her half-ghost friend was looking at her. It was… so new. She couldn't place it, but it… made her heart flutter.

"Thanks for not giving up on me, Sam," Danny sincerely said, giving her hand a soft squeeze.

Sam blushed even brighter, but replied with a weak smile, "What are friends for, Danny?"

Danny lowered his gaze at their joined hands and quietly replied, "Yeah… friends…"

The truth was, though, that 'friendship' was now the last thing on his mind. One of the things he knew that changed in him in these past months was his feelings for Sam. It was amazing just how much of an eye-opener spending so much time away from someone could be… How… you appreciated them more and… discovered how deep your feelings ran.

He supposed he had yet another thing to thank Vlad for…

_"Even if that were true, Vlad, Sam really isn't my girlfriend… But…"_

_"You would like her to be?" Vlad asked, even though his tone really had a smug edge to it._

_"…I guess you're right," Danny said with a small smile. "I do like her."_

_"Well, I suppose your next step would be to tell her…"_

And Danny would. He had promised himself that he would tell Sam how he really felt. But first, he wanted to make sure she felt the same. And… he wanted to _show_ her he cared.

Yes, eventually, he would tell her.

"Danny?" Sam suddenly asked awkwardly when her friend wouldn't release her hand and he was just gazing thoughtfully at her.

Jazz and Tucker shared a knowing smile before Tucker cleared his throat and said, "So, I guess everything's back to normal, huh?"

Danny at last let go of Sam's hand, but he still was looking at her with that intense expression as he said with a small smile, "Not everything…"

Sam just blushed some more and broke their eye contact. Why did Danny keep looking at her so strangely? It wasn't a bad 'strange', but it made the butterflies in her stomach flutter rapidly…

And also feeling those same butterflies, Danny raised a hand to the back of his neck and said, "Sam… I…"

"Knock-knock."

Danny cringed at the sudden interruption, but in a way he was glad. But when he realized the knock had come from the window and they were several floors up, the teen quickly moved away from his friend and looked out said window.

But there was no one there.

"Danny!"

"Gah!" Danny yelped at the new voice suddenly behind him and he quickly whirled around in time to see Danielle in ghost form lose invisibility.

"Danni!" Danny beamed before he wrapped his arms around his young cousin and hugged her tightly.

"Take it easy, Danny. I can barely breathe!" Danielle joked, though she hugged him back just as tightly.

Sam, Jazz, and Tucker just smirked at the two half-ghosts, but said nothing.

However, as they pulled away, Danny affectionately pushed back Danielle's bangs and asked worriedly, "Are you okay?"

Danni nodded. "Yeah. Worn out, but as soon as I get back to the Ghost Zone, I'll be okay."

Danny smiled sadly this time. "Thanks for everything, Danni. And I'm sorry for being such a jerk before. If there's anything I can do …"

But the young girl cut him off. "Really, Danny, I'll be fine. And, look, don't apologize. I was unfair to you, too. So, let's just forget about it. I'm just glad that you're back where you belong and that everything is normal again."

Danny nodded, his happy grin returning. "Yeah, well, you all can't get rid of me that easily."

Danni giggled.

But Jazz then suddenly asked, "Are you really going back to the Ghost Zone, Danielle? Maybe Danny and I can talk to our parents and somehow…"

"Thanks, Jazz. But I'm not risking Danny's secret, or mine…," Danni interrupted.

But Danny quickly insisted, "Jazz is right. We could think of something that wouldn't expose either of us. And maybe my parents could even…"

But before he could finish, a knock came from the door, and the kids all gasped.

But Sam reacted and she quickly ran to the door and locked it.

"_Danny? Jazz? Why is the door locked? Could you kids open the door?"_ Maddie's voice suddenly asked.

"It's your parents, Danny!" Danielle nervously whispered, but then she shook her head, and said, "Thanks, guys. But like I said, I'll be fine. I better go."

But Danny was still very worried because he knew she was unstable… and he had heard Vlad's threat against Danielle.

Suddenly hugging her again, Danny quickly said, "Then promise me that if you're in any danger, you'll come find me."

Danielle knew what he meant and swallowed hard with her fear. But she still hugged him back and answered, "I promise. But you'll see, you're worried over nothing."

"_Kids!"_ Jack's voice came with a stronger knock.

"Oh, time to go! Bye, Danny! Sam, Tucker, Jazz!" Danielle quickly said, and before anyone could say anything, she turned intangible and flew out of the window and disappeared into the darkening sky.

"Man, she sure knows how to make an exit," Tucker muttered, noticing how dramatic her departure had been.

Danny chuckled. "Yeah, I would know."

But everyone immediately turned toward yet another knock and Sam then unlocked the door.

"Oh, sorry about that," Sam quickly said with a nervous smile as Danny's parents stepped in. "The door was jammed."

"Oh, well that's strange," Maddie replied with a frown. But then she shrugged and smiled. "I see you two made it," she added, though she smiled at her son. She knew firsthand how much Sam and Tucker had missed Danny. It made her very happy to see the three together again.

"And their right on time, too! We bring both food and good news!" Jack exclaimed.

"What is it?" Danny asked with a curious smile.

Jack grinned. "Well, I brought you a big juicy chicken—"

"Jack, I think he's asking about the 'good news', not the food," Maddie interrupted her husband with a small smile.

Jack blinked. "Oh. Well, I was going to get to that, too." He grinned again, this time at his daughter and said, "I ran into the doctor on our way back—and I mean that literally, by the way. And, he said that your last blood test was completely normal. In fact, if tomorrow's tests come out just as good, he's going to let you go home tomorrow!"

"Isn't that great, sweetie?" Maddie added. "We're all going to be together again! And you're going to be just fine!"

All four kids grinned with the news, but then Jazz glanced over at her brother and said, "I guess someone's been watching over me, Mom."

Danny blushed, knowing his sister was referring to him; but a sudden wave of coldness shot down the boy's spine, and he had to cover his mouth to suppress his sudden gasp and hide the cold vapor that exited his mouth.

"Are you okay, Danny?" Maddie asked, confused by her son's odd behavior.

"Uh, yeah," Danny answered nervously as his eyes darted around the room. "I just… forgot I didn't brush my teeth!" he suddenly invented.

And catching on, Jazz reached over at a small hospital drawer beside her bed, and added, "Oh, here. There's an unused toothbrush and paste in here! You should go wash them now!"

"Good idea, Jazz!" Danny agreed and hurriedly moved over to grab the brush and paste from his sister.

Jack blinked, and this time spoke up, "Isn't that something you do in the morning and before bed?"

"Why don't you eat first, Danny?" Maddie suggested.

Danny's ghost sense went off again, and he quickly replied, "Can't! Have to, uh, keep plaque away. I don't want my teeth falling off or… something. Uh, yeah, I'll be back in a bit!"

"And we're going with him!" Sam added. "He might need… help?"

Maddie and Jack blinked, but before they could say anything, the three teens darted out of the room.

"Well, I can't say I missed that," Maddie said dryly, rolling her eyes at the three kids' oddity.

"Ha! Danny didn't even notice there's a bathroom right in this room!" Jack added with a smirk.

Jazz cringed, but then quickly changed the topic and asked her parents, "So, what else did the doctor say?"

* * *

Looking around as he made his way to somewhere more secluded, Danny asked seriously, "You don't happen to have a thermos on you, do you, Tuck?"

"I have one," Sam replied, reaching for her small spider backpack and pulling out said ghost device. Good thing she had kept it in there from when she took it last night to Vlad's place.

As Sam handed over the thermos to Danny, Sam questioned, "Do you want us to come with you, Danny?"

"Naw, I say it's time I take over again," he replied; but then giving her a small smirk, he added, "Some cover would be nice, though."

"Way ahead of you, dude!" Tucker quickly said, pointing to a small storage room, hidden at a far end of a hallway. "Go do your thing, man. We'll be here waiting when you get back," he added with an encouraging smile.

"And call us if it's anything serious," Sam added with one of her worried yet stern looks.

Danny smiled back at them and nodded. He had almost forgotten how much he missed this—their support and help.

"Thanks, guys," he then said before he quickly went into the storage room and closed it after him.

Alone in the small closet, Danny sighed quietly and closed his eyes as that lingering sadness clenched at his heart again. But with another sigh, he pushed it away, and opened his eyes with newfound determination before he announced confidently, "I'm going ghost!"

The white rings instantly appeared at his waist and transformed him into Danny Phantom. And without any hesitation this time, he turned intangible and flew out of the hospital, soaring high into the sky. He was still very tired and his head was still hurting, but he had a job to do, one he had left unattended for too long.

It was definitely time to fix that.

But as Danny searched for the ghoul that had triggered his ghost sense, the teen took in a deep breath of the air around him that was purely Amity Park. And yet, it was because he had grown so use to that _other kind of air_—that fresh untainted air of the country in Wisconsin—that he could now tell the difference.

It was a bittersweet realization. It unwillingly reminded him of what he lost, but… it made him further realize just how much he had missed his town—_his home._

Danny's thoughts were suddenly interrupted when his ghost sense triggered again and this time he caught sight of who had triggered it.

It was the Box Ghost looking through some cardboard boxes in an alley.

A mischievous smirk curled the Ghost Boy's lips before he turned invisible and flew down. This was going to be good.

Coming up behind the distracted ghost, Danny regained visibility and said in a half-singing, half-mocking voice, "Oh, Box Ghost. _Guess who?"_

The pudgy ghost yelped in surprise and spun around, only to jolt and exclaim in further alarm, "You!" But quickly composing himself, the Box Ghost puffed up his chest and began to proclaim, "I am the BOX GHOST—"

Danny blasted the ghost with a weak energy beam, cutting off his rant before he could really start. But then with a chuckle, he pulled out the ghost thermos.

"No! Not the cylindrical container!" the Box Ghost instantly exclaimed in fear, and tried to flee.

But Danny quickly moved forward and grabbed the ghost by his suspenders and yanked him closer. Narrowing his eyes and smiling almost wickedly, the teen then said, "I heard you and the other ghosts around here have been trying to do whatever you all want lately. So, I'll make a deal with you, _Box Brain_. I'll let you go this time _if_ you get back into the Ghost Zone in the next minute. I want you to spread the word through the Ghost Zone that 'Danny Phantom' is back." Then shaking the device in his other hand to emphasize his point, he seriously added, "And if anyone comes to mess with my town, they are going to have a run in with me and get a one way ticket inside this thermos!"

"I will deliver your message, my unvanquished foe!" the Box Ghost replied in his usual loud voice as he turned intangible and escaped Danny's hold. "But I will be back and I will have my REVENGE!" he added before quickly flying off.

Danny chuckled as he watched the ghost disappear into the evening sky. He knew if anyone could spread gossip, it was the Box Ghost. Now that he understood a bit more about how ghosts thought and how they believed in a 'pecking order' and establishing 'territories', he was going to make sure that everyone knew that he was back and that he wasn't going to let anyone come cause trouble in _his_ town.

"And it seems I'm gonna have to put a bit more emphasis on that sooner than I thought," Danny suddenly added with a frown when his ghost sense went off yet again and he caught sight of two large ghost cats leaping across the sky.

But what he saw next surprised him even more…

A couple of green energy blasts hit the cats dead on and they yowled before they flew off even faster.

"I got you both now!" a third, very familiar ghost proclaimed as he shot after the fleeing cats.

"Skulker?" Danny whispered in surprise before his eyebrows creased in a mixture of emotions.

But knowing he had to confront the ghosts, especially when they were threatening to cause property damage, Danny quickly shot back up and took off after them.

He soon spotted them on top of a tall building, just as Skulker was about to capture the two large ghost cats in a cage.

"Hey, Skulker!" Danny suddenly called out, crossing his arms as he hovered a few feet off the ground.

The hunter jolted and quickly spun around, only for his eyes to go wide at the sight of the Ghost Boy just a yard away from him.

"Whelp?" Skulker whispered in disbelief, barely noticing the two ghost cats quickly use his distraction to escape.

Danny briefly glanced at the two animal ghosts just as they disappeared from his sight. But then he shrugged casually back at Skulker before asking with a cocky grin. "Miss me?"

Skulker's disbelief slowly melded away into some other unreadable expression, which was then soon replaced by an evil grin as he said mostly to himself, "…You are back."

"And here to stay!" Danny quirked. But then he narrowed his eyes in challenge and charged his hands with green energy.

Skulker chuckled, amusement and… happiness in his voice.

"Excellent….," the ghost replied before he smirked and added, "In fact, just because I am exceptionally glad to see you here, I am going to hold off our _pending_ hunt—you, of course, being who I will be hunting. For now, though, I am going to grant you a few days head start…"

Danny laughed as the energy in his hands vanished. "How considerate of you, Skulker… In fact, I think I'll consider _not_ kicking your butt tonight…" The teen suddenly grinned smugly and quickly pulled out the thermos he had been hiding and added, "Instead, I'll just use this…"

Skulker gasped, but before he could even do anything else, Danny activated the thermos and sucked in the hunter into the trap.

Danny grinned at the small protesting voice coming from inside the thermos before he muted it by capping the device. "That definitely made a nice 'welcome home' gift," the teen quipped with another chuckle.

But as he strapped the thermos back on his hip, he sobered up a bit as turned his attention in the direction the ghost cats had fled.

"I guess I'll have to finish Skulker's job for him. Well, minus the skinning and beheading part," the Ghost Boy muttered with a small smile.

He quickly flew back up into the sky, hoping to get a wider view of the streets below. Surely those ghost cats couldn't have gotten too far.

But just as he was about to scout the area, a small sparkle caught the corner of his eye. The smile and lighthearted expression on his face melded away and a flicker of sorrow passed through his eyes as he stared at the appearance of the first star in the sky.

_"I have never seen anyone look at the sky like you do, Daniel…"_

Danny looked away from the star and frowned at the memories whirling around in his mind. He didn't want to acknowledge what happened with Vlad just yet. It had been hard enough to have done what he did. It was hard enough to accept that he had messed up. And it was hard to know that the same person he had not meant to hurt had _purposely_ tried to hurt him in one of the worst ways possible…

The emotions that came with even thinking of Vlad were so strong and so many that it was hard to cling to any of them, let alone figure out which was stronger.

In time, Danny knew he would be alright. But… he didn't know if he'd be able to ever look at the stars in the same way again—not after sharing his love and passion for them with his arch-enemy… Not when he knew that his only real chance at fulfilling his future dreams had been forever lost back in Wisconsin.

Danny looked back at the single star—Polaris. He supposed that it was fair, though. A fair… punishment. But even his lost dreams didn't matter as much as the other thing he lost—because the other thing he lost made his core and heart burn with emptiness.

But again, it was the price he had to pay to be who he was—to find out and understand at last exactly _who he was._ And he knew he would probably mess up again along the way, but he was confident now. He was sure of himself and of his powers. And with it, he would always fight to do what was right—to do what he was meant to do.

He had a special gift: his powers. And even if no one would ever know about all he did, he would always use his powers for good, protecting the whole world if he needed to. But for now, he would use them here, to protect his town and home.

He was both Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom here. And _here_, is where _he_ _belonged_.

With a sigh of acceptance, the sadness in Danny's eyes vanished and they filled again with determination and confidence as he flew off through Amity's night sky…

* * *

Stephanie sat in her room, eyes red and puffy from crying so much. She wore a black dress with her hair up in Chinese pins, and her face pale and grieved.

She still couldn't believe it. It was unimaginable and incomprehensible.

Just two days ago, she had been at school with her best friend, both making plans to go to the mall together.

They were going to go buy Vlad a birthday gift.

And now, their plans had been completely shattered. There would be no trip to the mall. Or, further plans for the double birthday a week from today.

Her best friend… her boyfriend's twin sister…

She was gone.

More tears welled within Stephanie and they fell down her face, her eyes fixed on the picture on her dresser of herself, Vlad, and… Viviane…

Viviane had supposedly gone out with her father late evening to perhaps buy something, and on their way back home… a large semi-truck had ended up on the wrong side of the road… and had taken both their lives.

When Mrs. Masters had called Stephanie's mother to tell her the news, the sixteen-year-old Stephanie was shell-shocked. She had refused to believe it, and had hurriedly dialed her boyfriend's number…

But no matter how many times she had called in the past two days, he never once picked up the phone.

Stephanie had known then that it was true…

She had never cried so hard and felt so much grief in her young life. Viviane had been like her sister—_was_ her sister after all these years.

But then, what hurt just as equally was imagining Vlad's pain. The twin siblings had been inseparable. Even at school, where brothers and sisters tended to act like they didn't know each other, Vlad and Viviane would always be found together; and when they were not, one could ask either sibling where the other was and they could tell you right away.

Vlad had to be devastated, especially when he had not just lost his sister but also his father at the same instant—and so suddenly. His close family had now been split down the middle…

Stephanie felt desperate, among heartbroken. Vlad wouldn't talk to her! She wanted to see and talk to him so badly right now—to grieve with him and comfort him. Surely it would be easier to bear this together, right?

"Stephanie?"

The teenage girl finally turned her green eyes over to the soft and sad voice. It was her mother at her door.

"_B__ǎ__o__b__ǎ__o…_ It's time to go…"

Stephanie's throat constricted, but she still stood up and followed her mom out.

It felt like an eternity and yet it also felt too soon when she and her parents arrived at the funeral.

Since the cause of death was already known, the arrangements for the funeral and burial had been quick. And it would all be done on the same day—as Mrs. Masters had decided.

Stephanie supposed she also wouldn't want to drag out this agony longer than necessary—though the girl was sure the pain in her heart and everyone's heart would never truly go away…

Stephanie only briefly glanced at the two caskets and the pictures of the deceased, all decorated with flowers and even stuffed animals closest to Viviane's casket.

But Stephanie couldn't bear to get close right now—not that there was much more to see since the caskets were closed.

Right now, she just wanted to find Vlad!

But as she searched and searched the room full of people, she couldn't find even a trace of her boyfriend. She did see his mother, but she was sitting on a chair with people hovering over her.

It would be impossible to talk to her right now.

Eventually, the ceremony started and it wasn't until then that Stephanie finally saw the person she had been both dreading and anxious to see. But by then, she had been seated and forced to wait until after the ceremony.

But she had kept her eyes on her boyfriend the whole time. He had gone up like a good and responsible brother and son, and had given a beautiful speech about his loved ones. Yet, his voice and eyes had been distant, as if even when his mouth had been moving, he had not really been there.

It troubled Stephanie, especially when he looked like a ghost with his pale completion and sunken and glazed eyes.

Even when, just for the briefest moment, Vlad had at last looked at her, there had been nothing in his expression. And her heart nearly broke again when he had only briefly paused in his speech, before he looked away and avoided her gaze for the rest of the ceremony…

Unfortunately, once he had finished speaking, her boyfriend had vanished again…

She did not see him again until they were at the cemetery.

But it was there, beside Viviane's now buried body, that Stephanie had at last gotten her chance to get close to her boyfriend and speak to him…

Everyone was mostly gone by now, or they were a bit further off, comforting Mrs. Masters who was crying quite loudly.

Yet, all her boyfriend did was stare—just stare at the tombstone of his sister and father's graves.

"Vlad…?" Stephanie whispered, as she slowly approached him, her eyes already glazed with tears again.

Her boyfriend slowly raised his dimmed blue eyes to meet hers, but he said nothing.

Stephanie swallowed before she extended her hands and gripped his own as she choked out, "I'm so sorry."

Vlad looked down at the hands holding his before he slowly pulled his away and crossed his arms. "Yeah… everyone keeps saying that," he then muttered, his gaze going back to the graves.

Stephanie's eyebrows creased, unsure of what to think of her boyfriend's overly calm, though sober, demeanor.

"I-I've been trying to call you and I even went to your house a few times, but you… Vlad, you know Annie was like a sister to me. I'm hurting as much as you."

She moved closer and grabbed his arms this time to force him to uncross them. "Vlad…, I'm worried about you," she admitted, placing a hand against his face.

But although he didn't pull away this time, her boyfriend just continued to stare at the graves. There was a brief silence before Vlad's eyes weakly narrowed with pain and anger as he said with the same emotions, "It's… It's not fair, Stephanie. Why? Why her? Why _them_? I… What did my mother and I do to deserve this?"

"Vlad, sometimes bad things happen," Stephanie replied softly; but then she sighed and added, "Everything looks the worst now, but you both will get through this. Annie and your father would want you to keep going, Vlad. And… you still have me. I'm not going anywhere."

Her boyfriend finally looked at her, but as if the pain suddenly became too much, Vlad abruptly pulled her in his arms and just began to weep into her shoulder. It startled the girl greatly because she had not seen her boyfriend show an ounce of real emotion through the entire funeral.

But hearing him so broken broke her as well and she couldn't hold back her own sobs. She felt bad because she knew she was supposed to try to comfort him; but it just hurt so much.

"She wasn't supposed to leave me, Stephanie!" her boyfriend raggedly whispered against her shoulder. "Annie was supposed to grow up with us. Her and our father were suppose to be there when we graduated. Now… Now… I feel this hole in my chest. And it hurts so much. I don't know what I'm going to do, and my mother… My poor mother!"

"It's going to be okay, Vlad. I don't know h-how, but it's gonna be fine. We'll get through this together," Stephanie replied through her own sobs.

But Vlad suddenly shook his head, and pulled away from her, quickly wiping his eyes.

"No… I-I can't do this," he shakily replied. But as he continued to wipe his eyes, he looked back at the graves of his father and sister and shook his head again. "I'm sorry, Stephanie. But… But I can't. I can't bear this. And you…"

Vlad looked back at her and eyes quickly filled with tears again before he whispered, "And you make it worse…"

Stephanie's eyebrows creased in confusion; but before she could ask what he meant, her boyfriend suddenly turned on his heels and began to hastily walk off.

The girl gasped before quickly saying, "Vlad, wait!"

But when she tried to follow him, he quickly looked back at her and raised a hand to stop her. "Don't follow me!"

"_B__ǎ__o__b__ǎ__o_, please," she pleaded. "I know your upset, but let me…"

Vlad closed his eyes suddenly, and the girl trailed off in deep concern, especially when she heard him say mostly to himself, "I need to get out of here. I need to get away from all this. I can't handle this..."

But opening his teary eyes, Vlad soberly said, "It-It's over, Stephanie. It's over between us. Just… leave me alone."

Stephanie's eyes widened, and she was too stunned with his words to even do anything when he turned back around and continued towards his mother's direction.

But suddenly coming to, Stephanie quickly ran after him, catching up to him just as he was telling his mother he would wait for her in the car.

"Vlad!" Stephanie called after him, not caring that everyone, including Mrs. Masters, had noticed.

But Vlad weakly glared at her before he walked off again.

This time, however, Stephanie caught up to him right away, and grabbed one of his arms, forcing him to stop.

"Vlad, I'm begging you," Stephanie whispered. "If you want to cut it off, fine. I get it. But… let me help you. Let me be with you. Vlad, I love you."

The hard expression in the boy's face faded and he looked at her with utter sorrow.

"… You can't help me," Vlad quietly told her after a brief silence. "I-I just want to forget, Steph. I want… I need to find a way to escape this, and… I can't do that with you near me. Don't you get it? Loving you _hurts_. So, please, leave me be. Don't look for me. I don't want to see you again… I-I don't want to see _any_ of this again," he added, glancing at the cemetery before turning and leaving.

This time, Stephanie didn't follow him. She finally understood why her… ex-boyfriend had not been answering her calls, or wanting to see her, and had just broken it all off now…

She reminded him of Annie. And she could see he couldn't handle the pain… so he was trying to flee from it.

But… she couldn't let him do that because it wasn't going to help him. Nevertheless, she understood she needed to give him some space now, surely he'd come around after he calmed down… right?

Stephanie stared after Vlad for a moment, watching him disappear inside his mother's car. But then she turned around and returned to her best friend's grave.

She stared at it for a long moment before the pain was too much and she dropped to her knees in front of the tomb.

"Annie," she wept into her hands.

She was so distraught that she did not see the atmosphere around her fill with a red smoke rising off the grave in front of her.

But she clearly heard the soft yet sudden voice echo around her.

"Stephanie…, don't cry."

Stephanie gasped and scrambled to her feet as she turned looking for the voice, only to jolt when she found herself no longer a teenage girl, but now in reality and in the present time—as an adult. She briefly glanced at the tomb which was now behind her before her eyes darted to the figure that just as suddenly appeared in front of her.

"Oh my gosh… Annie?" Stephanie whispered as she stared at Vlad's deceased sister. She looked just like she remembered her, except for the glimmering white dress she wore, which she had never seen on her.

Viviane smiled softly. "Don't cry, Steph. I miss you, too. But… you know I have never truly left you… or Vlad."

Stephanie's eyes widened a bit, as she said in a wary tone of voice, "This can't be… Is… Is this a dream?"

Vivianne glanced around before looking back at her friend and lightly shrugging. "For the most part, yes. You are asleep, dreaming… I'm sorry for interrupting it… I just… I needed to talk to you, Steph."

"About Vlad?" Stephanie quietly asked.

Viviane nodded sadly. "I am afraid for him. My brother has never been able to cope well with grief, as you know… It's the only time he tends to do things without thinking. And they are usually drastic and dangerous choices. I fear where that could lead him…"

Stephanie glanced around at the cemetery once more, noticing everyone that had once been there was now gone. She still couldn't believe this was happening. If she wasn't so sure it was a dream, she would have definitely freaked out.

"Stephanie," Viviane called to her, getting her attention. "Please, I need you to listen. We do not have much time."

"Annie…," Stephanie said with a deep sigh, finally accepting this odd, yet vivid dream. "Vlad is going down a path I cannot follow… I have a daughter now."

"Yes, I know," the girl replied with a warm smile. "She has your eyes."

Stephanie didn't know what to say to that. It was hard enough to believe she was actually talking to her deceased best friend, let alone that she seemed to know all about her life.

The Chinese woman lowered her gaze as she returned to their real topic, "I've tried so hard to keep my promise to you…"

"Yes, that you would never abandon my brother. I heard you," Annie affirmed calmly.

"But… I feel like I'm fighting against an impossible current, Annie. He won't let me help him. He barely lets me near him. And now, with the boy… Vlad has changed. I feel like I barely know him anymore."

"He's lost," Viviane said with a sad sigh. "I wish I could say you are wrong, Stephanie. But you are right. And… I can already see that things are going to get worse before they get better… but, you must have faith. The boy, Danny, he will help him find his way again. I know it."

But Stephanie shook her head. "How, Annie? All Daniel's presence has done has been to make matters worse."

"The boy's presence has helped you discover the truth. It was necessary so that you understand just how much my brother needs you," Viviane replied.

"He says he needs Maddie and Danny," Stephanie replied sadly.

"I know my brother more than you truly understand," Annie assured her. "He needs someone to believe in him—someone who will not abandon him. Maddie cannot give him what he needs, Stephanie. As for the boy… well, they have yet to comprehend the bond that ties them, and there are so many things between them that must be eliminated first before they can truly understand… So, until then, you are all he has."

"My daughter…," Stephanie began.

But Viviane suddenly grabbed her hands and desperately pleaded, "Please, Steph. Don't break your promise. I-I know it's hard, and perhaps I am being unfair to you, but I need to know there will always be someone to keep him rooted. Otherwise, he could lose himself forever! I just know that eventually, he'll find his way again—that he'll be the 'Vlad' we once knew. We just have to believe it, Stephanie. And stay with him…. I'm begging you, don't give up on him. Don't give up on my brother, _please_."

"Annie…," Stephanie whispered sorrowfully.

But before she could say anything else, Viviane let go of her hands and quietly said, "Your daughter is coming… Good-bye, my dearest friend…"

"Wait. Viviane!" Stephanie exclaimed in alarm, but in a puff of red smoke the girl was gone and it suddenly began to rain in her dream… just like it had rained that tragic day…

"Mom? Mom!"

Stephanie jolted awake before she sat up on her bed and looked around frantically.

Annabelle gasped but then quickly grabbed her mother's face and asked, "Mom, what's wrong?"

Stephanie stared wide-eyed at her daughter for a moment before whispering, "Annie… She…"

Her daughter's eyebrows creased in confusion, but before she could say anything, her mother placed a hand against her mouth and choked back a sob.

"Mom? You're scaring me! It's like three in the morning and you were crying in your sleep and now you're freaking out? What's going on?" Annabelle asked.

But Stephanie just shook her head before grabbing her daughter and hugging her. "Oh, Annie!" she whimpered before she began to cry.

Annabelle had no idea what had gotten her mom so upset, but she decided not to ask and instead just comforted her mother.

But when Annabelle briefly glanced behind her mother, she almost startled when she could have sworn she saw a pair of red eyes looking at her in the darkness of the room. But in a blink of an eye, they were gone.

Annabelle frowned, but then focused back on her mother and rubbed her back, hoping she would calm down soon so they could talk it out. At least, she hoped her mom would tell her what was going on…

"It's okay, Mom," Annie whispered sadly. "Everything will be okay…"

But Stephanie just cried harder.

* * *

**Aww, poor Stephanie. She really is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Tsk. **

**Well, I hope you are all liking the tie-ins with the show. You'll see more of them in these last chapters. *winks***

**Until next time! And for those reading DoaS, no, I haven't given up on it. I just want to get done with CM. So, be patient with me. And sorry for the long wait.**

**Ta for now!**


	82. Chapter 81: The Road Ahead

**Vlad muse: My dearest Pearl, you really need to step up your game. Honestly, you take too long to update. You are disappointing your readers…**

**Pearl: *pouts* Hey, my life doesn't revolve around writing stories, unlike you, Vlad muse!**

**Vlad muse: Well, then, why do you not just let me take over? I'll write for you….**

**Pearl: No way! You'll just kill everyone! I don't think so.**

**Vlad muse: *grins evilly* What's a few deaths? Don't you know tragedy brings people together, hmm?**

**Pearl: Dude, you are crazy. Enough of your crazy ideas. And stop complaining, you had plenty to say in this chapter and this whole story at that. So, stop freaking out our poor readers.**

**Vlad muse: *still grinning evily* Nonsense, they have nothing to be afraid of. I will not… harm them… Just, manipulate their minds a bit. Perfectly harmless. I do it all the time to you and you are just fine.**

**Pearl: Wha…?**

**Vlad muse: Ahem. Enough of this blathering. Let's return to the matter at hand, shall we? **

**Disclaimer: Pearl and I do not own Danny Phantom. But the 'other characters' and this plot are our own. Yes, I own them. That said… *chuckles* You kids have fun…**

* * *

**Chapter 81: The Road Ahead**

* * *

Two days later, Vlad was in his secret lab. It had taken a lot of time, but he had managed to make it _somewhat_ usable again. But the fact of the matter was that the explosion from the mainframe controlling the nanobots had completely destroyed the entire central processing unit and other systems. He would have to pretty much redo his entire private lab.

And yet, that was probably for the best. In fact, it had reminded him of something he had been meaning to do for a while now and had put it on hold with… everything that had occurred in the past months.

He figured now was the perfect time to do what he had already planned and had in mind:

He was about to renovate his entire castle.

In just these few days, he had already hired the companies necessary to 'upgrade' his home. And since it was such a big project and he was changing so much, it would take at least a month. Of course, he would have to add his more personal touches, and more importantly, do his private lab himself.

Actually, that's exactly what he was working on now. He was drawing the layout for his new laboratory. Yes, he would keep his other smaller lab on the second floor for everyday use. But the lab he had in mind would be perfect for his more… secretive works.

He would make it impenetrable and undetectable; and he was going to redefine the word 'secret' by placing it in a place no one would think to look:

Underground.

"This will very likely take me as long to construct as it will take the remodeling company to renovate my castle. But in the end, it will be worth it…," Vlad said to himself.

Vlad smirked. Yes, his subterranean lab would be his best one yet. And he planned to make it his biggest yet. It would connect all the way to that cave in the forest he had been keeping an eye on for so long…

The smirk on his face suddenly vanished and was replaced by a sober frown as his last thought unwillingly triggered an unwanted memory…

_"Wow! This is amazing!" Danny gasped out as he stood on a steep slope and looked below. The bright moonlight made it easy for him to see the white cascades falling into the raging river several feet below._

_Vlad chuckled at the boy's awe as he finished tying the horses at a nearby tree. "Indeed. This was one of the main reasons I bought this property. There is a lot of natural beauty. In fact, a couple of miles from here, there's even an abandoned bat cave. But I'll have to show you that another day…" _

Vlad paused in his work and just stared down at his lab's blueprint. In spite of all the work in which he had submersed himself in the past two days, it still wasn't enough to push out of his mind a certain half-ghost teenager and everything that they shared in these past months.

But it wasn't just what happened with the boy that wouldn't leave him alone, but… something he discovered just yesterday as he had been inspecting the damage in his secret lab from his fight with Daniel.

Lowering the ruler and pencil on the bench for a moment, the billionaire moved over to his ghostly storage compartment.

He pulled it open and inside was a clear box holding the Order's Crystal… Except, it was different.

The claw-shaped base that once held the egg-like crystal in its grip was now wide opened—it had released the 'egg'. And yet… the oddest thing was the crystal itself. It… was broken in half. In two perfect pieces; right down the middle. The once glowing gold energy inside it was also gone. And the once clear crystal was pulsing with another kind of energy. One of the pieces was now a bright red. And the other… a bright green.

Vlad didn't understand it. He had at first wondered if the explosion had perhaps reached the Ancient relic and broken it. But that didn't explain all the other changes. And what troubled him was that he had not read anything in any of his books about… _this_.

Why had it split in two? Why was it glowing two colors? And why did the claw release the crystal? It was all very bizarre…

But what was most bizarre was what would happen whenever he would touch it.

Vlad carefully grabbed the clear box and took the relic to an unoccupied lab table. He then pressed a single button on top of the box and it quickly opened up and then flattened on the table, the crystal and opened claw on top of the clear flat box. With a bit of hesitation, the older hybrid reached out to the red piece of the crystal before grabbing it. But at that instant, the crystal glowed an even brighter red before it suddenly dissolved into a fine red dust, which seeped between his human fingers and fell back onto the storage shelf.

Vlad released the rest of the red ashes and watched as the red mound on the table, instantly reformed back into the red glowing crystal piece.

Though Vlad was currently human, even when he was in ghost form he had already confirmed that he could not touch the red piece of the crystal without it turning to dust.

Then… there was the green piece…

This time, Vlad turned into Plasmius, since he already knew what would happen in both his forms, and he was better… suited for it in his ghost form.

Vlad extended a gloved hand at the green piece which was leaning loosely against the open claw that once held it. But this time, he only grazed the top of it with his fingers, only for a sizzling sound and a blue vapor to begin to rise out of the crystal.

Plasmius instantly retracted his hand before looking at his fingers. Like he had just put them in a fire, the crystal had singed his glove. He could not even touch this piece of the crystal without it burning him; but it wasn't because it was hot, but because it was so cold that it literally burned.

The oddest thing was that it only reacted like that _with him._ He had been so surprised by the Order Crystal's changes that he had called in Carl and asked him to grab the crystal pieces.

Although terrified, his ghostly servant had done so and it did nothing to him. In fact, it didn't even react. Vlad had also used a clamp to grab the green and red crystals and they also didn't react like they did to _his_ _physical_ touch.

Vlad could only guess it had to be some strange safeguard the crystal had. It somehow sensed that the two that had claimed it were now no longer allied, and so it had broken in two, just like its new masters were…

Vlad could not even physically touch the crystal without Daniel.

It was useless to him.

And that only further left a bitter taste in the older hybrid's mouth. In fact, it bothered him so much that Vlad had barely put any interest in the crystal. He hated how it was the embodiment of his now broken relationship with the younger half-ghost.

Lightly glaring at the Ancient relic, Vlad pressed the button on the flat box and watched as it quickly incased the broken Order's Crystal. He didn't even bother to put it away and just headed back to his work bench and blueprint. He didn't have time right now to be worrying about some bizarre and now worthless crystal. He had more important things to do. He would decide what to do with that thing later…

However, Vlad had only just picked up his pencil when a loud ring caught his sensitive hearing and he readily paused and frowned in confusion. Who was at the door? The remodeling company wasn't scheduled to start for another two days, since he had to hire more people to move his things into storage first. Not to mention, he needed to clear his ghostly staff out.

"_Sir?"_

Vlad glanced over at his intercom, instantly recognizing Derek's voice. Now even more curious, knowing his ghostly butler would not interrupt him unless it was important, he floated over to the speaker and pressed the button.

"Yes, Derek. Who is it?" Vlad asked seriously.

"_Sir… Ms. Hui is here to see you. I know you said you wanted no interruptions, but… she says it's important, Mr. Masters…"_

Vlad had barely heard Derek. He was actually frozen in surprise; but that didn't last long and his eyebrows creased with a whirl of emotions.

"Stephanie…?" he muttered to himself. Why was she here? The last time he saw her, she pretty much told him she didn't want to be anywhere near him and that he was a threat to her and her daughter… So what did she want? Not to mention, he had…

Vlad frowned, quickly squashing the memory before it could surface. He hesitated for a second or two before pressing the talk button and soberly ordering Derek. "See her in, Derek. And… tell her to come up to my private study."

"Yes, sir."

Vlad stared at the intercom for another moment before he sighed and floated away from it. As he headed for his lab's stairs, he turned human again and walked up the steps. He then closed off his secret lab and walked over to his desk.

Sitting down, he pulled out a large brown sealed envelope and a small sealed white one. Ironically, he had planned to mail both envelopes to his ex-secretary; but he supposed he could now just give them to her in person…

While he waited for Stephanie to arrive, he turned his attention to the large stack of papers on his desk. He briefly read over one of them with a deep frown on his face, but did nothing else.

Finally, there was a knock on his office door…

Vlad turned his eyes on the door before he calmly said, "Come in, Stephanie."

The Chinese woman slowly walked in and closed the door behind her. For a moment, she just stared silently back at her friend. But when Vlad said nothing, she knew she had to say something.

"Vlad…, I need to talk with you about… our argument a few days ago…," she said hesitantly.

Vlad regarded her for another second or two before he calmly rested his hands on his desk and interlaced his fingers. "What about it, Stephanie? I think we both said everything we needed to say. And, besides, you are right. It's best for you and your daughter to stay away. I understand."

Stephanie looked away, but then she took a few tentative steps forward before saying, "I care about you, Vlad. And… my daughter loves you. And…" She looked away again as she continued, "I was thinking about everything last night, and… I was thinking about your sister. The least I could do for her is watch over you."

Vlad's face tightened as he answered coldly, "I am not a child, Stephanie. I do not need anyone watching over me. And who cares what my sister wants. She's dead."

Stephanie froze as she stared back at her friend in shock. She had never heard him say anything so disrespectful about his sister!

"Vlad…, you don't mean that."

Vlad scoffed in bitter amusement as he stood up from his desk and walked closer to his friend. "You know what your biggest mistake is, Stephanie?"

The woman didn't say anything to him.

But Vlad didn't care and answered for her, "You still believe I am that young man you grew up with. You still believe I am that person you called 'your boyfriend' in high school." He ignored his friend's blush at that statement and further said, "You still think I am Viviane's caring and innocent twin brother."

Vlad suddenly moved even closer, so much that he was inches from her face as he told her almost darkly, "I stop being all that a long time ago. In fact, Stephanie. You don't know me _at all_."

Stephanie's eyebrows creased before she lifted a hand to touch her friend's face, only for the man to grab her wrist to stop her. She gasped quietly before she fearfully asked, "What's wrong with you, Vlad? Why… Why are you acting like… this?"

Vlad let go of her wrist and took a step back from the woman. "There's nothing wrong with me," he replied seriously. "In fact, for the first time in a long time I am seeing things as they are."

Stephanie opened her mouth, but she couldn't even think of what to say. But then, she had a sudden thought and she asked quietly, "Where is Daniel? I asked Derek when I got here, but he wouldn't…"

Stephanie trailed off as she saw something in her friend's expression change with the mention of the teenager.

But before she could figure out what it was, Vlad turned from her. And as he moved to his seat, he coolly answered, "Do not worry about the boy, Stephanie. He is back where he belongs. You don't have to worry about _that_ anymore…"

The Chinese woman's eyes widened in surprise, but then she readily frowned. Something had happened between her friend and Daniel. Something bad—otherwise, why else would he be acting so… cold?

Stephanie sighed deeply. She had known all this would end badly. But telling Vlad 'I told you so' was the last thing on her mind. Now, she was even more worried than she had been after that… dream. In fact, her dream had scared her so much that she had not gone to sleep after it. Thing was that she was convinced it was more than a dream. She didn't know how it was possible, but she was being warned of something—and she had a feeling that that 'something' meant something bad for Vlad.

And she was scared, but mainly for her friend. It had led her to realize that Viviane was right. Vlad needed her. She was the only thing that remained of the man's past. She was the only one who could keep him rooted—keep him human.

But now, she was feeling even more worried. Something had changed in her friend, and she did not like it one bit.

And yet, that made her even more determined to stay at his side.

"Vlad, I thought about it. I'm not going to quit," Stephanie said with another sigh. "Our work relationship has nothing to do with our personal one. And, besides, with Daniel gone, everything can go back to before. You were fine before, and you'll be fine now."

Vlad, who had gone back to inspecting the papers on his desk, paused and looked back up at his friend when he heard her words.

"I will be fine," he agreed, "but… things will never be the same. I do not _want_ them to be the same. In fact," He glanced down at the stack of papers on his desk. "I am taking an 'active' approach to make sure of it. And that means it is most unfortunate that you are not resigning from Dalv. You see, that then leaves me with no other choice…"

Vlad suddenly stood back up and told the woman with complete seriousness, "If you are not quitting, then you are as of today dismissed."

Stephanie's green eyes widened and she whispered out in complete disbelief, "You… You're _firing_ me?"

"Correct," Vlad answered without an ounce of hesitation.

Stephanie looked lost at first, but then she shook her head and suddenly glared at her friend. "What has gotten into you? You can't fire me!" she exclaimed. "That… That wouldn't even be legal!"

"Fine, then I will lay you off," Vlad replied, crossing his arms. "Either way, you no longer work for me."

Stephanie just stared at him, but then her eyes began to glow with unshed tears and she said, "W-Why are you pushing me away? Vlad, I'm your friend. I'm your only _real_ friend."

This time, Vlad uncrossed his arms and looked away. He didn't want her to see how much it hurt him to do this, but it needed to be done. It was for her and her daughter's own good.

"You are not hearing me, Stephanie…" He looked back at her and seriously uttered, "I am not your friend. I stopped being _your friend_ a long time ago. You don't know me, and if you did, I can assure you, you would not want to be anywhere near me."

"Why?" she asked bitterly. "Because you've done bad things? After I found out you did something as bad as practically kidnap Daniel, nothing else would surprise me, Vlad. But I don't care what you've done. You can _still_ fix your mistakes. Can't you understand? I will always care for you, and you will always be my friend, no matter what you say. It might sound childish, but it is true. And-And you can fire me if you want, but I-I am not letting you push me away—not this time!"

Vlad's eyes suddenly flashed red and he moved away from his desk and approached the woman again as he angrily told her, "I do not need to make you stay away—I can make you _want_ to stay away."

Stephanie took a few steps back at the threatening posture with which the man was approaching her; and for a moment, she felt like she **didn't** know him. But then she quickly got a hold of herself and planted her feet firmly on the ground, even when her friend loomed over her.

"I am not afraid of you, Vlad. I _know_ you," she assured him seriously.

Vlad stared coldly at her for a few long seconds before he did something unexpected:

He turned into Plasmius.

Stephanie jolted. With his close proximity, the brightness of his energy rings had startled her and the feel of them had raised the hairs on her arms on end. She had only seen her friend's ghost side a few times, but he was usually very hesitant to even show himself like this to her. And that's why his sudden forcefulness and lack of hesitation to reveal himself like this right now to her greatly alarmed her.

And now he was suddenly trying to intimidate her.

Stephanie shivered even more when Vlad suddenly grabbed her chin with his cold hand and whispered darkly to her. "You _should_ be afraid of me. You have _no idea_ exactly who you are speaking with right now. But if you will not take my word for it, then I am going to give you proof of why you do not know me…."

He moved his face even closer to her and bore his red eyes into her green ones as he further said, "All you know is Vlad Masters. The renowned and respected billionaire of Wisconsin. Well, let me now introduce you to _Vlad Plasmius._ Silly woman, you yourself were astounded by how quickly I became so rich; and that's because you so foolishly believe I am a 'good and honorable man'. Oh, far from it. It was simple, Stephanie. All I had to do is take control of a few rich imbeciles' bodies with my ghostly abilities and have them hand over their empires to me. A few stolen millions were all I needed to continue to use my cunning skills and genius to become who I am today—Oh, and of course, _you_, my dear. With your naïve belief in me and your smarts, we fooled and tricked so many pathetic men out of their money. I meant what I've always said to you: _I couldn't have done it without you."_

Stephanie could only stare back at her friend, though the tears in her eyes now began to pour from her eyes.

Plasmius shrugged and released his friend's chin as he falsely consoled, "It's alright, Stephanie. You didn't know. And, besides, you never did anything illegal. It was all me."

But Vlad's eyes suddenly flared a brighter red as he abruptly sneered, "I did what I did with one sole purpose: To become powerful enough to _destroy_ Jack Fenton." Vlad moved closer to the woman again, and this time, she fearfully backed away from him until she was up against the door behind her.

Vlad stopped a foot from her and leaned closer to her ear as he further confessed, "I've tried to _kill_ him on multiple occasions." He ignored Stephanie's gasp and added, "As for his son…, oh, here's a secret: Daniel and I are mortal enemies. After he refused to join me and renounce Jack as his father, I've beat him, framed him, threatened his loved ones, and sent other ghosts to destroy him. Pretty much everything you can think of. Yes, Stephanie, your _beloved friend_, is a villain through-and-though."

Stephanie choked on a sob and turned her head to meet Vlad's gaze as she quietly begged, "Vlad, please. This isn't you. _Please stop."_

"I cloned Daniel," Vlad continued, narrowing his eyes on his friend. "I created a twelve-year-old girl version of him. Not what I wanted, so I rejected her, and I plan on finding her and getting rid of that mistake, too."

"No, you cloned…? How is that possible?" she gasped out.

"I will have to tell you the semantics later," he replied with a cruel smirk. "Oh, but I'm not done, my dear. There's more. You see, I am just as well known in the Ghost Zone as I am here. I am feared, Stephanie. Ghosts tremble at my mere presence, and you know why?" He moved closer to her ear and whispered, "It's because I destroy any spectral freak that stands in my way. I am more powerful than you will ever know. I have the power to… _enslave_ _humanity_ if I'd wish it…"

Vlad pulled back a bit and grinned almost insanely. "There's a thought…" The man scoffed and shrugged. "And why not? I practically handed the world over to the Ghost King after I freed him. Ah, it was worth it, though. I got a powerful ally and a powerful ghost relic from it. And _poor Danny_. I simply had to use him and one of his little friends to clean up the mess." Vlad's eyes suddenly narrowed as he said mostly to himself, "Stupid boy. You would think he would know better than to test me. He deserved all I put him through in these months. He deserved that I threatened to destroy his sister if he did not come here. And it's a shame I didn't succeed!"

_Slap!_

Vlad jolted back and quickly grabbed the side of his face where Stephanie had just hit him.

There was a tense silence between them before Stephanie breathed in sharply before hissing, "How dare you. _**How dare you!**_ Is that what you did? You-You threatened that poor boy with his _sister's life_ to force him to come here? You… You are no better than the man who killed Viviane and your father—No! You are **worst** than him! At least what he did was an accident!"

Vlad lowered his hand from his face and a sober frown returned to it. He didn't say anything at first, but then he suddenly turned human again.

"Good-bye, Stephanie. Perhaps, one day, you will understand… Leave now," he said calmly.

Stephanie slightly deflated when her friend turned from her and moved away to a small bar he had in the corner of the room.

But before Vlad could get very far, Stephanie fisted her hands and said stubbornly, "No, I am _not_ leaving. I told you, you are not scaring me off! And you are not getting rid of me this easily!"

"You've lost your mind!" Vlad suddenly sneered as he whirled around to face the woman.

"Maybe I have!" she snapped back. "But no more than you! In fact, that's exactly why I am not letting you do this! Don't you care what you've become? Don't you care what your deceased family would think of you?"

"**They are dead!"** Vlad screamed at her, quickly approaching her. "Everyone I have ever cared for in my life has abandoned me, so why the blazes should I care what _**anyone**_ thinks of me?"

"No one has abandoned you! And those that might have did so because you've _forced_ them to!" Stephanie yelled back.

"Exactly. So, leave!" Vlad growled at her, his eyes red again.

But Stephanie narrowed his eyes and said with matching anger, "I swear if you dare threaten me one more time, I am going to punch you this time!"

Vlad scoffed bitterly and replied, "As if that frightens me. I've destroyed ghosts with my own hands. What makes you think you would even stand a chance against me?"

"Vlad…Are you saying you would… hurt me?" Stephanie whispered, her anger quickly vanishing as another stronger emotion swept over her with his words.

Vlad's harshness instantly vanished and before he could stop himself he pulled his friend into his arms and hugged her. "No. No, t-that is not what I meant. I… I'm sorry," he said quietly. He just wanted her to leave. Why wouldn't she just go?

Stephanie suddenly gripped his jacket and cried against him. "You're breaking my heart, Vlad!" she whispered. "Why are you doing this? This isn't you! It can't be!"

Vlad slowly let her go before he moved away from her and went to retrieve the two envelopes on his desk. When he returned, he briefly studied his friend's flushed face as she quietly sniffled and kept her gaze lowered.

With a sigh, he placed both envelopes in the woman's hands.

"The smaller one is for your daughter. The other is for you, but I am going to ask you not to open it—that is, unless you feel it _absolutely_ _necessary_. As for your job; do not worry. You will be well compensated through Dalv until you find another one. I will make a few calls and with your expertise and experience, you are sure to find a superior job than the one you had with me."

He paused; but when his friend wouldn't look at him, he gently grabbed her face in his hands and waited for her to look at him. When she did, he smiled sadly at her and said, "I am sorry about all this… I truly am. You _have_ been a good friend—more than that because only someone with a heart as big as yours could have possibly put up with me for this long. But you are right, Stephanie. You no longer belong or fit in my life. So, I'm doing you and your daughter a favor: I'm letting you both go, for your sakes."

He then unexpectedly leaned forward and placed a kiss on his friend's forehead before sadly whispering, "I wish things could have been different between us. I… truly do." He finally pulled away from her and quietly begged her, "Please leave now."

Stephanie just stared at him for another moment before she shook her head and turned to leave, her hands shaking as she held onto the closed envelopes. She hardly cared what they were at the moment.

But just as she moved and reached the door, she paused and without looking at him asked, "What are you going to do now?"

Vlad sighed and glanced back at the papers on his desk. "Do not worry. Nothing harmful. I need to get a few things in order. And besides taking a few weeks off work to renovate my castle, I… I have a few… sells to make."

This time, Stephanie turned to face him and frowned uncertainly at her former friend.

Vlad shrugged offhandedly and answered her unspoken question, "I have decided to put up my companies for sale. Well, all except, DALV, Vladco, and Axion Lab."

Stephanie's eyes widened. "What? But… you have dedicated _years_ into expanding your business empire! And what about VM Industries? You _just_ bought it all from Mark!"

Vlad shrugged again. "He can buy his companies back—if he can afford them, that is. I don't care. And you should be happy. I am getting rid of everything—and in that everything includes all that I've gained unjustly. I have my reasons for keeping Axion; but I am keeping Dalv and Vladco because _they_ do mean something to me. You know I have gained and built them up fair-and-square and with much effort."

The man paused when he saw the confused look on his friend's face and added, "Do not misunderstand me. I am not getting rid of my business empire because I am sorry for stealing a good part of it. No, I just want to focus my time on… other things besides just business. Besides, DALV, Vladco, and Axion harvest enough to allow me to continue to live comfortably. I might go down from a billionaire to a millionaire, but as I said, I want to focus on other things. Oh, and I am also selling all my horses."

"Even Ginger and that black stallion?" Stephanie asked sadly.

"Yes. I've never had time for them—and now much less. So, if you know someone who wants them, give them my number and they can have the horses."

Stephanie looked down at the envelopes in her hands. She wanted to say something, but she did not know what she could say at this point. This was all so much to take in.

"Stephanie," Vlad suddenly called, and when she looked dishearteningly back at him, he pointed at the envelopes and stressed, "What you hold in your hands is very important. I mean it. Do not ever open the one for you unless you feel it is necessary."

Stephanie searched her friend's eyes and fearfully asked, "Is this… your _will_, Vlad?"

"No, that's something else," Vlad said with a small smile. "My will is still with my lawyer. You know he takes care of that. But that in your hands is just as important. It is assurance—for you and your daughter, but also for me as well. I am selling my other companies because they do not mean much to me, but the things for which I have worked hard all these years, I will not risk losing. So, make sure you do not lose that envelope."

Stephanie didn't like what he was saying. What was he thinking of doing that he was talking about such things? But knowing he was not going to tell her, she just shook her head and sadly asked, "Is there anything I can do for you? At least for old times' sake?"

"Yes…. There is one thing…," Vlad said, moving back to her and lightly touching one of his hands against his friend's face. But lowering his hand, he told her seriously, "Do not ever betray me."

Stephanie felt her eyes water again as she quietly replied, "I would never betray you. I-I will always be your friend, even if you do not want my friendship. And if this is what you want, I will respect your decision. Just… whatever it is you are thinking of doing, please _think_ about it. You might think you have control of your emotions, but they cloud your judgment at times, Vlad. So, please, _think_. Do not do anything that you'll end up regretting for the rest of your life. And I want you to know that… if you ever need a friend, remember that I'm still here for you, alright? …Good-bye, Vlad."

"…Good-bye, Stephanie," Vlad answered soberly.

He watched her leave and once he was alone, he added in a sad whisper, "I just hope you can forgive me someday…"

* * *

Back at Amity Park, Jazz was back at home and getting ready to go to school.

"Danny?" she called from the bottom of the stairs as she stared at her brother's close door. "Do you want a ride?"

Her brother's door quickly opened and he answered, "Yeah. Just let me get my shoes on."

He quickly moved back into his room and hopped on one leg as he slipped on his shoe and moved to grab his book-bag.

After three days of being home, Danny's life, for the most part, returned to normal. In fact, it was so surprising how easily he had slipped back into his old life after so many months. He figured it was like riding a bike. You never forgot. Yet, it was even better because even when he had first been unsure if returning had been the right choice, he was now sure of it. _This_ was his life….

"Danny!"

"Yeah, I'm coming already, Jazz!" Danny yelled back. Yeah. Things were back to normal alright.

Rolling his eyes, he quickly tied his shoes. He then finally hefted his book-bag onto his back and ran out of his room.

"Geez, Jazz," the teen said as he jogged down the stairs. "We still have a full hour before school starts and we're only twenty minutes away."

"Yeah, well, you still have to get breakfast. And if you recall, I've been out for a few days, so I have some catching up to do. And so do you, Danny," Jazz answered, putting her hands on her hips. "Luckily, our parents talked with the principal and Mr. Lancer and they agreed to let you finish the year. But we still need to get there early to make sure everything's alright. Now, come on, go eat something, so we can get going already."

"Fine, Jazz," Danny said, rolling his eyes at her again as he moved towards the kitchen. "I wouldn't want you to get an 'A minus' on one of your finals. _Heaven forbid."_

Jazz huffed at her brother's sarcastic tone of voice, but said nothing else as she followed after him.

However, just as Danny made it to the kitchen and was looking for a bowl to grab some cereal, he heard the Fenton Lab's door open loudly…

"**It's done!"**

Danny and Jazz didn't even startle at their father's sudden loud voice. They were too use to it. But when they heard him run into the kitchen, they quickly turned to face him, and Danny visibly cringed at what he saw.

"Son!" Jack exclaimed at spotting Danny in the kitchen.

Danny lowered the bowl in his hand back on the counter and smiled nervously at his father. "Uh, morning, Dad….What's up?"

"_This_, Danny boy!" Jack exclaimed, moving closer to his son and all but shoving a strange glowing metal box in his face. "Your mother and I just finished building it! I call it the Fenton Ghost Dissolver! It detects ecto-energy in humans and rips it right out of them before dissolving it molecule-by-molecule!"

Jazz cringed this time and Danny laughed uneasily, asking, "W-Why would a person have ecto-energy?"

"When they are overshadowed, of course," Maddie suddenly answered, walking into the kitchen with a calm smile on her face. "Good morning, sweeties," she then added to her kids, but gave her son a kiss on the head before moving further into the kitchen.

"Morning," Danny replied with a tight smile at his mom, before turning his eyes back to his dad and saying, "That's great, Dad."

He shared a look with his sister and catching on, she said, "Oh, look at the time! We better go! Bye, Mom. Bye Dad!"

But just as Danny and Jazz were going to high-tail it out of there, Maddie stopped them as she asked with a raised eyebrow. "Danny? Jazz? Did you two eat breakfast?"

"Um…," Danny began, while Jazz stared back, trying to think of something to answer that wouldn't be a complete lie.

"Maddie, it's working!" Jack suddenly beamed, waving the beeping ghost weapon in his hand.

"_Ghost energy detected!"_ the machine declared.

"There's a ghost in the house!" Jack gasped and began to stare around suspiciously. "Stand back, kids! I'm about to dissolve whatever ghost is here out of existence!"

Danny gulped, and began to back out of the kitchen. But once again, he was stopped.

"Danny, I want you to eat breakfast," Maddie said sternly.

Jazz's eyes widened, but then suddenly getting an idea, she said, "Oh! I forgot my English book! I'll be right back!"

"What?" Danny quickly asked, alarmed that his sister had suddenly left him alone in the kitchen with his father who was seconds away from accidently wasting him.

"Darn thing. It's giving mixed readings," Jack grumbled as he moved around the kitchen, trying to pin-point where the instrument was detecting the ghost energy.

But when the instrument led him right to his son, Danny chuckled weakly and offered, "Uh, maybe it needs more work?"

Jack's eyes narrowed as he replied, "No…" He then leaned closer to his son as he moved his hand closer to the button to trigger the device's dissolving mechanism and whispered to him, "The ghost is just behind you, Danny… On my mark, jump out of the way… One…

"Uh, Dad… I don't think—" Danny began, now really worried.

"Two… Th—"

**"Ruff!"**

"Ahh!" Jack suddenly cried out as the six-month-old Dalmatian bolted into the kitchen and snagged the instrument right out of his hands.

"Hey! Give that back, you crazy mutt!" Jack cried out and chased after TJ who ran out of the kitchen with the ghost instrument in his mouth, chomping on it.

Maddie blinked after her husband and the dog before she asked, "Who let TJ in?"

"I'm back!" Jazz suddenly announced, smiling innocently as she strolled into the kitchen. "Oh, look at the time! Danny, we better go!"

"Jazz, you and Danny haven't—" Maddie began, only to be cut off by her daughter.

"All taken care of, Mom," Jazz said, quickly moving to the pantry grabbing two packages of poptarts and then two bottles of orange juice from the kitchen. "See? Breakfast. See ya!"

Danny jolted as his sister shoved his share into his hand and then grabbed his arm and dragged him out.

"Okay, but hurry back home. We need to talk today, Danny!" Maddie quickly called after her kids. But not sure if they had heard her, the woman sighed and shook her head. She was trying to be patient, for her son's sake. After all, so much had happened, including the close-call with Jazz. But it had been three days since Danny returned. She had waited long enough for an explanation from him. They needed to talk—regardless of what Jazz had said to her…

"Uh, Maddie! I need a little help here!"

Maddie quickly turned her attention to her husband's distressed voice, and already guessing what was happening, she sighed and walked out of the kitchen, saying, "Jack, please don't tell me you tried to go through the dog door again?"

"Um, well, I would then be lying, sweet cheeks," Jack replied meekly.

Maddie rolled her eyes as she stared at her husband backside, while his head and one of his arms was unseen since he was clearly stuck in the small opening at the bottom of the patio door.

"Jack Fenton," Maddie began in a reprimanding voice. "I've told you before that that door is too small for you. It's meant for dogs, not people!"

"It's that dog, Maddie!" Jack whined from the other side of the door. "I don't know why we let Danny get it! Now, it's gotten the habit of chewing up all the ghost devices it sees! I'm telling you! He's trying to sabotage me!"

"Jack, that's silly. He's just a puppy. Now, come on. Let's get you out of there," Maddie said as she wrapped her arms around her husband's waist the best she could and began to pull.

"Um, we might need some Fenton oil for this one, honey," Jack said from the other side of the door.

* * *

Danny raised an eyebrow when his sister headed around back instead of heading towards the car to leave.

"Uh, Jazz? Where are you going?" he asked.

"Oh, just making sure TJ is alright…," she said causally.

Danny's curiosity was sparked by her answer and he quickly followed after his sister who was currently opening the gate in the fence. A sudden thought struck him and he tensed when he remembered the first time he had seen the recently installed fence; but he he quickly dismissed it and followed his sister into the backyard; but they stayed at the side of the house so their father wouldn't see them.

"Pst. TJ!" Jazz called quietly so her father wouldn't hear her. He was still lodged in the dog door.

The puppy, which had been at his doghouse, chewing on the ghost device, quickly perked up and ran over to the girl.

Danny blinked as TJ surrendered the device in his mouth to his sister and began to lick her.

"Jazz?" he asked curiously. "Where did TJ learned to do that?"

"Do what?" she asked innocently.

"Jazz," Danny began in a reprimanding voice.

"What, Danny? I have no idea what you're talking about. Look, you should help Dad out before we go."

Danny stared suspiciously at her before he moved away and placed a hand at the side of the house. He then activated his intangibility power and although he couldn't see his father since he didn't want to give away his presence, he could hear his loud grunts of protest and Danny quickly directed his intangibility towards him.

When his sensitive hearing caught an 'ompf!', Danny retracted his hand and turned back to his sister.

Meanwhile, Jazz, who had been quietly praising the spotted puppy, quickly stopped and stood up from her crouched position. She smiled innocently again at her brother before clearing her throat and saying, "We really need to get going."

"Right," Danny said, rolling his eyes. But before he followed his sister out, he bent down and affectionately stroked his dog's head, saying, "Thanks for the save back there, buddy. I owe you a bone and a long walk at the park—after school. Promise."

The puppy just wagged his tail and licked at his owner's hands before Danny finally moved away and headed out, making sure to lock the gate on his way out.

Jazz was already strapped into her seat and turning on the car when Danny got into the passenger seat.

"What did you do with the ghost device?" Danny asked her.

"Oh, I just tossed it in the trunk with some other, uh, junk. I'll toss it out later. It's not like any of it is fixable. TJ did a number on them," she said with a small chuckle.

"Wait. _Them_? Jazz, did you…?" Danny began.

"You should eat your breakfast, Danny," Jazz interrupted him as she pulled out of the driveway.

Danny looked suspiciously at his sister for another moment, before he finally sighed in defeat and shook his head. "You know what? I don't think I want to know."

Jazz just hummed happily as she drove them off to school.

But as a comfortable silence fell between them, Jazz glanced at her brother, who was now munching on a poptart while staring absently out the window.

She frowned a bit. "…Are you alright, Danny?" she asked with a moment's hesitation.

Danny jolted a bit, clearly deep in thought and he blinked at his sister. "What?"

"I asked if you're okay?" she repeated, her frown deepening.

Danny rolled his eyes in annoyance this time and said with the same emotion, "I'm fine, Jazz."

Jazz just nodded and turned her attention back on the road. She was quiet for a few seconds before she quietly said, "…I'm sorry you're being held back."

Danny shrugged, though he turned his attention back out the window. "Well, after having been missing for almost half of the school year I wasn't expecting anything else, Jazz. But, you said it yourself, they're at least letting me finish the year—or the two weeks that are left of it, that is."

Jazz sighed sadly. "Yeah, but…it's just not fair, Danny. It… wasn't your fault you missed all those months," she added bitterly as she recalled 'whose' fault it truly was.

Danny smiled weakly at his sister and said, "Hey, it's not so bad. I mean, Lancer said at the meeting with our parents yesterday that if I do good on the final exams, I'll be able to move up after the first half of the next school year. So, it won't be for too long before I catch up to Sam and Tucker, and we'll still all see each other even if we'll be in different grades for the first half of the school year."

Jazz returned his weak smile and nodded before turning her eyes forward again. "I suppose you're right…"

Danny grinned this time. "Yeah, but what I'm looking forward to most is this summer break! Can you believe it's just two weeks away?"

Jazz also brightened. "I know. I can't wait myself! After our family trip, I already have my schedule all planned out! Aside from getting my college applications done and all that other stuff, I've decided to use this summer to write a thesis related to ghost… I just haven't decided the exact topic yet… Maybe obsessions… or envy…"

"A thesis on _ghost__s_?" Danny repeated with a strange look.

Jazz smiled to herself and casually replied, "Let's just say these past months have inspired me…"

Danny shrugged. "If you say so…" But the teen then sighed and smiled again as he added happily, "I'm just looking forward to our Fenton Family cross-country trip! And I'm even more excited with the fact that Sam and Tucker will be joining us! Well, I'm sure Tucker's parents will be okay with it, but… Sam's might be of a problem…

"Well, I'm sure you and Sam will find a way to convince them. After all, we all know and agree that you three need some catching up after… all these months," Jazz said with a wider smile.

"Yeah…," Danny agreed with a small sigh. "We definitely do. But, I know I also need the vacation! Remember how our parents are letting us all pick a place to visit? Well, we've already decided where we each want to go!"

"That's great, Danny!" Jazz beamed. "What do you guys have in mind?"

Danny's smile was a bit forced this time as he said, "I, uh, picked… Florida…. I've never been there. Specifically, I want to check out their space station. I heard it was…" Danny glanced out the window and finished more quietly "…impressive."

_"Have __you__ been to Florida?" Vlad asked._

_The teen absently shook his head._

_"But you must know they have an impressive space program, correct?"_

"What places did Sam and Tucker pick?" Jazz suddenly asked, her eyes to the road and so unaware of her brother's sudden change in demeanor.

Danny closed his eyes for a moment before forcing himself to focus back on his sister. He smiled at her as he began to tell her the rest of their plans…

* * *

"I wish we did not have to go," George muttered, looking depressed as he sat at the kitchen table with Carl.

"It's just for a month until Mr. Masters refurbishes the house," Carl replied, patting the bigger ghost on one of his shoulders in support. "It'll go by fast."

But George just continued to sulk even more and his eyes surprisingly flashed red as he grumbled, "I still do not understand why he has to change anything. My kitchen is fine! I swear if one of those human workers damages my kitchen, I'll…!"

"Heh. Easy, George," Carl said with a nervous chuckle.

The ghost cook relaxed a bit and sighed as he glanced back at his immaculate kitchen. There was a brief silence before he quietly admitted, "I miss the young halfa. At least I was able to spend some real time cooking when he was here. Now, I feel like my cooking is going to waste again."

"What? Mr. Masters didn't eat again? He's going to get sick if he keeps that up. What's he doing in his secret lab anyways?" Carl asked with a frown.

George shrugged. "Who knows, Carl. You know how secretive he is about the things he does there."

"Yeah, well, it's weirder than usual. The other day, he actually showed me some ghost relic he found in the Ghost Zone. It was really creepy. But it's even creepier that he even showed it to me and asked me to hold it in the first place. He's never even asked me to go into his private lab, like, _ever_—let alone see one of his finds!"

George didn't say anything, but then Carl sighed and shook his head, saying, "He told me he won't be going into work for two weeks. Yet, he's not even going on any trip. I don't understand, George. But… I don't like this one bit. I don't know. He's just different. I mean, it's not like _before_ the kid came here, either, but just… different. He still treats me the same, just… It's different. Yeah, I'm making no sense."

"Oh, you're making perfect sense," Derek suddenly interrupted him, walking into the kitchen. "I mean, I still cannot believe what happened with Ms. Hui yesterday. She's like the only normal human who knows about us and about him, and whatever argument they had, had Ms. Hui in tears by the time she left."

Derek crossed his arms and huffed as he said, "I knew I was right when my gut told me having that boy here was going to cause trouble. I wish he had never come!"

"I still can't believe he just… left," Carl muttered, lowering his sad gaze to the table.

"The young halfa must have had his reasons," George said with a sigh. "We cannot blame him for returning with his loved ones. We all knew how much he missed them while here."

Derek sighed and his shoulders slumped. He wanted to be angry, but in reality, he was just utterly sad.

Carl nodded. "We'll probably never see him again. It's a shame, too. I could actually have a decent conversation with him about cars…!"

"And he was an awesome card player," Bennie suddenly said, joining the other male ghosts, along with his mute friend Jasper.

Jasper nodded his agreement, looking just as down as the others.

"You two also finished your things?" Carl asked the two gardeners.

"Yeah. Everything is put away. We are going to take the ghost plants with us to the Rockies since they can't stay here without anyone to take care of them. At least, until Mr. Plasmius finishes with whatever it is he is doing to this place," Bennie answered with a tired sigh.

"And the horses?" George questioned.

Jasper shook his head this time and made some kind of hand motion that everyone understood.

"He's getting rid of them? But… He's had horses since forever!" Carl exclaimed.

"I don't know," Bennie answered with a shrug. "I'm just following orders and he told me to clean them up and get them ready for travel. Someone is supposedly coming today or tomorrow to get them."

"Well, I guess that's that," George said with a sigh of surrender. He stood up from the seat before telling the other ghosts. "And I guess the time has come."

"Are the girls finished?" Carl asked, getting out of his seat, too.

"Derek, can you go ask?" George asked.

"Yes, of course," the butler ghost replied. "I'm sure they do not have much more to do. We all did help them pack everything in the castle so it would be ready for the human movers to take them into storage while they work on this place."

"I'm sure, too. They said they had just a few rooms left. But go ask and see if they want us to wait for them," George said.

Derek nodded before he walked out of the kitchen.

"What about Jim?" Bennie suddenly asked. "Is he not coming with us?"

George shrugged. "Probably not. You know how he's always moving about. He'll probably go cause some trouble somewhere until Mr. Masters needs his services again."

"He was always a bit crazy," Bennie replied with a grin at Jasper, who quietly laughed.

"Well, I guess we should go tell Mr. Masters that we're leaving, then," Carl said with a sigh.

"What about the ghost plants?" George quickly asked the gardeners, realizing they didn't have anything but a sport's pack on them.

Jasper smiled and patted his pack, but it was Bennie who answered, "Good thing about ghost plants is that all you need is one of Mr. Plasmius' thermoses to transport them."

George chuckled before they all floated out of the kitchen to find their employer…

When they arrived at their employer's private study, it was Carl who raised his hand and knocked on the door.

"Come in," they heard their employer calmly beckon.

"Sir," George said as he floated into the office with the others. "We have fulfilled your orders. Did you want us to leave now?"

Vlad, who had been typing something up on his computer, didn't reply right away as he quickly finished what he was doing before closing his laptop and addressing his employers.

"You left nothing of ghostly influence anywhere in the house, correct? You are taking the ghost meds and the plants all with you, yes?" Vlad asked from where he sat.

"Correct, sir," George replied. "And everything else has been prepped for storage…."

"Good," Vlad said, standing up and moving closer to his ghost staff. But realizing that some of his staff was missing, he questioned, "Where are the others?"

"Oh, Derek went to see if the girls are finished and if they want us to wait for them."

"I see… Wait for them. It will be safer for all of you," their employer replied with a nod. "Also make sure you head to my chalet in the Rockies as I told you. I have already opened the portal there for you all to get in."

The male ghosts just nodded quietly; but noticing they looked a bit upset about something and suspecting what it was, Vlad added, "This shouldn't take more than a month. In any case, I will be making some visits over there whenever I get the chance. But until I say otherwise, remain there. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," they all said at last.

"Have a safe trip, then," Vlad told them with a nod.

The ghosts smiled this time and nodded.

But George hesitated to leave as he added, "Uh, sir… They are not going to… hurt my kitchen, right?"

Vlad smiled genuinely at the question; and unbeknownst to him, his employees felt a sudden hope again. It was nice to see their employer hadn't completely forgotten how to smile…

"Of course not, George. I will personally be keeping an eye on the remodeling company to make sure of it. You have nothing to fear."

George smiled. "Alright, sir. See you soon."

Vlad nodded.

Without anymore hesitation, Carl, Derek, Bennie, Jasper, and George headed back out. But just as they did, they ran into Derek.

"The girls said they are almost done and that they will meet us over there," the butler said. "Well, Martha and Patricia said that anyways. I have no idea where Niane is and they don't either."

George frowned. He hadn't seen Niane since this morning himself…

But knowing something about her that the rest of the other ghosts did not, George sighed and said, "I'm sure she's somewhere. Maybe she went with Ms. Thomas to help her move back into her home again. Mr. Masters doesn't need her services anymore, after all. So, maybe Niane accompanied her home. You know how skittish Ms. Thomas was about traveling alone in the Ghost Zone…"

The others just nodded.

"Come on," George then added, "We'll wait for the girls at the lab. I know they said to go on without them, but Mr. Masters is right. It is best if we wait for them and head together to our employer's other home."

The others nodded again and quietly followed George to the stairs leading to the bottom lab.

However, little did they know that someone had been watching them that whole time…

Niane sighed as she watched her companions float off before she turned visible again and turned her eyes back to the small white kitten in her arms.

"It seems I am left with no choice but to take drastic measures…," she muttered to herself as she stroked the meowing kitten in her arms. She then addressed the cat and added, "I am going to need your help with this, Maddie; but first, we need to… convince Vlad to keep you… Don't worry, though. This will only be temporary…"

The kitten meowed, unaware that Niane's eyes were now glowing an even brighter red. But when a sudden flash of light emitted from her, the kitten yowled in alarm before she knew no more…

* * *

Vlad had gone back to his desk when he heard a soft 'meow' at his feet. The man quickly turned away from his work and looked down at the white little feline staring up at him from the ground.

"How did you get in here?" Vlad asked himself, glancing at his closed door.

Maddie just meowed back before she began to rub her head against one of the man's legs, purring.

Vlad hesitated. He had been determined to get rid of the cat for the past few days. In fact, the day after Daniel had left, he had actually thrown the kitten out and left it outside, hoping it would stray off and not return.

Somehow, the cat had found its way back into the house.

He tried it again yesterday and the same thing occurred. The cat was like a feline version of Houdini!

Eventually, Vlad decided that as soon as he got some spare time, he would just drop it off at a pound. But now… as he looked at the cat still rubbing against him, he was unsure of what to do.

It hurt to look at the kitten because it reminded him of… Daniel—of what they once had. And that pain made him want to get rid of it; but another part of him wanted to keep Maddie because it was the only 'living' thing he had left that connected him to the boy.

It was hard. For a moment he hated the boy more than anyone else, including Jack Fenton. But after his anger had died down, he knew that no matter what he did, he would always care for the boy. That love he felt wasn't going to go away, but… he refused to let it control him. He had always been a master of control, which included control of his emotions—regardless of what Stephanie said. He _could_ dominate his emotions. And he was determined to stop seeing Daniel as the boy with whom he had once shared such a deep connection and had wanted as a son. Vlad didn't care what he had to do, but he would see the boy as a rival and nothing more.

And even if it meant getting the boy to hate him more than he ever had before, then so be it. Vlad would rather see the boy stare at him with hatred than… pity.

And yet, when he glanced at the kitten once again, something still burning inside of him insisted all the more on his keeping this cat in spite of all the painful memories that it brought.

Vlad at last leaned down and picked up the little ball of white fur and put her on his lap. As he gently stroked her, the cat eagerly returned his affections rubbing against his hands and purring.

"I suppose Daniel abandoned and betrayed you, too, Maddie…," he muttered quietly. "It seems we are in the same boat."

"Meow," the kitten replied almost sadly.

Vlad smiled weakly before putting the cat on his desk, saying, "Alright, fine. You can stay, but you need to keep quiet because I have to finish this seller's contract."

The cat purred but she obediently sat down at one side of his desk as Vlad returned his focus on his computer.

He never saw the cat's eyes flash red as it just stared at him while he worked.

However, several minutes later, a small knock startled both Vlad and the cat; but the man calmed when he sensed who it was.

"Come in."

Martha and Patricia floated in, arguing about something; but they quickly focused on their employer and said, "Sorry to disturb you, sir. We cleaned and cleared out Master Phantom's room as you said and gathered his personal items. But we wanted to ask you what you wanted us to do with the boy's belongings? Should we just leave them in the room?"

"And what of this… contraption?" Martha added, holding Danny's computer which he had brought from his house when he first had come to Vlad's house.

Vlad frowned as he stared at the duffle bag containing everything the boy had brought originally with him. But then he looked at the personal computer and said, "Put the computer in the bag as well and leave it all on top of the bed. I will take care of it later..."

"Very well, Master Plasmius. We will do that and then take our leave, too," Patricia replied.

Vlad nodded and then turned his focus back to his work. But just as Martha and Patricia were about to float out of his private study, he remembered something and he almost jolted.

"Wait!" he abruptly exclaimed, startling the two ghost maids.

"Sir?' Martha asked nervously.

Realizing his outburst, Vlad calmed a bit but then quickly stood and grabbed Danny's laptop from Martha. "On second thought, let me have that and just leave the bag here. You two should hurry; I told the others to wait for you so that you will not have to make the trip to the Rockies alone. Oh, and make sure Niane heads out with you both—that is, if she has not already left."

Martha and Patricia glanced at one another, but decided not to say anything. Instead, they suddenly noticed the kitten on their employer's desk and smiled.

"Oh, there she is! We were wondering where she went," Martha suddenly said.

Since Vlad was focused on the computer in his hand, it took him a moment to realize she was talking about the cat.

"Oh, should we take her with us, sir?" Patricia asked.

As if the cat could understand her, Maddie jumped off the desk and sought refuge behind her master's legs, hissing quietly at the two ghost maids.

Vlad looked down behind him at the unhappy cat before he slowly shook his head. "It's fine. I will take her with me to the hotel. You two may go."

Martha and Patricia shrugged before they said their farewells and headed out to meet up with the others and finally make their trip through the Ghost Zone to the Rockies.

Vlad barely noticed their departure and instead moved over towards his secret lab with Danny's computer in hand.

Maddie's ears flattened, looking a bit scared, as she watched her master open up the lab's entrance and then head down. Still, she followed his every step…

Vlad headed to a small computer system on one side of his lab, and began to turn it on. It wasn't anything compared to his main system which was fried, but he knew it would serve him for the simple purpose he currently had in mind.

And as he opened and booted Danny's computer, the same memory which had jolted him into stopping the maids from taking the computer continued to run over and over again in his mind…

_"I keep ghost files on my laptop with the picture, location, and data of just about every ghost I've met… including you."_

Vlad chuckled at the irony of it all. He was sure if the boy knew things would end this way he _never_ would have even told him that…

Hooking up the boy's computer with his smaller computer unit, Vlad easily bypassed the young hybrid's password security and linked up to the laptop's memory drive.

He then took a step back and ordered his own computer, "Upload computer data."

"_Upload initiated….Upload complete."_

Vlad raised an eyebrow before he further ordered, "Locate any file with the word 'ghost'…."

"…_File labeled 'Ghost Files' found."_

Vlad chuckled again. "Honestly, Daniel. You could have been a bit more creative… Ah, well. Computer, open file."

In an instant several names of ghosts appeared. Vlad clicked on the first one, titled 'Ancients'. No picture came up and all the information that was written was how they related to Pariah Dark. However, there was a recent note added and it talked about Ancients not being ghosts but spirits.

"So, he was listening to me after all," Vlad muttered, raising an unimpressed eyebrow.

Now more than a bit more curious, Vlad continued to quickly read about the different ghosts on the boy's list, only to become less impressed the more he read. For the most part, he had heard of the ghosts on the boy's database. Perhaps just a few he was only vaguely familiar with, but it was nothing impressive.

That is, until he came upon one specific name:

"Clockwork?"

Vlad's eyes widened as he clicked on the file and a picture of a spirit he recognized from one of his spirit books showed up, along with written information on him.

"Impossible," the man whispered out as he stared at the picture of the spirit before focusing on the information on him.

_Clockwork: Master of Time._

_Origin: Unknown_

_Location: A sector in the 'Forbidden Region' known as the Timeless Realm or Realm Beyond Time. Time stops at the entrance and then teleports you to this other realm. Exact location: Clock tower. *see Map for exact details* _

_Power level: Unknown._

_Abilities: Manipulates and controls Time itself. Duplication. Teleportation. And other typical ghost abilities. _

_Unique characteristics: Changes age constantly. And controls a powerful staff. I think it might even be the source of his powers... _

_Allies: Clockwork keeps to himself. But he once mentioned being employed by the Observants…_

_Encounters: A few so far. First encounter was with that… other dark Timeline. At first, I believed he was an enemy, but I am now sure Clockwork is a friend. Even though it's usually in a weird way, he always helps me out in the end. I wouldn't mind visiting him more, but he's weird about that. He acts annoyed, but I think it's just an act. Whatever. I am glad to know I can count on him whenever I'm in a tight spot. He's a good friend and he means a lot more to me than I think he knows…_

_My second significant encounter with him was when Vlad infected my friends with ecto-acne not too long ago. He let me travel back in time to prevent Vlad from getting ghost powers and prevent my friends from ever being infected. Not the best idea. It seems I'm always learning something with every encounter I have with Clockwork… It's not always a happy experience, but I get the message in the end._

Vlad just stared in utter shock at what he had just finished reading. He couldn't believe it. This ghost—no, this _spirit_… One who he had been skeptical to even exist… Daniel knew him, and clearly on an intimate level!

"How could he have possibly…?" Vlad began, only to suddenly turn into Plasmius and teleport to his library and pull out his ghostly book on spirits.

He quickly flipped through the different ones until he found 'Clockwork'. But as he stared at the same picture as in Danny's file and the vague information on him—which was way vaguer than what Daniel had—Vlad began to breathe quickly as another memory swirled around his mind…

_"I-I lost them… I lost them and it was __my__ fault, Vlad …I __k-killed__ them."_

_The man's eyes widened in both shock and confusion, and he barely manage to choke out, "__You killed them?__ Who? Your __loves ones__? Daniel, how can that be? How could you have lost them if they are still here?"_

_"….I met someone who helped me fix things," Danny answered, his voice wavering a bit. "He…helped me make sure that I never turn into __that…__."_

…..

_"… That being that helped you was a… spirit? ….Daniel, who was this spirit?" the man finally asked carefully._

_The teen looked up at the man. "I don't think I should tell you. I mean, not because I don't trust you or don't want to, but…he keeps to himself and he's very mysterious…I'm not sure if he would be very happy with me if I told you about him. And I don't want to disrespect him if that's the case, because he's a good friend and very important to me."_

Vlad gripped his forehead with one hand as he stared down at the picture of the Time Spirit on his book.

"It's him… This is the spirit Daniel was talking about… He…"

Plasmius suddenly teleported back to his secret lab and put the book down on a bench as he turned his attention back to the information on the boy's file. He read again:

_Encounters: A few so far. First encounter was with that… other dark Timeline. At first, I believed he was an enemy, but I am now sure Clockwork is a friend. Even though it's usually in a weird way, he always helps me out in the end. I wouldn't mind visiting him more, but he's weird about that. He acts annoyed, but I think it's just an act. Whatever. I am glad to know I can count on him whenever I'm in a tight spot. He's a good friend and he means a lot more to me than I think he knows…_

_My second significant encounter with him was when Vlad infected my friends with ecto-acne not too long ago. He let me travel back in time to prevent Vlad from getting ghost powers and prevent my friends from ever being infected. Not the best idea. It seems I'm always learning something with every encounter I have with Clockwork… It's not always a happy experience, but I get the message in the end._

Vlad read this a few more times before he placed a hand against his mouth, a look of dread on his face. He was certain of it now. This… spirit had helped Daniel travel back in time, and clearly on more than one occasion. But, of course! Daniel accidently admitted to knowing everything that happened between Vlad himself and the boy's parents back in their college days. Of course he would know, he had indeed **seen** everything!

But that even troubled Vlad all the more. So, Daniel had been right about Maddie always loving Jack… But that didn't take away from the fact that Jack had betrayed him.

Nevertheless, that was the last thing Vlad cared about right now.

"I still cannot believe the Time Master truly exists," he whispered, his hand still lightly over his mouth. But then lowering it, he said more loudly, "And Daniel has met him? And not just met him, but the spirit has allowed him to travel back in time… And… maybe not just _back_ in time…

_"….I met someone who helped me fix things," Danny answered, his voice wavering a bit. "He…helped me make sure that I never turn into __that…"_

"…_Oh, my poor boy._ _What kind of __monster__ would scar you in such a way? Please, just tell me who, Daniel," Vlad pleaded, but his gentle voice turned a bit harder with anger as he added, "Tell me, Daniel. __I swear __I'll make him pay every ounce of fear and sorrow he left in you. At least tell me __where__ he is so that I can tear him apart for doing something so vile to you as making you afraid of yourself!"_

_"…You want who he is, Vlad? You want to know where he is? He's __**right in front of you!" **_

…

_"__**Daniel!"**__ Vlad exclaimed, horrified. And tightly gripping the teen's shaking arms, he further yelled at the boy, "Listen to what you're saying! Why would you say such a thing? You're obsessing over something that never happened! __**It couldn't have happened!**__ Don't you see? They are not dead! __No one __is dead!"_

_"But they were! __**They're supposed to be!" **__Danny continued, now completely overwhelmed with panic and fear. "I destroyed everything and everyone—even you! I killed my human self, too! And I would have also killed you if it wasn't for—!"_

Now panicked, Vlad quickly moved through the different ghost files that were on the boy's archive. There… There was _another_ ghost. He was sure of it now. And, somehow, it was a ghost from the future—one who Daniel seemed to be convinced was closely connected to him. Or… even the boy himself? But that was impossible! It didn't matter if it was in the future or some other timeline; Daniel would _never_ harm his loved ones. No, there _had_ to be some explanation for this. And he was sure if he could just fine this other ghost involved in all this, he would understand!

"Where are you?" Vlad whispered in a quiet panic, searching for a ghost or even a spirit he had never seen before.

But when Vlad reached the last file and found nothing, he exhaled sharply and searched again. But no matter how many times he searched he found nothing that matched what Daniel had been talking about or anything relating to future events or even Clockwork…

"He's not here. That ghost Daniel fought in some other reality or the future is not here!" Vlad exclaimed, though mostly out of trepidation.

Plasmius leaned his hands against his mainframe and took a few breaths.

Alright, so the boy had seen the future. Or, rather, he had seen _his_ future. And… it clearly wasn't a bright one by how deeply Danny was affected by it. Now Vlad understood why Daniel had been so traumatized by 'that fight' and 'that ghost'. Who wouldn't be traumatized upon discovering you were destined for some dark future?

But… did that mean Daniel had turned evil in the future?

Vlad had a hard time believing that. But… maybe it never happened. Perhaps it was some twisted alternate reality Clockwork had thrust the boy into to teach him some kind of lesson. But… Danny clearly trusted this spirit, so would the Time Master purposely cause this kind of mental scar on the boy?

In any case, Danny had said Clockwork fixed everything, so then, whatever Danny had seen was no more. And that ghost… Surely the boy had defeated him since everything was in order. The boy's loved ones were around and the world was still spinning…

Then, why did Danny keep assuring him some weeks ago that this 'him' was not gone?

Vlad didn't understand. And he now was sure Daniel had not stored information on this 'mystery ghost' Clockwork helped him defeat.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that he has no file on something he was trying to forget…," the man muttered to himself.

"And yet…," Vlad thoughtfully began, his frown melding into a small smirk. "As surprising and confusing as all this is, it is all very… interesting."

Vlad clicked back on Clockwork's file and re-read a specific part of it.

_Location: A sector in the 'Forbidden Region' known as the Timeless Realm or Realm Beyond Time. Time stops at the entrance and then teleports you this other realm. Exact location: Clock tower. *see Map for exact details*_

Vlad moved his mouse and clicked on another file titled 'Ghost Zone Map'. And when a fairly decent digital design of the Ghost Zone came up, including a map of the Forbidden region, marking the entrance to the Realm Beyond Time, the older hybrid chuckled, which quickly tuned into a full fledge laugh.

"Oh, Daniel… You are so full of surprises…! And best of all, you leave them for me to easily uncover… Hmm…The Realm Beyond Time…"

Plasmius grinned as he continued to stare at the map's area, showing the directions to that certain place.

"It seems I now have a bit of exploring to do… I will have to brush up on my information on spirits, first, however," he added with another smug laugh.

But as he thought about this, another thought hit him and he narrowed his eyes wickedly.

"You are going to regret betraying me, Daniel… And _very_ much…"

"Meow…"

Vlad glanced down at the kitten at his side, staring up at him with large eyes.

But at the sight of the cat, Vlad got yet another idea and he smiled as he floated out of his lab. He had planned to wait until he finished taking care of the renovation of his house and selling his business before moving on to his other more… darker plans, but with this latest information, it was best to get started now. After all, he had _much_ to do…

The kitten's ears flatten in sadness as she ran after her master, who clearly had very evil intentions in mind now.

Turning human, Vlad pulled out his cell phone and looked up a number. He waited for it to go through and when he heard someone answer, he spoke up in German, _"Guten Morgen, Herr Johnson. __Dies ist Vlad Masters Berufung.__" (1)_

"…"

Vlad chuckled and continued in German. _"Yes. And thank you. I am doing well. Do you remember the water globe I asked you to make me on my last visit?"_

"….."

"_Oh, yes, it was very lovely. My nephew was thrilled with it. In fact, that is why I am calling… I require another favor…"_

Once he was finished with his conversation, Vlad calmly strolled back down to his lab and activated his portal.

He then turned into Plasmius again, though a frown returned to his face as he thought of what he was going to do. He had been thinking about it in the past few days, but had not brought himself to actually do it yet.

However, he knew he had to—_especially_ now. He had made a lot of mistakes in these past months, but this one, he was determined to mend.

And besides, fixing this mistake was going to help him tie some loose ends in the long run…

"Meow."

Vlad once again glanced down at the cat next to him, and he smiled a bit as he told it, "Do not worry, Maddie. I will return shortly. I have someone I been meaning to visit and now is an excellent time…"

The cat meowed after her master as he disappeared through the spiraling atmosphere, but when she realized it was pointless, Maddie's ears lowered in sadness as she was left all alone in the lab…

A few seconds later, a red hue glowed around the cat and Niane suddenly appeared out of her. The cat looked dazed at first, but then it glanced around and walked off as if nothing had happened.

However, Niane didn't pay mind to the cat and just frowned at the portal which her employer had just disappeared into. She was tempted to follow, but knew better. Her employer's ghost sense and other senses were very developed. She could not risk being caught.

Instead, she sighed and floated over to her employer's mainframe and stared at the picture of a certain spirit left on the screen.

"… This does not bode well," she said with a deep worried sigh, before she closed her eyes and brought forth her powers…

* * *

It took Vlad about fifteen minutes to get to his intended destination. But now that he was here, he was feeling uncertain about this. He knew it needed to be done, because he refused to lose something, he now knew, was important to him.

He just hoped this was still fixable…

Plasmius floated up to a glowing green door, and with brief hesitation, he knocked on it…

A moment later, none other than Skulker opened the door.

The hunter, who had looked annoyed at the intrusion at first, quickly froze in surprise at seeing out of all ghosts his employer at his door.

"…Plasmius."

Vlad stared soberly at the hunter for a moment before he seriously though quietly said, "…You were right."

Skulker's eyes widened a bit with the man's words, instantly understanding them as he recalled their fight…

_"You want to throw away everything for the pup? Fine. But mark my words, Plasmius, you will regret it. That whelp is going to be your downfall. You side with him and you will be going against just about every ghost in the Ghost Zone. And you can then be sure that no amount of __power or money__ will save you from the same fate that awaits him."_

_"Get out," Vlad suddenly demanded hatefully, the energy in his hands vanishing. "Leave, right now. And do not return."_

_Skulker's glare fell into a serious look as he answered, "I didn't plan to." The ghost turned away as he added, "But when you realize what you have just thrown away; and more importantly, that I'm __**right**__, __you__ know where to find me."_

Skulker glanced away for a moment. He knew his employer was too proud to ever apologize for what happened between them, but… this was as close as he would ever get.

"…It was I who told the whelp's helpers about the nanobots," Skulker suddenly said, staring back at Vlad without an ounce of emotion.

Plasmius tensed a bit, but said nothing. The fact that the hunter was admitting that to him only proved that Skulker was as loyal as they came. He knew he could trust his ally. And although the word 'friend' came to mind, Vlad preferred to keep that to himself.

Right now, Vlad didn't need a friend. He needed an ally. And Skulker was the perfect one. Nevertheless, the older hybrid made a vow to himself to never doubt the hunter again.

"I… suppose we are even then," Vlad finally answered calmly.

"I did not do it out of revenge, Plasmius," Skulker replied seriously.

"I know," the older hybrid replied with a nod. Although he knew the hunter was too proud to say it right out, Vlad knew this was Skulker's way of telling him that he had been worried about him and it was probably the main reason the ghost told Daniel's friends and sister the truth.

Vlad was right, of course. And in spite of his lack of emotion, the hunter was immensely glad to see the older hybrid. And he was even gladder to see him back to his old self. He hated to admit it to even himself, but he really had missed the man…

But deciding they had now said to each other what was needed to be said, Skulker suddenly raised an eyebrow and dryly asked, "Well? …Are you going to come in, or are we going to stand at my doorway the entire time?"

Plasmius rolled his eyes before floating into the ghost's abode.

And just like that, everything was like before between them—well, perhaps, they were more closer now, but neither was about to admit that, either.

"Skulker," Vlad began as he turned to face the hunter. "What do you know about the Realm Beyond Time?"

Skulker raised a curious eyebrow this time as he replied, "… It is rumored to be the domain of spirits: Ancients. Observants. And other mysterious beings with the ability to influence existence and with unique powers. Why?"

"What if I told you I am certain it is more than a myth? What if I told you… _I know_ how to get there?" Vlad further said with a small smirk.

The hunter rubbed his chin in interest. "I would say that is quite a discovery… A _dangerous_ discovery. I advise you to tread carefully."

Plasmius grinned this time. "Advice noted."

"What are you planning?" Skulker asked with a small smirk.

"All in good time, my good ghost," Vlad replied with a chuckle. "For now…" Plasmius phased his hand into his ghost outfit and pulled out his wallet. He then opened it and took out a picture from it.

Skulker's eyes widened with surprise as he stared at the face of the ghost girl that snuck into his domain not too long ago in an attempt to listen in on his and Fright Knight's conversation. Unfortunately, the little intruder had gotten away from him.

Narrowing his eye on the picture, Skulker muttered, "I know her…"

"Do you?" Plasmius asked with a grin. "Well, what you _do not_ know is that she's my daughter."

"Your… daughter?" Skulker asked skeptically.

The smile on the older hybrid's face turned dark as he replied, "Oh, yes. And she's been a _naughty girl._ I need someone to hunt her down for me and bring her to me… Or, at least, push her out of hiding. Think you are up for the job? You would be rewarded, of course."

Skulker grinned evilly himself at the picture. "Of course. In fact, this one, I will hunt down for free…"

"Excellent! Meanwhile, _I_ have a new chess game to set up…," Plasmius said with a smug smile as he reduced the picture in his hand into ashes with his ghost energy.

* * *

"Mr. Fenton? Could you give me a moment?" Mr. Lancer suddenly asked, preventing Danny from leaving his class when the bell rang.

Danny shared an unsure look with his friends before telling them. "I'll see you guys at lunch."

Sam and Tucker nodded before they headed out.

Meanwhile, Danny moved closer to his teacher's desk and asked, "What's up, Mr. Lancer? I'm… not in trouble, am I?" he added with a frown.

"You know, Mr. Fenton," Lancer began, ignoring the boy's questions and instead clasping his hands on his desk and staring at the teen with his usual stern look. "After being absent for so long and with just two weeks left of school, I was very concerned about how extremely behind you would be…."

"Well, Jazz said she would help me catch up," Danny replied with a small nervous smile, missing the _"was"_ from his teacher's statement…

"That is wonderful, Mr. Fenton. However, I highly doubt it will be necessary….," he replied calmly, moving his hands from his desk and pulling out a small stack of papers from one of his drawers.

Danny frowned in confusion, but didn't say anything as he watched Lancer place the stack of papers face down on top of his desk.

"You see," he continued, turning his eyes back on his student. "I graded your evaluation test from me last night and your other teachers handed the ones from their own classes to me this morning…"

"Oh…," Danny replied, now somewhat knowing what this was about. "I didn't really study for them since I had to take them so, uh, suddenly."

Those 'evaluation tests' had been one of the conditions laid out by Principal Ishiyama and Mr Lancer—as vice principal—at their meeting with Danny and his parents in order for him to return to school. So, the teen really had taken the exams on short notice in order to finish the school year.

"I am actually skeptical about that claim, Mr. Fenton," Mr. Lancer said, finally turning the stack of papers around and spreading all five sets of exams out so the boy could see the scores on the top of each one…

Danny's eyes instantly widened, and his surprise was so great, he actually reached down and picked up his test. "Seriously? '88', '90', '95', '97'… _'100'_?"

"You got A's on all of them, except for your math exam, which as you can see, you scored a 'B+'," Mr. Lancer said with an analyzing gaze. "It is highly impressive, Mr. Fenton. Not just for you, since you were far from an 'A' student from the beginning, but that's impressive for _any_ student."

Lancer paused as a mixture of curiosity and confusion came upon his face before he further said, "It is not any of my business, but… exactly to where did you go all these months? _A scholastic institution?" _

Danny didn't reply. He was still staring at his exams in utter disbelief. Sure, when he had been taking them, he had thought they were not so hard, but… he never expected to find out he did _this well_ on them…

Danny finally looked at his teacher and weakly smiled as he put his exams back on his teacher's desk. "Uh…, You could say that…," he answered, thinking of Ms. Thomas and silently thanking her….

This time, Mr. Lancer smiled as he picked up the exams and returned them back to his student. "We have the grades recorded. I am sure your family will be pleased to see these…"

"Oh, okay," Danny replied meekly, taking them back and looking at them again. He still couldn't believe it.

"Mr. Fenton," Lancer called, getting the boy's attention again. The man's smile had now melded into a sympathetic look. "I want you to know that if it was up to me, I would not hold you back. These exams were made to be a comprehensive representation of your current courses. And by how excellent you did on them, it is more than enough proof to me that you are not behind in the least. Unfortunately, your courses _are_ requirements for graduation and therefore have to be completed by each student to count. And as you know, you must have a specific amount of credit hours to move up to the next grade. In your case, to the tenth grade. I truly am sorry."

Danny shrugged. "It's alright, Mr. Lancer. It's not a big deal."

Mr. Lancer nodded before he pulled out his 'hall pass' book and wrote one out for Danny. He knew it was in fact _a big deal,_ but the most he was able to do for his student under the circumstances was to have the school board agree to move him to tenth grade half-way into the coming school year.

Once he finished writing out the pass, Mr. Lancer extended it to his pupil and said more sternly, "Do not think that just because you are excelling in your academics, I will not be keeping my eye on you, Mr. Fenton."

Danny grinned. "I wouldn't expect anything less from you, Mr. Lancer."

His teacher smiled again and said genuinely, "It is good to have you back, Danny."

Danny smirked. Even with all his strictness and annoyance, Mr. Lancer really did care and was pretty cool in his own way.

"Thanks. But don't think that because I did 'good' on some exams, I won't be testing those teacher skills of yours. Later!"

Mr. Lancer opened his mouth to retort, but Danny had already run out of his classroom. "No more than I am sure you will be testing my 'patience' skills," he said with a sigh before returning back to his work.

* * *

"Hey, Annie. May I come in?" Stephanie asked her daughter as she opened her door.

The girl was lying on her stomach on her bed doing homework with her cat beside her. But seeing the serious look on her mom's face, she sat up and nodded, "Of course, Mom."

Stephanie smiled weakly ad walked in. She sat next to her daughter before wrapping an arm around her shoulder and hugging her side ways.

"I love you, Annie. I want you to know that you will always be my priority," she told her daughter.

Annabelle wrapped her own arm around her mom and hugged her more tightly. "I know, _mā__ma_. And you know I love you, too. I don't mean to give you grief. And I'm sorry I've been doing that because of Vlad. I get it now. He doesn't want us, and that's not your fault. So, I'm sorry about getting angry at you."

Stephanie sighed at the resigned sadness in her daughter's voice. But she then admitted, "There's a lot you don't know about Vlad, sweetheart. And I can only hope you never find out."

Annie frowned uncertainly. "I know there's stuff I don't know, but… People make mistakes, Mom. And whatever Vlad has done, well, it's in the past. I might not know everything, but I'm sure he's good. He might not want us as his family, but he really cares about us. You can't fake something like that. So, no matter what, I'll always be thankful to him for being there for me like a father and for caring about me. I'll always see him as my _bàbà_ no matter what."

Stephanie didn't say anything, though there was utter sadness in her eyes. She prayed her daughter would never find out the truth about Vlad. It would break her heart—as it had broken her own.

But even when Vlad would not let her be near him anymore, Stephanie was determined to keep her promise to Viviane. She would never abandon him. She would be there for him when the day came that he would realize his mistake and seek her help. Stephanie was still hopeful that one day Vlad would be the good man she had… fallen in love with…

"…I went to see him two days ago. He's going to be very busy with some things, so we probably won't be seeing much of him anymore," Stephanie said quietly, fearing that if she said it any louder, her voice would break. "But… he gave me something for you."

Annabelle let go of her mom and finally realized she had a small envelope in her other hand.

"I'll leave this with you. Open it when you want, okay?" her mom said, handing it to her daughter.

Annabelle accepted it, a confused look on her face. But when she saw her mom stand to leave, she quickly said, "Wait, mom! Don't go."

Stephanie looked back at her daughter.

Annie smiled weakly and patted her bed. "Open it with me."

Stephanie bit her lip, not sure if she wanted to know what that envelope contained. She did not even want to know what the large envelope Vlad gave to her was. Still, she would do as he had wanted. She would not open it until she felt it necessary.

Still, even though she preferred to leave and not know about this one, either, Stephanie did not want to deny her daughter's request, so she sat back down.

Annabelle then proceeded to open the envelope and when she did, she found a handwritten letter and… a ring.

Stephanie's eyes widened, instantly recognizing it.

Annie, however, looked confused. The ring was clearly expensive. It was gold and had a large ruby in the middle and was encircled by smaller diamonds. Two green leaves made out of emerald spread out slightly from the sides. It resembled a very pretty flower…

But why would her _bàbà_ give her this?

Stephanie also had no clue why Vlad would give her daughter this particular ring, but she suspected the letter would answer that. Still, she waited for her daughter to finish inspecting the ring…

Annie, now even more curious, finally unfolded the written letter and put it between them so her mom could read it, too….

_My Dearest Annabelle,_

_I am greatly saddened to have caused you to shed even a single tear on my behalf. You were the last person I would have ever wished to hurt. Unfortunately, I will very likely continue to cause you pain in the time to come. That is why I want to be the one to tell you the truth…_

_I am deeply sorry, sweetheart, but I am not who you think I am. I am not the good man you have always thought me to be. I have many dark secrets, and one of them is the greatest of all…. I am not all human, Annabelle. That probably makes absolutely no sense to you, but tell your mother I am giving her my consent to tell you what that means… I believe you at least have the right to know that much…_

Annabelle quickly looked up at her mom, who was clearly trying her hardest not to cry.

"…Mom?" she asked.

Stephanie took a deep breath and answered, "Finish the letter."

Annabelle frowned, but she returned to the letter.

…_No matter what you see or hear about me, Annabelle, there is something that will never be a lie—something I have never faked—and that is my love for you, sweetheart. How could I not love you when I was there for your birth, when I have watched you grow up into a beautiful young lady? Any father would be proud to have you as his daughter—and __I am __proud of you, Annabelle. And no matter what happens, I will always love you as if you were my own. Even when I will not hear it, promise me you will never doubt that… _

_There is one more thing I want you to understand. I realize now that you have also grown to love me as if I were your real father. That is why I want you to know that what you said to me the last night we saw each other is untrue. You are good enough to be my daughter. I am just… not fit __enough__ to be your father, Annabelle._

_I am certain you found the ring by now. Your mother will surely recognize it. It was my mother's, after all. My father gave it to her when they first got engaged. My mother left it to me after her death with a note saying she wanted me to give it to the person I marry and love… I doubt I will be marrying anyone at this stage in my life, but I do know who I love enough to give it to. So, I am giving it her—that is, I am giving it to you._

_I hope that with it, you will always remember my love for you. No matter what, that much has __always__ been—and __will always__ be—true… Take care of your mother for me, and continue to make me proud…_

_Love,_

_Bàbà. _

Annabelle was already crying by the time she finished the letter; and then with a whimper, she gripped her mom and cried some more. She was truly touched by the letter, but it also frightened her. She knew what a 'good-bye' was when she read it, and this was definitely one… But the way it was written….it left her with a bad feeling in her heart. She was afraid for Vlad. She didn't know why, but she was.

Stephanie closed her own eyes as tears leaked out of them, too; but she kept quiet as she held her crying daughter. She knew Vlad had left her no choice but to tell her daughter the truth about him; but she refused to tell her everything. She might have to tell her now about his accident, but that didn't mean she would tell her about all the bad things he had done. She prayed she could at least hide that much from her…

She didn't want to be—and wouldn't be—the one to tell her daughter just how far from 'perfect and good' _her_ _bàbà _was…

* * *

**Okay, in case you do not remember and you are staring at me like I am crazy, I do know that according to Mr. Hartman's timeline, Reality Trip takes place before Double-Cross My Heart and Kindred Spirits. But like I mentioned a couple times before, in the U.S, they aired RT as the last episode of season two and since I was writing CM at the time, I wrote it like that. So, for the sake of this story, RT **_**is**_** the last episode in season two.**

**Oh, and if you are wondering. We have one more chapter left and the epilogue; so technically two chapters. :D I plan to include the real summary for Endgame in the end of this story, so another thing to look forward to.**

**And speaking of which, NewGhostGirl made another trailer for Endgame! I think it's even more awesome than the first! Oh, you all have to check it out. Go to my FF profile and you'll find the link!**

**Lastly, on behalf of my friend Truephan and of myself, we want to wish Turkeyhead987 a happy and Blessed Birthday tomorrow! May you enjoy many more, sweetie! And although we couldn't get another chapter of 'Sid' out, I wanted to dedicate this one of Checkmate to you! Happy B-day!**

**Well, that is all for now! I hope you guys liked this chapter! Thanks for your support and reviews! Ta!**


	83. Chapter 82: Stalemate

**Okay… Here it is. Last real chapter. And then… the epilogue. God, I still can't believe this story is almost over. Wow. Ahem. Well, I'll save the 'tears' for the **_**actual**_** last chapter. So, for now, enjoy and savor this long and emotional chapter. It was a hard one to write and make believable, but my dear beta Truephan helped me out; so a big bear hug for her! Heh-heh! The rest of you, I'll see you all at the bottom with… cookies… and tissues! Ha!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

* * *

**Chapter 82: Stalemate**

* * *

Over a week later, things had settled down completely for everyone, especially Danny. He had gotten back to the rhythm of his life, so much that he had already gotten a detention for being late to first period and Dash had already gone back to stuffing him in his locker.

On another note, he now had to be even more cautious of his secret identity, since the Guys-in-White had officially set up a facility in the center of Amity Park. But much like the teen's ghostly enemies, the government hunters were not currently causing any real trouble. So, Danny just made it his business to keep out of their way and continue on his usual patrol of his town—another routine which he had also gotten back into the swing of.

At least the ghosts had taken the hint. The ghost hauntings were back to the usual amount. It seemed the whole 'claiming your territory' thing worked. Now with his presence, the ghosts kept away—at least, those that were weaker than he and those which didn't have a personal grudge against him as well.

Whatever. It was a work in progress.

And that's really how he was approaching the pressures in his life. He was taking them as they came. After understanding from these past months who he was and who he wasn't, Danny finally accepted that as long as he was Danny Phantom, he would have more problems and responsibilities than a normal teenager would have. But that was just it. He wasn't a normal teenager—and he never would be. He got that now, too.

Still, as before, he was sure all his sacrifice was worth it. His town—and most importantly, his loved ones—depended on him. And seeing everyone safe and the supporting smiles of his friends and sister made it all worthwhile.

"Hey, Danny, check this out, dude!" Tucker exclaimed, shoving his PDA under his friend's nose so he could see the screen.

Sitting at their usual spot at lunch, Danny blinked in surprise when he saw the Amity Park newspaper on his friend's PDA. And the specific article was about him—about Danny Phantom.

Unlike before he left when people believed him a menace, now everyone was glad to see the Ghost Boy back. It seemed the town had noticed that with his return, the ghost problems had settled down all the more—even when Plasmius had previously had a hand in it. Ultimately, everyone was happy that their town had reached its 'normalcy' now that the Ghost Boy was around.

In fact, according to the latest poll, most people in the town supported him and called him a… 'hero'.

It was a pleasant change to say the least.

"Dude, at this rate, they'll be selling Danny Phantom plush toys at the mall and even video games! Oh, I would so get that game!" Tucker said excitedly.

"Tucker, why play a 'Danny Phantom' game when you do the 'real thing' almost every night?" Sam asked dryly.

Tucker thought about it, but then shrugged and said, "I would still get it!"

Sam rolled her eyes and looked at her half-ghost friend. "It looks like you're on the 'popularity' list now. Way to go hero," she half-teased.

Danny smiled at her. "Shame that the 'popularity' thing doesn't extend to my human half."

Sam scoffed. "Popularity is so overrated."

Danny smirked and replied, "So, I've heard." But getting more serious, he added, "Anyways, it's kinda nice to not be 'public enemy number one' anymore. I just hope it lasts, especially with the Guys-in-White and—_Valerie!"_ the teen suddenly exclaimed when he saw the girl running over to him.

"Danny!" she exclaimed before he threw herself into a hug with him.

Danny cringed at the force of her hold, but then he chuckled nervously and returned the hug. "I'm, uh, happy to see you, too, Val. I just… would be happy to breathe again, too!"

"Oh!" she said as she quickly let go and stepped back with a bashful smile. "Sorry about that! I'm just so glad to finally get the chance to see you and know you're okay!"

Danny glanced at his friends and saw Sam quietly seething, while Tucker had an odd frown on his face.

Turning his attention back to the hunter girl, Danny smiled and replied, "Thanks for worrying about me, Val. I missed you, too."

Valerie frowned as she tentatively asked, "Why did you leave like that, Danny? For a moment… we all thought you were abducted by ghosts…"

Danny swallowed before answering, "Uh, no, it didn't have to do with any ghosts. I just… With all that happened with Jazz, I just, uh, had some things to, uh, sort out. But, really, I'm okay now."

Valerie appeared unsure, as if she wanted to ask more.

But before she could say anything else, Danny quickly changed the subject, "What about you? Tucker told me you were in the hospital some time back. Are you okay?"

Valerie relaxed a bit and smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just got burned out with school and my… two jobs." She finally glanced at Tucker and smiled, adding, "Tucker really helped me get better with his visits…"

Danny quickly looked at his male friend and raised an eyebrow. And seeing his friend smile and blush, the half-ghost teen knew he was missing something here. He was definitely going to have to talk to Tucker later…

"So, uh, where were you this week?" Danny asked as he turned his focus back on Valerie. "I mean, I've been back a week now and I haven't seen you at school…"

"Oh, uh, well, I had a cold earlier this week, so my dad let me stay home. And also I've been doing some extra jobs lately. You know, to make some extra money. That's why I didn't stop by earlier at your house when you first got back," Valerie answered evasively.

Danny frowned, noticing her behavior; but not wanting to let on that he knew more than she realized, he just nodded and replied, "Well, I hope you at least you were able to make up the work you missed, especially now that we've got just a week of school left."

Valerie grinned this time. "I did. And I've managed to get through this school year, so I think I'll be okay. I'm actually counting down the days for summer break! I can't wait! I'll be officially starting my new job!"

Danny raised an eyebrow. "New job?"

"Yeah, it's—" But a sudden ring cut the girl off. And seeing it was her phone, she quickly pulled it out and checked the number.

Valerie's eyes quickly widened with urgency and she just as speedily said, "Oh, I really got to take this! It's good to have you back, Danny! Bye, Tucker! We'll talk tonight like usual, okay? Bye!"

Before anyone could say anything, Valerie dashed off, and flipping her phone open, she said, "Hello? Sorry, Mr. Masters, I was…"

"…..."

"Yeah, I did like you told me, but he just said that he left by his own choice… Are you sure he was taken by the Ghost Boy?" she asked with a frown.

"…..."

Valerie nodded at the man's answer before saying, "Don't worry, Mr. Masters. I won't let you down. I'll make sure the Ghost Boy doesn't come anywhere near Danny…"

The girl smiled at the man's response and then finally said, "Alright, Mr. Masters. I will see you in two weeks and thanks again!"

Valerie hung up the phone and grinned. True the man had offered her a job as his private ghost hunter some time back, but now, it was official.

That meant she could quit that horrible job at the Nasty Burger!

"This is the start of something good. I just know it," she whispered to herself with a pleased sigh before she headed off to get something to eat…

* * *

"What's up between you and Valerie?" Danny quickly asked Tucker once the girl was gone.

Tucker blushed even more. "Oh, nothing! I mean, we're just friends!"

And seeing Sam glare at him, the techo-geek quickly added, "But Danny's my friend, _first_. It's just that…"

Danny smiled when his friend trailed off. "It's alright, Tuck… I understand…."

Tucker smiled thankfully at his male friend, though he made a mental note to talk guy-to-guy with his friend later…

"I'll never understand why _either_ of you are so set on being friends with a grudge-holding, trigger-happy ghost hunter!" Sam grumbled.

"Oh, come on, Sam, she doesn't know the truth about me," Danny objected.

"And if she did, she'd try to waste you anyways!" Sam countered.

"You… don't know that. She might understand…" Danny argued back half-heartedly this time.

"Right," Sam answered, rolling her eyes.

"Well, getting off the topic for all our sakes," Tucker intervened, "What happened with your parents? You said you would tell us at lunch..."

Danny quickly sobered up even more as he replied, "I don't know what to do, guys. Yesterday was the third time my parents sat me down to ask me why I left and where I went to… And all I can think of saying is that I just needed some time to think with all that happened with Jazz… Problem is they want to know more than that, and I can't blame them! Heck, I was gone for almost five months!"

"What did you tell them when they asked you where you went?" Sam asked with a worried look.

Danny briefly rubbed his temple before lowering his hand with a sigh and looking back at his friends. "Nothing. I haven't answered that yet. Jazz fed them some psychology nonsense about letting me tell them when I was ready because it could scar my still developing brain or something if they forced me to tell them."

Danny rolled his eyes at that, and Sam smirked, saying, "At least it got them off your back."

The half-ghost teen nodded. "Yeah, but for how long? I can't keep avoiding them and keep quiet forever. But I just can't think of what to say! I mean what could I say that would be believable?"

"The… truth?" Tucker offered with a meek smile, trying to liven up the situation, only to fail.

Danny glared, but mostly in aggravation with himself. "Yeah right, Tucker! Oh, I'm sure that would go well! 'Mom, Dad. Vlad and I are enemies. He forced me to go to Wisconsin by threatening Jazz's life. But then when he gave me the chance to come back, I decided to stay because I'm an idiot! Oh, did I mention we are both half-_ghosts_?' Yeah, that would go so well," the teen added bitterly, looking away from his friends and staring angrily at the uneaten burger in front of him.

Sam and Tucker quickly looked at each other. They had suspected their friend had some pent up emotions from what happened with Vlad, but they had now confirmed it. It was a bit troubling, especially when Danny had refused to speak much about his time with Vlad…

Still, now was probably the best time to take the chance and ask…

"You know, dude," Tucker began carefully. "You never really told us everything that happened with Vlad… and what made you even decide to stay in the first place…"

Danny quietly stared at his lunch for a moment or two before emotionlessly saying, "There isn't much to tell… You guys already know about the nanobots and why I had to lie and couldn't tell anyone the truth… As for what made me decide to stay when I got the chance to leave…."

Danny fell quiet again, this time a surge of memories returning to his mind from his time with Vlad, and how both of them had changed so much after giving each other a chance…

But feeling his heart beginning to constrict, the teen shook his head and shrugged, finally saying, "I guess I just thought I could change things… But I was wrong."

And with that last declaration, he grabbed his burger and quietly began to eat it.

Sam and Tucker just nodded. They knew that wasn't the whole story, but it was obvious he didn't want to talk about it.

"Mr. Fenton?"

Danny looked up and quickly saw Mr. Lancer approaching him.

"Uh, y-yes, sir?" he replied with uncertainty.

His teacher had an odd look on his face, but it was quickly gone as he stopped in front of him and calmly replied, "Could you come to my office after lunch? There is an urgent matter we must discuss."

Baffled, Danny could only nod his response before he watched his teacher and vice-principal leave.

"Urgent Matter?" Sam suddenly repeated, sounding just as confused.

Danny shrugged. "I'm as clueless about what he's talking about as you, Sam."

Tucker smiled wickedly. "Man, I think you're in trouble."

Danny rolled his eyes in annoyance. "As much as I'd like to argue about that, you're probably right, Tuck" he replied dryly.

However, Danny was about to learn how far off from the truth he was….

* * *

Danny knocked on Mr. Lancer's office door, and when he then heard his vice-principal beckon him in, he entered.

Mr. Lancer had his back to him, but as the teen stepped closer, he noticed his teacher picking up a large brown envelope with what was probably some thick stack of documents.

Danny thought nothing of it, especially when his teacher quickly turned and said, "You are just in time, Mr. Fenton. Everyone is waiting. So, come on. Follow me…"

"Everyone?" Danny asked, confused, but followed his teacher out of his office all the same.

Mr. Lancer did not reply, though, and just led the teen to a conference room nearby.

As soon as Danny stepped in, he knew what his vice-principal had meant by 'everyone'…

The boy halted in surprise by the door at the sight of his parents and sister already in the room. His principal was there, too. Everyone was already seated at a large square table. While Ms. Ishiyama was at one end of the table, his parents and sister were on the left side, sitting closest to the female principal.

"_Uh…,"_ Danny thought warily. _"I'm pretty sure I haven't done anything so wrong that my whole family needed to be called; so what…?_

"Please, have a seat, Mr. Fenton," Mr. Lancer said, interrupting the boy's thoughts.

"But I'm already sittin'," Jack suddenly answered, confused.

"I meant, Danny," Mr. Lancer added dryly, and seeing the teen still not moving, the man placed a hand on his shoulder and directed him to a seat close to Principal Ishiyama.

Jack blinked. "Oh," he muttered before rubbing his neck sheepishly and slightly averting his gaze.

Danny barely noticed that as he took a seat right across from his family. Instead, he silently glanced questioningly at his sister. But she just discreetly shrugged, clearly not having a clue what was going on, either.

"This shouldn't take too long, Danny," his female principal at last spoke up.

Meanwhile, Mr. Lancer chose to remain standing, but stayed in front of the empty seat between Principal Ishiyama and Danny, so that he could see everyone.

Now more than just mildly anxious, the half-ghost teen slowly glanced around at all the adults in the room and finally said in a slightly squeaking voice, "W-What's going on?"

"That's what we would like to know," Danny's mom added with a confused frown. "Is… Danny in trouble?"

"No, no, not at all," Principal Ishiyama quickly said with a warm smile. "But the reason we gathered you all here on such short notice is very important and could not wait another moment."

"Yes," Mr. Lancer agreed seriously, placing the large brown envelope on the table in front of him. "Just this morning, I received some very interesting documents regarding your son, Mr. and Mrs. Fenton."

"Documents? What kind of documents?" Jazz quickly asked, confused.

"As you all know from our last meeting—," Mr. Lancer continued, only briefly glancing at the teen girl before turning his eyes back to Danny's parents, "—

Principal Ishiyama and I informed you both that because of Danny's extended absence, he would be forced to be held back a year. However, we further agreed to move him up at the middle of the next school year…"

"Yes, that's right," Maddie agreed while Jack looked lost.

"Well, I called you all here to tell you the school board has now been obligated to retract from that decision," Mr. Lancer said.

Danny frowned uncertainly, but it was his sister who blurted out, "What? But why? We all saw how well he did on those evaluation tests!"

"Calm down, Jazz," her principal said with a patient voice. "You must allow us to finish. Mr. Lancer…?"

The vice-principal nodded before he opened the unsealed envelope and pulled out a stack of papers.

"You see, it is because of these papers, which Principal Ishiyama faxed without delay this morning to the school board, that they are obligated to retract from our previous arrangements…" Lancer explained.

"We still do not understand, Mr. Lancer," Maddie replied with a worried frown.

But instead of replying to the parents this time, Mr. Lancer finally looked directly at Danny and said with perplexity, "Mr. Fenton, when I asked you some days ago if you ran off to a learning institution, I was being sarcastic… I never would have imagined you truly had gone off to one…"

Danny's mouth parted slightly as an odd feeling settled in the pit of his stomach and a vague sense of understanding left him speechless.

"Hold on. Back up," Maddie quickly said with a look of disbelief. "Are you really saying that…?"

"Yes, Mrs. and Mr. Fenton," Principal Ishiyama spoke up. "According to these documents we received, your son has been enrolled in a private scholastic institution in Florida for almost the past five months."

As the principal said this, Mr. Lancer extended the stack of papers in his hands to the elder Fentons as proof of their words.

Maddie's eyes widened and she didn't hesitate to take the stack of papers. And as she quickly began to scan through and saw they were indeed marked with some school's logo, her mouth parted slightly before she looked up at her son in disbelief, asking, "You left to get_ private schooling?"_

"Ha! That's my boy!" Jack exclaimed with a beaming smile before Danny could even say anything. But when he saw his wife shoot him a hard look, he grinned sheepishly and shrugged.

Turning back to her son, she further questioned him with a mixture of disbelief and displeasure in her tone, "Danny, why didn't you tell us?"

"What I am wondering is how the young Mr. Fenton here managed to enroll into this school without parental authorization. In any case, _Danny_, you do realize you simply could have gotten private help here—_in Amity Park_—instead of going states away for it?"

Danny was still too stunned to even think at the moment. He couldn't believe it. Why would…?

"Danny?" Maddie called again, interrupting her son's thoughts.

Danny's breathing turned shallower and he finally shook his head. "N-No, I didn't—"

"He didn't mean to!" Jazz blurted out as she stood and went over to her brother. She placed a hand on his shoulder and then smiled nervously at the adults in the room as she explained, "You know I told you, Mom and Dad, that this could be very dangerous psychologically for Danny if you made him tell you what happened. Well, I was right. It worked not to pressure him because he finally told me what happened!"

"Jazz, are you saying you _knew_ about this?" Maddie asked, this time her tone of voice bordering on anger.

"And why didn't you tell us?" Jack added, a frown now on his own face.

Now realizing she had just hung herself out to dry, Jazz smiled meekly at her parents and replied, "Well… to answer your question, Mom, I didn't really know until…er, just a couple of days ago; well, really less than a couple of days ago since he told me after we both were up way late studying and you both were asleep. And Danny said he wanted to be the one to tell you; but really, with all that studying he's been doing lately, he's really been too busy and exhausted from doing that. You see, uhm, after we had that talk, we both felt that maybe he should wait until after school ended, especially since we didn't think that private school was going to actually send this stuff, ah, given the circumstances, uh, right, Danny?"

But Danny just stared back at Jazz, and the girl frowned, not really knowing what else to make up. Still, she managed to blurt out, "I'm sorry that all this is hard for you to bring up now, Danny, but it looks like you're going to have to... It's time to start talking, little brother..."

She bit her lip when she could see that her parents were not appeased, Danny still looked a bit stunned, and the two school administrators looked very confused and even a little skeptical.

"Well, I certainly don't understand any of this," Mr. Lancer suddenly said, his face skewed.

But then Maddie suddenly sighed and shook her head in frustration. "I cannot believe this. All this time…" She sighed sharply again, clearly fighting to control her hurt and confusion.

"What's this all about, Danny?" she suddenly demanded, turning her focus back on her son.

And finally seeing how hurt his mother was, Danny frowned with guilt as he sadly replied, "I'm sorry, Mom… I…" He paused and lowered his gaze, definitely feeling that he was on the hot seat—all because of what he suspected. He didn't want to lie, but he knew he had no choice since he didn't want to get Jazz into any trouble for trying to help. But what could he say? How was he going to get out of this? He knew there could be only one explanation for this…

Unless...

He brightened at his sudden idea. And the ironic part was that his idea had come from a certain unpleasant memory with Vlad's buisness partner...

_"...__Besides, how can I expect anything more out of someone like you?" Mark asked off-handedly._

_Danny's eyebrows creased deeply. "What do you mean, someone like me?" he questioned, this time not hiding the fact that he was looking around for Vlad. The teen really didn't want to talk to this man anymore, but he couldn't just get up and walk away. _

_The man chuckled, but it was anything but pleasant. He suddenly picked up one of his drinks and took a swig before speaking again. "Why are we beating around the bush, Danny? I know you are not who you and Masters say you are. What? Did you think that just because you are nicely primped and dressed that you can pass for someone decent? I can see right through you, boy. So, tell me, who are you really? The result of one of Masters' flings, perhaps? Or maybe you're just some hooligan he decided to adopt from off the streets just out of charity?"_

That's right. There was charity places for kids on the streets... Maybe... Danny mentally cringed. Well, this was the best he could do—given the circumstances like Jazz said.

"Danny," Jazz suddenly said quietly and slightly nervous, silently pleading for her brother to say something.

Swallowing, Danny finally did what he had to do. "...I guess I couldn't handle everything back then. I felt really pressured. I was so worried about Jazz and then I was doing so badly in school and seeing you and dad so disappointed… I just wanted to make you guys proud of me…"

"But, son, we are proud of you," Jack replied first. "So you don't get the best grades; it's okay. You can always keep working on it. But even if you're not the best student, that doesn't mean we're not proud of you, Danny. You should know that."

"I… I know," Danny replied, looking back at his father with a sad smile. "I mean, I know that now. But not then. I couldn't handle all of the pressure. That's why I... I ran away."

"Your father is right, Danny," Maddie spoke up, this time sounding more motherly, especially she felt her heart tighten at remembering how she had felt when he ran away.. "We are proud of you, and it is great that you want to improve your grades by taking private tutoring, but, sweetie, it isn't right that you left for _months_ without telling us."

"But I didn't mean to take private tutoring," Danny suddenly added.

Everyone in the room looked more expectantly at the boy when he said that. And that is when Danny knew that this was it. He could feel his throat tighten. He had to tell his 'story' or else...

He then choked out, "The truth is I did leave because of the stress and with all that was happening with Jazz… I-I couldn't handle it… So, I, uh… took my passport and used my saved up allowance to head far away… and because I like space stuff so much, I guess the first place that came to mind was Florida…"

Danny glanced at the adults, who were staring back with uncertainty and expectancy. The teen looked at his clammy hands as he quickly put together the rest of his lie.

One of the less than 'good' things he learned from Vlad was that the best lies were those that were closest to the truth…

"I, uh, met this… teacher not too long after getting there. I guess she somehow figured out I was alone. She talked to me and told me how she was a teacher and that she volunteered at this agency for ran-away kids that could help me get back home. But then I told her what happened and how I just needed to be away from where I lived for now. She insisted even more that she could help, if only I would agree to go to this place she knew. I… agreed. And they let me stay there until I was ready to come back. While I was there, I would talk to this teacher a lot. I...I told her that I was having trouble at school, so she offered to tutor me, but I never thought… she would make it 'official' and send any papers here through the school she works at…"

Danny paused as he suddenly thought of his best friends, and quickly twisted the truth yet again, "She helped me in many other ways, too. …Because in the end, she convinced me to come back home and not run away from things just because they might seem very bad at the moment or because you're afraid to be who you are. And you know? She's right."

He paused again and no one spoke for a few moments.

"All right, Danny… I'm glad you told us," Maddie said, trying to hold back her tears. "I just wished you would have _talked_ to me about how you were feeling and allowed me to help you, instead of taking such a drastic decision as leaving your home and family…"

Her son looked away in shame, and she sighed and fell silent. But then she suddenly frowned when her eyes fell upon Jazz. She was still not happy with her daughter for not encouraging her brother to tell her and her husband sooner than this. She sadly said, "And you, Jazz. I wish _you_ could also feel that you can tell me and your father anything, whenever you need to. I'm just so upset that you couldn't bring yourself to do that…"

Jazz lowered her gaze, too, not knowing what to say. But she was secretly relieved that her brother had thought of a plausible way out of this mess.

But not wanting to see his sister get into even a hint of more trouble because of him, Danny quickly spoke up, "Don't be mad at Jazz, Mom! I pleaded her not to tell you guys anything. And I'm sorry! I really am! You're right; I should have told you and dad everything. I… I am _really_ sorry," he emphasized with a pleading look.

Maddie stared at her son's troubled face for a moment, but then finally sighed helplessly. She just couldn't stay mad at him. Yes, his and Jazz's behaviors were completely unacceptable, but after almost losing them both, she was still too thankful and relieved to be angry for very long…

Maddie sighed again before she glanced up at her husband. He smiled encouragingly at her and she looked back down at the papers in her hands. It was time to move on. She then looked up at Mr. Lancer and asked with a more subdued voice, "So, now that we all know about this, is this a legit place? And this… teacher?"

Mr. Lancer nodded. "Yes, it is; the school board confirmed it, and the documents are legally signed by the institution and the private tutor. All that they need is parental authroization for the board to accept them."

Mr. Lancer moved a bit closer to show the elder Fentons the last paper in the stack so they could see the verification of the documents.

"Ms. Viola Thomas?" Maddie read out loud the printed name of the tutor followed by her signature.

Danny cringed as everything he had suspected finally was confirmed by _that_ name. There was no doubt in his mind now.

This was Vlad's doing.

After a brief silence, Mr. Lancer directed his attention back at Danny as he spoke up, "You really should have mentioned this upon your return, Danny. It would have saved you and your parents all the troubles they and you went through to get the school board to permit you to finish the year."

"But the good news is that you will no longer be held back," the Principal continued with a smile. "Since you completed your required credits in Florida with this private tutor, then it's a matter of simply transferring them here—which I also requested this morning and have received that further information as well."

"Yes, and your teachers, including myself—," Mr. Lancer further explained, "—have agreed that your final grade for each of your classes will be whatever you score on your final exams." The man smiled for the first time through the meeting as he added, "And by the way you scored on those evaluation tests last week, then I am certain you will have no problem making a decent grade on each exam, and in turn, passing your classes here."

"Honey, that's wonderful news!" Maddie said in both relief and encouragement, moving over to hug her son.

"Yeah, you'll get to be with your friends next year!" Jack added, also grinning.

Danny just weakly smiled at his parents.

Jazz also didn't say anything, but her smile was more genuine. She was immensely happy with this latest news, even if it now brought up _a lot_ of questions…

"Danny. Jazz," their principal then said, capturing their attention. "You two can head back to class. We just need your parents' signatures on some of these documents to complete Danny's credit transfer."

Jazz nodded while Danny stood from the chair to leave.

"See ya at home, Son! Jazzy-pants!" Jack said, waving happily.

But just as Danny and Jazz reached the door, their mother called to them. They stopped and looked at her as she approached them.

"Danny. Jazz," Maddie said with a warm smile before she suddenly hugged them both and assured them, "I love you both very much."

The two teens' cheeks flushed red in embarrassment at having their mother openly show so much affection in front of their principal and vice-principal.

But before the two could even worry about that, their mother's tone of voice suddenly changed as she pulled away and added sternly, "But you are both officially grounded until the last day of school."

"What?" Danny and Jazz automatically exclaimed. "But, Mom—!"

"Bye, Sweeties!" Maddie cut them off in her usual motherly voice as she opened the door for them and gently coaxed them out.

Jazz turned and glared at the door when it was closed behind them. "This is so unfair," she fumed to herself.

But Danny's brief indignation was long gone as he glanced at the halls, as if troubled by their emptiness…

But hearing his sister's pouting, he forced himself to focus back on her as he suddenly told her with a small smile, "Thanks, Jazz."

His sister had been willing to take some of the blame for all this when she didn't have to. It made the half-ghost teen all the more thankful to have her with him. He really would be lost without her.

Jazz sighed away her anger. And seeing and hearing Danny's sincerity, she smiled warmly at him. "You're welcome, little brother. I told you. I'll always do what I can to help you; even if covering for you gets me into trouble. What's a week of grounding, right?"

"An eternity for you," Danny replied with a larger grin, knowing his sister wasn't use to getting punished.

Jazz rolled her eyes, but then she suddenly pulled Danny closer and kissed his head.

"Gah! Jazz! Come on! Not here!" Danny quickly whined, pulling away from her.

Jazz giggled loudly before replying, "I'm also around to annoy you, little brother. And to boss you around. So, come on. We better get back to class. I especially don't want to miss anymore of the final review for my Calculus II class."

Danny just grumbled back as he wiped her kiss away but followed his sister all the same.

* * *

"Where's Danny?" Jazz asked Sam and Tucker when she spotted them outside after the dismissal bell rang. "He said he wanted a ride home."

"Ghost trouble," Tucker replied.

"He told us to tell you to leave without him and that he'll meet you at home," Sam added.

Jazz nodded, reflexively glancing up at the sky. But not seeing anything, she focused back on her brother's friends. "So… did he mention anything?"

"If you mean about his talk with Lancer, then, yes," Sam answered.

"Yeah, man! That's so awesome how he's gonna be able to move on to the next school year with us," Tucker beamed.

"I'm glad, too," Sam added, but by the frown on her face, it didn't seem like she was happy, and she soon voiced why. "What I want to know is where these 'mystery papers' and 'private tutor' came from. Vlad?"

"That's what I'm thinking," Jazz replied with a grim nod. "But how?"

"_But_ _**why**_?" Sam emphasized the more important question, her eyes narrowing a bit in suspicion.

"And Florida?" Tucker spoke up, confused. "Out of all places, why Florida? I mean, why not make up somewhere closer to Amity Park?"

"I am not completely sure Vlad totally made this up, Tucker," Jazz said seriously, glancing at the boy.

"It has to be," Sam quickly objected. "I mean, Danny would never go—"

"He went to some important party with him, Sam," Jazz interrupted her. "_And_ he also went to Germany with him. _Remember_? Last time I checked, _that_ is _a lot_ further than Florida."

"I know!" Sam snapped, though she was mostly aggravated with how bizarre all this was. "I just don't think Danny would… _accept_ anything from Vlad—not even some private tutor. I mean, come on, the rich jerk doesn't do anything 'nice' for anyone—_especially_ not Danny!"

"Well, not sure if you noticed, Sam," Tucker spoke up, "but Danny's gotten a lot better with his ghost powers. I mean, he's always been improving, but since he left and has now returned… I don't know. He knows a lot more stuff. Heck, he can teleport now! Um, and he kinda seems more confident, too, you know—like he knows what he's doing a lot more now…"

Sam opened her mouth to protest, but then she huffed. She had noticed those things, too, but she wasn't about to admit it. There was just no way Danny would _willingly_ want anything to do with Vlad after all the guy had put him and his family through.

But… hadn't Danny wanted to stay? Hadn't he argued before he changed his mind that Vlad had… changed?

Was that even possible?

"_No way,"_ Sam mentally replied to herself. _"If he had 'changed' he wouldn't have hurt Danny like that when he tried to leave—and that sick jerk wouldn't have tried to waste Jazz if he cared. There's no way."_

"Look, whatever happened, Vlad will always be Vlad," Sam said out loud. "He never does anything without it benefiting _him_ one way or another. And if Danny ever thought differently at one point, then I'm sure Vlad tricked him somehow. The point is we need to be careful, because this has 'the beginning of yet another evil scheme' written all over it!"

This time, Jazz and Tucker kept quiet. They couldn't argue that point. Whatever had happened, Vlad was still the enemy and was clearly up to something again…

Jazz sighed before returning back to her earlier thought, "When I asked you two if Danny has said anything to you, I meant more about… what happened. He… hasn't said anything _at all?"_

Sam sighed, too, calming down again before answering, "Not really. Every time we hit the subject, he gives us some quick reply or just gets quiet, so we've stopped trying."

Jazz frowned worriedly. "I haven't asked him about it yet because I was hoping he would come around to telling me when he was ready. But…I'm beginning to think that this is one of those things he never will talk about… And that really worries me."

"I gotta admit it worries me a bit, too," Sam replied; but then with a sad smile, she added, "But Danny's a strong person. And honestly, I think he's fine, Jazz. Like Tucker said, he seems so much more confident and all the more determined to do what he does. And in everything else, he's back to his old self and doesn't seem to be stressed. So, maybe we should just respect his decision of not wanting to talk about his time with Vlad."

"Yeah, I agree with that," Tucker said. "I think Danny just wants to forget that nightmare, and we really should, too. I mean, he's back and everything's back to normal. Isn't that all that really matters now?"

"I just wish I knew what really happened with Vlad in those months Danny was with him," Jazz said with a deep helpless sigh.

"Well, we told you what happened when we went to get him back," Tucker replied. "Vlad went crazy and then his even crazier girl maid used her creepy powers on Danny to supposedly help him get to you faster." The boy shuddered at a sudden memory as he added. "I don't think I've ever met a creepier ghost than that girl. Wait. There was also that controlling ghost dude! Man, Vlad really employs some scary ghosts. Remind me _never_ to go to that guy's place again!"

Sam frowned. "I don't know what to make of that girl ghost, either. She was bizarre. But at least she didn't hurt Danny…"

This time Jazz remained quiet. She also could not even begin to guess who this ghost… 'Niane?' …was; but Jazz couldn't really agree with Danny's friends—not when Jazz knew firsthand exactly how this mysterious ghost had helped her brother save her life.

Clearly, Danny had not said anything about their brief connection to his friends, and Jazz wasn't inclined to tell them, either. It was kind of private. And… it had been a onetime thing. At least, Danny hadn't been talking inside her head or anything of the sort since that day. So, it didn't really matter anymore exactly how it all happened.

Still, Jazz did know a lot more about what had happened than Sam and Tucker did. Not only did the older girl know more about what Niane had done to her brother, but also about what had gone on between Danny and Vlad.

Unlike Danny's friends, Jazz had had more than one encounter with Vlad in the time Danny was with him. And based on her argument with the man on the phone and the one on the top of one of Amity's buildings all that time back, Jazz knew that at some point or another Vlad _had_ changed—or perhaps had grown to care enough for her brother to want to change _for him. _

Of course, it brought up a lot of questions—ones only Danny and Vlad could ever answer. But being that Jazz was a bit nosey and had a knack for figuring things out, it wasn't hard for the girl to come up with some probable answers for her questions.

And really, it was her suspicions that troubled her most about the fact that Danny didn't want to talk about any of this. Because if her deductions were right, her brother had a serious emotional burden on him, and it was going to overcome him sooner or later if he didn't talk about it or put some sort of closure to this.

"I have to get him to talk to me," Jazz muttered with a worried and determined frown.

And hearing the girl, Tucker shrugged and said, "Good luck with that. We all know how stubborn Danny is."

"Don't push him too much, Jazz," Sam added with an unsure look. "You know how he gets when you nag him too much."

"Yeah," Jazz agreed absently; but snapping out of her thoughts, she suddenly waved at the younger teens and said, "I'll see you two tomorrow."

Tucker waved back, while Sam sighed, "Stubbornness is _any_ Fentons 'middle name'."

Tucker laughed. "Yup. Things are back to normal alright!"

Sam rolled her eyes, but still smiled in agreement.

* * *

It was about seven in the evening. Danny sat at the kitchen table, absently swirling sugar into his tea. After capturing the ghost after school, he had returned home and ran into his sister. But seeing that 'look' on her face—the one that she gave him when she wanted to have a serious talk with him—Danny quickly avoided her by heading out with TJ before his sister could even try to get a word in.

He had taken his dog to the park—a 'chore' his parents luckily let him do in spite of being grounded.

He had stayed out for a good few hours. He usually didn't go to the park alone, but with TJ now, he was sure it would soon turn into something more than a routine for him.

This time, however, he had not had much mind for his dog. He didn't even recall what he did with TJ in those hours… His mind was too cluttered and his emotions too confused to focus on anything than his thoughts.

He probably only realized he needed to get back because his grumbling stomach had told him it was past dinner time.

Danny had been relieved when he returned and wasn't greeted by anyone. He was afraid he wouldn't be very good company for anyone right now. And the last thing he needed right now was his sister's overprotectiveness.

Luckily, Jazz was up in her room; probably unaware that he had finally returned. And his parents were occupied in the lab as usual.

But it seemed even with all those hours alone with his thoughts had not made him feel emotionally any better. In fact, he just felt worse.

And his thoughts just continued to circle around the reason for his distress:

Vlad.

He had been trying so hard for the past week to not think about him—and especially to not think about what happened. Immersing himself back in his usual responsibilities and focusing on his loved ones really helped with that; but the moment he was alone and his mind was free to wonder, that little thorn in his heart began to throb and threaten to create a deeper wound within him.

Still, he had managed to keep the pain at bay… up until now…

Danny didn't understand. Why would Vlad…_even care_ to help him? Why go out of his way to use the very papers that were once going to be used to convince Danny's parents to let the teen stay in Wisconsin to now cover-up his several month absence? And on top of that, to fix his problem with his passing freshman year?

Why did Vlad do that?

Furthermore, had… the man known of his problem with the school and his parents, or was it coincidence that the man aided him _right in the nick of time?_

Did… Did that mean Vlad was keeping an eye on him without his knowing, or was he reading too much into Vlad's supposedly kind and perfectly-timed actions?

Danny took in a slow breath to calm himself. There were too many questions and very little answers.

He just… wished he knew where he and Vlad stood. Well, actually, Danny had no doubt of where that was: They were enemies again. The man had made that point all too clear in their last encounter. But… the teen still hoped against hope that Vlad would reconsider.

And that's what had the teen so stressed. A part of him was _so angry_ and resentful towards Vlad—for not understanding, for rejecting all his attempts for things to remain the same, for… almost wasting his sister. Okay, yes, the teen had gone back on his word and he had raised the man's hopes up, but, wasn't he allowed to make a _mistake_? Isn't that what Vlad assured him _himself_ when Danny somewhat confessed about his evil self to the man? So then what had happened to that? Had Vlad just been lying to him then?

If Vlad really cared, then why couldn't he see that he had made a _mistake_? He didn't do any of this on purpose! Why couldn't Vlad have forgiven him? Why couldn't they have talked things through and found a way to make things work?

But, no, Vlad had just lashed out—and had absolutely no problem in hurting him in every way possible in their last fight.

Danny was hurt and angry. But… the other part of him—and, sadly, he didn't know which was stronger—felt so ashamed, _so guilty_ for hurting Vlad.

And the man's helping him yet again didn't make those feelings any better—quite the contrary. They made them stronger inside him. They were eating away at him at this point.

He felt horrible about what happened. If he could, he would fix it; but… this was something that took two people to fix, and Danny doubted Vlad was interested.

He wanted to just forget about Vlad and about their time together. It would be so easy if he could. However, the teen knew that was impossible. He probably never would fully get over all this.

Still, the teen knew he needed to find some type of closure to it all, or it was going to drive him crazy with pain and guilt.

But what? What was he supposed to do?

What was he going to do with the sadness in his heart? What was he suppose to do with this feeling of… incompletion?

He still felt that… _connection_ with Vlad burning inside of him; but it no longer gave him a feeling of assurance and confidence; it was now a feeling of… desperation and uncertainty.

He could hide the truth from everyone around him, but not himself. He knew the truth:

He missed him. He missed Vlad.

Then, there was the fear—that almost mind-numbing fear of the inevitable…

What was going to happen when he saw Vlad again?

What was he supposed to do? Yes, Vlad made it clear they were enemies, but that didn't mean that the teen's heart had yet to accept that!

Danny was sure that if he saw Vlad again he just wouldn't be able to see him as his enemy. And worse, he didn't know if he could bring himself to fight against the man again after everything…

That part of him that was angry with Vlad told him he should hate the man more than ever. That would probably be the easiest thing to do…

If he could manage it.

Danny shook his head, suddenly feeling so pathetic. Any normal person would not give Vlad a second thought after all the man had done to him—after almost wasting his sister!

"_I guess I'm not normal in that sense, either_," the teen thought bitterly. _"That, or… I'm an idiot."_

Either way, Danny couldn't just rip out his bond with Vlad as easily as the man seemed to have done with his own connection with the teen.

But if that was true, then… why did the older hybrid help him now?

Maybe Vlad still did care.

The slim possibility tempted Danny to fly out of his house right now and head to Wisconsin in spite of his fear to confront Vlad again. But… there was one thing holding him back.

If anything at all, living with Vlad and getting to know the man so intimately taught Danny to read certain actions from the man. Therefore, the teen was certain if Vlad was interested in seeing him and fixing things, _he_ would have shown up by now.

Danny's eyebrows creased. Maybe that's what hurt most—to know that Vlad would never forgive him.

The teen knew now that the older hybrid had taken his leaving as a betrayal. And Danny knew all too well that _that_ was the one thing Vlad did not forgive.

_"You wanted a villain, Daniel? …Now and from here forth… you will have one."_

Out of everything Vlad said to him in their last encounter, those words were the ones that cut the deepest into the teen.

Danny was even afraid to imagine what Vlad had truly meant by those words—but if the man's attempt to harm his sister was any indication, then the teen was already dreading his future confrontations with his… arch-enemy.

Just thinking about that word left the boy with a deeper pain in his heart…

He felt so… lost.

"Danny?"

Danny looked up from his fixed stare on his tea and met his sister's eyes. But unable to even manage a small smile at this point, the boy lowered his eyes again and quietly muttered back, "Hey, Jazz."

The girl's eyebrows creased in sadness before she quietly pulled out a chair and sat in front of her brother. She watched him absently pick up a spoon and stir his hot drink.

However, not bearing the silence any longer, she searched for a conversation starter. Luckily, she found it right on the table.

"Hey, Danny, have you seen this?" Jazz asked, lifting the newspaper and scanning the headlines on it before turning it around so her brother could see it.

Danny glanced up, but finding a picture of his ghost persona staring back at him, the teen quickly lost interest.

"Yeah," he replied before lifting his tea and taking a small sip.

Ignoring her brother's lack of enthusiasm, Jazz grinned and said, "I am so proud of you, little brother! Most all of Amity Park now thinks you a hero at last!"

"_Too bad this hero failed to save someone he cares about,"_ Danny reflexively thought; but feeling his heart clenched, he swallowed and forced a weak smile on his face and instead replied, "Yeah, it's… nice to see that."

This time, Jazz's smile faded away and she sighed, having enough. She had hoped to lighten the mode before she started prying; but, clearly, her brother was more depressed than she had thought.

"Danny…, are you alright?" she asked sadly, leaning more forward in an attempt to meet her brother's lowered gaze. "You know you can talk to me about anything."

But her brother just sighed and closed his eyes before saying seriously, "Jazz, stop asking me that." He opened his eyes and finally looked at her. "I'm fine, and even if I wasn't, I will be. So, please just _stop_ asking, alright?"

Jazz frowned sadly as her brother turned his gaze away and focused back on his drink.

There was a small silence, but refusing to give up, Jazz took a more direct route.

"I know it was Vlad who did all that at school," she said seriously.

Danny hesitated on his next sip of tea as he briefly tensed, but then he calmed and just quietly nodded.

"It was… nice of him to help you out like that," Jazz calmly continued, carefully gauging her brother's reaction.

Danny's eyes briefly glowed with sorrow as he stared at the tea in his hand. He was quiet for a few seconds before he nodded again and this time verbally agreed, "Yeah,… it was."

Jazz's attention briefly went to TJ when he suddenly entered the kitchen and walked over to Danny, nudging him with his snout and wagging his tail.

The boy, in turn, smiled weakly at his dog and stroked his head.

"Sam and Tucker think he has some ulterior motive," Jazz suddenly added. "I suppose it's possible, but… I am not so sure. At least, I don't think Vlad's _reasons_ for what he did are the same reasons your friends suspect."

Danny stopped petting the Dalmatian puppy and turned his focus on his sister and shrugged. "Who knows? I guess we'll find out his reasons sooner or later."

"Oh…," Jazz replied off-handedly. "I thought maybe you had a better idea of why he'd do this…."

"Why does it matter, Jazz?" Danny asked, now sounding frustrated. "I mean, does it make any difference?"

"I think it makes a difference to you," Jazz answered soberly, her hands now resting on the table.

"What do you want me to say?" Danny asked with a tired sigh. "That I do care? That I wish I knew why Vlad would care to help me after everything I did to him? Fine, I do. I wish I knew, but I don't, okay, Jazz?"

Danny suddenly stood from his chair and moved over to the microwave, searching for some cookies his mother had made for after dinner. And being that it was long since past dinner, the teen grabbed the plate.

He didn't even bother to see what kind of cookies they were. He just needed something to distract himself from his sister's attempt to interrogate him.

One thing Danny did not miss is being treated like he was made of glass. It bothered him from anyone, but especially Jazz.

Jazz had fallen quiet after her brother's slight outburst. She watched as he sat back down and put the plate of cookies between them.

She took one, just to fill in the troubling silence.

"I'm surprised Dad didn't eat them all," Jazz muttered before taking a bite.

Danny didn't really hear the comment since he finally noticed what type of cookies his mother had made.

Macadamia.

Danny resisted the urge to scoff bitterly and just grabbed one and put it on a napkin in front of him. He then propped the side of his cheek on one of his hands as he used his other hand to half-heartedly pick out the nuts.

However, finally realizing the silence, he glanced over at his sister and saw she was dejectedly staring down at the newspaper.

Feeling even worse, the teen sighed before saying, "Look, I'm sorry, Jazz. I'm just not in the best of moods right now…"

Jazz looked up at her brother and soberly replied, "It's more than that, Danny, and you know it, too. Danny, I know something's troubling you. I don't know what happened between you and Vlad, expect for what Sam and Tucker told me, but I'm sure you did what you had to do _and_ you did the _best_ that you could do. So, you shouldn't be sorry for whatever happened, or feel guilty about it."

Danny sighed. "I… know."

Jazz sighed herself at her brother's short reply, but still pressed on, "I talked to Vlad, you know—while you were with him, I mean. Actually, I talked to him on more than one occasion—and it was all mostly about you."

Danny ate a piece of his picked cookie before muttering back, "Yeah, I know…He told me."

"I realized something very important the last time I talked with him," Jazz said, her voice lowering. "I discovered what you probably did too while you were there…Vlad… He really cares about you, Danny."

Danny turned his gaze back to his tea, but this time, he didn't respond. The pain in his chest was swelling and knotting his throat.

Vlad did care about him—or, he use to up until a week ago…

"Danny," Jazz called, reaching across the table and putting a hand on top of one of her brother's to get his attention. And when he raised his sad gaze at last, she said in a comforting tone of voice, "Even if things didn't end up how you wanted them to, you can't regret what happened. You can't regret a single moment of your time with him—whether it was good or bad. I might not know all you went through or what you learned in these past months, but I know for a fact that it changed you for the better. Clockwork was right. You needed to go there for yourself and for Vlad. Don't think for a second any of it was in vain, little brother. I am just as sure that you helped him and gave him more than you or I will ever know. And even if you are enemies again, he won't forget all that happened, just like I know you won't, either."

Danny lowered his eyes again, but Jazz still continued, "Danny, you can't feel bad for all this. Can't you see that you did something that no one else could have ever done? You made him see that there is still hope for him—that there is still good _in_ him. And it doesn't matter what he does or says, I know deep down inside, he will never regret his time with you."

"Jazz," Danny finally interrupted her softly, gently pulling away his hand from hers. "I know you are trying to help, but… I don't want to talk about this… I know you want to know all that happened between me and Vlad, but it's… something that I feel I shouldn't talk about, because…it's something _between us."_

Jazz smiled sadly. "I know, Danny. But I'm not asking you to tell me anything. But I do think you should at least talk about _how you feel._ You keep saying you're fine, little brother, but I know you're not. I know that losing whatever it is you had with Vlad is really hurting you. I don't want to see you so sad and distressed, but I know you have your own way of coping with things. All I am asking is that _if you do_ need to talk to someone about it, then don't hesitate to come to me. At least, give me that much, okay?"

Danny smiled appreciatively. "Alright, Jazz."

The girl smiled back, but when she saw her brother grab his hot drink again, she finally noticed what exactly he was drinking and she raised an amused eyebrow at him.

"Since when do you like hot tea?" she asked with a small smirk.

Danny's smile widened, even though he blushed a bit as he shrugged and replied, "I guess I—"

But the boy never finished his words and his smile abruptly dropped as he felt an unexpected hot tingling past through his body. It was so foreign to him, especially when he was used to strange cold feelings from his body—not hot ones. And yet… it was still oddly familiar, because he had felt it _once_ before…

"_In the forest,"_ his mind echoed, just as TJ, who had been calmly resting on the ground, stood up and began to growl uneasily.

It was all the confirmation Danny needed.

Jazz jolted when her brother abruptly bolted from his seat, almost knocking it down as he ran out of the kitchen with TJ right behind him.

"Danny!" Jazz exclaimed before she jumped to her feet and ran after him.

But the young hybrid ignored his sister's call and continued to race towards his room, taking the stairs two at a time. All the while, the tingling sensation inside him grew stronger and stronger the closer he got.

It felt like an eternity, but in reality Danny reached his room in under a minute. The boy instantly swung his door open and TJ pushed right past him barking up a storm in the pitch darkness of the room.

Danny's worried and frantic eyes darted over to where he knew his light switch was and he quickly flipped it on.

He froze at what he found.

Right on his bed was the very same duffle bag he had taken with him to Wisconsin the night he first abandoned his home…

Danny slowly approached it before leaning forward a bit and unzipping the closed bag. He just stared at his belongings—it was indeed the things he brought with him to Wisconsin… He could even see his laptop stored inside its special compartment in the bag.

Danny didn't need to inspect the bag to be pretty sure _everything_ he originally packed was in there. But even then, he would not have cared right now, because the bag's presence meant only one logical thing…

Danny quickly moved away from the bag and went to his window. He pushed aside his curtains and stared out, searching the darkened sky for what he was desperately hoping to spot…

But he found nothing but stillness. And the hot sensation inside him had long since vanished, too...

The teen sadly glanced away, but it was then that he finally noticed there was something else in his room that wasn't there before.

Danny's breathing stilled as he stared at the item sitting on his dresser in front of his mirror.

It was the water globe Vlad gave him in Germany…

At first, all he could do was stare at it. He didn't even hear his sister's soft footsteps when she finally entered the room or TJ's barking fade away. But then the boy took slow steps towards the globe, as if it were a fishing line steadily but carefully pulling him in…

For that moment, nothing existed around him but his sudden need to come in contact with the globe, which continued to call to him.

But the closer he got, the stronger his emotions and pain in his heart swelled. He was barely breathing when he was finally in front of Vlad's gift and it soon stilled completely as he then reached out to the globe with shaky hands.

The instant he picked it up, a floodgate in his mind burst open.

"…_.I had this made for you two days back. And, fortunately, it was ready by today," Vlad informed him with the same calm smile._

_Danny stared at the man for a bit more, clearly taken aback by his… surprise. But he soon lowered his eyes to the box and accepted it. _

_The teen silently glanced at Vlad once more before heading over to the table to open it._

_"As you can see, fiber optics," Vlad explained. "It lights up. And you'll also see this is a particularly impressive feature at night."_

_Danny's eyebrows slightly creased with the man's comment. But now even more curious, he turned his attention back to the item inside the box. It only took another moment for him to pull it out. And when he did, his eyes widened in disbelief._

_"Since you enjoyed the views here so much, I figured you'd like this," Vlad casually commented, though his smile grew a bit with the teen's look._

_Danny's shock finally also melted. And a smile slowly formed on the boy's face as he began to study the large crystal water globe in his hands. At the base, in large gold letters, it read 'Berlin, Germany'. But what really captivated the teen was what was inside the water-filled dome. It not only contained an expert replication of Berlin, but it also had most of the places they had visited on their stay here. The detail was simply amazing._

_"Wow…," Danny said, now awed. But then he suddenly chuckled when he noticed a specific detail within the crystal ornament. "Hey, even the giraffes are in here!" _

_Vlad smirked. "I highly doubt I could forget them."_

_Danny continued to study the globe, and finally noticed his full name engraved on the back of the base. But remembering the man who had given this to him, he turned his gaze back at him and smiled. "Thanks… It's really cool."_

_Vlad nodded and smiled back warmly…_

"Danny?" Jazz softly called as she slowly approached her silent brother who had his back to her, but she could see his troubled expression reflected in the mirror…

She had already noticed the duffle bag on his bed, and could also see the water globe reflected in the mirror. And by how expensive it looked, she didn't have to ask who it was from…

But Danny didn't even hear her as he just continued to look at the globe in his hands, slightly seeing the glow around it from the fiber optics within. It was a shame he had turned on his light; it was so beautiful in the darkness…

Yet, even as he admired his precious gift, the teen's mind continued on a downward spiral as everything just came together quickly….

_**"Finish it! Finish it, you twisted coward**__!" the teen shouted, his hands fisted on his side._

_Vlad's sober look never left. And without even looking at Danny, he turned intangible, walked right through the boy, and continued towards his room._

_"__**No! NO!"**_

_Past all logic, Danny lunged at his enemy's retreating form... _

_...This time, however, Vlad didn't turn intangible. Instead, he grasped the boy's wrists, his hold strong enough to keep the young hybrid from fully using the ghostly strength currently surging through his human form, but not enough to completely stop the teen's angry blows._

_All the billionaire could do was silently watch the boy as he continued to growl and swing at him over and over again. _

_From how much effort he had been putting into his punches, it didn't take long for Danny to tire. And when he couldn't even stay angry anymore, he finally stopped._

_For a moment, all that could be heard were the boy's heavy pants. His eyes had lowered to the ground after his final swing at his enemy, so the sorrow that now filled them remained unseen by Vlad. The man didn't need to see it, though. It rang in the boy's next words._

_"… I never did anything to you to deserve what you've done to me," Danny whispered, still not looking at the person holding his wrists._

_Vlad gazed sadly at the teenager in front of him, before softly replying, "I know."_

_Danny slowly looked up, hoping to find an explanation to such a simple answer within the man's eyes. But above all, he wanted to know what the unmistakable regret in his enemy's voice had meant. Though, much to his disappointment, the teen didn't find it. In fact, looking at Vlad only confused him further, and Danny told him, "I-I don't understand."_

_The billionaire actually lowered his gaze from the boy's own until it was on his own hands around Danny's wrists. The man let go as he returned his sad gaze to the young half-ghost with a shake of his head. "You never will," he replied... _

…

_Vaguely hearing his name, Danny stared up towards the voice, but his vision was too hazy to make out any features except for the bright red eyes looking back at him. Like before, he recognized Vlad's voice. And wanting to respond, the fifteen-year-old opened his mouth, only to find he didn't have the energy to get his voice to work. He didn't have the strength to do anything anymore…_

_Vlad gasped when twin white rings suddenly formed around the boy's waist. "Daniel, no!" he exclaimed in panic. "You must stay in your ghost form! I need you to stay awake!"_

_Hearing the urgency in the man's voice, Danny somehow stopped his body from changing back. But the truth was that the teen knew why Vlad wanted him to stay in his ghost form. He could feel it._

_Unfortunately, the action had greatly cost the boy. And Vlad noticed it when the young hybrid's dulled green eyes began to close._

_"Daniel, look at me," the man pleaded, taking a hold of the teen's face.._

_Danny did his best to keep his eyes focused on his arch-enemy, but his vision was darkening just as quickly as he was losing the battle to remain conscious. The boy didn't want to embrace the darkness that beckoned him; he was scared that he would remain in it forever. But his tired and hurt body was not giving him any other choice…_

_Danny couldn't hold back the fear-induced tears that leaked out of his eyes._

_"Oh, Daniel," Vlad said softly, his voice laced with so much fear and regret, while he tenderly wiped away the tears from one of the young hybrid's cheeks, only to smudge more ectoplasm on it. "I-I never meant... I'm… Come, little badger, we're almost there… You're going to be alright, I promise. Just stay awake for a little while longer..."_

…

_"__**Not everyone is like you, **__**Plasmius**__**!"**__ Danny spat out disdainfully, glaring at the man with glowing green eyes. "Just because everything __**you**__ do has to have some twisted plot hiding behind it doesn't mean that __**I**__ do, too!"_

_"Spare me your theatrics, Boy!" Vlad growled back, his eyes flashing red. "Why should I believe a word you say when days ago you were fighting me tooth and nail, assuring me you couldn't hate me more?"_

_"Maybe because I'm __**not**__ up to anything!" Danny shouted back._

_The billionaire's hands fisted with ire, looking close to blasting the boy where he sat. "Enough of your tricks, you little rat! I know you are lying to me! Your infantile act of trusting me cannot be a greater proof of that! Now, you either give __me__ one good reason to trust you, or I am going to give __you__ a good reason to regret even thinking of tricking me! "_

_Danny stood up in utter rage. "I'm not gonna tell you anything! I'm not asking you to trust me, and I don't __care__ that you don't, either! And I don't know where the heck you got that I'm acting like I trust you or something. Because, dude, I __definitely __don't trust you! But you know what?" the boy continued, his eyes narrowing even more. "You're right. Why should __I__ bother trying to get along with you when I can't even __look__ at you without wanting to blast you in the face for being the biggest __jerk__ on the planet?"_

_Vlad's eyes slightly widened in shock when he watched the boy storm towards the dining room's door. _

_"Daniel, hold on! Just…wait a moment…"_

_Surprising himself, Danny instantly stopped. _

_"Daniel…," the billionaire finally murmured, his eyebrows creasing with some unknown emotion. He sighed again, before looking back at the boy._

_This time, the teen could see what the emotion was, as it clearly rang in the man's next sincere words._

_"I am __tired__ of fighting as well. …I do not understand why the sudden… __change__," Vlad continued, his voice turning mellower with his every word. "But if you __really __are__ willing to co-exist, then…. so am I."_

_..._

"Danny?" Jazz called again, this time going as far as grabbing one of her brother's arms. But when he still didn't acknowledge her, the girl got really worried and called to him more urgently; but it was like he was gone as he continued to just stare at the globe in his hands…

She had no idea everything that was currently flying through his mental eyes…

_Danny gasped, just before that illogical sense of panic exploded inside him. "__**Let me go, Vlad!**__" he screamed as he fiercely began to struggle against the man's hold._

_But Vlad just held him tighter and his eyes narrowed, "No! You are not going anywhere! Not until you tell me what's going on!"_

_"__**No! I **__**can't!**__" he yelled back, struggling even more as the mental dam he had used to keep his memories of Dazzler suppressed broke, and they began to cascade over his eyes, like some horror movie._

_"Daniel… What's wrong with you?" Vlad whispered, his hold slightly weakening. _

_The younger hybrid was shaking like a leaf by now; but for some reason, hearing the man's own fear in his voice, helped ease his own—if only enough to understand his question and reply, or more like, whimper, "I-I don't know, Vlad. Just…let me go."_

_"Daniel," the older hybrid began, looking increasingly desperate by the minute. "Please, I only want to help you. __Let me__ help you. I can, but you have to trust me."_

_Dazzler's spell abruptly switched off when the man's last words took priority in the boy's mind. But all Danny could do was stare at his arch-enemy, not believing what he was asking of him…_

_Vlad lowered his gaze as some form of sadness fell over him. "I… know I am the last person who should be asking you for your trust… But, please, at least this once. Trust me enough to let me help you," he pleaded, looking back at the teen._

_Danny took a shaky breath, but his breathing was much less hectic. Is that what Vlad thought? That he wouldn't tell him about…'that ghost' because he did not want the man's help?_

…_The teen finally opened his eyes; and although they were shrouded with fear, there was an intense seriousness in them as he pleaded, "Vlad, I need __**you**__ to trust __**me**__. For __both__ of our sakes, don't __push__ this any further…"_

…

_"I never thought I would be so happy to see you, runt," a voice echoed smugly to him. "Congratulations. You just saved my neck in exchange for yours."_

…_Danny screamed in terror, as he instinctively turned intangible, his hair slipping out of the ghost's grip. The boy's now flashing gold eyes were wide with panic as he frantically scuttled away from the amused controlling ghost._

_"No, no, no," the teen repeated, unable to look away from what had him beyond terrified._

_But at that very instant, a sudden puff of hot, tingly air hit his back, just before he heard a familiar voice call in worry, "Daniel!"_

_Danny, who was looking more and more like a scared little animal by the second, jerked his blue eyes away from Dazzler just long enough to focus on the anxious voice that had just called his name. He could see that Vlad was now standing right behind him. But instead of feeling relieved, the teen became more frantic, especially when his eyes unconsciously drifted back to Dazzler's stare._

_Vlad gasped when the moment he squatted beside the young hybrid, Daniel grasped one of his arms with such force that one would think his life depended on it._

_"I-It's him! G-Get me away; get __us__ away from him!" Danny pleaded in a whisper, though his eyes stayed locked on Dazzler._

_But even more alarmed by how quickly the teenager was breaking down in the shadow ghost's presence, Vlad gripped one of the teen's wrists and urgently commanded, "Look at me, Daniel... For goodness sake, look at me!" But when the boy wouldn't tear his gaze from the ghost, Plasmius grabbed his face and forced him to look at him._

_"Daniel, you have to snap out of it! It's just a spell! Listen to me, it's just a spell!" Vlad said, panic lacing his voice as he gripped the teen's face harder. "The fear you feel is not real! You can break his hold on you, but you have to fight it!"_

_But the teen would not stop shaking all over and his eyes were as gold as ever as Danny barely uttered two single, heart-stopping words in reply._

_"H-Help me."_

...

_Vlad paused only briefly before waving a casual hand behind them towards the tied-up black stallion and asking, "Look. You see that horse, Daniel? …Why do you think it's so rebellious?"_

_"The __**horse**__?" the teen questioned, looking at the man like he was insane. "What the heck does the horse-?"_

_"It's tied down, Daniel," Vlad cut him off. "It's confined to one place when it's meant to roam free. Unfortunately for that creature, it has no way of escaping its chains or confinement. __You__ are __just__ like that horse—except that you have __chosen__ to wear your chains. And you wear them for a world that strikes you down, that doesn't respect you. I __know__ you believe every word I said to you regarding your feelings of longing. I know because it's part of a ghost's nature—__**our nature**__—to ache for our true potential. Our spirit __needs__ to have, __needs to __conquer__, __**true **__freedom. And I know I speak the truth because I can see it in your eyes. They glow with your need to let go of everything that's holding you back. They reflect your wants, your true desires, your wish that, just once, for a moment, you could-"_

_"__**Stop it!"**__ Danny yelled at him, unable to take anymore. "I-I… I'm not listening to this anymore!"_

_Vlad watched the teen stormed over to the tied horses; and with shaking hands, he quickly began to work the knot on the Friesian's rein. _

_The billionaire quickly stood up, not willing to let the teen go until he listened. _

_"Daniel, I know you're afraid," the older hybrid continued seriously, though he didn't move towards the teen. "And it's understandable. '__I' __understand__. But, do you not see? You are not alone anymore in all this. You are here, with me, where you should be. You have nothing of which to be afraid now. Daniel, I can help you free yourself, my boy—if you'd only let me..."_

Jazz froze and silenced in her attempt to get her brother's attention when she saw his hands begin to glow green, which soon spread around the globe itself.

But he didn't seem to notice. But she noticed with growing distress, that her brother was now shaking…

_"Oh, Daniel, It's not __that__ bad. Actually, you look very dashing, my boy," the man complemented as he entered the rest of the way. He then grabbed the teen's suit jacket from its hanger and offered it to the young hybrid._

_But Danny didn't say anything and just took his jacket and slipped it on._

_"Turn around," the man calmly ordered; and when the teen did, he stepped closer and straightened the teen's collar and tie. However, Vlad had clearly noticed the boy's reticence and quietly asked him, "What's wrong?"_

_Danny sighed at the question, though he raised his arm a bit to let the billionaire fix the black-and-silver-button's on his suit's sleeve._

_"I'm, uh…I'm starting to have second thoughts about this," the teen quietly admitted, looking nervously up at the older hybrid._

_"I told you, Daniel, you don't have to go if you do not wish it," Vlad replied seriously; but then he gave him a small smile and added, "But it would mean so much to me if you did…"_

_Danny huffed and muttered, "Like I could say 'I don't want to go' after a comment like that."_

_A clever smirk curled the man's lips as he retorted. "I know. That's why I said it."_

_"Manipulative fruit loop," Danny grumbled back, though there was a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. _

_"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," Vlad replied dryly. But then, he took a step back from the teen and gave him a quick inspection. He then grinned in satisfaction at the boy. _

_"I see you dressed up, too… well, you know, more than usual," Danny said with smirk. _

_Vlad shrugged and causally said, "It pleases the cameras, I suppose…" _

…_Vlad moved over to the boy's dresser mirror and gave his own attire one last look over before looking back at the boy. "Time to go," he told him with an encouraging smile. But seeing Danny's nervousness return to his eyes, the billionaire added, "Daniel, I promise. You have nothing to worry about. I'll be close by the whole time, alright?"_

…_"Alright then, Vlad Masters," the teen quipped, throwing his uncertainty aside and smirking at the man. "Take me to Hollywood."_

_Vlad laughed at that. But then placing a hand on the boy's shoulder, he walked out of the room with the teen and retorted, "If you insist, Daniel Fenton."_

…

_Danny's eyebrows shot up when he suddenly caught sight of a shooting star fly across the sky. He smiled. "And, sometimes, you don't even need a telescope to see some of those really cool things…"_

_Curious about the teen's sudden remark, Vlad looked at him, only to follow the boy's pointing, which redirected him to the sky above._

_Vlad's mouth parted slightly in disbelief as he finally caught sight of the meteor shower in the sky. But a smile soon melded onto his face as he remarked with a mixture of amazement and mirth, "I don't think you could have picked a better day for us to do this, Daniel…"_

_But by the way he had said it, Danny could tell the man wasn't just talking about their star gazing, but about their whole day. It had gone by so quickly, but even the teen, who had done this mostly for Vlad, found it to be one of the best days he had had in a while… It had been nice to all but forget about his current situation, and just enjoy the day…_

_"Yeah… I think so, too," Danny answered with a small smile._

_Vlad turned to the boy and smiled warmly, but then he grinned and requested, "Show me Venus."_

_Danny laughed. "Venus is not visible until just before dawn at this time of the year, Vlad!"_

_The billionaire frowned. But he suddenly grinned again. "Then we are going to need tea and cookies! I'll be right back!"_

_Danny burst into laughter, not believing how giddy the man was acting. "I hope he's not planning on going anywhere in the morning tomorrow, 'cause he's going to be so out of it."_

_The teen chuckled again before he turned his gaze back to the shooting stars in the sky. He let out a deep sigh as his amusement melded into a small smile._

_"I guess he's right… I couldn't have picked a better day…"_

…_._

_"No, __**you**__ listen to me now! Don't try to make me believe that what I do is wrong!" Danny snapped back furiously. "And __**stop**__ trying to __**fix**__ me when you are more messed up than me! You want to know why you wouldn't understand? Do you know why I __can't__ tell you the truth? Because you're selfish! Because you don't know what it is to put others before you! Because you don't know what it is to truly sacrifice for others! You could never even __**begin**__ to comprehend the things I've seen, the things I've been through! And no matter what you say, I will never be sorry for the good that I've done! Something you know __**nothing**__ about! Because you're incapable of sacrificing anything if it isn't for __**your own gain!**__ You want me to tell you what I'm afraid of? You want me to tell you what's wrong with me? __**For what? **__So you can make fun of me? So you can talk about me doing good for others like it was __the most disgusting thing__ on the planet?"_

_"You know that's not-!"_

_"No, you want to __help__ me, right?" Danny mocked angrily, too furious to care that he kept cutting the man off. "How can you, Vlad? __**How**__ can you help me when you're so focus on helping yourself? ...You could __**never**__ understand me! Because you don't know what it's like to sacrifice and suffer for others! All you can do is __**take away**__ from others! You take away, not caring how it __**affects them!**__" Danny yelled, his voice cracking with his last comment, before he whirled around and furiously stomped through the foyer straight for the stairs._

_"...If all that you have said is true, Daniel… Then I believe that makes me Jack Fenton."_

_Danny stopped dead in his tracks, and his eyes turned green with his sudden rage. He immediately spun back around and darkly growled at the man, "What did you say?"_

_"You heard me, boy!" Vlad snarled, quickly matching the teen's ferocity. "You want to talk about sacrifice and misery, Daniel? Then, allow me to lay the truth out in front of you. Your father, __my supposed friend__, the one person I thought I could trust after my life was turned into a disaster, lied and deceived me in the most unimaginable ways! You have __**no idea**__ what it's like to have your life destroyed __twice__! You have no idea how it feels to have to pick up the pieces of it after someone you considered a brother shattered it into something unrecognizable and irreparable! Not only did your father turn me into a monster, he also abandoned me at some hospital that might as well have been a __**prison cell!**__ Misery? Suffering? It is __**you**__ who knows __**nothing**__ about it! I was in that hospital for years…!"_

_Vlad's eyes flashed red again and his voice suddenly rose to a new level, and only began to grow steadily louder._

_"You think giving your life for others is the ultimate sacrifice? Why don't you try being a __**living**__ sacrifice for __over twenty years!__ I did nothing to deserve what your father did to me! And to add insult to injury, he had the gall to invite me to his wedding when I was still in the hospital! While your father ended up with a beautiful wife and two good kids, I ended up with __**nothing!**__ Your father sacrificed __**me**__ for his happy little existence! So, you have no right to turn me into the bad guy! You have __**no right**__ to tell me I am selfish! For once in your life why don't you open your eyes and take a good look around? I am who I am thanks to __**your**__ father! My misery is thanks to __**your**__ father. And here is your biggest punch line, Daniel: __**Your**__ misery is also __**thanks to your father!**__ Face it! You wouldn't be here if it wasn't for what your father has done! You wouldn't have all the pressures you do if it wasn't for __**his**__ mistakes! And you wouldn't have to live in fear as you do if it wasn't for the fact that Jack has once again __sacrificed__ someone for __**his**__ own gain. __**Look at me, Daniel! **__I'm not the villain! YOUR FATHER IS!"_

…

_Vlad suddenly sighed before more seriously saying, "Whether or not you accept my offer, I still have a lot to think about, Daniel…. But I am certain of this: With you at my side, I know I am capable of changing the course of my own path, even if it would mean accepting that I have wasted away twenty years of my life. With you, I know I could finally let go of this hate in my heart for your father that consumes me… I could even let Maddie go. I know I told you that you can't save me, Daniel. But I now realize that you __really__ can!"_

_The man suddenly grabbed the boy's other shoulder and smiled hopefully at him as he added, "Don't you see, Daniel? We can both give each other so much. Dear boy, we can __**save**__ each other!"_

_But the nervous teen quickly shook his head and phased out of the man's hold as he desperately stuttered out, "Vlad, please. I-I can't—"_

_"Danny…," the older hybrid gently cut him off. He smiled again, though with sadness and concern this time as he told the boy, "I just want to see you smile again. I… want you to be happy. But, please…just think about it. Whatever you decide… I'll understand," he assured him softly._

….

_"I __**need**__ you to understand. You said no one could ever understand me like you. Well, I need that now," Danny begged. "You gotta understand. I don't belong here. I can't live some carefree and normal life, because it's not __my life.__ I'm needed in Amity Park. And I can't pretend otherwise, especially while others suffer because of me."_

_Vlad's red eyes darkened with his last words, and Danny instantly paused before adding, "But I don't want to hurt you, either. That's why I need you to understand. I need you to help me because I don't want this to change anything between us. I just know there's a way to work this out… right? __Right, Vlad?"_

_The older hybrid's hard look melded into something else. _

_This time, Danny chanced moving a bit closer, and when the man didn't tense this time, the teen felt a bit hopeful as he whispered, "__Trust me,__ Vlad. __Nothing__ will change. I just… can't stay. But, that doesn't change anything between us. I'm not gonna abandon or forget about you. I-I can't. Not anymore. Not when I know you are not who I thought you were. Not when I've learned so much about you, and in turn, so much about myself, and about… well, everything. I don't know if you realize it, but, I need you more than I let on sometimes—especially now that you've become so important to me. You've become my advisor, my teacher, my friend…because you're right: there are things about me that only you can understand, that only you can help me with and support me through. But above all that, I need you because, because you're… _**_family_**_ to me now…"_

_Vlad finally looked at him, but the teen could finally see that all the man's anger was gone and had been replaced with utter sadness. And it was with that emotion that Vlad suddenly pleaded, "Don't do this to me, Danny… __Not you__…" _

"Danny!" Jazz exclaimed, abruptly grabbing the globe from her brother's hands and yanking it from him.

The boy gasped softly as he blinked back to reality; but then as one last memory echoed through his mind, he closed his eyes and took a shuddering breath.

_"You wanted a villain, Daniel? …Now and from here forth… you will have one."_

Danny opened his eyes and stared again at the water globe; but there was now a more conscious distress in his expression as he continued to breathe shakily.

"Danny, what's wrong?" Jazz asked fearfully.

"It's… It's all my fault, Jazz," Danny suddenly whispered, backing away from the globe as if it were the source of his sorrow.

Jazz glanced down at the globe in her hands before she turned and placed it back on the dresser.

However, seeing her brother move to his bed and sit down, she quickly approached him and squatted in front of him.

"What's your fault?" she asked quietly.

Danny had been trying so hard not to think about all this, but he knew he couldn't hold it back anymore.

And as he glanced across at the globe again, the boy's blue eyes swelled with tears, feeling as if he was once again at Vlad's house pleading with him not to destroy everything they had built between them… _pleading_ with him not to shatter their bond…

But it had been futile, and the teen had been forced to do what he had done… He had been forced to use everything the man taught him _against_ him...

"Danny?" Jazz called sadly, trying to get her brother's attention at seeing him struggling not to break down.

Danny finally turned his gaze to his sister just as his first tear leaked out of his eyes. "You said… if I-I needed to talk…," he began, his voice cracking horribly. But as he choked on a sob, he whimpered, "I-I don't exactly need to talk…"

Jazz nodded in understanding, and without her brother asking her, she quickly grabbed him in a tight hug.

And her brother instantly broke down in her arms.

It had been a while since Jazz had heard her brother cry—let alone cry with _this_ sort of the desperation and sorrow. She couldn't even say it was like when they were kids, because her brother had never expressed this kind of pain even then.

It broke her heart, but it also served to remind Jazz how human her brother was. And despite all his strength and supernatural powers, his soul was fragile, and she knew more than ever, she needed to be the big sister and protect him—even if protecting him right now just meant hugging him while he released all his pent up emotions from all these long months.

She lost track of time. All she knew was that it took her brother _several_ moments before he could even attempt to do anything but just sob.

"I-I should have left," Jazz suddenly heard her brother choke out in between his sobs, though he still continued to grip her like she was his lifeline. "It's my fault."

"Danny, don't say that," Jazz quietly comforted him as tears gathered in her own eyes. "There isn't anything more you could have done."

"No…," he whispered in her embrace. "I'm r-res…ponsible for what happened. Why… Why didn't I leave before? When he gave… me the c-chance? Things would-would have been d-different."

Jazz sighed as she rubbed her crying brother's back. She felt her throat constricting, but she knew now wasn't the time to cry herself. She needed to get through to her brother before he consumed himself further in guilt and sorrow.

"Danny, listen to me," she said gently. "You made the right choice, but _he_ didn't. You can't blame yourself for _his_ choice, Danny. You tried the best you could to make him understand and change, but… sometimes… people need more than someone else's willingness. Vlad… he has a lot of issues, little brother. And we both know his major one is his inability to forgive. And forgiveness is something no other person can teach us. You have to learn to forgive on your own. Vlad… He's just not ready, and that isn't your fault."

"It's not fair!" Danny suddenly exclaimed, pulling slightly away as his sorrow mixed with anger. "I-I wanted to help him! Why couldn't I help him? I was so close! Why couldn't I _save_ him?"

"Danny…"

Her brother pulled away even more to look her as he told her softly, "He… helped _me_, Jazz. He saved me. He… did so much for me… So, why? Why wasn't I able to do the same for him? _Why_, Jazz?"

But for once, she didn't have a reply for him.

She sighed as Danny just hugged her again and continued to cry. She wasn't sure if her brother was aware of how revealing his few words had been. But… she now truly understood what had happened between her brother and Vlad, and why their shattered bond hurt her brother so deeply.

"You're wrong, Danny," Jazz suddenly said at last. She gently pulled him away from her, and he was too upset to care when his sister cupped his wet face.

"You did help him," Jazz assured him with a warm smile. "You made him realize he _can_ change and that will always remain with him. You gave him love and the chance to realize he is capable of caring about someone besides himself. You also said he gave you the choice to leave. Danny, can't you see? You taught him something that anyone who really knows Vlad Masters would have thought impossible. You showed him what _real_ love is, because only someone that really cares for someone else is willing to sacrifice his own happiness for the person he cares for, and that's what he did for _you_. Danny, you taught him to _let go_ of his wants for someone else! Like I told you before, you probably helped him in more ways than you and I will ever know. I… know you wanted to _save_ him, but thanks to all you did, there is now hope for that someday. You have shown _everyone_, including Vlad himself, that he _can_ be saved, and maybe it won't happen now, but who knows what the future holds, Danny. I know at least you have given me hope; so don't you lose yours now—not after _everything_."

More tears spilled out of Danny's eyes before he voiced his biggest fear right now, "Jazz, I-I can't fight him. I don't want him as my enemy. What am I going to do? How am I supposed to ever save everyone from him again when all I want to do is save _him_?" he asked desperately.

Jazz sighed sadly. "Maybe it's because you now know who Vlad really is that you can find a _new_ reason to stand up against any evil he might try to do—I know you will find a _better_ reason. Just don't give up, Danny. You'll see, everything will be alright. Just give it some time."

Danny hugged her again as he wretchedly confessed, "I miss him, Jazz… I feel… lost without him…"

"Well, you know you have me and our parents and your friends. We'll always be there for you, Danny," Jazz replied. "Vlad made me realize, though, that there really are things that only he can understand and help you with. But, _with or without him_, you'll find your way, little brother. _You always do_."

Danny shakily sighed. His sister's words really helped him a lot. And now that he had done what he had been holding back for a week, ever since his last encounter with Vlad, he felt almost liberated.

But his heart was still heavy with the knowledge of what he had lost.

He continued to weep, though it was now mostly silent tears, while he took comfort in his sister's embrace and just knowing he would always have her support.

Meanwhile, Jazz kept quiet, knowing her brother was finally calming down. His sadness penetrated her deeply, but she also felt this deeper respect and pride grow within her for her younger brother.

His kindness amazed even her. What type a person shed even a tear for his enemy—for someone who had hurt him and those around him time and time again?

And yet, here was her fifteen-year-old brother crying his soul out for a man who had been the cause of more grief in the time he met him than in her brother's entire lifespan. It was almost unbelievable.

"_Danny, you don't even realize how pure and noble you really are…,"_ Jazz thought with admiration, but also, sympathy.

Her brother might not be perfect, but he was as good and as perfect as a human being got.

And she would always admire him for it.

Feeling her brother release her at last, she turned her full attention to him. She watched as he took a shaky breath before wiping the remaining tears in his eyes away with the back of one of his hands.

He looked at her with a bit of guilt as he quietly said, "Sorry."

Jazz smiled. "Sorry for what, Danny?"

Danny shrugged weakly before he glanced solemnly towards the snow globe on his dresser. He took a few calming breaths before he stood, walked toward and then grabbed Vlad's gift.

Jazz watched quietly as her brother came back over and sat down. She then moved off the ground and sat beside him, wrapping an arm around him as he continued to just quietly gaze at the globe.

"It's beautiful, Danny," she said quietly, unsure of what his silence meant now.

Danny sighed, but then smiled weakly. "Yeah… He had it made for me in Germany…. We went to all the places inside it…" The boy's voice cracked again as he added, "I-I got to feed the giraffes in the zoo…"

Jazz wasn't sure why that last comment seemed so significant to her brother; but not wanting to see him start crying again, Jazz slightly changed the topic as she muttered back, "For a moment, I thought you were going to destroy the water globe…,"

Danny finally moved his eyes away from the globe to look at his sister with confusion, "Why would I do that?"

Jazz lightly shrugged. "You were using your ghost energy on it."

"What?" he questioned, having no idea what it she was talking about.

Jazz frowned uncertainly this time. "It was glowing green when you were holding it the first time. I mean, your hands were making it glow green."

Danny finally understood and he smiled weakly. "No, Jazz, it just glows. Look," he said, getting off the bed and turning off the light. He then turned back to his sister as he moved to sit next to her again. "It's fiber optics."

Jazz was amazed at the glimmering water globe and how the stars were sparkling around the glass dome.

But… it was more of a white glow. She saw…green… Hadn't she?

"Oh..., maybe the reflection on your mirror played a trick on my eyes," Jazz said with a small forced smile, the light from the globe enough for them to see each other's faces.

Danny didn't reply this time and just turned his eyes back to the globe.

Jazz hesitated for a moment. She could see her brother had now calmed down significantly and he seemed to be feeling better, but… she wanted to make sure…

"I know you're going to hate me for asking you this, but… Will you be alright?"

Danny took a deep breath before nodding. He put down the globe on his bed before looking at her and smiling sadly, "Yeah, I will…" But then he suddenly hugged her and added more sincerely, "Thanks, Jazz."

Jazz hugged him back and replied, "What are over-bearing big sisters for?"

Danny chuckled as he let go, and his sister smiled wider at seeing him happier than she had seen him all day.

Jazz sighed before she stood to leave. "I guess we should get to bed. We have school tomorrow…"

"Yeah," Danny agreed.

Jazz nodded. "Alright. Good night, then, little brother. If you need anything else, though… you know where to find me."

Danny just smiled and nodded.

He watched his sister head out of his darken room, but just before she closed his door, he called to her, "Jazz?"

"Yes, Danny?" she asked, turning her head back.

"Thanks again," he answered quietly.

"Anytime," Jazz said before she finally left, closing the door after him.

Danny's lingering smile vanished within his dimly lit room as he turned his eyes back to the only source of light aside from the quarter moon outside his window.

Danny lifted the globe off his bed, only briefly noticing TJ was in his room and was now whining to be let on the bed.

But when the pup felt as if he were still being ignored, he just took the initiative and jumped on the bed, quickly curling up next to his master's sitting form.

But the teen said nothing about it, too engrossed in his thoughts. His sister had no idea how much this globe meant to him. If she did, she would know he would never even _think_ of destroying it.

Quite the opposite. He would always treasure it, because he felt that as long as it still existed… there was hope.

As long as he kept it, his bond with Vlad would never be completely severed. One way or another, it would remain within them, and this globe would serve to remind Danny of it each day, no matter how bleak things look.

The globe would also symbolize all he learned in his time with Vlad, and all that happened, so that he could never truly forget, even if he might want to someday.

And the globe also held proof of one more thing—that very special thing that only his arch-enemy could have done for him:

He had liberated him of his fears, especially that one of himself and of turning evil.

He wasn't afraid anymore, because… he had learned through Vlad and his time with him who he was. He had been freed. 

_He was free._

And this _seemingly_ insignificant water globe would remind him each-and-every day of it.

Danny felt more tears threaten to spill from his eyes, but he didn't let them come now. He had done his crying and his mourning. He wasn't one to live in sorrow, but to **rise** above it.

Clockwork was right. He was stronger than he had thought himself to be just five months back. So now more than ever, he was determined to stand firm and continue forward—always doing his best to do the right thing.

Danny sighed before he stood up and walked back over to his dresser. He placed the globe down on it and stepped back a few steps.

With his overwhelming grief gone, he now could clearly see what he needed to do next.

Yes, his sister's support and words had brought him comfort and acceptance. And his mourning had helped him release all his pent up emotions and pain.

But he needed one more thing:

Closure.

And that wasn't in his room. It was… out there.

Danny looked towards his window with a sad frown before he closed his eyes and turned into Phantom. He then walked closer to his window and looked up into the star-filled sky.

He wasn't afraid anymore…

With only throwing a glance back at the water globe, Danny suddenly turned intangible and flew out his window, heading higher and higher into the velvety veil above him.

He had no idea where he was going, but he _did_ know… _who_ he was hoping to find…

Meanwhile, back in Danny's room, TJ had jumped off the bed at his master's abrupt departure. He whined as he sat in front of the window, but then something briefly caught his attention and the large puppy turned his head towards it.

The dog then softly growled.

The snow globe suddenly flickered between green and gold for a few seconds before it stopped and returned to its usual white glow from its fiber optics lights…

* * *

**I know. I tie up loose ends, only to create more. I am horrible, but it's always fun to leave some things unanswered or unknown… eh? Well, My Vlad muse and I think so! XD **

**Don't worry. You'll get them answered… eventually in Endgame. *smirks***

**Well! I have already announced it in the sid update and on Deviant art, but I will do so again here.**

**I am hosting a chat session over at the HiddenPearl on November 5****th**** at 2pm New York Time/Eastern Standard Time. It will be the final one for Checkmate, so if you have loved this story, it would be awesome if you'd join me and everyone else there. You can find a link to the club page on my ff. net profile. You do have to have a DA profile, but they are easy and free to make if you don't have one.**

**I thank you all for your support. Please let me know your thoughts on this one. I will be replying to reviews this time around! **

**Until next time! **


	84. Epilogue

**Hello, my dear readers! Are you all ready? Yes? Are you… sure? Ha-ha! I had to rip this chapter out of Vlad muse's little gloved fingers. He just did not want to let it go. Something about it being his greatest achievement and then the rest was lost in all the screaming and kicking he did. Crazy thing. It makes me wonder if he was responsible for my misfortune last week. My computer got a bug or something and I ended up losing the next chapter of DoaS, the next chapter of Sid, and the editing I had done for this final chapter of CM. I wanted to scream at the unfairness of it all, especially with DoaS and Sid, which, by the way, is why we have no sid for this weekend. Gah! **

**Anyways, I hope we'll have sid by next weekend, since Truephan was nice enough to let me work on CM to have it up before the chat today. Yup. Chat is today. But more on that later. This chapter came out twice as long as my original plan, but I think you guys will like the fact. See, I added an extra scene. It's a scene that I wrote originally for Endgame, but I realized… it would be more fitting in this last chapter of CM… heh-heh. **

**Oh, and, no; you all are not seeing double. There is indeed two 'chapters' posted. But the next one is my Author's notes and… a little surprise for you all. *winks* So, don't forget to check out the next page when you finish reading this. Kay?**

**So then… **

***Breathes deeply* **

**Without further delay, I present to you the final chapter of Checkmate. Enjoy. *drags away thrashing muse* Oh, just let it go already. So obsessive. Geez.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. But the OCs are my own. **

* * *

**Epilogue:**

* * *

After a good half-hour of flying around the night sky of Amity Park and not finding what he had been searching for, Danny landed on the clock tower of City Hall.

The large mayoral building was impressive in and of itself, but the clock tower was one of the largest structures in the city. So, as Danny sat down on the edge, his feet dangling over the clock face, he could easily see almost all of Amity from up there.

It was a nice night, too. The breezy air was cool, yet it had that warm tinge of the approaching summer months. The sky was clear and lit up by the stars and the bright quarter-moon. And with its being a school night, the streets below were fairly quiet.

From up there, the young hybrid felt as if the world had stilled and he was the only one on it. In some ways, it was peaceful,; but in another way, it only served to drive home the fact that a part of him would always be alone.

Perhaps, that was why he had so easily agreed to stay at Vlad's side. That part of him that had felt alone ever since he had become half-ghost had finally found someone who could totally understand him. And with that kind of connection, he no longer felt like he had to bear all that he was and all that he did…alone.

Thank goodness that he had his friends and family, though. They might not be able to satisfy that part of his heart that yearned for what Vlad offered him, but they were more than enough to satisfy the rest of him—to keep him fighting the good fight, and fuel his strength.

Aside from their choices, maybe that was what truly separated Vlad and him. He, unlike Vlad, would never let himself forget about his loved ones. Even when he seemingly had almost cut himself from everyone who cared for him, the teen could never cut them from his heart—as Vlad had with those who had cared about him. But most of all, Danny could not be like Vlad and become obsessed over that _one_ part of his heart that felt alone and misunderstood because of what he was…

The teen's eyebrows creased as he looked up at the twinkling stars above, while his hands lightly gripped his clock perch.

He knew and understood now why Vlad had developed that strong desire to have him at his side from the moment they met. The boy knew because he felt it now, too. And for a moment, Danny had let it overwhelm him; and that had been his real mistake.

His bond with Vlad was so strong that it had blocked out all his reasoning; and, he had to admit, for a moment had eclipsed his other bonds—the ones with his friends and family.

He had not realized it until it was too late.

But now that he was separated from the older hybrid again, the teen could see the whole picture.

Yes, he wished things could have turned out differently between him and Vlad. But ultimately, he had made the right decision. He belonged in Amity Park with his friends and family. His… calling was here. Who he was, was here.

He was Amity Park's hero and protector…

If only Vlad could have understood that. If only Vlad could have realized that their bond was not the only one that mattered.

How could they have even thought about sacrificing their other just as important connections for the one they had?

Now that they were apart, Danny wondered if Vlad had realized what he had done. The man had been willing to sacrifice his obviously close relationship with his only friend and her daughter to keep him at his side. Plasmius had also severed his bond with his closest ally just because of him.

Now Danny could only guess that he and the man had been so overwhelmed by their new-found connection that they had dared to risk everything—including putting the strength of that bond to the ultimate test in obtaining the Order's Crystal, which could have cost them their lives.

Maybe the Observants were right, after all.

Danny still recalled that strange dream he had some months back where he was wearing a red cloak and he was at Clockwork's abode with the Time Master and two of the Observants…

They had commented about his and Vlad's being together…

_"You know nothing good can come of their being together, Clockwork! The timeline has proven that to be a fact time and time again!"_

Maybe he and Vlad were not ready to handle their connection yet. But would they ever be? If the Observants were right, then did that mean he and the other hybrid could not have the chance to understand each other better without it bringing about negative effects?

It was a sad possibility.

In any case, it seemed Vlad had already made that decision for them. The man wanted nothing to do with him now.

And yet, even though Danny had accepted the way things had ended, he still knew it would be hard to go back to seeing Vlad as his arch-enemy.

Not when he finally knew who Vlad was.

Just a few months back, Vlad Masters was nothing more to him than his arch-enemy. A heartless and ambitious man that would stop at nothing to hurt others just to gain what he wanted. Danny had seen him as some fruit loop villain that he needed to defeat.

He couldn't have had a more black-and-white view of the man.

But now, after just a few months, Danny had grown to understand that Vlad was more than that. There was a variety of grey within the older half-ghost. He wasn't some heartless monster with no feelings. He was as human as… Danny was. He had emotions and dreams like anyone else.

Danny had seen just how human the man was. Yes, in these months, he had seen the darkest side of Vlad, but he had also seen the best side of him. In everything they went through together, he had learned more and more about his 'arch-enemy'.

With what happened with Walker, Danny had seen Vlad show true fear and worry for someone other than himself. With Dazzler, he had learned how vulnerable the man could be and how capable he was of sacrificing himself for someone he loved. When the teen got a glimpse of the man's world, he discovered that fiercely protective fatherly side of him. And in their time together, he had also learned about Vlad's past—both the darkest and happiest times…

Vlad had once been a boy like himself with a caring family, until fate took his sister and father, and later his mother. Vlad had once been full of aspiration and hopes, until fate turned him half-ghost. The man had once sought to do good, until he gave up and began to choose the easiest path so he would never be hurt again.

And yet, even when Vlad had submerged himself in all that darkness, all he had sought was something _so __human_—

All Vlad truly ever wanted was love.

Except that, he was so consumed by his loses that he didn't realize he already had it…

Stephanie and Annie loved Vlad more than anyone else ever could.

Yes, Danny cared about him, but… he could never give Vlad what _they_ could. But the man just didn't see that.

Vlad also had shut away his past so tightly that he had no idea how… near it was to him.

Danny bit his lip as he thought of Niane…

Or, should he call her…. Viviane?

Danny huffed in a mixture of amusement and sadness. Niane… Annie… How had he not seen it before?

_Danny stared soberly at the girl for a moment, before further saying, "I once told you that Vlad was evil. And you replied that just because he was evil in my eyes didn't mean he was evil in everyone else's. I'm pretty sure you were including yourself in that 'everyone else's' See, I…think I know the purpose of why I ended up here. I think I can help Vlad. I think it's the right thing to do; or at least, try to do. But… it's hard for me to see pass all the evil he has done and is still kinda doing. So, I need to know. Why are **you** so sure he's not evil?"_

_Niane's gaze saddened as she silently looked at the stream for a moment. _

_"I'm sure that he's not evil because when I first saw him, he wasn't."_

_Danny's eyebrows creased. "You mean when you first met him in the Ghost Zone? He told me about that."_

_The ghost maid looked at him again, but didn't seem surprised by the news. "You said it was hard for you to see past his evil deeds. Well, that's just it, isn't it? For some reason, he was not like you. He didn't readily pick the right path. So, then, I ask you. What makes someone truly evil? His choices? But can't a person change his choices?"_

_Danny nodded, somewhat understanding what she was trying to say. She also believed Vlad could change._

_She then said, "I suppose it's easier for me to see past what he has become because I knew him before he choose such a sad path. He wasn't evil. He **isn't** evil... He has just forgotten who he once was."_

Danny bit his lip as he realized why Niane always was so set on defending Vlad.

It was for the same reason Jazz always defended _him_.

But what Danny didn't understand was that if Niane was so set on helping her brother, then why had she not told Vlad the truth? Why would she just watch in the shadows _for __years_ when one word from her could possibly turn Vlad's world around?

Then again, if he were Vlad, Danny wasn't sure how he would feel at finding out his sister was… a ghost.

But then Danny further wondered: how come Vlad hadn't figured it out yet? Was he so blinded by his need to forget his past that he didn't see the similarities?

But, suddenly, the teen remembered something Vlad once said to him…

_"I know the difference, Vlad. As you said, I have been around ghosts long enough to see how obsessive they can be about things. Maybe you are right about some of your workers. But, at least, I **know** that what Niane shows for you is not possessiveness or plain ol' respect. She **cares**."_

_"Daniel," Vlad said a bit pointedly, getting slightly frustrated with the boy's ridiculous claim. "That cannot be true. You know why? Because I, too, have noticed how she goes out of her way to avoid me. I can count on my fingers the number of times we have crossed more than a few words in the **many** years that I have known her. Ever since she came to work for me, she has acted this way. If anything, I think she does not like me."_

_"And yet you're sure that she saved you when you first met her," Danny retorted, raising an unwavering eyebrow._

_Vlad __frowned. __"Yes. __But __maybe __she __did __so __because __I __was __not __who __I __am __now. __Maybe __she __now __just __sees __me __as __an __'evil __ghost' __and __that __is __why __she __avoids __me...__In __any __case,_ _I __have __no __interest __in __what __she __does __or __did __aside __from __her __duties __to __me. __All __I __ask __of __her__—__all __I __ask __of __all __my __ghostly __employees__—__is __for __their __loyalty."_

That was it, wasn't it? Vlad didn't really care to find out more about Niane, and Niane went out of her way to have as little interaction with Vlad as possible.

And yet, Danny was sure the girl would not hesitate to risk it all to save her brother from danger. Not only had Vlad told him how she had saved him, but… there was that… vision he had had…

_Danny suddenly screamed, wanting to do something when the evil Phantom towered over the broken man, clearly wanting to deal him the same fate as Daniel. And by the way the man did nothing to defend himself—not that he could do much—he didn't care anymore._

_In spite the tears running down his face, Danny wondered something at that moment that he never had before:_

_How had Vlad survived that day?_

_The teen received the answer when Niane suddenly materialized in the room._

_"What?" Danny whispered as he saw her fire a red blast at his evil future self before he could waste Vlad._

_There was suddenly a flash of red light and Danny was blinded again. Only this time, the scene did not change. But Niane had—or at least her clothing had. Danny couldn't see her face because she was facing away from him._

_But Danny didn't give it much thought at the moment, more focused on how Vlad had turned ash white as he stared at Niane._

_The man said something to her; but because everything had gone mute, Danny did not know what it was. Suddenly, Evil Phantom blasted Niane into a wall and Vlad clearly screamed._

_The man attempted to get to her, but the ghost girl raised a hand stopping his approach, clearly screaming something against it._

_Evil Phantom was also now staring in shock between Niane and Vlad. But he then suddenly threw his head back and laughed insanely—judging by the look on his face._

_Danny stared on in some sort of morbid trance as Niane shouted something again to Vlad._

_This time, the man seemed to listen to her. And he suddenly turned to look at the lifeless form of Daniel. He hesitated; but then suddenly, he ran towards Daniel as fast as his clearly broken leg and bleeding body would let him._

_The billionaire picked up the unmoving boy; and with one last distraught look at the two fighting ghosts, he ran out of the lab, heading who knew where—but probably to safety, judging by the fact that Danny knew the future Vlad had survived this encounter._

_Danny's eyes quickly turned back to Niane and Evil Phantom. But at that moment, Evil Phantom grabbed her by the neck and she suddenly began to glow green._

_"NO!" Danny cried out when Niane's form began to dissolve until she was no more._

Danny froze where he sat as he suddenly realized several things at once… Was it possible? Had Vlad discovered in that alternate timeline the truth about Niane? And… perhaps his evil self had, too…

But that wasn't the most alarming thing that dawned on Danny… He still remembered this dream or vision or whatever it had been very vividly. He remembered how Niane's appearance had changed. He had not seen her face, but… he had seen her cloak.

She had been wearing the same red cloak from his other dream—the one with Clockwork and the Observants, except, Danny had been wearing the cloak… right?

Could it be? Had… Niane given him these… visions?

"She does have telepathic powers. She used them on me when she enhanced my bond with Jazz," Danny whispered quietly. "But… why would she do that to me? And… how could she possibly know about _that_ other timeline?"

Danny frowned, suddenly realizing that he really did not know Niane as well as he had thought. There was more to her than she made it seem—and her being Viviane was just the tip of the iceberg…

_"Danny, wait," Sam intervened at last. "You don't know what this could do to you. And how do you know she's telling you the truth? She works for Vlad! She could be trying to trick you!"_

_"Yeah, man!" Tucker further protested. "She tried to waste us! Don't trust her!"_

Could his friends be right? They were sure Niane was… evil and just trying to trick him to think otherwise…

Danny quickly shook his head. No, Niane may have a lot of secrets, but that did not mean she was… evil. Danny refused to even consider it, not when the girl had helped him all those months at Vlad's…

…Not when she had helped him save Jazz….

Nevertheless, now that he knew who she was, Danny didn't think he could see the girl in the same way as before again. He was not sure how he would react to her; so perhaps the fact that it was very unlikely Danny would ever see Niane again was the best thing. Still… what was he supposed to do with this secret that he had discovered?

If he told Vlad, would he believe him?

Danny sighed. The man would have to want to see him first before the teen could even decide whether or not to say anything to the man about Niane. And… all indications showed that Vlad wasn't at all interested in seeing him any time soon.

Danny lowered his gaze as he brought one of his gloved hands up towards his face and thoughtfully gazed at it.

He would never forget all Vlad had done for him. And maybe it was for that reason that the teen could honestly say he forgave the man for all the pain he had caused him in the past and in these months.

He forgave him for trying to waste his sister.

After all, his sister was right when she said that the ability to forgive came from within each person. Danny knew that part of his determination to be more forgiving was _because __of_ Vlad's inability to do so. He had wanted to show the man it was possible to forgive those that hurt you. But not only that, he could forgive Vlad because of his…love and gratitude for the man.

Taking a calming breath, Danny let his energy emerge from his raised hand; but the energy was that serene light blue…

_Danny __stared __at __the __small __blue __flame __in __his __hand __with __complete __awe.__This __energy __felt __**so **__**much **__different __than __his __green __energy. __It __was __so __stable __and __calm __and_—

_The boy paused in his thoughts when a large hand slowly grabbed his arm. And although at any other time the teen would have startled at any unexpected visitor in his room during this moment, this time he did not. The boy was too overwhelmed by the feel of the flame in his hand that all he really did was stare up to confirm his suspicion of who it was._

_"Hold on to that feeling, Daniel. Remember it," Vlad whispered as he stood by the boy's side._

_Danny turned his attention back to the soft blue energy in his hand and began taking in how it felt, how it made him feel._

_"Let it die," Vlad said, his voice as soft and tranquil as the very energy in the teen's hand._

_Almost unwillingly, Danny slowly coiled his hand, extinguishing the little blue flame._

_But to the teen's surprise, Vlad was not finished._

_"Close your eyes. Call forth that same feeling once more. Let it fill you."_

_Danny closed his eyes, focusing on that wonderful feeling he had felt only seconds ago. And it returned to him almost instantly._

_A calm sigh escaped the teen's mouth as wave after soft wave of stability washed over him. It was just so relaxing and placid. It reassured him, something his powers alone had never been able to do for him before. It made him feel so confident and in control._

_"Now call forth your energy."_

_Danny did so as easily as always. But when he felt Vlad release his arm, Danny opened his eyes, only to find not his green energy as he had expected, but that soft blue energy from a moment ago._

_"You see, now that you know how blue energy feels, you no longer need to condense your green energy to produce it."_

_Danny was speechless as he stared at his glowing blue hand. How something so seemingly insignificant could make him feel so fulfilled, he would never know. But it did._

_Vlad smiled warmly, before softly telling the boy, "I'm proud of you, Daniel."_

Danny's green eyes glistened with unshed tears. Perhaps this was his punishment for his mistake. Having all these memories of what could have been.

He wasn't sure what would happen with Vlad now. It just hurt to think that a person who had once shown him so much love had now vowed to show him that much hate.

And Danny had to question… Did this mean Vlad hated him as much as he hated his father? After all, the man had told him that he was no better than Jack.

Danny wasn't sure if what his father had done to Vlad could be considered betrayal. He also wasn't sure if what _he_ had done to the billionaire could be considered as such, too.

But, ultimately, that's how Vlad saw it.

And that really hurt because he was sure that Vlad would blame him for all the evil actions the man would do from now on, justifying it all because of his betrayal—just like he had justified his past wickedness because of his father's own betrayal…

_"You wanted a villain, Daniel? …Now and from here forth… you will have one."_

That was what the man had meant with those scathing words, hadn't he?

The boy's green eyes glowed with sadness as he stared at the blue little flame in his hand.

Vlad hated him so much now that… the man didn't even want to _look_ at him…

However, just as he thought that, a hot tingle traveled down his spine before it heated his core, like an internal hot flash.

Danny's quiet breath stilled in surprise, but then the feeling melded into a small sad smile. And as he closed his hand over the blue energy still in his hand and extinguished it, he gazed back at the stars.

For a brief moment, he focused on the warm foreign tingling feeling filling his body. If he had not been sure before, he was certain now of what it was…

And somehow, it filled him with… hope.

_Vlad just shot him a smug smile as he calmly replied, "You cannot pick up my ghost signature, dear boy, simply because you have yet to learn how to do so… You see, because we are half-ghosts, our ghost signatures are not as easily picked up as that of a typical ghost. So, for me to sense you, for **you** to sense **me**, it requires a deeper… **intuition**…"_

_"And that's what you're going to teach me now?" Danny asked, a hopeful smile on his face._

_But Vlad shook his head, slightly amused with the boy's look. "Sorry, little badger, but that is one of the few things I cannot teach you. Not only does your 'ghost sense' work differently than my own; but, as I said, it works differently for **us**. Still, there is one thing I can assure you. You do not **learn** to develop your ghost sense. You develop it through… **feeling**."_

He had spent so much time with the man that he had indeed developed that… deeper intuition about him. Danny now knew how Vlad felt as well as his own feel…

As a result, his core could now sense—_feel_—the older hybrid's presence…

And it was like nothing he had experienced before. It was… captivating almost.

And as his core warmed and tingled all the more, Danny knew he had found what he had come out here to find…

Or, should he say, his 'what' had found him?

"How is it that you always know how to find me?" Danny softly asked to what appeared to be to no one, though his eyes were still to the stars.

A figure, however, soon turned visible just two feet behind the teen. At first, it seemed thrown off by something, until a small smirk and realization melded on its face.

"How is it that you always _call __to __me_ to find you?" Vlad suddenly retorted with mirth.

"...I don't know," Danny muttered, his eyebrows creasing, still disconcerted by his 'ability' to call to the man somehow. "I… had thought you… left."

Danny heard Vlad chuckle behind him.

"You should know me better than that by now, little badger…," he teased. But then, something else played in the man's voice as he added, "And yet…, it seems you continue to surprise me. You were aware of my presence before I even made myself known… So then, I must ask, if you can now _sense_ me, then why are you just sitting there? …I could easily attack you."

Whatever happiness Danny had felt with Vlad's appearance quickly vanished with a wave of sadness. Still, he did not move.

The boy lowered his gaze and was quiet for a moment before finally replying in a sober voice, "You didn't come to fight, Vlad."

Vlad purposely took an audible step forward, and as his hand lit with pink energy, he wickedly asked, "How sure are you of that?"

Danny saw how his surroundings were tinged in crimson, but the teen didn't even tense up. Instead, he continued to look down at the streets below as he calmly answered, "Very sure."

Vlad chuckled benignly again and his energy died from his hand. And although he approached the boy again, he indeed did not attack. Instead, he took a seat beside him.

"Hmm…," Plasmius said as he briefly looked up at the stars before glancing at the boy beside him. "It seems you know me a bit too well, dear boy. Either that, or, you have gotten too clever. In any case, I will most certainly have to be more vigilant from now on…"

Danny didn't reply; he was too stricken with the emotions and memories that Vlad's simple act of sitting beside him brought to his mind. It almost felt like they were back in Wisconsin, sitting on some tall building next to each other after their big fight the day Vlad had taken him to his work. Or, worse, that time in Germany on the balcony as they stared out at the amazing night sky over Berlin…

It almost felt like they could talk things out again… except that Danny was well aware that Vlad was no longer willing to do that…

So, why had Vlad even come, then?

Danny knew it wasn't to fight, so then, what…?

'For the same reason you are here right now, too…', his heart replied back.

"I owe you my 'thanks'," Danny said, though he kept his eyes averted from the man. "You… didn't have to do all that stuff at school for me…"

Vlad smirked before he looked away from the boy and causally inspected his black glove. There was a brief silence before the man replied carelessly, "You know, Daniel, I do not have the slightest idea of what you are referring to… Still…" Vlad's hidden amusement returned as he added, "I would be careful to thank me just yet… You might regret it…"

Danny sighed sadly as he was forced to acknowledge the hard truth:

The person sitting beside him was no longer the Vlad he knew. That caring and overly protective man was gone. And in his place once again was… his arch-enemy.

"You're probably right," Danny answered quietly.

Vlad frowned at the obvious disappointment in the boy's voice, but he said nothing about it. Instead, he fell quiet as he gazed back at the stars…

Danny also stared back up at the sparkling void above. He wasn't sure what to make of Vlad's sudden silence; but somehow, it was nice. Perhaps if they didn't talk and just sat next to each other, they could pretend for a moment that nothing had changed between them.

Isn't that why they were both here, after all? For closure? To have just one last moment between them with no tension or thoughts of what was to come? Instead, they could just sit there, enjoying each other's company with just the slightest sad notion that after tonight, they would never have this again…

But their charade could not last forever. There was still too much to be said, and there was one very important thing Danny had to say before anything else…

"…I'm sorry," the boy suddenly uttered, breaking the several minutes of silence.

Vlad chuckled mirthlessly, and Danny's heart broke all over again.

"Oh, Daniel," he scolded in that smug and cold voice. "When will you learn to accept your choices, even if they end up being… the wrong ones?"

"I just… want to fix the wrong ones… my mistakes," Danny answered sorrowfully. "I never meant to… hurt you." He looked pleadingly at the man as he added, "Let me fix my mistake. Please, Vlad. We can still fix things…"

"Fix what?" Vlad asked with an amused scoff. "Our ruse? Both of us trying to pretend to be something we are not? Or, is it that you want me to let you play the hero, and let you save me, little badger?"

Danny frowned and seriously answered, "It wasn't a ruse. And it's more than 'playing hero'. You can't pretend now that you don't feel this… _bond_ between us! It was real, then, and it's real now!"

"Tsk-Tsk," Vlad replied with a calm smile. "Careful, Daniel. Obsessions are dangerous things. I would know…"

Danny looked away as he clutched harder on the ledge on which he sat. The man was twisting everything he said again! Their connection wasn't some obsession! He refused to believe that!

"The truth is, Daniel," Vlad suddenly spoke up, his voice serious again. "—that you are assuming I regret my choice and actions from the last time we saw each other." The man leaned closer to the teen and whispered in his ear, "You _assume __wrong._ If I could go back, I would react the same way to your… _betrayal_. So, it doesn't matter what you say or do, it will not change a thing. Well…" Vlad added, pulling away again. "I suppose if you suddenly gained the ability to travel back in time and change _your_ choice, then things could be different; but we both know that's impossible…"

Danny turned his head a bit to look back at Plasmius. The teen felt both troubled and confused. That was just an odd thing to say.

"Or, is that it, boy?" Vlad suddenly asked, a cunning grin curving his lip. "Do you regret your choice of betraying me and returning to your life of secrecy and chaos? If so…, my offer still stands; except that, it will not be… should I say, 'free of charge', this time? There are strings attached to my offer now, many more than before…"

Danny frowned before shaking his head and looking away. No, he did not regret coming home; he just wished it had not meant losing the bond he had had with the man next to him! Didn't Vlad get that?

"Stop it, Vlad," Danny replied, a lace of anger in his voice now. "You know I don't regret my choice of coming back. And…I did what I had to do. What… you made me do! You made me choose!" he accused, looking back at the man.

"And why would I not have made you choose when I chose you over everything and everyone else?" Vlad replied darkly. But then his demeanor abruptly changed as he said with a smirk. "But fear not, dear boy; unlike you, I _will_ keep my word to you: I will no longer make deliberate plans to harm your father or wed your mother. You see, Daniel, if I have anything to thank you for, it is that you made me open my eyes to the truth. You were right. I have spent too long fighting for something that will never be mine. It is time to let go… But I vow to you this…"

Vlad suddenly leaned closer again, his eyes narrowed as he said, "If I cannot have what I want, then I will have… _everything __else.__"_

Danny searched the man's dark eyes before he gazed away again. He knew exactly what the man was really saying. Vlad was giving up on obtaining 'love'. And although he for the most part believed Vlad would no longer focus on hurting his parents, it… brought the teen little comfort, because his worst fear had been confirmed.

Whatever Vlad was thinking of doing would only end in disaster. Or, at the least, pull them further apart.

He really had failed to save the older hybrid.

However, as he thought about that heart-wrenching truth, he remembered something else…

_Why are you doing this, Daniel? Why don't you just hate me like you should?"_

_Danny met the man's gaze again and answered, "I can't hate you. Not after everything."_

_"Why? You said so yourself. I have taken everything away from you. So, why? I don't understand. Why do you care about me when all I deserve from you is your hatred?" Vlad questioned, his voice filled with confusion and desperation._

_Danny stayed quiet for a moment. But realizing he now had nothing to lose in telling the man the truth, he finally admitted, "I want to help you... Vlad, you're not a bad person, you've just made bad choices. I didn't know that before, but I'm sure of it now. There's still good in you. And I want to help you see that."_

_Vlad just stared sadly at the teen for a moment, but then he shook his head, saying, "Oh, dear boy…Is that your reason? Has that been the reason for all this all along?" The man smiled with melancholy. "You really are very noble, Daniel. And it's because you are that I can't let you get your hopes up. You see, my boy, you cannot help someone that does not want to be helped. And even if I did want what you offer, I can assure you that I'm the one person you cannot help. …You can't **save** me, Daniel," Vlad told him seriously._

_Danny lowered his gaze to the ground as he contemplated the man's words. Vlad seemed quite sure of what he had said. And maybe he was right. But…_

_"I can still try," the boy replied, hopeful._

"I can still try," Danny whispered out loud, his voice suddenly laced with realization and hope.

Why did he have to give up? So he failed to save Vlad this time? That didn't mean he couldn't continue to try to save his arch-enemy. Clockwork and Jazz were right. He had proven to Vlad and everyone else that the man was not lost. That he could change and that there was good still in him!

_"There is always light at the end of a tunnel, only sometimes, it takes a great deal of effort to find it."_

Niane's words rang in the boy's mind, and Danny's green eyes renewed with a spark of determination.

As long as he didn't give up, there would always be that light at the end of the tunnel. There would always be hope for the older hybrid as long as he didn't stop trying!

Danny finally looked back at his arch-enemy, a small smirk growing on his face. "_My_ _offer_ still stands, too, Vlad."

Vlad's eyebrows rose up, clearly surprised by the teen's sudden change in attitude; but seeing that defiant _and_ hopeful fire now in the boy's eyes was somehow extremely pleasing.

A daring grin spread across the older hybrid's face as he asked, "Is that a challenge?"

"Yeah, it is, _Plasmius_," Danny answered, matching the man's look.

Vlad leaned closer to the boy's face, his eyes narrowing just slightly with threat as he said, "Be careful, Daniel. Just because my focus is no longer on your parents doesn't mean I will hold back against you… As the saying goes, 'all is fair in love and war'; and if you have not realized it, we are past the former. Get in my way, and I personally will make you regret it."

But Danny was not intimidated in the slightest, and he held the man's gaze without hesitation as he replied with conviction, "You don't scare me, Vlad. You can be sure that every time you try to do something evil, I will be right there to _stop_ you. And I won't hold back, either! And you know why? Because I know that in the end, it is you who is playing—but playing 'the villain'. And that isn't who you are."

Vlad glared this time, but before he could reply to that, Danny smirked and quickly said, "Don't try to deny it, Plasmius. I've seen that there's still good in you, and I know all I have to do is keep fighting against you. So, go ahead. You can keep resisting all you want, but eventually, I will win. I will save you from what we both know you are not. And you know how I can be so sure? Because you want it, too. You want badly what I am still offering you. And this… _bond_ we have in here," he said, pointing at his chest, "will serve to remind you of that fact each and every day."

Danny leaned closer as he assured the man with a growing smile, "You are not a villain. You are a _good_ man that just wants to be loved and accepted. And you might try to prove otherwise, but you won't be able to ignore that side—the _real_ side—of you forever. I will save you—whether you want me to or not."

Vlad stared back seriously at the teen, both their gazes as intense as ever. But then the man broke away from their silent battle and suddenly laughed heartedly.

To say he was shocked by the boy's words and conviction was an understatement, but he was as equally amused and even touched by the teen's hope in him.

What a pity he would have to prove him wrong.

"Alright, Daniel," Vlad answered with a grin as he rose to his feet. "I accept your challenge. So, then," The older hybrid extended a hand as he teasingly said, "May the best human-ghost hybrid win."

Danny grinned back and quickly got to his feet and shook the man's hand. "May the best half-ghost win," he repeated back.

Plasmius let go of the boy's hand and leaned down a bit to face his young rival. "Are we starting now, then?" he asked evilly.

But Danny shook his head, and replied, "No, maybe tomorrow." And without thinking about it, the teen quickly wrapped his arms around the man in front of him and hugged him tightly.

Vlad froze at first, clearly startled by the boy's unexpected affection. Although he tried to resist the urge for a moment, the man eventually gave in to the throbbing in his heart.

With a helpless sigh, the older hybrid wrapped his own arms around the boy and hugged him back.

"You would make a wonderful dad, Vlad," Danny quietly told him with all sincerity.

After all, the man had proven to have the love and devotion of a father; and the teen finally realized that there was nothing wrong with looking at the man as a father-figure. Yes, Jack Fenton would always be his dad, but… that didn't mean he couldn't see Vlad as a father, too. And maybe someday, he would be able to say, he had _two_ good men that he looked up to as such.

Vlad had told himself that he would bury his fatherly love for the young hybrid in the deepest part of his heart, but Daniel's words were like a large shovel which had too easily dug out and retrieved that hidden treasure…

He knew he should fight against it, but… maybe the teen was right. Maybe they could start being enemies tomorrow.

Tonight… He wanted—_needed_—to cherish this moment.

Vlad gently pulled away from the teen before he suddenly kissed the top of the boy's head and finally replied with a sad smile, "Just your father, my boy. It is all I ever wanted; but… I now know that will never be. So, for my own sanity, I need to let that go, too…. I need to let you go, my little badger."

"Well, I am not letting you go," Danny replied sorrowfully.

"Yes, you will… sooner or later," Vlad assured him soberly.

Danny's eyebrows creased with uncertainty. It almost frightened him how sure Vlad was of that fact. But, no, the man was wrong. He would never give up on Vlad. Never.

But knowing it was pointless to argue the point, the teen sighed. Instead, he stared back at the man's red eyes.

"Can I ask you for a favor—for old time's sake?" Danny quietly questioned.

Dropping any remaining coldness from his voice and expression, Vlad nodded and softly replied, "Anything, Danny."

The teen smiled warmly. He wanted to tell Vlad how he wasn't alone, how… his sister was still with him. But… he realized, if Niane had not told him, she had to have a reason. And the least the teen could do for her was to respect her wishes.

"I didn't get to say good-bye to your ghost staff… Could you apologize to them for me? And… tell Niane 'thank you' for me?"

Vlad smirked benignly. "Of course, dear boy… You really were taken with her, weren't you?"

Danny's smile grew. "Yeah, she's… special—more special than either of us realize… Be good to her, Vlad."

Vlad raised an eyebrow, not understanding the boy's last words. But knowing how much the teen cared for his youngest maid, the man nodded his agreement. "Do not worry, Daniel. Niane and all my staff will be fine. I would never let anything happen to them."

"However," Vlad suddenly added with another smirk. "Since I am being so generous, then I think I should get something in return… I will do as you ask, but… on one condition."

And finding no malice in the man's face or voice, Danny quirked his lip, too. "Anything, cheese head," he shot back.

Vlad's demeanor instantly changed as he sadly uttered, "I need to know that our time together was not in vain, Daniel… So, promise me… you will never fear yourself again. I need to know I did that much for you. Promise me that if you ever feel unsure or something happens to make you _even __think_ of letting such a fear overtake you again, that you will come to me. I will help you, listen to you—whatever is necessary, with no strings attached."

Danny's eyes widened in disbelief, but seeing it, Vlad clarified, "We are enemies, Daniel—and you would do wise to not forget that. But I will not hesitate to momentarily push aside our rivalry in order to help you. I will not allow you to ever fear yourself again. Do you understand me?"

Danny nodded, but inside, he felt his hope and faith swell. The Vlad he knew wasn't gone, just buried once more. But… he was still there. He was _right __here._ The man talking to him right now wasn't his arch-enemy; it was the man he had grown to care about and look up to, and seeing and talking to him again… made the teen so happy.

"I promise, Vlad," Danny finally replied with a warm smile.

Vlad smiled back with that care he only reserved for the young hybrid. But knowing their 'pretense' was at its end, the man sighed and his smile twisted into a wicked smirk.

"I think it's time I take my leave. So then, until next time, Danny Phantom. I do believe the next move… is mine."

And with an evil laugh, Plasmius wrapped his cape around himself and vanished in a puff of pink smoke.

"And I'll be waiting, Plasmius," Danny assured him with a determined look, even when he knew the man didn't hear it.

But as he stood there for a moment, staring at the spot his arch-enemy had once stood, he remembered something he had uttered to Vlad not too long ago…

_"You destroyed me in every way by bringing me here… But… you have also fixed me in every way."_

Who would have thought that the supposed villain would have been capable of saving the hero? But it was with Vlad's help that Danny had discovered the true meaning of what he did and believed in, and just as importantly, _who __he __was_…

And Danny was now determined to repay the man that favor.

Danny glanced up at the sky, just in time to catch sight of a shooting star.

He suddenly grinned, his eyes aglow with an old fire sparked by his newfound confidence and belief in himself.

Taking to the sky in the direction of his home, his eyes narrowed in determination as his grin grew wider.

"I'm going to win, Vlad. The hero always does."

* * *

Niane steadily flew across the green atmosphere of the Ghost Zone. She was a bit annoyed that she had to come out here, especially when she knew her… employer was on his way back and planned on making a stop at the Rockies for a quick word with her and his other ghostly employees.

How did she know that? Well, it was one of the advantages of having a telepathic bond with… her brother, who was also, of course, her employer.

Her bond with him was special, though. He obviously wasn't aware of it, but Niane could not only hear her brother's thoughts, but also see what he saw and feel what he felt.

It was a gift, but it was a curse, too. She couldn't turn it off, really. It was always there, subconsciously in her mind unless she called it forth and let it overtake her own thoughts and sights, much like submersing one's self inside a dream—one that didn't belong to you. And it was only when you 'woke up' from it that you regained awareness of your own surroundings and thoughts.

It was an ability that was solely possible with her brother. Still, like she told Danny, she did have the ability of manipulating existing bonds between others. And through her telepathic abilities, it was just as easy to project her thoughts and visions to others… But it didn't extend the other way around—for the most part, anyways.

Niane's eyes glowed a bright red as she allowed her bond with her brother to come forward. She saw a vision of the retreating view of Amity Park from within a helicopter. And as she perceived his thoughts and feelings, she knew he was indeed planning on coming to his chalet at the Rockies. It seemed the boy had asked her brother to 'thank her' for him. But she further discovered what Danny had said to her brother about her…

Niane's eyes dimmed again as she let the connection fade to the back of her mind and she frowned in worry. She had suspected it, but now she was sure…

The boy knew who she was….

That could present a serious problem.

"Maybe that's why they…," she muttered thoughtfully; but whatever she was going to say was cut off by a loud growl—the _very_ loud growl of an aggressive-looking lizard ghost _with __teeth_ just a yard away.

She slowed down as it quickly noticed her, and began to move closer, baring its sharp teeth at her, clearly thinking it could have her for lunch.

But other than slowing down, she made no other attempt to flee or defend herself… What for? She didn't need to act like the 'defenseless and scared little ghost maid' right now.

Instead, she watched the ghost with little emotion as it lunged towards her, and just when it was a foot from her, she suddenly raised her hand and firmly said, "Stop."

The creature's body lit up with red energy and it immediately halted, his body seized by some invisible force.

Niane raised an eyebrow at the snarling creature before she 'tsked' at it and waved her hand to the side. The ghost lizard yelped in alarm as it was easily swatted away like a little fly.

"Sorry. I am in a bit of a hurry," she commented calmly to the creature as it continued on its unplanned flight through the green atmosphere.

She proceeded forward, looking more confident and focused than Danny probably had ever seen her. But a good thirty minutes later, she reached an important point in her travel.

She hovered in place and looked around her, mostly out of habit, before her form suddenly dissolved into red smoke and her entire appearance changed.

The maid outfit was gone, replaced by a simmering white dress, fit for her teenage appearance. But a moment later, a full red cloak also appeared, which completely enveloped her and hid her dress within it. Even her head and face were cloaked under the red cape's hood so to hide how her skin tone and eye color had changed.

She raised a hand, and soon feeling what she was searching for, she floated forward.

And in a blink of an eye, she was gone.

Niane reappeared at another familiar place and she proceeded forward. It was only when she finally saw her final destination, that a small smile curved her lips within her hood.

The girl landed and floated forward, entering the tower before her.

Clockwork's tower.

It didn't take her long to find the Master of Time. After all, she had known the Time Spirit for… years. She knew him _very_ well.

"You know everything, Clockwork. So, tell me, how unpleasant is this going to be?" she asked as she floated up to the spirit, lowering her hood from her head and revealing the familiar blue eyes and pale complexion of Viviane Masters.

Clockwork, who had had his back to the girl, turned around and smirked knowingly at Viviane, just as his form changed into that of a child.

"As you know, I can only foresee events in the time stream, Niane. And the Observants, being spirits, are not part of it." His smug smile faded as he drolly added, "And yet, I do not need to foresee this… 'little meeting' to assure you it will be _very_ unpleasant."

"As always," Niane muttered, crossing her arms and frowning at just the thought of what… the Observants were going to say to her.

However, remembering something more important than the narrow-minded spirits, she glanced up at Clockwork and said, "Now that we have a moment, I need to speak to you about Danny."

The elder Clockwork smiled calmly. "Yes, I wish to speak to you about him, too. First of all, I would like to say that I appreciate your help with Danny. He… sometimes needs a few 'good pushes' in the right direction…"

Niane sighed and nodded, "It seems that is another thing he has in common with… Vlad."

"You brother…," Clockwork stated, his smile growing.

Niane looked away. "I am deeply worried for him… But...," She turned her eyes back to the Time Spirit. "—for the boy as well. The things you asked me to do… He knows about me now, and I exposed him to my powers. What if it has… lasting effects?"

Clockwork remained quiet for a moment before replying, "… You know it was I who requested for the Ancients to bring you back as a spirit."

"Yes," she replied with a small frown. "And it was you who gave me the ability to move in and out of the time stream, so that I could keep close to my brother…. Why do you remind me of this, Clockwork?"

"Because just as I am aware of the effects of placing 'Niane' into the time line, I am also aware of the… consequences of asking you to interfere with Danny," Clockwork said seriously. "My point is that all I asked you to do in these months was necessary in order to guide the boy and your brother's timelines in their correct courses."

The girl nodded. "I know you know what you are doing, Clockwork. I trust you. It's just…"

"I understand," Clockwork said with a small smile when the girl trailed off, his form changing once again. "But you of all spirits should know everything is connected, Niane. If I asked you to interfere, it was because I had already foreseen the results."

"You asked me to project my memories of our prior talk with the Observants into the boy's mind and then later of the images you showed me of that once dark timeline with his evil-self. Was that necessary, too? I mean, I understand why you would have wanted Danny to see what truly happened between him and Vlad in that other future, but why our conversation with the Observants?"

Clockwork lightly shrugged and replied, "Simply because I wanted Danny to be aware of the Observants'… _interest_ in him." But seeing the girl raise a confused eyebrow at that and not wanting to truly voice why he had asked her to do that, he somewhat changed the subject, "Danny, too, questioned me about… his visions. He thought it was my doing."

The Time Master smirked with his old lips and added, "Of course, I denied it since it really was not _my __doing_."

Niane giggled at that. "Your ways never cease to amuse me, Clockwork."

"You would be the first. It seems to frustrate most," Clockwork replied, his smirk growing.

Niane smiled back, but it slowly fell from her face. Talking to Clockwork always helped her feel better. But she was still upset about what happened in the end.

"…It is hard to accept how all this turned out," she said quietly after a moment of silence. "I know the boy belongs with his loved ones, but a part of me wishes… he had stayed. Seeing and feeling Vlad so… happy and hopeful… I had not seen him like that since…"

"You were alive," Clockwork finished with a small sympathetic smile.

Niane sadly nodded. "I feel helpless, Clockwork. My vows to the Ancients do not allow me to interfere with Vlad directly… And that is so hard when all I want is to be close to him again, and assure him he is not as alone as he believes…"

"You are very special, Niane," Clockwork said warmly. "Not only are you both a spirit and a ghost, but… you were once human. Unlike a ghost who loses its true humanity or a spirit who has never known what it is like to be human, you still carry your human qualities. I can assure you, that is the greatest gift you possess. And in due time, you will understand why. _And __besides__…_," A mischievous smirk returned to the Time Master's face and his form turned to that of a child as he added, "You might be bound by your vows, but… that is why you have… me. It is not considered breaking your vows, if… _I __order __you_ to interfere… correct?"

Niane's sad look melded into a small smirk of her own. "Indeed… And I suppose the fact we get to tick off the Observants is a bonus."

Clockwork just grinned wickedly.

"Clockwork! Viviane!"

"Speaking of the Observants…," Clockwork muttered, his amusement instantly fading with a small annoyed sigh. His eyes then lowered to his time staff, suddenly finding it highly interesting and his form changed once more.

Niane, on the other hand, cringed at the sound of the angry voices of two very familiar Observants….

But quickly realizing 'what' they had just called her, the girl spirit turned to face them and her blue eyes suddenly flashed red as she said with distaste, "Justeco. Konsilisto. How many times must I remind you two not to call me _that_?"

"As many times as we must summon you here!" the leader snapped back.

Viviane resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and just remained quiet. Honestly, was it so hard for them to understand? She didn't like her full name when she was alive, and she still did not like it now. In fact, she preferred her 'made-up' name. Well… maybe not totally made-up…

"And this is your worse offense yet!" the other Observant added. "Just because your _ghost_ disguise allows you to move within the time stream, does not mean you may interfere with it!"

"I asked her to," Clockwork interrupted in his usual calm, yet stern, voice, though his eyes remained on his staff as he adjusted the time piece at the top.

The two Observants' eyes quickly shifted to the Time Master and the leader Justeco said angrily, "We told you it was dangerous to allow the half-ghosts to be anywhere near each other, Clockwork! Now, look what has happened! The eldest half-ghost has learned of our existence, and worse, how to get to our Realm! And need I mention their connection has been awakened? That is how it all started in that _other_ dark timeline!"

"Do you realize what that could mean?" Konsilisto readily added, sounding distressed.

"I realize what _it_ _means,_" Clockwork clarified coolly, finally looking at his employers. "You two were the ones who involved me with these half-ghosts. Or, have you forgotten you not only asked me to step in and eliminate the boy, but also the other as well?"

"We have not forgotten! And maybe if you _had_ listened to us and eliminated Vlad Plasmius from the start we would not be here arguing about Danny Phantom and the possibility of his turning evil in this timeline as well!" Justeco argued back.

Clockwork frowned in heavy annoyance. "As you both said, the boy and his evil self are now my responsibility. And as I have told you both _countless_ of times before, _I __know __what __I __am __doing._"

"Yet, each time we view the time stream, it proves otherwise!" Justeco answered. "Your interfering is becoming _dangerous_, Clockwork. And you, Viviane," he added, shifting his gaze back to the girl spirit. "You should not be interfering at all! You are—"

"My brother's guardian and I may not interfere with him, only watch, unless told to do otherwise," Niane finished for him. She frowned to hide her distress and instead pointedly said, "Yes, _I __know_. Just because I _look_ sixteen doesn't mean you can treat me as such."

The Head Observant's eye narrowed a bit with his growing frustration. If there was one thing worse than talking to Clockwork, it was talking to Clockwork and Viviane at the _same __time_.

"Viviane," Justeco began.

"Niane," the girl spirit corrected him under her breath as she crossed her arms and looked away from her superiors.

"You are walking a very fine line," the Observant leader warned her.

But then the other Observant continued just as gravely, "Indeed. Remember that the only reason you were permitted to return was because Clockwork vowed to assume full responsibility of you in front of the Ancients. And the only reason we have allowed Clockwork to give you access to the time stream is because Vlad Plasmius poses as much a danger to the timeline as does Danny Phantom. You are to keep a close watch on your brother and inform us of anything that can be precarious to our cause. That is all you are permitted to do. Instead, you have overstepped your boundaries through all these months, making the fact that the half-ghosts were together even more dangerous!"

Having enough, Niane pinched the bridge of her nose before glaring at the Observants. "Look, I have not broken my vows. I am not interfering with my brother or his choices!"

"Indirectly you did!" Konsilisto accused quickly.

"And worse," Justeco readily added. "You interfered with the boy and his choices! He could have found out who you were and that would mean a sure disaster!"

Niane discreetly glanced at Clockwork, who returned her look. Being that she indeed answered to Clockwork foremost, she had the ability to communicate with him through her powers and she mentally asked him, _"__They __do __not __know __Danny __knows __the __truth __about __me?__"_

"_They __do __not __need __to __know,__"_ she heard Clockwork answer her back.

"Viviane!" Justeco suddenly snapped, regaining the girl spirit's full attention. "Are you listening to us? What you did is a grave matter! Do you realize what transferring your powers to the boy could cause? Your bond with your brother is to be used solely to—"

"My bond with Vlad had nothing to do with it!" Niane argued back, cutting the Observant off. "I have not transferred my powers to the boy! I only _temporarily_ enhanced his own bond with his sister to help her save her!"

But the Observants were not giving in and the leader firmly replied, "You still had no right. You—"

"I am assuming that your need for such enhanced vision takes away from your hearing ability," Clockwork finally spoke up, his voice stern. "Otherwise, you would both have heard when I said from the _very __beginning __of __this __pointless __conversation_ that I asked—as in, _I __ordered_—Niane to interfere."

Niane had to hold back a giggle at the offended looks on the Observants faces. It was so amusing how Clockwork could get away with insulting their superiors.

Justeco and Konsilisto looked at each other before looking back at the other two spirits.

"It truly is pointless to argue with you, Clockwork," Justeco said unhappily.

"_They __just __realized __that?__"_ Niane asked Clockwork mentally, and the girl saw the Time Spirit smother an amused smirk.

"Ultimately, you will do as you want," the Head Observant continued. "So, I truly hope you know what you are doing, because if the time stream is damaged, _it __will __fall __on __you._ As for you, Viviane," he added turning his sober gaze back to the girl, "Do not forget you not only answer to Clockwork, but also to the Ancients. Take one step outside your vows, and we can assure you, being removed from Existence will be the last of your worries."

"Oh, there is no doubt about that," another voice echoed around them.

The four spirits stilled in true surprise, but then Clockwork frowned at how familiar the… female voice had sounded. He only had to glance at his clocks, which usually moved at different speeds, and see how they were all now moving in a synchronized manner to confirm his suspicions.

This did not bode well.

Purple and red smoke began to rise off the walls before a purple hooded-cloak figure appeared in the room with the rest of the spirits.

Red eyes bore from the darkness of her hood before a skeletal hand emerged from her cloak. The hand reached for a golden egg-shaped crystal around her neck and gripped it.

Flames suddenly consumed the entity, but it was more like a flash of fire, since it was gone instantly and her skeletal hand was now of flesh and bone.

"The Spirit of Order," the Observants whispered, looking at each other nervously. This was most unheard of! The Ancients seldom left their realm. In fact, the last time the Observants had seen the Ancients had been when they summoned them at Clockwork's request!

Niane floated back a bit towards Clockwork, clearly just as unsure of the Ancient's presence. Was… she in trouble?

Clockwork, on the other hand, just frowned, but his eyes almost reflected a slight wariness of the female spirit before him.

Like a mouse watching a circling hawk, the Time Master waited as the female Ancient finally pulled back her hood and then her cloak, so that it looked like a simple purple cape behind her.

Blond golden hair cascaded past her bare shoulders, touching the glowing purple gown etched with gold that adorned her. Interestingly, her skin was a creamy ivory, making her look almost human, except for the fact that she glowed with a gold hue.

She was perfect. Beautiful. Almost… angelic.

But Clockwork knew otherwise.

The female Ancient's red eyes locked solely on Clockwork and a calm smile curved on her equally cherry-colored lips. Her voice was serene, yet, amused as she finally spoke again. "It seems… I am interrupting a serious conversation… How… _disorderly_ of me… My sincere apology."

"Serenity…," the Time Master said, addressing the Ancient by her actual name, while he did nothing to mask his dislike for her. "What brings you here so… suddenly?"

"Yes… is there a… problem?" Justeco questioned worriedly.

But then Konsilisto blurted out, "We told Viviane not to interfere!"

Niane suddenly appeared like the shy and nervous little maid Danny had met—but this time, it was not an act.

Serenity raised a golden eyebrow at the Observants before her piercing gaze fell on the youngest and smallest of the spirits present.

"Viviane Masters…. How long has it been since the Ancients disrupted the natural order by returning you to Existence?" she asked in the same calm voice.

Clockwork suddenly stepped forward and placed a hand protectively on the spirit girl's shoulder as he interrupted, "You have not answered my question, Serenity. This cannot have anything to with Niane because she has not broken her vows."

The Spirit of Order smiled wider. "No… I have not come for your… assistant. Although… it would behoove her to heed the Observants' advice…. and warning." She stared unwavering at Niane for a moment before looking back to the Time Spirit and continuing, "My true reason for stepping outside my realm is for another purpose… One which…" She briefly glanced at the Observants. "…I think I should tell you in private, Clockwork…"

The Observants glanced at each other again, clearly confused and unsure of what was going on. But with the assurance that this had nothing to do with Viviane, the Observants nodded.

"We were on our way out, anyways," the Observant leader said before adding with uncertainty, "But… are you certain that there is not a problem?"

Serenity's calm smile remained on her face as she answered, "Nothing I cannot resolve myself, Justeco."

"Very well," the Observant replied, though he still appeared unappeased. But with nothing else to say, he and Konsilisto vanished.

"I do not understand," Niane suddenly spoke up once the Observants had left. "If you are not here because of me, then…" The girl paused and her eyes widened as it dawned on her. "The Order's Crystal…"

Niane suddenly panicked.

"Please do not harm my brother or the boy!" she pleaded fearfully. "They did not know what they were doing! They—"

"Niane," Clockwork called to her in a calm but firm voice, and the girl silenced as she glanced over at the Time Master. But Viviane was now as nervous as ever. She did not really fear the Ancients. After all, they had never done anything to her to make her see them as dangerous spirits. Quite the opposite. She respected them as her superiors and was aware of how powerful they were.

But ever since her brother began to meddle with the 'Order's Crystal' and Clockwork told her the history and the… ways of handling things for _this_ particular Ancient, Viviane was now very scared of the Spirit of Order.

And it didn't help matters that the Ancient was now here and wanted to speak to Clockwork!

Serenity appeared genuinely concerned for the upset younger spirit as she said, "Your instability troubles me, Viviane." But then she looked at Clockwork and smiled with that same tranquility and amusement as she added, "Oh, I see… " She turned her eyes back to the girl and said, "Well, then, I will advice you not to believe everything you hear about me…"

"I trust Clockwork," Niane replied with a frown, but she still looked distressed. "And I saw through my mental link with my brother all you did to him and the boy on your vanishing isle home. I have reasons to believe you have ill intentions towards them."

Serenity actually frowned this time, yet her voice was still as serene as before. "I was only looking to test the crossbreeds. You should know I do not like violence. It is…too chaotic. Therefore, I take great lengths to steer away from it. So, I assure you, I am only here out of concern for the crossbreeds and… the natural order."

Niane looked uncertain, but then asked, "Why did you not say anything to the Observants about this…?"

This time, Serenity grinned. "Well, clearly, our dearest Clockwork did not want them knowing of the crossbreeds' having my Order's Crystal. And I in no way wished to create anymore tension between him and his employers…"

Clockwork just stared coolly back at the female spirit.

"So then, now that I have soothed away your worry, I would very much like to have a private word with Clockwork? With all due respect, of course, Viviane…"

Niane frowned. She did not want to leave, but she then glanced at Clockwork and he nodded at her.

"Fine. I suppose I should go…," she muttered reluctantly.

The girl rolled her eyes in annoyance, but still floated off, leaving Clockwork alone with Serenity in the main room of his abode.

Serenity stared after the other female spirit, and in spite of the calmness portraying all over her, something else was hidden under it…

Clockwork quickly noticed it.

"You will not touch her," he suddenly said firmly.

Serenity slowly turned her red eyes to the Time Master and replied without any inflection in her voice, "She should not be here, Clockwork. She is unnatural. What is gone from Existence should stay gone from Existence. Not to mention, there is no balance in her. She is both spirit and ghost, yet she is as emotional and unstable as a human. She is a complete disruption of the natural order. You know full well I was against bringing her back. Alas… the Ancient clan decided the contrary. So, then, who am I to disobey their decree?"

"You _will __not_ touch her," Clockwork repeated even firmer, his eyes narrowing this time, not at all buying the female's act.

A small smile tugged on Serenity's lips. "No… I will not… As long as she does not break her vows…"

Clockwork's frown only deepened, but before he could say any more, the Spirit of Order calmly moved past him and floated over to the viewing orb in the room.

Clockwork gripped his staff harder. There were very few beings that could truly upset him. And this one was the worst.

"For being _the __Spirit __of __Order_, you have little regard for your cause," Clockwork commented with annoyance. "Or, is it not considered _disorderly_ to enter someone else's home uninvited and then parade around in it?"

Serenity, who had been about to touch the Time-Viewing Orb, paused and glanced back at the other spirit. She blinked as if truly considering his words; but then, she smiled again, this time a bit sheepishly.

"Oh my… You are quite right…" But then her smile melded into a different kind of emotion. "It seems… your presence drifts me from my ways…"

She floated back over to Clockwork, a more prominent seductive smirk on her lips as she added, "You have always had…_undesired_ affects on me. It would pose a problem if I did not _know_ I have the same affects on you, my dearest Clockwork…."

Clockwork glared at her.

Serenity sighed, her eyebrows creasing with something akin to sadness. "I do wish you would not hold such unstable dislike for me." She carefully placed her hand on top of the one with which Clockwork held his staff. And as the staff began to glow with a mixture of their blue and purple energy, she added more softly, "We use to be very close…Do you remember? Order and Time. They are the perfect balance. They walk together… So, why do we not?" she asked with a tender look, her hand moving up to his face.

But Clockwork floated back, stopping her and forcing her hand off his own as his form changed into his eldest one. "Time is uncertain," he answered evenly. "It is constantly changing; it has twist and turns that it may or may not take. Order… is not _any_ of these things. They may move parallel with each other but they will _never_ come together."

Serenity just stared back at him, this time showing nothing in her expression.

But then she suddenly turned away from him and moved to his viewing orb again. There was a brief silence before she calmly said, "Viviane is right. I am here in regards to my Order's Crystal. You might not believe Time and Order are intertwined, but now _we_ are once again, whether it pleases you or not…"

She raised a hand to the viewing orb and used it to project the image of her crystal and… its current owners…

"You see, now that the crossbreeds have my crystal, I will be keeping a very close watch on them." She turned to face the Time Master with an even smile. "And although I enjoyed seeing their potential together and how they succeeded to meet my conditions to obtain the Order's Crystal, now… I do not like what has happened. Their… disorder has had undesired affects on my crystal. It has been broken. Its power split and disrupted. I am truly concerned."

"They have not used it to cause any problems, so you have no reason to be so interested in them. Unless, you are just using your crystal as an excuse to interfere," Clockwork answered back coolly.

Serenity sighed and crossed her arms, the vision of her crystal and the hybrids disappearing. "You may not agree on how I handle my duties, but keep in mind that I am your superior, dearest Clockwork. I can assure you that if these crossbreeds create any kind of chaos with the use of my crystal, then I will interfere, and not even you will be able to stop me."

"Is that a threat?" Clockwork asked, unfazed.

She shook her head calmly. "I am being forward with you. I understand, though. You care for the young crossbreed." She then added in amusement. "Tsk-Tsk. That is so like you… Growing _attachments_ to your keeps…"

"'Keeps' whom _you_ have eliminated unjustly. I will not let you do that with this one," Clockwork retorted angrily.

"Now, Clockwork, you are being unfair," she almost pouted. "We all have a job as the spirits and guardians that we are. And keeping order is my duty. It is not easy to determine the fate of others. You should know that well. After all, _you_ have eliminated your share of beings yourself in the name of protecting the time stream."

She sighed. "Still, I am sorry that your past keeps have met a sad fate—and most by my hand no less, which is why I also understand your resentment towards me. But I, too, have to protect something that is important for the sake of all Existence. Order, my dearest Clockwork, is as crucial as Time; you know this."

"The Observants have always sent me to do their dirty work," Clockwork argued. "But the difference between you and me is that the entities I have eliminated were purely evil."

"A being that brings about chaos, my dearest Clockwork, _is_ evil," Serenity retorted back with a raised eyebrow. "I do, however, feel hopeful for your newest keep and his elder counterpart. It is very few beings that can carry within them a bond of true balance… And yet, they themselves are unsteady, chaotic even… Only you know on which side of the spectrum they will end up. I do hope it will be on the orderly side; otherwise… I will do what needs to be done. And I will expect that neither you nor Viviane oppose me if it comes to that."

"I have never interfered in the way of your duties… I will not start now," Clockwork replied soberly.

Serenity smiled before suddenly saying, "I know you well, Clockwork. You say one thing, but mean another. No matter. I know full well you are aware of what is at stake. I am intrigued, though, specifically about the eldest crossbreed… I noticed something about him in my short encounter with him… It _greatly_ intrigued me…"

"Be careful, Serenity," Clockwork warned. "Viviane is very protective of her brother. Believe me when I tell you she will not hesitate to challenge you if it is to protect him."

"I am sure…," she agreed carelessly. "But we both know how that would end. In any case, I am surprised you have let this go so far. If I were you, I would have long since eliminated Vlad Plasmius. A creature that can… _sense_ spirits… That is dangerous to all of us, my dearest Clockwork."

"He is not aware of it. So, there is no danger. And as long as _spirits_ keep away from him, he will not find out," Clockwork answered.

"The truth is always revealed, Clockwork. It is in the natural order of things." But Serenity then lightly shrugged. "No matter. I will be watching him and the other closely from now on… I advise you to do the same."

"Well, now that you have given me a fair warning of your intentions, then I do believe your next order of business is to… depart from my home."

Serenity smirked. "Of course. One more thing, though. And keep this in mind: Chaos is chaos, my dearest Clockwork, and it all ends before me… one way or another. Order will prevail."

Clockwork just frowned as the Spirit of Order abruptly burst into flames and vanished, leaving only behind spectral particles of what looked like purple ashes.

In that same moment, the clocks in his tower regained their individual movements.

"Niane," Clockwork called, sure the girl was somewhere nearby and had not truly left.

"Sorry, Clockwork," she answered guilty. "I was concerned."

Clockwork nodded, not really bothered by the fact that the girl spirit had probably been listening.

"I had expected Serenity's presence… I just did not think it would be this soon…," Clockwork said with a sigh.

"She seems… harmless," Niane muttered quietly. "Maybe she is telling the truth and only wishes to help Vlad and Danny..."

"Oh, I have no doubt she wants to help," Clockwork replied with distaste. "The problem is that her kind of help is more along the lines of perfecting something by reducing it to ashes and remolding it into her definition of _order_. She fails to understand that other beings are not objects that can be broken and then recreated without lasting consequences. If she gets her hands on Danny and your brother, she will destroy them in the worst way possible. We have to tread carefully, Niane, because, unfortunately, she is right. Now that your brother and Danny have taken the Order's Crystal, she has every right to interfere."

"Why did you not just prevent them from getting that crystal? Surely you foresaw it happening in their timeline," Niane answered fearfully.

"There are things I cannot and should not prevent," Clockwork answered. "This was one of them. As much as I would have preferred to interfere so to keep the Spirit of Order out of this, the half-ghosts' timeline has chosen differently."

"The Observants also have reason to be concerned, too, you know," Niane said seriously. "Vlad indeed knows the location of the Realm Beyond Time. I have seen his thoughts, Clockwork. What he is planning does not bode well for anyone."

"Yes, I know what your brother will do," Clockwork answered. "This time, however, we will not interfere. The Ancients and even the Observants might try, but _we_ will allow the half-ghosts to decide their own course. I believe we have given them both enough help to choose correctly; and that is where our interference ends."

Niane frowned, looking highly troubled. "What is going to happen, Clockwork?"

The Time Master looked at the spirit girl for a brief moment before finally answering, "I cannot tell you yet."

Niane sighed, but then nodded. "Very well… I trust you."

"And I you," he replied with a knowing smile.

She smiled back, but then her eyes flashed red and she jolted. "Oh, it seems my brother will be arriving shortly. I must go. I asked George to cover for me, but I need to return before Vlad gets there; otherwise, I doubt he will overlook the fact that his shy ghost maid disappeared into the Ghost Zone so suddenly."

She grinned childishly at him, for once appearing the age she portrayed as she said, "Ta, Clockwork. You know how to get a hold of me if you require anything of me."

Clockwork calmly nodded and watched her turn and float away. But having a sudden thought, he called back to her, "Niane…?"

The girl turned her head. "Yes?"

"Danny is finally ready," he assured her with a warm smile.

Viviane returned the smile. "Indeed… And someday soon, Vlad will be, too …I can _feel_ it."

And with that, she left the Time Master alone again in his tower.

"Then..., let the endgame begin…," Clockwork voiced to himself with a smirk.

_…The End_


	85. Author's comments

**Author's thoughts on the story:**

**Well, we are at the end at last. I actually feel like crying. I never would have imagined I would write something of this magnitude, let alone dedicate… _years_ to it. To be exact, five years and just over six months. I began this story on April 24****th**** 2006. I was in my second year of college and now I have been out of college for a year now. But, in spite of all the time writing this story took away from my studies, I am proud to say I got my bachelors, and now, I have also completed this many-year-project—because, really, what else can one call this monstrous story? XD I think if it were a real book, it would be as thick as a text book. Or, I would have had to split it into stories, like the Harry Potter Series.**

**But I am satisfied. I managed to do what I had set out to do, and that was to give my readers a different perspective on Vlad Masters/ Plasmius and his relationship/rivalry with Danny Fenton/Phantom. What was my inspiration? Mostly, The Ultimate Enemy. When I first started watching this series—and you have my brother to thank for that—I used to see Vlad as your typical Saturday-morning villain, but after watching that episode, and then further watching, Secret Weapon, Master of All Time, and Kindred Spirits, I began to get a bigger picture of Vlad. **

**I like to think Mr. Hartman also had a bigger idea for Vlad than what we ended up seeing. I like to think, he put in these 'little hints' through the episodes in season two in hopes of turning Vlad into something more than the average, black-and-white bad guy. And the fact that even when I wrote this story without the knowledge of third season, it did not clashed with my take on Vlad, then I think I might be onto something. I like to think Mr. Hartman also wanted more for Vlad than for him to be a villain. Unfortunately, Nick put an end to the series and Mr. H had no other choice but to turn this series into the cartoonish hero-and-villain doddle, where the villain does something dumb in the end and loses everything and the hero gets the 'happily-ever-after'. But I regress, since it's pointless to talk about this now.**

**My point is that I wanted to show all aspects of Vlad. How dark he could be. How obsessive he could be. But also, how emotional he could be. How weak and vulnerable he could be. How... human he could be. I wanted to show Vlad's way of thinking and why he thinks and acts how he does. I wanted to show the part of him that the show never showed and that was his life outside his being Danny's enemy. I wanted to show where his strong need to have love and a family came from. I wanted to show why he turned into the cold person he was. I wanted to show how far he could go to gain love. And, lastely, I wanted to aknowledge that like anyone else, he has a past; one which greatly influenced the man he had become.**

**But, there was also the Danny angle. Again, it brings me back to TUE. I personally believe something so traumatic would not be so easily forgotten and pushed aside, like the show made it seem. I wanted to show Danny's emotional scars—from his uncertainty of his powers and who he is, to his fear of turning evil and losing those he loves. They say it is in our darkest times we learn the greatest lessons and gain the greatest strengths. So, why not Danny?**

**He suffered like he probably had never suffered before. He came close to death on multiple occasions. He lost the will to fight and his hope. Was ripped away from all he knew and his beliefs challenged to the fullest. And even after all that, he was able to do what any hero does: walk the right path.**

**Yes, we got to see Danny's human flaws and mistakes, but also that purity of his soul and the goodness of his heart. He had the strength to do what is hard for any human being: forgive those who hurt us. But then he went beyond it. He sought to help and save his enemy.**

**Ultimately, as Danny learned more and more about Vlad, he, too, learned more and more about himself. He gained a deeper understanding of not his ghost half and his powers, but of his own humanity and the strength of the human heart.**

**It was a hard road, but Danny was able to live what he believes in: that everyone deserves a second chance. And, in turn, he also discovered who he was. He is a hero, something he never really acknowledged in season one or two, but he does in season three.*winks* But going back to what I was saying, Danny also got to see his beliefs become a reality. He got to see how people can change. How love indeed conquers all.**

**It is with the heart that the real battles are fought. **

**Hate and vengeance only brings more hate and vengeance. It destroys those that will it as well as those around it. But, love, is more powerful than anything in existence. It is as tender and as fragile as a rose, but as powerful and strong as a double-edge sword. **

**It was a weapon Danny learned to will perfectly through this story.**

**But then, we are left with one other important lesson, one which, has yet to be fully understood.**

**You can give someone love; help them change; but ultimately, we all choose our path. We choose whether to be in darkness or live in the light. We choose whether to hate… or forgive.**

**Danny did what he needed to do. He showed Vlad it is possible to forgive and that it is possible to change. And Vlad was willing to do that; but he was willing to do it for Danny.**

**Like anything else in life, we have to choose to change for _ourselves_—because it comes from our heart to do it. **

**So, then, why did things ends as they did? For one simple reason:**

**Vlad has to learn to forgive—and it is something _he_ must _choose_ to do.**

**Nevertheless, we got to see Vlad and Danny's character to the deepest of their confines. We got to see the potential of each of them and the potential of what they could be together as allies and something more. We got to see how complex and powerful these two hybrids' relationship can be.**

**And they… they got to truly know each other and learn from one another in a way that was only possible when they gave each other that chance.**

**Some people say there is a fine line between love and hate. I think that's nonsense. The truth is that love is such a powerful emotion that when it is unwanted, people try to mask it with hate. But it will always be there, no matter how much hate you try to cover it under. Love' s light will always come through in the end.**

**The reality is this: Where there is faith and hope, love will always remain.**

**And isn't it faith and hope what keeps our hero going…? :)**

**Checkmate was my first story I wrote, and after more than five years, it has come to its end. I am glad I wrote it, and my main wish as its other is that it has touch my readers in some way or another. And perhaps that the real life lessons in this story, you will all take to heart.**

**Thank you for completing this journey with me.**

* * *

**Author's comments:**

**1. **

**Okay, if you don't know. There will be a sequel to this. But, first, I have a one-shot in store for you all sometime this year—or, what remains of it. As most of you know, Checkmate took place after season one and two. Although I did try to merge season three so it falls into place after this story, I want to merge them together a bit more. The one-shot is for that purpose: to fully merge Checkmate with season three. To be exact, though, it is to show Danny's change in attitude towards Vlad. I think it is easy enough to see why Vlad acts the way he does in season three towards Danny by the end of this story; but there are a few unsaid reasons why Danny is a lot more resentful towards Vlad in season three than what I showed at the end here. And it's that specifically that I want to show. **

**2.**

**I wanted to also show Vlad's change of attitude in season three. He is no longer after Maddie or Jack, and instead has a powerful resentment towards Danny and is seeking to find 'his destiny'. Not sure if you all noticed, but it was a big thing for Vlad in season three, and he manifested this latest obsession through the infi-map, with Vortex and trying to gain control of the Ghost Zone, and finally in Phantom Planet by wanting to become ruler of the world. It leads me to believe something inside Vlad felt unaccomplished after season two, so he was desperately trying to find something to fill this _new void_ in season three… Any guesses on what this empiness he felt could be? heh-heh.**

**3. **

**As I said in the last chapter, I wrote an addition. And that was the scene with Serenity. I decided to be nice and answer a few things about the Spirit of Order. I was going to properly introduce her in Endgame, but, I thought it would be nice to do it here. *winks* I have many plans for her. And, of course, for… heh-heh. Viviane.**

**4.**

**For those interested. Here are the Checkmate stats:**

**Published date: April 26****th**** 2006**

**Completed: November 5****th**** 2011**

**Word count: approx. 1,075,912. **

**Chapters: 84**

**Reviews: 2,853 and counting (I hope!)**

**Hits: 310,601 and counting**

**Community additions (C2s): 23 **

**Favorites: 564 **

**Alerts: 449**

**4. **

**Okay, so don't forget the Hidden Pearl chat over at Deviantart! It starts at 2pm New York Time/ Eastern Standard Time. It will be our last Checkmate chat, so I hope you all attend. You can find a link to the club page on my profile. All you need is to get an account for DA if you don't have one. Don't worry. It's as easy as getting one on here. *winks***

**5.**

**In a perfect world where I have unlimited time, I would be going back through each of these chapters and editing and fixing those tiny mistakes that slipped by, mostly in the first chapters of this story. Alas, it's not a perfect world. But who knows. Maybe someday. Unless… someone would like to volunteer to do it for me? Any takers? Lol!**

* * *

**Author's thanks:**

**Okay, first, I want to thank each and every one of you for your support. I still remember when I posted the first chapter to this story and ended up with one review… And now… It's amazing. It is nice to know how popular this story has become, but what makes me happiest is to know I have been able to share my work with all you wonderful people. It's nice to know Checkmate has earned a place in your hearts as it has in mine. Thank you for making this story so special. And thank you for sharing your thoughts with me about it through all these years. They say a writer loves to write because it's just part of them; but I think the _motivation_ to keep writing comes from the readers. It is a true accomplishment to know that even in the smallest way that I have impacted your lives with this humble story. **

**From the deepest part of my heart, thank you all very much.**

**I also must extend my gratitude to those people who have helped me mold and polish this story chapter after chapter:**

**My betas.**

**I actually had quite a few for this story. And although some of them are probably long since gone from this site, I still want to thank them:**

**EnigmaticPenguin**

**Me-aganist-the-world**

**JH24**

**Truephan**

**Now, I have to recognize one of my betas above the rest, and that is Truephan. Although she was my last beta I was blessed with, she has been by my side for the longest. And over the years, she has become a great friend to me. She knows I could never thank her enough for all the time and effort she put forth to make Checkmate what it was. Seriously, it would not have turned out as special without her. So, once again, for I will never get tired of saying it, thank you, my friend. I could not have done this without you. I love you. :)**

**I also gotta thank those kind little artists who time after time have blessed us with so many amazing story-art for this story. I, especially, gotta thank Fantasy93, because she has probably done as many fan-arts for this story as I wrote chapters for this story! Ha-ha! No, but she is an amazing artist, and a friend, too. Thank you for those beautiful inspirations. But that also extends to the rest of you who have amazed, inspired, and filled me with happiness with your works of art. Thank you!**

**Invader Johnny… Heh. I gotta thank you, too. Being able to talk to you on a regular basis about my stories also has motivated me through the years. I think you get the award for being the most loyal person to follow my work. You are always wanting to know more and more about my work, and are one of the first in line to review each chapter I post for each story. Thank you, my friend, for your continuous support and creativity! Heh… just keep the spoilers to yourself. *winks***

**NewGhostGirl: If I could, I would hug you. You took your support to an entirely new level. I still remember how floored I felt when you told me you wanted to dedicate a club to me on Deviantart, and the coolest thing was that we actually have a nice group! You and everyone else have really shown your love and support for me in ways that have left me speechless, but deeply touched. Then, if that's not enough, you go and make those wonderful trailers that I simply cannot get enough of! You are an amazing and talented person, and I could never express to you how thankful and touched I am with your dedication and motivation you have given me through all these years. Even if Vlad muse won't admit it, I know he also feels the same way. And deep down, he loves you just as much as I do! XD**

**Lastly, I want to thank those that have shown me their appreciation and support in another special way. I was shocked when I got one fan club, so when two more appeared, I think I thought Vlad muse was playing a joke on me. Heh-heh. I already mentioned NewGhostGirl and the Hidden Pearl club. But Little juniper made the 'Niane fanclub', showing her love for one of my most special OCs. To think when I started Checkmate, Niane was going to be called Apirl and she was just an unimportant ghost maid at Vlad's house… Somehow, this little OC evolved to the point that she became a keystone in Vlad's past. Little Juniper, I think you truly did see in Niane what I see in her as her creator. Thank you for sharing your love for her with me and everyone else. Finally, our newest addition, Lion-king-scar. Not sure if that's your name on this website, but you know who you are! XD I am happy to see how much Checkmate has touched you; but you have touched me with your love for me and my story. Even when this story is at its end, I hope we get to have lots of fun activities over at the #DP-Checkmate club! Thank you!**

* * *

**Well, my readers, this is the end. I hope you guys all stuck with my rant to the very end; because I have a treat for all of you now. Thank you once again for all your support with this story. If it's not to much to ask, grant me one more review with your thoughts. And if you have been following this story and have never reviewed, then if you can, let me know what you thought of this story.**

**So, then, to show my gratitude, I do have a funny one-shot in mind, which I hope to post for thanksgiving. It is just a silly idea I got some years back, and I never really finished it, but I think I will now and share it with you all. So, look for it for thanksgiving. And you'll probably get the CM/season three one-shot 'My Last Lesson from you' in December. **

**For now, allow me to present to you, the official summary for… Endgame. *winks***

_**Endgame.**_

_**Sequel to Checkmate. Rated T. Release Date: April 2012.**_

_**Summary:**_

_**One year after the Disasteroid event, Vlad Masters is merely a fading memory in Danny Fenton's mind. The sixteen-and-a-half-year-old superhero appears to have the perfect life. And with his ever-growing experience with his ghostly abilities, his job as protector of Amity Park seems to be getting easier and easier. Now that everyone knows his secret, he has the support of not just his sister and friends, but that of his parents and of his 'many' fans. Even school seems like paradise, with his ever increasing popularity and grades. **_

_**Still, as the saying may go, 'one person's paradise is another's nightmare...**_

_**With old pressures gone, new ones surge in this famous hero's life. But they will be the last thing on his mind when the reappearance of his arch-enemy triggers a set of happenings that frees the darkest part of both hybrids. As Danny's 'perfect' life begins to unravel, will he be able to search inside himself for a certain forgotten bond formed a year-and-a-half ago? Or, will the rise of a certain evil self only drive him further away from the man he once sought to save? But in this final game, it's all hands in for the fight to save Time and Existence. In the Endgame, there is no stalemate, for it is equivalent to losing. Sacrifices will have to be made and all the pieces will need to come together, for in the end, there can only be one Master. **_

**Vlad muse: *grins wickedly* Yes, I wrote that. See you all at the Hidden Pearl. *laughs evilly and vanishes***


End file.
